Garden Notes: 2022 Recap
2022 was a strange garden year. For one, it rained clear through June and into July. We didn’t get really hot, tomato-friendly weather until August or so, so we assumed out warmer weather-loving plants were doomed. Fortunately/unfortunately, our warm summer weather extended well into late October, which gave everything that had managed to grow through the cooler, rainy early summer a solid chance to catch up.
The Good
Arugula (standard)
Annina Eggplant
Supremo Cucumbers
Super Verde Tomatillos
Strawberry starts from Azure Standard that produced the whole season
Flashback Mix Calendula
Sun Gold cherry tomatoes
Supersweet 100 cherry tomatoes: This variety began to ripen after the Sun Golds had piqued, and while they weren’t as sweet, they were still delicious and slightly larger.
Jedi jalapeno peppers
Baron poblano peppers
Cinnamon Girl PMR Pumpkins
Dragon fennel
Cruiser Cilantro
Giant of Italy Parsley
Holy Basil from Azure Standard
Evergreen Hardy White Onions
The So-So
Carbon tomatoes
Gold rush currant tomatoes - too small, skins too thick, but they freeze well and can be used in pasta and pizza throughout the winter
San Marzano II: too small, rather flavorless, would’ve gathered grown more
Black Krim: I usually love this tomato, but it didn’t grow well this year
Flavorburst bell pepper
Amazing cayenne peppers
Pantheon zucchini: overprinted and overcrowded in grow bags
Cue Ball squash
Provider Green Beans
Imperial Star artichoke
The Ugly
Storage No. 4 cabbage
Green Magic Broccoli
Genovese Basil: the basil did not grow well this year no matter how hard we tried
Red Rubin Basil
Garlic: we had a good harvest, but smoke from the wildfires seems to have interacted with the cloves and turned them all green. Worth trying again next year.
And a few notes about my garden preserves:
It doesn’t matter how much salsa verde you make. You will run out and be sad when you do.
Pressure can 12 quarts or so of stewed tomatoes next year.
The arugula pesto doesn’t have a very nice stand-alone flavor, but the garlic scape pesto is great.
The grape jelly is delicious!
More candied jalapenos. Makes great gifts for people who like spice.
More dilly beans - the kids like them too.
I’ll come back and edit this note as the year progresses into the next garden season.