There is one simple thing to do at this time of year to maximize your success in next year’s garden. Don’t wait… do it now!
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19 Comments
We do this by taking pictures through out the seasons and I couldn’t function in my space if I didn’t do this I want to have a visual of every pice of space I have so we can improve as we grow and evolve 🤜🤛🪴
Sounds like Peppergate aka Seedgate. Mostly people who were growing Jalapeños ended up with a different pepper because of the Pepper mix up from the suppliers. But other people also had non-peppers mixed up. So that's probably why you ended up with mostly cherry tomatoes.
I agree with the Ajvarski pepper. But this year I also grew peppers called Lesya. It's a red sweet pepper, heart shaped, medium size and VERY thick walled, firm pepper. They grow about 2 feet tall or a little more and the plants are sturdy and pretty prolific.
Hey Brian! One of the scariest expressions I have ever seen, but I still watched and found it quite interesting. I am a crazy, maybe insane, seed saver. If I store buy seeded veggies and I love the flavor, I save seeds to grow. I have hundreds, maybe thousands of saved seeds. My favorite peppers are red, yellow and orange sweet bell peppers. Not sure what varieties they are, but I will always try to grow ahead with them.
I have grown record numbers of tomatoes. I also have a GG (God's Gift) tomato plant that I think the bunnies and squirrels harvested, because they all disappeared before I could pick any. This one plant grew 8 feet long, 4 feet wide and still about 3 feet tall. There were dozens of tomatoes on this plant. It is still blooming close to the season end.
How did I plant about 15 tomato plants and get between 30 and 50 pounds of tomatoes? Not sure. I did put up 3 recycled plastic raised beds and did not have the energy to fill them with soil until mid June. The soil was from Ace, 4-2cu foot bags of top soil and 4-2cu foot bags of potting soil, 1 cu foot peat moss, about 2 cubic feet of home made compost, 4-4-4 organic fertilizer and about 3 or 4 cups of finely ground eggshells in each 4X8 bed. The location was full sun and in hot weather I watered daily. My favorite tomato is Roma due to flavor and sauce capability. I also grew grape, cherry, and golf ball sized red tomatoes which all tasted great. That's my story. So save all your eddshells dry them out, grind them up and add them to the garden. Especially the tomato beds. I use a garden diary to track what I'm doing and where it is. Plus my garden is smaller so there is not as much to keep track of or remember. Keep up the good work Brian, but I would rather wonder what you are smiling about than why you're frowning. HA HA. May the Lord keep blessing you and yours I wish I lived closer so I could visit or at least have lunch with you and Emily maybe at that Mexican place in San Diego.
In Michigan, Tomatoes were the worst since I had been gardening. Also Cucumbers just as bad 😢. Weather was the main reason. Spaghetti squash was the best, a lot on three plants. Onions also, normally soft ball size. Can't wait for next year. You're DOG is the best!
I had wonderful harvests with Fushimi Japanese peppers. A sweet pepper. Prolific.
I planted Jimmy Nardella first time this year. Very prolific and love the taste. Also Shishito peppers were a win.
This year is the first year I have taken notes on my garden. Most of the notes are what NOT to grow next year….no watermelon, no squash, no cucumbers. And I few to grow more of.. green beans, peas, zinnias, tomatoes. I realized at the beginning of this season that I had forgotten all the things I thought for sure I would remember from the season before! Great advice on putting it all in writing! 🙂
We live in Del Mar, and I had cabbage and broccoli well into June/July. My cucumbers were awesome, but did not really come in until about September. I bought larger size wood shavings from Mary's Tack on Via De La Valle so far I like it. It was cheap too. A very large compressed bag for round $12. I think it will fill many beds.
Have you tried "CHOCOLATE SPRINKLES" cherry tomato? I think they're actually sweeter then sungold. They're also as prolific as sungold, both are still baring like mad.
A journal is the only thing I’m 100% successful growing..
I like doing a graphic layout on my iPad, with highlighted labels and notes for every plant. Plus I include that years planting schedule, as a reference for the next year, which keeps my grow room in order for the few months before last frost.
2023 was a decent summer season, I had several successes (I didn’t know how easy and productive sweet potatoes are!), but my biggest success was a tomato plant that just popped up beside my container garden. Probably from a tomato that had dropped in previous years. I let it do it’s thing and it took off! It grew to be a cherry variety, similar to a Super Sweet 100, but that’s a hybrid, so who knows.. It produced over 200 little toms, from July thru October (yes it’s still going lol), and I couldn’t have asked for better. I saved seed from it, which I intend to grow every year.
I’m the next county to your north. Never had a problem with grazon in straw. I’m thinking it’s not used here in California. Any farmer please comment.
Pine shavings or finer chips could be used as bedding for the calf, too, avoiding the risk with straw unless you can find a source that doesn't use herbicide.
Have you been able to find a reliable source of hay that is grazing free for Daisy?
I have tried to keep an official garden journal and it always starts out well but then I start writing less and less and end up stopping all together. For me taking photos and videos on my phone works better
All my Sungold seedlings died. Don't know why.
I think I can make a tomato halo using a home depot bucket. Let you know how I go.
I do keep notes. I have an entire gardening journal. Usually in October of each year I make a lessons learned entry that has the culmination of my notes from the year. 😊 as for peppers, I’m going to try Lesya, Adjvarski and King of the North.
My friend gave me a chocolate cherry pepper. Very attractive and delicious. I’m over wintering it and save a bunch of seeds to hopefully get more plants.