How Does Your Garden Grow?

A few days of mild weather here have gotten me outside, and thinking about this summer's garden.  I have never planned much.  I just filled pots with what I like, and tucked things into the existing garden where I could find a spot.

I have a lot of bulbs and "Spring" plantings - bulbs, 2 peonies, a large rosebush - already in the garden.   The peonies have already been moved once - and survived.  It is my understanding that once established, they will live practically forever, but don't like to be transplanted.  The bulbs are the real problem.   Their foliage takes up so much room, and by the time it dies down, it's well into the heat of summer and too late to plant anything there.   I need to measure my little patch.   My guess it's about 8 feet wide, by 12 feet long. (oval) Perhaps that book about 'square-foot gardening' would be a good investment? 

I also want to try some companion planting  this year, and along with home-made 'natural' sprays, to try to battle some of the bug problems I had last year.   Abigail has gotten spoiled and turns her nose (? beak?) up at anything but layer mash and scratch grain.   I'm hoping once she gets some outside time in a temporary enclosure, she will develop a taste for greens and bugs.  I would be happy to feed her some Japanese beetles, but the tomato hornworms are just too yucky for me to handle!

Keeping in mind what did well last year, what did not, what I will still grow in pots, and what I want to move into the garden, I will go through my saved seed soon, and supplement with some store-bought ones.   I would like to try "Kamo" eggplant, but I can only find it here, and I don't know if I want to order enough other stuff from them to make it worth-while. 

I also want to be sure to add more flowers. Nasturtiums and French Marigolds are a natural in the garden, since they repel so many pests, but I am eager for color in general after such a gray and white loooooooong winter.   I was raking and digging a little last night (smoothing out the heaps of compost) and spotted a few bulbs just barely beginning to peek up from the earth.   Spring is coming!!!