Starting to think about next spring's garden

OK, I'm just beginning to think about the garden.  Tonight was our Pastor's surprise birthday, and I talked to James, another church member.  Apparently he has some blackberry bushes he brought to the area from where he use to live.  They've been growing in his yard for 4 years, and he was asking if I knew how to propagate them.  He doesn't have internet access, so I just finished checking.  I found three methods, and I'll give him the papers tomorrow.  Maybe I'll get some blackberry plants out of it.

Last year I tried to plant some raspberry plants.  They didn't make it.  I don't know why.  But after looking at information about blackberries, I want to ask James if his have thorns (some versions don't!).  And are they bushes or vines.  And do they die back every winter, or do the branches grow new leaves every spring.

Hmm, now my garden - plants I definitely want again - acorn squash,  (they were small last year, but very tasty), pickling cucumbers, pole beans, fewer sugar snap peas, planted further apart, and in a row, not in a group.  Carrots, more lettuce, and definitely more tomatoes.  We made spaghetti sauce out of the tomatoes last year.  Only had enough for 1 batch of sauce, but it made enough for 2 containers in the freezer.  We just finished the end of it last week.

I also purchased a couple strawberry plants.  They really didn't make strawberries last year, and I understood from the nursery they were supposed to produce all summer.  But they did propagate - all summer!  They took over the entire section of the garden.  (I have 5 sections, each 2 foot by 4 foot).  I will need to prevent them from taking over any more space.  And if I don't get strawberries, they may be short lived!!!

Well, I can't start anything until March/April, so I have at least another full month to work out a plan.  Below is a picture of part of what I had to harvest just before the first hard frost.  You can see lots of green tomatoes, carrots, the acorn squash, the bell peppers (they were supposed to be carnival colored, but were pretty much green with the one purple), a few radishes and the end of the pole beans.  Not shown are the sugar snap peas, and more tomatoes.

I can't wait to start harvesting again!!