Deck Garden September Wrap-Up

It’s September (Can you believe it?), so it is time for a deck garden wrap-up. It has been a garden friendly summer. For the most part temperatures have been moderate, rain was plentiful early on, and everything grew like mad. You know that your garden has been a success when neighbors become wild-eyed upon seeing you; faint strains of “no more tomatoes” hang in the air, as they turn on their heels and flee. I think half the neighborhood is suffering from acid re-flux as a direct result of consuming too many tomatoes.

I never thought I would say this, but I am sick of tomatoes, tired of cutting up peppers for the freezer much less eating them, most sorrowful at all of the green beans that went bad because one can only consume so many, and wishing I had a lot more flowers. 

The Cathedral Bells climbed everywhere, teasing me all summer, but didn’t bloom until this morning when I was greeted with the most amazing purple flower. Here’s hoping something will become of the small bird sitting out in the plant so that I can reap rewards for all of my hard work and dedication. This variety is Cobea Scandens, and those seeds can be found here.

The herbs did marvelously, and I did well, I think, growing nothing more than mint (in its own pot), and a big pot of basil, chives, and parsley. With few exceptions, I didn’t find I needed much more. Next year I will add lemon balm, because I do like that in a nice cold brew tea. Note made.

I learn things every year when I garden, but I think the most important lesson learned this year was to carefully read seed packets. I was so charmed by the thought of growing gourds, that it never occurred to me to CAREFULLY read the packet. Had I done so, I would have discovered that I’d purchased seeds for miniature gourds only destined to be 2 inches long. They are adorable, but not exactly what I was hoping for.

Speaking of which, once I harvested the gourds and pulled up the vines, the ruffled pink morning glories that I had forgotten I’d planted (in the hopes of them entwining themselves in a beautiful gourd/flower display) began to grow and bloom. I absolutely love this variety, and will definitely grow them next year. Many people have inquired about this variety. These are Split Second Morning Glory, the seeds can be found here.

Another thing that I learned is that no way do I need as many peppers and tomatoes as I grew. The same goes for the cherry tomatoes. Not that I’m complaining, they provided me with a lot of wonderful, crunchy, flavorful little fruit, but enough is enough. My refrigerator is full of bowls of them, and I just can’t take it anymore. The jury is still out on the cucumbers.

I am letting the big boy tomatoes continue — they look quite lush —but long ago pulled down their trellises, so, while they are vining all over the place, they are providing me with wonderful tomatoes, that I am turning into the best ever marinara sauce.

The ginger is still doing well, and will go into October. 

My notes for next year are this; grow fewer vegetables and more flowers. I didn’t need the 50 jalapeños that I harvested in one week. While I love the peppers, one plant will do, if that, and I’m not going to grow jalapeños. They are easy to grow, and quite prolific, but next year that pot is going to hold either flowers or lemon balm. One of my great joys this season has been all of the butterflies and hummingbirds that have visited.

Next year I hope to have more. I don’t mind planting zinnias, solely for the enjoyment of the goldfinches, who holds onto their strong systems, plucking each petal from every flower head, one at a time, in order to get to the fresh seeds. It’s adorable.

What did your garden do? And what will you do differently next year?

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The Deck Garden 2019

Continuing my tradition of spending $300 on supplies in order to yield $25 worth of fresh produce, I got my deck garden planted this week. I am awaiting the arrival of a trellis so that I can plant my gourds, but other than that, it seems to be finished. It was nice to have a normal day after so many months of upset.

Naturally, I will be adding to this in the next couple of weeks, during which time I also plan to buy plants for the covered portion of the deck (the lanai). I thought buying 12 40-pound sacks of potting soil would be enough, but it would appear not. So, back to the garden center I head midweek.

I decided to do something different this year. Instead of growing plants that I can easily buy at the grocery store relatively cheaply (carrots, radishes, scallions), I decided to grow a wider variety of tomatoes, including heirlooms, as well as green beans, and cauliflower.

I cut back on the number of herbs that I normally grow, because I found that they were taking up space and I wasn’t using them (fennel, dill, sage, thyme). I may change my mind when they all go on sale for 50% off at a pop-up garden place that I frequent, but other than that I am growing massive amounts of basil and parsley, because I use massive amounts of basil and parsley. I also have rosemary that I overwinter every year. 

My newest, perhaps most exciting addition, is ginger. I ordered it from Baker’s Heirloom Seeds in Manchester, MO, and, as it is suited for my region, I’m hoping for the best. I use a lot of ginger in Asian cooking, so I’m interested in having the freshest of the fresh.

 I’ve been watching British garden shows on BritBox, and so decided to add more flowers to the garden, so this year I am growing a beautiful multi-pedaled pink Morning Glory, as well as zinnias, petunias, impatiens, and purple Cathedral Bells. The latter is a first for me, and I’m hoping it produces. 

What I also learned from the British gardening shows (and what should have been obvious to me, but somehow wasn’t), is to LABEL the plants, and I did so with these wonderful Zinc Plant Markers that come with their own carbon pencil.

I also decided to have a bit of fun, and grow gourds. Believe it or not, this was the most difficult decision I had to make, because there are so many varieties available. I truly found some amazing things, including the "R"-rated Elever Pumpkin that resembles male genitalia. Don't believe me? Click here (but first, have the kids and grandma leave the room).

Unlike last year, I seriously hope to keep you updated on my deck garden throughout the summer. I feel very fortunate this year that May has been seasonal. Last year, we moved into May and it immediately hit 90° and stayed there until October.

What do you have growing?

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