The easy answer for that? There hasn't been as much to brag about. My garden is very late to produce this year...I just got to eat my first zucchini last weekend, and we have had about 2 dozen cherry tomatoes, with no more than 4 or 5 a day being ready to go. Finally, today, I was able to bring in enough stuff at once to fill a small bowl: 2 tomatoes, 2 lemon cucumbers, and a regular cucumber.
There are several reasons for such a poor turnout so far...one or two of which I deserve the blame.
First, there was our late frost. After temperatures in the 80's halfway through April, we had two overnight freezes the first week in May, which kicked a lot of the plant's asses in my garden. So...not protecting things from a potential freeze is my fault. Not just ripping everything out and replacing it all while things were still on sale at every store, also my fault.
What isn't my fault is how fast things changed when summer did get here. We went from 80's, to a freeze, and then right up into the 90's with very little time spent in true 'spring' conditions...so the plants, which barely recovered from the freeze, didn't get much chance to establish themselves before getting hot, hot, hot.
Finally, and what I think is the primary reason for my sad production, is the dirt. After putting in the raised beds, since my truck was not doing good at the time, I resigned myself to buying bags of topsoil and compost at Home Depot. Each 4 by 4 foot bed got three bags...2 of top soil, and 1 of compost, for a total of 9 cubic feet of dirt. Looking to save money, I bought the Kellogg brand soil and compost, because, well, they were cheaper than 20+ bags of Miracle Grow would have been.
Even as I was opening and dumping bags into the beds, I had to check to make sure I hadn't bought the wrong stuff...my top soil looked and awful lot like bark. Heck, even now, 4 months later, it still looks a lot like bark.
Oh well...too late in the summer to worry about it now. I can just focus on the positives of spending the fall mixing in some of the grass clippings/leaves and chicken poop I've been composting, and be satisfied with next years garden being better.
At least you have a garden. More power to you.
ReplyDeleteThere are always OFF years. My Dad was taking care of a friends garden while they were on vacation (little town near Astoria). The tomatoes weren't doing well at all that year. He went to the store and bought some (likely hothouse) beefsteak tomatoes and TIED them to the vines just before the homeowners returned. The owners were SO excited until "WTF, these are TIED on here??!!"
My first year in the gardening "business" is... looking to be mostly loss. Maybe some corn. Perhaps a few turnips and kohlrabi, I'm not sure about any tomatoes or hot peppers... Still time, but... I have no real idea what I am doing, quite yet.
ReplyDeleteAs far as I can see, you are still someone I watch and learn from. Yeah, off years. At least you have already had "on" years. :p