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Old 09-09-10, 04:32 PM   #1
RobertSmalls
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Default Robertsmalls' 2010 Garden

2010 was my first year with a garden. Here's a photo of my garden, with the peas already gone and the tomato plants appearing to have given up for the season. First frost is only a few weeks away. Tomatoes at the back, peas up front, carrots on the left.



I planted eight tomato sprouts because they're supposed to be easy to grow. I only had room for five in the garden, so three got planted in the lawn. I got a nice crop of Roma and Beefsteak tomatoes (4kg so far), only to realize that I don't really eat fresh tomatoes. I guess I'll make spaghetti sauce now. I'll save some seeds and plant just one Roma next year, but the fact that I'll only be in fresh tomatoes for two months out of the year is annoying.



Above are the lawn tomatoes, which were just for fun. The plant in the front, with one irregular shaped red tomato, is about 40cm tall. The one in the back has half a dozen grape-sized Beefsteaks, still green.

I really like peas, and I was hoping to get a nice harvest. I planted a dozen plants, but only got about two dozen pods before the plants all turned a pale yellow color and died. They're Alaska peas, and I probably planted them too late. Next year, I'll plant in April and late June, not just in May like I did this year.

I sowed a few dozen carrot seeds. They look great above the ground, and they're 2cm around at the top. Unfortunately, they're only about 6cm long, and many of them were planted so close together that they're touching. They're crunchy and sweet. I just wish they were a lot bigger. I expect to get under 500g of carrots.

Here's a knot of carrots, planted way too close together.



I planted a few herbs, but there's no sign of them. Did I weed them? Did the carrots choke them out? Did birds eat the seedlings? I may start herbs indoors next year.

I think I'll plant some berry bushes - raspberry and blueberry most likely. Maybe I'll start them indoors this winter.

I'd also love to grow Crispin apples, but I probably don't have enough room in the yard. Besides, my dad's fruit trees have always been needy, sickly, and unreliable.

I also eat a lot of grain. I'm tempted to try growing barley or oats, but will I be able to hull them and roll the oats myself?


Last edited by RobertSmalls; 09-09-10 at 04:35 PM..
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