The wish books have arrived filled with gorgeous pictures of produce. Even a bit of snow can’t stop the thoughts about gardening.
Looking Back
Considering the heat, sun and drought this last summer, my garden did very well. My freezers are full. The fall garden is producing. It was a successful gardening year.
There were problems. The heat and sun kept me inside too much so the weeds got out of control.
These also made the tubs too hot for the plants growing in them. The dirt was bath water warm! Shade is an important item to plan for next year.
Looking Forward
I grew a number of new plants last summer. Some were a success. Others were not.
Chinese eggplant is a better tub plant than traditional eggplant. Carrots need more water and more shade.
Sunflowers will not be in the garden again. Better planning for succession planting will be in the garden.
My seed list is growing as I add more plants. Most are old friends like Napa cabbage, bok choi, Zephyr squash, butternut squash, long beans, tomatoes, sweet peppers, Chinese celery, potatoes, beets. Newer ones include more kinds of snow peas, leeks and Savoy cabbage.
Thoughts about Gardening
It occurred to me that I write about my garden a lot over the course of the year. I spend a lot of time in it doing and trying different aspects of gardening.
Although I am a serious amateur gardener and read gardening books about other gardeners, I never considered writing about gardening. My garden is not neat, rarely orderly and my methods adapt each year.
Last year I kept a monthly planner about my garden. It told me a lot about how successful my garden turned out to be. Other people find my methods interesting.
Perhaps I will write down my thoughts about gardening in more detail this year. Maybe they will become a book after that. After the six I’m presently working on get finished.
