The Modern Victory Garden

Please add your own .02 to my notes from my first growing season.

First - I'd like to say that my season for the year is now over.  I was considering maybe growing some lettuce and spinich - but with mandatory overtime at work, soccer with the kids, et al - I'm being stretched a bit too thin.

So, that said- the season itself was full of all first time trial runs, essentially my odometer was at zero and I'm now at 'young grower' status.

I have grown zuchinni, carrots, lettuce, broccoli, corn, bush beans, tomatos, and canteloupe. I put that part in italics because I have since enjoyed all of them on my plate - except the corn and canteloupe.

Heres a quick snapshot rating system of what was - in my opinion - the best to worst.

1.) Tomatos - Burpee's big boy hybrid. Indeterminate variety. Sweet to the point of surrealness. I didnt think I'd like them this much!  Wow. As I type this, plenty are still growing and green, and Ive harvested maybe 20 fruit now.  Next year I start earlier.

2.) Zuchinni. Burpee's Fordhook Summer Squash.  Each plant keeps delivering a nice squash every week, and Im actually getting tired of them by now.  Fall season will be good timing when it's here.  But it's a delicious squash plant - steamed- with a dash of salt..  Sluurrp ! Yummy.

3.) Lettuce- Burpees Bibb, Seeded Simpson, Forellenschluss, Four Seasons and Red Salad Bowl.

At first they were still young, crisp, and my true first plant that I enjoyed from seedlings.  These were a January planting under lights. When our nice warm spring hit- they went in a matter of weeks - to bolting and turning bitter...weird.  Summer just added to the bolting nonsense - and next year I plant fewer plants, but plant them 4 weeks apart.

4.) Bush Snap Beans - a great tasty bean - but the plants give just one good harvest per plant- and then they are done.  I tried to get two - and the second round was eh, boring.

5.) Carrots - grew all season - never got too big- all the kids loved 'em.  Were were impersonating Bugs Bunny every other day for weeks.  A smash hit.

6.) Corn. Sweet Corn Early Sunglow Hybrid.  Should have called it " Maybe Good enough for Salsa"  They were a LOT of work, drank a TON of water, consumed twice the fertilizer as any other plant...  and gave up some very boring mealy tasting ears.  I have some in the fridge now...wondering if I should bother serving them at all.  Maybe direct to compost bin?  I will double dig their beds again next year, add a bunch more compost and fertilizer - and see if that helps.

7.) Broccoli.  The flowering part was sooo tiny - it was mostly good for stir fries.  Not one decent head in the bunch.  Never understood why.  The plants also bolted as fast as the lettuce.  Vroom.  In a week they went to seed.  Very Weird.

The worst crop of the year award goes to - Canteloupe.  Hearts Of Gold.  Feh!  Didnt grow one fruit.  The plants either needed more time and heat - or I'm Forrest Gump for even trying it in Seattle...or both.

Anyways - thats my version of what I tried this year.

Hopefully y'all will add your own version of what worked for you (variety please) and what didnt work.  Im curious about your growing season length - and what sort of soil prepping you did.

I wasnt going into the harvest tally, or weighing it, but I did look into growing your own cost vs. buying organic at PCC costs...I know my version was cheaper by a loooong shot.

Cheers,

Jim

Brilliant recap Jim!  

In my opinion, you can never have enough carrots planted.  

One of my not so great items this year is the mini bell peppers.  They produced abundantatly and taste good - but they are so small that cutting them and deseeding them is a real pain in the patooty.    I am going to grow a larger sweet pepper next year.

Favorites:

Cherokee Purple

Stupice - got blight but tasted great while they lasted.

Black Plum

Saucey - got blight but cooked into great sauce

Won't grow Green Zebra Again

Tablesweet Corn - many stalks had 2 ears, we ate 60 ears of the sweetest most amazing corn this summer.  I will definitely grow this variety again in Seattle, they worked just dandy for me

Muskmelon - I only got 1 softball but it was the most amazing flavor ever.  Good thing it didn't take up much space!  I'll try again next year in better dirt.

Scarlet Runner Beans are still going crazy.  If you pick them young they are tasty, otherwise they are great to pickle.  I know most folks prefer the bush beans but the vines are stunning and a big hummingbird draw, plus they grow up a fence and don't take up any space.

Acorn - 3 plants produced over 45 pounds of squash.  The butternut were not so prolific but I will definitely be doing acorn again.

I discovered French Sorrel this year - a clear winner that I will never be without again.

Loved the early wonder beets, can't wait for more to ready for fall eating!