the highs and lows of this year's garden

**forestdale** · 08-31-2005, 03:46 PM

It's getting to the end of the growing season for many gardeners and I'd like us to take some time to think about how we used our gardens this year. This is a good way to gain experience and to share with others what worked and what didn't. You can also look back on this thread next year as a reminder of what changes you had in mind at the end of the season.

What was your outstanding success this year?

Did you make any mistakes?

How will you change your garden for next year's crops?

What did you discover this year that helped you?

What part of your garden did you enjoy the most?

What, apart from weeding, did you hate doing?

**jlxian** · 08-31-2005, 04:53 PM

Tomatoes were definitely my success this year. I had some plants I grew from seed and also some "volunteers" we transplated into the tomato bed area. All did very well. And on Rhonda's advice I tried some "short & sweet" carrots that have done very well in our heavy soil.

Mistakes --- Our corn grew well, but didn't pollinate well. I'm not sure what I could have done to remedy that on my own. Also, I wish I had grown my melons on a trellis as I did my cucumbers. Our potato crop was a miserable failure --- probably the soil was too wet. My beets were also a failure --- the soil is too heavy is most likely cause.

Next year I will use more trellising for vining crops; I will resist keeping every tomato volunteer that emerges --- 7- 10 plants really are enough; I will hopefully be using the compost I am making this year to amend our heavy soil; will plant potatoes in an area that is less wet; and I will resist planting so many okra plants --- wooeee!!! And I will plant MORE of the melon varieties I grew this year (Amish melon, Tigger melon) -- I've saved seeds from both and look forward to more of their fruit in 2006.

Discoveries --- growing my cucumbers on a trellis was a good thing. Making compost in a home-made tumbler. We mulched most areas heavily with straw and it was a tremendous benefit -- held down the weeds and it held the moisture in the soil so we did not have to water as often. Hoe-ing weeds is a great waist exercise!!!

What I enjoyed the most --- watching my plants grow, flower and produce. And then eating the produce!!! Oh, I also LOVED gardening with my 12 year old son. He didn't help me with everything the entire season, but I hope he got a taste of what gardening is like and will want to be more involved in the future.

Aside from weeding, I dislike watering in 100 degree heat --- and I hate the chiggers that are profuse in the high summer here. And I hate picking okra --- VERY stickery stuff. I have resorted to wearing rubber gloves and long sleeves (fun when it is hot and humid!). If I didn't love okra so I would just forget growing it.

**forestdale** · 08-31-2005, 05:05 PM

Jean, regarding your corn. Did you plant them in a block or in a row? Corn polinate each other with the help of a breeze and they do this much more effectively when they are planted in a small block.

Just another quick comment. I've really loved getting to know you through your garden. I've always foumd gardeners to be wonderful and generous people and you fit this bill admirably.

**jlxian** · 08-31-2005, 05:35 PM

Thanks for the sweet, kind words, Rhonda. I agree, it has been very enjoyable getting to know one another via this site!

Yes, we planted the corn in a block of about 8 rows about 20 feet long; and a second planting about the same size. Maybe we should have had smaller plantings. But what about those huge fields of corn farmers plant --- or is field corn just different from sweet corn that way?

We have honeybees and this plot is fairly close --- about 20 - 30 yards away from the hive --- and we never saw the bees in the tassels -- which we expected. We thought they would love the pollen and gather it. I know the corn is "wind pollinated" and not done by the bees or other insects --- maybe we should have physically shaken the plants during the right period of time. Or maybe the area was too protected from breezes. Heck if I know!

Thanks for your ideas!

**psjkmom** · 08-31-2005, 06:33 PM

My dh likes to say this was our "practice garden"

That pretty much sums up how successful it was. We enjoyed it though and learned a lot, so we'll go bigger next year.

Jean, I'm intrigued by your homemade compost tumbler. Right now, my compost is rotting away in an old garbage can, but the only way of tumbling it is to lift it and "help" it do a somersault. Gets pretty heavy. Could you tell us how you made yours? Thanks so much!

Emily

**jlxian** · 09-01-2005, 09:13 AM

Emily, DH made it from a plastic barrel (I'm guessing 30 gallon?) that has both ends sealed up (they were sealed before we got it). He made a little hatch door, with hinges, in one side and we throw our goodies in there. He drilled a few holes in various spots. Once the hatch is closed we can roll it around on the ground. If I can remember, I'll try to get a photo and post it.

DH has been buying empty barrels from the school district where he works --- some have sealed ends, some have lids that have clamps to hold them on. He gets the ones that had soaps in them for the most part so they are not too difficult to get clean inside.

**psjkmom** · 09-01-2005, 12:01 PM

Thanks for the info Jean! Might have to talk dh into rigging something up like that. With a large family, we produce a lot of compostable kitchen scraps. It'd be nice to put it work!

Emily

**Valerie in WA** · 09-08-2005, 11:06 AM

Oh boy! I love to talk about my garden. I have a several pages long Word document in which I kept detailed notes about technique and dates and yields.

Question 1: My overwhelming success this year was using duck manure as fertilizer. I got ducklings last spring, kept them on the lawn thru the summer, and then wintered them on the garden. I threw down a layer of straw and every few days when it was poopy, I threw down some more straw. This spring, after moving the ducks to the lawn, I turned in all that manure-filled straw and then waited about three weeks to plant. Duck manure is high in nitrogen. Do not try this with chicken manure, which is high in ammonia. Chicken manure does make good fertilizer, but needs to be composted first, or else it can burn your plants.

Question 2: My big mistake this year was impulse purchasing six brussels sprouts starts. They take up a lot of room to produce a small amount of vegetable that only I will eat (no one else in the family). I also didn't give them enough room when I planted them, so they really overwhelmed their neighbors, which reduced my yields for those items.

Question 3: Next year I'm going bigger. My garden is 15 x 17 ft and has been so the whole five years I've worked it. This is the first year that I've had both the skills and the motivation to keep up with it very diligently. Other years, it's sort of ran away without me toward the end of the season. So now I feel ready to expand. I'll be adding an area about 10 x 12 ft, increasing the size by about 50%.

Question 4: I accidentally discovered that pumpkins really can be grown on a trellis. I will be using this to my advantage in the future!

Now, please note, I do not grow humongus jack-o-lanterns. I grow a variety of pumpkin that is especially good for eating. They are about 8 inches in diameter.

Question 5: I most enjoyed having quiet times with God while I puttered around the garden in the cool of the morning. I am also very pleased to be providing large amounts of cheap organic foods for my family.

Question 6: I didn't really hate anything about it. I've even made peace with the huge spiders and beetles (but not the ants!). The slugs I hand pick and feed to the ducks!

**psjkmom** · 09-08-2005, 01:32 PM

OK Valerie, how in the world do you have time to have a successful garden, homeschool, and work as a nurse????? Wow! Good for you!

Question: now that the growing season is over, what do you all do with your garden plots? My plan is to add the stuff from the compost container, several layers of newspaper, a thick layer of mulch and hope for the best next spring. Kind of a lazy lasagna garden

Emily

**forestdale** · 09-08-2005, 04:45 PM

Emily, I hope you get your compost tumbler. I've wanted one for ages but refuse to pay the high prices for the store bought ones. I might get it when DH retires. I use the three bin compost system at the moment and it works really well but I like the fast pace of the compost tumbler.

To answer my own questions:
My outstanding success this year was our potato crop. We have two potato beds and so far have dug up about 60 lbs of potatoes from one bed. I also have my experimental potato cage I'll be dismantling on the weekend to see what surprises it holds.

Did you make any mistakes? Yes, I kept putting off staking the peas and when I eventually got around to it the peas were a tangled mess. We still got a lot of peas, but it was hard work. I also think I might have planted the peach tree in the wrong spot but at the moment I'm pretending I didn't.

How will you change your garden for next year's crops? I'm hoping to expand a bit. We have very wide footpaths between our beds and I want to cut down on them to give me more growing space. Our aim is to be as self sufficent as we can be in vegetables and fruit.

What did you discover this year that helped you? I found that talking about my garden here with my fellow gardeners made me want to garden more. You are all an inspiration to me.

What part of your garden did you enjoy the most? I loved it when I took my new chickens into the garden with me to scratch around. They concentrated on the compost piles and left the spinach alone.

What, apart from weeding, did you hate doing? I hated watering. We have a rain water tank that I use for the garden and each time I had to water I had to unhook other hoses and attach them to the rainwater tank. I kept promising myself a new garden hose but I want to buy a good quality one at a garage sale and that might take some time to find.

**Valerie in WA** · 09-09-2005, 08:28 PM

Originally posted by psjkmom
OK Valerie, how in the world do you have time to have a successful garden, homeschool, and work as a nurse?????

Seriously, it's not as hard as it might seem. I work every other weekend 12hr shifts Friday, Saturday & Sunday. Then I have 11 days off!

Of those, we school 8 days (4 days per week) for about 2-3hrs per day. The rest of my time is 'free'. I enjoy cooking and gardening and needlework. Whenever I'm not on the computer

I can be doing those productive things.

Originally posted by psjkmom
Question: now that the growing season is over, what do you all do with your garden plots? My plan is to add the stuff from the compost container, several layers of newspaper, a thick layer of mulch and hope for the best next spring. Kind of a lazy lasagna garden

I think that sounds great. About two years ago, we tarped our garden for the winter. It virtually eliminated weeds, but it didn't do anything good for the soil, either. I think your plan sounds good because it will nourish the soil as well as eliminate spring weeding. (Well, maybe you don't have to weed in the spring? I live in a mild climate.)

Last winter I had the ducks on the garden, as I described in my previous post. This winter, I'm going to put them on the area that I want to expand next year. The current garden space will be used some for cold frame gardening and some for winter crops (onion, wintering carrots and maybe garlic). The rest of the area, I may just tarp again. I'm not yet sure.

**Kimberlina** · 09-11-2005, 02:09 PM

What was your outstanding success this year?
I think my beans. I planted a few squares and harvested a lot. If I liked parsely more, I'd say that, as it is growing pactically out of control, but I've decided I really don't care for the flavor of fresh parley much and am giving it away.

Did you make any mistakes?
Of course! I planted almost everything in raised beds, but I did do one similar bed not raised. I didn't take any precautions there to keep the bugs away, and the slugs devoured my tomatoes in that bed to the point that I just decided to pull the plant out- it was virtually destroyed anyway.
I also heeded the recommendations of a book to keep it small since this was the first year I was having a real honest-to-goodness garden and not just a couple little crops. Definitely not big enough.

How will you change your garden for next year's crops?
I will be expanding the garden by probably at least 50-100% next year. I am making and installing at least one rain barrel that I can attach a hose to and installing home-made soaker hoses under at least some of the beds. Since most of the veggies we like are climbing, I am installing more trellised areas. I will make sure that DH doesn't get anywhere near my watermelons with his lawn mower next year. I will also be saving up compostable browns for the beds next year, and collecting coffee grounds from Starbucks whenver DH is near there. I'll be planting more tomatoes, basil, peas, beans, garlic, herbs...actually, there is so much I am changing next year, simply because this year's garden taught me so much.

What did you discover this year that helped you?
Two books- Square Foot Gardening and Lasagna Gardening. I combined the info from the two books and ended up with square-foot-lasagna-raised-beds. I didn't have to weed as much as one normally would have to, the plants were somewhat more protected, and my OCD/perfectionist mind was appeased by the orderliness.

What part of your garden did you enjoy the most?
I love the getting out there in the spring and shaking off the winter doldrums bit. I love the climbing beans that tower over my head. And the tasty salsa I made sure makes it worth while! I also liked watching DD out there. Turns out that at 2, she is really good at putting seeds into the holes I poked in the dirt, and she excels at covering them back up with dirt.

What, apart from weeding, did you hate doing?
I'm not really enjoying digging up the potatoes. There aren't too many there, and even though I haven't seen a snake in years and never since I moved here, I am afraid there will be a snake in there. I also don't like hauling the compost the short distance from my pile to my garden, because DH overloaded my garden cart and broke one of the wheels so it only has one now.

**dndylfe** · 09-11-2005, 03:51 PM

I'm new to the gardening thread, but as frost threatens, I find myself reflecting on our first garden and wanted to put it down in writing.

Outstanding success: By far, planting tomatoes from starts and covering them with caps before the frost danger was technically over was the best success. We've been eating tomatoes for almost two months while most gardeners are just starting to enjoy them up here. Last night, temps were around 37 F, so there wouldn't have been much time to enjoy them if we'd planted them later or from seeds.

Mistakes: Devoting too much/not enough space to habaneros and jalapenos. There were too many jalapenos to just eat, and not enough to can or smoke or experiment with as we'd planned. Also, the growing season is just too short for them so just as they're getting started, it will frost. Also, I dallied on planting them, and so they had even less time.

Changes: I think I will change the rows to go from short to long; also will read up and see if the proximity to the house (reflected light) had an effect on some plants and what if anything I can do about it. Also am going to put composted grass clippings on the garden to see if that helps for overwintering. Also, less radishes, more carrots, and next time I will thin the carrots better!

Helped me: Talking to people about what actually grows up here, and reading Square Foot Gardening---suddenly I realized that a garden doesn't have to be massive to feed you.

Liked the most: Planting herbs from seed and having them grow into bushes!!!

Hated the most: Picking vegetables, but dh loves that, so I just do all of the rest of the work and send him out when I need carrots dug. Works for us!

**dolphin** · 09-11-2005, 04:35 PM

I am still in my growing season but because of varmits I didn't plant anything except tomatoes this year.

My problem is, I planted the tomatoes back in May. I've yet to get one tomotoe to form. Why? I do get the yellow buds, then they just go away. Or do you think something is eating the new tomatoes?

I'm at a loss. Too much water? Not enough sun? Wonder what happend.

**daddys3chicks** · 09-11-2005, 04:55 PM

What was your outstanding success this year? My tomatoes did wonderfully!

Did you make any mistakes? I didn't transplant my starts correctly and lost most of them.

How will you change your garden for next year's crops?Now that I know I can make edible pickles, I might do more cucumbers.

What did you discover this year that helped you? That Dawn dishwashing liquid in water gets rid of stink bugs! And, giving the neighbors extra produce is very rewarding.

What part of your garden did you enjoy the most? Watching the tiny veggies grow.

What, apart from weeding, did you hate doing? Walking in the muddy soil since someone small has misplaced my rubber gardenclogs.