Mine is done - well pretty much done. We are still getting a few random tomatoes off the vines. There are plenty of green ones left to ripen. Other than that, it is done!
This year I planted:
Lettuces
Carrots
beets
radishes
cucumbers
tomatoes
canteloupe
cabbage
cauliflower
broccoli
celery
basiil
thyme
lavender
zucchini
yellow squash
corn
strawberries
cilantro
green beans
watermelon
The corn did nothing. Cantaloupe and watermelon made fruit but they didn't taste or look right. I think they cross pollinated with the cucumbers. The watermelons were really little and ripened way too fast. The cantaloupe had a bitter taste to it and didn't really taste like cantaloupe at all. We had another banner year with squash and zucchini. But we ate as much as we harvested. So there was nothing to put away for winter. The tomatoes did well and I now know not to waste my time on odd varieties. I need to focus on the varieties that we love and not plant the rest. Some turned out quite odd looking. No one in my house at the green beans fresh. I need to work on them. The cilantro is a cooler climate plant and didn't do so well when the hot sun shined on it. It shriveled up and died. We had lots of lettuce and cucumbers and enjoyed them in our salads all summer long. We harvested a ton of carrots but ended up not having a chance to clean and freeze them so they shriveled and died. It was sad. The beets didn't do much either, unfortunately.
Looking to next year, I need to be more on top of my garden. I need to plant at the right times and then keep other plants from cross pollinating with others. I am not sure our fruits are doing well at all and I might not plant them next year.
As for bugs and varmints, we did pretty well this year until late summer. The bugs were manageable until the rabbits found our garden. Oh and the squirrels. the squirrels ate every single apple and peach off our trees. We need to do some squirrel control next year.
At this point I am not thinking I will have a winter garden. I will just wait until February and begin planting then for cole crops. This winter though I am going to research better varieties of vegetables and look into installing a sort of "greenhouse" over some of my squares.
How is your garden growing?
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