I was debating blogging about this, when I realized that I really didn't document the season to truly capture it all... I vow to do better next summer! Regardless, it's time for the
Top 5 things
I vow to do differently next summer
in my garden.
Tip #1: Plant early to reap the harvest early! This year, we didn't get the garden planted until well after Memorial Day (I typically plant it April Vacation week, even though it's still fairly chilly). Procrastinating at the beginning lead to a later harvest, and with travel and weather complications, less of a yield. Next year, I will vow to be out there daily. Monitoring and weeding - little by little.... a little becomes a lot! The task won't be insurmountable and I'll get some exercise too!
Tip #2: Get the garden organized and spaced well. This year, we completely struck out with this one. We expanded the garden to both a front yard and back yard section. We didn't plan the front well at all, and we over planted the back. Though it's looked fairly pathetic for the last several weeks. In fact, to the point of embarrassment for the area on the side of the house, newly converted from crappy grass to fertile soil. The tomatoes were tall and stringy and the vining plants weren't trellised. Next year, we'll consider the spacing required for the plantings as well as the overall aesthetic of the garden itself. Curb appeal still holds true.
Tip #3 : Check for ripe veggies DAILY. Both the zucchini and cucumbers got away from us (it didn't help that I was not home for 3 prime weeks this summer). So the canning process for the cukes has resulted in some true Hamburger Chips - with the diameter of the burger itself. That made it a bit tricky to can (I needed to get the wide mouth jars) but should result in some great dills later this year. Note to self: be sure to note HOT on the label of the Jalepeno Dills. They get exponentially hotter when canned. Great if you like hot stuff, not so much if you aren't expecting it. We also dehydrated some of the peppers, eggplant, and cherry tomatoes. Hopefully the tomatoes will be like a version of a sun dried tomato to spice up soups and salads this winter.
Tip #4: invest in a food mill or blender. I have
my blender/food processor method for tomato paste/sauce, but others in my household have much more finicky tastes (and are quite LOUD in expressing those tastes). I should hold my own, but sometimes you have to pick your battles. A food mill allows you to press the pulp through and extract seeds and or skins from foods like tomato sauce. This year, I didn't have one, but I did remove the skin from the tomatoes (though my scalded fingers don't quite appreciate the effort). I think that will help the sauce department. I do wish we had more of a crop for my salsas and chutneys, but I suppose they will have to wait until next year. This year's crop of made into sauce. I can't WAIT for my fall chili!
Tip #5: Compost is the key to fertile soil and next year's crop. We had two methods of amending the soil this year. First, the basic compost pile in the corner of the backyard. Yard waste, food wastes, grass clippings, weeds, shredded paper, it all was added to the pile, watered and turned frequently. This is something that I've done for years, but this year as the first we had a prime crop of Red Wiggler Worms added in. They did what they are made to do: eat, aerate the soil, poop, and procreate! And the soil was wonderful and the worms were plentiful - to the point that we took some out and added them to the compost bin outside as well as directly to the garden soil! We added the 'Juice' to potted plants and they perked right up. We supplemented the topsoil when we transplanted the seedlings with 'Worm Manure' and it was not full of nutrients for our infant plants. The plants did grow quite tall and produced lots of fruit (the tomatoes were huge, but took forever to turn - we assume that was weather based, not soil nutrients). The only drawback is only having 3 trays for the worms. Once they are established, they do need frequent maintenance (adding food scraps, draining excess fluid from the tray, removing manure to add room for the worms). Lets just say, these worms will remain in my basement and will be fed throughout the winter. I'm debating how to store the 'Juice' during the winter months. Part of me wants to store it and save it for Spring, the other part of me says it's too fragrant (with the cap off). We'll have to see. I do know, though, the worms are more than welcome to return to my garden next Spring if they will contribute to my Garden's Bounty again!
I vow to take better pictures next year, so a timeline can be chronicled. But until then, I'm off to can some tomatoes and finish my sauce :)
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