Success and Failure in the Garden
Jun 3rd, 2009 | By Hank Shaw | Category: Cooking Basics, The Garden | Comments | 14 Comments |
When it comes to my garden, the story always has been “you win some, you lose some.” Never a season goes by without some little victory or some new failure. I’ve had both this week.
Yesterday I wanted a salad so I decided to cut a head of romaine lettuce I’d planted in early March; I also wanted the lettuce cut because it was crowding my cipollini onions. I’d kept this lettuce where it grew because it had persevered: I’d actually planted the seed a few feet away, but rain, cats and some unknown bug slaughtered the seedbed and scattered the survivors.
I kept thinking of that first scene in “Saving Private Ryan,” where the soldiers at D-Day were getting cut down. But many of those soldiers survived, as did a few of my lettuce seeds. This was one of them, and it grew mightily. So well in fact that it may just be the first professional-grade romaine lettuce head I have ever grown. It made a good salad.
Head lettuce is tricky to grow: It needs planted at just the right time, then be babied with good soil and frequent water, and guarded from the many bugs that want to eat its sweet leaves. This is why I traditionally grow loose leaf lettuces — like you see in a mesclun mix — because they’re far easier to grow.
Next came the downer. My garlic crop failed. I am pretty upset about this, as I detest store-bought garlic. My homegrown garlic is always better, and I make it an autumn priority to grow lots of it; I had close to 100 heads a few years ago, which was a bit much. But 50 heads of garlic just barely gets us though a year.
I now have maybe 10. I am not happy. One bed I know what happened. The accursed silver maple’s roots crept into that garden bed and strangled the life out of 20 heads growing there. When I pulled them today they were barely bulbed out. At least I can use them as sets for this fall. The next bed I have no idea what went wrong. The garlics got plenty of water and light, but many stayed stunted. Now I must buy farmer’s market garlic at exorbitant prices. Grrrr…
At least I have my beets.
Beets have not done well by me over the years. I’ve never really paid too much attention to them, as I mostly enjoy eating beets roasted and then pickled in balsamic vinegar. Probably the reason this is my favorite beet dish is because mine are always stunty and neglected, struggling to enter full beetitude.
This year I decided to experiment. I’d done my typical thing, planting beets in October and overwintering them, but they languished and were as wretched as usual. I pulled them in March, but decided to plant a spring round of chiogga beets, which are these candy-apple red beauties you see pictured.
I planted them in decent soil — not too nice, or the roots will get all hairy from too much nitrogen — watered them frequently, because irregular watering will make the roots woody, and thinned them to five inches apart.
I pulled them this morning, and I gotta say they are, by far, the most gorgeous beets I have ever grown. I was so proud of them I called Holly in to take a picture just after I cleaned them off (she’s used to such weird requests). I mooned over them and promptly took off the greens, which I cooked tonight in my favorite method.
It’s crazy easy: Chop clean-but-dry greens, saute in olive oil over medium-high heat, add a pinch of salt, a pinch of garlic powder and a few turns of black pepper. Turn off the heat when they are wilted, and, if you want, squeeze lemon juice or verjus on them right when you serve. It takes maybe 5 minutes total.
The beets themselves will come later. Beets will keep in the fridge for months, and stay at top quality for weeks.
My beets are making me feel a little better about my failed garlic, and they taught me something valuable: Pay attention to something and you will be rewarded. Gardens need constant tending, even in California, and without it they suffer. I like to think my soil is so strong I can leave off watering for four days at a shot, or that the hated Bermuda grass doesn’t need constant pulling. But I can’t, and it does.
Growing great vegetables year after year after year is not so easy, I am finding. Solving this puzzle just means I have more to learn, which is OK by me – few things are more worth the effort than this.
This year I neglected my poor garden! I have been traveling so much that all these nasty bugs and worms and caterpillars took over. Sigh. I’ll try again in October when it cools down.
I really jumped into gardening this year, growing a few dozen varieties of things to see what happens. It’s interesting, and a tad stressful when you are trying to figure out what’s going on…
Great beets, man. And beautiful pictures, too.
Oooh, the highs and lows of garden grub!
Having fully found my gardening mojo this year (after 2 very half hearted years & 2 VERY wet English summers) for the first time ever I have produced the most delectable looking row of basil plants of which I am so proud!
Sadly it seems that 2 of my 3 butternut squash plants are on their way to the giant compost heap in the sky in return tho…
Ho hum… I guess it keeps you striving to do better next year…?
xx
I’ve had mostly similarly poor results from growing beets and most other root crops. But I’m hoping this will be the year that changes. Beets and parsnips are among my favorite vegetables. So I haven’t given up on growing them, despite cruddy results thus far.
A shame about your garlic. So far it has consistently been a trouble-free crop for me. And I have something in the neighborhood of 100 heads in this year. They’re just starting to form scapes now. Next year I plan to have even more so that we can pull plenty of green garlic starting in late May. I’m still about a month or so from harvest, I’d say. I feel the same way you do about store-bought garlic; I prefer my own hardnecks, thank you. But it’s been a necessary evil. Who can cook without garlic?
Our garlic are doing wonderfully, snicker.
Kate and I must be in similar zones, I’ve harvested three or four scapes for salad. But soon we’ll be inundated, and make pesto again:
http://oururbanfarm.blogspot.com/search?q=pesto
I just started the last jar from last years batch.
Last year my choggias were so crisp and sweet I could’ve eaten them raw.
This is my first year growing garlic. I planted it next to my dahlias as an ornamental after it all sprouted in my kitchen last September. I’ve started just doing that with all of my alliums, in fact – garlic, shallots, even leeks all are great just popped into the soil after they shoot their green in my pantry.
Sorry about your garlic but your beets are gorgeous! This is my first year growing a vegetable garden and while it’s a lot of work, I was so proud to eat my first homegrown pea and gathering lettuce from my own backyard. I love beet greens prepared this way too. Fun fact: when you add lemon juice to sauteed greens, it helps your body absorb the nutrients better
I gotta tell you, I am very jealous! I had to give up my backyard garden a couple of years ago (the garden’s still there, but so is the ex-husband…). Now I live in a rented townhouse with a driveway and a 8 x 10 patch of grass, complete with an ornamental fruit tree (what a waste!). However, I have discovered container gardening; my tomatoes were just planted last week, so not much progress yet, but I’m very hopeful. The only other thing I have room for is a large planter of herbs, which are doing very well so far.
Hopefully by next summer, I’ll again have a house with a yard (she gives a very wistful sigh…).
At least I have literally dozens of farmers markets and roadside farm stands withing a few miles. I’d be very depressed if I had to rely on grocery stores for my produce.
I’ve always had good luck with beets, and I agree roasted beets with balsamico is pure pleasure! Chioggias rock, and I have also planted golden beets which have done really well. I have serious gopher issues here in Humboldt County, and they did not care for the yellow beets at all. They were the last thing they took last month and I managed at least to get the greens! Could there possibly be spring boletes here in Humboldt? I gather bunches every fall and dehydrate them but have never heard of finding them in the spring… Went morel hunting last weekend and it was a bust
Love your site. Be back soon!
I can’t have a garden any more- I miss it! But I have to tell you I love beets. And one of my favorite things has always been a pickled beet salad my mother used to make. Made with fresh beets….yum.
This is concerning, Hank, as I am solely using your methods for my own small garlic patch. If I have to go out and buy garlic at the store, I know who to send my receipts to.
All my pak choi bolted straight up this year, right out of the gate. No idea why. The chioggias are doing well, though; they seems a little less finicky than other types.
My failures this year perhaps makes me a huge-ass loser-style-failure. I split and moved my mint clump. And most of it died. I must really, really, really suck to kill mint. I also drowned the vast majority of my horseradish. Horseradish and mint. Again, I must be a loser.
Success: I planted way more stuff than I killed.
Oh the garden……totally agree each year there are successes and unfortunate failures…that what makes us such strong trueblue people.I personally think its gods way of letting us totally appreciate each crops uniqueness and abundance.The climate is in control always.Each year something different takes center stage.Last year couldnt get a vine crop to save my soul This year they are amazing! As long as your in the soil Enjoy!