One of the most exciting (and sometimes frustrating) things about hobby vegetable gardening is that every year is different. Just because something did well last year doesn't necessarily mean you can count on another good crop this year. I'm not a huge fan of uncertainty, but if I wanted to frame this as a positive, I'd focus on how fun it is to see which things produce more than expected.
This year, what I'm finding is that the successful stuff is going gangbusters, and everything else is just pitiful. There's no middle ground like there's been in the past. Nothing is doing "just ok." I don't know if it has to do with the abnormally warm spring we had or this being the first summer in ages that The Awesome Husband and I are both employed full time, or just the fact that sometimes things work out that way.
Here's what's struggling:
- Beets. These were planted twice, and both times were decimated by cutworms. There's one lonely little seedling left, with one leaf still standing. Bummer, too, because The Awesome Husband loves beets.
- Basil. I started seedlings inside, and then inadvertently killed them by leaving them outside and letting them dry out. Replanted outside, and the cutworms got 'em. Replanted again in containers, so we'll see, but they're way behind schedule.
- Tomatoes. Same as the basil.
- Cucumbers. Same as the basil and tomatoes, except with these guys I caved and bought seedlings.
- Radishes. Planted once, and they halfheartedly germinated. Planted a second time, and they grew two feet tall and went to seed. No edible radishes, though.
Here's what's hitting it out of the park:
- Garlic. I've never grown garlic before, but so far I quite like it. Plant it in the fall, forget it's there, and watch it pop up in the spring? I'll take it!
- Raspberries. After a couple years, they've really established themselves. They're currently absolutely covered with unripened berries.
- Spinach. All through March and April, we ate spinach pretty much every day just to keep up.
- Peas. They're not doing quite as well as they did last year, but they're still pretty impressive. They've got tons of white flowers, and I noticed yesterday that a few tiny pea pods have appeared!
