Wednesday, October 14, 2009

End of Summer Review

Whew! What a year!! I can’t believe it is getting cold already. The leaves are just starting to turn down here, I’m hoping it will be a colorful autumn. I’m hoping someone else finds it helpful and informative, too. Please note that I’m also going through my seed stash and I will be doing a Destash list shortly. Look for it, I’ll be happy to send anything anywhere.

Peppers: Terrible year for peppers. I really only got Hungarian wax peppers to ripen, everything else was a bust.

Cucumbers: Still loving my Boothby’s Blonde. I’m out of cuke seeds now, though, so I may try another variety next year.

Melons: I successfully grew two different types of melons this year but, you know, we just didn’t eat them. Note to Self: dedicate the space next year to something else.

Winter Squash: Pumpkins did well, the Australian Butter did, too, but everything else got got by the vine borers.

Summer Squash: Yanoo, it has gotten to be a joke about how zuchinni takes over the garden and you get swamped by them. I got a grand total of 2 zuch this year. Two. Dos. I did get a nice selection of Reve Scaloppini, though, and some croocknecks.

Beans: Provider is still my go-to bush bean. Really happy with the Triofono Violetto purple pole bean, nice and tasty. The Molly Frazier’s White Cutshort was very prolific and I’m happy with it, too. Not sure what I’m going to do next year, I might try something entirely different. I also want to plant more drying beans and some ‘cowpeas.’

Sweet Potatoes: Oh, dear. I planted about 12 slips, the deer ate them. 2 came back and did very well, vine-wise. Then, the guy we hired to do bobcat work buried them in 8” of dirt. I thought it was a total loss, but the vines started growing again. I’m letting them go for another week or so to mark the spots I need to dig.

Tomatoes: This is the long part, so I’m adding it at the end.

Hanging Tomatoes: total bust. They started out so well, I don’t know what happened? I think we will try again next year, maybe with peppers or something else. I would rather put flower baskets in their place, but I think we should try again with veggies, just one more go.


Keeper varieties: these are varieties I have grown before and know I like, and will grow again: Brandywine, Sungold (cherry), Mortgage Lifter, Cherokee Purple, Aunt Ruby’s German Green.

New varieties and my feelings about them:

Ceylon (cherry): Very prolific. Nice fruit, nice size, but I don’t think I’ll grow it again. Tasty, though. I’d recommend it, but it isn’t what I’m looking for.

Tlacolula: Interesting shape, would be a good stuffer, but probably won’t grow it again.

Kellogg’s Breakfast: Terrific, huge yellow/orange fruit, great taste. I will grow this again.

Fancy Hill: I only got one ripe fruit off this plant so I really can’t comment.

Japanese Triefel: Mine didn’t produce much, but the taste was terrific.

Amish Paste: Nice, basic past tomato. Large fruit, nice taste. I will grow this again.

Purple Russian (paste): I truly think that the only way I would grow this tomato again is if it were the last tomato on earth. It was too sweet for my tastes, the bottom was overripe by the time the top ripened, and it cracked a lot. If you like sweet tomatoes, this one is for you.

I have some fall crops in now. Some are a total failure: peas, beets, the cold weather greens didn’t come up, neither did the turnips. Broccoli, I might not get before the cold really hits. Same with cabbage. The Chinese cabbage I planted is doing OK.

3 comments:

YD, sometimes with ♥June and ♥Angel Samantha said...

Hard to believe it is the end for the garden. It has been dissapointing for me this year. I probably won't be buying any seeds for next year because I didn't get to grow any of it that I bought last year.

Jody M said...

I'll be buying some seeds next year. I'm out of a few things (cucumbers, for one).

Me voici ∞ Here I am said...

Sounds like a great haul.