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Garden Gate:  So, What did you learn this year?  |
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Dusky Beauty
True Blue Farmgirl
1108 Posts
Jen
Tonopah
AZ
USA
1108 Posts |
 Posted - Aug 11 2011 : 10:02:57 PM
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With the growing season winding up for most, I know I learned A LOT from my first major garden experience. I thought it would be fun for everyone to chime in what they took away from this year's horticultural experiences.
1.Watermelon is big. REALLY BIG. So are pumpkins. I carved out corners in my plot for both but they have seriously taken over. The Zucc's too. Next planting I will set aside just MORE space for that stuff.
2.My growing season is weird. I defied what I was told and still got a lot of yield when I was told it was "impossible", but it took a lot of water, a lot of effort and I could in no way keep up on the weeding in july and august in Phoenix weather. Next time I'm planting in December and taking summer "off".
3.Buying that nearly dead potted sweet basil from Walmart was one of my best ideas ever. The seeds that one 2$ clearance plant dumped set me up with 10x more basil than I could have ever gotten from a packet of seeds.
4.I need to start canning. Stat.
5.I need more Zucchini recipes.
6.Arizonans LOVE zucchini!
"The greatness of a nation and it's moral progress can be judged by the way it's animals are treated." ~Gandhi
http://silvermoonfarm.blogspot.com/
"After eating an entire bull, a mountain lion felt so good he started roaring. He kept it up until a hunter came along and shot him. The moral: When you're full of bull, keep your mouth shut.” ~Will Rogers |
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Sadie Hawkins
Farmgirl in Training
18 Posts
Sarah
Reno
NV
USA
18 Posts |
Posted - Aug 11 2011 : 11:55:16 PM
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Hi Jen, I'm pretty new here, but could really relate when you said your growing season is "weird". I'm in a high and dry elevation, and have the same problem. I discovered that nothing ever works unless it's on a drip system. I knew this already, but I still think I can water something everyday and that will be enough. It won't. My soil is poor and needs amendments. That's fine, but through in that that the "growing season"...I cannot figure that out. This year not until JUNE! I leared that I just need to buckle down, save up and buy some sort of greenhouse.
I did manage to grow some patio tomatoes, lots of chocolate mint that I don't use enough, basil, arugula, and a couple of pathetic red onions. And I did get some blueberries from my blueberry plants. But I do think a greenhouse is a must, at least for where I live. Then does that mean I can grow things all year? |
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embchicken
True Blue Farmgirl
1487 Posts
Elaine
Ocean
NJ
USA
1487 Posts |
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natesgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
1735 Posts
angela
martinsville
indiana
USA
1735 Posts |
Posted - Aug 12 2011 : 09:17:40 AM
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I have to learn to 'winter' garden. In my zone that means preppin the garden in early winter, tillin when the ground starts to get a frozen crust, plantin spring seed, coverin with a light layer of straw and addin more after the first decent snow flurry, then toppin that with plastic just before the next snow flurry.
This way the garden will begin just before the last frosts and be ready for the plastic to be removed as soon as it's a little warm out. I can't seem to get dry enough ground to till and plant and get sprouts before the rain washes everything out.
Mulchin is a neccessity!!! The weeds took over in the heat wave and waterin was nearly impossible because we couldn't get to the plants for the weeds! I will mulch incessantly next year with anything I can get ahold of, leaves, sawdust, straw, anything! I have a chipper and I will use it!
I also have a huge collection of milk jug collection for makin self waterin and plant protection covers. I will use them! I will use them all!
I am also sadly lackin in knowledge. I will spend time this winter readin all the books I've collected and researchin everthing I plan to grow.
I think this is a long enough list for this year. Oh yeah! Except for one thing! I will keep detailed records! I have a large stack of composition books that I just bought at the school supplies sale and I will fill them. I will even spend next winter sortin all my notes from the one for that year into plant groups and put that info into it's own book so I can reference growin and production for each type of plant to see what works and what don't.
Farmgirl Sister #1438
God - Gardening - Family - Is anything else important? |
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Ninibini
True Blue Farmgirl
7577 Posts
Nini
Pennsylvania
USA
7577 Posts |
Posted - Aug 12 2011 : 09:48:56 AM
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Me, too, Angela! I've learned to trust Farmer's Almanac - and that if the weather seems even a little bit better than they say, then GO FOR IT! I started hand-tilling and prepping the soil in March when everything was unseasonably warm and wonderful. Planting started late March into, well, now, actually, and I have never had such a wonderful harvest before! Right now, most of my garden looks as if it's mid-September. I've already pulled up quite a few dying plants and started planting my fall/winter garden. I'm very excited!
I've also learned the wonder of mulching. I used straw, and now that the garden is dying, it's wonderful to be able to till it right back into the soil. Love it!
I did try to keep a good record of what I did this year, too. It's more sporadic recording of what I did - mostly on scratch paper. I am trying to keep it all organized and plan to put it all in a notebook this fall. Next year, though, I'll be going all-out with a big, dedicated notebook and lots of detailed notes. I know I've forgotten or lost some important details, and I'm not enjoying scratching my head and asking myself, "All right - now what did I do again?" It's SO important to keep track of everything you do!
A few hints I know I've shared elsewhere, but still important enough to reiterate here:
1) Flour around the base of plants will stick to slugs and suffocate them. No more slugs!
2) Fresh mint leaves strewn between brassicas help deter all kinds of buggy pests - and really seem to help them grow!
3) Epsom salts sprinkled at the base of your pepper and tomato plants help the plants tremendously - suddenly, almost overnight, you'll find them burgeoning with flowers and fruits! Epsom salts are also recommended for potatoes, but my plants are gone already - we'll be digging up potatoes soon! Next year... next year...
4) Peppers do not grow well next to tomatoes... They need to be planted in another spot in the garden.
5) Trellising your cukes, melons and squashes is fantastic! I've had MUCH better growth, and many, many more fruits!
6) When you have squash and melons growing on the ground, place something underneath them to make it more difficult for whatever boring bugs attack them. We used big squares of that black mulching cover left over from last year, and we have yet to have a problem!
7) Weeding is very important. I hate having to do it, but it makes all the difference in the world. Most of the mulch protected from weeds, but in the spots where we used less straw, weeds abounded. Weeds not only choke off the roots of your plants, they inhibit necessary air flow and vital nutrients from getting to the plants.
8) Using herbs in your garden, not only to grow for consumption, but also as companion plants to deter pests really, really works!
9) Companion planting is an absolute must. I've never had such a beautiful, flourishing, productive garden before!
10) Intensive planting works very well, but you have to be on top of things - you can't let a day go by without tending to your plants needs.
11) Rabbits are cute, but they're nasty in the garden. If you're a carnivore, you might want to consider learning how to make hasenpfeffer. (Haven't done this yet, because I can't get past their cute little eyes and soft, cuddly-looking fur, but the boys in the neighborhood are all ready and willing to give it a whirl!)
12) Nothing compares to homemade compost. Nothing. And it's easy as pie to make!
13) When all else fails, and you feel like giving up, check with our farmgirl sisters. They know EVERYTHING, and are happy to help! They're the best!!! ;)
Hugs -
Nini
Farmgirl Sister #1974
God gave us two hands... one to help ourselves, and one to help others!
www.papercraftingwithnini.myctmh.com
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Edited by - Ninibini on Aug 12 2011 9:50:05 PM |
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farmmilkmama
True Blue Farmgirl
2027 Posts
Amy
Central MN
USA
2027 Posts |
Posted - Aug 12 2011 : 11:22:31 AM
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WOW! I have learned a lot just reading this thread! I guess for us, the garden taught us this year that we don't have a lot of control over what grows (as hard as we try) and that if the weather is uncooperative (first way too cold for too long...and then WAY too hot!...and then WAY too wet....), you're fighting a losing battle! Oh, and if you think you're going to keep chickens out of your garden by putting deer netting up, you're right...but you'll spend all your time picking dragonflies out of the netting because they fly right into it and get stuck! :)
--* FarmMilkMama *--
Farmgirl Sister #1086
Be yourself.
Everyone else is already taken.
-Oscar Wilde
www.farmfoodmama.blogspot.com
www.thehmmmschoolingmom.blogspot.com |
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tammyknit
True Blue Farmgirl
135 Posts
Tammy
Reedsburg
WI
USA
135 Posts |
Posted - Aug 14 2011 : 05:40:39 AM
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Mulch with newspaper underneath does wonders for keeping the weeds down.
I always put too much stuff in too little space.
Very sandy soil needs lots of water (I already knew that, but it comes home to me every year)
You can get a lot of green beans and peas in the freezer if you blanch and freeze everytime you have a handful of produce. (small garden with only about 2 6 foot rows of each.
Cucumbers like to climb in the tomato cages, not just on their own trellis, makes it very hard to see cucumbers in the tomato leaves!
The dehydrator is my best friend (lots of herbs, strawberries, raspberries)
Tammy |
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FieldsofThyme
Farmgirl Guide & Schoolmarm / Chapter Leader
4928 Posts
USA
4928 Posts |
Posted - Aug 14 2011 : 05:58:06 AM
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I have learned (so far this summer):
~to can ketchup, zucchini relish, sweet pickle relish, and 4 types of sliced pickles
~to can blueberry jelly, queen anne's lace jelly and dandelion jelly
~to make blueberry syrup
~to save seeds from more vegetables, fruits and flowers
~that my goats love my parsley, and it cleans their teeth and sharpens their brain functions.
~that flour and pepper works great to deter squash bugs
~that our melon patch needs a layer of newspaper or plastic next year (it's a new area this year, and is in the wettest area, but has the most weeds)
~that we need to invest in a dehydrator and a pressure canner before next season
~that we need to dig up all our strawberry plants and replant them in raised beds (which are all ready except needing the dirt for them)
~how to rotate grass-fed cattle by an organic farmer
What I will be learning before summer is over:
~to can pumpkin, tomato sauce, taco sauce and hopefully more
Farmgirl #800
http://pioneerwomanatheart.blogspot.com/
http://scrapreusedandrecycledartprojects.blogspot.com/
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StrawHouseRanch
True Blue Farmgirl
1044 Posts
Paula
Holt
Missouri
USA
1044 Posts |
Posted - Aug 15 2011 : 12:24:19 PM
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1.I have so much more to learn.
2.Check the pH of your soil. Should have added calcium to the pepper plant garden.
3.Broken down cardboard boxes are the BEST at blocking weeds in the garden path.
4.Prune the lower "limbs" from tomato plants to make the main stalk stronger.
Paula
Farmgirl Sister #3090
A Beehive is the ultimate Home Sweet Home
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Dusky Beauty
True Blue Farmgirl
1108 Posts
Jen
Tonopah
AZ
USA
1108 Posts |
Posted - Aug 15 2011 : 11:58:52 PM
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Sarah, I completely know what you mean. My hometown is pretty much a couple hours east of you in reno in winnemucca, NV. I wasn't even gardening back then but there would have been no way! Its too hot... its too cold... and the soul was so bad we couldn't even get cottonwood trees going. I have no idea how the hay ranches did it... they must have run cows to fertilize those pastures for a decade first....
"The greatness of a nation and it's moral progress can be judged by the way it's animals are treated." ~Gandhi
http://silvermoonfarm.blogspot.com/
"After eating an entire bull, a mountain lion felt so good he started roaring. He kept it up until a hunter came along and shot him. The moral: When you're full of bull, keep your mouth shut.” ~Will Rogers |
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22941 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22941 Posts |
Posted - Aug 16 2011 : 05:11:35 AM
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Let's See-
I learned that black weed fabric is worth it's weight in gold and a double cross layer would be even better.
I also learned that peppers do NOT thrive next to my tomatoes even though companion planting says they can.
-that the first 4 feet of my garden better be planted to the cooler weather/ need more shade varieties because my tomatoes are stunted there.
-that I can only grow shady variety items in front of the house
- That I need about 100 more strawberry plants
-That corn needs to be planted deeper
-that watermelon and corn grow well together
And as always I relearn that I am addicted to growing things and I am thankful for the earth and sun!
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com
www.allergyjourneys.blogspot.com
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Fiddlehead Farm
True Blue Farmgirl
4562 Posts
Diane
Waupaca
WI
USA
4562 Posts |
Posted - Aug 16 2011 : 05:49:13 AM
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That Japanese Beetles are the devil.
http://studiodiphotosite.shutterfly.com/
farmgirl sister #922
Don't go with the flow...you are the flow.
I get up every morning determined to both change the world and have one hell of a good time. Sometimes this makes planning my day difficult.
- E. B. White |
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Montrose Girl
Farmgirl Legend/Schoolmarm
1360 Posts
Laurie
Montrose
CO
1360 Posts |
Posted - Aug 16 2011 : 06:14:35 AM
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* That interplanting such as corn, beans, and squash sounds good, but it is a bear to weed.
* New areas take time and I will weed A LOT!!
* Put squash on the ends of rows with black fabric and make sure they are well separated otherwise they like to cross bread.
* Plant more onions and cabbage.
* Cabbage worms don't mess with kohlorabi so plant more.
* Need more carrots.
http://www.inntheorchardbnb.com/ |
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SarahJ
True Blue Farmgirl
198 Posts
Shreveport
Louisiana
198 Posts |
Posted - Aug 16 2011 : 09:39:38 AM
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That all the care in the world can't combat 110 degree days (120 heat index) and a historic drought.
SarahJ
Farmgirl Sister #116
http://bayoumama.wordpress.com/ |
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camiesmommy
True Blue Farmgirl
113 Posts
Anne Jeannette
Stagecoach
NV
USA
113 Posts |
Posted - Aug 16 2011 : 10:14:23 PM
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Last year I planted in square foot gardening and did great. I used a drip system and sprayers. This year my dh wanted to plant using furrows and watering with a hose. Big mistake. Next year we're going to make raised bed.
No squash bettles this years, but the rabbits and ground squirrels are driving me and my dogs crazy.
Lost all of my apple crop, so I think I'm going to have to look into the spray that protests the blossoms from frost. Hate to use anything but...
Was hoping this was the year to learn to can, but we didn't produce much more than zucchini. This was due to late planting. Next year, I will plant earlier and coverr the ground to keep the heat in.
I'm going to try growing in cold frames this fall/winter.
And the most important thing I learned. Plant lots of flowers in the garden to attract more bees!
A.J.
Work is love made visible. ~ Kahlil Gibran |
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melody
True Blue Farmgirl
3324 Posts
Melody
The Great North Woods in the Land of Hiawatha
USA
3324 Posts |
Posted - Aug 17 2011 : 06:56:30 AM
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I learned that raised beds need a lot of MANURE! My beds must be nutritionally depleted this season as my plants are puny and not very healthy looking except for my raised bed containing squash, gourds, and mini-pumpkins.
Corn does not grow well where I planted my Three Sisters Garden.
Plant lots and lots of Zinnias next year-They are awesome right now!
And, I won't be planting potatoes next to the garage---If I can find the garage next year--The weeds are doing phenomenally well this season!!!
Melody Farmgirl #525 |
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Beverly Gill
True Blue Farmgirl
1114 Posts
Beverly
Marlborough
USA
1114 Posts |
Posted - Aug 17 2011 : 07:51:07 AM
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that laying out the black plastic with mini holes as I planted really really aliminated weeds altogether-will do it again next year.
to buy more teepee stakes for the tomatoes and even squash plants..
to plant some flowers nearby to attract the bees to pollunTE THE SQUASH BLOSSOMS
to read up on composting this winter.
There's no place like home |
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Beverly Gill
True Blue Farmgirl
1114 Posts
Beverly
Marlborough
USA
1114 Posts |
Posted - Aug 17 2011 : 10:19:40 AM
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Also, the scare tactic of hanging old dvds up works to scare animals away.
Sorry for spelling of eliminated......above.
Beverly
There's no place like home |
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Farmer Judy
True Blue Farmgirl
433 Posts
Judy
North Aurora
IL
USA
433 Posts |
Posted - Aug 17 2011 : 12:52:27 PM
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I learned...
to side dress with manure, the plants loved it
use newspaper under wood chips for a non-muddy non-weed filled walkway thru the middle of the garden
that I need something stronger than rope to vine my cukes, they are all back down on the ground again
what Japanese Beetles look like
how to plan better for using my harvests with dinner
how to plan my garden better, used growveg.com for their 30 day trial period
how to do second plantings
to not plant my cabbage too near my zukes or they will be shaded
how much I love overalls and cutting my hair short for convienience
and most of all, that I cannot live without a garden!!
God bless,
Judy
Born a city girl but a farm girl at heart!
http://farmtimes.blogspot.com/ |
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LaceMistress
Farmgirl in Training
28 Posts
New York
USA
28 Posts |
Posted - Aug 18 2011 : 05:29:28 AM
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I learned that most herbs do super in flower pots or flower boxes.
I also learned that some roosters like to attack you if you have your back turned to them.
Too much thread, so little time! |
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forgetmenot
True Blue Farmgirl
3602 Posts
Judith
Nora Springs
IA
USA
3602 Posts |
Posted - Aug 18 2011 : 09:33:39 AM
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I learned that planting a perennial, butterfly garden will draw monarchs who lay their eggs, and the larvae will strip the butterfly weed in one day. The plant was so pretty.:( Voracious little buggers.
"Courage is not the absence of fear, but the belief that something is more important than fear." Ambrose Red Moon |
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rubyleesmom
Zapped Profile
190 Posts
190 Posts |
Posted - Aug 18 2011 : 1:22:20 PM
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I learned:
-that I tend to plant waaaaaayyy to much and have waaaaaaayy to little time to take care of it all.. I cant help it! I get carried away :)
-fire ants most definately like potatos
-it is virtually impossible to keep my horses from eating things over the fence
-no matter how dissapointing the mishaps, I still love my garden :)
And I feel your pain, LaceMistress.. Roosters are beautiful creatures until they hit you with thier spurs. We have one that I swear must hate humans!
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redbud
True Blue Farmgirl
52 Posts
Christine
Luther
Oklahoma
USA
52 Posts |
Posted - Aug 19 2011 : 4:36:02 PM
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I learned that 100-115 degree weather for almost 2 months straight means no garden at all :( sigh, maybe next year will be better
to everything there is a season, a time to every purpose under heaven
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Garden Gate: So, What did you learn this year? |
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So, What did you learn this year?
