Victory Garden 2008 - Spring

Okay, we're well into spring here in South Carolina so I figured I would add a bit of an update to show how the Victory Garden 2008 is progressing. This winter I did a lot of thinking of how to make the garden better and more successful. After contemplating the two previous plantings I came up with to 2 areas on which I need to improve on.

The first is watering. This is a little tricky. Since starting this garden 2 springs ago I've used soaker hoses to do most of the watering. I think they've done an OK job but I've always been a little concerned that there are dry spots in the bed that don't get enough water. So I usually do a little hand watering also to make sure everything gets enough water. This usually works out great for the first month or so when my enthusiasm is high but soon I get lazy and then just use the soaker hose. And then I sometimes forget to do that regularly. April & May are always great but by June & July when the really hot and dry weather gets here and we're off doing summer vacation stuff, many of my plants just don't get enough water to produce a great harvest. Resolution #1 keep everything well watered!! All season long!

Second is plant selection. Since moving into the house in 2005 I've always had ideas and fantasies of what I wanted my vegetable garden to be. Three years into this space, about 1/3 of the plants always seem to grow slow or unsuccessfully. Lots of these plants are ones that, looking back, were set up to fail. High maintenance, low tolerance to heat and drought (see #1 also). So when planning what I wanted to plant this year, I made a conscience effort to choose plants that I've had success with in the past and also choose plants that do well here in the southeast regardless of whether they're on my fantasy plant list.

So keep these two thoughts in mind when I describe what I planted this year.

As you can see in the first picture, I added a 4th raised bed. I filled it with compost from the county composting facility (at $20/yd3 it's a bargain and very healthy for the plants). In the new 4th bed I stuck with some old successful favorites and some new stuff. Last year I planted Black Beauty zucchini and it did gangbusters! We had baseball bat sized fruits and ate zucchini bread all summer long. I've never had big success with winter squash, which is disappointing because I love them so much (see rule #2). With the zucchini having done so well I decided to plant some more summer squash. Along with the Black Beauty I planted some pattypan type. I also changed things a bit with my beans. The past few years I've been growing bush type beans with limited success. After reading a bit about pole type beans I made a trellis and gave them a shot. The Kentucky Wonder variety is an old heirloom type that is supposed to be very productive and tolerate heat well. Everyday it seems as though they grow at least 3 inches. I also planted some petunia seeds in a small row in the front that will hopefully save us some money when Kimberly plants her flower boxes this summer.

I have some themes in the other 3 beds. One bed consists entirely of onions and garlic. I planted the garlic last November. When I was up in Ithaca, NY for Dave & Arjean's wedding we spent some time at the Ithaca farmer's market. It really puts the Columbia one to shame but I was able to buy lots of cool stuff including some organic garlic grown locally around Ithaca. They seem to be doing well but I just hope the weather isn't too hot and they get enough water to be successful. If everything goes well, I'll save a few heads and replant an entire bed again this fall. I also have some red onions growing in this bed. About 5 years ago I grew some onions and they were the best onions I've ever tasted. I bought the seedlings about as thick as a pencil and planted them about early March. I hope they do as well as before.

In another bed I have my cole crops. Brussel sprouts and cauliflower. I tried to grow some cauliflower over the winter but in January we had a hard freeze and that did it for them. They were doing well until the freeze. As for the brussel sprouts, that was another thing I brought home from the Ithaca farmer's market. Fresh brussel sprouts right off the stem are amazing just pan fried with a little olive oil.

My last bed has a bit of a hodgepodge. I have two Hungarian Heart tomato plants, two Alma Paprika pepper pants & two Aunt Molly's ground cherry plants. these run down the center and I have a row of German Giant radishes on one side and a row of Bull's Blood beets on the other side. I'm looking forward to eating the beet greens as well as the roots. We LOVE beets in our house, especially pickled! Peppers grow great here. The plants grow slowly at first but as soon as the hot hot July summer hits, we'll have peppers well into October! I've never been a very successful tomato farmer but hopefully increased watering will help that.

I'm also growing some butterhead lettuce in a galvanized tub. I sowed the seeds close together and hope to feed on the seedlings as I thin them out.

That sums up the Victory Garden 2008 status so far. Probably in a little more detail than needed but I think of this as my garden journal too. As always, let me know what you're growing this year and if you're interested in saving any seeds and swapping for next year. Happy gardening!