My SFG garden failed last year but I still have a big hope

I live in Corvallis OR outside of the city. I have almost an acre of lot yet surrounded by huge beautiful trees. So 1/2 day of the sun. And I have friendly deer families in my yard. I almost had beans till the deer rushed into my fenced area. In a moment it was gone. But I still have a BIG HOPE. My chicken wire cage over the entire 4x4 worked very well. But still all the vegetables I put in last year did not grow - 2 tiny peppers. 1 tiny tiny eggplant. 5 tomatoes. Couple chili peppers and that's it. No Broccoli. Except strawberry in 2x5, it looks great now with beautiful green leaves and flowers. I was very careful to make Mel's mix. Got 5 different kind compost. Pete Moss, and very expensive not so coarse vemiculite ($46 per 4.0 cubic foot size). I made 2 4x4, 1 2x5 for strawberry, 1 3x3, 2 3x6, 5 1x3 for deck area and hoping to use for salad greens. 2 weeks ago I put Romaine lettuce but one did not make it and other 4 are not doing well. Seems to me the soil is too wet all the time. I planted spinach in this Spring and it only grow to 1 inch and half high. I am thinking drilling more drainage holes on bottom of my SFG box now before I plant more vegetables. I am not so sure what to do. We had so much rain.
I am going to make Covered Wagon with PVC this weekend to make kind of green house on top of my SFGs. Do I need to add to my Mel's mix before I plant this year? I will keep trying.

M.M.

Hi,

If you think your boxes are too wet, by all means drill some more holes. You will need to add a scoop of compost to each square as you plant. Left over Mel's Mix works well for this, as does just plain old compost. If you are still unimpressed with your garden this year try adding a light fertilizer. I use fish emulsion. It is a little stinky, but it works. In my neck of the woods the weather has been wacky, so give the garden some time to adjust. I hope all goes well.

Patty from Yorktown

I think that half day of sun is going to continue to haunt you. Especially that far north and with your overcast weather you need all of the sun you can get.

I was thinking of mirrors to reflect sun in before it reaches your plants and how about table tops? Would have them higher off of the ground give them a longer bit of time in the sun?

Patty from Yorktown wrote:Hi,

If you think your boxes are too wet, by all means drill some more holes. You will need to add a scoop of compost to each square as you plant. Left over Mel's Mix works well for this, as does just plain old compost. If you are still unimpressed with your garden this year try adding a light fertilizer. I use fish emulsion. It is a little stinky, but it works. In my neck of the woods the weather has been wacky, so give the garden some time to adjust. I hope all goes well.

Patty from Yorktown

Thank you for your reply. Do you think something unbalance to have such a wet soil? or because the area. I don't know how the rest of North Pacific people are coping with? I will add a scoop of compost and perhaps try fish emulsion. I will check with my nursery Garland tomorrow if I can pick some up. Thanks again.

Lavender Debs wrote:I don't know that you failed, the deer thought you did a terrific job. Hugs and a wish for someone somewhere to enjoy venison so you can enjoy your green beans.

I don't know about venison... I appreciate your thought. Thanks.

Chopper wrote:I think that half day of sun is going to continue to haunt you. Especially that far north and with your overcast weather you need all of the sun you can get.

I was thinking of mirrors to reflect sun in before it reaches your plants and how about table tops? Would have them higher off of the ground give them a longer bit of time in the sun?

I love gardening sharing my mini-tomatoes and raspberries with my neighbor - that's when I was in Ashland with lots of sun in my small garden. I am thinking using 2 3x6 and 1 3x3 for not so sunny place to plant zucchini, another kind of summer squash, and some winter squash. I can put 5 plants in it. So less labor work. Then I am going to move 2 4x4 to little bit better sunny place and try green beans, peppers, okura, eggplant. Then I am going to try upside down hanging tomato Planter on my deck. And same kind of tomato in 2x2 planter. Did any one try this Upside down Tomato Planter...? I feel kind of gimmicky about this. But I want my cherry tomato so bad. If you have any other suggestion let me know. I will post my progress as go. Yes I do have concern on zucchini plant, it might going to have those mold leaves. But I am going to try it. I am going to work on another chicken wire cage for one of 4x4 I used the net and it was mess and the cage worked so well. It is little bit harder to make it. But this will protect from deer. By the way I did drilled more holes on my SFG boxes.

Thanks for all your thought.

By the way how are you doing with SFG living in this wet climate? Let me know.