| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| katrina |
Posted - Sep 02 2010 : 07:01:20 AM
First, we lost all our squash, now we're losing a blueberry. I'm sad.
www.WorkOfArtCreations.com |
| 20 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| lilangelacres |
Posted - Sep 16 2010 : 3:26:13 PM
Pests and weeds, weeds and pests - between hot, humid weather all summer (lots of rain) my garden is just not what I had planned for. I did get carrots, leeks, onions and lots of squash, but the tomatoes were terrible! I had purchased all heirloom seeds and started them inside, moved things around from where I planted last year and tried some raised beds, so between all the changes I did and the weather issues I don't know what went wrong. I am already thinking about next year and making plans to do some things different. I am very interested in natural pest control so maybe we can all research and have a thread about what does and doesn't work to prepare for next year:)
Leslie
Ah Farm Life - Wouldn't want to be anywhere else! |
| prairie_princess |
Posted - Sep 16 2010 : 2:54:25 PM
I've heard the same news all around... just chatted with my Grandma in Idaho and said it's the same with everyone there, just a plane bad gardening year. I was going through some major garden woes last night. But I suppose I should look on the bright side, look at all the veggies I have been able to harvest instead of focusing on the ones that have been ruined.
Does anyone believe in beginner's luck? I sure do... we did fantastic the last two years, but this year we've really been fighting the pests! So my goal for this winter is to educate myself on how to naturally help ward off the pests and become a REAL gardener.
"Only two things that money can't buy, that's true love and homegrown tomatoes."
- Guy Clark
"The man who has planted a garden feels he has done something for the good of the world."
- Charles Dudley Warner |
| JessieMae |
Posted - Sep 13 2010 : 11:07:41 PM
Marlies, I've heard of things like your compost being too rich...if it's too acidic it can burn your plants. I don't know what you mean by "too much organic material." Unless you've totally buried your plants and they're not getting enough sun, I'd assume they'd be fine!
Jessie Mae
Farmgirl Sisterhood #134 |
| Marlies Schmitt |
Posted - Sep 12 2010 : 5:35:43 PM
Garden in Idaho not doing so well this year either. Cool, wet, windy Spring. Don't have many tomatoes and only one squash (lots of green vines, plants look healthy, just no veggies on them!
Thought maybe too cold but it's been a very pleasant summer with fairly warm temperatures. Someone said maybe too much organic material....anyone heard of this causing a problem?
Duck Lane Winery |
| katmom |
Posted - Sep 05 2010 : 10:32:25 PM
I have had a horrible time this year with my garden...and an abundance of grass hoppers! uugh!The grass hoppers have done major damage to my trees, especially the cherry trees.
Seems like everyone is having a less than steller year for gardening.
I finally finished up prunning my lavender...I posted a quick pic on my blog. It's kind of sad to look at my little lavender field now. No more purple, no more wonderful lavender smell.
Guess I will have to wait till next year to play in my field again.
>^..^<
Happiness is being a katmom.
"Is it time for my Dirt Manicure yet!"
www.katmom4.blogspot.com & http://www.graciesvictorianrose.blogspot.com
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| JessieMae |
Posted - Sep 05 2010 : 8:46:08 PM
I don't garden myself, but my CSA box has been quite skimpy this year, and our farmer said they haven't had nearly enough rain this season. Squash, zucchini, and eggplants have been really small, as have onions and cabbage. Tomatoes seem later than last year, too...they're just starting to show up in the box. And I can tell you that the grass in our yard is completely fried!
Jessie Mae
Farmgirl Sisterhood #134 |
| Fiddlehead Farm |
Posted - Sep 05 2010 : 06:55:58 AM
I have had a so-so year. Very wet and cold spring and then, bam right into 90's. My broccoli grew into trees with no broccoli heads, my peppers got blight and now I fear it has spread to my tomatoes. I have harvested a lot of tomatoes already so if they die I am still OK. I have about 10 pie pumpkins and a handful of buttercup squash. Our rhubarb is still going strong and I have to pick it again. The hops did alright and need harvesting right now. Raspberries grew well but I was invaded by Japanese Beetles that devoured the new leaf growth on the bushes so they gave me a couple of cups of berries. I planted semi-dwarf apple and cherry trees that the beetles loved also. I had to pick beetles all day for the whole months of July and August, they seem to be gone now. I did get a bumper crop of green beans that I canned. My herbs did well. I picked my cabbage early because it just did not like the heat. I was able to get a five gallon crock almost full of sauerkraut. Beets were not great, but I canned about 8 pints full. Turnips got eaten by something in the soil. Every year it's a different adventure!
http://studiodiphotosite.shutterfly.com/
farmgirl sister #922
Happy to be a "Raggedy Ann" in a Barbie World! |
| solilly |
Posted - Sep 04 2010 : 3:17:33 PM
bad weather year here in Virginia as well. Plants burned right up in the ground from the heat. No amount of water could help. The farmers have put in for fed help because of no crops going to market. Lilly 
learning the life I always wanted. |
| Alee |
Posted - Sep 04 2010 : 2:20:18 PM
I too am already looking forward to next year. I am going to expland my garden and FINALLY will be growing all the yummy food I have been dreaming about. Enough Excuses!! It WILL be done! LOL I am the Queen of making exuses as to why I don't want to dig more garden space or why I didn't buy this or that seed type. Yup. I need to quit "excusing" myself out of yummy food...
Now if only weather, pests, and blight will co-operate.
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com
www.allergyjourneys.blogspot.com
Put your pin on the farmgirl map! www.farmgirlmap.blogspot.com |
| katrina |
Posted - Sep 04 2010 : 1:34:27 PM
The funny thing is, the blueberry planted right next to it is fine. I'm almost thinking root-rot. We have one winter squash hanging in there, and the maters have done nearly nothing. Not a single strawberry. Bleh. Ms. Lilly, we did the same and let the chickens free. Next year will be SO much better.
www.WorkOfArtCreations.com |
| shunger |
Posted - Sep 04 2010 : 05:54:47 AM
I agree -- tough garden year. As Leanne says, it's getting cool in Montana. I have had very few zuchini squash but the bon-bon buttercups are doing well. tomatoes are way behind and if it gets too cool who knows what will happen. My husband and son went to gather wild huckleberries only to find it a terrible year for huckleberries -- we've had this confirmed by others as well. Potatoes have done well, but our onions are less than impressive. One row of beets never grew!
It takes courage to garden year after year -- but the rewards are many. Here's hoping the farmers' market has lots of cucumbers and other goodies. Suzanne |
| LenaSassafrass |
Posted - Sep 03 2010 : 10:28:16 PM
Our garden is somehow hanging on. Our weather here in Montana has been getting awfully cool lately and not everything is ripened. So far nothing has died. I had thought that I lost my 2 blueberry bushes because their leaves fell off and dried up but I began putting coffee grounds around these 2 plants and watered them quite a bit more and I can see brand new leaves sprouting! If our fall weather could hold off until oct we might get a decent harvest here.
Leanne
Maizy-brownswiss/jersey
Sassafrass-06/20/10 |
| jpbluesky |
Posted - Sep 03 2010 : 08:39:40 AM
Bad garden year here too. Lost all my broccoli to squirrels, my cukes and squash to hail, and I have no idea what was wrong with the peppers. Great looking plants, no peppers! I had about a big basket full of nice tomotoes and then they stopped yielding too. Now I have taken everything out already.
Farmgirl Sister # 31
www.blueskyjeannie.blogspot.com
Psalm 51: 10-13 |
| sherrye |
Posted - Sep 03 2010 : 07:39:49 AM
i agree with christy. looks to me like the blueberry is sick in the photo. i try to keep in mind that plants get sick because something in their life is wrong. stress can cause this such as your bad weather year. so sorry you all are having such a time. we are so close to frost i am scared. i am going to get my covers out for my maters. we had 2 inches snow on mtn. the other day. gads. i would feed any stressed plant seaweed 1 tblsp. to a gallon water on all leaves stems and ground. you only do this when the sun has not yet hit the leaf in morning. at this dawn time of day the leaf follicles are open. the seaweed will go in and help destress the plant.i repeat this often. plants love algae and seaweed. if you drink tea or coffee you can use the grounds and dregs to help the acid level in plant soil. this way you have not used a chemical only nutrition to heal the plant. i would question my water source also so i could adjust for the ph. pine needles are a great source of acid. check and see what is growing around you. are their folks with trees you could get the bagged leaves from.just a few of my ideas. hope it helps. happy days sherrye
the learn as we go silk purse farm
farm girl #1014
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| csmartyonline |
Posted - Sep 02 2010 : 1:09:43 PM
Not a good gardening year here in Middle Tennessee either. Lots of weather-related events like late frosts, hail, flooding followed by lots of heat, humidity, fungi, blight and a proliferation of insects. Hopefully next year will be much better. |
| MerryHeartSister |
Posted - Sep 02 2010 : 10:47:57 AM
Blueberries love acidic soil. My guess to save them would be to get some pine needles and work into the soil around them. You can add iron sulfate or cottonseed meal. Anything that will add acidity. Also, many water sources adjust the ph of the water to make it more alkaline to make pipes last longer. Watering so much may not be a good idea.
Farmgirl #1951
http://merryheartcreativeartsacademy.blogspot.com/ |
| Betty J. |
Posted - Sep 02 2010 : 10:01:18 AM
I've had a bad garden year also. My tomatoes were just plain yuck. I have only picked a couple of yellow pear from volunteer plants. The purchased ones died without ever producing. Now my zucchini--what can I say about them. They are going great guns. I've never had such beautiful eggplant or green bell peppers. The cukes have loads of blossoms, but barely any fruit. It's the loss of tomatoes that saddens me because I had planned on canning this year. Oh well, I can still buy some.
I'm sorry that others have had a bad year also.
Betty in Pasco |
| kristin sherrill |
Posted - Sep 02 2010 : 09:48:01 AM
I had a bad garden year also. And I lost 2 blueberry bushes. The leaves just dry up and fall off. And I watered nearly every other day. They might not have gotten enough sun where they were because the other 2 are fine and they get way more sun. It's so dry too. I'm so sorry you didn't have a good garden season. There is always next year!
Kris
Happiness is simple. |
| Ms.Lilly |
Posted - Sep 02 2010 : 07:51:54 AM
Don't feel bad it was a really bad year for all of us in the NW. My peas didn't produce until mid july, I still have no red tomatos, only 4 zuch, and the list goes on and on. In fact I just gave in and turned the chickens loose in the garden. By the way my blueberries are looking pretty rough this year too. Hang in there next year will be better.
Lillian |
| Alee |
Posted - Sep 02 2010 : 07:51:12 AM
Oh no! That is too bad. I wonder what caused it to do that?
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com
www.allergyjourneys.blogspot.com
Put your pin on the farmgirl map! www.farmgirlmap.blogspot.com |
