"pat yourself on the back" - what went RIGHT for you this year?

[patandchickens]

It seems like for a lot of us it has been a Rather Difficult (or downright terrible) gardening year, especially for veg gardens. I was brooding about this while walking the cat this morning, noticing that to cap it all off, I've left my scarlet runner bean pods on the vine too long and they've gone all mushy and sprouty so I will not have any seeds from them to save, grrrr.

So, for my mental health, I am hereby reminding myself of a few things that went RIGHT this year, or that I did reasonably well despite adversity:

-- what a great year it has been for growing lettuce!

-- because I was on top of things and got some tomato plants out in wall o' waters in mid-April (which is still 'occasional snow showers and lots of hard frosts' season here), I had the earliest, and most, vine-ripened tomatoes of pretty much anyone I know around town.

--the flower beds and shrubs are finally starting to "come together" and make the house look less like a rectangular shipping container dropped into an empty poorly-mown field. Even the parts that still look sparse or scruffy or incomplete, you don't have to squint *too* hard to imagine what they'll look like in another year or two.

-- and I still DO have some scarlet runner bean seeds left over (that I did not plant this spring) so hopefully some of them will still be viable next year

So, what should YOU be giving yourself credit for? Go on, DO IT!

("not giving up entirely, despite this year's results" is a legitimate answer btw )


Pat

 

[Greensage45]

I have made some Wonderful Friends this year!

I know this does not seem like an accomplishment, but for me it is; I have forgotten how to be a friend because I have gone so long without them. I mean this not only in my real-time world, but also here on TEG!

Ron

 

[Ridgerunner]

I cannot top Ron's accomplishment, but I always knew better than to ever try to top Ron.

What went right.

I've had something green to eat since April. It has changed throughout the year and sometimes it got a little repetitive, but something has always been there. Lettuce, Chard, Kale, New Zealand Spinach, Spinach, Bok Choi-Pak Choy whatever you call that stuff, Beet Greens, Mesclun, I'm probably forgetting something.

Along the same lines, I have been able to go to the garden and get at least one fresh vegetable for the table every day since April and still going. Sometimes it was just greens, but also corn, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, lima beans, eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash, winter squash, beets, probably some more I'm forgetting. And we've got enough canned and frozen to have our own vegetables until next April at least.

I don't include the tomatoes, peppers and herbs that did well (basil, oregano, sage) as "a fresh vegetable for the table". These I consider accessories, not main dishes. I've got some "picked just before the frost and ripened in the garage" tomatoes dehydrating as I type. The tomatoes did really well.

Beets were awesome this year.

Three pecan trees and two pear trees that I was seriously worried about last fall did very well, the seed-grown pecans coming back from the roots. All received deer protection in time.

Out of 44 maples, oaks and hickories I planted last year, all of them 1' to 2', I only lost 5. That's through two growing seasons. I'm happy with that rate of success. Enough of the hickory nuts I planted this spring germinated and made it through the summer so I can replace all the trees I lost.

Out of 28 fruit and nut trees (not counting hickories) I've planted in the last two years, I've lost two, a mulberry and a Stella cherry. I'm convinced the mulberry would have made it if I had gotten the deer protection up earlier.

The butterfly bush, forsythia, daffoldils, Iris, and dandelions all looked great in the front yard. I'll admit, some were easier to plant and take care of than others.

My wife's flower bed was tremendous. She planned and executed very well.

I consider 2-1/2 gallons of blackberries out of three plants a nice success.

I've had failures and disappointments, but that's another thread.

 

[DrakeMaiden]

I finally had enough tomatoes to can! But I found I did not have the stamina to can all of the tomatoes.

 

[bid]

When I look back over the year, most things did good or very good. A good thread Pat to remind us that we did have success. Thank you.

I am particularly fond of the zinnias this time of year as the falling leaves pile up around the blooms. As Ridgerunner mentioned, I have been able to pick something from the garden pretty much since April up until today. It may sound crazy but that is one of the measuring sticks I use to judge how good the garden did...can I pick something from April through October every day...whether that is a flower, fruit or vegetable.

 

[desertcat]

More things grew than didn't!

I planted "just enough" squash. Had some to give away, but nobody locked their doors when they saw me coming. ANNND, my raspberries actually had berries!! Raspberries are not too fond of the Panhandle and I've killed at least my share.

Next year a lot of my baby plants should look like landscaping instead of weeds.

 

[4grandbabies]

Finding this site, and all you wonderful common interest people!! I look forward to it every day!
Garden success..considering new ground and new garden,in strange area, we can say the tomatoes were awesome this year!
Have plans to start plants indoors early next spring, our "kids(grown up) are really looking forward to carrying out our shared ideas!
So I guess hope for next year will keep us going when the snow flys.

 

[injunjoe]

Next year a lot of my baby plants should look like landscaping instead of weeds.

I like this line! My front yard project looks like a collection of junk, Oh wait it is!

I am happy with what I was able to do with it in such a short time with very little money.

Joe

 

[digitS']

I'm a believer that "all gardening, more so even than politics, is local." I bet you all realize that if you just had someone over the back fence who could really give you advice based on experience and research, as a gardener - you'd have IT MADE!

Here we are because people like that are just NOT in our neighborhoods. Thank heavens (and Rob) for a gardener's forum like this!

There are a few yard-keepers in my neighborhood with fairly narrow skills or who religiously follow guidance from a book, or something. Here and there in every community, are people with a lot of gardening experience and knowledge. The chances that you are going to find them over your backyard fence - nil !

For varieties that are best suited for our gardens, there are some that have very wide usefulness. There are probably, more than just a few. A successful garden might be comprised only of these choices but the narrowness would rob me of just an awful lot of fun.

Heirlooms are almost site-specific. By definition, they could almost be required to come from a family member's garden but just as we aren't going to find an experienced gardener over our fence, we probably have lost our history of family gardeners over the course of time. And, the chance that they gardened where we now live, isn't likely.

I am fascinated by the prospect of finding gardeners with similar growing conditions as my own - similar climate, similar soil. Some of these places are far, far away. I have made friends with a Colorado gardener in somewhat similar circumstances. Okay, that's not so far from here - 800 miles or so, as the crow flies. But, she made a connection with gardeners in Australia (some of that continent has similar growing conditions). Seed from the Land Down Under was shared that came originally from the Mediterranean region (some similarities to my summer climate). And, I grew some of the nicest tomatoes this year from seed the friend shared with me!

My wife just loves those tomatoes! Right here at home, I made somebody happy!

. . . a great big gardening circle.

Ta, da!

(just thought I'd toss that in . . . )

Steve

 

[obsessed]

I spent the last year building my soil and my soil test revealed the hard work paid off. As for growing, my cucumbers were just crazy and the peppers did pretty well as well. And then there were the cherry tomatoes.

The best part of my year was getting outside with my kids. Gardening gives me something to do with my toddlers that does not revolve around a box that is always too loud (TV). I got my sun to plant seeds and harvest/rip out plants and veggies. We learned our colors. and my toddlers (not me) are almost over their aversion to worms.

I look forward to next spring and to the cateloges comming this winter. Did we ever figure out whether they come out by themselves or if we have to order them again. I also want to get more into ornamentals. My three year old girl just loves flowers.....