It's that time of year again when the veggie garden is nearing the end and plans begin for the following year. Each year I try something new in addition to my regulars looking for the 'perfect' crops for my area. This year, I grew 9 varieties of tomatoes, 3 varieties of cucumber, 2 varieties of zucchini, 3 varieties of beans, 4 varieties of kale, 2 varieties of peas, 3 varieties of onions, 3 varieties of carrots and several different types of salad greens. These are the best of them for this year... TOMATOES -I liked 'Sweet Millions', 'Parks Whopper', and 'Sicillian Saucer' the most and they will most definitely be in my garden next season. 'Pink girl' was tasty but small and 'Lemon Boy' was a yellow tomato that I had trouble convincing people to eat. Since they are also low acid they aren't suitable to can so I will pass next season. 'Big Beef' and 'Roma' were nice, but produced less per plant. 'Tumbler' didn't taste as sweet and were sloppy. There were a few that were different than the rest and I don't know what they were but saved seed for next year. All around, it was (and still is!) an excellent season for tomatoes but I am looking for recommendations for a paste tomato for next year. BEANS - Last season, someone suggested I try 'Blue Lake Bush' beans and boy did they do well! I planted only one package and it made a 20 ft double row. Not only did I have enough to can for the entire winter, I also ate lots and shared lots with friends. Not sure who suggested them, but THANKS! These are probably the only beans I will need to plant next season. ZUCCHINI - I planted 'Black Beauty' and 'Dark Green'. I found the 'black Beauty' to be a bug and disease magnet and won't be planting it again. PEAS - 'Sugar Snap' are the winners again hands down. LETTUCE - 'Little Gem' Romaine was a winner. I also grew some red romaine bought as starts and it was bitter from the get go - wont plant that again. Still looking for a spinach variety that doesn't bolt at the first sign of heat. Had mine planted in the shade of the peas and only got 1 picking. CUCUMBERS - planted 'Pickle Bush' in pots and they did OK. 'Burpless Beauty' in the ground with a trellis did well too, until the beetles found them. Onions and carrots are still growing, as is the kale and cabbage. Cucamelons were a big hit again this year and I will definitely plant them again next year. It was a bad year for peppers in my garden, but I think that is only because the soil needs improvement where they were planted. So tell me ... what grew good for you this year? What are your tried and true varieties? What did you find to be a waste of garden space?
Netty, I grow Big Beef every year and it a huge producer. Even this year with the drought (iwatered, though) I am still picking them. Lemon boy is a nice tomato and I grow it every year for my customers. Amish Gold Chef's Choice Orange JD's Special from C. TX is a fabulous black tomato... again.I grow that one almost every year, too. Sungold... I was a little disappointed with this year along with most of my cherry types. they just didn't do spectacular this year. orang zinger... mmm not sure yet ildi... nope I don't think so Stump of the world.. yep, again carbon, yep, again Ultra Pink. Yep, again gardeners sweetheart. NOPE, unless it gets significantly better with the passing of the season since it just started ripening. I'll probably do a tomato for the "Dwarf Project" again. This year I did the firebird sweet variety again. A pink tomato with gold stripes. Bushel buster green peppers, yep. Loads of them Yummy peppers, ALWAYS orange blaze, yep Szegedi, not my favorite, but it sells so I'll grow it again Honey Crisp from Burpees (not sure if it is Yellow Monster or not, but) Huge yellow pepper. Loaded up well DasherII for my greenhouse cukes, I think) they hang nice and make a nicer cuke than out on the ground. Muncher, diva and cool breeze cukes Goddess melons sangria watermelons Mart's Melons Jade and Strike greenbeans corn: honey select ambrosia silver king
Thanks for your input Carolyn. I had better luck with the Big Beef last year, so maybe I'll try them again. I have heard great things about the Jade beans ... are they a bush type? I was really impressed with the Blue Lake beans this year ... how do Jade compare?
You can blame a few of us for the Blue Lake Bush bean. That is the only one I plant,,and for sure the only one needed because they produce so well and with few problems. What spinach variety have you planted ? I grow Giant Noble and Bloomsdale with few bolting problems . They take the Texas heat as well as any I have found. Whats a Cucamelon ? Next year, if anyone can find them, try the Golden zuchinni. Excellent eating,,more like a squash/zuchinni cross and the prettiest vegetable around. They are golden in the middle and look like the ends were dipped in deep green paint and allowed to run into the gold. I would buy them just for the look but the flavor is a bonus.
I am growing both right now. As soon as they produce I will be able to compare them, but I have never had blue lake before so until I have them....... Jade is a bush bean. Long slender green pods. Nice flavor, no strings. I grow the yellow zucchini's too. Fabulous producers. Way out producing the green ones in my garden.
I planted Bloomsdale and Big Ruffles this year. They were good, but the early heatwave made them bolt. I'm holding out for some cooler weather and will then plant more. Mart - Cucamelon's are also known as Sour Gherkins. They look like tiny watermelons and taste like cucumbers. The kids love them as a snack, and if it keeps them out of the cookies I will continue to grow them!
Ha ! Those are cute little things but tiny. Are they vine or bush ? You might try the Giant Noble spinach. Seems like the Bloomsdale bolted here before the Noble did. Hard to remember. I usually just remove the center and continue to harvest the outer leaves for a while.
Mart, They are also called mexican midget cucumbers and are an open pollinated or heirloom seed. I had someone bring me a packet of them a couple years ago to start for them. They were from one of the expensive seed racks for heirloom seeds. If I find the left over packet I'll send it to you. Not mexican midgets... that a tomato Mexican sour gherkins... and I found the seed packet.
Our garden is done now. DD called the day after we left and told us the temps dropped to 26F. They did cover my first try at growing cantaloupes ( an early kind) with a quilt. I told them to just pick the ones with webbing on them and set them in a window. I had already canned or froze a years worth of everything else and was just giving away what was still producing. The only thing that did not do well was the chard and it was full leaf miners. Next year they will be covered with enviromesh. Blue Lake bush green beans have always produced well for me and I have a years worth canned. I was able to can 40 pints of tomato sauce, mainly using Olpaka sauce tomatoes. They did really well and were huge. The carrots were smaller than normal but, thankfully, Mike over planted them so we had plenty to freeze. Over all, considering our cooler than normal summer, our garden did well and our freezer and pantry is full. You can't ask for more than that!
I had Cucamelons last year, grown in pots. They produced very well, and were a source of much conversation, but I decided against planting them in 2015, a decision i sort of regret. There is always 2016. 2ofus, people like you cause me shame. I think I work SO hard until I read about all your canning, etc. Seriously, I do admire you.
Thank you! It is work to can and even to freeze veggies but it is something that I enjoy doing. It helps to have all the equipment to make things easier such as electric slicers and dicers and even graters. The only one I minded is peeling all those little carrots!
