It’s been over a month since my last garden update. It was refreshing to take a couple weeks off blogging to focus my attention on my garden areas and preserving the harvest.
It’s been a great gardening season. One of the best in 3 years.
However, as every year goes, I’ve learned a bit more about what works for me and what I need to do differently next year.
One thing is for sure, I’m starting to feel the need of gardening in one area.
3 separate areas throughout the city can be difficult to stay on top of. During the heat of the summer, it’s so pertinent to keep an eye on plants, bugs and disease to be able to control and prevent crop damage. With the dry weather that we’ve had, it also meant a lot of watering in 3 separate areas.
I hate to seem uncontent. I just think next year I will have to re-think some of my garden areas and scale down.
If we do have an acreage one day, goodness… that would make things SO much easier and I’ll certainly expand once again.
Mami and Papi’s House
My 3 plots at my parent’s home are pretty much laid to rest for the year. I still have one bed filled with carrots and beets that I planted in the Spring. They’re still not mature but the kids are loving picking the carrots as they say, “they’re kid size”. Too cute.
Too much shade prevents any root or summer vegetables to grow well in this area. Next year, I plan on keeping this a Spring bedding area strictly for peas and greens. That’s it.
Community Garden
I am not sure what I’m going to do here next year. I’ve amended my beds to the point that my crops are growing well, however, with all of the other surrounding gardens (some tended to, some not) disease and pests are at an all time high. It’s very difficult to manage and it seems when things start to look great, BAM… something else has crept up.
There were a couple times this year that I even swore to break out the chemicals! Yeah… it can be heartbreaking.
Now, it hasn’t been all that bad. My beans, kale, chili peppers and eggplants are doing well.
My beans are actually growing in abundance and I hope they finish well as I plan to leave them on until they dry to harvest as dried beans for the winter.
Eggplant. You can see the flea beetle damage which is pretty much uncontrollable.
Pepperoncini
Ancho
My one Spanish melon.
Tomatillos. This has been my heartbreak of the season. They were doing wonderfully. Unfortunately, some sort of larvae has literally destroyed hundreds of the producing fruit by burrowing in and eating it until hollow.
So gross.
I had plans for salsa and enchilada sauce to eat fresh and preserve for the winter. Oh well, next year I’m planting these at home.
From here on out, along with tomatoes, I will no longer plant any zucchini, peppers or tomatillos at the community garden. Pests and disease have proven to be unmanageable.
One thing is for sure.. I need to focus on companion planting in this area next year!!!
Home
Oh.. bless my sweet home. It’s been such a great gardening season at home.
The difference is unbelievable. No disease or damaging bugs, a thriving eco-system with beneficial insects and prolific crops that keep producing.
An abundance of tomatoes. We’ve been eating them fresh and in a variety of recipes including gazpacho. I’ve also been preserving them as salsa and freezing for the winter.
Picklers, lovely honey bees and spiders galore! My only pest has been my dog Boaz who has found this area a great shady place to relax. He jumps the gardening fence!
Beans. These I’ve been using to eat fresh.
Although my 14 pepper plants at home have grown beautifully, I put them in too late so they are not producing like they should. Next year I need to remember to start them in February and get them in the ground on May 15th. (The last day of frost) Padron and Nardello Peppers, perfect for frying.
I have started some Fall crops. Peas and carrots are growing on the side of my home and I still plan on planting some loose leaf lettuce and romaine in a cold box for the winter. We’ll see how far I get.
Currently my dining room table is full of vegetables and the water canner seems to be constantly on the boil. It’s also been fun as I’ve been coming up with new recipes to not waste the abundance of vegetables. Goodness, I love this time of year! Simple, seasonal and fresh.
So, how has your garden been doing this year? What’s worked and what hasn’t? Please share what you’ve been learning and what you plant to change up next year! We can all learn together
You’re such an inspiration! I know we’re all waiting for the recipes and pictures of the resulting bounty. I can understand your frustration with bugs and pests, heat and treading up and down all over town to tender and care for these gardens … in the middle of the heat. Are there any gardening rules to plant and harvest in the community gardens?
This was our very first year of gardening, and we’ve learned SO MUCH! Space isn’t an issue for us, so the biggest thing we’ll be doing differently next year is planting more of just about everything. And we’re very excited to have the winter to plan what should go where, now that we know a little more of what we’re doing!
(Really lovely tomato photos, by the way)
3 separate garden plots! With the heat ways people in the States have been having! You’re a trouper. And if you’re pictures speak for you, your plots looks great.
my 3 rows in a neighbors community garden plot were a complete wipeout. I did harvest a little lettuce, but the plot was at the bottom of a slight grade & we got torrential rains every day for over a week it seems & my neighbor concluded we were entirely washed out. The plot is all weeds now & he plans to plow the whole thing under. 🙁