2011 Herbs and Vegetables Performance
(Amber Garden is the community garden down the street where I have 3 plots.)
Tomatoes: (seeds started indoors mid April and set out at the end of May)
1. Suncherry, Extra Sweet. From seed. Lots of fruit. 4-5' plants. Performed well. Got blight but still had lots of tomatoes.
2. Tumbling Tom. From seed. Lots of fruit. Performed well. Got blight but still had lots of tomatoes.
3. Giant Belgium. From seed. In raised bed with bottom, pale green plants, few flowers, fewer fruit sets. Prone to blight. Large plant, large beefsteak tomatoes, got blight, didn't put out many tomatoes.
4. Cherokee Purple. From my saved seed. 4-5' plants. Got blight and had a severe catfacing problem, lack of leaves caused improper ripening. But tomatoes were huge and tasty.
5. Japanese Black Trifele. From seed. Nice large 4-5' plants and fruit, blight resistant. 3 plants in raised beds (best), 1 in Earth Box (drying out too fast), 1 at Amber Garden. Beautiful plants, lots of tomatoes, wonderfully smooth texture, good flavor once I got used to it. Will plant in 2012
6. Opalka. From seed. 3 plants, in raised bed with bottom. Pale green plants, few flowers, fewer fruit sets. Try again next year. 4' plants. Huge tomatoes, but not many on the plants, got blight, great flavor for a paste tomato.
7. Roma. From Clark's. Seedlings. At Amber Garden. 1-2' plants. Lots of tomatoes but poor quality due to a soil borne disease that migrated into the flesh of the tomato causing whitish spots.
8. Pik Red. From purchased seedlings, Clark's. At Amber Garden. Didn't like them.
9. Cheyenne. From my seed. 2 plants. 2-3' plants. Didn't do well this year. Succumbed to blight very early and the tomatoes are very juicy - not good to skin for canning.
10. Glacier. From seed. Planted end of May , ripened late July. 3' plants. Won't plant again.
11. Stupice. From seed. Planted end of May, ripened late July. 4' plants. Large but very firm tomatoes. Won't plant again.
12. Cabin. From seed. One plant. Planted behind another big tomato, not enough sun. 4-5' plants. Still a great favorite of mine. Large tomatoes - like a beefsteak. Very meaty, few seeds, little juice. Probably a good alternative for a paste tomato. Great flavor.
13. Silver Fir. From my seed started indoors. 2 plants. Small tomatoes this year. 1-2' plants. Did not do well this year and not good for sauce or salsa.
Peppers:
1. El Jefe Jalapeno. From seed started indoors. Nice but on the small side. Good for canning whole.
2. Mariachi. From Koraleski mid July. Seedling pack - large plants, some past flower set. Beautiful blonde peppers to mix into salsa and canned pepper rings. Very hot.
3. Hot Portugal. From Koraleski mid July. Seedling pack - large plants, some past flower set.
4. Aztec Red Hot. From my Meijer's saved seed, started indoors. Good plants again this year. Heavy fruit set again this year. Saved more seeds.
5. Mild Yellow Banana. From Clark's. Seedling pack. Nice fruit set. Okay, but won't grow again.
6. Cherry Bomb. From Koraleski mid July. Seedling pack - large plants, some past flower set. Bob wants more of these next year to can whole.
7. Serrano. From seed started indoors. I don't think any of these survived.
8. Bulgarian Carrot Pepper. From seed started indoors. Very, very hot. Very pretty in a jar of mixed pepper rings. Maybe one or two of these next year.
9. Ancho Magnifico. From seed started indoors. One plant survived and is producing well. Ripens to bright red.
10. Marissa's Sweet Red. From seed started indoors from a Meijer's pepper. 1st year for it. Failed. Must have been a hybrid since it only produced a very thin skinned pepper.
11. Cayenne. From Clark's. Seedling pack. Nice fruit set. Lots of peppers but probably won't grow next year. A bit thin skinned to can well and I don't want to dry them.
Eggplant
1. Small Black. From Clark's. Seedling pack. In cat litter SWC and doing well. Won't grow again since I keep not using them - don't like eggplant much.
Potatoes:
1. Bintje. From seed potatoes. Decent harvest, nice clear skins, very few worm holes. Replanted a few plants after 1st harvest.
2. Purple Viking. From seed potatoes. Poor harvest, some worms. Replanted plants after 1st harvest.
Greens:
1. Nero di Toscana Kale. From seed started indoors. Beautiful big plants still looking good at the end of July. End of August and still doing great. A nice addition to salads and soups.
2. Red Russian Kale. From seed started in studio in the winter. SWC. Still some harvest outdoors in mid-July.
3. Tah Tsoi. From seed. Amber Garden. Also a good harvest in SWC indoors in winter studio.
4.
Cucumbers:
1. Raider. From seed started indoors. Plant died by mid July.
2. Diva. From seed started indoors. Very susceptible to cucumber beetle and blight from them. Plant died by end of July. Very poor harvest.
3. Boothby's Blonde. Very nice plants. Had Cucumber beetles, but seems resistant to the blight they carry. Plants still producing after the other varieties died.
4. Marketmore. From Clark's. Seedling pack. Amber Garden.
5. Pickling. From Clark's. Seedling pack. Amber Garden.
Cabbage, Broccoli, Brussel Sprouts
1. Caraflex cabbage. From seed started indoors. 6 plants in raised bed with bottom. Slow growing. Harvested a bit small this year before they had a chance to bolt from the week of hot weather.
2. Red Cabbage. From Parran's. Seedling pack mid July. In raised bed.
3. Deadon Savoy. Forgot to start seed for fall garden so I bought the red cabbage seedlings.
3. Green cabbage. From seedlings at Amber Garden. Amber Garden.
4. Broccoli. From seedlings at Amber Garden. Amber Garden.
5. Purple Peacock broccoli. From seed started indoors. Nice big head and used some greens for salads. Good flavor.
6. Brussel Sprouts. From seedlings at Amber Garden. Amber Garden.
Garlic, Leeks, Onions
1. Polish Softneck garlic. Seed garlic from Territorial. Planted in fall, about 50 cloves (some very tiny). Harvested mid July. 37 heads, some large, some very small. Very nice harvest.
2. Variety pack, onions.
a. Yellow Sweet. Nice size.
b. Mars. Purple. Nice size and color. Bright white inside.
c. Ringmaster. Large white. Nice size.
Small plants from Territorial. Most ready by mid July. Nice size, esp the purple ones.
3. Leeks. From seed started in garden. Late July still very small. Didn't do well
4. Multiplier Onion. not here yet.
Squash and Gourds
1. Tigress Zucchini. From seed started indoors. One in raised bed, 2 at Amber Garden. The Amber Garden ones are producing more. The one at home is too shaded and not being pollinated well. Lots of zucchini until the bugs destroyed them.
2. Pattypan. From Clark's. Seedling pack. SWCs. Dying from squash bug damage late July.
3. Butternut squash. From Clark's or Parran's. Seedling pack. Clematis fence. Great harvest.
4. Cannonball Gourds. Direct seeded on trellis. Raised beds. Pulled them too early. Should have waited longer for fruit set. But they were growing great on the trellis.
Melons
1. Watermelon. From seed started indoors.
2. Watermelon. From Parran's. Seedling pack. Amber Garden.
3. Cantaloupe. From seed started indoors. Amber Garden.
4. Cantaloupe. From Parran's. Seedling pack. Amber Garden.
Radish, Carrot, Beet
1. Hailstone. Direct seeded. Poor harvest.
2. Easter mix. Cherry. Direct seeded. Good harvest and bug free.
3. Crapaudine beets. Direct seeded. Poor germination. (3 year old seed)
4.
Beans and Peas (all beans direct seeded)
1. Blue Lake Pole Beans. From my saved seed. On trellis in raised bed.
2. Dragon Tongue. Amber Garden. Good germination.
3. Black Pearl Edamame Soy Beans. Last year's seed. Poor germination.
4. Snow Peas. Raised bed. Poor harvest.
5. Sunset Runner. Tripod trellis and clematis fence.
6. Dry bean. Tripod trellis and clematis fence.
7. Dry bean. Tripod trellis and clematis fence.
Herbs:
1. Dill
2. Lemon Balm
3. Mammoth Basil
4. Purple Basil
5. Sage
Notes and Reminders:
1. Don't plant squash or melons on edges of raised beds under tomatoes. Not enough light. Plant melons at Amber Garden.
2. Replant potatoes after 1st harvest, mulch heavily and water well.
3. Keep one whole bed for garlic in the fall.
4. Consider drip irrigation for next season in raised beds.
5. Make cat litter SWCs have less direct contact with water.
6. Make markers for EVERYTHING!! I lost track of varieties this year very badly.
7.
