What would you like to do differently in next year's garden?

[unclejoe]

LOTS more potatoes and peas. Far less basil. Stronger stakes for tomatoes. Trellis for cukes. Add broccoli and onion. But then I have all winter to think of more.

 

[mirime]

Work on soil health FIRST.
And actually plant more than a coupla tomato plants and herbs.

 

[ldburton]

Actually weed the beds I plant and plant more beds. My husband says I just like to plant things and need someone to maintain them. What a concept!!

 

[mirime]

hehee you sound like me!

 

[vfem]

I actually was bad about weeding... I didn't do my mother's garden at all this year and it was so over run with grass and weeds because I didn't remulch either. I think I'm going to have to just rip everything up and start fresh next year.

However, with my garden I got my 18 month old so into planting with me, we'd weed together and she actually would go outside and start the chores without me while I had a smoke and coffee in the morning. I'm being shown up in my own garden by a toddler! She gets to the chickens before me most mornings to get the eggs and let them out! She's going to rock this yard as she gets older.

I really truly need to till this fall to be ready for spring. I don't think I'll do the soil work some much in the spring next year. I want to do no more then turn, freshly fertilize and plant! WOW.... boy do I have plans (and more then 30 types of new flowers to add as well!!!!! hehehehehe

 

[bills]

Well for starters....

I will skip growing cukes in the greenhouse, as they seem to do far better in the garden. I'll plant more cherry tomato's in the greenhouse instead. I will skip growing peppers in the greenhouse as well. The plants in the garden did just as well.

I'll successive plant beans so they aren't all ready at one time.

I'll plant less swiss chard. Seems I'm the only one in the family that really loves eating it. Gate sales were poor on it, although the Farmers Market sales were OK.

I won't plant carrots again without using row cloth. In spite of planting leeks amongst them, and spreading coffee grounds around them, my carrots still suffered from carrot rust fly problems.

I wont waste my time growing cabbage, as I just can't get a decent crop, in spite of a lot of effort. Besides it's cheap at the store.

 

[Carrol]

Last spring we turned soil that had not been turned in at least twenty years. What we did was till, plant, water and organically fertilize a 2-decade accumulation of a wide variety of weed seeds! It's amazing how many different weeds are out there in the garden, some as tall as my shoulders. We got a good amount of cukes, zuccini, squash, peas, radishes, jalepanos, melons, etc, and a zillion tomatoes, despite having to wade through the weed forest to find them.

Next spring we are using that biodegradable landscape fabric that I saw in the Lee Valley catalog. It should give the veggies a good headstart against the inevitable weeds. We're also adding the drip irrigation system from Lee Valley.....looks like a real winner for us, as we have our 50'x50' garden on a fairly steep slope.

Count me in on planting tomatoes that don't all ripen at once! I pulled nearly 300 pounds of 'matoes off those plants in the past couple weeks. My neighbors hide when they see me coming with a bag. The Brandywines are six feet tall....or they would be if I'd used tall enough/strong enough stakes. Lesson learned.

 

[tfpets]

Next year I am going to convert my garden to multiple raised beds! DH just shared that we are going to re-fence my whole garden!! He is going to use the new tractor and level the area, and I am going to finally get to have my raised beds! I have had automatic waterers in my garden for 3 years, but this year I lost everything to weeds and neglect when the wildfires kept me from doing anything but fighting to keep my pets alive, and then just working outside in the garden long enough to feed and water animals. I want my yard back!!!!
I am also going to swap/trade seeds with people so I can share some of my neat ones, and get others I want! I have alot of neat seeds left, I just had a horrible year.
2009 will be better. I look forward to preparing for the next season!
Tina/tfpets

 

[vfem]

Those raised garden just make everything so simple! I've seen some gorgeous ones that really add a lot of height to really flat yards. Someone came up with an awesome idea... I can tell you that!!!

 

[CottageGardener123]

Next year I am going to convert my garden to multiple raised beds! DH just shared that we are going to re-fence my whole garden!! He is going to use the new tractor and level the area, and I am going to finally get to have my raised beds!
Tina/tfpets

Thats great! I have some raised beds and they are so nice looking,simple, and easy to manage. If you put wire on the bottom of them it prevents gophers from coming in!!!!! also the sun heats the ground more quickly with them thus warming the soil to make plants grow grow grow!