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- #251
heirloomgal
Garden Addicted
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- Jan 17, 2021
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- Northern Ontario, Canada
Thanks for the kind words @Zeedman ☺ So true what you say about the overall bounty and certain crops being favoured by certain seasons. I take setback and failure personally. I've had more setbacks in the last 2 years, than the 12 before that put together. And that spoiled me. Climate is the #1 almost singular challenge growing in my area, so when I bump into some non-northern related challenge to even 5% of what I want to harvest, I'm flabbergasted. Miffed. But I need a reality check on that I guess .For almost 20 years, Tendergreen was my go-to bush snap bean. Good sized pods, good cooked flavor, and it froze well. The only drawback - and the reason I eventually stopped growing it - was its bush habit. If the leaves were weakened by mud splash, they would get spider mites. Mice also liked munching on the pods. With the high rodent population on my property, I could never go back to bush beans.
But now I have to deal with Japanese beetles clustering at the top of my pole beans!
Sorry to hear of your difficulties... but trust me, you have plenty of success to be proud of. Your achievements are all the more noteworthy given your challenging climate. A previous manager often said "don't look at that as a problem, think of it as an opportunity". There is usually a solution or two for every problem, though it may not be an easy one, and may never offer 100% resolution. Mother Nature deserves her fair share, and one way or another she's going to take it. But she also gives back bountifully with the other hand.
It is a rare & blessed thing if you have a year where EVERYTHING does well. Most years, it's a mix of winners & losers. Focus on the successes, and don't give up. The water spinach I am feasting on this year, was a total failure last year. Plenty of failures this year too (mostly beans )... but DW & I will still eat like royalty for a couple months, can & freeze enough to last the winter, and have plenty to share with family & friends.
"You know you're a gardener when"... you can roll with the punches, and persevere in the face of misfortune.
@Zeedman do you not grow any bush beans, at all?