9.19.2005
Garden wrap-up: lessons learned
1) Do not tolerate squatter squash.
2) Potatoes don't like pumpkins.
3) The fruit known as "cucumber" that can be found growing on the vine of the same name is only a myth. Everyone knows cucumber vines are merely decorative ground cover.
4) Don't even think of planting more than 3 squash plants (including pumpkin)-- and you only need 1 of each type. Don't you go picking out 3 different kinds of heirloom squash and then think that you should plant 2 of each, and that this year you'll be careful with spacing and planning so they won't take everything over, you know that never works...
5) Separate the tomatoes that are green when ripe from the tomatoes that are other colors when ripe -- and then clearly label them as Green Tomatoes so that you will never have another year where you miss out on their succulent sweetness when you refuse to pick them because, gosh darn it, they aren't red yet.
6) If you want to harvest any corn at all, do not allow Oliver to "lose" his radio fence collar. No matter what he says, he simply will not leave the plants alone once they get big enough to look like sticks to chew.
7) Slug-O does a pretty good job of killing snails and slugs, but in order for it to be most effective, you do have to apply it to the sluggy areas. Setting the bottle near the garden is simply not good enough.
8) Give up on beans... just give up, ok?
9) Potatoes need water, too.
10) Fertilizer. More does not equal better.
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We will keep these things in mind when planting our fall garden...we ended up having to rip up all of OUR unproductive cucumber, alien squash intermingled with watermelon and pumpkin (where does one start and the other begin??) and burnt up tomatoes. :) Fall promises better things...we hope!
wow, you can plant in the fall? Oh, that's right, you live someplace where winters are warm...