2022 Lessons Learned

Normally I would wait until the end of the year to call out some lessons learned, but since I have a good list of lessons for this year, I thought now would be a good time to share. No matter how seasoned a gardener you are, there are always lessons to learn from gardening.

1. Do not forget to label your seeds

Whether you start your seeds directly into the ground or in flats in the greenhouse, it is important to label the seeds that have been planted. Do not wait to label. There have been many times that I think I can remember what is planted, but I do forget. I get distracted, and then the mind goes blank.

Do not rely on your memory and take that extra minute to just label what you planted. This past year I was pretty good about labeling my seeds, except for one row of seeds. I later figured it out after the seeds sprouted. When it comes to sprouts, sometimes it is still hard to know for sure until there is actual growth on the plant. There are many plants that look very similar while sprouting, such as squashes and melons. If planting directly into the ground, you may also want to make a map of where everything is planted.

2. Do not freeze the seeds

If you start your seeds in a greenhouse and it is hard to control the temperature within the greenhouse, use heat mats to help keep the soil warm enough for germination and growth. Once your seedlings sprout and the outdoor weather is changing, please be aware of your local weather. Do not make the mistake I did by turning off the heat mats too early. I thought that the cold weather was behind us, and I turned off the heat mats. The temperature got below freezing, and my little sprouts bit the dust. Some were salvaged, but most did not survive. Ensure the plants remain in a controlled environment to withstand the outdoor temperatures. If growing indoors, this is easier to control.

Check out the blog post on Oops! I froze my seedlings.

3. Overheating seeds

On the flip side of ensuring you maintain a good temperature to not freeze your seedlings, you also want to make sure the temperature is not so high that your seeds cook. I did make this mistake this year, not realizing that the temperatures in the greenhouse got up to 120 degrees. Make sure you have great ventilation to release the heat from the greenhouse. I have two solar fans in my greenhouse, but the temperatures still get up to 115 degrees. You want to maintain no higher than 90 degrees. What I need is a Horizontal Airflow Fan (HAF) to maintain good air circulation throughout the greenhouse. I have not found a good solar HAF yet, but I will continue the search.

4. Hanging pots that needs constant moisture

If you like hanging pots, be careful which type of hanging pot you choose and the type of plants you are putting inside it. If you have a plant that needs constant moisture, make sure the hanging pot is one that will retain that moisture and not one the easily drains water. I had very pretty plants in my hanging posts, but I pretty much killed it by underwatering the plants. The hanging baskets I have do drain water very well. Next year, I will rethink the type of pots that I use. My plan is to get self-watering pots to help maintain the moisture for any plant.

5. Do not overcrowd plants

I think this is one lesson that I still have not learned. I thought I was being so strategic in my planting this year, because I added flowers into my garden and more squash tunnels. What I failed to think about was how wide and tall the plants gets. The outcome? My plants started growing into each other. The one raised bed is a mashup of squash, beans, flowers, and cucumbers. Too many squash plants in one place. I should try to spread them out more around the garden next time.

Even my tomatoes are overcrowded. I did not listen to my own advice to only plant one plant per square foot. What did I do? I planted two, three or four. There is so much growth in one space, I really need to prune back suckers and some other leaves to ensure the tomatoes will get what it needs to grow big and healthy.

6. Protect against bugs, bunnies, and birds

There is so much effort that goes into growing your plants. All that effort can go *POOF* in a matter of minutes when it comes to bugs, bunnies, and birds. I moved the location of my collard greens this year, but none of it survived. Hornworms destroyed the collard greens and the kale. Very sad. I had to pull it all up. Almost every plant was full of worms and there were no leaves without holes. You can always spray early to prevent this from happening, but I had always avoided any type of spray.

What makes matters worse, or more problematic, I have a bunny that has built a den between the kale and the Bibb lettuce. I hated to pull the kale, but I could not leave it with hornworms and eggs. The hope is the momma bunny comes back and hopefully moves to a new location. I think we will be adding chicken wire at the bottom of the garden fence to deter bunnies from coming into the garden. Personally, I think they will still get in, but it is an option to try.

On top of bunnies, I have two bird nests among my grapes in the arbor. I bought two birdhouses to hang in the grape arbor for next season in hopes that the bird will decide to build nests in the houses and not in the arbor. We shall see what happens.

7. Learn about the flowers you plant

I added flowers to the garden this year, but one thing that I failed to realize is just how tall and wide those plants actually get. Some where so tall and top heavy that they fell over. I did brace up some, while others are still leaning over. Who knew that Cosmos, Giant Marigolds, and Bachelors Buttons grew so tall and wide?! The Cosmos were so big that they messed in with the cucumbers and squash. I really have to rethink the location. I would have helped to do a little more research on the size of the mature plant. The Giant Marigolds and Bachelors Buttons are not too invasive since they are isolated to the end of the raise bed, but I did not realize the height of the plant. Those flowers really needed to have something to brace them up when at mature height.

Apply what you learned

As we get through the Summer, keep a list of lessons learned for yourself. Share what you have learned during this growing season. Maybe. Just maybe, we will let these lessons sink in as we prepare for the Fall planting. The biggest lesson for me is location, location, location! I need to watch what I plant and where I plant. Oh! And how much I plant. Maybe next season I will not over commit to how many plants I grow, and rotate what I grow in any given season. Also, instead of growing plants for myself, I will grow more plants for others.