What I have learned This Summer about Gardening

[hangin'witthepeeps]

I have learned a lot, and I will edit here as necessary and come back next spring to look it over again before planting.

I live in 7b north of Atlanta, GA...


End of March is a good planting time, but be prepared to cover plants in case of late frost.

I like "Terrific" Tomatoes, Husk Cherry Red and only plant one sweet millions in a deep and wide pot. Sweet millions needs a supporting trellis. Plant late tomatoes around last of July for tomatoes until frost.

No squash in a raised bed, to crowded, not enough air flow, squash bugs will take over and you will get blight. Only out in the open with plenty of air to circulate, need minimum 3 feet from other plants and plenty of water. Be diligent and cover the soil with fabric to hinder squash bugs, treat with Neem, and I need to stress be diligent.

Radishes/Carrots do need some sun and some shade. Lettuce will not grow after April, just don't try it. It's heart breaking.

Beets are a fall crop, but beet greens can be grown in the spring and they taste good.

Winter squash is grown in the summer like the others and left to ripen until fall. Plant a few in the corn patch or sunflower patch.

Compost everything you can. Good food for plants makes good food for you.

 

[journey11]

Good idea taking notes. I need to sit down and do some reflecting myself. Particularly need to stress to myself next year THE IMPORTANCE OF MULCHING!

 

[wsmoak]

I learned that when you take advantage of late spring sales on trees and berry bushes/canes, it's better to put them in a container on the shady porch where you see them several times a day and can baby them through the summer. The ones I put out in their assigned spots all died because they didn't get enough water and/or were not established enough to survive the heat.

I'm happy with a couple of blueberries and a dwarf cherry tree that I kept on the porch though, so it wasn't a complete loss!

What did everyone else learn this summer?

--
Wendy

 

[Ga Chicken Mom]

My cherry tomatoes were really looking bad by the middle of August. I had started seeds in mid Feb and transplanted them into 14" pots in mid April. The 9 plants produced well and kept us in cherry tomatoes for months. By Aug the plants had some kind of wilt/virus (?) so I cut them back, removing all the blighted leaves, let them recover for a few days, fertilized and watered well. I have a whole new crop of cherry tomatoes ripening! The plants look brand new and are growing like crazy. I have been diligent about removing any wilted leaves, watering and fertilizing. I never knew I could coax tomatoes into bearing again at the end of summer.

 

[RDRANCH]

Great advice Hangin' Just be careful about composting everything you can. Plants with disese are better burned than composted as pathogens can survive the compost process and rememerge in the garden.

We can compost healthy plant material and burn the rest in the garden along with scorching the surface to cut down on weed seeds for next season and work the ash into the ground.

I have given several talks to people new to gardening and I try to get them to think of their garden and their property as their own source of natural resources. Meaning if you have some extra room to grow some plants that are not given extra care just to provide extra "green" products for the compost pile. You don't need to use very fertilizer or extra water to grow stuff just to add to the compost pile to keep it well fed with "green" stuff.

 

[ducks4you]

I've learned that I cannot start any root vegetables indoors--they ALL have to be direct-sown.
I've learned that you can put out hot season vegetables early if you have opaque plastic bags to make a mini-greenhouse for them.
I've learned that you can use animal bedding (horse and chicken) for compost as late as two months prior to planting, and the only weeding has been grasses. NO NEED TO FERTILIZE.
I've learned that raised beds are the best gift you can give to yourself, even it they are only 3 inches tall. To not compress the soil is to tuck all your plants in with a blanket.
I've learned that if you plant too late your tomato plants will produce sour fruit.
I've learned that your vegetables really want to have cool nights in order to produce.
I've learned that gardening takes awhile to understand, and failures teach you how to grow next year.
I've learned that you really can take inside for the winter the plants that you didn't get into the ground, and plant them next year. Examples: 2 blackberry bushes, 6 geraniums, tobacco seedlings, ANY herbs, small trees

FINALLY, I've learned that you can have a garden where there really is a harvest season, instead of breaking your back working on it with little result!!

 

[obsessed]

I learned to relax. And that gardening can still be fun even if there is no harvest. I also learned to simplify
what I plant so as to not be over burdened.

 

[vfem]

I learned I have the heat and if something in the garden needs to be done when its in the 100's for weeks... it will NOT get done!

But you all have some great advice, and I will definitely have to keep everything you've said in mind.