2017 in a Nutshell

Well, I failed at the garden blog in 2017. We did have a really nice harvest, and I've shared a few pictures below. Some highlights and reminders:

• Potatoes still don't work in the trashcan for me... not going to try that again.
• We dug up the old strawberries and didn't replant yet.
• Surprisingly, tarragon and lemon verbena came back in their pots.
• No squash or melons this year. It helped with eliminating squash bugs, and we were still able to grow some cucumbers.
• Summer savory and spring peas never really did anything this year. Green beans, however, went out of control.
• The Most Beautiful Composter in the World lives up to its name.
• Casper eggplants (white ones) did better than Listada de Gandia (lavender striped).
• The Blue Jade corn was fun! But not completely practical.

Memorial Day weekend 2017: Merveille des Quatre Saison lettuce, some eggplant and tomatoes, dill, blue corn, and lavender in the background.

Same photo from opposite side.

Beautiful wedding lavender going strong!

Tomatoes and peppers on the opposite side of the garden. Beans will line the fence.

July: Blue Jade corn!

 

August: Tomato and rosemary focaccia (yellow tomato is from farmers' market).

August: Typical late-summer harvest

September: Just a few extra Serrano and jalapeño peppers.

Thanks, Climate Change

It has been a mild winter... until now. Last week seemed like early spring weather, and now we have a winter storm warning for this week. In the meantime, I ordered some seeds and started a few plants indoors. Since we've had such a problem with squash bugs, I have to take a few seasons off and hope that the squash bugs will disappear. I've decided to plant a few kinds of eggplant and some sweet corn instead. The sweet corn is called Blue Jade, and it's a smaller kind so we should have enough room for it. The eggplant types are Pingtung Long, which I've planted for several years, and two new ones: Listada de Gandia and Casper. I also bought a type of Japanese climbing cucumber, good for pickling and fresh eating, as well as a bird/butterfly flower mix for the front yard.

Last weekend, I started some herb seeds as well as the eggplant and Cherokee Purple tomatoes. The thyme, basil, and chives have come up already, as well as one Casper and one Listada de Gandia.