Thread: In the Garden 2016

Sasquatch: 207

People don't want to admit to its existence.

Originally Posted by rolodave

While we are working in our gardens or tending our bees, remember this:

The average number of American deaths attributed to animals each year:

Bees, wasps and hornets: 58

Uh--Could you break down the stats between the Bees, Wasps and Hornets? I'd like to avoid at least the top TWO.

Well the temps dropped and it was time to shut down the gardens for the year

Overall it was a bad year for us

The new 1/2 acre plus was a resounding failure, just plowed it under on Sat, going to turn it again this weekend

I learned how to use the Cultivator on the tractor to late and weeds got hold

We are thinking of trying "The Three Sisters" in that area next year and see what happens doing Corn, Pumpkins, and Beans.
The small garden did okay, we got some very tasty tomatoes, and the beans we harvested were so good we want to add them by the hundreds

Peppers were disappointing, and Cucumbers failed, the Blackberry bush grew and looks very healthy, but never produced a berry will cut it back a bit and see what happens next year..
Overall not a great year in the garden for us but hey gotta take the good with the bad I guess

I picked a cayenne pepper and the wife brought in some cherry tomatoes today. We have a zucchini coming and the squash plant is still blossoming. Overall, it was a disappointing year for our container garden. We plan to move it to a sunnier spot next year.

Originally Posted by gssixgun

Well the temps dropped and it was time to shut down the gardens for the year

Overall it was a bad year for us

The new 1/2 acre plus was a resounding failure, just plowed it under on Sat, going to turn it again this weekend

I learned how to use the Cultivator on the tractor to late and weeds got hold

We are thinking of trying "The Three Sisters" in that area next year and see what happens doing Corn, Pumpkins, and Beans.
The small garden did okay, we got some very tasty tomatoes, and the beans we harvested were so good we want to add them by the hundreds

Peppers were disappointing, and Cucumbers failed, the Blackberry bush grew and looks very healthy, but never produced a berry will cut it back a bit and see what happens next year..
Overall not a great year in the garden for us but hey gotta take the good with the bad I guess

You will get better at it.

Most of the World's population has no idea what is involved in farming. They take food for granted; that it will be at the store when there is time to go get it. Most of the life lessons that I remember from my youth, came from working on my grandfather's farm. I never understood the whole picture of what was involved until later in my adult life. Farming is a skill, at a critical level that most do not understand & never see.

Watching large trucks pull onto our property to remove cases of produce that I helped plant seeds for; will always be vivid memories for me.
I was between 6 and 9 years of age during this period.


Now,,, I really can't remember what I did last week. Is this age or what I did last week was really not important?

Originally Posted by gssixgun

the Blackberry bush grew and looks very healthy, but never produced a berry will cut it back a bit and see what happens next year..

If your Blackberry plants were just planted this year, they won't give any berries, new growth next year should be bearing fruit.

Also I don't believe that the old growth will bear fruit, only the new growth.

I hope this helps.

Like Glen our garden was lack luster this year. Warm early spring and then dismal summer and then a hail storm left us looking to next year. Har!!

Washington's rainy season started late this year which gave us some more sun and nice weather. Pumpkins are liking that. Har!!

We are down to Dawn's Halloween pumpkins and a raging heritage tomato plant still pumping out fruit.

Powdery mildew on the pumpkin leaves has required daily leaf culling. We had more crap attack our garden this year than ever before. My corn got trashed in hail storm and then corn leaf aphids finished the job with their black crud.

This year we figured out that the little wood chips in soil were depleting the nutrients. Addressed that a little late in the season. Going to load up with steer & chicken & mushroom junk in a month or so and let it winter over.

Hey Hirlau, stay safe and hold onto your hat!

Interestingly enough, I'm in the same boat as Glen & Jim, outside a few Sweet100 maters and zucs the rest of the crop wasn't there.
As you may recall it, we got hit with a few nasty hail storms and the garden never really recovered from them. Cheers to a better 2017!

We pulled most of the tomato plants yesterday. The pepper plants are still going strong.

Our results:

Radishes - a total bust. Got maybe a dozen
Cucumbers - same as radishes
Strawberries - still getting a couple. The plants spread like crazy. Will have to cull some.
Peppers - Good crops and just hot enough for me
Tomatoes - Plenty for us and the neighbors. Pulled about 20 green yesterday. We will let them ripen in the basement.

I will try again next spring.