Brian, something PHENOMENAL happened this year, NOT in our garden, but in a huge leaf pile nearby. Apparently I threw some overripe yellow squash and cucumber in there at the end of the garden season last year. Some volunteers came up this spring and they went crazy. We picked over 60 total cucumbers from ONE vine, and several dozen squash from ONE plant. Apparently this spring the seeds sprouted and sent down roots through at least a foot of wet leaves into the moist soil beneath. Despite a month of no rain during the summer, these two volunteers outdid the many plants that I actually planted in the garden. I don't know if I can intentionally duplicate that again but I'm going to try!
I'm not sure if zone matters, but I always have blue salvia (large bushy variety), milkweed, penta (bees LOVE this), and have bought seeds for several more. The salvia and penta are just extraordinary, and even in this awful NE Florida heat this summer, they stayed totally covered in flowers. It was bee heaven over here.
@@lucysmith6827 thanks for the tip. I'm in zone 9a southwest Louisiana and the heat this tore was brutal. Very little harvest of anything . But I was satisfied with what I did get as this is my first ti.e gardening
Per Brian's book on companion planting, I increased the number of flowers in and around our raised beds. I have never liked the smell of Sweet Alyssum, but it was an absolute insect magnet. I planted lots of Zinnias, Sunflowers, and marigolds that really brought in the honeybees and bumblebees. I just converted a space where I usually grow zucchini to an area where I planted Butterfly Milkweed, so it will be interesting to see if that also helps increase pollinators and beneficials.
I have 3 raised bed gardens and save one to plant zinnia, cosmos, sunflower, dahlia and butterfly weed in it. (I plant parsley in my garden for the caterpillars) My neighbor loves it as much as I do
I have done this for 20+ years,,,, I also add the weather on the day that I am writing,,,, I grow 1000+ bedding plants in the basement every year,,,, so I count in my journal to remind me , what and where I planted as well as how they did🌺🦋
I’m in zone 9a in Texas. We have had a very dry summer with most days in the 3 digits. The plants that shocked me the most this year are Gypsy Bell Peppers and Louisiana Green Eggplant. I planted four of each plant in early spring and have picked dozens upon dozens of each. They are still producing and blooming like crazy! I will NEVER not have them in my garden!
I won't be here next year, so I've already started my notebook and walked my son through the garden quite a bit to show him how I'm doing things and to discuss what worked this year and what didn't. Being my first year having a garden here I"ll definitely have them starting it earlier next year..
If I might add, I bought a shade screen for my tomatoes, they don't like the sun either, Even over my okra works good. found out Okra like bunches of water, you can grow big fruit and there still tender! Thank you for the list reminder.
I am so glad I watched this. This morning I took a cool drink out to the garden, sat in a chair, and started to write down all the things that went well. I was amazed!! I actually had a lot of stuff growing and being harvested. The bees were all around me as I was writing. It was a very encouraging exercise and gave me hope for next year. I did have a few fails but not as many as I felt I had. Then I took pictures of all the garden beds and am getting them printed up as we speak. Thanks for the encouragement.
You can start pole bean seeds in mid to late August, cover with shade clothe until days stay in low 80s, and you'll get a great fall harvest. Shade cloth will also protect your tomatoes on the hottest weeks so they will not stop production and last longer until frost.
Thank you for mentioning and showing a wrapped tomato. I had no idea that action would keep the squirrels away. I hope it works for the chipmunks who always ruin the first and best fruits.
I live in the South. I am in Georgia 7B-8A zone and I love Peaches and Cream corn. It is a cross between Silver Queen White Corn and a buttery yellow corn. Literally some kernels are white and some yellow. Really pretty corn and grows well here. I keep notes but the main thing for me that has been really helpful is I log and record everything I harvest. It gives me an accurate picture of what produced well (map of my garden for reference with plantings) and the weight of everything. That way I can look back to see yields on produce as well. I love to get my yearly weight total and set new goals for the coming year.
Great ideas! thank you for sharing! One funny thing is that Rocky, our local the squirrel planted two of his peanuts in two of my pots and they are doing great! Go figure!
I think you have made tremendous progress in one year. I am proud of you. Thank God for tractor guy who helped you create the terrace and break through the caliche. That alone is so much more progress than people like me with small yards can do. You have had many challenges that you have successfully overcome and you need to give yourself credit for that.
My bell peppers also had that sun scorch but did fantastic otherwise. Will plant more and cover them next year. I didnt get any tomatoes and planted 16. Barely any flowers. Just too hot. I probably wont grow corn again or if I do just one kind so there isnt cross pollination. I like the glass gem corn for decoration. Zucchini was prolific but we want double the amount to save. I wont grow the curly kale or dinosaur kale ever again due to just an overwhelming amount of pests. Redbar kale grew amazing and no pests. P.S. You are the main reason for starting my back yard garden! Thanks for this video. I will be Journaling my year in my new home and new much higher elevation. For my 1st year Im happy with the results. Spent so much money setting it up but it was enjoyable and hard hard work. Gotta get my drip system in I bought 6 months ago!
@@onemoredoll5791 determinate tomatoes stop producing in the heat. Indeterminate ones produce all summer. A lot of those are cherry type tomatoes but the newer varieties are getting bigger.
I learned a lot this year myself. I did very well with bell peppers since I put them in shaded areas or grew them in beds with other plants that helped protect each other. Like growing them in the shade of my cucumbers where the sun could not just the crap out of them here in E TX. Right now I am getting really nice sized Bells, and my Banana Peppers have kicked back in again and now getting enough of those to make a jar or two every other day. I LOVE Banana Peppers not being hot and they go on so many food dishes and sandwiches. YUM! More Banana Peppers next year! Now my Cantaloupe have been growing, but they just keep getting murdered by pests like rolly pollies. Whoever said they don't do damage to full-grown fruits and stuff has never met the E TX rollie pollies. These things can wipe out crops to the nubs of the roots in a single night by the millions!! I have now learned a trick to keep my melons from being decimated by putting the melons up on small crates that the bugs will not really climb or cannot find them since I am 100% organic. My tomatoes did well in the spring but got wiped out by the heat and a few actually that struggled are just now making a comeback and growing nicely? Who knew? But my Black Eyed Peas are rocking! I put net bags around those and it keeps the bean bugs out of 99% of them. These beans are now about 1ft long! Every day I am picking dried one;s and covering new ones that are still growing well! I should have about 6 lbs of them or more for storage this year. So more beans next year. Hopefully my sugar snap peas make it, They started growing well. But not sure if I have enough time for loads of them .More of those in the spring. Its all new to me every year of learning new tricks. But its fun and healthy. Oh and more shade cloths!
I planted something called at Armenian cucumber this year. I really enjoyed it. It wasn't bitter it had small seeds. It had a mild flavor and was great for salads, fresh eating... all sorts of stuff. I would highly recommend it. I believe I bought the seeds at Gurney's.
Hello, I made the mistake in planting pickle cucumbers next to .yellow cooked neck squash. The cucumbers were all yellow balls with large seeds the squash wasn't affected. I planted some burgess cucumbers on the other end and they were fine. So maybe you should tell people to separate cucumbers and squash.
This was a crap year for most of us. Some things were successful and I noted them. I bought a note box that I can keep outside that will contain my notes. Usually my notes are in the garage so things aren’t recorded. Now they can be kept outdoors in one tool box in their own container. I will add a thermometer so I can read the air and soil temperatures.
Hey Brian! I’m really surprised you had bad luck with Beit Alpha cucumbers! I tried them for the first time this year and will not try anything else!! They were great! No pollinators needed also so that’s a plus!! Thank you!
Hi. Just a quick tip. To save time and money to wrap-around tomatoes, you can harvest tomatoes soon as the bottom turn Orange, Orange ish. This way the squirrels or ants don't touch them, because they don't like it that way. The tomatoes already have inside what it need and you able to produce more tomatoes because the plant is gonna focus in producing more vegetables. Not wasting energy to growth fully. Only have to do harvest the tomatoes and place in a Sunny place inside in the house. Couple of days it will turn totally red and joyful same as the ones you left totally turn red on the plants. Try it next season. I'm doing this way for years, it works for me.
I have learned sooo much this past year watching gardening, mulching,composting, saving seeds, how to keep critters and flying bugs away from my plants. Those that get attacked too much I bring in the house and use grow lights etc, as necessary. BUT, I am in zone 4/5 and RARELY can I find enough videos for my area. I can’t GROW in December in Minneapolis Minnesota.if anyone can direct me to videos for my zones, I’ll be so appreciative. I won’t stop watching anyone I’ve already subscribed to, because I gain from them all. In a couple of weeks,I will plant my garlic outside and cover with straw. I, too, didn’t pay much attention to mulching but I see the difference in a variety of ways. I have also learned better ways to grow inside, and that includes I need to add a ceiling fan so that the plants get simulated wind to strengthen their legs.
Thanks for the wise advice! My notes to myself include - Different mix of tomato varieties: fewer cherry, more slicing tomatoes Fewer zucchini plants - there is just so much muffins/breads I can bake, or fresh zuke we can eat or give away! Eggplants - this was 1st year planting and it was disappointing: 4 plants yielded 1 fruit; give it another chance, but in different location. Keep under lights and harden & put in garden 2 weeks later More cucumber plants; plus start new plants in early to mid July so they are ready to replace snow peas once those have finished producing Put peppers in sunnier location Beans - More bush, fewer pole varieties. Find local supplier for cattle panels Was not crazy about celery… use space to put more beets instead Plant cosmos and other bee attracting flowers in pots next to, not in, raised beds! Get 3rd composter
Hi Isabelle, That all sounds like I wish I'd grown as well as you have, but why are you "composting" in containers??? It's best to compost with soil contact - for hundreds of reasons. Most of all, your compost could be feeding the soil it is piled upon, as well as the millions of living organisms in the soil which could be breaking down your materials, being fed & multiplying, thus boosting the fertility & improving the tilth of the soil it's on faster. The rain &/or your watering will help break down the materials & will deliver materials to the worms, soil beetles & invisible to our eyes organisms who improve the soil. I can't stress this enough. Also, as you turn your compost, gather up some soil with your shovel from the edges & build up your compost faster. It will heat up with life & microbial activity.
@@cherylanderson3340 I hope to start making my own Compost. Do you have any recommended resources I could check out for best practices? Greatly appreciate any direction!
A tip for yozr peppers that worked very good this year: Plant them beside your tomatoes in north-south direction. The peppers on the east side, the tomatoes on the west. By this the peppers get the perfect morning sun and are shadowed by the higher tomatoes in the afternoon.
I have been giving Fall yard and Garden talks recently and have been stressing this. Take Photos, notes. The photos also help when ordering seeds and plants for next year, so you order accordingly. (Don't order 12 Peonies, if you have room for only 2--LOL)
This is good advice to take notes because no season is the same as prior and also you are on a new property with new soil,elevation,climate overall in locality 👍
Grow lots of cherry tomatoes! I dehydrated a ton of cherry Tom's and put them in olive oil. They were amazing! They are wonderful on garlic bread, spaghetti, just to eat! Oh They were amazing. I planted 20 cherry tomato plants!
The video journal is a great idea. I get so tired at this point in the season I don't have energy to write things down but filming and talking on my phone for some reason seems easier in my mind.
Tomato crops were low for everyone I talk to. My tomatoes are strung up to a hoop tunnel so I can shade them in the hottest part of the day, or cover completely to extend the season. This time last year I still had 25+lbs on the vines... I am lucky if I got 30 lbs total this year. 😪 I did not get one single cucumber or patty pan squash. I just let the plants die about 2 weeks ago. My Scarlett Runner Beans did not produce one single pod! I thought it might be a virus or soil issues, but if heat could be the problem, I'll try again next year. This is my third try at okra and I finally had success! We have a short season and they just didn't mature quick enough before. I do cover my plants at night when the temps are below 50°F. I just canned some hot pickled okra...if you haven't tried it, it's the bomb! Also, grill those pods that are too large to pickle, or slice/bread/fry them for a super treat! Tomatillos gone wild! I will have so much tomatillo salsa this year. 😋 Loving it! The pumpkins were weird this season. I have had tons of flowers. Many female dropped off before flowering. My last count is approx 8 pie pumpkins on 3 plants, but they are ALL on the small side, except for 1. It was a tough year dealing with squash bugs and squash vine borers, too. On the contrary, my winter squash was prolific! Corn did OK. I tried a yellow and white corn and did not like it as much as the white corn from last year, which was sweeter and plumper. Peppers did fantastic. I have a knee high wire fence around them and put a row cover (shade cloth) over them during the day. I grew extra jalapeños because of all the salsa I make and to can extra cowboy candy, which I just finished canning earlier today. 😋😛😜 Mixed bag of results. But I like the idea of taking pics. I have some from July 15, too.
A Tip for you from someone who gardened in Texas for a few years. Buy a roll or two of the darkest window screen you can find, and some pust in fence posts. Place these so the window screen shades your pepper plants ( and anything else that is getting way too much sun). This will only work for small plots, but it does help. Be certain to place it high enough thaat the bees can freely buzzz in there to pollinate the flowers. Because it's window screen, any rain you get will go right thru. Good luck!
I've learned so much yet the last three years I've had financial or weather issues slow down or make me give up on some planting. Some of the things that require less care or are already perennialized are doing well, e.g. the apple tree next to the kitchen. Inch by inch. This year I thought would go well but the rains stopped two and a half months early after an underwet January (Central Coast California). Here's hoping it comes together right this year. Given food inflation I may have to grin and bear it using more tap water if the rains come short again.
For my garden notebook I got a smallish dollar store calendar that has a sidebar space for notes. I used it to plot out last and first frost dates, planned when I would start seeds, documented when I planted starts out and direct seeded, noted when I first harvested something, made other various notes, and now I’ll jot down a summary. My best veggies were Rutgers tomatoes, bush beans (wax, blue lake, and royal purple), and New Zealand spinach. My biggest disappointment was the 32 square foot I gave to potatoes and only harvested 2-3 dinners worth. Not doing that again.
I live in Oklahoma but from NJ...Jersey tomatoes are the best. I love growing them here, but it's just not the same as on the east coast. I have harvested tomatoes as late as November here in Oklahoma. I refuse to grow okra...I get too much of it from my Inlaws lol. Whenever someone gives me home grown veg, I save the seeds.
I dont have any issues with varmints in my garden but a lot of issues iwth bugs of all kinds. That little white moth that pays eggs all over my green sand yellow squash along with other, afids,slugs and so on. But i found some natural bug sprays that have controlled those. The whole wrapping tomatos is a "lot" of work. I grow too big a garden to be wrapping them! hehehe
I ordered 10 large shade cloths that filter out 50% of the sunlight and I hope they protect my plants and keep them healthy. This year we had a lot of pests and it was really hard to protect most of the plants.
Ha. I had just made a mental note to pick up a notebook specifically for gardening. I mean, I have always scribbled down notes but always in the most random places. The heat was brutal this year, I am so looking forward to FALL gardening! BTW, I too have decided to never grow corn again....
Brian, thanks for your videos. I really enjoy them, and I am going to write notes this year. I started canning instead of freezing, so I’m more serious about gardening. One thing to consider when growing corn is to plant it and your pole green beans together. They are wonderful companion plants. Might not be as pretty as your teepees, but yields on both vegetables are great. Always get 2 ears corn/plant here in Spokane, Washington where we have a fairly short growing season. I have very limited space and grow them in a raised garden bed behind my garage. Only have room for 20-30 plants (planted half the distance apart recommended on seed package 😬) depending on what else I plant there. This year I planted a honey crisp squash, too. Keep those ideas coming. 🤓
I am in the Coachella valley and I plant as early as I can directly in the ground. This year I had a ton of spaghetti squash, but all my zucchini and yellow squash were decimated by the heat. ( 115 degrees? Really?) my tomatoes that hung on are coming back and blooming. My bell peppers too. Planting my fall/winter garden now. I hope the tomatoes produce to November again. Gardening out here feels like the rules change every year. ( but my basil is awesome every year!) looking forward to the bell pepper shade. I desperately need it!
Those who do not learn from their mistakes are doomed to repeat them. It's a huge transition for me, to go from silviculture to gardening, but I am certainly learning what to never plant again! Slowly but surely, I am figuring this out, and it's channels like yours that are helping me along. Thanks Brian! 👍
i take a video every fall…and during the cold months i watch it, i also have a garden journal, plus a have blank calendar sheets which makes it really easy to note when i start seeds, fertilizing schedule, i also made a note of the weather extremes to make it easy when reviewing
I would think that how far south you are, there wouldn't be an off season. Is there a worry of frost at some point where you are? Here we are just trying to get the weather to hang on to get the tomatoes ripened and what few peppers I have gotten to get as big as they can. Has been in the 42-45 range the last couple of nights, Sunday night they are saying 39 on the forecast, but hoping that changes. Not a squirrel problem here, but raccoons like tomatoes. Get to like a day away from picking a tomato, and the next day it is half eaten on the ground. So started picking them slightly early and letting them ripen inside. Learned that 2X2 is not strong enough for a tomato trellis with the string method, so going to have to upgrade to 2X4 next year. As well, pepper plants have grown tall enough that in net pots (kratky hydroponics, but outdoors), that a slight breeze and they are falling over, so think next year they get the trellis/string treatment to keep them in place. 2X2 will probably be good enough for those, as they don't have nearly the weight that tomatoes do. Zucchini haven't done well at all, what few female flowers that have come out, don't get pollinated well, even with manual pollination. Think we have gotten one small one, with one or 2 more small ones on it currently. Buttercup squash, same thing, one small one that I am leaving on the vine so it can get as big as it can....they can survive a first frost, Grandfather always said that a frost sweetens them up, much like carrots. Peas and beans were fine, just need more of them. First time growing potatoes and they were ok, small but that's fine, as we prefer the small mini ones(Had them in a grow bag). Corn...sucked. had them growing in 2 different places. First place was growing ears, but the bugs got to them. The other place, I had about 8 plants growing in a 3'x2' space, never grew any fruit. Cukes, had some that were OK, still have some on the vines now, just letting them get as big as I can before needing to pick them, had some others that turned weird shades of orange, never went soft, just orange. Have seen them stay or go yellowish white, but not orange....funny enough they were in the same raised bed as the first batch of corn, so I will blame it on the bugs that got the corn, or maybe something in the soil, no idea. Red Robin and cherry tomatoes have been good, Red Robin especially, other than trying to keep ahead of the raccoons. Tried Kellogg's Breakfast, still green as we speak on the vines, but grew well. Got to have a better handle on pruning tomato plants as I kind of let them go and do their own thing on the strings, other than picking suckers off, but never trimmed the plants otherwise (I will have to go and try and find that video again). Not just me, as others around my area have had similar problems with growing and pollination on some crops. Not much of a choice planting early, as we were still having frost overnight in early June, and wasn't really safe to put plants out until after the full moon in June, which was like the 23rd, basically only 2 a month growing season this year, with a bit on either end, maybe get through September to finish things up before it gets too cold over night. If Sunday's forecast doesn't go as cold, we may make it to the end of the month based on the outlook, but that will take a bit of luck!!!
Bryan, thanks so much for all you’ve done here. My garden experience was actually terrible but I’m not deterred. I’ll keep working on it until I can figure out how to grow more than zinnias! Your instruction is invaluable!
Hello Brian pick squah/ pumkin flowers stuff them with cream cheese dip them in flour batter fry them. Or put 1-2 flowers in a tortilla add melting cheese either fry on 1tsp oil or toast on griddle. Make a veggy stew add sliced flowers cubed potatoes green beans cube zucchini okra squash pumkin kale chard and any veggies you have. Great videos
I like your channel. I live in the hot, humid southeast US, and I still learn a lot of applicable info from you for my region. You know as much about gardening as Catfish Dave knows about catfishing. That's a compliment.
My folks normally planted the beans and corn together in rows. (I think the name was Sweet Queen for the corn and half-white runners for the beans.) Worked really well in the hills of North Carolina. I've been growing peppers in containers on a cement patio here at the coast. 30% shade cloth stood up to 90s daytime heat and we had the largest lunchbox pepper haul in 4 or 5 years. I built a PVC box around the containers and hung the shade cloth over the top. Best wishes. God willing, we will have next year to try again.
For me, pruning indeterminate tomatoes is an absolute must. I have tried without and found myself in such a jungle that picking is impossible, and they are very prone to disease because of the difficulty of aeration. Not to mention the space they take up. I really like the idea of filming, and I'm doing it this week.
My wife is canning a crap ton of pole beans tomorrow I’m going to freeze a bunch of corn on the cob. Lots of tomatoes just starting to color up. Cheers
I loved this video! I was already thinking I needed to make some notes, but perhaps the best thing this video did was ENCOURAGE ME! I knocked myself out this year in the garden, with a ton of hard, physical work and sweating to death through the excruciatingly hot summer, and felt every failure keenly. So, finding out that a seasoned gardener like yourself also had ups and downs was very reassuring. I struggled the most with that stupid squash vine borer, and I removed literally dozens from my plants, but I could never seem to fully vanquish them, and they even attacked the zucchini and cucumber vegetables themselves. Probably what did the best was cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, and the zucchini prior to the squash vine borers. My bell peppers have been slow but finally seem to be doing something, I harvested a few yams already, and my banana peppers are doing well also. I have 2 regular tomato plants, and they have produced only a few small tomatoes. Anyway, thanks for this video!
Yeah I got no bellpeppers they were small and deflated not sure if it had to do with the extreme heat and no sugar snap peas or sweet peppers or tomatoes . I recently just started my seed indoors so I am hoping to get a early start for next year , I am going to start my melon seeds in Late December or early January I am using propagators so that really helps get the seeds going I actually planted seeds for a variety of different lettuces to see if I will have better luck growing now and possibly indoors from the heat with grow lights
@@NextLevelGardening HEY BRIAN, just read this while looking up persian cucumbers. "Beit Alpha cucumbers are parthenocarpic, producing only female flowers, and does not require pollination, making cultivation super easy. However, if it is planted near other cucumbers, pollination will occur, and seeds will form."
Thanks for all the great tips. You are by far the best gardening channel on UA-cam. With your guidance, for the first time in my entire life I grew everything from seeds up to a great harvest. Keep up the good work!
I started over 50 various tomatoes from seed this year. I ended up planting 30 reg tomatoes in containers and 7 cherry tomatoes in containers. After having given away many plants I had two leftover. I planted them in the ground near the corn. Oh my goodness. The plants are huge. One one a yellow Jubilee and has produced so many. And interestingly, the ones grown in the ground are much larger than the ones grown in a container. The other is a 42 day and it produced many more tomatoes than the same in a container. We have had a different season and the tomatoes have just started turning red the last couple weeks. I have many many green tomatoes that I will be trying different ways of preserving. Thank you again for a great video. Blessings to you three.
I think I know why the in-ground plants out performed the container plants. When you plant in containers, you are constantly washing the nutrients out of the reach of the plant. Whereas, in ground the nutrients would be washed just a little further away from the roots. Still accessible. In my containers I use a slow release fertilizer (like Osmacoat), and also use a very diluted liquid fertilizer about every other watering.
Same. I grew over 100, gave away most but kept 25 plants. Those in ground grew much bigger, healthier, but most in containers split and did not reach maturity as fast. Cherries did great in containers, so sticking to cherries for containers, along with beans and spinach.
Thank you for making this episode, because, I went through the same issues since June through Now. AZ summer is not just intense with the sun, but, the hot arid wind also took its toll on my crops. Everything dried out no matter how diligent I watered. Covering them still wilted and killed them. The shade was still death valley hot. So, I built a greenhouse and hopefully this fall/winter hoping for success. #NewSubHere #Keepupthegreatwork
Hello from England. It has been crazy weather for sure this year. From one Courgette (Zucchini) plant I’ve had loads. My corn got eaten and wasn’t happy about that 😂 I’m a florist so grow some of my own which a few plants definitely need shade.
Your right ! Something clicked! Thanks so much for the help for my garden this year☺️ I did very good for being disabled,shots in my hands,and the HEAT! But I did realize,I need more here and less there.Thanks again.
Journaling was the exact reason my channel started. I thought it would be easier with video. Its amazing where it takes you. But if nothing else it allows you to avoid making the same mistakes. Great video Brian
This year was the first year I used your trellis plan for tomatoes. I have had the healthiest and biggest crop of tomatoes ever!! Thank you, thank you!! Will definitely get out there this week and make my notes for next years garden.
I started using this method two years ago and have to agree. I hate the tangle that occurs when there is no pruning; it's just a mess! I like the tomatoes to be orderly and controlled in their growth.
I’ve had good success with Peaches n Cream corn. It is a BI colored SE variety. Usually producing two ears per stalk. I plant at least four rows in a rectangle or square because it is pollinated by the wind. Good luck!
Hello! As far as the bean production goes, I heard some great advice from an old seasoned gardener - Direct sow your bean seeds when the soil warms up in the spring and as soon as they sprout, hit them with a dose of high nitrogen fertilizer (I use Grow Big by Fox Farm). Only that one time and no more. Works like a charm 👍🏼
My biggest issue was squash bugs. I planted 75 row ft of various varieties of winter, pumpkins, yellows, and zuccs for my CSA orders and lost pretty much all of them. Only got enough yellow and zucc for personal use. I should have planted everything but the pumpkins earlier. ( I plant pumpkins in June to sell for Halloween) On this scale I CAN'T go out and inspect 75 row ft for eggs. I had to give lots of refunds this year because of it. I also didn't get any green beans. It was straight up too hot for too long, but the edamame did gangbusters. More than enough for my family, but I don't generally put them in CSA boxes unless requested because people don't know what to do with them. So I'll plant less next year. BTW the ones I got from Johnny's had the best germination rate. I planted several varieties, and had nearly 100% from all. I usually get around 85-90%. Tomatoes, all types: cherry, Cherokee purple, san marzano, beefsteak, and cour de bue did great. I planted them late due to my health issues, but they are making up for the late start since we've passed the summer stall period. Cour de bue was for personal use because they can look obscene (testicles) Peppers did decent. Nothing to write home about. Mainly bells, lunchbox, and jalapenos. Corn was meh, but I had the additional obstacle of my neighbor planted field corn too close to mine, so very little of that went to customers. But I'm making up for it by bundling stalks to sell for fall decor. I'm considering adding popcorn and decorative corn to the rotation for the years my neighbor plants his field corn. Cabbage, collards, chard, asparagus, potatoes, and kale did great. Beets and onions failed. Never got a clear answer as to why from the extension office.
This year, my 2 determinate Shady Lady plants gave me more than enough 1/2 pound tomatoes for the 2 of us and lots to give away. My indeterminant tomatoes caught blight and were a bust. Next year got to keep on top of the blight. I’m also going to try an plant tomatoes like I do our bush beans, and that is to stagger plant. My Hericot verts went crazy this year and I’m glad I did 4 successive plantings. Coming to an end of the beans, but still have a few more weeks of fresh beans. Chicken manure was the secret to outstanding beans. I’m a citrus and lavender freak, so I have plenty of bees all year. My one plant that I discovered last year for beans, was African Blue Basil. Have 3 plants this year in different locations and the flowers are always loaded with bees. Actually propagated over the winter for this years plants. Build 8’ wood towers for my 2 cherry tomatoes, and they are out the top and producing again after those 10 days of 110+ heat here in Sacramento. Will plant more zinnias next year, as the one grow bag is full and gives us lots of color and butterflies
Great idea for wrap up notes. I keep notes for every day garden activities but need to bundle info for quick reference. Besides your walk the garden noted end of season I will spend some Winter days going over the daily notes. 😁 For cucumbers I love Muncher and Armenian.
HI BRIAN, I always listen to the few gardeners I watch on Utube, I have limited space for a garden perimeter of the patio about 7x9, I planted cherry tomatoes planned on 4 and ended up with 9. The original 4 died they power washed my condo long story short 99 percent of everything got damaged. But I plan to document everything with the camera. But I often forgot the phone and did not go back in for it. Next year I will use a notebook. Last year I brought in Petunias used fresh dirt but I brought in a million green and white aphids. I fought them all winter, so this spring I will start my seeds in the middle of April then I plant everything on memorial day then won't have to worry about a late frost. I grow a lot of flowers I have pretty good luck a few die. I try to remember to water everything. My asthma was horrible yes I am allergic to polling and dirt and dust. I wear a mask sometimes I forget, found out that when I prune tomato plants I have to double mask.l, when you wash your hands its pure yellow coming off. I suffer some days really bad. But I love to grow things :)I fight with chipmunks and squirrels mostly.
I purchases Drawstring Pouches Party Wedding Favor Gift Bags on line and used them to put around my tomatoes this year. worked like your netting and clothes pin, but easier I think.
Excellent video. So many things with your garden rang true with mine- extremely hot, and dry summer. I don’t need to make a video, I’ll just watch yours again!
Thank you for this video. This was our first year gardening and we went from winter to 1 week of spring, then 90-95 degree weather, then back to freezing temps.
This is my first garden in many years. Actually planted tomatoes for spring. Learned a lot. A good 50% of that was from your channel. Discovered that my tomatoes were in a bad location. It was in a raised flowerbed that turns out has a clay bottom. The top would dry out but the roots couldn't go deeper due to the clay. I put 6 bell peppers in an above ground bed that had wooden sides. Discovered it should have been lined with plastic. Planted Okra, cucs, pink eye purple hull Peas in July as an experiment. They're actually doing very well. Except for pickle worms and vine borers. I've put a ton of knowledge in play from your channel. Your info is down to earth, very well said, and excellently explained. Thanks.
@@tracycrider7778 I didn't think so either, but I built it out 5/8 fence boarding. I have four boxes 6ft long, 8 inches tall, and one foot wide. They are stacked like steps. I have two that I didnt line and one that I did line. I can go 3 days without watering on the lined box but the unlined boxes require water every other day. Especially the top box that has 6 bell peppers in that are 3ft tall. But I'm learning and enjoying. Thanks for the comment. Have a good one.
I had 3 raised beds built in 2015. I lined all 3 with plastic. One of the beds had to be removed to do some maintenance to a buried rainwater tank. When the workers put the bed back, they failed to put the plastic liner back in. That bed is now rotting and the other 2 are fine. Yes, line the beds with plastic!!!
My all time favorite cucumber is Poona Kheera. Even when they're yellow skin starts to turn brown they don't get bitter and the skin is still edible. They grow a whole lot of cucumbers before they succumb to disease here in central Virginia.
First time container gardening...learned a lot. 14th floor wind! Potatoes came out mostly great a few glassy ones. Squash is finally growing...might get one! Tomatoes struggled. Thanks for your knowledge
Brian, something PHENOMENAL happened this year, NOT in our garden, but in a huge leaf pile nearby. Apparently I threw some overripe yellow squash and cucumber in there at the end of the garden season last year. Some volunteers came up this spring and they went crazy. We picked over 60 total cucumbers from ONE vine, and several dozen squash from ONE plant. Apparently this spring the seeds sprouted and sent down roots through at least a foot of wet leaves into the moist soil beneath. Despite a month of no rain during the summer, these two volunteers outdid the many plants that I actually planted in the garden. I don't know if I can intentionally duplicate that again but I'm going to try!
That’s definitely something I’d try to recreate! Good luck!👍
One thing I will definitely do for next year that I neglected to do this year, is to plant lots of flowers to help promote pollinators to the yard.
I'm not sure if zone matters, but I always have blue salvia (large bushy variety), milkweed, penta (bees LOVE this), and have bought seeds for several more. The salvia and penta are just extraordinary, and even in this awful NE Florida heat this summer, they stayed totally covered in flowers. It was bee heaven over here.
@@lucysmith6827 thanks for the tip. I'm in zone 9a southwest Louisiana and the heat this tore was brutal. Very little harvest of anything . But I was satisfied with what I did get as this is my first ti.e gardening
@@kendrarobbins646, you have a terrific attitude! Stick with it, and you'll figure out what works for your growing conditions.
Per Brian's book on companion planting, I increased the number of flowers in and around our raised beds. I have never liked the smell of Sweet Alyssum, but it was an absolute insect magnet. I planted lots of Zinnias, Sunflowers, and marigolds that really brought in the honeybees and bumblebees. I just converted a space where I usually grow zucchini to an area where I planted Butterfly Milkweed, so it will be interesting to see if that also helps increase pollinators and beneficials.
I have 3 raised bed gardens and save one to plant zinnia, cosmos, sunflower, dahlia and butterfly weed in it. (I plant parsley in my garden for the caterpillars) My neighbor loves it as much as I do
I have done this for 20+ years,,,, I also add the weather on the day that I am writing,,,, I grow 1000+ bedding plants in the basement every year,,,, so I count in my journal to remind me , what and where I planted as well as how they did🌺🦋
Congratulations to our gardening coach on his new property!
Thank you
You have to use that Tulle it’s the best. Can’t garden without it.
I’m in zone 9a in Texas. We have had a very dry summer with most days in the 3 digits. The plants that shocked me the most this year are Gypsy Bell Peppers and Louisiana Green Eggplant. I planted four of each plant in early spring and have picked dozens upon dozens of each. They are still producing and blooming like crazy! I will NEVER not have them in my garden!
I won't be here next year, so I've already started my notebook and walked my son through the garden quite a bit to show him how I'm doing things and to discuss what worked this year and what didn't. Being my first year having a garden here I"ll definitely have them starting it earlier next year..
If I might add, I bought a shade screen for my tomatoes, they don't like the sun either, Even over my okra works good. found out Okra like bunches of water, you can grow big fruit and there still tender! Thank you for the list reminder.
I am so glad I watched this. This morning I took a cool drink out to the garden, sat in a chair, and started to write down all the things that went well. I was amazed!! I actually had a lot of stuff growing and being harvested. The bees were all around me as I was writing. It was a very encouraging exercise and gave me hope for next year. I did have a few fails but not as many as I felt I had. Then I took pictures of all the garden beds and am getting them printed up as we speak. Thanks for the encouragement.
Exactly what im about to do👌👌 thank u Brian for this🙏🤗
You can start pole bean seeds in mid to late August, cover with shade clothe until days stay in low 80s, and you'll get a great fall harvest. Shade cloth will also protect your tomatoes on the hottest weeks so they will not stop production and last longer until frost.
Thank you for mentioning and showing a wrapped tomato. I had no idea that action would keep the squirrels away. I hope it works for the chipmunks who always ruin the first and best fruits.
It should. Good luck! 🙂
Tulle. Amazon or walmart
I live in the South. I am in Georgia 7B-8A zone and I love Peaches and Cream corn. It is a cross between Silver Queen White Corn and a buttery yellow corn. Literally some kernels are white and some yellow. Really pretty corn and grows well here. I keep notes but the main thing for me that has been really helpful is I log and record everything I harvest. It gives me an accurate picture of what produced well (map of my garden for reference with plantings) and the weight of everything. That way I can look back to see yields on produce as well. I love to get my yearly weight total and set new goals for the coming year.
Great ideas! thank you for sharing! One funny thing is that Rocky, our local the squirrel planted two of his peanuts in two of my pots and they are doing great! Go figure!
I’ve never made a journal but really need to I will try to start today. Try Peaches and Cream Corn
I think you have made tremendous progress in one year. I am proud of you. Thank God for tractor guy who helped you create the terrace and break through the caliche. That alone is so much more progress than people like me with small yards can do. You have had many challenges that you have successfully overcome and you need to give yourself credit for that.
Thank you. I really appreciate that!
Ditto!
My bell peppers also had that sun scorch but did fantastic otherwise. Will plant more and cover them next year. I didnt get any tomatoes and planted 16. Barely any flowers. Just too hot. I probably wont grow corn again or if I do just one kind so there isnt cross pollination. I like the glass gem corn for decoration. Zucchini was prolific but we want double the amount to save. I wont grow the curly kale or dinosaur kale ever again due to just an overwhelming amount of pests. Redbar kale grew amazing and no pests. P.S. You are the main reason for starting my back yard garden! Thanks for this video. I will be Journaling my year in my new home and new much higher elevation. For my 1st year Im happy with the results. Spent so much money setting it up but it was enjoyable and hard hard work. Gotta get my drip system in I bought 6 months ago!
@@onemoredoll5791 determinate tomatoes stop producing in the heat. Indeterminate ones produce all summer. A lot of those are cherry type tomatoes but the newer varieties are getting bigger.
Yes you made great progress
I learned a lot this year myself. I did very well with bell peppers since I put them in shaded areas or grew them in beds with other plants that helped protect each other. Like growing them in the shade of my cucumbers where the sun could not just the crap out of them here in E TX. Right now I am getting really nice sized Bells, and my Banana Peppers have kicked back in again and now getting enough of those to make a jar or two every other day. I LOVE Banana Peppers not being hot and they go on so many food dishes and sandwiches. YUM! More Banana Peppers next year! Now my Cantaloupe have been growing, but they just keep getting murdered by pests like rolly pollies. Whoever said they don't do damage to full-grown fruits and stuff has never met the E TX rollie pollies. These things can wipe out crops to the nubs of the roots in a single night by the millions!! I have now learned a trick to keep my melons from being decimated by putting the melons up on small crates that the bugs will not really climb or cannot find them since I am 100% organic. My tomatoes did well in the spring but got wiped out by the heat and a few actually that struggled are just now making a comeback and growing nicely? Who knew? But my Black Eyed Peas are rocking! I put net bags around those and it keeps the bean bugs out of 99% of them. These beans are now about 1ft long! Every day I am picking dried one;s and covering new ones that are still growing well! I should have about 6 lbs of them or more for storage this year. So more beans next year. Hopefully my sugar snap peas make it, They started growing well. But not sure if I have enough time for loads of them .More of those in the spring. Its all new to me every year of learning new tricks. But its fun and healthy. Oh and more shade cloths!
I planted something called at Armenian cucumber this year. I really enjoyed it. It wasn't bitter it had small seeds. It had a mild flavor and was great for salads, fresh eating... all sorts of stuff. I would highly recommend it. I believe I bought the seeds at Gurney's.
Bees are key. I planted a bunch of bee balm around my garden, they flock to it, and I've seen tons on my veg plants. Try it.
Hello,
I made the mistake in planting pickle cucumbers next to .yellow cooked neck squash.
The cucumbers were all yellow balls with large seeds the squash wasn't affected. I planted some burgess cucumbers on the other end and they were fine. So maybe you should tell people to separate cucumbers and squash.
This was a crap year for most of us. Some things were successful and I noted them. I bought a note box that I can keep outside that will contain my notes. Usually my notes are in the garage so things aren’t recorded. Now they can be kept outdoors in one tool box in their own container. I will add a thermometer so I can read the air and soil temperatures.
Hey Brian! I’m really surprised you had bad luck with Beit Alpha cucumbers! I tried them for the first time this year and will not try anything else!! They were great! No pollinators needed also so that’s a plus!! Thank you!
Brian, I'm sorry your struggles this year, but your struggles do help us. Thanks for sharing all of it (good and bad).
Silver Queen corn for the win! Harvesting second planting here now, in the south zone 7b.
Hi. Just a quick tip. To save time and money to wrap-around tomatoes, you can harvest tomatoes soon as the bottom turn Orange, Orange ish. This way the squirrels or ants don't touch them, because they don't like it that way. The tomatoes already have inside what it need and you able to produce more tomatoes because the plant is gonna focus in producing more vegetables. Not wasting energy to growth fully. Only have to do harvest the tomatoes and place in a Sunny place inside in the house. Couple of days it will turn totally red and joyful same as the ones you left totally turn red on the plants. Try it next season. I'm doing this way for years, it works for me.
I'm hungarian. My grandma did the same way for many decade.
I have learned sooo much this past year watching gardening, mulching,composting, saving seeds, how to keep critters and flying bugs away from my plants. Those that get attacked too much I bring in the house and use grow lights etc, as necessary. BUT, I am in zone 4/5 and RARELY can I find enough videos for my area. I can’t GROW in December in Minneapolis Minnesota.if anyone can direct me to videos for my zones, I’ll be so appreciative. I won’t stop watching anyone I’ve already subscribed to, because I gain from them all. In a couple of weeks,I will plant my garlic outside and cover with straw. I, too, didn’t pay much attention to mulching but I see the difference in a variety of ways. I have also learned better ways to grow inside, and that includes I need to add a ceiling fan so that the plants get simulated wind to strengthen their legs.
Thanks for the wise advice! My notes to myself include -
Different mix of tomato varieties: fewer cherry, more slicing tomatoes
Fewer zucchini plants - there is just so much muffins/breads I can bake, or fresh zuke we can eat or give away!
Eggplants - this was 1st year planting and it was disappointing: 4 plants yielded 1 fruit; give it another chance, but in different location. Keep under lights and harden & put in garden 2 weeks later
More cucumber plants; plus start new plants in early to mid July so they are ready to replace snow peas once those have finished producing
Put peppers in sunnier location
Beans - More bush, fewer pole varieties. Find local supplier for cattle panels
Was not crazy about celery… use space to put more beets instead
Plant cosmos and other bee attracting flowers in pots next to, not in, raised beds!
Get 3rd composter
Tractor Supply
Hi Isabelle, That all sounds like I wish I'd grown as well as you have, but why are you "composting" in containers??? It's best to compost with soil contact - for hundreds of reasons.
Most of all, your compost could be feeding the soil it is piled upon, as well as the millions of living organisms in the soil which could be breaking down your materials, being fed & multiplying, thus boosting the fertility & improving the tilth of the soil it's on faster.
The rain &/or your watering will help break down the materials & will deliver materials to the worms, soil beetles & invisible to our eyes organisms who improve the soil. I can't stress this enough.
Also, as you turn your compost, gather up some soil with your shovel from the edges & build up your compost faster. It will heat up with life & microbial activity.
@@cherylanderson3340 I hope to start making my own Compost. Do you have any recommended resources I could check out for best practices?
Greatly appreciate any direction!
A tip for yozr peppers that worked very good this year: Plant them beside your tomatoes in north-south direction. The peppers on the east side, the tomatoes on the west. By this the peppers get the perfect morning sun and are shadowed by the higher tomatoes in the afternoon.
I have been giving Fall yard and Garden talks recently and have been stressing this. Take Photos, notes. The photos also help when ordering seeds and plants for next year, so you order accordingly. (Don't order 12 Peonies, if you have room for only 2--LOL)
Also pull the corn and freeze it in the husk. Grill it in the husk when you want a special treat!
Thanks for the tulle protection tip to save tomatoes from chipmunks and squirrels!
My favorite plants were bag seed Tabasco pepper I grew last year and a lemon thyme plant I got from Lowes.
This is good advice to take notes because no season is the same as prior and also you are on a new property with new soil,elevation,climate overall in locality 👍
Grow lots of cherry tomatoes! I dehydrated a ton of cherry Tom's and put them in olive oil. They were amazing! They are wonderful on garlic bread, spaghetti, just to eat! Oh They were amazing. I planted 20 cherry tomato plants!
The video journal is a great idea. I get so tired at this point in the season I don't have energy to write things down but filming and talking on my phone for some reason seems easier in my mind.
It is!
Tomato crops were low for everyone I talk to. My tomatoes are strung up to a hoop tunnel so I can shade them in the hottest part of the day, or cover completely to extend the season. This time last year I still had 25+lbs on the vines... I am lucky if I got 30 lbs total this year. 😪
I did not get one single cucumber or patty pan squash. I just let the plants die about 2 weeks ago. My Scarlett Runner Beans did not produce one single pod! I thought it might be a virus or soil issues, but if heat could be the problem, I'll try again next year.
This is my third try at okra and I finally had success! We have a short season and they just didn't mature quick enough before. I do cover my plants at night when the temps are below 50°F. I just canned some hot pickled okra...if you haven't tried it, it's the bomb! Also, grill those pods that are too large to pickle, or slice/bread/fry them for a super treat!
Tomatillos gone wild! I will have so much tomatillo salsa this year. 😋 Loving it!
The pumpkins were weird this season. I have had tons of flowers. Many female dropped off before flowering. My last count is approx 8 pie pumpkins on 3 plants, but they are ALL on the small side, except for 1. It was a tough year dealing with squash bugs and squash vine borers, too. On the contrary, my winter squash was prolific!
Corn did OK. I tried a yellow and white corn and did not like it as much as the white corn from last year, which was sweeter and plumper.
Peppers did fantastic. I have a knee high wire fence around them and put a row cover (shade cloth) over them during the day. I grew extra jalapeños because of all the salsa I make and to can extra cowboy candy, which I just finished canning earlier today. 😋😛😜
Mixed bag of results. But I like the idea of taking pics. I have some from July 15, too.
Thank you for the "vlog your garden" idea for future me. 💚
I use tulle in the garden since my daughter’s wedding and I love it.
A Tip for you from someone who gardened in Texas for a few years. Buy a roll or two of the darkest window screen you can find, and some pust in fence posts. Place these so the window screen shades your pepper plants ( and anything else that is getting way too much sun). This will only work for small plots, but it does help. Be certain to place it high enough thaat the bees can freely buzzz in there to pollinate the flowers. Because it's window screen, any rain you get will go right thru. Good luck!
I've learned so much yet the last three years I've had financial or weather issues slow down or make me give up on some planting. Some of the things that require less care or are already perennialized are doing well, e.g. the apple tree next to the kitchen. Inch by inch. This year I thought would go well but the rains stopped two and a half months early after an underwet January (Central Coast California). Here's hoping it comes together right this year. Given food inflation I may have to grin and bear it using more tap water if the rains come short again.
I always keep notes and a map on my gardens. Really helpful for me the next year.
For my garden notebook I got a smallish dollar store calendar that has a sidebar space for notes. I used it to plot out last and first frost dates, planned when I would start seeds, documented when I planted starts out and direct seeded, noted when I first harvested something, made other various notes, and now I’ll jot down a summary. My best veggies were Rutgers tomatoes, bush beans (wax, blue lake, and royal purple), and New Zealand spinach. My biggest disappointment was the 32 square foot I gave to potatoes and only harvested 2-3 dinners worth. Not doing that again.
I’ve done this for 10 years: it’s life-changing!
I live in Oklahoma but from NJ...Jersey tomatoes are the best. I love growing them here, but it's just not the same as on the east coast. I have harvested tomatoes as late as November here in Oklahoma. I refuse to grow okra...I get too much of it from my Inlaws lol. Whenever someone gives me home grown veg, I save the seeds.
I dont have any issues with varmints in my garden but a lot of issues iwth bugs of all kinds. That little white moth that pays eggs all over my green sand yellow squash along with other, afids,slugs and so on. But i found some natural bug sprays that have controlled those. The whole wrapping tomatos is a "lot" of work. I grow too big a garden to be wrapping them! hehehe
I ordered 10 large shade cloths that filter out 50% of the sunlight and I hope they protect my plants and keep them healthy. This year we had a lot of pests and it was really hard to protect most of the plants.
Ha. I had just made a mental note to pick up a notebook specifically for gardening. I mean, I have always scribbled down notes but always in the most random places.
The heat was brutal this year, I am so looking forward to FALL gardening! BTW, I too have decided to never grow corn again....
Brian, thanks for your videos. I really enjoy them, and I am going to write notes this year. I started canning instead of freezing, so I’m more serious about gardening.
One thing to consider when growing corn is to plant it and your pole green beans together. They are wonderful companion plants. Might not be as pretty as your teepees, but yields on both vegetables are great. Always get 2 ears corn/plant here in Spokane, Washington where we have a fairly short growing season.
I have very limited space and grow them in a raised garden bed behind my garage. Only have room for 20-30 plants (planted half the distance apart recommended on seed package 😬) depending on what else I plant there. This year I planted a honey crisp squash, too. Keep those ideas coming. 🤓
I am in the Coachella valley and I plant as early as I can directly in the ground. This year I had a ton of spaghetti squash, but all my zucchini and yellow squash were decimated by the heat. ( 115 degrees? Really?) my tomatoes that hung on are coming back and blooming. My bell peppers too. Planting my fall/winter garden now. I hope the tomatoes produce to November again. Gardening out here feels like the rules change every year. ( but my basil is awesome every year!) looking forward to the bell pepper shade. I desperately need it!
Those who do not learn from their mistakes are doomed to repeat them. It's a huge transition for me, to go from silviculture to gardening, but I am certainly learning what to never plant again! Slowly but surely, I am figuring this out, and it's channels like yours that are helping me along. Thanks Brian! 👍
Thanks for the toulle suggestion to keep squirrels out of the tomatoes!
Silver Queen corn is amazing! I had quit even trying to grow corn until a friend talked me into trying it.
Also from Missouri, and my family always ate peaches and cream corn as well. I like my corn picked young.
i take a video every fall…and during the cold months i watch it, i also have a garden journal, plus a have blank calendar sheets which makes it really easy to note when i start seeds, fertilizing schedule, i also made a note of the weather extremes to make it easy when reviewing
I would think that how far south you are, there wouldn't be an off season. Is there a worry of frost at some point where you are?
Here we are just trying to get the weather to hang on to get the tomatoes ripened and what few peppers I have gotten to get as big as they can. Has been in the 42-45 range the last couple of nights, Sunday night they are saying 39 on the forecast, but hoping that changes.
Not a squirrel problem here, but raccoons like tomatoes. Get to like a day away from picking a tomato, and the next day it is half eaten on the ground. So started picking them slightly early and letting them ripen inside.
Learned that 2X2 is not strong enough for a tomato trellis with the string method, so going to have to upgrade to 2X4 next year. As well, pepper plants have grown tall enough that in net pots (kratky hydroponics, but outdoors), that a slight breeze and they are falling over, so think next year they get the trellis/string treatment to keep them in place. 2X2 will probably be good enough for those, as they don't have nearly the weight that tomatoes do.
Zucchini haven't done well at all, what few female flowers that have come out, don't get pollinated well, even with manual pollination. Think we have gotten one small one, with one or 2 more small ones on it currently. Buttercup squash, same thing, one small one that I am leaving on the vine so it can get as big as it can....they can survive a first frost, Grandfather always said that a frost sweetens them up, much like carrots. Peas and beans were fine, just need more of them. First time growing potatoes and they were ok, small but that's fine, as we prefer the small mini ones(Had them in a grow bag). Corn...sucked. had them growing in 2 different places. First place was growing ears, but the bugs got to them. The other place, I had about 8 plants growing in a 3'x2' space, never grew any fruit. Cukes, had some that were OK, still have some on the vines now, just letting them get as big as I can before needing to pick them, had some others that turned weird shades of orange, never went soft, just orange. Have seen them stay or go yellowish white, but not orange....funny enough they were in the same raised bed as the first batch of corn, so I will blame it on the bugs that got the corn, or maybe something in the soil, no idea. Red Robin and cherry tomatoes have been good, Red Robin especially, other than trying to keep ahead of the raccoons. Tried Kellogg's Breakfast, still green as we speak on the vines, but grew well. Got to have a better handle on pruning tomato plants as I kind of let them go and do their own thing on the strings, other than picking suckers off, but never trimmed the plants otherwise (I will have to go and try and find that video again).
Not just me, as others around my area have had similar problems with growing and pollination on some crops.
Not much of a choice planting early, as we were still having frost overnight in early June, and wasn't really safe to put plants out until after the full moon in June, which was like the 23rd, basically only 2 a month growing season this year, with a bit on either end, maybe get through September to finish things up before it gets too cold over night. If Sunday's forecast doesn't go as cold, we may make it to the end of the month based on the outlook, but that will take a bit of luck!!!
Bryan, thanks so much for all you’ve done here. My garden experience was actually terrible but I’m not deterred. I’ll keep working on it until I can figure out how to grow more than zinnias! Your instruction is invaluable!
Hello Brian pick squah/ pumkin flowers stuff them with cream cheese dip them in flour batter fry them. Or put 1-2 flowers in a tortilla add melting cheese either fry on 1tsp oil or toast on griddle. Make a veggy stew add sliced flowers cubed potatoes green beans cube zucchini okra squash pumkin kale chard and any veggies you have. Great videos
I like your channel. I live in the hot, humid southeast US, and I still learn a lot of applicable info from you for my region. You know as much about gardening as Catfish Dave knows about catfishing. That's a compliment.
My folks normally planted the beans and corn together in rows. (I think the name was Sweet Queen for the corn and half-white runners for the beans.) Worked really well in the hills of North Carolina.
I've been growing peppers in containers on a cement patio here at the coast. 30% shade cloth stood up to 90s daytime heat and we had the largest lunchbox pepper haul in 4 or 5 years. I built a PVC box around the containers and hung the shade cloth over the top.
Best wishes. God willing, we will have next year to try again.
For me, pruning indeterminate tomatoes is an absolute must. I have tried without and found myself in such a jungle that picking is impossible, and they are very prone to disease because of the difficulty of aeration. Not to mention the space they take up. I really like the idea of filming, and I'm doing it this week.
My wife is canning a crap ton of pole beans tomorrow I’m going to freeze a bunch of corn on the cob. Lots of tomatoes just starting to color up. Cheers
I’m up in San Luis Obispo county and we had weather issues too. We got a late freeze (in May!) and then extreme heat the last few weeks (110+).
I loved this video! I was already thinking I needed to make some notes, but perhaps the best thing this video did was ENCOURAGE ME! I knocked myself out this year in the garden, with a ton of hard, physical work and sweating to death through the excruciatingly hot summer, and felt every failure keenly. So, finding out that a seasoned gardener like yourself also had ups and downs was very reassuring. I struggled the most with that stupid squash vine borer, and I removed literally dozens from my plants, but I could never seem to fully vanquish them, and they even attacked the zucchini and cucumber vegetables themselves. Probably what did the best was cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, and the zucchini prior to the squash vine borers. My bell peppers have been slow but finally seem to be doing something, I harvested a few yams already, and my banana peppers are doing well also. I have 2 regular tomato plants, and they have produced only a few small tomatoes. Anyway, thanks for this video!
You are very welcome! Yes the UPS and Downs never end. Take them in stride and just enjoy the process
@@NextLevelGardening Thank you!!
Yeah I got no bellpeppers they were small and deflated not sure if it had to do with the extreme heat and no sugar snap peas or sweet peppers or tomatoes .
I recently just started my seed indoors so I am hoping to get a early start for next year , I am going to start my melon seeds in Late December or early January I am using propagators so that really helps get the seeds going I actually planted seeds for a variety of different lettuces to see if I will have better luck growing now and possibly indoors from the heat with grow lights
@@NextLevelGardening HEY BRIAN, just read this while looking up persian cucumbers. "Beit Alpha cucumbers are parthenocarpic, producing only female flowers, and does not require pollination, making cultivation super easy. However, if it is planted near other cucumbers, pollination will occur, and seeds will form."
@@pakbowl420 @Next Level Gardening did you see this?
Yep I keep a garden journal.
I grow lemon and apple cucumbers. We love them! I also had Boston Picklers this year which were OK.
Try the Early Prolific Yellow Squash that I get from Baker Creek. They really are prolific.
Thanks for all the great tips. You are by far the best gardening channel on UA-cam. With your guidance, for the first time in my entire life I grew everything from seeds up to a great harvest. Keep up the good work!
I started over 50 various tomatoes from seed this year. I ended up planting 30 reg tomatoes in containers and 7 cherry tomatoes in containers. After having given away many plants I had two leftover. I planted them in the ground near the corn. Oh my goodness. The plants are huge. One one a yellow Jubilee and has produced so many. And interestingly, the ones grown in the ground are much larger than the ones grown in a container. The other is a 42 day and it produced many more tomatoes than the same in a container. We have had a different season and the tomatoes have just started turning red the last couple weeks. I have many many green tomatoes that I will be trying different ways of preserving. Thank you again for a great video. Blessings to you three.
I think I know why the in-ground plants out performed the container plants. When you plant in containers, you are constantly washing the nutrients out of the reach of the plant. Whereas, in ground the nutrients would be washed just a little further away from the roots. Still accessible. In my containers I use a slow release fertilizer (like Osmacoat), and also use a very diluted liquid fertilizer about every other watering.
Same. I grew over 100, gave away most but kept 25 plants. Those in ground grew much bigger, healthier, but most in containers split and did not reach maturity as fast. Cherries did great in containers, so sticking to cherries for containers, along with beans and spinach.
Thank you for making this episode, because, I went through the same issues since June through Now. AZ summer is not just intense with the sun, but, the hot arid wind also took its toll on my crops. Everything dried out no matter how diligent I watered. Covering them still wilted and killed them. The shade was still death valley hot. So, I built a greenhouse and hopefully this fall/winter hoping for success. #NewSubHere #Keepupthegreatwork
Hello from England. It has been crazy weather for sure this year. From one Courgette (Zucchini) plant I’ve had loads. My corn got eaten and wasn’t happy about that 😂 I’m a florist so grow some of my own which a few plants definitely need shade.
I like the idea of videotaping myself talking to my future Spring self about what worked and what didn't. Thanks for the tips.
You're welcome 😊
Your right ! Something clicked! Thanks so much for the help for my garden this year☺️ I did very good for being disabled,shots in my hands,and the HEAT! But I did realize,I need more here and less there.Thanks again.
Gurneys has a GREAT corn called Gotta Have It. Grow it every year and I do some hand pollinating to help!
Sometimes I stand in one place, not knowing what to do next. Sooo much to do!
Journaling was the exact reason my channel started. I thought it would be easier with video. Its amazing where it takes you. But if nothing else it allows you to avoid making the same mistakes. Great video Brian
It is better with video. As long as you remember tgat you made the video lol
This year was the first year I used your trellis plan for tomatoes. I have had the healthiest and biggest crop of tomatoes ever!! Thank you, thank you!! Will definitely get out there this week and make my notes for next years garden.
I started using this method two years ago and have to agree. I hate the tangle that occurs when there is no pruning; it's just a mess! I like the tomatoes to be orderly and controlled in their growth.
I use Green Shade Cloth for peppers, chiles, bush beans, chives, basil AND tomatoes HERE IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA.
Im going to use the idea of a video recording of my garden. Much easier than trying to remember and take notes after the fact. Thanks for the idea
I’ve had good success with Peaches n Cream corn. It is a BI colored SE variety. Usually producing two ears per stalk. I plant at least four rows in a rectangle or square because it is pollinated by the wind. Good luck!
Yes this video is very enlightening. I have started making notes also. Thank you for the information
Hello! As far as the bean production goes, I heard some great advice from an old seasoned gardener - Direct sow your bean seeds when the soil warms up in the spring and as soon as they sprout, hit them with a dose of high nitrogen fertilizer (I use Grow Big by Fox Farm). Only that one time and no more. Works like a charm 👍🏼
An advantage to pruning in the dry heat is decreased water loss through transpiration.
My biggest issue was squash bugs. I planted 75 row ft of various varieties of winter, pumpkins, yellows, and zuccs for my CSA orders and lost pretty much all of them. Only got enough yellow and zucc for personal use.
I should have planted everything but the pumpkins earlier. ( I plant pumpkins in June to sell for Halloween) On this scale I CAN'T go out and inspect 75 row ft for eggs. I had to give lots of refunds this year because of it.
I also didn't get any green beans. It was straight up too hot for too long, but the edamame did gangbusters. More than enough for my family, but I don't generally put them in CSA boxes unless requested because people don't know what to do with them. So I'll plant less next year. BTW the ones I got from Johnny's had the best germination rate. I planted several varieties, and had nearly 100% from all. I usually get around 85-90%.
Tomatoes, all types: cherry, Cherokee purple, san marzano, beefsteak, and cour de bue did great. I planted them late due to my health issues, but they are making up for the late start since we've passed the summer stall period. Cour de bue was for personal use because they can look obscene (testicles)
Peppers did decent. Nothing to write home about. Mainly bells, lunchbox, and jalapenos.
Corn was meh, but I had the additional obstacle of my neighbor planted field corn too close to mine, so very little of that went to customers. But I'm making up for it by bundling stalks to sell for fall decor. I'm considering adding popcorn and decorative corn to the rotation for the years my neighbor plants his field corn.
Cabbage, collards, chard, asparagus, potatoes, and kale did great. Beets and onions failed. Never got a clear answer as to why from the extension office.
This year, my 2 determinate Shady Lady plants gave me more than enough 1/2 pound tomatoes for the 2 of us and lots to give away. My indeterminant tomatoes caught blight and were a bust. Next year got to keep on top of the blight. I’m also going to try an plant tomatoes like I do our bush beans, and that is to stagger plant. My Hericot verts went crazy this year and I’m glad I did 4 successive plantings. Coming to an end of the beans, but still have a few more weeks of fresh beans. Chicken manure was the secret to outstanding beans. I’m a citrus and lavender freak, so I have plenty of bees all year. My one plant that I discovered last year for beans, was African Blue Basil. Have 3 plants this year in different locations and the flowers are always loaded with bees. Actually propagated over the winter for this years plants. Build 8’ wood towers for my 2 cherry tomatoes, and they are out the top and producing again after those 10 days of 110+ heat here in Sacramento. Will plant more zinnias next year, as the one grow bag is full and gives us lots of color and butterflies
Great idea for wrap up notes. I keep notes for every day garden activities but need to bundle info for quick reference. Besides your walk the garden noted end of season I will spend some Winter days going over the daily notes. 😁
For cucumbers I love Muncher and Armenian.
Peaches and cream corn is the best! It’s sweet and large ears. Of course, I live in Missouri, so not sure how it would do in California
I've had some Indiana-grown Peaches and Cream and it was the best corn I ever had.
HI BRIAN,
I always listen to the few gardeners I watch on Utube, I have limited space for a garden perimeter of the patio about 7x9, I planted cherry tomatoes planned on 4 and ended up with 9. The original 4 died they power washed my condo long story short 99 percent of everything got damaged. But I plan to document everything with the camera. But I often forgot the phone and did not go back in for it. Next year I will use a notebook. Last year I brought in Petunias used fresh dirt but I brought in a million green and white aphids. I fought them all winter, so this spring I will start my seeds in the middle of April then I plant everything on memorial day then won't have to worry about a late frost. I grow a lot of flowers I have pretty good luck a few die. I try to remember to water everything. My asthma was horrible yes I am allergic to polling and dirt and dust. I wear a mask sometimes I forget, found out that when I prune tomato plants I have to double mask.l, when you wash your hands its pure yellow coming off. I suffer some days really bad. But I love to grow things :)I fight with chipmunks and squirrels mostly.
I purchases Drawstring Pouches Party Wedding Favor Gift Bags on line and used them to put around my tomatoes this year. worked like your netting and clothes pin, but easier I think.
Excellent video. So many things with your garden rang true with mine- extremely hot, and dry summer. I don’t need to make a video, I’ll just watch yours again!
Try pickling or dehydrating as well for alt storage
And you can keep tumric and root vegetation and a bucket filled with sand to store long term
I think journaling is very important! I’ve been lawn journaling for years!!
Glad your video came up in my feed! Good reminder to make notes and items to put in those notes!
I've been keeping notes on that super handy Planting by Frost Date spreadsheet that you created for us!!
A lot of beautiful plants, and very little fruit usually means too much nitrogen, you might need a soil test. I always get a soil test.
Best garden video ever. Best of luck.
Thank you for this video. This was our first year gardening and we went from winter to 1 week of spring, then 90-95 degree weather, then back to freezing temps.
Silver Queen corn is and has been my fav corn. Tender and sweet. Excellent video! Thanks
This is so helpful. My year and summer was so hot everything burned up. I would be very interested in building shade for the plants.
This is my first garden in many years. Actually planted tomatoes for spring. Learned a lot. A good 50% of that was from your channel. Discovered that my tomatoes were in a bad location. It was in a raised flowerbed that turns out has a clay bottom. The top would dry out but the roots couldn't go deeper due to the clay. I put 6 bell peppers in an above ground bed that had wooden sides. Discovered it should have been lined with plastic. Planted Okra, cucs, pink eye purple hull Peas in July as an experiment. They're actually doing very well. Except for pickle worms and vine borers. I've put a ton of knowledge in play from your channel. Your info is down to earth, very well said, and excellently explained. Thanks.
Your raised beds do not necessarily need to be lined. 💜
@@tracycrider7778 I didn't think so either, but I built it out 5/8 fence boarding. I have four boxes 6ft long, 8 inches tall, and one foot wide. They are stacked like steps. I have two that I didnt line and one that I did line. I can go 3 days without watering on the lined box but the unlined boxes require water every other day. Especially the top box that has 6 bell peppers in that are 3ft tall. But I'm learning and enjoying. Thanks for the comment. Have a good one.
I had 3 raised beds built in 2015. I lined all 3 with plastic. One of the beds had to be removed to do some maintenance to a buried rainwater tank. When the workers put the bed back, they failed to put the plastic liner back in. That bed is now rotting and the other 2 are fine. Yes, line the beds with plastic!!!
@@dshep6979 Thanks. Ill keep that in mind.
I’ve somehow had 2 kale plants survive in pots here in oklahoma all year.
My all time favorite cucumber is Poona Kheera. Even when they're yellow skin starts to turn brown they don't get bitter and the skin is still edible. They grow a whole lot of cucumbers before they succumb to disease here in central Virginia.
First time container gardening...learned a lot. 14th floor wind! Potatoes came out mostly great a few glassy ones. Squash is finally growing...might get one! Tomatoes struggled. Thanks for your knowledge