soaphouse's Blog

Successes and Failures
Jul 13, 2007 | 7:13 PM PST
Tags: edible , vegetable , squash , zucchini , tomato , Cherry Tomato , okra , kohlrabi , blackberries , Sunflowers , Eggplant , Bell Peppers , succession planting , success , failure , notes , season , companion planting , Growing Season , cardoon
Now that I am well into the summer here in my garden, I am starting to take note as to the successes and failures in my garden. There are, of course, many of both and most of them involve my edibles.
I grew all of my veggies from seed directly into the vegetable beds. I was kind of nervous about this as so many things suggest starting indoors before spring. But, every time I do that everything dies, so I took my chances and selected a lot of fast maturing varieties...to my suprise, that worked very well! I am finding great joy and satisfaction in producing food for my family. We are also enjoying a nice financial savings as well. I spent about $50 on all my seed varieties and I would say that I have dropped our grocery bill by about $20 a week if not more....I would say that was worth the investment!

Successes:

• Tomatoes: I am growing a purple heirloom and a hybrid red...all plants are bursting with green fruits now :)
• Tomatillos: Plants are enormous and husks are forming
• Sugar Snap Peas: One of my daughter's favorites so none have made it to the table...she just eats em off the vine
• Beets: Have done several succession planting and have had many harvests of both roots and greens. Hubby like greens better than root
• Eight Ball Zucchini: Very vigorous and enormous in size...has provided many, many dinners
• Patty Pan Squash: Also doing well and just so cute
• Sunflowers: First year that I have grown sunflowers and it is proving to be very fun. King Kong variety that is about to open
• Blackberries: Planted 3 years ago from root...this is first year that we had a very steady harvest.
• Okra: Plants forming very nice large pods and the flowers are beautiful!

Failures:

• Broccoli: UGH!

Things that have yet to succeed or fail:

• Eggplant: Just started flowering, I am growing a white and a purple variety
• Peppers: Also just started flowering
• Carrots: First crop got infested with something icky, second crop looking better
• Kale: Just put those seeds in 2 days ago
• Kholrabi: Not yet big enough to harvest, but looking good

Things I wish I had planted:

• Cherry Tomatoes: a no brainer, don't know why I didn't do these :(
• Potatoes: To provide our carbohydrate need and to have some for winter storage
• Lots of different kinds of beans: have really enjoyed the sugar snaps, wish I had done more
• Winter Squash Varieties: to have something else to store for winter
• Marigolds: For pest control and to add color to the veggie beds
• Egyptian Walking Onions: just so cool and great pest control
• Garlic: also good pest control
• Asparagus: needs time to get established, wish I had started that this year
• Artichokes: love em!
• Cardoon: not even really sure what this is, but I have seen it on some gardening shows and it looks super cool

I just got a companion planting book and am looking forward to incorporating more of that in my garden!

Its so helpful to think all this through and get in all on "paper"...will help a great deal with garden planning.

Other things I have learned this season:

• Annual Potato Vines really do need full sun
• Mexican Heather always does well, I should just buy it each year and have a guaranteed success
  
• Petunias need to be bought larger than the little 6 pack size to really do well
• Lobelia likes partial shade
• Impatients didn't do diddly squat...must mulch and fertilize!
• If i see something in early spring that i want...buy it, they are all sold out now!