I think I am done this season

[Southern Gardener]

Go ahead and whine but don't give up. My first garden sucked but this year was better and I look forward to next year. The bugs, heat and humidity here are depressing (this year was almost unbearable) but I'll keep trying. I bought seed and plants for my fall garden that do well in the south and so far (except for a few that were munched) look pretty good except in the late afternoon they look sad because it's 91 degrees!

 

[obsessed]

OK so I was totally whining and just bought a couple of packets of cilantro. I figure something as easy as that I could manage.

 

[obsessed]

Oh an I may keep a spot for the spinach I bought earlier this year.......

 

[injunjoe]

OK so I was totally whining and just bought a couple of packets of cilantro. I figure something as easy as that I could manage.

Glad you are feeling better about it and pressing on my friend.

Maybe you should mix in some flowering and/or foliage type plants to kinder the spirits.

Good luck!

If it counts I got 3 tomatoes from all that I planted.

One was half So the turtles got half of that one.

The second was not much better. the chickens got that one.

And for all my hard work I got to have the third to eat!

I am more of a tropical plant guy, but always grow tomatoes.

Little by little I am adding fruit and veg. to my yard.

:tools ok back to work!

 

[vfem]

Go ahead and vent! That sounds horrible. To feel like you have failed is only natural when everything goes wrong like a domino's effect.

I generally think that when you plant it "...they will come!" Oh yes, you don't have a yard full of bugs and evil plant disease until you try to add some nice healthy food for your family. Then they come on so quickly, and so heavily you can't see to stop it!

I HEAR yeah loud and clear... though I did not battle pest this year, I had a few organic natural things on my side that kept bug issues low... I got EVERY stupid disease known to man!!! ARGH!!!!!

So I am RIGHT with you!!!

So stomp and scream... and take a break... but don't quit!!!!!
\

 

[curly_kate]

See, it's good to complain a bit! It's reassuring to hear that EVERY gardener has a bad year now and then. Weird how the weather was so uncooperative in so many parts of the country this summer. I feel like, if I had planted varieties suited for the Pacific NW, I would have done very well here in the Midwest this summer. I think perseverance is probably the most valuable quality in any gardener.

 

[prism]

Oh, can I sympathize! I had the same type of emotional day Sunday as you did. It hasn't been a great gardening year for me either and when I went out today to check on the one pumpkin we had and it was gone, I almost lost it. I can only figure that the deer discovered it and ate it. Even that is hard to believe. It was bigger than a basketball and there is absolutely no evidence that a pumpkin was ever there. It is totally gone!!!

The only thing that has done well is lettuce, tomatoes, and carrots. Oh, and small hot peppers. I should be thankful since everyone else had so much trouble with tomatoes. I only wish I had planted more since they did so well. We have been eating delicious tomatoes all September. I still have quite a few green but I am getting excited to make relish if a frost might be a threat later this week.

Corn was a waste of time. It got stunted while I was gone away for a couple weeks in July but was still developing some good sized ears. Then for the past 3 weeks, something has been toppling and breaking the stalks off a couple inches above the ground - every day a few more. I still have no clue what was getting to them.

As bummed as I have been all day while reviewing the ups and downs of this growing season, you made me laugh when you mentioned Montana. That is where I am. I have not gotten one zucchini this year. I had lots and lots of flowers but they were all males!!! I dunno what the heck that was all about. My summer squash was the same way! I finally saw one little zucchini forming last week - talk about TOO LATE! And this has also been a weird year for bugs. I grew up in NH where I was accustomed to dealing with earwigs every summer. We've been in MT for 20 years now and I have never seen an earwig here but this summer they were all over the place! I also saw plenty of other bugs for the first time this year that I'm not familiar with.

I also need to remind myself that even though I did not purposely plant and grow them, I was blessed with the best year for chokecherries.

So we whine but we'll be right back at it next year. Gardening should be considered a sport when it comes to the agony of defeat but getting right back up and doing it again. LOL.

 

[digitS']

. . . lettuce, tomatoes, and carrots. Oh, and small hot peppers. . . . they did so well. . . .

Let's see:

200 square feet for tomatoes,
200 square feet for lettuce,
200 square feet for carrots,
200 square feet for hot peppers,
200 square feet to play around with . . .

Gardening Success in 2010 big_smile!

Steve

Okay, what I'm saying is that finding varieties that tolerate our growing conditions and, not only tolerate but PRODUCE, is 90% of gardening success. The other 10% are the vagaries of nature but, you know what, I think we could still find "somethings" that can tolerate and produce under just about any circumstance that nature can come up with. We just need to find a way to make our garden crops, along with our tending, a part of nature.

 

[chills]

i didnt think you were whining .. probably cuz i did so bad, i can relate .. ive tried so hard, physically and for what, not the success i see in other posts .. but im so frustrated with my lack of success that i refuse to give in until 'i get this' .. i will produce .. i will succeed .. i will keep trying .. and i did cruse my veggie bed quiet a few times and i will curse again im sure .. to quote dory (the disney movie finding nemo) .. just keep swimming just keep swimming .. we can only get better, right? please just say yes.. good luck with the fall goodies .. hopefully we will have something good to share - in photos and posts and with our families in food!!

 

[obsessed]

It is the logistics of gardening that gets this city girl stuck..............

seed starting, transplanting, bugs,...