What New Thing Did You Learn This year?

[Nyboy]

No matter how many years you been gardening you can always learn some thing. This year I am trying to over winter dormant plants for first time. I have dug up dahlia and calacidums, and am going to try geraniums.What have you tried or learned this year?

 

[digitS']

I'm happy to be very specific but it will take a moment of research - since I write about almost everything gardening on TEG . Until I've done that, I'll note that there was record heat. Combined with an unusual absence of rain, the weather required quite an adjustment for Steve.

Here is something important. When events worked out as hoped, I can claim that the gardens rewarded my attentiveness and my efforts to sustain them. When conditions aligned against me, I trusted Life and tried to adjust.

Adjusting proved possible in some ways and with some garden plants. Win or lose, with enough depth to the gardens, my hopes for success came true. While we might lose a battle here and there, we can gain the world.

Steve

 

[digitS']

Okay, my moment is up.

A negative: aphids. There were few of some bugs ~ I didn't see a single leaf miner in beets or spinach ~ the aphids didn't care that we had record heat and dry conditions! They were as bad as ever. I associate aphids with cool & wet because they would show up in those conditions in the greenhouse where I used to work. Well, that thinking is out the window ...

The fantastic melon season was no surprise! Just welcome .

Broccoli, never give up on them. One year, Benjamin Bunny chewed the leaves on every single broccoli transplant I had in the garden! I put down fertilizer and pulled soil around them. Every one came back with a good season. The only broccoli plant that didn't was the one that missed this treatment. It just sat there.

This year, 10" tall broccoli developed quarter-sized center buds ... . I cut those buds off, put down fertilizer and pulled soil around the plants. I had really nice lateral buds off big plants! And, some lasted right through the summer into fall. Well, one did -- I wonder about the wisdom of having tossed the others after their first flush of lateral buds.

Parsnips. If I don't have the leeks pushed too far into the shade, I always have okay leeks. I'm wondering about my notion that these 2 are better get suited to a maritime climate. That sure isn't what we had for them this year - and, the parsnips are better than ever!

It could be variety selection. These were Andover, first time in the garden. I only cultivate veggie beds to 11", the length of the tines on my spading fork. Fourteen inch parsnips were really hard to dig this fall!

Here's to next year. Whatever it brings!

Steve

 

[Beekissed]

I learned about Back to Eden gardening and it changed my whole gardening future. This suits my style more than any other kind of gardening I've ever tried, so this is one of those things one carries with them on the journey...this is how I'll garden from here on out, if possible.

It makes so much sense that I can't imagine why I didn't think of it or know of it before now and had been using it all along, but am most grateful to have it with me now.

I also learned that squash borer damage on the vine doesn't necessarily toll a death knell to the plant like it always has before...I can just cover that damage with soil/wood chips and also cover another point in the vine with the same, and that plant will stay nourished enough to just go right on producing, no matter how bad the damage. At the end of the season I dug up that portion of the vine and it was barely held together with just some fibrous material on the sides, with the inside of the vine completely eaten out...but I still had squash growing on it and green, lush leaves clear up into the middle of October...on all the vines affected, not just one. Never had that before. I'll carry that little tidbit with me as well..good to know.

I learned from one of y'all on here~don't remember who~that I don't really need twine to tie up my maters if I'm using cattle panels and growing vine maters. I can just weave it in and out of the squares as it grows and not one bit of twine was needed...that was a cool thing to see. I didn't think the panels would support those huge vines and fruit in that manner, but if one has stayed on top of it and wove them in well, there was no stress on the vine at all as the weight was evenly distributed throughout all the squares as one ascends the length of the vine.

I took all the twine I had cut up into the right lengths, tied it in a huge knot and let the pup have it as a chew toy. Won't be needing twine much ever again, if at all.

I learned~once again~to be patient. That's one I'll have to relearn each year, I imagine.

 

[ninnymary]

I too learned about Back to Eden gardening and am attempting it. I also learned more about deep litter method and am doing it with good results. Both of these were encouraged and motivated me by Beekissed and Baymule. So a big thank you ladies!

Mary

 

[baymule]

I learned that sand for soil is a death knell for a garden. I learned that weeds grow at galloping rates of speed and everything vegetable scorches and dies. I learned that Pharaoh's plague of grasshoppers is real and that yes, they do eat everything that is not already dead.

 

[thistlebloom]

I learned that you can lead 4500 ladybugs to an aphid infested tree but you can't make them eat.

 

[majorcatfish]

what we learned this season......
neither one of us like kohlrabi anyway we prepared it..never know till you try.

having 2 cold winters in a row does not mean that the pest populations have been eliminated completely, the jap&june&stink bugs have been not prevalent as in years past,but other pests took their place as well new diseases ..so need to stay on top and not procrastinate.

just because the seed catalog says it's a wonderful addition to the garden, does not mean it's going to work in every garden...

the use of cage's works wonders when growing peppers and eggplant...

 

[Just-Moxie]

I finally learned how to drive DH's new Kubota BX25. He has only had it now for 2.5 years. During that time though, I have been physically suffering with this dang peri-menopause thing. It hurt just to roll over in bed at night even!!
All I could retain was water!...not good prospects for learning a new piece of equip. Yanno.

Anyway, after this last major flood we just had in SC.... I had to almost empty out the tin shed where the coop is. 2x! The Kubota was parked in there. So, I had DH relocate it to the car port while I dried out and cleaned out the tin shed/coop. And taught myself to run it while it was out there. Much better for me than trying to back it out of a dark building. I was concerned previously, that I would engage the wrong levers...and knock the tin shed over on top of myself.
I am NOT familiar with any diesel engine operations, nor the PTO concept. Previously, I am trained on many different forklifts, as well as my daily driver being a 5 speed truck. But diesel? Nope

 

[baymule]

Good for you @moxies_chickienuggets on learning to drive the tractor! My DH bought me a Kubota when we bought our new place and it is the best gift he ever gave me! I love my tractor her name is Marigold.