Underground Gardener: Gardenfest 2023 review/2024 preview

Update from 6/23/2023 - My prep this year was decidedly lacking. Rather than beat myself up over it, I decided to just roll with it. Last year I was very aggressive about bringing in pepper plants - 28 of them made it into the basement. Whereas last year things went swimmingly, with almost all plants making it through, this year it looks like only 8 made it. And whereas last year they really took off within a week of being put outside, these 8 survivors seem to be a bit less vigorous. Last year the overwinter leaves kind of fell off and new leaves popped up everywhere. This year the regrowth seems much more subdued.

Today, 03/10/2024 - Last year was unimpressive. I got a few zucchini (planted late, did not keep up with them well). Tomatoes were pathetic. Definitely focusing on other things. This year, as I perpetually say, will be different. There is at least some hope that I may do a better job. I've already started some peppers and I'm working on tomatoes today. I've cleaned out some of the spider webs in the basement (lol, what a metaphor!), and I've got my first batch of peppers under lights.

The hot pepper selection was interesting. I dug through my last 12 years of seed packets and came up with the following that I started last weekend:

Poinsetta - None sprouted.
Hungarian Hot Wax - None sprouted.
Caperino - None sprouted.
Pablano - None sprouted.
Habanero - None sprouted.
Sweet Banana - None sprouted.
Pepperoncini - None sprouted.
Tabasco - None sprouted.
Buena Mulata
Cayenne
Datil
Korean Dark Green

So only the last four sprouted. Maaaaaybe I'll get some of those. I think my problem is that I have a lot of old seeds.

Today I also planted

Serrano
Jalapeno
Anaheim/Big Jim - a New Mexico type of chile

Went a lot heavier on these than the other types, these are the ones I enjoy the most. I really, really hope the New Mexican type of green chiles do well, I'd like to get a big enough harvest to justify getting a roaster. A hand cranked, propane fired roaster would be really fun, and a great way to prep them.

Spent some time today deciding which types of tomato to plant.

YES - Rutgers - These are reliable.
YES - Black Vernissage - See how they stack up to Cherokee Purple
YES - Brandywine - Low output but maybe do 1.
YES - Beefsteak - Low output but maybe do 1.
YES - Spoon - These are fun.
YES - Black Cherry - Pretty, good flavor. Get loads of tomatoes.
YES - Yellow Pear - Yes, looking for a nice range of cherry colors this year.
YES - Roma - Doing sauce mostly, so yes.
YES - A Grappoli D'Invierno - Got a lot of these.
YES - San Marzano - Mostly using them for sauce, so no brainer here.
YES - Cherokee Purple - My favorite!
YES - Napa chardonnay - Yeah, doing a rainbow of cherry tomatoes.
YES - Green Doctors - Yeah, doing a rainbow of cherry tomatoes.
YES - Red Cherry, Large Fruited - Yeah, doing a rainbow of cherry tomatoes.
YES - Sungold - A great cherry variety.

Decided against these.

NO - Brandywine Pink - Low output.
NO - Gezahnte - I don't think these fared well.
NO - Mortgage Lifter - Never get much from these

The two major themes this year are cherry tomatoes - I want a nice variety of colors, and tomato sauce, so somewhat of a preference for paste types. I also am being less tolerant of varieties that produced poorly. I want to make up for my lack of tomatoes last year and see if I can have a great year.

Other things on the agenda for... soonish... eggplant, ground cherries, and huckleberries.

Another big theme this year is berries. I had elderberries for a few years, but they got lost in the backyard jungle and never saw them again. The black raspberries that used to be everywhere in the back are largely gone. I think the jungle swallowed them up as well. Last fall I hired a landscaper to clear the back yard. Expensive, but the change is very dramatic. I will definitely have some extra space for plants.

Another berry project - I took cuttings from a blackberry bramble at the community garden and put them in water. They're sprouted nicely, I will see if I can start them in soil soon. I also put some blueberries and blackberries from work and put them in the freezer. Will defrost them soon and see if I can grow plants from the seeds. And finally will need to hit the nurseries in the area to see what else I can scrounge up. Strawberries would be awesome, but I think I will try a variety of things if I can find them.

Some scavenged photos of the mediocre attempt that was 2023...