Fourth Year SFG in Canada

Dan in Ct wrote:Hi trolley driver, Is there a temperature below which Kale won't grow?

1. Go through my notes and photos and summarize the good, the bad and the ugly for 2018.
   
2. Purchase supplies to get my Aerogarden going.
   
3. Start some indoor microgreens.
   
4. Check seed sources and exchanges for things I want to grow in 2019.
   
5. Cleanup my Winter Sowing (WS) containers that are still dirty from the WS at the beginning of this year. Photos of the containers and lids shown below.
   
   
   

trolleydriver wrote:I am still harvesting kale outdoors for use in green smoothies. But it looks like one more harvest and that will be the end of it. It's been a good run.

• Basil – excellent, large plants
  
• Bean (Yellow Wax Bush) – excellent crop as always
  
• Bean (Rattlesnake – Pole) – excellent crop and taste good
  
• Bean (Blauhide Purple – Pole) – excellent crop
  
• Beet (both Red and Golden) – did not do well - this was a failed crop but must try again
  
• Borage – grew well and attracts poliinators
  
• Carrot (Danvers Half-Long) – excellent crop
  
• Carrot (Nantes) – excellent crop
  
• Carrot (Rainbow) – excellent crop
  
• Cilantro – grew well
  
• Cucumber (Marketmore) – mediocre crop (see notes)
  
• Cucumber (Straight – mediocre crop (see notes)
  
• Garlic (Music and Red Russian) – some planted from bought cloves and some from previous crop – all did really well
  
• Ground Cherry – got two volunteer plants but critters got most of the fruit
  
• Kale (Blue Curled Scotch) – did really well and harvested into December
  
• Leek – do not grow huge but we like them especially for potato leek soup
  
• Lettuce (Black Seeded Simpson) – grew well
  
• Lettuce (Bronze Arrow) – grew well
  
• Lettuce (Bronze Mignonette) – grew well
  
• Nasturtium – Always does well – flowers and leaves can be eaten
  
• Onion (Green Bunching) – grew well and always a favourite
  
• Onion (Yellow) – produced small bulbs but we like them
  
• Pak Choi White – did OK 
  
• Parsnip – these were excellent 
  
• Pea (Snow) – not a big harvest – we do not devote a large space for peas
  
• Pea (Snap) - not a big harvest - we do not devote a large space for peas
  
• Pepper (Early California Wonder) – as always our peppers struggled to produce much fruit – need to find a better, hotter, location not shaded by other plants
  
• Pepper (Jalapeno) – as always peppers struggled to produce much fruit – need to find a better, hotter, location not shaded by other plants
  
• Pepper (Banana) – as always peppers struggled to produce much fruit – need to find a better, hotter, location not shaded by other plants
  
• Potato (Yellow Yukon) – excellent crop and a favourite
  
• Radish (Icicle, White Top and Red) – for some reason none of these grew well but have to be grown every year
  
• Squash (Acorn - Winter) – excellent and good producer – was not affected by squash vine borer
  
• Squash ( Canada Crookneck – Winter) – Excellent crop and not impacted by squash vine borer
  
• Squash (Golden Zucchini – Summer) – Good producer but got decimated by squash vine borer (will need to see what can be done to prevent svb attacks)
  
• Swiss Chard (Bright Lights) – not good in 2018 but good in previous years
  
• Swiss Chard (Fordhook Giant) – not good in 2018 but good in previous years
  
• Tomato (Rapunzel) – lots of good tasting fruit
  
• Tomato (Roma) – easy to grow with lots of fruit
  

• Bean (True Red Cranberry) – medium crop of these dry beans
  
• Collard (Vates) – grew OK but we did not harvest it
  
• Cabbage (Michili) – did not grow well
  
• Eggplant – very few fruit
  
• Fennel – grew well in the Table Top but we did not use it (duh!)
  
• Kohlrabi – some plants did well and others produced only small “bulbs” 
  
• Mache – did not grow well but should try again
  
• Tomato (Bonny Best) – was disappointing – not much fruit
  
• Tomato (Black Cherry) – lot of fruit but not a favourite
  
• Pepper (Chinese 5 Color) – did relatively well compared to other peppers – in future will only grow these outside the SFG
  
• Pepper (Poblano) – as always peppers struggled to produce much fruit – need to find a better, hotter, location not shaded by other plants
  
• Spinach – never does well in our SFG
  
• Squash (Tromboncino – Summer/Winter) – only got one squash from one plant grown – fun to grow – not affected by squash vine borer
  
• Squash (White Scallop – Summer) – Prolific producer but fruit is rather bland – not affected by squash vine borer
  

• Bean (Skunk/Chester – Pole) – small crop of these dry beans 
  
• Broccoli (Calabrese) – large plant with small head and went to seed – will not grow again
  
• Dill – Did not do well in the Table Top bed
  
• Lettuce (Rouge d’Hiver) – did not germinate
  
• Melon (Hale) – did not grow well
  
• Squash (Luffa) – Vines grew long but did not produce any squash – requires a long growing season so not good for our area
  
• Squash (Spaghetti – Summer) – two fruit on one plant but the plant and fruit were devastated by squash vine borer
  
• Tomatillo – grown outside SFG – abundant fruit but we did not use it this year
  
• Tomato (Purple Bumblebee) – good amount of fruit but many remained green at end of season
  
• Tomato (True Black Brandywine) – produced big fruit but not a favourite
  
• Tomato (Black Vernisage) – medium to goo quantity of fruit – many remained green
  
• Tomato (Yellow Giant) – few but huge fruit (one weighed 15 ounces) – not a favourite
  
• Tomato (Yellow Plum) – lot of fruit but not a favourite
  
• Tomato (Yellow Ruffle) – medium amount of ugly fruit – we did not like them
  

• Squash Vine Borer took out the zucchini and spaghetti squash. Have not seen them in previous years.
  
• Japanese Beetles were not as bad as previous years. They did not affect the bean plants but they like Mrs TD's roses and raspberry bushes.
  
• Flea Beetles damaged some leaves early in the summer.
  
• Slugs damaged some crops and need to be controlled better
  

• Bean (Pole) – Grew four different varieties on the same teepee trellis – they got intertwined and were difficult to harvest – in future do not mix them on the same trellis/teepee
  
• Corn - Have never grown corn in the SFG will try it in 2019
  
• Cucumber – will need to decided which varieties (stay with Marketmore and Straight 8 or try something else)
  
• Tomato – reduce the number of varieties grown and focus on Roma, red cherry, and big beef
  
• Table Top SFG Bed – plants struggled in 2018 perhaps because we had a hot summer