The giant garden post (part 2)

This is a continuation of the first garden recap from last week month. The photos are all recent(ish - man i'm behind on posting, i started this a month ago)! What a treat. :O)

Last time I talked about the side garden where the squishes are (can you see them overtaking the poor little tomatoes?):

And since then in the shady side of the garden that's only good for tubers I found some cucumbers in the trailing vines! I can't believe it since I planted them in July before I went on vacation and let them do their own thing.

So on the other side of the yard in the Herb Garden you'll find:
Garlic: these are what my uncle calls volunteer garlic. They just show up every year, and they're not very big. I was hoping with the correct spacing and a little tlc, they'd grow up big and strong, but they died in June and haven't been heard of since. Perhaps we'll do fall garlic this time. (eta: Okay so they're sending up new sprouts. Time to research fall garlic!)
Thyme: happy, and happy to spread everywhere. When we get a home, I'll use this stuff as ground cover.
Oregano: going everywhere! I can't dry it fast enough.
Chives: needed more sun and had a measly start, but now they are going strong and ought to last all winter and come back with flowers in the spring.
Green onions: totally happy and strong here.

Kale: accidentally got mixed in with my parsley seeds, and when it came up healthy, I planted more. The other lettuces did not survive, probably bc it's very sandy soil and needs watering all the time. Mmmmmm kale chips are the best!
Parsely: i planted flat leaf to replace my aunt's curly that I thought had died out. They BOTH came up and are all over the place. It's pretty cool, since I didn't know that parsley would come back like that.
Dill: got tall and spindly and went to seed. I never got to use any and it was always turning yellow and shrivelly.
Marigolds: my aunt donated a whole bunch of flowers to the garden, and I heard that marigolds keep pests away. They're pretty at least.
Zinnia: taking over the world! Holy cow they're tall and prolific and quite possibly my new favorite sight in the garden.

Dwarf dahlias: too small to compete, though they are still flowering. We have real dahlias elsewhere in the yard:

Also under the window where I took out lavender and rosemary (sorry, they were big and woody and allergicky) we have strawberries and bush beans. I planted the beans mostly as a companion to the strawberries. They've just started making beans this week. I think it's going to be a short season, though, since they're already drying up. Until recently they were just vining everrrrry where. The strawberries are small but yummy and great for a first harvest! (eta - i pulled them up yesterday, but they had given a few hundred beans by then!)

So next year I have big plans. These were my favorite surprise, nasturtiums:

They are supposed to be a wonderful companion plant, so I stuck seeds in the ground EVERYWHERE. It's a wonderful burst of color on every corner of the yard. They've been blossoming for months now in yellow, orange and red.

As to flowers, I would like more dahlias, some sunflowers, some snap dragons (my favorite!), and just more in general. This year I planted veggies muttering under my breath about why people would bother having just flower gardens when veggies are so much more useful. Now I know how much they can brighten your day, even in a garden 12 miles away.

As to plants, I'd like everything I had this year. If I manage it better, it will be more productive and I will have room for more.

I'd like a second zucchini plant - we had just enough, and I'd like to have copious surplus. Turns out they like it here, so why not?
I need to stake my tomatoes (duh) because right now I'm discarding 3 for every one I pick, courtesy of slugs and rain.

I'd like several pumpkin varieties, including sugar pumpkins and another small one I've been eating recently.
I'd plant row upon row of basil, we had none this year.
I'd plant hundreds of carrots and parsnips in the shady side, and not care where they came up because you can always move them or eat the ones that are doing the crowding.
I'd keep going on the radishes. I have no idea why they didn't work this year, but I'll figure it out next year.
I'd plant cucumbers muuuuch earlier.
I'd plant peas earlier, and twice as many and then replant them twice throughout the summer. They were soooo much yummier than beans, though I'll still do beans.

Well, that about sums up my experience for my first garden! Keep your fingers crossed and maybe next year we'll be renting a house with a backyard meant for gardening!