Garden Evaluation: Herbs & Vegetables

Bottom Terrace

 

oregano, covered in bees

 

Oregano: grew like crazy this year! We cut off the stems in June, dried the leaves, and ended up with 3/4 of a quart. I divided it way back this fall and gave some of the starts away. The bees absolutely love it! I need to find room for it up front in my "bees and butterflies" garden.

Oregano = bee heaven. 

 

Rosemary: 2 varieties: 'Madelene Hill' and 'Salem'

Overtaken by the oregano midsummer. We didn't dry any, and I haven't done anything to protect it this winter. We'll see if it survives.

 

Basil: 2 varieties: 'Purple Ruffles' and 'Sweet Basil'

Overtaken by the beans. We did use it several times in recipes. The purple variety was a bit spicier, and added a nice dash of color as well. I might try these in a pot next time, just to give them a little more elbow room. 1 of each type of plant was plenty for how much we used them.

 

 

Onions: Mixed yellow and white.

These grew fine, without pests or diseases. They all stayed quite small. I don't know if that was due to lack of nutrients, or what. In any case, I'm on the fence about planting them next year. I use them often to cook with, but having to peel 5 or 6 very small ones to equal 1 regular-sized gets old fast. Maybe if I figure out what I'm doing wrong I'll give them another shot. If not, onions are pretty cheap at the grocery store.

 

 

Peas: 2 varieties: 'Little Marvel' and 'Super Sugar Snap.' 

The Sugar Snaps didn't come up, so I bought new seed and replanted. Second time around they did fine. They both produced well. I don't know that any made it into the house. I need to allot twice the space for peas next year (garden expansion project #2 is in the works--woohoo!).  I liked the flavor of the shelling peas better, but I think the kiddos liked eating the pods of the Sugar Snaps.  I wouldn't mind doing 2 packages, 1 of each kind, next year.

 

 

Beans: 2 varieties: 'Tenderpick' and 'Royal Burgundy'

Can't get enough purple beans! Having planted one whole package of them this year, we actually had enough for the dinner table a couple of times. I want to do some low supports for them next year. Even though they're the bush bean variety, they tend to flop over. I think they would do better up off the ground more. Plus, they would be easier to pick. The regular old green beans did fine, too, just not nearly as fun for the kiddos to pick!

 

Tomatoes: 'Cougar Red' x 4, 'Sun Sugar' x 2, 'Oregon Spring' x 2, 1 roma

Very poor showing this year. The soil in the new addition must not have had enough nutrients. Several handfuls of small tomatoes is all. Since I did not can any tomatoes or salsa this year, next year needs to be a bigger crop. Soil will be amended!

 

I had to add this picture of the Topsy Turvy planter, because I kept forgetting to include this tomato plant in any updates all summer. Which is about how I did with watering it, too. The planter wasn't my favorite--since I had plenty of herbs planted elsewhere, I didn't use all those extra holes. So they let soil and water stream out every time I watered. And since I'm so short, the cold water would usually run up my arm or splash down my front. No harvest from this one. Not that I'm holding a grudge or anything, but next year this nice little hook will have a basket of flowers hanging from it.

 

Tomatillo: Ground Cherry 'Little Lanterns'

This was fun and a little different. They were supposed to mature to orange, according to the tag, so I was surprised when they all turned purple. These were also very very small and slow to mature this year. I realized that, other than fresh salsa (which they were too small to use for this year), I don't have any idea what to use these in. If I plant another next year, I need to look up some recipes!

 

Marigolds: planted amongst the tomatoes. Also did poorly.

 

Middle Terrace

 

 

Potatoes: 3 hills of purples, 6 'Yukon Gold'

We must have had 2 varieties of purples, but I don't know the names. The bright purples had white flesh, and the darker purples had purple flesh. The kids didn't want to eat the darker purple ones, so I don't know that we would do those again.

Potatoes are great fun, especially at harvest time. A couple of things we would do differently next year: put seed potatoes in a sunny window, in an egg carton, to sprout them prior to planting.

Let them stay in the ground until frost.

Our 9 hills produced enough to share with friends. We didn't end up blanching & freezing any this year, and we just ate the last of them about a week ago. The itty bitty ones are perfect for throwing in with a roast in the crockpot, but I wouldn't mind having some grow bigger next year (hence leaving them in the ground until frost.)

I could see doubling the potato patch next year, but if so, I would need to get a better cold storage system figured out.

 

Carrots: 3 leftover seed packets from years past: 'Scarlet Nantes,' 'Tendersweet,' and 'Royal Chantenay'

Since these ended up here, there, and everywhere, I can't speak to the different varieties this year. Processed 6 quarts (frozen) and still have some in the freezer. They grew well, with no pests or diseases to speak of. I would like to do a big patch next year. They freeze so well and we eat them often. When buying new seed, I will probably go with the 'Scarlet Nantes' variety. 

 

Beets: No luck with the beets this year. Died long before any were ready to harvest. Not sure what happened there.

 



Spinach: 'Tyee'

We liked the spinach. We left on vacation for a week in June, and that was about it. It finished before I was ready! I may try a few varieties next year just to see if there are any that really stand out. I wouldn't mind doing a bigger patch of this as well, and freezing any we don't use right away.

 

 

Cucumbers & Zucchini: None of these did much this year. I think we harvested about 4 zukes and 2 cukes. Give or take. I had to beg for some from friends to even make zucchini bread. Not that I had to beg too hard. ;) Once again, I think the soil in the addition is to blame. Next year should be better, as we will amend it heavily in the spring.

For next year, I want to try a slicing cucumber, rather than the bush pickle.

 

Broccoli: 6 plants

I'm not doing broccoli next year. After the main heads were harvested, I just couldn't keep up with it. The side shoots were small enough that it would take 2 or 3 pickings to make a meal and they kept flowering before I got out there to pick. Plus, I got all squeamish about the bugs, when I realized you're supposed to soak them in saltwater for at least 30 minutes before cooking them. PLUS, there was some that went bad in the fridge and let me tell you what--rotten broccoli stench is enough to put you off eating entirely. It was disgusting.

So in the end, we will just buy the frozen kind and be happy that we don't have to deal with it.

The kids might miss it, since they got to raise a cabbage white butterfly from a caterpillar.

It's going to be okay, though. Really.

 

So, with expansion #2 in the works, next year I want to add:

sweet corn: yes, I'm going to try it again!

pumpkins & gourds: for jack-o-lanterns and for decorations

sunflowers! I missed having them in the garden this year

beans to dry

possibly lettuce, celery, leeks, or sweet potatoes

 

If you made it all the way to the end of this marathon post, you deserve a reward.

Preferrably something chocolate.