I wish I could report that our garden was a huge success this year, but . . . it was not!

The tomatoes were very slow to grow and ripen, until it was time for us to leave on our cruise. I had no time to pick and preserve which was VERY disappointing.

My onions were a dud.

I planted way too many cucumbers and they weren’t great to pickling. Next year, I’ll grow pickling cucumbers.

I was lazy about planting carrot seeds and just spread them around the carrot bed. I had some with legs and some twisted around each other, so that was fun. Honestly, they did so much better than I expected and I ended up with a few quarts to put in the freezer.

My first attempt at potatoes was just okay. My 8-yr-old enjoyed digging them up for me. I will definitely try them again next year.

My butternut squash did fine as well, but still having quite a bit in the freezer from last year, I probably should have skipped growing more this year.

I accidentally put in a jalapeno plant which I didn’t need since I have plenty in the freezer. Hubby gave the remaining harvest to a friend.

My biggest success was the sweet peppers. I got more than I ever have and have a few quarts diced and frozen. I also have more on the plants that needed a little more time. Hopefully I will be able to add to my supply. This is assuming the weather holds out a little longer.

Every garden season is a learning experience for me and plans for next year are already jumping around in my brain. One thing that will change is not traveling in September so I can take care of my end of the year harvest. Lesson learned!