Summer gardening brings delights and disappointments, i.e. the downside of gardening. Hot days tax plants, critters discover your tasty produce, and plant death is just around the corner.
Lest you think everything is perfect here at Gardenerd HQ, we like to share the good with the bad, the ugly with the beautiful, the F-ups along with the successes. Here you go:
Our only Luxury Pumpkin was devoured recently by rats. If you read our last e-blast, you got a preview of this shot.When rats eat the tassels off all your corn…This is what happens. Silks don’t get pollinated, so you get Toothless Sister-Cousin corn. Check out our blog post on corn pollination to see how it all works.Our Long Beans were 24″ long. These were eaten a little each day until this was all that was left. Our first golden berry was found with a worm inside. ARG!Our melon vines were nibbled on by some creature of the night. So far, that’s it though, so there’s hope!Tree kale – they go for the tender growth tips. Double ARG!We harvested our butternut squash early because critters were nibbling. We’re letting them ripen in the sun for a couple days (not too long or they’ll start to rot). Our solution to the problem is to set about 12 rat traps. We caught 2 and the damage has ceased…so far.To end on a high note, we’re harvesting goji berries before the rats can get to them. Yay!
Even when the garden suffers, it still provides enough inspiration to keep us going through tough times. Hang in there, Gardenerds. We’ll be planting cool-weather crops before long.
Thank you for the info on the Delicatas. My first year growing them. Only 4 plants. And only 3 squash! But, I’ll take them!! Very rainy in western Mass. This summer. Nothing is doing very well. Feel bad for the farmers!!
It’s been a struggle for a lot of our farmer friends. We just had our first hurricane AND and earthquake in the same day yesterday. We’re calling it Hurriquake Day.
Thank you for the info on the Delicatas. My first year growing them. Only 4 plants. And only 3 squash! But, I’ll take them!! Very rainy in western Mass. This summer. Nothing is doing very well. Feel bad for the farmers!!
It’s been a struggle for a lot of our farmer friends. We just had our first hurricane AND and earthquake in the same day yesterday. We’re calling it Hurriquake Day.
Thanks for sharing. Sometimes I feel like I’m the only one.
You are definitely not alone, Nicole. 🙂