Practical Homesteading

Tag: vegetable garden

  • Zone 4B July Garden Tour: Our 2026 Garden Updates

    Zone 4B July Garden Tour: Our 2026 Garden Updates

    Somehow, it’s already early July. How is your garden doing?

    We’re in Zone 4B, and in late May I shared what we planted in our garden this year. In this post, I’m expanding on that first update and sharing how things are going now. How much work have we done so far? What veggies have we harvested already (spoiler: not too many yet, but that’s changing fast!)?

    It’s been a fairly wet season so far (with plenty of tornado warnings), which has meant we haven’t had to start watering yet. I expect that to change as July continues and we slide into our usual hotter, drier stretch.

    Think of this as a walk-through of our garden rows, plus a few notes on what’s working, what isn’t, and what we’ve noticed already this year.

    Strawberries: The Semi-Permanent Front Row

    The first two rows of our garden are dedicated to strawberries. This is a semi-permanent location for them. Back in April, we transplanted the plants, and since then we’ve pinched off the blossoms and weeded the rows.

    We’ve been pinching blossoms to allow the plants to focus more on strong root and leaf growth, but have recently stopped. We’ve harvested a grand total of two berries so far (and they’re delicious!). Besides the berries, the plants themselves have sent off large shoots that re‑root themselves. We’ve been working to direct those so they don’t take over the middle of the row.

    Root Vegetables: Fresh Salads Now, Storage Roots Later

    The next rows are dedicated to root vegetables and salad greens. These rows have shown a rapid return, with us harvesting many salads’ worth of lettuce and spinach (my salad spinner is working overtime!), and we’ve finished harvesting radishes.

    Other veggie updates:

    • Parsnips: They didn’t come up well, so we replanted a couple of weeks ago.
    • Carrots: They’re coming up great, and we hope to harvest our first fresh carrots (nature’s candy) within the next couple of weeks. My son cannot wait.
    • Beets: We hope to harvest these soon too.

    Red and Yellow Onions

    After the root bed come two full rows of onions—both red and yellow.

    Our transplanted yellow onions have been growing vigorously; they are now about the size of baseballs. Our red onions are a little further behind, but are still quite healthy.

    We’ve started harvesting some of the larger yellow onions. Fresh onions from the garden are divine!

    Peas: Kid-Favorite Garden Candy

    Our peas are starting to blossom, which means any week now they’ll begin producing. The kids think of them as garden candy, and eat them straight from the vine.

    Cucumbers in the Middle (On Purpose) + Tomatoes and Peppers

    The cucumbers are coming up well and are starting to blossom. We’ll start getting cucumbers in just a couple of weeks. We planted them in the middle of the garden on purpose, where they’re easy to water and can climb on a trellis without taking over the edges.

    I did see my first cucumber beetles this week. Right now I’m just keeping a close eye on them; if anyone has favorite ways to manage cucumber beetles organically, I’d love to hear your advice.

    We’ve actually started harvesting some peppers already—delicious!

    We have tiny Roma tomatoes on the vine that are steadily getting bigger, and some Early Girls. I expect to get a couple of Early Girls in a couple of weeks, then the Romas and Mortgage Lifters by the end of July into early August.

    Cruciferous Row: Cauliflower, Kale, Broccoli, and Brussels Sprouts

    I’ve harvested my first kale and made my first batch of Zuppa Toscana. It was lovely—though maybe not the best meal to eat on a 90‑degree day, haha.

    Cauliflower, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts haven’t produced yet. I expect the broccoli to start producing within the next couple of weeks. The Brussels sprouts will likely be ready in about 2–3 months (they have a long growing period).

    Cabbage, Bok Choy, and Kohlrabi

    The next row is a mix of:

    • Cabbage: Destined for sauerkraut, boiled cabbage, and coleslaw. Not ready yet, but I expect smaller heads to be ready in about a month.
    • Bok choy: We harvested our first head, and it was delicious in our beef stir fry.
    • Kohlrabi: The “heads” are starting to form (they look like a little bulb with leafy hair coming out).

    Summer Squash, Rutabagas, and a Few Flowers

    In the back corner of the garden, we planted summer squash—three hills of it.

    In my unsolicited opinion, three hills is about two hills too many. If you’ve ever been buried in zucchini or summer squash, you know exactly what I mean. We also have several volunteer squash plants coming up in random spots throughout the garden. If a volunteer squash plant pops up in a really inconvenient spot (where it will interfere with my favorite veggies), I pull it out.

    The rest of that row holds garlic and rutabagas:

    • We plan to harvest the four bulbs of garlic within the next couple of weeks.
    • The interplanted rutabagas will begin to be harvested in about a week or two.

    We’ve also tucked marigolds into the garden, which I love both for their pest‑control benefits and because they’re simply beautiful. On top of that, we have a lot of volunteer sunflowers coming up throughout the garden—they add a bit of cheer and should make the bees happy later in the season.

    Sweet Corn and Cantaloupe at the Front

    The front of the garden holds our sweet corn patch. It’s doing well so far. They always say corn is doing well if it’s “knee high by the Fourth of July,” and this year it’s about waist high (I’m writing this on the Fourth). I suspect we will be battling the raccoons and possums for the crop later in the season, and I hope we win at least some this time!

    The cantaloupe patch is on the other side. So far, so good—the plants are still small, but they grow fast this time of year. I expect to harvest our first cantaloupes in about a month.

    How Much Weeding We’ve Done (So Far)

    We weed the garden the most at the beginning of the garden season. My dad has always said, “You win or lose the battle with weeds in the month of June,” and I wholeheartedly agree.

    If you catch them early and don’t let them go to seed, there are fewer by the end of the year (although you still have to do maintenance weeding after that). In June, my husband and I have spent an average of 3–4 hours per week on weeding. As the weather gets drier and the plants start to shade out more of the garden, I expect that time to be drastically reduced, down to about an hour per week.

    I’ll shift that “extra” time to harvesting and preservation as the season continues. Stay tuned for all the ways I like to preserve garden‑fresh veggies!

    Potatoes, Pumpkins, and Future Plans

    Beyond the main garden rows, we have two additional patches:

    • The potato patch has been hilled, and we’re starting to find the dastardly potato bugs (both the babies and the adults). For now we’re picking them off by hand and doing our best to stay ahead of them.
    • Behind our barn, we have established a pumpkin patch, and I’m already picturing fall—whether that means jack‑o’‑lanterns, pies, or both.

    So far, I don’t have big “lessons learned” to share this season. I’m sure they’re coming as the summer unfolds, but right now we’re mostly observing, adjusting as needed, and enjoying the early harvests.

    That’s where things stand in our Zone 4B garden this early July.

    If you’re gardening in a similar climate, I’d love to hear: what’s thriving for you right now, what pests you’re seeing, and what’s been your biggest surprise so far this season?

    If this garden tour was helpful or encouraging, would you share it with another gardener—especially someone in a colder zone? Your shares and comments help these updates reach more folks who are growing right alongside us.

    Read Next: Biggest Garden Yet: Laughs, Lessons, and Pig-Approved Produce

  • Zone 4B Vegetable Garden Ideas: What We Planted in 2026

    Zone 4B Vegetable Garden Ideas: What We Planted in 2026

    Our Late-May Garden Tour: What We Planted and Why

    Somehow, May is already almost over. If you plant a garden, have you gotten yours in yet?

    We’re in Zone 4B, and by late May our garden is finally in full swing. If you’re looking for ideas for your own Zone 4B vegetable garden, here’s exactly what we planted this year and why. In this post, I’m sharing what we planted in our garden this year and the order we planted it in (spoiler: it definitely did not all happen in one day). Think of this as a walk-through of our garden rows, plus a few notes on what’s working, what isn’t, and what we’re excited to try.

    Strawberries: The Semi-Permanent Front Row

    We started about a month ago by dedicating the first two rows of our garden to strawberries. This will be a semi-permanent location for them.

    Here’s our basic setup:

    • Transplanted strawberry plants into two full rows.
    • Plan to layer straw on top to help suppress weeds and hold moisture in during the warm months.
    • I’m pinching the blossoms off all the plants for the first two months.

    The blossom-pinching feels a little cruel in the moment, but it lets the plants focus on strong root and leaf growth. If all goes well, we should be enjoying delicious berries by July or August from the everbearing varieties.

    Strawberries plants are hidden amongst the straw (for now)

    Root Vegetables: Fresh Salads Now, Storage Roots Later

    Next, we planted our root vegetables and salad greens. This is one of my favorite parts of the garden because it gives both quick wins and long-term rewards. (You’ll notice I have a lot of “favorite” parts—my garden just brings me that much joy.)

    In this section we planted:

    • Parsnips – for fresh roots next March and April.
    • Radishes – for quick crunch and color in early salads.
    • Lettuce and spinach – fast growers, so we can enjoy fresh greens in just a couple weeks.
    • Carrots – for fresh eating in the next couple months and for later winter storage.
    • Beets – for roasting, pickling, and everything in between.

    I plan to share in a future post how we keep garden-fresh carrots through the Wisconsin winter, and also how we turn all of these roots and greens into actual meals (rather than just “good intentions” in the crisper drawer).

    Radishes, we just harvested our first bunch last night!

    Onions: The Powerhouse Vegetable (and a Confession)

    After the root bed came two full rows of onions—both red and yellow.

    I prefer transplanting onion plants rather than using onion sets. That was the plan this year too…in theory.

    Confession time:

    • I did start onion seeds this year.
    • Between poor starting soil, my “casual” watering habits, and not trimming the tops, my onion starts never made it to the garden.

    Instead, my dad kindly shared some surplus onion plants he purchased from the Amish, and they became our onion rows.

    Don’t judge me too harshly for the crooked row. I was planting with a toddler in tow…

    Why we love onions:

    • They’re a true powerhouse vegetable in the kitchen.
    • They store well when kept under the right conditions.
    • Even in our less-than-perfect storage setup, I pulled my last onion from last year’s harvest about a month and a half ago.

    We plant:

    • Red onions for fresh eating and pickling (they’re fantastic pickled).
    • Yellow onions for long-term storage and everyday cooking.

    Peas: Kid-Favorite Garden Candy

    Next up: peas.

    Peas are one of our family’s favorite vegetables to eat right in the garden. The kids love:

    • Picking them straight off the vine.
    • Popping the pods open.
    • Eating the peas fresh, still warm from the sun.

    They disappear almost as soon as they ripen.

    We installed a trellis right away, but “trellis” might be a generous term. In true homestead fashion, we used:

    • An old corn crib side as the main panel.
    • Old fence posts to hold it in place.

    We love recycling old farm implements wherever possible—it saves money, reduces waste, and gives these materials a second life.

    Somewhere in the sky, an old farmer is smiling down on our resourcefulness (I hope)

    Cucumbers in the Middle (On Purpose) + Tomatoes and Peppers

    Next came cucumbers.

    Some gardeners might be clutching their pearls at this, but yes: we plant our cucumber patch in the middle of the garden.

    The reason we can get away with this is our trellis. Instead of letting the vines sprawl everywhere, we:

    • Use an old cattle panel as a trellis.
    • Hold it in place with old fence posts.

    This keeps the vines mostly vertical and contained, which makes it easier to walk around the garden and keeps the cucumbers cleaner and easier to harvest. It might not be traditional, but it works for us.

    Once the cucumbers were in, we filled the rest of that row with transplanted veggies:

    • Peppers (both bell and hot).
    • Tomatoes – a mix of early-ripening varieties, Romas (for sauce), and Mortgage Lifters (for big slicing tomatoes).
    Peppers galore!

    Cruciferous Row: Cauliflower, Kale, Broccoli, and Brussels Sprouts

    The next row is devoted to some of my favorite vegetables: cauliflower, kale, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts.

    I love cruciferous veggies for a few reasons:

    • They’re incredibly versatile in the kitchen.
    • They freeze beautifully, which makes them a big part of how we keep eating vegetables all winter without visiting the grocery aisle.
    • They’re hardy and forgiving once established.

    In a future post, I hope to share exactly how we prep and freeze these so they stay tasty and usable.

    Quick kale note: I may be late to the party, but I also love kale soup. I’m still not sold on kale chips—mine tend to swing between soggy and burnt—but I’m open to conversion if someone can show me the magic method. Shoutout to my friend who shared her Zuppa Toscana (and the recipe!) and officially turned me into a kale-soup person.

    Cabbage, More Cauliflower, Bok Choy, and Kohlrabi

    The next row is a mix of:

    • Cabbage – destined for sauerkraut.
    • More cauliflower – because we’re not sure how well the older seed in the other row will germinate.
    • Bok choy – for stir-fries and Chinese dumplings.
    • Kohlrabi – one of my underrated favorites.

    A quick note about kohlrabi: the name literally translates from German as “turnip cabbage,” describing its shape. I grew up with it, but I don’t know how many people outside German ancestry know what it is.

    Why I love kohlrabi:

    • It grows above the ground and matures in about two months.
    • Around the 4th of July, it’s usually ready, and it’s one of my favorite veggies to snack on then.
    • It’s delicious raw—peeled and sliced.
    • The flavor is like a cross between a mild radish and broccoli.

    I’ve experimented with cooking it, but honestly, we usually eat it raw before I get a chance to cook or roast it. I’ve also pickled it with great success.

    If you’ve never tried kohlrabi and you love cruciferous veggies, I’d highly recommend grabbing some seed and giving it a spot in your garden.

    Summer Squash and Rutabagas

    In the back corner of the garden, we planted summer squash—three hills of it.

    In my unsolicited opinion, three hills is about two hills too many. If you’ve ever been buried in zucchini or summer squash, you know exactly what I mean.

    The rest of that row holds garlic and rutabagas.

    • The garlic was planted way too late last October, and it shows; it didn’t come up well.
    • To make better use of the space, we interplanted rutabagas.

    Rutabagas are another veggie I’ve only recently fallen for. They make a great “potato” replacement in mid-summer and are wonderful:

    • Sautéed.
    • Roasted.
    • In pot pies.

    Sweet Corn and Cantaloupe at the Front

    The front of the garden holds our sweet corn patch.

    Full honesty: I have not had the best luck with sweet corn in recent years. The local raccoons and possums seem to love it even more than we do. We’ll see how it goes this year.

    On the other side, we planted cantaloupe. In my experience (Zone 4B), you don’t need to transplant cantaloupe:

    • When you plant seed directly into soil that’s warm enough (late May here), it catches up quickly.
    • Direct-seeding saves time and space in the seed-starting area.

    If you’re curious about how we store carrots, freeze broccoli and cauliflower, or use bok choy in dumplings, those posts are coming (or, in the case of Chinese dumplings, are already here).

    Potatoes, Pumpkins, and Future Plans

    Beyond the main garden rows, we have two additional patches:

    • My husband planted a patch of potatoes using a restored potato planter, which was a fun bit of old-meets-new on the homestead.
    • Behind our barn, we plan to establish a pumpkin patch.

    I’m already dreaming of fall pumpkins, roasted seeds, and maybe even some homegrown pumpkin purée for baking.

    That’s our lineup for this year’s Zone 4B garden, from strawberries in front to pumpkins out back.

    What’s growing in your garden this year, and which veggie are you most excited to harvest first?

    If this little garden tour gave you some ideas (or just made you feel less behind on planting), would you share it with a fellow gardener or save it for later?

    You can also join my email list for more honest, Zone 4B garden updates, planting ideas, and what’s actually working for us from season to season.

    Subscribe for weekly homesteading tips:

    Read Next: Biggest Garden Yet: Lessons, Laughs, and Pig-Approved Produce