We are gradually increasing our success at gardening. It has been a real challenge over the past two years with the drought and extreme heat conditions we have had here. Our water bills were just too high for several months and we wondered if the food we were harvesting was really worth the money we were putting into water alone. This year we have been blessed with a lot more rain which has made a difference.
We also had a rare cool spring in which we had 3 or 4 late frosts that really set back the plants. Many people lost tomatoes, corn, okra and other hot weather plants to the frost.
We bought some frost cloth a couple of years ago to use in our greenhouse (whenever we get it built). So we pulled it out and covered the tender plants we had already planted - tomatoes, carrots, cucumbers, peppers and pole beans. We didn't lose one plant! It is great to learn something new that works.
Now if someone would just invent a BUG cloth! We don't use any chemicals in our garden.
We plant a lot of zinnias and marigolds, hand pick some bugs, and encourage predatory insects, birds, frogs, lizards and spiders. Otherwise, we share the bounty with whatever comes along. Learning to garden is a never ending process. Each year is a little different and there is always something new to learn.
Please share your ideas. Any recommendations would be appreciated. Until next time - Fern