With another gardening season drawing near, it’s a perfect time to reflect on the pleasures and difficulties of the past year. And believe me, last season sent my garden an unexpected challenge with unprecedented rainfall that tested both my plants’ endurance and my own! Still, even during the most demanding conditions, valuable lessons emerge, beautiful blooms can be appreciated, and preparations can begin for a productive year ahead.
Come along as I explore the soil—figuratively, naturally—and recount my experience.
A Season of Rainy Troubles & Blossoming Victories
Although every gardening year brings its share of highs and lows, last season seemed like a nonstop journey through heavy showers. The persistent rainfall caused several difficulties:
- Disease concerns: The continual dampness provided ideal conditions for fungal illnesses, damaging several of my cherished plants.
- Plant difficulties: Most of my vegetable crops found it hard to flourish in the waterlogged soil.
- Flooded seedlings: Sowing seeds outdoors became challenging, as many were overcome by saturated ground.
Even so, the difficult season brought a number of successes:
- Resilient standouts: Several plants managed to flourish. Their abundant growth brought a lively contrast to the surrounding challenges.
- Successful trials: A few unfamiliar varieties performed well despite the unfavorable growing conditions, so I will certainly grow them again this year.
- Improved abilities: Adjusting to the weather helped me become a cleverer and more flexible gardener.
What Last Year’s Garden Taught Me
Successes in the Vegetable Garden:
The vegetable area, which generally performs well, faced its own obstacles, though I still enjoyed several successes.
Last year, I tried growing several new vegetables, such as potatoes, Brussels sprouts, and onions. Each one gave me a satisfying harvest by season’s end, and I plan to grow them again this year.
For the potatoes, I chose these grow bags and filled them with different seed potato varieties, which I purchased from Walmart.
The photo above shows the potatoes growing in bags beside the fence. They were also an excellent way to conserve room, since I placed them behind this raised bed in an area that otherwise would have gone unused.
How to Grow Potatoes in Bags
Planting:
- Purchase seed potatoes that already have eyes. Two or three days before planting, slice the potatoes into sizable pieces, keeping approximately 1-2 eyes on each piece. Allowing this interval gives the cut surface time to develop a protective layer, reducing the risk of rot.
- Prepare the grow bag:Place a 4-inch layer of dampened potting mix in the bottom, then roll down the bag’s rim.
- Set in the potatoes:Arrange the sprouted potatoes with the eyes facing upward across the soil, leaving 6-8 inches between each one.
- Add soil and water:Lightly cover the potatoes with 2-3 inches of growing mix, then water well so the soil settles.
Growing:
- Sun and placement:Set the grow bags somewhere bright, where they receive 6-8 hours of sunlight each day.
- Moisture:Water consistently to keep the soil evenly damp without making it waterlogged. Provide roughly 1-2 inches weekly, modifying the amount according to the weather. The bag’s fabric promotes proper drainage.
- Earthing up:As the potato plants become taller, slowly mound additional soil mix around their bases, covering any visible stems. This promotes tuber growth and shields developing potatoes from sunlight. Repeat this process every 2-3 weeks until the soil sits roughly 4 inches beneath the bag’s rim.
Harvesting:
- Signs of maturity:Once the potato leaves begin to yellow and die back, stop watering. Allow approximately another week to pass before harvesting.
- Harvesting:To collect the potatoes, carefully lay the grow bag on its side or gently search through the soil. A wheelbarrow is especially useful for this job.
Brussels sprouts were another vegetable that flourished in my garden last year. Even if they aren’t your favorite, I recommend growing a couple because watching them develop throughout the Summer is incredibly entertaining.
Artichokes were my absolute favorite plant to grow!! They add such a striking look to my garden. The nearby farm sells the plants in the Spring, and this was my second year cultivating them. From now on, I’ll always include them in my beds.
Despite the heavy rainfall we experienced, the plants continued to flourish and produced flowers, which is the portion we recognize as an artichoke.
Mixed Beds Are The Way to Go!
I plan to combine different plants throughout the vegetable section of my garden. In other words, rather than dedicating each raised bed to one crop, I filled them with a blend of vegetables, flowers, and herbs. This arrangement gave the garden a charming cottage-style appearance, and every bed looked beautiful, even though the growing season was generally disappointing!
The garden bed above contains sunflowers, onions, basil, a patio tomato, borage, and marigolds.
From Flops to Future Wins: Addressing challenges and missed opportunities
The most devastating aspect of last year’s garden was the severe damage caused to my cut flower garden by the excessive rain during the Summer.
Because there was so little sunshine, all of the annual flowers I had grown from seed developed slowly. I sowed my zinnia seeds at the end of May, yet by late July, the plants had reached only a few inches in height! Usually, flowers appear about a month after sowing.
The zinnias finally began growing and blooming once the sun returned in August, but the harvest was not particularly robust.
Planning ahead for dried bouquets and future website projects, I planted 3 flower-filled beds specifically for drying in the Fall.
Unfortunately, the beds remained nearly bare throughout the Summer because almost everything drowned!! Still, I’m planning to give it another try this season, so fingers crossed!
So which plants overcame the difficult conditions and ultimately flourished??
- Sunflowers-all the varieties I grew
- Starflowers
- Cosmos- every variety that I planted
- Celosia ‘Asian Garden’
- Bells of Ireland
Managed to save them just in time:
- Zinnias (not a complete failure, though it wasn’t an outstanding year)
- Dahlias (they were smaller than expected but continued flowering until frost)
Garden accomplishments:
Planting the Seeds of Success: My Indoor Seed-Starting Strategy
Why begin seeds inside? There are plenty of good reasons!
- Budget-friendly: You can cultivate a broad selection of plants at a small portion of the price of purchasing seedlings.
- Distinct varieties: Find rare or heirloom types that nurseries don’t commonly carry. Growing from seed gives you access to many additional flowers.
- Earlier blossoms: Begin the season ahead of time and enjoy flowers sooner.
For a detailed tutorial on starting seeds indoors, visit my complete blog post here: Seed Starting Basics
For a brief review, however:
- Select your seeds: Pick varieties that match your climate and intended starting schedule.
- Arrange your area: Create a warm, ventilated spot with plenty of light.
- Begin ahead of time: Use the directions for how many weeks before outdoor planting to sow your seeds, based on your last frost date.
- Plant thoughtfully: Follow the recommended depth and spacing for sowing. Each seed packet includes growing instructions for that variety.
- Care for your seedlings: Maintain steady moisture and sufficient light.
This year, I plan to grow more flowers from seed, purchase a few additional grow lights, and set up another table. Modern LED grow lights are considerably lighter than the older long-bulb models, making them more practical for home gardeners.
Before mapping out your garden, consult the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map and locate your area so you can learn your frost dates and determine when outdoor planting will be safe.
The Promise of Blooms: Choosing Seeds
Must flower seeds be purchased online? Not at all—you can create a gorgeous cut-flower garden with seeds from a home improvement store or Walmart.
Still, ordering through a seed company lets you choose from a much wider range of flowers and varieties!
Numerous trustworthy sources sell seeds online, but I purchase from two companies that are both based in New England.
Below is the seed list I purchased from Select Seeds. As you can see, I’m planning a broad mix of flowers for the cut-flower garden, including fresh arrangements and many varieties to dry next fall, such as Globe Thistle, Love-in-a-Mist, Billy Buttons, and Strawflowers, among others in my order.
One Last Dash of Inspiration
How do you begin planning? In my case, it starts during January’s chilly days, as soon as the new seed catalogs arrive. While scrolling through a website is convenient, there’s something especially enjoyable about flipping through a printed catalog and making notes, with each flower’s details right in front of you. Most seed websites allow you to request catalogs.
Suggested Gardening Books
Additional Gardening Guidance from Cottage On Bunker Hill
Mapping out your garden? There’s no need for an elaborate planner; simply take some graph paper, a ruler, and a pencil, then sketch your garden space to scale.
Work out the arrangement of your garden before planting begins. You can still make adjustments before heading outdoors, but having a plan shows you how much room is available and helps you decide what to grow in each bed.
Grow With Me Gardening Series
This feature belongs to the Grow With Me Gardening Series at Cottage On Bunker Hill. My goal is to show you how to begin, care for, and enjoy gardening. I’ll pass along the advice and techniques I’ve picked up over the years while growing vegetable and flower gardens here in the Northeast.
I’m thrilled to share my progress and discoveries as the season unfolds. Let’s create a garden this year bursting with colorful flowers, tasty harvests, and, ideally, plenty of joy!!
xo, Jennifer
Cottage Garden
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