As we approach 2015 the garden has slowly moved into the cold frames, or into the garage. All in all the year was a success. The additional sunlight (due to the clearing of trees in the utility right of ways) definitely increased the productivity this year. The most substantial increase was in peppers and squash. After the final harvest we had nearly 30 acorn and butternut squash (yes, we are still eating them!). We finally finished the peppers last week--several times I was able to pick nearly five pounds of various peppers of several varieties. One disappointment was the zucchini squash--while we had some, it was not enough to suit me! Part of the problem was the timing of vacations--we returned several times to find football sized squash that were good only for zucchini bread.
The tuber garden was interesting, but not terribly successful. The sweet potatoes and Oca were grown in large pots. One lesson learned was that clay pots don't work well with sweet potatoes. When we returned from a week long trip I found the pot cracked--the sweet potatoes had grown too large for the container! The potatoes that I stared in the straw were a real mix. Some were usable, but most were too small. The OCA ended up being the most interesting of the tubers. They are small colorful and irregularly shaped. I can certainly say that if we had to exist on these, we would probably stave to death!
If you compare the Oca plant to the left with the image from May 2 update you can see that the plant really took off! I did follow the instructions and put in the garage to avoid frost after the fall equinox. I may try again next year, but only because the plant is interesting, not terribly productive!The photo below shows the "final" gasps of this years garden. The pole beans are still growing, but most of the tomatoes are gone and only a few peppers remain.
I will probably start getting seeds ready in about one month for next years garden!
No comments:
Post a Comment