Looking Back and Forward

Winter is very much upon us now. The day after New Year’s, the seed catalogues started arriving in the mail. I set them aside as I felt that was still a bit early to start planning. A month later, I’m ready to think about the garden again. Before I know it, it will be time to start some seeds indoors, even as the garden lies blanketed in snow.

I never did a final report here on the garden. I would call it a successful year, overall. The tomatoes produced quite well. I actually got enough to make pasta sauce. I found a Ball flavoring mix that made wonderful sauce. I fired up the canner and put away nine quarts of sauce to enjoy all winter.

So many tomatoes!

In late September, I went through and harvested the rest of the vegetables. The corn did not produce very well. The potatoes did not either. It’s always been less expensive and less of an effort to just buy corn and potatoes but I still like growing them myself. I’m about ready to give up on the corn entirely but I really like fresh-dug potatoes. We had a few meals from the Yukon Golds so it was not a total waste of time and space. Next year, maybe we’ll try something more exotic like purples or fingerlings that aren’t available at local stores.

So, it was not a bumper crop.

The garden did produce enough acorn squash and pumpkin to put in storage for the winter. We’ve gone through all the squash now but two pumpkins are still waiting to be used.

I was a bit disappointed that the Rattlesnake beans did not produce as well as they did last year. I did plant them in a different part of the garden that had a tendency to be a bit wetter so that might have had something to do with it. We did get a few that will make some nice bean soup on one of these cold days.

At least there were some beans to shell.

The herbs did very well this season. In October, I cut thyme, marjoram, and fennel seeds to dry. I also brought the parsley plant inside but it didn’t care for the transition, apparently. It went back out into the compost bin last month. I loved being able to step out my back door with a pair of scissors and get fresh herbs and I was actually able to do so well into late fall.

Thyme and marjoram hanging to dry.

Similarly, the chard just kept growing late into the season. Chard has got to be one of my favorite leafy greens (leafy rainbows?) to grow. It comes up quickly and just keeps going. I finally cut the last of it in early November. It probably would have kept going if I had let it but I was ready to get the beds ready for the winter.

The giant maple tree out in front of our house provides wonderful cover material for the garden. My husband processed the fallen leaves through the choppy leaf vacuum thing he bought for the purpose and spread it over the raised beds. In the spring with turn it under with other soil additives and be ready for another growing season.

The garden set for a long winter's nap.

And what shall we plant next season?