A Year in the Garden: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

The 2024 growing season has been a whirlwind. So much has happened, but I haven’t shared much here on the blog. Social media has been my go-to for quick updates, but 2024 is in the past and the new year is upon us. I wanted to take a moment to reflect on the past growing season—the highs, the lows, and everything in between.

The Good

The garden is still a work in progress, but the exciting news is that I’ve completed the design for the outdoor raised bed garden. It’s a big shift from the old layout, with a more modern vibe. Right now, the garden is dedicated to vegetables, fruits, and a few flowers, but my long-term plan is to grow a cut flower garden, along with some herbs and fruit. The vegetable garden will move into the greenhouse, which will help protect future crops from the local groundhogs. Currently, we are in the framed in footers stage, so we still have a very long way to go.

Brick… It’s a Good Thing

One of the most rewarding—and labor-intensive—projects this year was digging up old brick from my back hill. Who doesn’t love free brick? I have plans to use it to create a pathway between the garden and the “She Shed.” I even used some to build a small brick entrance where weeds had been taking over. Additionally, I’ve begun constructing a gabion cage border for the garden, with brick at the bottom and flowers or herbs on top. I’ve used up all the brick I’ve found so far, so here’s hoping I can gather enough to finish the project!

A Gift from an Angel

A particularly heartwarming moment in 2024 was a thoughtful gift from a sweet woman I met at last year’s Seed Swap. After delivering onion chive seeds to her home, she gifted me a beautiful angel sculpture for the garden. It’s currently safe in my shed, waiting for the perfect spot. I’m a huge fan of angels, and this one is truly special.

Indoor Lemons, Limoncello Success

In 2024, I ventured into making homemade limoncello with lemons from my indoor lemon tree. I had 11 lemons, so there was plenty of zest to work with! Nothing went to waste: the zest made the limoncello, the juice was frozen into cubes, and the seeds were saved for planting. I’m happy to report the limoncello turned out great, and the new seeds grew into plants I was able to share with others.

Tomatoes and Peppers… Oh My!

It’s safe to say I grew a lot of tomatoes and peppers last year—maybe too many. But, I’ll call it a win! I made 15 cups of tomato sauce and even made ketchup for the first time, which was both fun and tasty. As for the peppers, I pickled sweet banana peppers and jalapeños, and froze the habaneros for later use. Next year, I plan to simplify the pepper situation, and I will stick to just a couple of tomato varieties (one slicer and one cherry).

Plant Sale Adventures

Growing plants has always been one of my favorite hobbies, and in 2024 I grew 350 plants for the Master Gardener’s plant sale. Next season, I’m thinking about offering a greater variety of plants—perhaps even hosting my own plant sale. I love volunteering, but I also enjoy experimenting in my own garden. My favorite planting of the season? Narcissus Replete. Simply stunning.

The Bad

Of course, every garden has its challenges, and 2024 was no exception.

Drought Struggles

2024 was a dry season, with very little rain until the growing season was nearly over. This caused some struggles, especially for my tomatoes. I take some of the blame, as I didn’t water consistently enough, and many plants suffered as a result. Lesson learned: I’ll be more diligent with watering next season. I am also looking into a good irrigation system to water low and slow.

No tomatoes for Tomato Fest

Tomato Fest came around, but unfortunately, my tomatoes weren’t quite ready. This meant I had nothing to enter in the tasting contest, and the tomatoes I did harvest came in late and in abundance. By the end of the season, I had more tomatoes than I could handle—definitely a case of too much of a good thing. Next year, better planning is a must!

Too Many Peppers

As for the peppers, I went a little overboard. I planted four sweet banana peppers, one jalapeño, two ghost pepper plants, one mini white habanero, one cayenne pepper, and three sweet bell peppers. While I did manage to pickle some and freeze others, it was just too much. The cayenne peppers were a disappointment, especially since they didn’t fruit by season’s end. I’ll definitely scale back next year, focusing on a few varieties that I can use in different ways. And I can guarantee there will never be Maui purple peppers in my garden again—those things were so hot, they nearly burned a puka in my okole.

The Ugly

There’s always the ugly side to gardening, and 2024 failures came in the form of failed plants and mishaps.

Melon and Cucumber Failures

Unfortunately, many of the plants I hoped to grow, like melons, cucumbers, and beans, didn’t thrive due to the heat and lack of rain. I also had some issues with the watering system I tried using, called Thirsty Earth—it didn’t perform well for me, and the water that reached the plants was too hot, essentially cooking them. I’ll try it again inside the greenhouse when it’s built, but for now, I’ll be looking for a better solution.

Leafgro® vs. Mushroom Soil

A major lesson in 2024 was the use of different soils. I tried Leafgro® from a new supplier, but it didn’t perform well, especially compared to the mushroom soil I usually use. Plants on the Leafgro® side of the garden struggled, while those with mushroom soil did much better. I know many people swear by Leafgro®. I am not saying is not good, but it just did not do well for me. This season, I’ll stick with what I know works best and make sure to test the soil to ensure it’s in top condition.

Groundhog Troubles

I had a battle with the local groundhogs, who managed to sneak into my raised beds and nibble on whatever they could find. My parsley, which had been doing well, would vanish overnight. While I don’t mind sharing with wildlife, their greediness was a bit much. This year, I’ll have to find a better way to keep them out.

Wrapping Up

As always, gardening is full of lessons. Last year, I’ve learned a lot about soil, watering, and planning, and I’m excited to apply these lessons this season. As I expand my garden with a flower garden outdoors and a vegetable garden inside the future greenhouse, I’m sure there will be more good, bad, and ugly moments to share. Hopefully, more good than bad! Keep following my journey on Instagram for real-time updates, and I promise I’ll make more of an effort to bring you fresh, useful content along the way.