2013 Garden Round-up

This is what we planted for 2013 and my notes on the varieties.    It was a weird year, last year.   Not harsh, but the spring was long - very long - and the summer was cool.  

Some of my tried-and-true varieties didn't like the cool summer.   Let's hope 2014 is a more normal summer.





Beans

• Fava Beans - Broad Windsor  Changed my mind because of the late spring.  Planted extra peas instead.
• Red Chinese long beans - love these!  They start fast and bear early.
• Green Chinese long beans - love these!  They start slow and bear late, but are frost hardy in the fall.  
• Dragon Tongue.  Fantastic fresh, freeze OK.  
• Freshette green bean.  My favorite of all the beans we froze.  

Beet

•  Detroit Dark Red - the rabbits ate them to the ground.  I didn't get a single one.   They seemed to start OK, so I'll try them again with extra critter protection.

Cucumber

• Telegraph - long.   My favorite so far.
• de Bourbonne [tiny ones] - seem to do better in a hot summer.  

Eggplant:  Bad year for eggplant.   Lots of flea beetles, too.

• Japanese Pickling:  Did OK.   Usually does great and it loves hot summers.
• Florida Market Eggplant-very sensitive to cold.  Lost the first batch of starts to a late freeze, even though they were in the hoop house.   Did a second batch of starts and put them in the ground at the end of May.   Got 1 single eggplant.

Fennel:  Di Firenze - likes cool weather.   Plant in fall for December harvest and in late Feb for spring harvest.

Greens:

• Siamese Dragon Stir Fry Mix.  I mixed this half and half with more arugula seed.  Yum!
• Bibb Lettuce-  Love this stuff and we had a lot of it in 2013.

Herbs, Annual:

• Basil, Genovese. Water seeds daily until they sprout.Harvest frequently. 
• Basil, Lettuce Leaf..  Water seeds daily until they sprout. Harvest frequently.
• Cilantro, Slo Bolt. Mostly it self sows.  Comes up everywhere.  I love it.
• Dill.  Self sows now. 

Herbs, Perennial [planted several years ago]

• Lavender
• Thyme
• Sage
• Horehound
• Chives
• Anise Hyssop
• Hyssop
• Chamomile [self sows]
• Alpine Strawberries
• Clary Sage
• Winter savory
• Lemon balm
• Sorrel

  Leek:  Autumn Giant Leek.   I started them, but didn't get them in the ground in time to harvest.   Will do better in 2014.

Melon

• Charentais [cantaloupe]- cat dug it up.  Will try again in 2014.
• Uzbek Sweetness Melon - fantastic melon!   Will do these again.   Sweet!

Onions

• Egyptian walking onions - don't like damp.   I hope they come up this year.
• Local starts:  red and yellow sets
• Australian Brown: Started in jugs in the hoop house in February and have lots of starts now. Didn't get them in the ground in time.   Will try again with fresh seeds.

Parsnip:  Half Long Guernsey Parsnip  [First try at parsnips.] - didn't come up.

Peas

• Sugar Snap:   Hardy and prolific.  Heat tolerant. Love these!

Peppers

• Golden Marconi - Great peppers.   The red ones did better.
• Red Marconi - Great peppers.
• Ozark Giant - Did OK, but not great.
• Quadrato D'Asti Rosso - Didn't do anything. 

Potatoes:  Kennebec.   From May's [local].   Tried these in potato towers again.   Much better to just grow them in rows. 

Radish:

• Early Scarlet Globe - the regular red kind.   Had great success in very early cold frame planting and and late fall cold frame plantings.

Rutabaga: Laurentian Rutabaga.   Did nothing. 

Sweet potatoes:  Georgia Jet.  From our own starts.   The deer liked these.   I fenced them out and the sweet potatoes were good. 

Squash, Summer

• Zucchino Rampicante - Used saved seed.   These did fabulously!
• Golden Marbre Scallop [pattypan] - Did well and seem to be somewhat resistant to vine borers.
• Lemon Squash - Did well and seem to be somewhat resistant to vine borers.
• Castata Romanesco [zucch type]:  Early set of fruit. Light.  Striped.  First one, June 30.  Loved these.

Squash, Winter

• Australian Butter - Good fruit.   Will try again.
• Black Futsu - excellent.  Prolific for us in 2013.  Great fruit.
• Greek Sweet Red - one of our favorite. 
• Golden hubbard - didn't do so well in 2013. 
• Honey Boat Delicata - Good!   We liked these a lot and they're cute.
• Musquee De Provence - Gorgeous and delicious.
• Queensland Blue - I keep trying these because they're, well, blue.   We usually get one.
• Rouge Vif D'Etampes - didn't get any.

Strawberries

• June bearing [from May's]
• Ever bearing  [from May's]

Tomato - not a great year for tomatoes in 2013.   Too cool.

• Amana Orange Tomato - Good tomato.
• Amish Paste - K2's favorite. 
• Brave General Tomato - Did ok
• Black Cherry Tomato - prolific.  Like these!
• Hillbilly [Flame]- Did ok.