Hi everyone! Being that the growing season is coming to a close I wanted to do a roundup on what I learned from my very first veggie garden. I recently harvested my carrots which turned out pretty good, on the smallish side however for a first attempt I was pretty happy with them and with so many there's more than enough to cook with and save!
I'm still getting quite a few tomatoes, they're not as big but with the season winding down that's to be expected. Here's a list of all the seeds/starter plants I started with at the beginning of the season:
- Bountiful Stringless Bush Bean - I had so many great looking green beans and then went away on vacation expecting to pick them when I got back and I suspect they didn't get enough water on what turned out to be two of the hottest days of the year and they got FRIED! :( So sad....better luck next year!)
- Kuroda Ps Carrot - The carrots turned out OK, I planted them according to the directions in June and I think next year I want to plant them a little earlier to give them longer to grow. Also, it's good to note with carrots NOT to crowd the seeds when planting! Be sure to give them plenty of space and only put 1-2 seeds at most together, otherwise they won't have enough room to grow and they all crowd eachother. Very easy to grow! Will definately do these again next year!
- Homemade Pickling Cucumbers - I'm really bummed about my pickles, there were SO many growing but I let them get yellow and didn't know to pick them right away once you see them get yellow and it was too late to save the crop. If you don't pick them regularly, the plant doesn't know to keep growing more. I may try a different type next year but would like to have another go next year!
- Buttercrunch Lettuce/Paris White Cos Lettuce - Because lettuce is a cool weather plant, I waited too long to plant and they bolted and I knew they weren't going to taste right, if it gets bitter this is why. Next year I want to plant my lettuce when the soil is soft enough to work and get a cover for them at night if it drops below freezing.
- Hollow Crown Parsnip - I had no luck with my parsnips at all, they never even sprouted in the ground. The company I got the seeds from does have a guarantee on their seeds so I will call them and get a refund.
- Dark Green Zucchini Squash - I started these from seed inside before taking them outside and had great luck with them! They are pretty hardy and got quite a few great size zucchinis! yum!
- Spaghetti Squash - These were just starting to look great over the last couple weeks and I had the dreaded yellow looking beetle bug that got them overnight (literally) and lost the crop! There is an organic spray that you can get for your veggies that should help with this problem...note to self - get it next year and be consistent with spraying!!
- Yukon Gold Potato Sets - Potatoes are SUPER easy to grow and I got loads of great potatoes! When the stalks from the eyes start dying off wait about a week or two but don't wait too much longer because they WILL get infected with worms and start to rot!
- Better Boy Tomato Plants - I loved the tomato plants I got and will definitely get the same ones next year! I did get these already as starter plants as was recommended to me as a novice gardener! I'm glad I did and have enjoyed lots of great tomatoes all summer and still have more coming now. Jennie and I had a pretty good amount to can to use as sauces, etc. through the winter!
- Tristar Strawberry - Very easy to grow, but do be careful what you plant near your strawberry plants because they will take over! Next year I plan to have an entire garden bed devoted to my strawberry plants.
- Red and White Raspberries - My red raspberries are doing pretty good, I got these as plants already started. You basically get the root system with a long stem and when you plant the roots a new stem starts from the roots. Obviously, there are no raspberries this year but perhaps next year or the year after! The white raspberries didn't take so we'll see if it comes back at all next spring!
