I know it’s only the end of September, but now may be the time to begin thinking about your garden if your planning to have one next year. I have really enjoyed growing our garden this year, and have learned some things that will help us have an even better garden next year. I have grand plans for our garden, and hope that we can add a few vegetables in addition to our herbs, and peppers that we grew this year.
What did I learn from our garden? I learned first and foremost that we need to plant earlier. Our bell pepper and tomato plants finally started producing fruit within the last month, because they were planted too late in the season. Next year, we’ll definitely get these into the ground after the last frost to ensure not only a larger crop, but an earlier crop. We learned that six basil plants produced way too much basil for our needs. We even gave our basil away and still had too much. We ended up pulling three fully grown healthy basil plants from our garden because the production was just too much.
We learned that although our oregano liked the sun, it enjoyed the shade provided by the towering basil plants. When we planted the oregano it seemed to struggle and lag behind. We weren’t quite sure what the problem was. Its growth took a sharp turn for the better when the basil plants began to overtake the garden and provide shade.
I have started planning for next years garden by saving the seeds from our basil plants, and peppers. Saving the seeds from something we’ve already purchased will cut down on next years initial expense. I also plan to bring our rosemary in for the winter and replant in the spring to give us a head start. I am excited about what next year will bring and thankful for the lessons we learned this season from our mistakes. In the past, we have only planted basil plants in pots so this is essentially our first year to have a garden. I think that for the most part we were successful in our endeavors, but I know that some of my reading this winter will include how to create a better garden.