Garden Notes: 2022 Recap

garden
Written By Lindsay McCoy

2022 was a strange garden year. For one, it rained clear through June and into July. We didn’t get really hot, tomato-friendly weather until August or so, so we assumed out warmer weather-loving plants were doomed. Fortunately/unfortunately, our warm summer weather extended well into late October, which gave everything that had managed to grow through the cooler, rainy early summer a solid chance to catch up.

The Good

  • Arugula (standard)

  • Annina Eggplant

  • Supremo Cucumbers

  • Super Verde Tomatillos

  • Strawberry starts from Azure Standard that produced the whole season

  • Flashback Mix Calendula

  • Sun Gold cherry tomatoes

  • Supersweet 100 cherry tomatoes: This variety began to ripen after the Sun Golds had piqued, and while they weren’t as sweet, they were still delicious and slightly larger.

  • Jedi jalapeno peppers

  • Baron poblano peppers

  • Cinnamon Girl PMR Pumpkins

  • Dragon fennel

  • Cruiser Cilantro

  • Giant of Italy Parsley

  • Holy Basil from Azure Standard

  • Evergreen Hardy White Onions

The So-So

  • Carbon tomatoes

  • Gold rush currant tomatoes - too small, skins too thick, but they freeze well and can be used in pasta and pizza throughout the winter

  • San Marzano II: too small, rather flavorless, would’ve gathered grown more

  • Black Krim: I usually love this tomato, but it didn’t grow well this year

  • Flavorburst bell pepper

  • Amazing cayenne peppers

  • Pantheon zucchini: overprinted and overcrowded in grow bags

  • Cue Ball squash

  • Provider Green Beans

  • Imperial Star artichoke

The Ugly

  • Storage No. 4 cabbage

  • Green Magic Broccoli

  • Genovese Basil: the basil did not grow well this year no matter how hard we tried

  • Red Rubin Basil

  • Garlic: we had a good harvest, but smoke from the wildfires seems to have interacted with the cloves and turned them all green. Worth trying again next year.

And a few notes about my garden preserves:

  • It doesn’t matter how much salsa verde you make. You will run out and be sad when you do.

  • Pressure can 12 quarts or so of stewed tomatoes next year.

  • The arugula pesto doesn’t have a very nice stand-alone flavor, but the garlic scape pesto is great.

  • The grape jelly is delicious!

  • More candied jalapenos. Makes great gifts for people who like spice.

  • More dilly beans - the kids like them too.

I’ll come back and edit this note as the year progresses into the next garden season.

Lindsay McCoy
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Hatching Eggs Under a Broody Hen