I cannot believe it has actually been one year since my last blog. I guess you could say time has gotten away from me. So what has kept me so occupied this past year? In a word: Life. I simply get busy with work, kids and gardening that the blog gets pushed aside. Thankfully I take notes. So here goes; a year in review:
The first of the year started quite normal. I started my seedlings (entirely too early...again) around the first of February. And while I planted many of the seedlings during spring break, thought I'd play it safe and put out the tomatoes around the first of April. I also didn’t prune my grapes back enough in early March and should have too. I should have gone with my gut which was telling me ‘plant the tomatoes’ because March and April were both unseasonably warm. And because I didn’t prune the grapes to 2-3 buds I had a lot of foliage.
The Petite Syrah did better this year because I did spray this year and I didn’t drop any excess fruit. Next year I’ll spray earlier (prior to bud break) and throughout the season using copper fungicide, along with the Sulfur and Neem Oil and hope this will beat the black rot. I’ll also not drop the fruit because the black rot thinned out the excess for me. The Cabernet Franc did well too, so I’ve hopes for the Cabernet Sauvignon. Overall I harvested about six gallons of fruit from all four vines, which was a beast to hand de-stem. I hope next year to get more provided I can prune appropriately and control the black rot. Which reminds me that I have a carboy of fermenting Cabernet Franc/Petite Syrah blend that I need to rack off the lees (which is wine-making terminology for siphon it off the gunk that falls to the bottom of the carboy).
My Cabernet Sauvignon did grow quite a bit (at least 10 foot tall) and I’ll need to prune them quite severely this spring. I’ve decided on a vertical cordon for them, which is a variation of head or goblet pruning and doesn’t use a trellis. I’m excited because I should get my first crop this year, which will be their third season.
The Tomatoes did ok, but being gone for a week on vacation did take their toll because they didn’t get the water they needed. I did learn that Tomatoes need space and the staking definitely helped. Next year I’ll stake the tomatoes using the T-posts already in the garden and limit them to two plants per bed. That alone will help with the spacing and limit the amount I can plant to 4 or 6 plants. In years past I had tried to keep the plants in two beds, to help with crop rotation. But with this method, the rotation will be limited, but if I companion plant correctly and amend the soil annually, I think I’ll be ok. Next year I’ll keep the varieties I liked and that did well: Black Krim, Purple Cherokee, Thessaloniki (which did particularly well even in the drought), and Sweetie Cherry and I’m going to try a Striped Roman which is a variety I picked up at the farmers market and I saved the seeds from this year. I’m going to have two each of the Black Krim and Purple Cherokee and one each of the other two varieties.
My green beans which were doing fantastic prior to our going on vacation also went south while we were gone. While they continued to produce, the beans turned stringy and were a total loss after that. I also didn’t have luck with what I planted in August. Bottom line: Green beans need WATER…as does everything else. So in addition to straw mulching throughout the garden I’m going to put in soaker hoses.
The Strawberries did fantastic! I planted 9 additional plants and the small 2 foot by 10 foot bed I have is completely filled up. I just need to figure out a way to keep the hens and slugs out of them. Unfortunately the hens prefer the berries to the slugs. (Oh, did I fail to mention we became the owners of two Bantam Cochin hens? I call them my little French hens; Sweetie and Sugar. Ironically they are as tall as our Chihuahua
The Raspberry bush did amazing…but the darn thing is invasive. I got two quarts of berries from them in late June/early July. And although all the books say the variety I have (Heritage) should produce in the late spring and early fall, we never got another crop out of them. I blame it on the drought.
The Blueberry bush still survives, but doesn’t really produce much considering where it is at. So for the time being, it remains in the far corner of the garden as a bit of a novelty.
I’ve decided I’m better off buying Brussels Sprouts and Cauliflower. Two years in a row now I’ve had no luck growing them, so I’m not going to try any longer. They take up entirely too much space. Broccoli is a different story because I have a lot of luck with it. The Cabbages did very well too. The diatomaceous earth took care of the cabbage flies and the hens love the cabbage worms! I also learned that by placing cuttings of herbs such as Dill and Thyme on the cabbages, it helped deter the pests.
Seed tape doesn’t work; at least not for me. Seeding trays under grow-lights do. I also like the instant gratification of planting a seedling…even lettuce. So I’ll be investing in another grow light or two.
I’ve also learned that certain seeds, like beans, can be grown in toilet rolls because the bottom is open for the roots, the roll decomposes quickly in the garden soil and I’m less likely to loose seeds from poaching birds.
My cucumbers did horribly this year. I tried succession planting; planted sugar snap peas then the cucumbers behind. It didn’t help that I had planted Brussels Sprouts in front of them. My original thought was the cucumbers would be taller than the sprouts. Unfortunately the peas shaded the cucumbers and by the time I pulled the peas, the sprouts were already a foot tall and didn’t help with the sunlight issue. So the cucumbers did measly at best. So for next year I’m going to plant my cucumbers at the front of the bed and use cattle panels to train them up and over the bed, shading plants that need shade, such as lettuce, broccoli and cabbage.
As mentioned earlier, Tomatoes need their space. So my hard lesson learned is sometimes less is more. And here is something I won’t admit often; my hubby was right. We don’t have a ‘back forty’ to plant in. So I’ve decided to thin down what I plant. Which means as much as my daughter has success at growing them; no more Lima beans because we just don’t eat them. And I’m not going to grow the plants that don’t produce, like the Brussels sprouts and cauliflower. And while I’d still like a pumpkin patch, we just don’t have the space for them….unless I can sell or move the picnic table and plant to the side of the house next to the composter. (old habits die hard)
Speaking of saving space, although I’ve not had a lot of success with potatoes, next year I’m going to try growing them in large pots instead of in the ground. I should probably give up on them since two years with not much success…but what can I say. I’m stubborn…that and the whole habit dying hard thing. If this year doesn’t work, then I’ll have a decision to make next year.
My lettuce patch looked lovely early on with the checkerboard pattern, and it produced very well until we went on vacation and the combination of warm weather and low moisture caused the plants to bolt. However, the irrigation next year should help with that. I’m also reminding myself to grow more spinach than lettuce next year; at least half and half. Each year I plant a tiny row of spinach and 4 times as much lettuce. We love fresh spinach and never have enough of it.
Peppers are fickle for me most years. I have great success growing hot peppers but not much with the sweet variety. In the past I’ve grown the California Wonder bell peppers and have been lucky if I get one pepper off a plant in a single growing season. This year I changed varieties and it made all the difference. This year I choose two different varieties: Giant Marconi and Keystone Resistant Giant. Both did very well, but again needed more space than what they had. So I have high hopes for next year. And speaking of hot peppers; I grew cayenne peppers quite successfully this year, but considering we just don’t use them much; I won’t grow them in 2013. Maybe in 2014 I’ll need some; so I’ve not ruled that plant out entirely.
My artichokes did get much bigger this year since I planted them long the back fence in the flower border. I dug them up in mid-December just before our first snow storm and hope they’ll stay ok as bare-root plants in the garage. My hope is by doing this that they’ll produce fruit next year. I was also pleasantly surprised to find that one of the plants had sent off baby plants so instead of the three plants I started with as seedlings in February, I now have six!
Squash bugs and vine borers were a menace again this year. I’ve been researching ways to combat them organically. Unfortunately I believe they are distant relatives to the cockroach (another nasty bug I despise) and they can only be killed by chemical means, which consider I garden organically is a huge no-no. I still have my hopes. I’m still going to plant them, but surround them with plants the bugs don’t really like; such as radishes, nasturtiums, and marigolds. I also read that the bugs cannot stand garlic so I might plant a bunch of garlic or break some gloves up around the plants too. I’m also going to put eggshells in the hole where I plant the summer squash to help with the fruit rot I’ve encountered; apparently it’s blossom end rot just like tomatoes and due to a calcium deficiency.
The Asparagus patch still struggles. I need to cover it with mulch or soil this winter, but if we put in a Garden shed then I may need to dig and transplant the Asparagus bed and strawberry patch…again. The asparagus was a pain to dig up 3 years ago, and I’m not looking forward to that. But there is nothing like fresh picked asparagus.
I’ve already warned my husband that I’m planning to plant a dwarf apple tree. I’m thinking of one apple tree which can be pollinated by the neighbor’s crabapple.
In addition to the garden, I’ve discovered the joy of canning. While it can take a lot of time to do, it is very rewarding to open a jar of pickled beets or green beans in December, knowing that I grew it from seed beginning that March before. And I’ve learned that if I make a dozen half pints of strawberry jam in May when they’re in season, it lasts us all year and the $6 or $8 I spend in berries is far less than the $4 bucks a jar for the store bought stuff that is packed full of corn syrup and other un-pronounceable ingredients.
My other happy addition to the garden in mid-May was a composter. It is amazing how much kitchen scraps we actually produce and how quickly the composter filled up. It is currently ‘cooking’ away and I hope to have some usable compost for the beds in late January. I have also started a compost pile in one of the raised beds using fallen leaves and garden waste. It currently stands around 2 feet tall and is approximately 3 or 4 feet in circumference. Composting has really opened my eyes to how much stuff we normally throw away that can actually be used to replenish the soil…it just takes time.
Well, that pretty much sums up the garden and tiny vineyard for 2012. My New Years resolution is to blog monthly. So in preparation for next month I’ll write about selecting seeds, starting seedlings, planning the planting beds and soil preparation.
Happy New Year!
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