I quit. I'm done.
This year the whole gardening thing has been a TOTAL MESS. It started when I lost out on the "garden plan argument" with Dad. Every year I make this nice little plan on what to plant where and how much to plant. Every year, Dad just goes and buys what he wants and plants it wherever. Fine.
Then came the Snap Pea fiasco. The plants crapped out on me right away, resulting in very little harvest.
Then weather and my work schedule resulted in not getting the beans picked the way they should be. So I ended up tossing bunches of beans cuz they were just too far gone for good eating.
Weeds have been horrible.
Some kind of freaky-slippery mold was growing in the grass mulch used in the garden beds.
Hubby doesn't like the salsa I made.
We never did eat all the soup I made from the maters last year, so I don't wanna make more if we aren't gonna eat it.
Grape vines grew like crazy, shading my entire brussel sprout patch. No brussels sprouts this year for me.
Weeds took over the onion patch....don't know if I am gonna get anything out of that....
Taters seemed to do well, but I missed harvest day.
Zukes did well, but Little Sprout is the only one who seems to want to eat them.
Made some pickles, but we just don't eat a lot of them.
Picking apples, but don't know when I am going to find the time to deal with all of them.
Basically, this year has been total crap where the veggie patch is concerned. I feel like throwing my hands up and saying 'to heck with it' over the whole thing.
I know that over the winter all the heartbreak of this years garden will be forgotten, and I will be cheerfully planning a bigger and better garden for next spring. But I am kinda hoping I don't. I am frustrated and angry at the way things went this year. Oh, I got some goodies frozen and all, but it is so much of a struggle to keep up with everything.
*sigh*
Maybe I should just give up on the whole thing. Stick to flowers, and mulch the heck out of them so the weeds don't get away from me.
Something.
*sigh*
5 comments:
I am right with you this time!! I cut way back on what I planted this spring. I got some of the peas eaten or frozen. I didn't get to the beans in time and spend much more time pulling out all the tough ones. plus, the trellis I had them on decided to collapse!
I canned a lot of tomatoes last year and still have some. Mostly, I have frozen whole tomatoes this year to deal with later. The zukes molded and died, the cukes did pretty well.
I haven't canned a thing this year, but did dry some tomatoes, red onions, peaches, and some shredded carrots.
I always get frustrated this time of year, but like you said, by the middle of winter, I'm dreaming all over again! Why won't you Dad do what you asked?? Might make a difference next year.
I guess it's not so much that Dad won't do what I ask....it's more that he just doesn't HEAR me. He gets into this head-space where all he can think about is the fact that he has done it this way for 100 years, and so that is the way things need to be again. I dunno.....Maybe I just need to kick him harder.
I feel your pain Barefoot. I had some big disappointments in the garden this year too and I'm already re-thinking my plan for next spring.
I thought I was the only one who's garden did not do well. It was that hot spell we had that killed my tomatoes and dried up my beans.
I am going to regroup and see if we can be more productive with what we can grow in this horrible heat.
At lest you are good with flowers.
Do you read Throwback at Trapper Creek. She is such an inspiration and knows so much about gardening.
Hang in there Sarah. You know each year is different.
It was a hard year for gardens, really. We had weird weather all season - here in Maine, we never really had a "summer." There was the late blight that wiped out half the tomato and a good lot of the potato crop.
I think you should go easier on yourself.
That said, flowers aren't such a bad idea, but if I may offer a suggestion, you might consider perennial edibles as an alternative. Things like Jerusalem Artichokes, which are tubers, like potatoes, but look like little sunflowers.
And herbs are great, too.
Also, berry bushes, and maybe a fruit tree - apple is good :).
I feel like my garden is a failure every year, because no matter how well I attend to it, it never gives me "all" I need of any one crop (except lettuce :), and I always need to supplement with stuff from the farm stand or the Farmer's Market for our winter stores. It's very frustrating. How am I ever going to be self-sufficient if I have to keep buying food?
Anyway, don't be too hard on yourself. There's always next year ... as I keep telling myself ;).
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