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.

Previous
Previous

Better Late Than Never

Next
Next

Hatching Eggs Under a Broody Hen