7 Things I learned Gardening in 2019
With the beginning of a new year, I find myself once again looking forward to the planting season. With the efforts of last year, we have learned a few things again. I wanted to share what we learned from 2019.
1-- Keeping up with bale pathways decreases the time spent pulling SO many weeds
2--Some herbs are stubborn. That is GOOD!
The sickly looking ones are Valerian I believe.... name escapes me at the moment. Either way, they replanted nicely after growing for 5 years in another place. Also perennial chives and Egyptian onion. We added a lot more. Think I put a few annual herbs in there too.
3--Peppers do much better in big pots in the greenhouse then they do in our soil, also Nasturtiums brought in a lot of beneficial bugs I didn't even recognize at first
4a--DO NOT plant large squash plants in the greenhouse.....they will take over....this one climbed the apple tree we haven't moved yet
4b--Pruning said squash can be a good thing.
These plants got so big the flowers weren't seeing enough sunlight and pollinators couldn't get to them. I hacked them down about three or four times so the squash I had would mature.
5--Um... some squash will cross... so patti pans next to pumpkins equals REALLY thick skin if not picked quick enough.
6--A good harvest isn't always judged by how MUCH you harvested, but the quality.
Tho I was able to dehydrate a LOT of summer squash, the kids were more excited by the long, fat, purple carrots. They were sweet, they were crunchy, and we ate SO many we probably should have gotten sick... I regret nothing.
7--With a dehydrator, most things won't go to waste.
I dehydrated so much...It takes up less space and makes it easy to add to soups, stews, and chilis.
We also had about 15 to 20 crates of pumpkins and extra squash. The bunnies ate VERY well this Winter until we ran out. Our compost pile even sprouted some extra squash from all the hacking down I did of big plants.
So what did YOU learn from gardening last year? Any new things you plan on trying? We're trying strawberry popping corn...we'll see how it works out.
Later peeps!
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I learned that mice will eat your beans if you leave them too long, potted potato tubers won't survive the winter, and that canary beans stent very disease resistant. I don't know why my beets didn't grow. I even planted them near some companions. I'd like to try some new and different perennials as more of a food forest approach but don't know where to start. My space is relatively small.
I had a problem with beets too. I had these wonderful beet tops and then nothing underground. It wasn't chewed off or anything, just tiny little baby beets.
Same here except the tops were teeny tiny as well. I had started them indoors. I think they didn't take the transplanting too well.
I heavily mulch with hay as I plant and seldom do more than 20 mins of weeding in one of my big gardens every couple weeks. I even take the time in the spring when it is cool to tuck hay around plants. Much easier when it's cool, than weeding when it's hot.
I had to lay my hay pathways twice, figure I'll make them thicker this year.
I try to use baled hay because the 4" packed leaves are the perfect depth/size for pathways. I NEVER shake the leaves out, leave them packed they work excellently that way.
Very interesting gardening information and impressive garden! I enjoy reading about others gardening and farming learning experiences. I love the photos as well, those veggies look amazing! Great post! :)
Thank you!
Hi tillysfamilyfarm,
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Thank you!
Hello, I love your publication, it shows that you were very worried about the crop and I see that you chose a very good harvest, I liked the tips of the peppers, I tried to harvest them and I have not had good results, I will follow your advice, I congratulate you for your good publication and by the vote of @curie. regards
My mom tried the bucket thing for the peppers the year before, so I stole the idea from her. I had about ten or twelve yucky old buckets that I used and they did great. My oldest son was out almost every day watering and checking on 'his' peppers.
you did a great job and you always learn !! and then every year it is never the same as the previous one ;-D I don't have a garden of my own but I have often worked in the countryside, and with great satisfaction when the harvest is good !! congratulations on your work
Hi @tillysfamilyfarm, hahahaha Rabbits are naughty! I think you got a good learning curve from last year's usual. I wanted to plant cherry tomatoes and milky plants. I learned the following: both plants should be sown in seedbeds first and then transplanted into the ground. I sowed them directly into the ground and it didn't work. Thank you for sharing your successes in agriculture.