2012 Garden Review Sections 1-3

I have finally put together my garden review for 2012. It took some time, since I kept forgetting to type it out, but it is finally done. I am going to start section by section and will outline what was planted, total amount harvested and whether or not I would do it again. Today I am just going to go over sections 1-3 otherwise this would be one long post!

Section 1 Herbs

This year I once again tried planting a varied selection of herbs at the front of the garden and yet again this was not a success. The problem is that that section is particularly weedy and that once everything starts to come up I am unsure if it is the herbs I planted or just grass so  I wait and let it grow, the grass chokes out the herbs and nothing grows. Volunteer sunflowers did grow nicely in this section, however if they come up next year they are getting pulled..lolPlan for 2013: make a raised herb bed

Section 2 Strawberries and Raspberries

This year neither fruits were great producers. The strawberries bloomed early, but with a late frost never produced one berry. The Raspberries on the other hand bloomed in late August and an early fall frost left us with bushes full of frozen unripe berries. . Plan for 2013: Since this was the 3^rd year the strawberries did not produce they were tilled over. The raspberry bushes will be left, thinned and transplanted to fill the remainder of the row

Section 3 Onions

4 -10ft rows of red onions Although these were the first to start sprouting halfway through the growing season they started to bolt even though they were not much larger than the sets I originally planted. Thus at the end of the summer I was only able to harvest a dozen. Plan for 2013: Try a different variety

3- 10ft rows of leeks from seed   The leeks planted from seed directly into the garden did not take at all. . 

2 -10ft rows of transplanted leek seedlings Leeks were another disappointment, the ones that I started indoor did mature in time although rather sparsely. However the frost got to them before I could and they were therefore not harvested. Plan for 2013: plant the same but start indoors earlier

5- 10ft rows of yellow onions The White onions fair a bit better although most of them were the size of a golf ball where as last year they were the size of a softball. I was still able to get 15lbs altogether so I cannot complain too much. . Plan for 2013: plant the same, but in different area.

2- 10ft rows of bunching onions Did not produce

1- 10ft row pickling onions  Pickling onions were a no show this year as well. I think it was just too wet. . Plan for 2013: not going to try again 

2 -10ft rows of spinach  The spinach started in this section did not take at all. One plant survived. . Plan for 2013: plant in different drier area

So there you go those are the first 3 sections of the garden. My overall view of these sections was a fail. As I mentioned above the herbs, strawberries,raspberries, leeks, pickling onions, bunching onions, and spinach were total busts. The red and white onion sets did not grow big enough to last the winter. I only have about 20 onions left and we are still in 2012!

Have a great day