Here it is mid-September and I hardly have anything to show for all the hard work put into this year’s garden. It’s been a very disappointing year in terms of garden bounty. Despite all the extra feeding and watering I’ve done, the extreme heat and extra dry conditions in St. Louis this year have done considerable damage. Flowers dropped off and fruit didn’t set in mid-summer. Now fruit is finally forming but it’s getting cool and wet. Out of the four years I’ve put in a veggie garden this is by far the worst year for yield. Even my herb garden has been effected by the weather conditions of 2011. I hope this isn’t an indication that global warming has progressed to the point that these weather conditions are here to stay. I’m hoping that’s not the case!
The following photos were taken 3 days ago:
A single habanero pepper
A paltry amount of jalapeno peppers
One butternut squash which may not mature
One of the few puny Cherokee Purple tomatoes
Pineapple tomatoes which are smaller than normal
My sickly asparagus plants
The zinnias tolerated the 2011 summer fairly well
The fading wildflower garden
The herb garden showing meager basil and a barely alive tarragon plant
The game plan for next year is to move the herb garden to a new location that gets more sun. Also, I’m considering building a permanent structure which will totally enclose the veggie garden w/a chicken wire fence (even above the plants). That may be the best solution to the ongoing battle w/ the squirrels and other critters that seem undeterred by the current fence!!
Hoping for better days to come…
Sorry to hear how the hot weather has affected your harvest. We didn’t have a great year here either; cold spring delayed the plants a long time, but it turned out to be about average.
I second the idea of moving the herbs into full sun and a wire fence around the garden sounds like a good idea too. I feel lucky to have a fence all around my yard, and the only thing I have to watch for is the birds!
Let’s hope next year is better for both of us Kalyn!
Hey Bruno,
Oh, do I hear you on the 2011 garden woes. Two weeks ago I was seriously debating just tearing everything out of the garden so I didn’t have to look at it any longer, but now that it’s cooled down and the tomato plants are finally putting on fruits (the ones that haven’t already died, LOL) I figured I’d leave them be. Looks like it’s going to be a banner year for my green tomato relish!
Hooray for the zinnias! It’s amazing how much heat and abuse they’re willing to put up with. And I love how long they flower. I used to grow all different varieties of zinnias from seed (there’s a beautiful one called Persian Carpet – small flowers in deep, gorgeous colors) but have really slacked off over the past several years. Thanks for the reminder that I need to grow some next year. Now if only they were edible. ;)
Hi Susan,
I’m surprised to hear that you too had garden issues this year since you have so much more experience than me. But then again, I keep hearing stories of the difficult season many local farmers had this year! I may have to borrow your green tomato relish recipe if the few tomatoes I have growing don’t ripen.
Yes, if only zinnias were edible I would have a bumper crop this year:) Next year I may try growing some of the Persian Carpet zinnias you mentioned. They sound beautiful!