2019 Home Gardener's Summary/Results

Next year I will start peppers in late Feb. to early March in the greenhouse. That makes for larger plants and a better yield, and only transplant outside when it's warmer and drier than 2019 was. More compost, too, as that makes a huge difference. Watermelons are still producing now in October. 1'st time I've had 'em all season, but just not as many.

We had a slow start to the season here in southern Idaho but overall had a great garden. Melons, peppers, tomatoes, produced well. I got attacked by stink bugs, I guess, in my tomatoes toward the end. I’ve never had that before so that was annoying. Tomatoes had amazing growth, plants 6 ft tall with lots of fruit but we froze early so I lost it all. My zucchini didn’t produce well at all but I had a hybrid yellow zucchini that had stellar production. Green beans were awesome, I had a lot of melons on the vine with the early freeze so unfortunately we lost those too. They were also slow due to early wet and cold conditions. We didn’t start growing really well until early July then had frost end of September😭

Recently moved to the country so this was the first year of my new garden. First year gardens are rarely good. But I had plenty of fresh eating for one person and put a few things up in the freezer.

Moved an hour south of Memphis and have encountered a new bug. Leaf -footed type of flying stink bug. Doesn’t do a whole lot of damage but oh my is it annoying flying all around your head as you’re in the garden. Also had so many horn worms on the tomato plants that they basically ate them to nothing. I even bought a black flashlight off Amazon so that I could find more of the little critters at night and pull them off. I finally just gave up. We also have fire ants here, everywhere! There isn’t a day that goes by I don’t get bit.

I really can’t comprehend people who say when the food in the stores goes away they’ll just grow a garden. It takes years to grow a good garden and build good soil.

I’m hopeful for next year!

And sheeple think that good food is as easy as a visit to Kroger. Stink/squash bugs were epidemic all over, and I ALWAYS check every tomato and pepper plant EVERY Morning for those damned horn worms. If they have those white eggs on them I move them far off, as they are predatory wasp eggs and should be allowed to hatch. They also shrivel up the horn worm.

I have mostly given up on the dirt garden except for very large space plants like melons squash corn.

Started doing Hydroponic Sq ft! in a 8ftx4ft or 32 sq ft i can do 100 plants way faster and better control of the environment! Trays up on table with 8 foot 4 post for shade cloth and bug screen
It is cooling down here in So Cal so leafy greens and cool weather plant are next.

What saved me on peppers and tomatoes production was a lot of plants spread all over 4 garden areas so some just had to produce pretty well. I've got a new crop regrowing from the same roots right now in one garden patch, slicers and giant Bear Claw tomatoes.

Hoping this weekend's cold front doesn't halt their growth.

Was able to move all the choice plants in buckets and medium sized pots into the greenhouse last weekend and they're doing great !!!

In the South US where available, cotton burr makes a great 3-5 month compost for those too lazy or unable to make their own. Bean vines go crazy!!! Work into the soil in early March so it doesn't degrade too quickly.

70% increase in yields on everything but cilantro here in western Pa.. This year I fabricated all new raised bed garden boxes with removable cage tops, increased the river rock volume for better drainage, and made new dirt ( compost, peat, and vermiculite ) and also used a lot of bat shit in the mix as fertilizer.

I only had to water twice all season as we got pounded with rain this year.

Western New York near Lake Erie

Best garden EVER!

Tomatoes peppers herbs and garlic did well

Tomatoes and peppers STILL Flowering - growing fruit

Celery - cabbages - kale - eggplant - STILL PRODUCING

Carrots did ok - never planted before

We have more peppers that we know what to do with - made hot sauce last weekend and still have tons to process

Herbs in the dehydrator - garlic chives

Might juice the parsley - tarragon - and some garlic and just use extracts for flavoring - made a nice basil oil with the flowers I trimmed

I have two TUMERIC plants started from store tubers last winter and planted out - will probably greenhouse them this winter or bring inside

More thyme and dill seed than I can fit in 1 ziplock bag

Had volunteers go crazy of a turnip and a beet from last year - and a carrot - all got to giant proportions

We have not had a frost (usually have one at least in September- unusually warm and sunny with enough rain Indidnt have to water

Probably going to make sauerkraut out of 3 giant cabbages still growing

LATE WET SWAMPY spring retarded the squash - which I usually sell - so just enough to freeze -for us

bye bye -got work to do

Here in southern ontario we had a very wet spring and it delayed planting in many areas.
Everything seems shifted about a month.
The tomatoes in my garden were late ripening, even though I started the seeds in my greenhouse in March. But we are getting tons of tomatoes right now.
Peppers are doing really well.
We have nice weather here still and I am into my third crop of lettuce in the greenhouse this year.
Horn worms suck. We pick them and throw them to the chickens - they love it.
I have an epidemic with aphids in the greenhouse that I am taking care of with a soap spray now. Next year I will be bringing in lady bugs to the greenhouse.
All the best with your garden next year OP.

I set up 2 of these for only $119 delivered each, and they are great. Winds to 50 gusts ok with blocks all around the bottom, and only 1 (I use pelonis 1500W) heater for overwintering everything: [link to www.amazon.com (secure)]

If you can find a newer Pelonis heat furnace, power it through a Honeywell baseboard heat (line-voltage) thermostat for a high-limit cutoff switch and to set the on temperature, as some Pelonis' never shut off causing too much heat/wasted power.

Any updates from the 12 Noon crew?