plantings
Musings on this summer's plantings, with an eye towards next summer! Comments and thoughts are welcome.
Tomatoes: this year I planted early girls, because I planted them late! This was the right decision, and they look as if they'll last into the fall. Do the same next year, but if planted earlier, supplement with late-season plants too.
Cucumbers: another staple I've been growing for years. Next year be more attentive to the variety planted: I've never grown "English cucumbers," and am not sure how viable the poor unisex plants are in a backyard garden, but I think this may be what I want. Mine look pretty enough, but have less taste.
Cabbages: a keeper, but consider slug control so as not to lose all the outer leaves.
Radishes: I did these wrong. I'd like to try again? I believe I sowed the seeds too close together, and while I did thin -- actually, I thinned very carefully, and replanted the thinned-out plants -- two months later I have lovely greenery and little flowers and the roots are still skinny things which look just like normal (if red) roots, and nothing like a nice round radish. Help?
Peas: I had one pea plant this year given to me by a friend, which yielded three delicious pea pods. Plant rows of the darned things next year?
Basil: Much smaller plants than I used to grow in Virginia; I'm guessing it's a climate thing. Many seedlings got eaten by bunnies or some such before reaching sustainability. Next year start seeds inside, rather than sowing directly where the bunnies live?
Broccoli: A mixed bag. The first plant I harvested produced absolutely scrumptious brocoli; the second I soaked and scrubbed and soaked some more, and was still finding spider-silk and bugs. Is broccoli just a buggy plant? I haven't even harvested the last couple, because the whole process was so distasteful. I think I need to grow plants in which the bugs can easily be washed off? Or did I do something wrong?
Watermelon: An utter failure. Sowing outside led to seedlings which were quickly eaten. Sowing inside -- very late in the season because I'm desperate and felt I needed to do something -- has yielded one sorry seedling, which I am still nurturing with misguided hope.
.........
Asparagus: Growing all over the neighbours' yard, and absolutely stunningly delicious. I was entirely unable to find seeds locally. Figure out how to acquire seeds from the neighbours' plants? (Right now I see little buds, I think, but I can't identify any seeds on the plants, which are regularly mown down perhaps before seeding?) Or purchase some online?
Tomatoes: this year I planted early girls, because I planted them late! This was the right decision, and they look as if they'll last into the fall. Do the same next year, but if planted earlier, supplement with late-season plants too.
Cucumbers: another staple I've been growing for years. Next year be more attentive to the variety planted: I've never grown "English cucumbers," and am not sure how viable the poor unisex plants are in a backyard garden, but I think this may be what I want. Mine look pretty enough, but have less taste.
Cabbages: a keeper, but consider slug control so as not to lose all the outer leaves.
Radishes: I did these wrong. I'd like to try again? I believe I sowed the seeds too close together, and while I did thin -- actually, I thinned very carefully, and replanted the thinned-out plants -- two months later I have lovely greenery and little flowers and the roots are still skinny things which look just like normal (if red) roots, and nothing like a nice round radish. Help?
Peas: I had one pea plant this year given to me by a friend, which yielded three delicious pea pods. Plant rows of the darned things next year?
Basil: Much smaller plants than I used to grow in Virginia; I'm guessing it's a climate thing. Many seedlings got eaten by bunnies or some such before reaching sustainability. Next year start seeds inside, rather than sowing directly where the bunnies live?
Broccoli: A mixed bag. The first plant I harvested produced absolutely scrumptious brocoli; the second I soaked and scrubbed and soaked some more, and was still finding spider-silk and bugs. Is broccoli just a buggy plant? I haven't even harvested the last couple, because the whole process was so distasteful. I think I need to grow plants in which the bugs can easily be washed off? Or did I do something wrong?
Watermelon: An utter failure. Sowing outside led to seedlings which were quickly eaten. Sowing inside -- very late in the season because I'm desperate and felt I needed to do something -- has yielded one sorry seedling, which I am still nurturing with misguided hope.
.........
Asparagus: Growing all over the neighbours' yard, and absolutely stunningly delicious. I was entirely unable to find seeds locally. Figure out how to acquire seeds from the neighbours' plants? (Right now I see little buds, I think, but I can't identify any seeds on the plants, which are regularly mown down perhaps before seeding?) Or purchase some online?