Our 2010 garden in review

I am still undecided as to whether or not I would consider this summer's garden a success.  A late-summer trip, plus an invasion of beetles, caused a LOT of damage to the amount of produce we were able to harvest.  In addition to that, circumstances did not allow for me to spend ANY time in the garden once school began in late August. 

All that said.....I certainly learned a great deal from this year's attempt at gardening.

Here is a breakdown:

Green Beans:  Kentucky Wonder was my favorite by far.  We also planted Contender, but I plan to put in only KW next year.  I planted around 14 bushes this year.  I think I could increase it to 20 plants next year.  Growing them from seed was super-easy and inexpensive.

Lima Beans:  I planted these for my son....  I'm not sure that I'm going to try to plant them again next year.  I only planted two or three of the plants, so we didn't get much of a yeild.  I mainly just wanted to try them out this year.

Peas:  I planted "Pink Eye" purple hull peas this year.  I enjoy eating these so much that I will likely plant these again next year.  I started around two dozen plants from seed--very easy and we got a great yeild.

Okra:  Since my family could take it or leave it, I don't know if I'll try this one again.  Again, my trip fell at the peak of okra production, so I didn't really catch many of the pods when they were at the tender stage.  I'll say this:  one plant produced more than enough for our family.  I froze several quarts and they will last us all year, I am certain.

Pumpkins:  I LOVED having a pumpkin patch, and I was heartsick over the destruction that was caused by the squash beetles that took over while we were on our trip.  I will probably try again next year.  I used Connecticut Feild.  Maybe they are not disease resistant, but they certainly looked great before the beetles got to them.

Corn:  The few stalks of corn that we planted produced a mediocre crop.  Several of the ears never really made any corn.  I did like the variety of corn, however, called Stowell's Evergreen Corn.  It was REALLY sweet and tender.  Next year we will probably try to plant a much larger section of corn to see if we can get a better yeild.

Cucumbers:  Sadly, the cucumbers (Long Green Improved) did not fare well AT ALL.  The beetle infestation was severe.  I had to fight for every piece of fruit that we got from the six vines that we planted.  If the pests had not been so bad, I feel sure that six plants would have provided more than enough cucumbers for our family.  The cucumbers that we were able to harvest were really good for pickling, as well as for using in salads.  The skin was fairly tender and they tasted great! 

Lettuce:  I loved the Buttercrunch and the Arugula, but I don't think I will plant Oak Leaf next year.  I didn't care for that variety much.  I'd like to try a variety of Romain lettuce next year as well.

Onions:  The onions fared pretty well.  I didn't have them in a place where they could get enough water, however.  I will probably try to plant several onion sets again next year.  I'd also like to add garlic to the list.  The bunching onions that I planted are still producing well.  They haven't gotten overly large, and the flavor is still very nice--not overpowering.  I planted Red Creole and Yellow Sweet Spanish bulbing onions, but I am unsure of the name of the bunching onions.

Bell Peppers:  both of the varieties that I planted did very well.  They were called Marconi Red and California Wonder Gold.  I plan to use these varieties again next year if I put in a garden.  In addition, the Jalapeno, Habanero, and Cayenne peppers did very well.  The Pepperoncini peppers produced a fine yeild, but I discovered that I don't like the taste of them very well.

Tomatoes:  All of the tomatoes that I planted this past year were heirloom plants, started from seed.  The Brandywine Red, while tasty, were not good for canning.  I think I would only plant two or three of this variety next year.  The Cherokee Purple tomatoes were DELICIOUS.  I planted four or five of these this summer and they produced very well.  The Beefsteak tomatoes were the best as far as producing a good quality of tomato for canning purposes AND for eating fresh.  The core is small and they are easy to peel.  Cherry Roma tomatoes also did very well.  Our family really liked eating them right off of the vine, as well as in salads. 

Watermelons:  I planted six seedlings of Sugar Baby watermelons.  They produced several melons, but I will have to discover the knack for knowing when they are ready to be picked.  I picked most of them before they were ripe. :(  I would like to try these again.