This
year I planted every type of seed I had just to see how they would grow. Now
that we’re well into the season, I feel like I can make my first report on
successes and failures. Here’s the rundown.
What didn’t grow?
Soybeans
– The seeds were a couple years old and the ones I planted last year did not
grow either so I was not at all surprised.
Tri-colored
beans – Again, the seeds were a couple of years old but I thought with several
different varieties in the mix that something might grow. One seed did sprout.
I think it’s a purple bean.
Rosemary,
Parsley and Sage – I should have started these herbs indoors but did not make
the effort this year. They were older seeds so I just put them in the ground
with some hope but little expectation. I had planted some of the sage seeds at
my in-law’s herb bed several years ago and the plants are still going strong. I’ll
have to try a transplant.
What plants have given a
weak showing so far?
Yellow
Squash – Only one of the seeds has sprouted and the leaves look shriveled and
deformed. I’ll have to plant a couple more and see if they do better.
Eggplant
– I bought these as plants and put them in the ground about three weeks ago. They
don’t appear to have grown much in that time. They did take a beating from flea
beetles before we dusted them. Hopefully the plants will rally.
Green
Onions – I’ve never grown green onions before so I’m not sure where they should
be growth-wise at the moment. They just look rather wispy to me.
Fennel
– The fennel seed have finally sprouted. I worry what the late start will mean
for potential harvest.
Basil
– This is another case in which I probably should have started the seeds early.
I do have two tiny seedlings. In time I may have more basil than I know what to
do with.
What are the stars of
the garden?
Arugula
– I’ve never grown arugula before. My grandmother planted some in a window box
a few years ago and it never did much. It has been growing like crazy and
tastes good even when it gets bigger than I wanted before harvesting.
Pak
choi – I have also never grown pak choi before. The toy choy variety that I
planted grew quickly and was ready to harvest sooner than I expected. Next year
I will plant a few seeds every few weeks so I can have a longer harvest.
Spinach
– I can’t call the spinach a triumph but it certainly is growing better than I
had hoped. For some reason I have never had luck growing spinach of any
variety. I always got scraggly little plants that went to seed quickly. My
spinach is getting spindly and going to seed now (there’s no way to prevent
that in this weather) but I did harvest more than I ever have in the past. I’m
calling that a win.
Horseradish
– The horseradish is making a spectacular show above ground. We’ll see what’s
going on with the roots come harvest time.
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| Horseradish going crazy |
I
hate to jinx anything or count chickens before they are hatched but nearly
everything else is growing right along pretty well. The strawberries are
sending off runners, the corn almost has the potential of being knee-high by
the fourth of July and the snap peas should be blossoming soon. I still don’t
know if we’ll have to plug in the chest freezer in the basement to preserve the
season’s harvest but it feels likely that we will. (fingers crossed)
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| Pak choi (before I harvested it all) |
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| Flowers on a tomato plant |
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| A pumpkin planted among the corn |
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| Neon lights chard |
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| Buckwheat planted outside the garden to attract bees |
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| Roses behind the garage - they're pretty but we can't see them from the house |
