Winter crops are wrapping up

I've learned a bit about winter gardening that I plan to implement next year. I've learned that even though I successively sowed my lettuce, I still had too much at once. There IS such a thing as too much bok choy. I found that beets and turnips didn't do well at all, so I think I'll skip them next year. The chard started out slow but has been a good crop overall (except for the part the slugs ate). I started my sugar snap peas and other peas in November and that is just right...February peas are wonderful, and we have a good amount. Carrots planted in October are good too, though I need to plant MORE of them. I had too many open spots in my bed, so I need to try some more things. I may have to try broccoli this fall. It's too late to get started now. Maybe some onions and garlic or even shallots. I need to keep the beds a bit more full with more variety.

I have my summer seedlings started. We'll be growing a lot of pepper varieties this year. All but my Joe E. Parker seedlings have germinated, which is better than last years germination rate. I'm starting cukes from seed in the beds this year too, as well as the summer squash.

We'll also be trying a whole bed of corn this year (Ruby Queen and Ambrosia) and a few bush Sugar Baby watermelons. We had good luck with the watermelons last year, not so much with the cantaloupe.

Beets and Turnips are up!!

Just a week after planting, my beets and turnips seem to be up. Still waiting on the peas and carrots, but they generally take longer to germinate.

The tomatoes seem to be in rapid growth and production mode right now, they are growing like crazy and I have lots of tomatoes. We've had a steady supply for months now. Same goes for squash and cukes, though the cukes seem to be slowing down a little.

Prepping for the fall garden

Even though it's still hot as blazes (105 a few days ago) I am getting the garden ready for fall. The zinnias are wearing out, and the watermelon and cantaloupe were ready to come out once we picked the fruit. There are plenty of summer stragglers still hanging in there, like my cucumbers and tomatoes. The peppers appeared to be dying out 3 weeks ago, and now have surged back to life and are full of peppers. I'm glad we're getting another round of peppers. My summer squash is still going strong as well. I also have 4 new black beauty eggplants well underway, which makes 16 large eggplants on one plant over the summer. What a great yield for a lovely plant. The Ichiban has more fruits almost ready as well. Guess we won't be toughing any members of the nightshade family yet.

I've started broccoli inside and will put it out in a month or so when it cools off a bit more. I have beets, carrots, and turnips to start in the ground now. We're trying Chioggia beets and a couple types of turnips, the typical purple top white globe and a Tokyo white. Around mid September I'm starting the swiss chard, romaine, bok choy, and the peas.

Right now I'm amending and adding new good stuff to the soil, cutting out the old growth, and adding a few soaker hoses to the beds not on the drip line.

What Does/Doesn't Do Well- Summer Crops & Flowers

USDA Zone 9, Sunset Zone 14

The Good:

Butterstick Hybrid summer squash
Black Beauty Eggplant
Super Sweet 100 cherry tomato
Lemon Boy tomato
Lemon Cucumber
Sweet Genovese Basil
Zinnias

The not so good:

Blue Lake pole bean
Purple Peacock bean
Roc d'Or wax bean
Ichiban eggplant
Cool Breeze cucumber
Gerbera daisy
Sweet and Early hybrid cantaloupe
Sugar Baby watermelon

Ok:
Sweet Banana Pepper
California Wonder pepper (ok if picked green, not if you wait for the red)

New year, new garden!

It's been well over a year and I'm updating my garden blog. We've been at the new place for over a year now and my garden is looking great. I have 4 large raised beds full of flowers and vegetables. I'm loosely using the Square Foot Gardening methods, although some of my plants seem a bit vigorous for that. Here are a few pics of my beds from early May through July.

Speaking of more changes...

We're buying a house and moving!! So much for the garden I've worked so hard for. I ended up planting some seeds in containers, buying some started herbs and summer squash, and trying to do a quickie garden that will be ready to harvest by mid June. We won't have time for longer growing crops like peppers, watermelons, and tomatoes, so I am just doing 3 types of squash, bush beans, and a cucumber. It's still something. I figure I can move the containers with plants fairly easily and harvest as many squash as possible before we move.

I am really liking the old kids water table planted full of leaf lettuce. The lettuce is really coming along, I'm happy with it. My radishes are basically done, there are a few stragglers trying to still grow, but it's really getting too warm for them now.

I"m still planning on gardening at my new house, even though the yard is smaller. It may not be much a summer garden this year, but hopefully we can do some fall and winter gardening with peas, radishes, and lettuce and the like.

Exciting changes!

I've been working hard to create some raised beds for our garden area. There has also been a ton of weeding to do and a lot of soil amending as well. Will has used some 4x6's to make the edges for the beds. They were left over from the illegal addition built on to the house that we took down.

My bulbs are up out in front and are looking good! Note to self...plant more muscari this fall. I just didn't have enough of it. I love it so!

The easter egg radishes are getting close to harvest date, but still aren't round enough. They should be done by now. I'm not sure what is going on with that, but the leaves are big and healthy so I think they are ok, just growing slowly. I also started some baby lettuce in the other half of the water table. That was put in on March 9.

On March 11, I planted chocolate mint and peppermint in the front bed behind the roses (and currently, tulips). I want a ground cover that will flourish there and I wouldn't mind having some mint to add to my food and drinks, either.

The picture is of our rough garden area, with compost bin and 4 beds (so far).

Our compost seems to be cooking along too, can't wait for some chicken poo to add to it to make even better compost.