Any particular garden (vegetable, flower, annual, perennial etc...) that you want to brag on this year? Or perhaps something that you will never, ever, no way, not in this lifetime, ain't no way you'll ever plant that stuff again?!

Winners: Juliet tomatoes (Sharon says there is an open pollinated one available too). Honey and Pearl Sweet corn, Bonanza broccoli.

Losers: Brandywine tomatoes - big time loser, splits, rots, no flavor, waste of time. Bright lights Swiss chard - regular chard is better. Roma Italian Green Beans - poor germination, poor fruit set.

-- Anonymous, October 05, 2001

Answers

I have been industriously cleaning out the garden the last two days, since it is supposed to be a hard freeze this weekend.

Things that I will plant again: Fourth of July, Sun Gold, Grape, Sweet Million, and Juliet tomatoes. Red Nagoya kale. Shallots -- they did great and are so expensive at the grocery store. Sweet Million were doing well until we had a dry spell, followed by a lot of heavy rain, and then they started splitting, but they are so prolific that they are worth it.

Things I probably won't plant again: Bok choy. Altho easy to grow, I couldn't give it away. Tigerella tomatoes -- bad yield, mushy, flavourless (altho experts tell me that they should have had a high yield, a firm texture and a rather unpleasantly acrid taste...doesn't sound like a winner any road). Wayahead tomatoes (early, but flavourless). I wasn't impressed with the Bright Lights chard last year either, couldn't give THAT away as well, so I didn't plant any. Scarlet Runner beans -- set very few pods until late into fall, and then not very many at any one time. The blossoms are tasty tho, and they look nice, so I'll probably grow them decoratively again anyway.

Cosmos did great this year, as always, blooming right up until a hard freeze. The lemon gem marigolds have been very hardy too. African Blue Basil did great in a 5 gallon pot that I've hauled in for the winter for future cuttings -- the rabbit likes it a lot.

-- Anonymous, October 06, 2001

Polly- Sorry your Brandywines didn't do well for you. Mine were delicious. I've found that if I pick them when about 3/4 ripe and let them finish ripening in the house, they don't split. I've tried Purple Cherokee tomatoes 2 years now and they just don't do much. Probably only got 1 or 2 off each plant. Black Krim tomatoes were wonderful! They are huge and dark and meaty, just right for sandwiches.

Grew celery for the first time this year. I saved 1/2 gallon milk cartons all winter and put these over the little plants when I first put them out. They grew perfectly inside the cartons, although I should have started harvesting sooner.

Purple bush beans were a big hit with the new hubby. He's not much of a vegetable eater, but he sure liked these. I'll be planting extra next year.

-- Anonymous, October 06, 2001

Polly, I've never heard anyone complain about brandywines before. Are you sure it was the real Brandywine and not "Red" Brandywine? Our Brandywines have always had the best flavor of anything. We accidentally bought Red Brandywine one time and it was disappointing. Splitting can be prevented by avoiding wet/dry cycling.

This year's winners for us were leeks, Yukon gold potatoes and orange oxheart tomatoes. Losers were Siletz tomatoes (no flavor, weak plants) and everything that the blister beetles ate. This was the first year that swiss chard struggled for us.

-- Anonymous, October 06, 2001

Well... my winner was calendula flowers from Horizon seeds out of Williams, Washington... they were so vibrant and kept coming back... and after the rains in September... they started blooming again and thicker until I plucked them the other day for making ointments and tinctures...

all my tomatoes, except the yellow pear tomatoes, got blight... and I was SO discouraged... as I have about 12 or more feet between my patches, as I use open pollinated seed... and I got very few tomatoes that were good.... boo hoo

the extreme dryness and grasshoppers did a number BIG TIME on my veggie and herbal garden... next year will definitely be a rebuilding time for the herbal garden... lost many perinnals.. had about 60 different medicinical herbs down there... however, I do have some of the healthest grasshoppers around!!! tee hee tee hee

-- Anonymous, October 07, 2001

Well, I grew Sungold and Amish paste tomatoes this year. I had one Sungold tomato, because I am very allergic to them. Just this one, made my mouth itch and I had to spend most of the day in the bathroom. Tom and Kyle enjoyed the whole bootie, and they said they were exceptionally good this year, the sweetness concentrated because it was pretty dry for awile. Oh, if only I could eat a whole tomato sandwich.

Did you all ever grow Blushed Butter Cos lettuce. It is so good. It is a cross between cos and butterhead lettuce. Also, Borettana Cippolini onion, the little flat Italian ones. They are really good too. I have Wood's pink asters blooming right now and they are really pretty, and I really liked the Charming Summer butterfly bush.

Oh, and Fortex green pole beans. They are really awesome, they can get to 10" long and are still nice and tender. The Carola potatoes did really well, but the Red Golds not so good this year because it was too dry and hot, even with a deep mulch. Red Golds like nice moist conditions, so I should have watered them more I guess. I grew Green Arrow peas this year, but I've decided I like the flavor of Lincoln peas better.

Do any of you get the Fedco catalogs from Maine? They are a seed coop and I think they were started by the Maine Organic Gardening and Farming Association. They send out a tree catalog in the fall, a seed catalog about December and a bulb catalog in the summer. Awesome selection and prices. Many heirloom seeds and trees. The varieties are especially good for the north. This is my very favorite seed source.---Vicki

-- Anonymous, October 07, 2001