What will you be doing differently next year?

[MissS]

I learned that I now have a major deer problem. I will have to find a way to fence in my garden even though it's against my HOMA rules if I want to eat a single tomato.

[Fred Hempel]

This is something I should have learned by now -- I am going to put my peppers on different drip irrigation from the tomatoes.

They are always too dry when they are on the same system. And it really limited production this year. Peppers seem to be impossible to over-water, and very easy to under-water.

[Nan_PA_6b]

Never try to grow anything in the cabbage family. I had the plants enclosed in netting completely, & still had tiny green worms.

[Tormato]

Originally Posted by Nan_PA_6b

Never try to grow anything in the cabbage family. I had the plants enclosed in netting completely, & still had tiny green worms.

Good to know. I was all set to dump about 2 dozen varieties your way. There are others in the SS Swap where they'll find a good home.

[b54red]

Originally Posted by Nan_PA_6b

Never try to grow anything in the cabbage family. I had the plants enclosed in netting completely, & still had tiny green worms.

Nan that is a very easy problem to overcome by applying Dipel dust after every rain or heavy watering. It will keep the worms under control and it is organic and safe.

Bill

[Nan_PA_6b]

Miss S, maybe you can go minimalist with a couple strands of electrified fence?

[AlittleSalt]

My best answer is, "I'll play it by ear". I'll probably grow some native things that can include tomatoes.

[Father'sDaughter]

Lots more dwarfs, and fewer ladders and 8' tomato stakes.

[bower]

I'll be going back to planting tomatoes early instead of late.

[SeanInVa]

While we have deer, and they destroyed a few things - the cottontails, which have proliferated in recent years ravaged the tomatoes (with help from the chickens). So fencing is definitely in order next year!

Aside from that, will be growing more than this year and hoping to work on some watering systems

[greenthumbomaha]

More diversity in vegetables is the plan for next season. I grew a greater variety of vegetables such as a winter squash medely, and gave them more attention. I actually got a handful of bush string and wax beans, and did a second picking. I'm starting to get the hang of beans, finally. Going back to trying pole and picking before they fry up.

Lettuce was awesome, I had two 4 X 4 beds going all summer. Final call for cauliflower, trying Amazing via a trade here. Trying to find the magic spot for beets. Red potato varieties and more too.

Poof to hot peppers or transplants, which are mostly gifted. Although they are fun and have bragging rights, I don't use them, and they are somehow getting in to my supply with not fun results.

Never growing corn again !!! Voles !!!!!!

- Lisa

[slugworth]

better labeling.
I ended up with a lot of mystery plants from a lack of proper labeling.

[kilroyscarnival]

Starting earlier under the grow lights and making my setup more flexible so I can transfer into bigger pots and still get enough light. That way they won't sit in small cups waiting for the Florida weather to turn.

By then we'll have drip irrigation sorted and ready.

Essentially I hope to get my other half as interested as I am, or at least enough so that during the day when he's home and I'm at work, he can inspect everything and have an idea what to look for and do. I've learned that I'm essentially only a weekend gardener now that the time has changed. I get about ten minutes of light in the morning before I have to leave for work and have done a lot of checking by flashlight.

Planting more of the herbs that we use a lot - cilantro or similar that doesn't bolt as early, parsley, thyme, and chives.

Some better, bigger containers for deep plants and things that will need support. Learning about making my own hypertufa planters.

[Goodloe]

I'm going to let most of my tomato patch lie fallow next year and try out some nematode mitigation methods. I'll only plant a few resistant hybrids in-ground...the rest I will plant in containers.

I had to Google "hypertufa" Looks pretty cool!

[b54red]

Originally Posted by Goodloe

I'm going to let most of my tomato patch lie fallow next year and try out some nematode mitigation methods. I'll only plant a few resistant hybrids in-ground...the rest I will plant in containers.

I had to Google "hypertufa" Looks pretty cool!

Try grafting instead of doing without for a whole season. I have a terrible nematode problem in my garden but since I started grafting even in the most drought affected years the nematodes don't make too much impact until late in the season and by then the spider mites are affecting many of the older plants. I also stagger my plantings so that I always have some fairly young plants starting through June and by the time the first plants start looking bad or getting some fusarium or nematode damage the newer plantings are producing.

Bill