While it's fresh in your mind, what improvements will you make on next year's garden?

[lazy gardener]

Every year at this time, I start thinking about all of the mistakes I've made.
I've made some good changes, the primary one being to put cattle panel all around the garden, with deer netting surrounding that. The second good change is getting a dog. Hoping that slinging her poo into the underbrush at the west end of my yard will deter coons from my corn. Third good change is 3 plantings of zucchini. Yes, you heard me right. That allows me to pull the overgrown plants as the new ones are coming into production.

Need to improve upon:

1. Increase space between rows and beds
2. Don't be such a sap when it comes to allowing all of the volunteers to stay. Unless they are in an established bed/row, they gotta go.

 

[lazy gardener]

Every years promise, oh so quickly forgotten when I start touching those seed packets: plant less so there are some actual walking paths in the jungle which is my garden.

 

[lazy gardener]

Chickadoodles, how are your strawberries doing in the kiddie pool during cooler weather. I'm a lot farther north than you are. It's not above freezing here today in Macon Co Missouri and I just had to go out and break out the water on the chicken's outdoor waterer. Silly things won't go inside to drink out of their heated water holder till they go in at sunset.

I got two Pine Berry plants along with a mail order of plants last year (BTW avoid Burgess like it was poison) and they were about the only plants I got in that shipment that did really well. My big problem was my back kept me from really giving them a good weeding. They have multiplied like crazy for me but depending on how well they tolerate zone 5b winters I wouldn't mind transplanting them to a kiddie pool set up. I could even raise the bed then if needed for ease of care.

I'm sold. I tried the bag garden this summer but I don't think my soil supported the plants...Or I underestimated the amount of water they needed. Maybe a mix of both. I wondered if you could plant and grow butternut squash in the container bags. I made my bags out of the woven plastic type chicken feed bags. I love any gardening that I can do that will save my back more wear and tear. Two weeks ago I had to have an injection of steroids and zylocaine into the left SI joint in my pelvis. I have arthritis in my lower back along with unstable vertebrae and a lumbar scoliosis. It will never be good but it can be better, especially if I live in the boundaries of my limitations. Of course I've never been one to do that and my doctor knows it.

Never give up, never surrender has become my motto.

Gardening in any type of container is limiting due to the container requiring more maintenance in terms of added fertility and water. In container gardening, one afternoon of missed water can result in an irreversible set back that dwarfs production for the remainder of the season. I think the kiddie pool system bypasses both of those issues. MC, if I was in your sandals, and wanted to grow butternut squash, I'd work up a small area, wouldn't have to be very big, and you could even do a lasagna style, perhaps a bed about 3' x 8'. Then, I'd put up a heavy duty trellis on the north side of the bed, and plant the squash just in front of the trellis. I'm very fond of cattle panels. They are indestructible, and require little in the way of support. You might do a google search on use of cattle panels in the garden. Your butternut will happily climb the trellis, and leave room in the front for greens, beans, cabbage or such. Put down some mulch, and you will bypass any weeding issues. Several years ago, I grew 185# of squash. No, that was not a typing error. One hundred eighty five pounds of squash in a hill that was about 4' x 6'. Had similar yield this season in my HK bed.

 

[lazy gardener]

Tomato cages: Cattle panels, staked about 12 - 15" apart. indestructible. last for ever.

 

[Killer Tomato]

I love the straw bales and shower doors cold frame idea, and actually HAVE them ready to go, but my sweetie says "No way!" He says I'm one step away from an old couch and washer on the porch if I put that "stuff" in the garden. "I'll build you a *nice* cold frame!" <tick tock tick tock>

I see nothing wrong with a couch and washer on the porch, either.

 

[Killer Tomato]

I bought my first house last fall, and was so busy with my new house, and getting chickens -- my new garden was somewhat neglected. This fall, winter, spring, I will continue to amend the soil in the raised beds -- and chicken/bunny proof areas better (mine wander everywhere in the back yard)

I'm going to go plant my cold frame veggies this week. (I'm in 8b zone). Last year in January, I had spinach, parsley, and broccoli sprouts poking up in my cold frame, which was surrounded by snow. I'll probably do radishes and parsley for sure -- my bunnies will love it!

I'm contemplating growing tomatoes indoors, under a grow light, this winter. I HATE store bought ones, and don't eat tomatoes til I can get them fresh in the summer, but find that I really miss them. It might make the winter less dreary if I had some happy tomatoes growing in a corner of the house?

 

[lazy gardener]

@lazy gardener

So if I read that right......
I basically make a channel between the panels 15" or so wide with the plants in between.
I assume T posts to hold it all up.
I LIKE it. Easy, sturdy, long lasting my kinda thing.

I have one panel already laying about doing nothing.

Not sure why I never thought of it.

Yep, you got it. 6' posts do the job nicely. I like to put the panels up about 8 - 12" above the ground, so it's easier to cultivate as needed around the tomatoes. I put up one panel, plant the tomatoes along side it, then put up the second panel, sandwiching the plants in the middle.

Yes to this -- I didn't have nearly enough this summer, and what I did get suffered from bottom end rot (my soil was crap this year -- I'm working on it!).

I don't have any salsa or canned tomatoes for this winter. Meh.

Bottom end rot is usually caused by poor calcium uptake in the plant. Usually, calcium levels in the soil are fine, but with cold weather stress, or changes in water uptake, the plant can't take up and utilize the calcium. Ensuring that the plants are warm enough will go a long ways to preventing this sad affair! BTE will ensure consistent moisture which will be an other BER preventive.

https://www.gardeners.com/how-to/blossom-end-rot/5354.html

I'm working on a pile of cardboard for next year, need to put up my little greenhouse so I can plant my seeds for an earlier start and I now have row covers. I figure when the plastic rots I can zip tie shade to them and keep using in summer.
Working on the compost, but it's more like a hugel mound with all the tree limbs in there. Not sure what I'm going to do with it.
Working on calling tree removal companies to see if they'll dump some good stuff in my back yard.

I call appliance stores. They are more than happy to save their appliance boxes for me. I call ahead, and set up a pick up time at their ware house. I can bring home a truck load at a time. A load will go quite a ways in the sheet compost, poison ivy control, and BTE areas.

Good luck with the tree removal companies. We had a wild storm that toppled trees throughout our state, and put power out for many days. All the companies are working as hard as they can to clear the roads and power lines. Yet, with all this activity, I have not been able to score a single load. They simply won't deliver to a private residence, even though I have very good dumping access.

 

[deepbluesea]

Very mixed bag for me this year. I traveled in July and then had a health set-back (fixed now, thankfully), so it got out of control much earlier than usual this year.

Good
Cherry tomatoes and roma tomatoes did well. Saved seeds.
Hot peppers (habanero and jalapeno) were prolific and tasty.
Bell peppers were productive but much smaller than I wanted.
Fennel and dill did their things as food for caterpillars.
Greens did well overall
My lemongrass is about 6'x6'

No-so-good
The German Johnson tomatoes didn't set fruit at ALL. It was very hot and humid here, so I'm wondering if it was just above the temp at which this cultivar sets fruit. Back to Black Krim and Hillbilly Potatoleaf for me.

The cilantro bolted waaaay before I could do more than freeze it.

I let the jasmine vines gain the upper hand and now it's going to be a pain to get rid of it all. They've draped all over my blackberries.

Next year--new large tomato type, plant only one type of squash, set up redneck coldframe with straw bales and old shower doors.

 

[CapricornFarm]

Very mixed bag for me this year. I traveled in July and then had a health set-back (fixed now, thankfully), so it got out of control much earlier than usual this year.

Good
Cherry tomatoes and roma tomatoes did well. Saved seeds.
Hot peppers (habanero and jalapeno) were prolific and tasty.
Bell peppers were productive but much smaller than I wanted.
Fennel and dill did their things as food for caterpillars.
Greens did well overall
My lemongrass is about 6'x6'

No-so-good
The German Johnson tomatoes didn't set fruit at ALL. It was very hot and humid here, so I'm wondering if it was just above the temp at which this cultivar sets fruit. Back to Black Krim and Hillbilly Potatoleaf for me.

The cilantro bolted waaaay before I could do more than freeze it.

I let the jasmine vines gain the upper hand and now it's going to be a pain to get rid of it all. They've draped all over my blackberries.

Next year--new large tomato type, plant only one type of squash, set up redneck coldframe with straw bales and old shower doors.

I used old shower doors in the roof of my coop as skylights. Works great!

 

[lazy gardener]

First seed catalog today!!!! It doesn't matter that I never order from this company. I can still drool all over all the pretty pictures and think about seeds and warm garden soil.