Garden Results – Year 1 in review

I’ve gotten to the point where I can review what I did with my garden this year. What seeds I used, how they grew, how much I liked the flavor, etc.

Overall Observations

This overall was a great first year. I didn’t expect it to work out so well, so I am very happily surprised. It was definitely hard on my body to get the garden set up but I think going forward it will be much easier because the beds are in, and everything is built.

To say this was satisfying is an understatement. I had so many meals with my own garden vegetables. I can’t even quantify how amazing that feels.

Squirrels

The squirrel interdiction cage worked until it didn’t. I am pretty sure they are coming in the under back wall. I plan to get some hardware cloth and bricks in winter and see if I can deter them. To be honest they are tearing up my entire lawn too, but I am just not that bothered by grass issues. I hate grass lawns and we keep reseeding with clover anyways. If they would stick to the lawn I’d be happy.

Once I am done with my tomato plants I will redo the area, but I can’t get to it yet.

Water

The watering system was something I should have done earlier. I am now really bad at remembering to turn the water off now, so I need to update it with a timer. I am still not sure exactly how I want my irrigation system to look. I found emitter tubing worked better than individual little drippers spouts. I might just get all emitter tubing. I still have a big kit from Rain Bird with all the bits and bobs so I can play with it.

The one thing I was not satisfied with was how I got the water to the garden. It works, but I think I should do some PVC lines underground to clean it up, and make it look less like an octopus made of garden hoses is sticking out all over. I am still considering my options, and what I want to do.

Bed 1

Glacier Tomatoes from Botanical Interests

These are a 55 day bush tomato that were called a semi-determinate. These were insane. I planted the seeds directly in the bed a couple weeks after the last frost date in early May. I was very worried about them, but when they decided to do their thing, and they exploded in tomatoes. I had 10 plants, and I could not keep up. Even now, in October they are still trying. For a 2 person household this was way too many plants. They really were the star this year. I gave them to multiple neighbors and froze 15 16oz jars of tomato sauce.

While they aren’t the big beefsteaks everyone seems to want, they never stopped. I had tomatoes from July on. The taste was amazing too. I am going to plant some of these next year, but not so many.

Bed 2

Di Cico Broccoli from Botanical Interests

I direct sowed these seeds in early May, and they grew really well. However, once they got big, the cabbage moths came. I fought those cabbage moths hard so I could get a harvest out of them, and I managed to get enough to eat. I planted ten plants, and all but one did really well.

As for taste? They were really bitter. I don’t know if it was our uncharacteristic heat this year, or what, but they were too bitter to eat alone. I cooked them up in some stir fry dishes and they were amazing for that. Unlike grocery store broccoli, these were not as fragile and really did well in the stir fry dishes.

Tokyo White Green Onions from Botanical Interests

I am not really sure what happened here. I direct sowed three square feet of the planter to these, and they just did not grow well. I planted each square 2 weeks apart as kind of a succession planting scheme. I’d never grown green onions before, so maybe I did something wrong. Half of them never germinated at all. Half of what I sowed did not germinate at all.

They taste just fine like green onions, but are tiny and weedy, and didn’t come up well.

Grocery Store Green Onions

These were just ends from grocery store green onions I planted while I waited for my seeds from the Tokyo whites to come up, but man did they outgrow and out perform my fancy seeds. I planted 2 squares of my 12 x 12 inch squares for this, and they just took off.

This was amazing. I just went out and harvested green onions whenever I needed them. They tasted 1000X better from the garden than they did originally from the grocery store. I was surprised at that.

Gourmet Blend Beet Seeds from Botanical Interests

I planted these in place of the broccoli when it was done and bolting. I can’t say how well I’ve done because I don’t expect a harvest until the end of October.

The squirrels figured out a way under one of the walls of my squirrel interdiction garden cage and went absolutely crazy on them. I have a few still valiantly trying. Initially it was beautiful, and the entire bed was coming up germinated after I planted them in early August, and now it’s hit and miss. I have to say I am impressed with how hard they are trying to come up after all that destruction.

I am hoping to get a few if possible, but we will see if the squirrels destroy the rest before I get them.

Bed 3

Red Acre Cabbage from Botanical Interests

I planted these seeds in May and they came up like gangbusters. I had 8 of them, and only lost one to cabbage moths. I heard the moths don’t like red, so they primarily went for the broccoli. I have to say I didn’t do much with them but water them and leave them and they were strong.

Flavor-wise, they were perfect. I have made coleslaw, fish tacos, burritos, and added it in to just about everything and we have loved it.

Eversweet Strawberries from Scenic Hill Farm on Etsy

These were a great deal. I ordered ten, and got 2 extra. I planted them right away, and all but one did well. They were a little thin at first, but damn in August did they explode. Like they have covered half a planter and are invading their neighbors.

It was only the first year, so we didn’t get many strawberries, but it was enough to go out in the morning and grab a few for yogurt parfaits weekly.

These were the best strawberries I have ever had. They were so red inside, and so perfectly tart and sweet.

I need to transplant them to the front bed this spring so they can be contained and stop invading everything around them.

Bed 4

Italian Genovese Basil from Botanical Interests

I planted 4 of these in late May, and three took off. I had a hard time with these? They were slow to start and it seemed like they just didn’t want to go. It got much better when I got my water system in, and I think that was the problem.

I have never had fresh basil before so this was great. One of them flowered, and I just let it, but the other two were enough to give me a lot of basil for salads and meals. I could have used double the plants for pesto.

Flat Leaf Parsley from Botanical Interests

I had the same problems with this as I did with the basil. It was slow to start, and didn’t’ really take off. I planted four of them, and they were tiny. They tasted great, though. Then, in late august the squirrels got them. They are still limping along, and what little I got was very tasty.

Bouquet Dill from Botanical Interests

Like the other herbs, this struggled, but did better when I got the water system in. I did not get to taste these as they fell to the squirrels digging. They looked so nice for pickles then they were trashed. My war on the squirrels is eternal.

Lemon Queen Sunflowers from Botanical Interests

These worked out amazing. They took off, they were huge, and brought so many pollinators in. I loved them. They were too tall for my garden cage and I had to thread them through the chicken wire. They will go in a dedicated bed elsewhere next year so they can be as tall as they want.

I was going to harvest the seeds but that was way too much work, and I gave up. It was just not worth my while. Maybe if I ever find myself not having to work for a living and have more time to spare I will try it again, but I’ll just keep them for the flowers next year.

Bed 5

Homemade Pickles Cucumbers from Botanical Interests

I wanted to can some pickles, so I planted 12 plants. Then I panicked that this might be overkill. Turns out, not so much.

They struggled to get going, but did better when I got the watering system in. They didn’t produce a whole lot at the same time. I got like 2-3 cucumbers at a shot. I switched gears and did refrigerator pickles because I could make that a jar at a time.

I also just had no idea on if the plants were coming or going. They yellowed up, so I thought they were dying, then they just kept spitting out the odd cucumber here and there. Even now I have some cucumbers still trying.

Taste-wise, these were really good. I made cucumber sandwiches all summer, and they were great. If they got too big, they were a bit woody. For pickles, they hold up so well in the jar, and keep their crunch. I made them into Alton Brown’s Kinda Sorta Sours and they are still going strong.

This was the most bewildering plant I have ever worked with. They ninja’d out cucumbers out of nowhere, but only one or two at a time, then would go weeks with nothing. I will try them again next year with the watering system, and see.

Bed 6

Mentha Spicata Mint from Sow Right Seeds

Yeah, I know. Mint gets everywhere. I need it for mint jelly though. I planted them in thier own raised round bed, to keep them contained. The seeds were super slow to come up, and kind of died off. I don’t know if this is because of the random Amazon purchase or not.

Mint – Trader Joes

I bought a mint plant on impulse at Trader Joes that came in its own dirt and planter. I planted it, and it blew up. That plant was amazing because it survived the heat, and me forgetting to water it. It attracted tiny butterflies. I love it! I used a bit of it for drinks, and it was great. I think it will be with me forever as it’s taken the whole planter, and it’s now eyeballing my lawn to invade. I knew what I was getting into.

Bed 7

Victoria Rhubarb from Survival Seeds

This random Amazon seed pack really worked. I planted four, and three came up. I really only needed one, but was hedging my bets. You can’t harvest any in year one, but they look very promising.

Random Rhubarb

When Andrea, my real estate gal, heard I was trying to grow rhubarb she brought me some from her plants to jam up, and a split of her rhubarb plant. I planted this immediately, and it is slowly sending up leaves. I thought it was going to die, but it stubborning kept on.

It’s got much darker leaves and redder stalks than the Victoria seeds version, but I look forward to it next year because the jam I made was great tasting.

Overall Satisfaction

I have always wanted a garden, and there was no way I could or would do this in a rental. Home ownership was the only way I could do this. I am still so grateful I am in such a safe space, and have access to these possibilities. It still doesn’t feel real.