What I learned this year...

Today I learned that I should have cleaned the trellis of all the vines from my runner beans before I packed up for the winter.

Then they were soft and pliable. Now they are hard and unyielding and my fingers are getting sore and I am only half-way through.

41. Not to plant every seed in the packet! (okay, to be fair this was before I discovered SFG and thought only half of the seeds would even germinate - I now have fifty tomato plants - but happy friends relatives!)

42. I learned that a warm, cozy compost breeds not only beneficial organisms but also is a fabulous (yet unfortunate) place for rodents to nest their babies.... gardening is not for the squeamish!!!

brenda g wrote:

42. I learned that a warm, cozy compost breeds not only beneficial organisms but also is a fabulous (yet unfortunate) place for rodents to nest their babies.... gardening is not for the squeamish!!!

brenda g wrote:

42. I learned that a warm, cozy compost breeds not only beneficial organisms but also is a fabulous (yet unfortunate) place for rodents to nest their babies.... gardening is not for the squeamish!!!

43. Keep your compost pile wet. Leaves take a long time to absorb water. And it's better if they are mulched with the lawn mower before going on the pile.

44. Shop year around for garden supplies, watch the sales and mark downs, and buy in bulk if you can.

45. Write down what you planted, when and where on a popsicle stick or tongue depressor and put the stick in the square as soon as you plant.

Thanks for all the great suggestions and reminders. This is a wonderful thread.

Tom

46. B.T. is a wonderful wonderful thing. With B.T. and a pair of chopsticks I am able to keep the caterpillar population to a minimum.

47. Putting your soaker hose in the garden before you plant the seedlings will save lots of time and possible damage to the small plants. (I am hoping to set up a drip irrigation system for my boxes when I have the time.)

Kelejan wrote:Today I learned that I should have cleaned the trellis of all the vines from my runner beans before I packed up for the winter.

Then they were soft and pliable. Now they are hard and unyielding and my fingers are getting sore and I am only half-way through.

In addition, I should have cleared the vines before I cleared the squares and re-composted. It was a job to clean up afterwards. This morning I cleared the vines on the second trellis before clearing the square for re-planting so I can cleanup before re-composting. It will be so much easier.

48. Make plant stakes over the winter when you have time to make them nice and permanent.

49. Fall gardens take almost twice as long to produce, due to the much shorter days.

50. We can take cuttings from tomato plants (and basil) to bring inside and start for an indoor garden.

What I learned was to do things when they should be done. DO NOT PROCRASTINATE!

Sometimes it cannot be helped when something else is more important at the time.

Kelejan wrote:What I learned was to do things when they should be done. DO NOT PROCRASTINATE!

I'm going to learn that next year.

Even though poblano peppers are pretty “mild”, if you de-gut a whole bunch of them, they will make your knuckles burn for hours while prepping them for the freezer!  New to me!  I love them!

markqz wrote:

Kelejan wrote:What I learned was to do things when they should be done. DO NOT PROCRASTINATE!

I'm going to learn that next year.

Never use liquid bone meal on inside plants! WHEW, that stuff stinks! 

Great thread..very helpful!

Learned this one the hard way, of course:

When you get a new seed packet, check the expiration date. If you can't read it, write the year on it yourself, so years later, you won't have to guess, when culling old seeds from your stash.

I learned that I can run a quick germination test on old seeds by using a moist paper towel inside a plastic sandwich bag. I know, I just did this for the first time in 2019. If old seeds I will now start them a week earlier or so than I would usually start the seeds and if anything pops up, they get planted in an individual size yogurt container. Just a matter of finding a space that has that perfect Goldilocks' temperature for that particular seed. I used a pair of tweezers to plant the sprouts and I felt rather scientific and almost brilliant for a moment.

When starting seeds indoors, get the lights on them at the first sign of green. They can get leggy overnight.

Dan, check out this video on the subject of testing/starting seeds.

Larry, talk about a cosmic coincidence, I just noticed yesterday the wife had a bagful of the condiment containers with lids on the side porch, maybe 50 to 100 so will be giving them a try. I still like the paper towel method and thought the young gentleman made too much ado about getting the paper towel into the zip lock plastic bag. He also in my opinion used too much water, I soak the paper towel with water and then wring it out, I then place the seeds on one half and fold the other half over. Then I slide the paper towel into the plastic bag. I can then lay the bag with the seeds on the heat mat or the top on the refrigerator after getting the temperature by using a beverage thermometer. The critical note is to check everyday as I have had germination that defied any of the rules as in days to germinate. On Jan 23, I start the Garden Talks at The Grange after Soup and Seeds event. Free seeds are passed out, courtesy of a Rhode Island Master Gardener/Ocean State Job Lot program. They are last year's seed that didn't sell and are given out to non-profits. I will be demonstrating this new way and the paper towel method now as alternatives to the conventional sown in the seed starting mix. Just goes to show there is more than one way to skin a cat but alas you eventually run out of cats.

Suz, nothing grows as fast as a plant looking for the light. I have checked first thing in the morning, only to find a leggy sprout later on in the afternoon. Then is when I shout, out bad sprout and put him under the lights, with the lights as close as possible to 2" away with t-8s. I recently read that plants need a minimum of 8 hours of sunlight and artificial light supplies only half as to what is required. So if all the light is from an artificial source the plant would then need 16 hours under the lamps or lights. I learned this little factoid recently which finally made sense to what I had been doing for awhile but is a good explanation as to the why. I have always been the why person. Just feel I have a better understanding when I know the why and until I do I can be quite insane because not knowing seems crazy to me. My therapist says I am one of the lucky ones, you can't go crazy if you are already there.

This year was the first year I was successful growing okra.  I always have a gazillion ants and aphids on okra and the ants actually eat into the base of the okra pods.  This year I discovered a remedy for both ants and aphids.  Spray Tanglefoot  around the lower portion of the stem of the okra plant.  This stopped the ants and aphids.