Garden Evaluation: Herbs & Veggies

 

This year my garden was actually all built from the beginning of the season.

It was amazing!

 

Overall, it was a decent year for the garden.

Like usual, some things were winners and some...not so much.

We'll talk about that as we go.

 

youngest son's plot, mid-June

 

The biggest change was allowing my kiddos to have space for gardens of their own.

Although it cut into some of my prime real estate (especially since I gave them the spots on the bottom terrace), it was great fun to see their little plots prospering through the summer.

They seemed to enjoy picking their own veggies and flowers, too.

 

I also tried pea sticks! And pole beans on bamboo supports.

 

So, for a little recap:

 

I got the spring veggies put in late April (4-23), and planted potatoes (including a random sweet potato that was growing leaves in my potato bin), peas, swiss chard, beets, and spinach.

 Onions went in about a month later.

 

Summer veggies were planted earlier than usual, by May 24.

We put in tomatoes, thyme, basil, marigolds, cucumbers, zucchini, pumpkins, mini pumpkins, and three colors of beans. Also, some zinnias.

 

Challenges and Successes:

Bring on the Heat

 

Cukes and zucchini loved the hot weather!

 

We had hot weather come early this year. Where usually it's stays fairly cool until July (temps in the 60's and 70's), it was already blazing hot by mid-June.

All of the spring veggies, with the exception of the potatoes, really suffered from the heat.

Peas did the worst: they were spindly, and didn't even start producing until mid-July. When they did, it was a few pitiful (but delicious) handfuls. They simply wilted!

Beets did better than last year, but still not great. We had some grow bigger this year than before, and had enough for some meals inside, as well as some for making canned pickled beets.

The kids got some spinach and swiss chard from their plots. Mine were only about 3 inches high when they bolted, so I yanked them out and replanted with beans.

 

Also due to the heat, the basil went to seed way early, before I could get out there to harvest it for drying. Surprisingly, the sweet potato didn't do as well as I thought it would, even with the high temps.

 

 

On the plus side: With the heat we had a great year for cucumbers and zucchini, as the picture above can attest. Also, every time I pulled out struggling spring vegetables, I replanted with beans. The beans did great! We harvested enough to eat at meals, and even were able to freeze several quart bags worth.

 

 

The marigolds apparently couldn't get enough of the heat either, as they were vibrantly bushy and gorgeous all summer long, as well.

 

The Great Cosmos Takeover

 

Yup, this is about right.

Be afraid, little pumpkin vine, be very afraid.

 

So, I had all of these volunteer cosmos come up, bless their feathery little hearts.

They pretty much took over the middle terrace. They crowded and shaded the poor pumpkin vines, so that our production was very low: 2 small pumpkins, and about 3 minis.

 

On the plus side: they were so darn beautiful, that I just sighed happily every time I saw them. What pumpkins?  Perhaps next year they could be transplanted to the cutting garden early on...

 

Poor Soil in the Top Bed

 

tomatoes, basil, marigolds

 

I'm blaming it on the newer soil in the top bed, where we planted the tomatoes, basil, and marigolds. When I rototilled in the spring, the layer of clay soil was much closer to the surface than in the other beds. The tomatoes didn't grow very tall, and the fruit was quite small, as well.

Extra compost and rototilling probably need to go onto the top bed next spring.

On the plus side: we did have enough tomatoes to eat fresh, once they started producing

Not enough for salsa or other kinds of processing, though.

 

Trellises and Staking

Okay,  let's talk about trellises and staking for a moment. I had all kinds of variety going on with that this year, some much more successful than others.

I loved the pea sticks. Far easier than stakes and string, and bonus! the aspens shoots I used really were dead, so I did not end up with an aspen grove in my vegetable patch. Also, they just looked pretty darn cool.

 

The stakes and netting for the cucumbers worked okay. There were so many vines, that many of them still ended up running along the ground, but I guess at least some were growing vertically.

 

The bamboo poles for the pole beans were a bust. The beans had absolutely zero interest in climbing them, even when I tried to wrap them [gently] around. I should have just used twine and tied them to it a couple of times, perhaps. Anyway, unsupported, the beans proceeded to take over the tomato cages nearby and make a big tangled mess on the ground. Not awesome.

 

Speaking of tomato cages, they worked fine this year, though it was due to all the plants being so small, rather than any innate goodness.

 

The smaller tomato cages were also helpful around the pepper plants we grew.

Win some, lose some.

 

Best and Worst

 

Best:

 

Onions!

 My reluctance was overcome by this success! Having planted them further apart (more like 6 inches), they grew into big beautiful slicing onions with little to no effort on my part. Even the cosmo jungle didn't seem to effect them. Win!

 

Beans--they sprang up happily wherever I plunked them in, which this year was in any open space I could find.

 

Cucumbers also did quite well this year, with consistent production for a couple of months.

 

Honorable mention: bell peppers

I have never had success with peppers turned red before frost, except for this year. The kids' plants did the best, and we harvested some sweet red peppers to eat fresh.

 

Middle of the road:

Carrots. We got enough to process some for winter, but I kept feeling like for as much seed as we put out there, we should have had a whole lot more carrots to show for it. We did the 'Rainbow Blend' again this year, and mostly got yellows and oranges.

 

Oregano. About what it has been the past several years--we dried about a quart and a half from the trimmings.

 

Potatoes. Seemed healthy, didn't harvest as much as I expected. Hardly any Yukon Golds, which are my favorite kind. Again, maybe the hot summer to blame?

 

Worst:

Peas (as mentioned above). Hardly any harvest.

Spinach. Bolted way early.

Pumpkins (blame it on the cosmos, as discussed)

Sweet potato--we ended up with fingers, not potatoes, though they sure tasted good roasted in the oven.

 

What I want to change for next year: 

 

1. Get the spring vegetables in end of March, beginning of April. It's usually super wet around that time, but find a dry spell somewhere in there, rototill, and get to work! I think my spring stuff would have done fine, had they been already producing in June, rather than still getting going.

 

2. Perhaps not let the volunteer cosmos (if there are some again) take over the whole world. Transplant most down to the cutting garden.

 

3. Heavily amend top bed. [I wonder how onions would do up there?...]

 

4. Perhaps try for corn or lettuce. No pole beans or swiss chard. More onions and tomatoes. Perhaps more cucumbers for pickling.



What I'm Learning From BBC TV

When Erin over at The Impatient Gardener made a YouTube channel with all kinds of gardening shows linked, I decided to just take a look.

I'm addicted already and it's only been a week!

What I like most about it is the practical tips. Like most gardeners, I'm learning by trial and error as I go, and I've read all kinds of books. Sometimes, though, just having a person show me how to do a task while explaining why sinks in and makes so much more sense.

 

So without further ado, what I've learned so far from Monty Don and others on the Gardener's World 2014 series:

 

1. Pruning Roses

 

Winter pruning stimulates growth, therefore prune back the weakest shoots the hardest.  My 'Yellow Topaz' rose in back (pictured) is very vigorous, but an odd shape. I'm looking forward to March for a good pruning!

My 'Watercolors' rose and my burgundy iceberg rose will also get pruned based on this advice.

 

Summer pruning inhibits growth. 

 

2. Growing potatoes

 

potatoes planted last year with the square foot gardening method

 

I've been doing the square foot gardening method where you dig a hole, then fill it in as the plant grows up.  Also, I have cut up the seed potatoes and put 4 or 5 pieces in each hole.

I'm going to try Monty's method this year: chit the potatoes first (put it in a sunny place for the eyes to grow), then plant whole potatoes, small end down, 6 inches deep. One potato per hill. Done.

The closer together, the smaller the potatoes you'll get. I didn't know that.

So I'll plant them 12-18 inches apart.

It sound so much easier than the method I've been doing.

Also, harvest them with a fork rather than a shovel!

So many of them last year were sliced in half with the shovel inadvertently.

 

3. For fruit trees, strength and vigor of the tree make it want to grow upwards, but more fruit forms on the horizontal branches. It makes a lot of sense.  Apparently roses are this way as well.

So, for anything you want fruit/lots of blooms from, or that you're training to a trellis, fan the branches out horizontally or at a 45 degree angle for maximum fruit or flowers.

I just bought a climbing rose for the back flowerbed, so I will definitely keep that in mind.

 

Apple tree behind the shed, the first summer after planting.

It has not blossomed since and now doesn't even get that much sun with the completion of the shed.

 

4. This is more of just a mindset, but if it's not working, take it out or move it.

This is inspiring me to move my lilac bush off the slope. It has maybe grown 6 inches in the last 4 years. Obviously, it is not getting what it needs on the slope. It has never flowered, either.

If the roots look fine, I'll transplant it over to our East side terrace.

Also, the apple tree behind the shed needs to move.

Looking at it with what I know now, almost every branch is vertical, no doubt reaching for the light.

It just gets too much shade back there. No wonder it hasn't blossomed since the first year.

So that will be moved as well, probably to the East side terraces, although I'm toying with the idea of trying espalier on the west side of the house.

 

I would love to add a Japanese maple back there, if there is one that would cope with the clay soil.

 

 

Similarly, the blueberry bushes that have struggled for so long need to go. I either need to move the strawberries away from them, refresh the bed's soil and plant new ones, or just take out the acidic soil, replace it with regular stuff, and make it part of the garden.

 

5. With trees, don't add compost to the hole. Make it wide and fairly shallow. The tree's roots need to spread out into the surrounding soil as quickly as possible, so if it's a lot different than what you've put in the hole, the roots won't want to leave and the tree will be weaker. 

 

6. Repetition is what turns a random collection of plants into a garden.

I've been thinking about my front, top terrace.

 

The top terrace.

Daphne at the bottom front of the picture, with hardy hydrangea, boxwood, snowball bush, and elderberry as you move around towards the top.

 

The other 2 terraces have all kinds of lovely repetition going on.

That one I just plunked down 5 different shrubs and it has always bothered me, but I couldn't put my finger on why. Now I know. So I'm going to move the tiny little daphne on the end and plant another boxwood there, to add a little more repetition and continuity.

I'm debating moving the snowball bush as well, but haven't decided on that yet.

 

7. Plants I want to add after watching:

buddleia (butterfly bush): my front flowerbeds are supposed to attract bees/butterflies and I have quite a few plants that do that, but I need a buddleia. I don't have room for one unless something comes out, or I can put some in on the east side terraces.

 

ornamental grasses: I had this thought as I was watching last night--if weedy grass does really well on my back slope, there must be some ornamental grasses that would do well, right? I'm going to do a little research and see what I can find out.

Also, research "clay slope wildflower mix" and see what I can come up with.

The mix I tried a few years ago did absolutely nothing, but then, it had all that weedy grass to compete with.

 

dahlias: I've always avoided these, beautiful as they are, because I didn't want the bother of digging them up every fall, storing them, and replanting in the spring. So the brilliant (ha! see, the lingo is sinking in as well) thing to do is to plant them in pots. Then the whole pot can be put in, or at the very least, they will be easy to dig back up and take care of, as you will be emptying the pot in the fall anyway.

 

 

I was going to start taking notes then I thought--oh yeah, that's why I have a blog. Cracking!

This year I'll be filling in the rest of the east-side terrace, so I'm busy thinking about what I want over there. I also just bought some roses to plant down in front on the west side of the driveway, to begin changing that blank landscape into something worth looking at.

I'm excited to get started on some of these changes!

Only 2 more months to go!

 



Garden Evaluation: Herbs & Vegetables

Overall, I was late getting just about everything in this year.

Spring veggies didn't go in until May 1, and with the garden expansion still going on, the summer veggies didn't get in the ground until the end of June.

Even so, we had some success.

Let's talk about it.

 

Oregano: Even with having divided this last fall, we still harvested quite a bit. I cut them back in June again, then we dried them. This time we dried the whole stems in the dehydrator, then stripped and crumbled the leaves afterword. It was much faster that way! We ended up with a pint, which I gave to a friend, since we still have a lot from 2 years ago.

 

 

Other herbs: I planted some basil and pineapple sage in a pot. They started out strong, but were done about mid summer. Surprisingly, I couldn't find any rosemary starts to buy this year. So we were a bit sparse on herbs.

 

Peas: I did 2 packets, one each of 'Little Marvel' and 'Oregon Sugar Pod II'.
We really enjoyed these this year. The kids got many big handfuls to snack on. Every year I think--we need more peas! I wasn't super thrilled with my trellising. I need to figure out a better way to do that this year. The peas had just about pulled it down by mid-season.

Potatoes: 5 hills 'Yukon Gold', 4 hills 'Viking.' Smaller harvest than anticipated this year. Once again we had some hills that just rotted without growing at all. However, I'm going to try Monty's (yes, first name basis with my friend Monty from Gardener's World,)  potato planting method next spring and see if it makes a difference. Namely, chit the potatoes first, plant the whole potato, and space them a little further apart.

 

Spinach: 2 varieties: 'Tyee' and 'Olympia Hybrid.' We were loving the spinach this year! I need to plant it further apart so we don't have to thin as much. Or start it from seed earlier in February and plant out when it's a little bigger.  

 

Beets: 2 varieties: 'Chioggia' (red/white striped) and 'Cylindra.' We got some this year! None were very big, and I'm not sure if we just picked them too early or what. We like the Cylindra best. Chioggia looked better raw, but by the time you cooked them, it was just kind of a dirty white color. I learned how to roast them and that was my favorite way to eat them. I want to try them again next spring.

 

Carrots: Our carrots struggled! First we did a Rainbow Mix and Scarlet Nantes, which I just scattered, but hardly any germinated. So next I did a couple furrows of Danvers Half Longs. We got some here and there, but didn't ever harvest enough at one time to process or freeze.
The multi-colored ones were very sweet and good-tasting. I want to try those again. 
Next spring I'm going to do rows. I just haven't decided if they're going to be all along the front, or several short ones going front to back in one section.

 Beans: I found a tri-color bean mix, with purple, green, and yellow beans. I had two separate bean patches going, which both produced a steady yield. Enough for snacking.

 

Tomatoes: Mostly 'Oregon Spring' with some 'New Girl,' and 2 'Sungold'. We had good yields this year. I made some salsa to can, and I also had enough to do several batches of homemade tomato sauce, roasting them in the oven with onions and garlic.
Marked difference from last year--I'm crediting the compost and manure we added before planting.

Peppers: We harvested several small ones, all green. Once again I am underwhelmed by the peppers here. I didn't do any kind of plastic cover on the ground, though.

Zucchini: Our one plant up top produced for us this year. It was nice! We had enough to make some zucchini bread and some to eat, too.

 

 

Pumpkins: The kids especially enjoyed these this year. We had enough for each one to carve one for Halloween. We harvested probably 8 or 9 minis, which were brought in as decorations. Eventually, we ate the minis.  There was one variety that was particularly yummy and one that was really stringy and not very good. I don't remember which was which. Darn!  The perils of waiting to evaluate things. I think next year I will plan a meal to eat the minis soon after Halloween.

Squash: We harvested 2 butternut squash. One we just ate a few weeks ago and it was quite tasty. The other got rotten in storage before we got to it.

Cucumbers: These were a no-show this year. Died right off within a couple weeks of planting.

Watermelon: We actually harvested a few baseball size watermelons this year! They were good, but I think next year if we do melons I want to try cantaloupes instead.



Garden Evaluation: Berries

This was a big year for the berry patch.

Operation Berry Bliss started way back in the spring, with the blueberry bushes moved off the slope, down to claim the top terrace.

 

blueberry

4 different varieties of strawberries were then planted around and amongst the blueberry bushes. 

 

The strawberries took off!

Of all that was planted in the new addition of the terraces, the strawberries loved the sandy soil the most. On that end of the bed, they completely filled in every inch, and started sending runners down the wall.  You can barely see the blueberry bush in this picture, because it's surrounded by strawberries!

 

 

As you can see, the strawberry plants on the other end, where I amended with acidic soil for the blueberries, stayed much smaller. I may end up transplanting them further down, once the rest of the top terrace goes in next spring. The blueberries would probably appreciate the breathing room anyway!

 

 Production was great for strawberries and raspberries.

I picked off berries and blossoms on the strawberries for the first month to 6 weeks, then I just let them go for it. We harvested strawberries the whole rest of the summer. With my kiddos being the main pickers, it's a little hard to estimate how much was produced, but they found some to pick with enough to share almost every time they went out.

We missed the big crop in June, so I'm hoping next year we'll have enough to make jam. We may even designate the entire top terrace as a strawberry patch, which I would love! That is still to be decided, however.

 

 Raspberries started producing a bit later in June, I think due to the extra shade from the fence and the shed in the earlier spring months. However, they kept right on going up through July, with the heaviest crop probably the first 2 weeks of July. Again, the kiddos found plenty to forage almost every time they went out. The shoots for next year look big and healthy, so I'm looking forward to even more of a harvest next time!

 

I did add compost to the raspberry bed a couple of different times this summer, and tried to keep it well watered. It was so much easier to pick and keep weeded along the fence!    

 

Blueberries, once again, were no-shows in the production department.

I really need to test the soil acidity and add sulphur if needed.

Maybe I'll transplant those strawberries, first.
 

The blackberry vine at the top of the slope gave us a few handfuls.

I would like to add a few more vines up there next year.

October 11

 

This beautiful fall color in the berry patch was an unexpected bonus.

 

November 13

 

Strong start for year 1.

I'm looking forward to year 2.

Home-grown berries make up for a lot of weed-pulling!

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.

The Back Slope: Facing Facts

This post is linked up to Lessons Learned, over at PlantPostings.

 

With ice and snow still sticking around outside, I've taken to reading gardening books lately. Somewhere in the stack I pulled out a gem that's going to change my whole approach to the back slope, aka "Ladybug Hill."

Here's what I learned:

In gardening, you figure out what works. Then you repeat that. Success. Repeat. Success. Repeat.

In other words, when you hit on something that works in one location, plant more of that. 

Sounds simple, doesn't it?  I think the first part is the most important (and what I have not done very well.)

OBSERVE what is working, and what is not.

It's one thing to plant a flowerbed with carefully amended soil. When it's an area running the entire length of my yard, sloping up steeply to the neighbor's yard, amending just isn't an option: don't have the time, money, or desire.

I would say it is high time for a little observation.

Meet: The Back Slope

So, what do I have to work with? The soil is pretty much straight clay. 2/3 of it gets full sun, the other 1/3 is shaded. Prevailing winds blow right across it. Basically nothing was done with it for a good 10 years, at least, before we bought the place. It was one great big weed patch.

I imagined a terraced garden, with blossoms and pretty plants filling in the rest. Perhaps a few rock trails up to the top.  Thanks to the hard work of my husband, I've got 3 lovely terraces for vegetables.

But other than that, let's face it. Most of what I've planted on the back slope, outside the terraces of our vegetable garden, has died. Roses, hollyhocks, blueberry bushes (well, 1 has died & the other 2 look diseased), daylilies, hydrangeas, wildflower mix (seeds). 

Dead and gone.

Plus, there are several things that are still hanging on, but not necessarily thriving. Such as:

1. spring bulbs: alliums, tulips, daffodils, and crocuses

2. apple trees (2)

3. lilac bush

4. hostas

5. heuchera

Here is what thrives on my back slope, of its own free will:

 

1. Weedy grass

2. Dandelions, vetch, clover, thistles, other weeds

3. Aspens

4. Wild lupines

5. Wild daisies

6. Wild blackberry

7. staghorn sumac

While it hasn't shaped up quite like I had hoped, it does have some good points. My children love to slide down the grass and make hideouts in it (yes, it gets tall enough to do that in the summer).  We pick the daisies and lupines for bouquets. There have been a handful of blackberries each summer to share. Ladybugs really seem to like the weedy grass.

Now Presenting:

The Back Slope Game Plan # 57

Plant more of what already works.

How's that for anti-climatic?

So this spring, I'm heading to the nursery to buy:

1. lupines

2. daisies & daisy-like flowers (possibly coreopsis, black-eyed susan, or echinacea?)

3. blackberry vines (preferrably thornless)

The weeds, grass, and aspens can fend for themselves.

Garden Evaluation: Tomatoes, herbs, cucumbers, zucchini

Bottom Terrace

Rosemary, Oregano, Basil: bottom left

Planted: rosemary/basil (May 28), oregano (wintered over from last year--YEAH!)

Variety: Rosmarinus 'Roman Beauty', Basil 'Superbo'--classic Italian basil

Yield: Plenty for all of our cooking needs.

Pests, Problems, Diseases: None that I noticed.

Finished: basil is done; here's hoping rosemary and oregano make it on through another winter.

Comments: Bees absolutely loved the oregano. Once I let it flower, it was covered with bees every time I went out there. Early summer I cut it back by half and it grew back more full and bushy.

Rosemary tripled in size over the summer. I hope it lasts until next year! Basil did very well. Maybe if I get a dehydrator I will think about drying some herbs next year. (Although, if we get a hot dry spell again like we had this year, I could do it outside probably.)

I like the idea of having that be my "herb corner." It was handy to pick from when cooking, since they were all in the same place, on the bottom within easy reach. Hopefully the garden expansion project next spring won't uproot them all.

********************************************

Marigolds: interspersed throughout bottom bed

Planted from purchased starts.

Comments: I decided to plant them between the tomatoes, thinking they would get enough to sun to grow and be pretty. Nope. The ones out in front did awesome and looked really pretty. The ones between were scrawny and you couldn't see them anyway, once the tomatoes got going. So I moved them over to where the cucumbers and zucchini were supposed to be, in an attempt to fill in the bare side of the terrace. Marginally successful. Next time I need to put them in front or on the sides.

Tomatoes: bottom middle

Planted: May 28

Varieties: Brandwine (heirloom), Early Girl, Oregon Spring, 2 Sungolds

Yield: Good amount for fresh eating, plus some to supplement salsa making.

Pests, Problems, Diseases: Didn't notice pests. I had to keep them watered through the dry spell.

Finished: end of September (frost)

Comments: The Early Girl vine gave us a tomato at the end of July, which was awesome. I think having the cages to keep them up off the ground made them ripen earlier (since the sun could get to them.) I'm not sure if it was Brandywine or Early Girl, but one of them in the back produced about 3 humongous tomatoes, and that was it. I'm starting to think it was the Brandywine. They may have been awesome, but we ended up throwing them away, because they were cracked and started to go bad before we could use them. So, not sure I would do Brandywine again.

I liked the 'Oregon Spring' variety. Although it was supposed to be determinate, it continued to produce tomatoes until frost, just not as many as it did that first time. They reminded me of the 'Cougar Reds'--smaller, heart-shaped, good flavor.

'Sungolds' gave us just the right amount of cherry tomatoes for snacking on. I think the 2 plants was just right.

I think we had the right amount of plants for fresh eating this year. If we're going to make salsa again next year, we will need to plant at least twice as many to get enough ripe at all at once. Although, we found out that they freeze really well!

Cucumbers: bottom right

Planted: May 28

Variety: Bush Pickle

Yield: about 6 cukes. Total.

Pests, Problems, Diseases: These plants were quite sickly this year. Not sure if it was putting them in the same place as the cucumbers last year, or what.  We had 2 hills, 3 per hill. Of those, maybe 2 plants made it, and yield was way low. Maybe next year I'll move them up to the middle terrace and see if they do any better.

Finished: end of September (frost)

Comments: (See problems/diseases, above.) I liked the size of the cucumbers we did harvest, there just weren't very many of them. I may try a different variety next year, though, since I've pretty much decided that we don't eat enough pickles to make it worth it to can them. So maybe a slicing variety that grows a little longer would be good.

_____________________________________________________

Zucchini: bottom right

Planted: May 28 (1st try), June 27 (2nd try)

Variety: Fordhook

Yield: ZILCH!

Pests, Problems, Diseases: Um...they didn't grow.

Finished: before they got started.

Comments: Usually zucchini has garden take-over plans, but this year I couldn't even get them to come up! Not sure what the problem was. I planted the first time with maybe 2-year old seed. Nothing. So I bought new seed and planted again. Still nary a leaf to show above ground. Did something eat them? Was it the soil? I really couldn't say. So last year we were swimming in zucchini and this year we had nada.

Garden Evaluation: corn, beans, sunflowers, nasturtiums, and peppers

Top Terrace

Corn: top left

Planted: May 28 (1st try), June 27 (2nd try)

Variety: Sweet corn, Early Choice Hybrid, 66 days to maturity

Yield: 1 ear was going to be full-sized, but a little helper picked it before it was ready. All the other ears were picked right before frost, and were very small and not developed.

Pests, Problems, Diseases: I made the mistake of planting some old seed I had left from Missouri. Only one plant came up. So I replanted, but by then, we were a month into the growing season already, which is short as is. So, not surprisingly, my corn was late to tassel out. I saw tassles on corn all over town a good 2-3 weeks before mine got there.

Finished: end of September (frost)

Comments: If I try corn again next year, I will be sure to plant new seed from the beginning. Looking back, I'm sure the month-late start was why we didn't get a harvest this year. Takes a toll, especially with first frost a good 3 weeks earlier than last year. 

I planted them much closer together than the package suggested (more like 6-8 inches apart instead of 1 foot), but that didn't seem to cause any problems that I could tell. I watered 2-3x/week for an hour each time during the hot days of August and September. 

Not sure I will try again. Even if we had harvested one ear from every plant we would still only have around 12 ears. Once again I'm reminded that to get a decent corn harvest, you need a lot of space. Although, there are plans afoot to extend the garden, so maybe I would have the space after all. Still undecided. 

Purple Beans: top middle

Planted: May 28

Variety: Royal Burgundy

Yield: enough to keep the kids happy eating fresh, plus enough for a few meals.

Pests, Problems, Diseases: None noticed.

Finished: end of September (frost)

Comments: Kiddos loved these! This picture of Jacob says it all. They ate them fresh like crazy, and also liked them cooked. I'm sure part of the reason for that was due to their color change once cooked. I want to put in more next year, just to give them something to pick and eat that is so good for them! And perhaps, with a few more planted, we would get enough for meals, with enough to freeze as well.

Green Beans: top right

Planted: June 27, to replace peppers

Variety: Tenderpick

Yield: with the purple beans, enough to keep the kids happy eating fresh, plus enough for a few meals.

Pests, Problems, Diseases: None noticed.

Finished: end of September (frost)

Comments: Not as popular for kid-picking as the purple beans, but still routinely nibbled on by little helpers. Good flavor picked small, tough and stringy picked large. Wouldn't mind planting more of these next year as well.

I STILL want to try planting some beans for drying. Maybe I will order some this winter. I'm sure I will need to separate them from the fresh bean patch, otherwise my little ones probably won't let any reach the dry stage.

Sunflowers: top left, behind corn along the wall

Planted: May 28

Variety: Waooh

Yield: One big pretty bunch per plant, with some 1-2 bigger flowers, and several smaller.

Pests, Problems, Diseases: None noticed.

Finished: end of September (frost)

Comments: Don't put them behind the corn next time. Most of the time, they were completely hidden and only peeked through when in full bloom.

Instead of planting them in a line, I think next time I want to devote a section to sunflowers of a few different varieties. I'll bet they would have more impact that way and look awesome!

Didn't last very long in the vase--maybe 5 or 6 days.

 

Nasturtiums: top terrace, all along the front

Planted: May 28

Variety: Fordhooks Favorite (fragrant, climbing)

Yield: Very beautiful, cheerful little flowers in shades of orange and red and yellow. Continued bloom all summer to frost.

Pests, Problems, Diseases: None noticed.

Finished: beginning of October

Comments: We rubbed the seeds with a nail file before planting and they all came up! Really liked the scent, although mostly could only smell it when picking beans.

Oh yeah, peppers: top terrace, right side

Planted: May 28

Variety: Italian Yellow Bell

Yield: Nothing.

Pests, Problems, Diseases: Something chomped these right down within the first couple of weeks, and I chose not to replace them.

Finished: mid-June

Comments: Next year I may try peppers again, some hot and some sweet. I still want to see if the warming groundcloth works, before I give up on them completely. Perhaps I need a garlic clove cut in half and buried next to them as well, especially now that Diamond is out of the picture for bunny patrol.