Garden Recap
11 Nov 2014 03:33 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ursulas_alcoveCarrots:
I had a lot of old seed. I planted it all. I don't have a record of when it went into the ground. Frost happened late this year so they may have been planted mid-may or possibly after Memorial Day. The soil had no improvements made at all. That section has been fallow for a while, hosting calendula mostly.
Tomatoes:
The beefsteak got bugs in the fruit. The black plum were prolific. The Amish Paste tomatoes were in pots and didn't give a big yield. Tons of volunteer cherry tomatoes everywhere, including growing in the fire pit. They got planted indoors at the end of March. I liked the Amish Paste but the best tomatoes came from Dave. They were Roma and amazing.
Potatoes:
I have been looking for old receipts from seed savers. The only potato that has survived year after year is a fingerling variety. I think we only had three plants but they gave quite a yield.
I bought cranberry potatoes from an heirloom seed company in Indiana. They were very slow to get eyes and grow. Once they did get going, they gave a good yield. They are similar to some blue varieties we've grown in that frying isn't their strong suit. They are excellent in soups and stews and bake well. We ran out of space to put all the cranberries. So we will have plenty of seedlings for next year. The cranberry potatoes are red on the inside. They grew just as well in regular dirt as soil that had manure added.
In spring, we bought organic potatoes from the food co-op. They started to sprout like crazy in our pantry. We relegated them to the garden before they started to rot. I think they are basic russet potatoes, red skins, white centers. Not too bad for an unplanned planting. Side note: Some were in the raised bed garden in the backyard. It suffered bindweed, dry, hard soil, an overhang of mulberry tree and a rabbit. They still didn't do bad up there but the yield wasn't great.
Pumpkins:
I had to plant a couple of times as nothing came up or if it did, something got it. Again, I emptied a stash of old seeds into the ground. Last year, we had a surprise butternut in that spot, growing out of the compost. This year, a Long Island Cheese pumpkin came up from 2010 seed I think. We got five pumpkins off two vines. It needs both male and female flowers open at the same time for polination to occur. One vine produced more female flowers. But two vines were necessary I think. There were house flies in the flowers. Honey bees, and many other bugs loved the flowers so hard to say what actually did the polinating.
Sunflowers: We had a mix of seeds. They managed to bloom but the deer found them eventually and ate the flowers.
Cauliflower:
I planted indoors. I got three plants. I transplanted them to the front garden. The cabbage moths ate fabulously. They are still growing but have no flowers at all. Think I needed to plant them sooner.
Peas were planted early. They did fine despite the rabbit. They liked the twine I put out for them to climb. The seed was old. I replant almost every year. Beets: I planted indoors. I transfered them into the garden. One survived. May try direct planting next year if the rabbit can be kept out. The beet greens were tasty in salad. They were Detroit Reds.
I have June bearing strawberries growing in the raised bed garden. The rabbit just loved the strawberries. I didn't get any. The tiny Alpines did okay despite the Mourning Dove nesting on top of them. We had those on salads.
I had a lot of old seed. I planted it all. I don't have a record of when it went into the ground. Frost happened late this year so they may have been planted mid-may or possibly after Memorial Day. The soil had no improvements made at all. That section has been fallow for a while, hosting calendula mostly.
Tomatoes:
The beefsteak got bugs in the fruit. The black plum were prolific. The Amish Paste tomatoes were in pots and didn't give a big yield. Tons of volunteer cherry tomatoes everywhere, including growing in the fire pit. They got planted indoors at the end of March. I liked the Amish Paste but the best tomatoes came from Dave. They were Roma and amazing.
Potatoes:
I have been looking for old receipts from seed savers. The only potato that has survived year after year is a fingerling variety. I think we only had three plants but they gave quite a yield.
I bought cranberry potatoes from an heirloom seed company in Indiana. They were very slow to get eyes and grow. Once they did get going, they gave a good yield. They are similar to some blue varieties we've grown in that frying isn't their strong suit. They are excellent in soups and stews and bake well. We ran out of space to put all the cranberries. So we will have plenty of seedlings for next year. The cranberry potatoes are red on the inside. They grew just as well in regular dirt as soil that had manure added.
In spring, we bought organic potatoes from the food co-op. They started to sprout like crazy in our pantry. We relegated them to the garden before they started to rot. I think they are basic russet potatoes, red skins, white centers. Not too bad for an unplanned planting. Side note: Some were in the raised bed garden in the backyard. It suffered bindweed, dry, hard soil, an overhang of mulberry tree and a rabbit. They still didn't do bad up there but the yield wasn't great.
Pumpkins:
I had to plant a couple of times as nothing came up or if it did, something got it. Again, I emptied a stash of old seeds into the ground. Last year, we had a surprise butternut in that spot, growing out of the compost. This year, a Long Island Cheese pumpkin came up from 2010 seed I think. We got five pumpkins off two vines. It needs both male and female flowers open at the same time for polination to occur. One vine produced more female flowers. But two vines were necessary I think. There were house flies in the flowers. Honey bees, and many other bugs loved the flowers so hard to say what actually did the polinating.
Sunflowers: We had a mix of seeds. They managed to bloom but the deer found them eventually and ate the flowers.
Cauliflower:
I planted indoors. I got three plants. I transplanted them to the front garden. The cabbage moths ate fabulously. They are still growing but have no flowers at all. Think I needed to plant them sooner.
Peas were planted early. They did fine despite the rabbit. They liked the twine I put out for them to climb. The seed was old. I replant almost every year. Beets: I planted indoors. I transfered them into the garden. One survived. May try direct planting next year if the rabbit can be kept out. The beet greens were tasty in salad. They were Detroit Reds.
I have June bearing strawberries growing in the raised bed garden. The rabbit just loved the strawberries. I didn't get any. The tiny Alpines did okay despite the Mourning Dove nesting on top of them. We had those on salads.
