Dear fellow vegetable gardeners...I quit!

[lspencer534]

First of all, I am (used to be?) an avid vegetable gardener--it's not only good eating, but also good for the soul. This is the first year that I've given serious thought to giving it up. First of all, May was so hot that my tender vegetables were burned and stunted; although I watered religiously, it's no substitute for rain, and we've had none since late April.

My sweet corn has 1 small ear per stalk. My blueberries are small and shriveled. Kale, winter squash, and turnips are burnt up. Deer ate the okra plants. Green beans made one picking. Today I come home to find that my big, beautiful tomatoes have been picked clean by raccoons or something. The almost ripe ones they ate, the green ones are on the ground. All of them are gone.

That leaves me with soybeans...but one picking and they're gone. All that tilling, fertilizing, weeding, watering...for practically nothing. Now that it's all over, what happens? I get rain today. Whoopee shit. I may get enthusiastic come next Spring, but I'm not counting on it. I fought Mother Nature, and she won. She won fair and square.

[carlton_fritz]

My brother feels the same way, but because of all the storms flattening his corn.

[lspencer534]

I can deal with the wind flattening my corn--Gawd knows it's happened enough--but I'm essentially getting nothing, or very damned little, from my garden. My wife and kids always got excited about my garden, but there won't be anything to look forward to this year. I've never had a year where just about everything was lost.

Reminds me of my grandfather, who was a farmer: As a kid, I asked him what he'd do if he had a million dollars. He said, "I reckon I'd keep on farming til it was all gone...."

[lander]

Been waiting patiently for the first two tomatoes to ripen up. Took a close look at them Sunday and some sorta larvae was eating them up.

[lspencer534]

Originally Posted by lander

Been waiting patiently for the first two tomatoes to ripen up. Took a close look at them Sunday and some sorta larvae was eating them up.

That's a big ole green caterpillar-looking thing, most likely. Sprinkle some Dipel on your tomatoes. Hey...maybe I can become a vegetable garden advisor!

[lander]

Originally Posted by lspencer534

That's a big ole green caterpillar-looking thing, most likely. Sprinkle some Dipel on your tomatoes. Hey...maybe I can become a vegetable garden advisor!

Have to sprinkle some more on...just stormed, oh Vegetable Gardener Whisperer.

[carlton_fritz]

Originally Posted by lspencer534

I can deal with the wind flattening my corn--Gawd knows it's happened enough--but I'm essentially getting nothing, or very damned little, from my garden. My wife and kids always got excited about my garden, but there won't be anything to look forward to this year. I've never had a year where just about everything was lost.

Reminds me of my grandfather, who was a farmer: As a kid, I asked him what he'd do if he had a million dollars. He said, "I reckon I'd keep on farming til it was all gone...."

How about standing water all over the place too?

[lspencer534]

Originally Posted by lander

Have to sprinkle some more on...just stormed, oh Vegetable Gardener Whisperer.

[lspencer534]

Originally Posted by carlton_fritz

How about standing water all over the place too?

I know. Kinda wish I had had that problem, but not really. Standing water kills a garden just like a drought does. If fresh veggies didn't taste so damned good....

[78SA]

I wish it would stop raining so much so my garden will dry out and I can work in it again. Good thing I put the strawberries on hills or they would have been under water.

[lspencer534]

Originally Posted by 78SA

I wish it would stop raining so much so my garden will dry out and I can work in it again. Good thing I put the strawberries on hills or they would have been under water.

I wish you good luck. My problem has been just the opposite, but either one is a killer. Figuratively, if not literally. Really, I don't give up that easily, but this year has been trying.

[78SA]

Originally Posted by lspencer534

I wish you good luck. My problem has been just the opposite, but either one is a killer. Figuratively, if not literally. Really, I don't give up that easily, but this year has been trying.

[mrvette]

Thankfully we have a ~30' well, down to the level of the St. Johns river level under this hill, chances of running dry are pretty slim, I hope....

so it's used for HVAC heat sink on the waste side of the heat cycle...

and irrigation for back yard and front.....

sometimes it goes down the driveway to the street for over watering...

[VatorMan]

So far so good here. We have a good weather pattern going here in MD so far.

[zz4vetteguy]

My aunt has been sending over cucumbers right and left....I have had cucumbers salad with every meal I eat at home for two weeks now.

The figs on my fig tree are starting to come in....but the birds will get to them all before they are ready to be picked...like usual

[polarbear]

Originally Posted by 78SA

I wish it would stop raining so much so my garden will dry out and I can work in it again. Good thing I put the strawberries on hills or they would have been under water.

Pacific Northwest, by any chance? I just planted my flowers last week- about a month later than usual because of the cold and the rain.

[Sea Six]

Sorry to hear about your bad luck with the garden this year, Larry.

[CuzzinJack]

It ain't ''good for the soul'' if you quit , is it ..

Relax about it for a while and then come back and try something else -- cabbage maybe ..

I had a badger rip up my runner bean row earlier this year - -- no biggie -- it's all part of the bigger picture - - but i did find its' burrow/set and shove some wood and tree branches in for it to practice it's woodworking skills ...

Srsly -- it's all part of the game ....but i think you know that.

[lspencer534]

Originally Posted by CuzzinJack

It ain't ''good for the soul'' if you quit , is it ..

Relax about it for a while and then come back and try something else -- cabbage maybe ..

I had a badger rip up my runner bean row earlier this year - -- no biggie -- it's all part of the bigger picture - - but i did find its' burrow/set and shove some wood and tree branches in for it to practice it's woodworking skills ...

Srsly -- it's all part of the game ....but i think you know that.

I know you're right. I guess this year has been sort of a bummer with the extreme heat and dryness. It's discouraging to do all that hot, dirty work for nothing...and just to feed some free-loading varmits.

[Olustee bus]

Can you not hook up a simple, cheap irrigation system. Just a little water everyday would do the trick. It would not be that difficult to do. I have a friend near you. He is an accountant.He could help you set one up!