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This is a weekly blog with a fun vibe that often veers off gardening, so stop on by and join the conversation. We are here every Saturday at 9AM Eastern with new content and chit chat continuing throughout the week.
The best things in life aren’t free, because the best things in life are grown by me!
…and those things are not free. We need a diary on discount gardening; however, I know I won’t be the one writing it!
Kelloggs Breakfast Tomato Seedling
That said, next season will be a dialed back season, and not in the wish, total wink and nod when I say it kind of way. I am tired. What I have is too much. Between my jobs, home responsibilities, large garden and youtube, some things have to give. Youtube is easy to do less with, as the major issues I wanted to help people with have been completed. Squash vine borer management and tomato taste tests. I’ll still post content, but the pressure is off. It’ll be just posting what strikes me, when it strikes me instead of feeling the push to complete my garden missions.
I mean, after THE best winter squash season I have ever had, seems a sign to wrap up the SVB content. I have so much of the most flavorful squashes. But that is the success diary!
Growing for volume. Never done that before but this next season I am excited to try. I grew around 100 tomato plants this year, almost all different varieties. Next year a few new varieties, yet mostly just favorites. Each plant will get more space. I’ll be planting a lot of the Chef’s Choice series, to get the heavy production I rarely get with my fancy heirloom varieties.
Giving Up On A Few Things
That’s a bold move Cotton!
-Artichokes. People up here do not grow artichokes for fruiting, not even for fun. It is northern gardening on hard mode. I’ve managed to get them to fruit twice. I think I’m done now. New challenge with be Malarky Matt’s variegated cotton, year two.
My Video — Under 30 seconds long
-Tomatoes. Too many plants and very low fruit production. Not sure it’s my mistake but most of my tomato plants just stopped flowering and putting on fruit. I will be doing a new soil test in case that is the issue. Otherwise, I am at a loss. It was a wonderful summer, temp-wise. Drought, per usual, but not severe. Not too many days too hot or too cold.
At least I got some, right?
-Beans. Almost none for harvest as voles somehow got into the protected main garden and ate them all. Dried beans, green beans, yellow beans and chinese long beans….nubbed. So I just purchased 100 feet ($$$) of 4’ tall hardware cloth to redo the fencing. Not looking forward to that project next spring. Voles stakes worked for years til this summer. I suspect the vole population exploded and the stakes were no longer enough. Seems voles hit everyone harder this year.
-Bugs. I am more bothered by bugs than I have been in the past. Even when I had time, I did not sit out on the patio like I do in May and June. By July 4th, I was done with outside time. Even grilling was too much of a hassle. A waste of summer! The pirate bugs were a hellish menace this year too. Bug spray works on skeeters. But then when I get back inside, I put towels down to sit so I don’t get bugs, grass and repellent on the furniture. It’s just a hassle.
Not me. But it could be.
-Bunnies. Had a wonderful sweet pepper year, what I could rescue from the bunnies, anyway. Cayenne works, but it needs to be reapplied often when one has to water often per drought conditions.
-Baby squash. Bunnies and voles again. Very few summer squash thanks to those pests. I did not want to use the felt grow bags next year, but that might be the only way I get summer squash.
-Rainier cherry tree. Trying not to die but failing. Yes, I found another. But check this out. I found the pollinator Bing cherry tree with the telltale brown sap of a stressed out tree. Cherries are super hard to grow in my area. Not sure why, as we are a prime zone. No wonder so few people have them. Not sure if I regret trying. Ask me in a couple of years.
Bing cherries. Mighty harvest for the year.
-Garlic. Still not getting the large heads I prefer, in fact, the garlic heads were smaller this year. Considering the research and care I put into the garlic bed last fall, I am flummoxed. My best garlic were random garlic unintentionally grown elsewhere.
-Onions. Still not getting the size I want, but this year was the best thus far, so I am improving. I do know I need to watch when I water.
Some of my alliums
Anyhow, next year will look very different for me. I am officially ready to scale down after pushing myself hard the past 5 years to grow all of the things. I am feeling very good about it.
Thank you for reading.
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