garden musings; cross-posted to fb.
Musings à la last year's garden thoughts, with an eye towards learning to plant the right garden for me. Comments and thoughts are welcome.
Tomatoes: This year I planted an unknown variety of cocktail tomatoes, from the seeds of Backyard Farms delicious delicious tomatoes. They are growing stunningly well, and I'm pleased with the decision. However, it's late July, and they're not ripe yet! Normally I grow Early Girls; next year I'll plant both varieties.
Cucumbers: I've always planted cucumbers, and they grow well, but I still haven't hit on just the variety I wish to be growing. Anyone have a favourite eating cucumber?
Radishes: I did better than last year, but I think I'm still growing these too close together, resulting in not-so-very-meaty radishes. (The exception was a radish of last year's variety, not one I sowed this year.) I really think I want korean daikon radish, in any case. Must find weird specialty seeds!
Corn: I will never ever grow corn again. The plants growing are very satisfying, until they start attracting earwigs. Not only do the earwigs destroy the corn, but they bleed all the pleasure out of growing it. I hate bugs, and corn is cheap and plentiful; there's no reason I need to grow it.
Watermelon: Whatever attacked my watermelon last year liked young embryonic leaves. Starting them inside was the right approach. Nevertheless, they languished in June, just barely not dying. Now that it's regularly very hot they're finally flourishing and flowering. Short of buying some sort of artificial lighting equipment, I think this is the best I'll do in New England.
Cantaloupe: An impulse buy, the only veggie I didn't grow from seed this year. No fruit yet, but they're looking healthy, especially considering the terrible state of the seedlings I bought at Home Depot. (I bought them for the same reason one gets a pound puppy -- I wanted to rescue them.)
Strawberries: Perennials, and yummy, so, yes. Not much to say.
Chives: Perennials, grow like weeds, good.
Basil: Easy to grow, although I forgot to take my own advice from last year. Starting them inside and transplanting is wiser.
.......
I still need to obtain asparagus roots and plant them. I neglected to plant peas, and should do so next year. Why haven't I ever grown leeks or scallions? I bet they grow as well as chives. I really miss wild blueberries, and wonder if it's possible to get them to take here, or if they'd require a sandier soil.
edit: Spinach, Jamie, spinach. Why are you not growing spinach?
Tomatoes: This year I planted an unknown variety of cocktail tomatoes, from the seeds of Backyard Farms delicious delicious tomatoes. They are growing stunningly well, and I'm pleased with the decision. However, it's late July, and they're not ripe yet! Normally I grow Early Girls; next year I'll plant both varieties.
Cucumbers: I've always planted cucumbers, and they grow well, but I still haven't hit on just the variety I wish to be growing. Anyone have a favourite eating cucumber?
Radishes: I did better than last year, but I think I'm still growing these too close together, resulting in not-so-very-meaty radishes. (The exception was a radish of last year's variety, not one I sowed this year.) I really think I want korean daikon radish, in any case. Must find weird specialty seeds!
Corn: I will never ever grow corn again. The plants growing are very satisfying, until they start attracting earwigs. Not only do the earwigs destroy the corn, but they bleed all the pleasure out of growing it. I hate bugs, and corn is cheap and plentiful; there's no reason I need to grow it.
Watermelon: Whatever attacked my watermelon last year liked young embryonic leaves. Starting them inside was the right approach. Nevertheless, they languished in June, just barely not dying. Now that it's regularly very hot they're finally flourishing and flowering. Short of buying some sort of artificial lighting equipment, I think this is the best I'll do in New England.
Cantaloupe: An impulse buy, the only veggie I didn't grow from seed this year. No fruit yet, but they're looking healthy, especially considering the terrible state of the seedlings I bought at Home Depot. (I bought them for the same reason one gets a pound puppy -- I wanted to rescue them.)
Strawberries: Perennials, and yummy, so, yes. Not much to say.
Chives: Perennials, grow like weeds, good.
Basil: Easy to grow, although I forgot to take my own advice from last year. Starting them inside and transplanting is wiser.
.......
I still need to obtain asparagus roots and plant them. I neglected to plant peas, and should do so next year. Why haven't I ever grown leeks or scallions? I bet they grow as well as chives. I really miss wild blueberries, and wonder if it's possible to get them to take here, or if they'd require a sandier soil.
edit: Spinach, Jamie, spinach. Why are you not growing spinach?