My biggest challenge is often PESTS!

I prefer to be more hands-off in the garden. I've found that I have more fun and less stress without hovering. As we transition into the Fall gardening season, I notice the remaining plants need less attention ( water, weeding, and pruning), and the seeds I've started are very easy to manage. However, the struggle to protect my transplants persists. My baby plants are under attack in winter, spring, summer, and Fall.

 I've tried a few methods, but it depends on the pest. Right now, I have caterpillars AND slugs decimating my brassicas, hornworm damage on my tomatoes, and BIRDS! Oh, the birds, ALL the birds! They rip the leaves off my baby transplants and dig up my soil, looking for bugs and worms. It's so upsetting to walk out to the garden the morning after I transplanted and cultivated the beds for hours only to discover there is nothing there, literally nothing. Just naked stems, branches, and stalks.

 In the last few weeks, the moths and butterflies have enjoyed my sprouting broccoli; I planted 6 transplants early in September and have 2 left. I don't know if I have enough time to start broccoli from seed and allow it to mature before the potential of frost, so I went to the nursery to buy more transplants.

This time, I applied SLUGGO to the base of each plant, and for added protection, a Pyrethrin and Neem oil combination near each planting. Using multiple pesticides could be overkill, but I wanted to use what I had on hand to protect my harvest. For my GreenStalk Vertical Planters, I draped them with a lightweight row cover. I know the company offers Protection Covers now, but they are too pricey for me right now.

As my fall seedlings mature, I will remove my late-season tomatoes and replace them with chard, lettuce, spinach, beets, bok choi, and kale.

Fall Is Near

There is frost on my tomatoes in the morning. All the summer veggies have slowed down or died back. I just did some major cleanup- pruning and composting dead plants. The weather forecasts for the next two days predict 92 degrees Fahrenheit.

After that, it should cool down to the 70s. I am itching to start planting peas, carrots, and brassicas. Because my climate is relatively mild, I want to experiment. ‘Tis the season for alliums. I’ve also started Parsley, Kale, Cilantro, Collards, Lettuce, Spinach, Chard, Radishes, and Beets. A couple of years back, I started “ Spring crops “ in March and April, and they bolted, so I’m starting my Bok Choi this week as an experiment. I will sow a succession if they sprout because they are one of my favorites.

I am also attempting some high-yield gardening methods for my newly built garden beds. My planting space is not very big, but I know I can fit quite a bit. I have 3 4ft by 4ft raised beds. I designed them to be 15 inches deep to allow for more root expansion and less stress on the crops looking for nutrients. I also have the wonderful and amazing GreenStalk garden towers! Their Original Tower has 5 tiers with 6 10-inch deep pockets, that’s 30 plants with a footprint of about 2 feet! I have 2! And 1 of their Leaf Towers has 7 tiers with 6 7-inch pockets for a total of 42 plants.

This past season, I used containers to grow my paste tomatoes for homemade tomato sauce and summer squash, but everything else grew in the towers and beds.

This will be my first Fall growing season I am looking forward to a bountiful harvest!

Snapdragons, Dahlias, and Basil from my garden.