Desperately Trying To Reignite My Love For Gardening Again...

[@TheMillennialGardener]

If you enjoyed this video, please "Like" it and share it to help spread its reach across KZbin. Thank you for watching!🙂TIMESTAMPS here: 0:00 Everything That Went Wrong This Year 4:03 I Want To Quit Gardening After This 5:56 How I'm Reigniting My Love For Gardening 8:17 Exciting New Warm Weather Crops 13:13 Exciting New Cool Weather Crops 17:33 Keeping Gardeners Excited To Garden 20:31 Adventures With Dale

[@johnbaxter189]

Get ya vitamin D levels checked if U get winter blues and get a booster if needed, also daylight light bulbs help

[@DavidChan-bb8hf]

i started to grow dragon fruit from seed just trying to have fun something not going to grow where i live but just to have fun ill be baby them in the house like my lemon and lime

[@marchellas4264]

I feel you on this one. I am a 2nd year gardener. I'm in zone 7b. I have a big ground hog. My 🍎 trees were hit hard by pests. I just started transition to cover cropping and perennial flowers bubs.

[@jenpalazzo5728]

​@@DavidChan-bb8hfI have a beautiful dragon fruit plant growing here in SE FL.

[@karenromando4939]

You also need medicine for your illness.

[@peaceofmyhearthomestead4611]

I’m a horrible gardener😂 which is why I watch channels like yours to try to be better. Started gardening about eight years ago, I barely get anything ever, the animals always get to it first. But what I learned is I just love being out there and growing it, whether I get any harvest from it or not. It helped me get through my chemo.

[@juneramirez8580]

Well congrats on getting through chemo. My chemo was not my problem. It was the radiation damage side effects that are beating my a_ s. Any way praying you have complete healing and keep on growling!!!

[@Omegawerewolfx]

Simple insect netting or a chicken wire enclosure will dramatically increase your yields.

[@SeashellSeashell-du1sl]

@@juneramirez8580 ❤

[@SeashellSeashell-du1sl]

❤🙏

[@Toggle_New_Top_2SeeCensored]

It's been my heart and lung rehab too. We got awesome rat traps but my husband has to manage those. I can get you details if interested. I use lots of peppermint oil also

[@moiraslater8526]

It's never wrong to let your garden rest if you need a rest. It is healing for both.

[@johndoh5182]

Regenerative ag. farmers would tell you different, with the science behind them backing up what they're saying. If you have empty land, nothing growing on it, the natural biome is dying off. It's becoming sterile. Cover cropping is green manure and provides benefit over the winter, so beds should never rest unless you HAVE to because of work you're doing with it, but then you have the work of building up that soil again. Raised beds should have plenty of life in them because you're creating an ideal growing location. You're either going forward with soil quality or backward. Going backwards means needing a lot of additives to get your plants growing the way they were before.

[@moiraslater8526]

@@johndoh5182 if I have empty soil weeds do that for me.

[@jdgo3483]

I got in the funk this summer and was looking for a break. I covered part with buckwheat and 7 weeks later covered it with crimson clover that will winter over and bloom in summer. Other sections were covered with daikon radish and field peas that will winter kill. I have not done much in the garden for the past month but watch it grow. There is not much to worry about and I have the winter to plan for next year.

[@jamesprigioni]

We are with ya always bro, Jersey Strong! 💪

[@ggusta1]

I can definitely see me burning out That's stopped me from even starting. I don't want to do anything more than a very modest raised bed garden for the first time next year after my 'fun with basil summer'.

[@SmoothOperator319]

Tell the “Young King Tuck” we got his back James!

[@SonicaLuda]

James in the comments!!!! Coming to you live, from Jersey! Let's go!!!

[@TheMillennialGardener]

We'll push through. Always do.

[@tinaingram885]

My husband passed away 7 months ago and its truly so difficult 💔 trying to do things I enjoyed because of depression. Like gardening. God and time 😢 will help me, prayers and praying 🙏. Looking forward to winter. ❤😊

[@teresathomley3703]

My condolences and best wishes to you.❤

[@Earthy-Artist]

I'm so sorry, loss is hard, ask me how I know that. Time does help, and God helps most of all. Prayed for you, God bless✝.

[@bycfr08]

I am so sorry for your loss 🙏🏼

[@jenniferc4083]

My deepest sympathies on your loss. I have seen many posts in various facebook garden groups, where people plant a small area as a memorial garden for their loved ones. Pick plants that they love and set a chair or bench closeby where you can sit comfortably. An indoor space dedicated to their memory can help as well.

[@joyfulparadise]

Most experts highlight only their successes. You were transparent with us MG. You are REAL.

[@TheMillennialGardener]

This is a real garden. I work a full-time job (two, actually, this channel is a 40 hr/week commitment), and I don't have any hired help to clean things up. Everything I'm doing is attainable for a person with a full-time job, and I want people to know that, no games. I also like featuring the failures, because people learn more from the failures than the successes, and I want you to know that even a "KZbin gardening expert" messes plenty of stuff up. You're not alone. We all make mistakes and have failures, no matter how long we've been doing this.

[@SylviaFlores-ld8ww]

I appreciate that.

[@kingwood207]

So, as a second year gardener, I have to tell you that this is by far the best it has ever been for our family. My wife has had a garden for 30 years and we have never had a lot of luck with it. Retiring in the next few years I needed to get a hobby. KZbin! I subscribed early to your channel,(I bet you could look that ) and followed your advice on so many things. We have 32 San Marzano tomato plants that are still producing in the 2nd week of October. Peppers are abundant. Potato’s are on the second crop this year. Just because you’re having a bad year don’t let that get you down. What you have done for your subscribers has made up for any bad season you had. Keep on keeping on!

[@TheMillennialGardener]

I love comments like these. Hearing that my videos are actually making a difference really makes it all worth it. The greatest thing about the gardening community is the support. We support each other. No matter what, don't stop. The worst thing that can happen is to not have a garden 😀

[@valeriecullins4218]

​@@TheMillennialGardener I love watching your show. There's things you cover that I have not even thought about. You definitely inspire me and I'm sure many other people as well. You are a great gardener and you will very soon snap out of the funk and spring back into action even better than before. ❤

[@naomiledger1374]

There's nothing like buying exciting new seeds to get your excitement levels back up again. I hope it works and you get bumper crops once more. 🤩

[@CharityBenz-w2y]

Don't fret. You found the soul of gardening. It makes optimists out of pessimists and makes heroes out of those who are willing to try, fail, and keep trying until they succeed. You are probably half my age, but that quest keeps one young and striving to conquer, as you have learned, the truly and newly unconquerable environmental conditions in which we now live.

[@meganmarkle3104]

Thanks for being real.

[@TheMillennialGardener]

It’s a real struggle every year. But, nothing worth doing is easy.

[@meganmarkle3104]

@@TheMillennialGardener tis very true.

[@Sarah.Brown29]

Dude. You're allowed to be done! Take a rest, regroup. ❤

[@tyler4471]

I feel what you're saying. Just know that your videos have really inspired some of us who have never grown these things before. I built your hoop house design, and within that planted Kale, Spinach, Collard Greens, and Carrots according to your video advice. They're doing fantastic now and the netting is keeping the bugs away. While your planting yields life's "fruit" to yourself (and with setbacks, as you had described in this video), it also has served as fruit to those seeking the knowledge of a new and daunting hobby. I appreciate all the time you've taken with these informative videos, and you've enabled me to enjoy my first-ever homemade salad today, with happiness. Thanks so much, and keep your internal fire alight!

[@heidiwheeler9917]

^^^All of this!! I did also build your hoop house design for myself and my MIL, and it really blessed us both. I'm so excited that it'll allow me to extend my growing seasons!

[@Rabbi393]

Brother, I hear you. I've been a passionate vegetable Gardner for 55 years . Iam burned out this season and I have no explanation for it. I remember a burnout in 1996, but not like this.

[@ruthgroves509]

My garden was the worst ever this year for both fruits and veggies. What the earwigs didnt eat, the weather killed. I didn't bother to plant my usual fall garden and I hope the earwigs are starving! 😂

[@thebestSteven]

Did you have a lot of problems you don't always have? This was my first year planting a garden and I have had CONSTANT problems, and I have been preparing for this for a couple years, so I did things exactly how you're "supposed" to, but I'm hearing that lots of experienced gardeners, particularly east of the mississippi, have had lots of disease and pest problems they normally don't have.

[@cw8877]

@@thebestStevenaphids were INSANE but it’s my first year in 8b.

[@sageandlovehomestead]

I totally feel this. It has been an awful summer for us. We had record heat so my tomatoes are not producing since July! Cooling off next week so hopefully will get a small harvest before our frost. Squash bugs took out most of my squash. Ground squirrels are awful, taking bites out of my watermelons, zucchinis, melons. They ate the tops off all my cucumber and bean sprouts. Diseases etc... I really like the idea of trying something new.

[@baneverything5580]

I have Sweet 100 Cherry Tomatoes that produce from early spring until December in Louisiana (if I cover them with light tarps during frosts) when my regular tomatoes quit when it hits 90 degrees.

[@demetriuspowell29]

Put quick dry cement on some baited fruit or vegetables trust me that'll work also add traps throughout the garden with socks stuffed with mothballs I go to war with squirrels chipmunks and possums

[@reginafetty6374]

We had high heat and it was dry as well. My squash did hardly anything. Now they are producing squash. I only got 2 pumpkins. 4 messes of beans, one cucumber. It was the worst garden I have had.

[@afriendtoo6971]

71 year old gardener here and it was the same in zone 6. A terrible year and I'm burnt out. Draught / 3 hours watering and very little harvest. Lack of rain really makes a difference when the plants roots can't get down deep. Hopefully we will all reenergize over the winter months.

[@lbarmstrong1]

A Congo line of possums, awwww, that's pretty funny if it was funny. Sorry. We had just the opposite this summer in Georgia, drought. Everything dry as a bone. I think they're manipulating the weather, and I'm not kidding. That said, you've taught me so much this year and I've tried so many things you've talked about, I can't thank you enough.

[@TheMillennialGardener]

I love drought. It is easy to add water. My garden was incredible in that June drought. Best it has ever looked that far into the season 😞 I wish we had drier summers like out west.

[@sharonabner3156]

@@TheMillennialGardenerwatch what you wish for, you can add all the water you want but anything above 90 and water doesn’t keep the plants going.

[@cheifcreekturtle]

Right and going out in that heat to water is the pits! And if you go at dawn or dusk it’s the mosquitos eating you alive 🫠!

[@outwest100az]

Geo-engineering is real and more people need to look into it. The GE is being used to push CCBS and it is beginning to affect all of the planet as a whole. So many gardening complaints the last couple of years like never before from all the folk I speak with. Something is going on and most of us can feel it

[@takeshikovax6254]

If by "they," you mean Exxon and Duke Energy, you may be correct. Anyways, same in Texas. First half of summer was wetter than usual, and now it hasn't rained in about 2 months; This is supposed to be the second wettest time of the year here. I planted a lot of perennials right at the beginning of the drought, expecting this season to be less stressful on them, lol.

[@omegahunter9]

Hardships, while they are unpleasant, introduce experience and stimulate the need to solve problems. Working through those problems, coming up with solutions and preventative measures, will make you stronger, wiser, and more resilient. Giving up is the only guarantee of failure.

[@donhorak9417]

MG is an engineer; a problem solver.

[@MrDadGuy]

Every year there are hard lessons in my garden. Usually something I wanted to do really well fails and something I neglect surprises me. I planted onions among my peppers and they barely grew. I had a bed of them under shade cloth during the high heat of summer and they grew slower than any other onions I had grown before. I really planted a lot of onions (4x I ever have). Lesson: removed the shade cloth and onions took off...they need full sun apparently. But the bulk of them were in among other plants so ..... But the shade cloth use I learned from this channel helped immensely on other things. Bought conduit bender for 4' wide hoops and now will use also for frost protection covering.

[@omegahunter9]

@@MrDadGuy I had a similar experience. I was unexpectedly forced out of my home due to a disaster, and unable to care for my plants daily this year. To my shock, despite the lack of weeding and pest control, all the plants grew wildly and produced more, bigger, and sweeter fruit than I had ever seen before. Unfortunately the weeds are still an issue, and I have much work awaiting me when I am able to return to living at my home.

[@mommakimmins5554]

If you're burnt out giving yourself a rest to refresh your passion is better than trying to force it, because that's how you end up making yourself hate it

[@TheMillennialGardener]

I could never hate this. It's like an argument with a spouse. You get mad at the situation, but you get over it and you make up. For me, personally, the only thing I could *hate* is having no garden. If I don't push through this, I will be totally lost in the winter. The old saying that nothing easy is worth doing is so true.

[@martincollinsworth2703]

STAY STRONG, THE FAILURES MAKES US STRONGER..

[@jamesz9365]

Hell Yes!!!!

[@TheMillennialGardener]

There are failures, and then there are elements out of your control. It’s the hardest to see a year’s worth of work stolen practically overnight 🦝 Ah, Nature.

[@cottagefarmflowers]

Anthony. You saved my gardening soul back in 2020. The heat was relentless and killed my plants even with shade cloth. I was DISCOURAGED. You, my friend, reinvigorated my love of gardening and got me going again. I'm planting new varieties too but I'm also growing what I love that always works for me to fend off any disappointment. Keep us posted on how the new varieties are working for you! I'm glad you haven't thrown in the towel.

[@TheMillennialGardener]

I'm really glad to hear it. It's great you pushed through. Maybe you need a higher grade of shade cloth, or to put it up earlier? I will say, shade cloth is only one part of the equation, though. Mulching and drip irrigation are key. When you add all 3 of those things, you can do a lot with the heat.

[@baneverything5580]

One of my basil plants was planted in 2022. It has bark. I trim it to a stem and bring it inside in winter under lights. The first year it grew in a window in winter. It was so determined to live that I`ve kept it alive as a seed producer. Bumblebees love the blooms too.

[@TheMillennialGardener]

I don't think I've ever kept a basil plant that long. I do, however, have a 6 year old pepper plant. This thing is like a tree. There is barely any green on it anymore. It has practically turned to wood.

[@baneverything5580]

@@TheMillennialGardener I had a bell pepper plant for 3 years once until an early freeze froze it and 90% of my cacti (and others I collected working in a nursery & landscaping) when I was out of state. The bell pepper had bark. I`m keeping a cherry tomato plant alive right now.

[@nexlvl301]

This video honestly made me feel so much better, I'm also in eastern NC and have had so many of these same issues this season. This is only my second year gardening and I was getting pretty discouraged so to hear that someone whos much more experienced than me was suffering along makes me feel like maybe I didn't do to bad.

[@veronicadoggone5660]

I started growing flowers in fall along with my usual fall veggies. I have sun flowers, calendula, coreopsis, zinnia and others. They keep so much of the beneificial bugs and birds around which I love watching in the garden.

[@TheMillennialGardener]

That is beautiful. If only I could find a flower that repels possums and raccoons 😂

[@glennm9307]

Lack of rain and killer heat and humidity did a number on our garden in northern Mississippi. We feel the same. Our Orange Wellington tomatoes have rebounded and determinate tomatoes are doing well. Squash and melons were a bust. Green beans are finally kicking in. Might get a few cukes this fall from a late planting. They did poorly during summer. Gardening is like golf. You have a horrible round one day but can't wait to get out there again the next day. Chin up my friend! Your experimentation and learning is part of gardening. Just think of how much knowledge you have gained since this journey started. Imagine another ten years. And thanks for sharing your gardening journey with us. I think we've all gone through what you're feeling at the moment.

[@itsallawork1985]

Don't give up man! You are a huge inspiration to me and I hope to start a garden similar to yours in SC next year!

[@TheMillennialGardener]

I definitely won't quit, but I do need a slower winter. The end of summer and start of fall has been an absolute bear with things going wrong. It was a tough September.

[@juliedayton8754]

Rest for you & your garden is both necessary & very biblical ❤️

[@laninshki]

Aww we all go through that keep your head up you’ve got this!!

[@TheMillennialGardener]

This year has been brutal. I really hope we have a dry, mild winter...but I think this one is going to be a cold one.

[@emchazzie]

Thank you so much for sharing this video. I've always enjoyed your channel but I love you even more now. Many of these other gardening channels only show these perfect gardens and never share their failures or drawbacks. You start wondering why your the only one struggling. My garden failures this year were also extensive here in the Houston area. Heat and bugs decimated my tomatoes, squash and even my mints. So thanks again for letting me know that even the best of us have problems and that we just need to regroup and keep going. Your the best!!

[@debrajones7349]

“I’m desperately trying to protect my four lousy persimmons”. 😂😂😂 I’m feeling the same after hail defeated me in late June. I ended up enjoying putting my energy into the few flowers that survived. Good luck with your new seed choices!

[@TinMan445]

I always appreciate our harsh Canadian winters. Full of motivation from spring to fall😂

[@SusannefromBuffaloNY]

Thank you so much for this gardening post. I'm so sorry for all your lost plants, it almost made me cry. I appreciate your videos and have learned so much because of all your hard work. Please don't stop! You have been so inspiring to me. I haven't been gardening long. Every time I grew anything the squirrels would get to it. Watching your videos made me want to try again. This year I grew 14 tomato plants and 4 cucumber (party time) plants. My husband made the trellis for growing everything up the strings and planted in grow bags. We made a cage that turned out to be 13'X15'X7' (using it as a greenhouse during the cold season). We had so much fun! The squirrels couldn't get in, it was very amusing watching them try! I will try snow peas and rattlesnake pole beans next spring. Thank you again for all your help.

[@kathleencarter7231]

It's DEFINITELY been a different summer!! I find that for me, the more elaborate and extensive I get, the more depressed I feel when extreme weather knocks me sideways! I mentally take time off, regroup, and go back to the basics, making it simple until I am fully back into "gardening mode" once again!!

[@SimplyCanningSharon]

Your comment about your garden doing so well while it was hot and dry really hit home for me. 4 years ago we moved from a dry climate where irrigation was a daily task to humid Tennessee. I thought I'd love gardening where it actually rains. But it has been very hard. I admit it... I miss my desert garden. If you've got a source of water for irrigation, that desert land produces well. Less bugs, less humidity related diseases like blight, mildew etc. That sounds just like your garden early in the year during the 'dry season'. 4 years in and I'm learning... but it is a BIG learning curve.

[@kansasgardener5844]

I'm burnt out also it's not just you! It has been so hot here late this season that everything is failing! I'm about to plant my garlic and call it a year. A year of great success! First year that I grew really large onions. Second year that I grew tons of large tomatoes. I guess we have ups and downs in gardening just as we do in life. I always look at it like this, there's always next season. Happy gardening.

[@cherylparker5436]

Sending prayers and love to you and your family during these horrible hurricanes and storm that you are safe!!

[@donthompsonrealtor3294]

I believe you solve the issue. I don’t see all of your vids. But the ones I do see there is an underlying theme. It’s been my observation, you are an experimentalist and you push the edges. So, to me it looks like you’re on track again! One other thing I would say, is include some of those staples, those regular items that you know will produce. Because you might be worse off if all your new plants failed. I don’t believe they would because I know you know what you’re doing. Many of us Love you! Probably more than many however, we know there’s a hater or two out there just ignore them! You have been an inspiration to me. Thank you so much!!

[@SylviaFlores-ld8ww]

I agree , trying new seeds or varieties is very motivating. Wishing you bright sunny days.☀️

[@paulspanish-he2ki]

Sorry to hear about the issues you had this summer! Hang in there and plow through. You have inspired so many of us. Now, we're going to encourage you!

[@TheMillennialGardener]

Thank you. I do appreciate it 😊

[@thegardenlikesdad]

This speaks to my soul.

[@joshp9964]

Wait to u move down here to Florida. U plant stuff and it gets too hot and kills it or have a shit ton of hurricanes and hope all ur fruit trees are still here after words. A lot of ups and downs. Just have to keep ur head held high and keep going forward.

[@headybrew]

We love you, Man! You are an inspiration. Do what you gotta do for you. We all get down sometimes. Men don't talk about it, but we should. I appreciate your honestly. I appreciate you. My Dad used to grow Rutabagas when I was a kid and lived in Maine. We'd eat them like mashed potatoes. I never liked them much. lol. Because I was a kid and I didn't like ANYTHING. Now I am at the edge of the Mojave desert in Southern California. And after years of living in an apartment, I finally have some room to garden. So I'm older, but I'm still learning. It's a totally different climate than you are in. But you still inspire us all. I'll make you a promise. This afternoon, I'm finally going to get my butt out there and transplant my potted pineapple plant into my tropical raised bed next to my banana trees. It's 97 degrees, and I think I think it will be OK in that bed for the winter that's soon coming. Keep the faith! Just know that no matter what, you are appreciated.

[@BerthaCarlos-r4d]

Same it’s been so hard to grow things and grasshoppers birds and squirrels and heat

[@donhorak9417]

Dang grasshoppers!

[@jamesz9365]

@BerthaCarlos-r4d Had same problems myself. Put up fence around my garden and covered outside of 4' fence with deer netting (fencing) and the racoons stayed out. Only my doggies keep the squirrels out however. Tried some red pepper which never did anything good. Coons are gone though!! Oh yea, I feed a stray cat too, somewhat largish, punches above her weight..!

[@demetriuspowell29]

Use diatomaceous earth food grade

[@demetriuspowell29]

Combine that with tulle netting

[@ainamyrvold7984]

I am so happy you are trying rutebaga. This is a must have in Norway. We use it a lot. It is sweet and sometimes spicey. You can slice it and eat it raw. i love it raw. You can slice it and boil it and use it like a sweet potato. Rutebaga mash is also popular with salted lamb meat. It is packed with vitamin C. It is delicious. We never fry it. The ones I grow is usually 2-3 lb. Thank you for making this honest video. Thank you for all the inspiration you spread around the wolrd. All the best to you ❤

[@cristicion3333]

Yum! Thanks for the idea. I love rutabaga.

[@nikkireigns]

I love rutebaga! My grandma (Norwegian heritage) used to make it ❤ I need to grow some next year!

[@baneverything5580]

I bought cheap bulk Rutabaga seeds for deer food plots for a lot cheaper than seed packs. I throw seeds around my garden in fall and let them choose to grow where they want.

[@cristicion3333]

@@baneverything5580 I do that with daikon. 😊 I lol try it with rutabaga, too.

[@baneverything5580]

@@cristicion3333 My Daikon seeds were bulk deer food plot too. Ha! You can get some great deals that way and for sprouting seeds instead of only getting 50 or 100.

[@YarmouthBotanicals]

My fall seedlings were decimated by aphids. My summer garden similar to yours was on its way to glory until the July fry. Hang in there! Nature...

[@vinelady9802]

Myself, and many of my gardening friends, share your frustration with this years turnout. I live in CO, and every year grow hundreds of tomatoes from seed in our little greenhouse that is attached to our house. I love giving them to friends and neighbors, so much it is become a yearly tradition we all look forward to. The year started out great. Dozens of new varieties of tomatoes, strawberries, melons, beans, and squash, but by mid June most had died due to crazy weather, voles, white fly infestations, mold, virusrs, and squirrels. I am still shaking my head in dismay and am depressed. Like yourself, my plants are something to look forward to....watching them grow, the first ripe tomato, but thus year was non stop stressful. Todays world can be so angry, divided and negative, my garden was free of all that. Watching my plants struggle and wither away and not being able to fix things was awful. Conspiracy theories abound as to why gardeners across the country had a tough time this year. All I can say is thank you for sharing this video, and all your wisdom, with us. It has inspired and helped me get through some really dark stuff.

[@puopg]

Such a good video to show the bad along with the good.

[@TheMillennialGardener]

I find the failures teach more than the successes. If you've ever had issues like this, you're not alone and in good company.

[@jeffreygraf3358]

Be thankful you have an extended growing season. We've already had our first hard frost.

[@Toms-garden]

I’ve had similar issues. My garden is in a community shared garden area, and I was just told that next year, I’ll have to move my garden to make room for a new fire station. I’ve bought compost and manure for planting, and then news that I MIGHT NOT make it to harvest - no dates yet. I don’t know where to get any initiative.

[@GloriaNapoles-tq8xj]

That's really sad ! 🫤

[@tannerlane9669]

You got to plant here for free now you have to move it …..that should be your initiative

[@PaintingVideos]

If you have a small yard yourself you can do a lot in that, (?)

[@tairam9383]

I feel so bad for you. I admired you before and I still admire you for you candid and authentic rendition of where you are at, including throwing up your hands and thinking of taking a break for the rest of 2024. I'm am guessing that the your garden's demise extended to beyond just your garden, which is why desperate possums and raccoon have gratefully picked your garden clean. Since there were so many, critters I'm guessing they are just trying to survive. If you do take a break, I'm sure you will return with a huge longing to garden like crazy again. Maybe this is a good time to set up a protected greenhouse that will be critter proof. Whatever you decide to do, sending you love and best wishes. You have earned my admiration regardless of your choices and I have full faith that we will see gardening videos from you in the future.

[@honeybadgers1996]

I’m so sorry to learn your fruit trees were decimated by the critters. That’s heartbreaking to hear. I live 40 acres rural area and am always battling with different critters, large and tiny. Most of fruit bearing plants and trees are protected by either hardware cloth or some sort of cages within the fenced area. Also, my pups are always on the lookout for those critters when they go outside. I hear ducks are great to protect from critters and they don’t dig like chickens do. I don’t have them in my property but you may want to think about some sort of garden protectors for your future FL garden. I planted Italian Genovese basil this year and did really well. I was able to enjoy them all summer long and am still enjoying it. Basil doesn’t grow outside in my zone during the winter. So, I need to start prepping indoor basil and other herbs very very soon. Thank you for the video. That frozen bone looks wonderful. I can see Mr Dale was drooling. He’s a good boy💕

[@TheMillennialGardener]

My problem is my fence. The critters are walking along the fence and then using it to leap into the trees. They don't want to touch the ground. I am thinking about getting some bird spikes, but they're insanely expensive. It would cost about $1,000 to cover the tops of the fence with spikes, and I've seen mixed reviews, too. It would be rough to spend all that money and see it not work. I'll have to figure something out.

[@wendyplatts7986]

You inspire me. Don't give up. Maybe cut your losses. And do a little different. Like ginger or weird stuff you don't usually grow. I'm a container gardener 200-300 pots. I try everything. I'm a very sick person. I am bedridden 75% of the time. Your one reason I keep trying. Honestly it's a struggle. Yes reduced garden is good. I am in your boat too. Thank you and dale..... i wrote this at the 1st minutes of watching.... at the end I realized you don't need my advice we are already on the same page. You help people thanks , I really needed it❤❤❤❤❤

[@ThatCoolPsychNurse]

Thank you for being so honest and sharing both the good AND the bad of gardening. I burnt out in August and my garden has basically been abandoned. I felt so guilty until I saw your video. I will start again in the early spring and be gentle with myself.

[@trishwheelerschoonover2254]

It’s hard to be motivated when your state is so stressed right now. When I’m this way, I try another form of gardening (making notes, diagrams, what I want to do different next year etc.). I find it reignites my interests by walking away for a bit but I still have my head in it. I’m a perfectionist, have SADD as well, and it’s hard when things don’t work like “they are supposed to). Hang tough! You are my fav channel! ❤️

[@user-ef2hk9lu9d]

It’s part of gardening and farming. I’ve always said if farmers and gardeners weren’t farming and gardening, they would be in Vegas gambling. Every season is a gamble. You get too much rain. Not enough rain. The Japanese Beatles tried to wipe you up, but if they don’t come, then it’s the grasshoppers. And if the possums don’t get your fruit, the two legged possums do. It’s all part of growing things. I’ve been gardening on and off for 50 years and I’ve always considered every season of crapshoot.

[@demetriuspowell29]

Yup I've came up with a system that works for squirrels possums deer and other critters

[@1psyurmind200]

You speaking the truth. But you can't give up. I love the joy you bring. Take a break but you still can share make a video chatting with us❤

[@BonnieMaeRussell]

I relate with your frustration. In Sacramento valley we have had the hottest driest, windiest and longest summer ever! We don’t have a high in the 80’s until this Wednesday! As of today, it’s STILL summer!! I can’t even get out to handle the bugs or weeds, birds and opossums, as well as rats!! I’ve had trouble getting any watering done as well. With arthritis issues, getting out In the heat with walking sticks has been a recipe for dehydration. My only pride is pomegranates and Meyer lemons, both of which are having bumper crops. Why don’t you go to farmer;s markets and buy your seeds fresh from fresh produce?

[@renel7303]

I hear you Bonnie. I'm Fresno area,it's after 3pm and just dropped to 99F. Supposed to cool later in the week to around 90F. Blah. My pomegranate tree is being decimated by squirrels! I checked it last night and there were 15 fruit on the ground, all partially gnawed on. To the rest of you pomegranates need to be cut off the tree, they don't drop unless they are rotting. The squirrels are even pulling the under ripe lemons. The squirrels 1st showed up 3-4 years ago, just one. Now it has a friend. I'm guessing babies next year. I grew nothing this year vegetable wise. I'm setting up a container system and now need to also figure out protecting everything. The arthritis is no fun. But we haven't given up!😊

[@OscelotTheCat]

@@renel7303 Lordy. I grew up in Fresno, moved away 24 years ago now though. It's awful to hear that it's getting so tricky to grow there. I remember how proud we were of our farms.

[@renel7303]

@@OscelotTheCat lucky you. I hope you have a wonderful climate. As we always say it's a great place to be from. 😉 I moved to the bay area for about 7 years and foolishly moved back about 30 years ago. I regret that decision. The weather gets hotter each year and the air quality tanks if there is a fire within 100 miles. Now I can't begin to afford to move to any other place in California that I would live in. Oh well. But at least I can grow a few things.

[@OscelotTheCat]

@@renel7303 *snerk* "great place to be from" got me good. XD There're some cheaper properties if you don't mind rural up near Shasta/Weed? But yeah, it's hard to afford anything that's actually near anything... anywhere... right now. x.x

[@MikeG-mp2sj]

Yeah, fellow Carolinian. Even the annoying Kudzu near my house looks awful and did not spread this year. I lost my blueberry bushes and grass on my backyard during the endless rain. My tomatoes though did love it all, well until Helene which was near the end of them anyway. I feel you man. Even had one of my raised garden beds collapse, probably too much rain for too long.

[@Craft4life902]

I am so proud of you for changing your perspective. You are on the right track. Here in SC, we experienced hurricane Helene also. I have a container garden, and I was able to save my small crop of 27 containers. Swiss Chard, broccoli, collard greens, 2 types of cabbages. Hybrid and 45 day Cabbage. Turnip greens and turnips. Let's keep growing! I love your channel. Because of you I made my first modular hoop house. I have a deck my containers grow on. Thanks for you honesty, keep growing!

[@marysurbanchickengarden]

In the southeast we fry mustard greens in a couple tablespoons of whatever oil you prefer. We first add 1/2 c water and let it cook out and the greens are tender, then we add our oil and let it fry stirring often. I had a horrible pickle worm problem over the summer but it didn't make me want to quit. I've transplanted out all the fall veggies except the onions I have started, they will go in the beds in November. I'll be 74 in January 😊

[@eb1684]

Spray with BT. It's organic.

[@OscelotTheCat]

Happy (very) early birthday!

[@marysurbanchickengarden]

@@OscelotTheCat thank you 😊

[@marysurbanchickengarden]

@@eb1684 I did use BT, didn't seem to phase them

[@eb1684]

@@marysurbanchickengarden We get pickle worms on our cucumbers. It seems to work on them.

[@bernadetteteague4859]

I know how you feel and I don't do half of the work as hard as you do. You are my inspiration that I can trust. You break it down and talk fast so that anyone can follow. Don't leave us please but get your rest. The yard is beautiful from here in Jacksonville Florida. I'm still fighting mealy bugs. Keep hope alive.

[@Mary-had-a-lil-farm]

I hope you do take the rest of the growing season off and regenerate over the winter. Sometimes we just keep going and going and going and burn out so I really hope you take a break and take some time off before you get completely burnt out.

[@TheMillennialGardener]

It's a double-edged sword. The one edge is that I'm burnt out and don't feel like working hard right now, but the other edge is not having a winter garden, which would be utter despair. You really have to know yourself in times like these so you can figure out what's important. I know, in the long run, I'm better off forcing myself through this period, because doing nothing would have me completely beside myself when the sun starts setting at 5PM in November.

[@Gemma2269]

​@TheMillennialGardener and the spring clean-up would be terrible.

[@Mary-had-a-lil-farm]

@@TheMillennialGardener yes, i agree with that. It is a double edge sword though. But you’re right you would feel terrible when it was time to harvest and you don’t have anything to harvest. You would be heartbroken as I would be too. Try those new seeds might pipe some excitement into it though that was a great idea. Very interested in how the zucchini under cover turns out. Happy fall gardening.

[@BobnAnne1]

I retired last year in Colorado and relied on your KZbin channel to inspire me and educate me on what and how to plant in my garden. Last year was a great success. This year we've had such constant withering heat that I've had limited success. Luckily my early planting gave me lettuce and peas and beets, and some continuous carrots. But your advice to plant potatoes and beans in August have given my garden new crops rather than empty space, and I hope to harvest these next month when I return from cleaning up my condo in St Pete FL. Don't give up. You've inspired many of us with your authenticity. Keep keeping it real. I particularly loved your episode with James Perogi of New Jersey.

[@rebeccawolf3196]

This was my first year gardening and even though I didn't get much of a harvest (a few peppers, a few cucumbers and one tiny squash), I am not discouraged. I just chalk it up to learning and this is a process that takes more than one season to learn. I watch your channel and learn new things and how to do things better and yes, it is exciting. I love being outside and gardening gives me a purpose for being in my yard. I always feel awkward just being outside feeling like all my neighbors are watching me but with a garden, there is a reason to be outside (at least in my mind). Grow on gardener!

[@americanajooma4457]

You are not alone! You have provided much good advice and recommendations for your viewers. NC is a constant battle with extreme swings in temps and hungry critters all around. You have a great system for your home and you are rolling with the punches. Thanks for letting us come along for the experience. Keep up the good work.

[@phyllissweetpea4926]

Your critters appreciate all your work. Hope you rehomed those critters far enough away, and they don’t find their way back.

[@TheMillennialGardener]

I moved a lot of them 2 miles away. I'm seriously wondering if it wasn't far enough. There are literally 1,000 houses in this subdivision. Can they seriously find their way back? Was Homeward Bound a documentary?

[@donhorak9417]

​@@TheMillennialGardeneryou heard about that cat that found its way home from Yellowstone to California?

[@renel7303]

​@@TheMillennialGardenerit's illegal here to do that with wildlife. There is a rescue organization that will occasionally help out by doing that. They took the one that had invaded the garage after I trapped it but in the yard, nope. My partner tends to overfeed the outside cats so the opossums like to visit. Now it's a squirrel invasion.

[@undergroundvideoproduction9222]

@@TheMillennialGardener well. yes Homeward Bound WAS a documentary! LoL. 2 miles should be more than enough. possums have huge litters. and a single female can attract lots of males. but sense you typically don't have an issue with this, my guess is at some point soon you'll see a decline of them as you remove them, and then they'll stop. One thing I could suggest is electric wire. run it along the top of your fence. But maybe only if the problem persists.

[@PlantObsessed]

Here in Illinois you can call pest control but they will euthanize them.as a rabies carrier it is illegal to remove them alive. Thank you for being a kind human.​@@TheMillennialGardener

[@matthewj.sanchez2425]

Rest, recharge, recalibrate. Thanks for the great content.

[@naxxramas5665]

I'm bad at gardening. I'm year 3 now and I'm learning what works and doesn't work for me and i like to use your videos to inspire myself to do better. Thanks for your videos!

[@bellaterra670]

Thanks for keeping it real! We moved from San Diego to the Texas Hill Country (also zone 8b) and every season has been a challenge, especially the summers. This was my third summer here and with more rain than the previous 2, but less intense heat. We had leaf footed bugs, squash bugs and aphids that nothing seemed to get rid of. Growing organically is especially hard here and I'm a long time gardener who is used to success! As discouraging as it is to have problems, it may be one of the reasons we love to garden! We always keep learning and it is hard at times! It also makes us appreciate our successes even more and to have mad respect for commercial farmers! I've had success growing rutabagas and kohlrabi here over winter. It does at times require a double layer of frost blankets when we get a polar blast, but it's much easier than summer growning. Thanks to finding your video one day, I've also had great success growing Beit Alpha in my little temp controlled greenhouse! Thank you for a great channel!

[@rebekahescobedo92]

I wanted to start a garden in our yard last year, but I had an injury to my back that took my ability to walk for a couple of months. This year I was able to put in a few beds and I got to introduce gardening to my kids. We had some rough weather and not everything survived, but the fact that we were able to start something was such a success compared to where we were this time last year. Thank you for your content!

[@jtunderwood5545]

Thank you for talking about SAD. Gardening has also helped me with the seasonal transitions.

[@deancitroni4447]

I'm with you brother. I'm stuck with doing lettuce/kale/beets right now. Had a horrible end of tomato season here in South Atlanta. Peppers did alright. But it has been an effort to get motivated for fall. We have to keep pushing!

[@caroldragon7545]

I'm 85 and have been gardening to some extent everywhere I've lived, except when I was in college. That said, I love it when catalogs arrive and I can try something new. Last year it was winged beans. which withstood the groundhog which mowed down all of my other young veggies. I lost all my tomatoes this year, for some reason, but noodle beans and mizuna greens kept me interested. Trying something new is my every year goal, and keeps gardening interesting. Good luck with your new goodies.

[@baneverything5580]

My fig trees looked like the pictures....fig after fig after fig at every node. Then baby Cardinals snipped 90% of the green figs off. I bought a bunch of fine white mesh to cover the entire trees. I`ve only gotten 12 figs so far from two "previously loaded" trees because of what the flock of baby birds did. But now I know what to expect next year. I still love the birds and feed them.

[@donhorak9417]

Yes! Give them food and water away from your garden.

[@lbarmstrong1]

My fig (here when I moved in) is 30 feet tall and produces amazing amounts of fruit. I pick as much as I can every year even though no one in my family eats it and leave the rest for the birds. If you have any suggestions for what to do with it, let me know.

[@baneverything5580]

@@lbarmstrong1 You can make fig preserves and strawberry preserves by mixing them. I`d sell the fruits. You may need to trim the tree back to a normal size though.

[@ericamartin7490]

Also try green mesh to trick the birds

[@OscelotTheCat]

@@lbarmstrong1 I haven't worked with figs myself, but you could try dehydrating your figs. Also jam. I'd also suggest looking at middle eastern recipes for fig things, there's probably stuff you can adapt for western canning and preservation methods, and it's used in really delicious dessert a lot so maybe that'd be a way to get it into your family's diet.

[@OurHennHouse3]

We started out strong, then we were hit with every disease, bug, critter, weather, everything. By July, our gardens looked like prison yards. We put our garden to sleep for the winter and it looks so nice, garlic planted etc. Recalculating. Stay strong! You have been a wonderful inspiration!

[@dimervi]

Enjoy your videos. Thanks for your heartfelt pep talk. I will remember this when the rats eat my tomatoes again and shake it off.

[@nildaotero2933]

Don't give up, it always gets better. Good luck with all your now seeds.

[@PamsPrettyPlants]

It was a rough one here too. Ya win some ya lose some. Appreciate the honest video!!

[@teresathomley3703]

Yeah you are lucky to have that handsome boy. I've got a handsome little dog too!! Pets make everything f-in' wonderful!!🐶🐱

[@robertantolik2146]

Don't give up brother. My year started out bad and never really got better and I'm not giving up. I had cut worms or possibly millipedes that killed 90% of my tomatoes and 100% of my cherry tomatoes. Rabbits decimated my sweet potatoes. Birds kept pecking at my peppers ripping branches off back when they were too small to take it. Kudzu beetles which I had never even seen before killed my scarlet emperor beans and moved to my Kentucky wonders which halved my bean harvest this year. Turns out my Cherokee tans got cross pollinated last year with butternut and made some kind of frankenfruit this year. Only one ginger plant actually grew out of a couple pounds of ginger planted. All of my cucumbers pickling, slicing and lemon cukes all died and we never got 1.I did try replanting cukes and tomatoes to no avail. But no pumpkins, tomatoes, cukes, sweet potatoes and hardly any beans. I'm sure there's more I forgot but I'm still trying. Also, out of 800 onion seeds I just started, only about 75 came up. Now I have to order plants. 2024 was so bad my wife is hounding me about continuing to sink money into a garden. But I'm still optimistic. Buck up buttercup. It'll get better next year

[@janicejurgensen2122]

What a fantastic way to get yourself out of the garden blues! Full of so many different ideas and very useful tips.

[@BOGYofOBLIVION]

Soil needs rest and so do people!

[@mayLibertyprevail1a]

Thank you for sharing this. I'm in NC myself, in the Piedmont, and between an extremely dry spring and a stormy wet summer, I felt like, why bother trying? When the weather doesn't cooperate, the hungry animals will find a way to raid anything good you DO have growing (as you know). Any time I saw people posting their gardening successes online it just made me feel even worse, so it's comforting to see that even experienced gardeners like yourself can have seasons where nothing seems to work out, too.

[@KennyG233]

Just planted radishes and bunching onions.... Squash bugs ran a muck here this year... They just kept coming... No pumpkins no butternut squash, they went after everything and destroyed it😅... Even my watermelons. . I did get a lot of cowpeas and okra...

[@TheMillennialGardener]

Nice!

[@donhorak9417]

Gotta love okra! One of my most productive crops. Central Texas.

[@trishferrer8209]

I love Adventures with Dale! Those longing eyes, and he is just starving 🤣 Thank You for this video. I could say SO much, but my hat's off to you. ❤ Many Thanks to you! From west TN, zone 8a. 🌱

[@jeffreydustin5303]

"You can't control the wind, but you can adjust your sails", Leonary Nimoy as Aesop, Civilization 4. I find myself using this phrase as a mantra in my day-to-day. People will disappoint you, family will stab you in the back, friends will betray you, cars will cut you off and flip you the bird, your garden will go to weeds and ruination, your fruit will get brown rot (all my apples every year, my cherries, and all of my tomatoes too turned to brown slime), worms will infest them, and they will taste like putrid flesh, your dogs and cats will die, your wife will hate you...and you still can choose a good life despite it all. And it is hard as hell to do it...but you keep on choosing to defy entropy and shine a light into the world. Because Ragnarok will come and you will lose, but you will go down a hero fighting the whole way into oblivion. They cannot ever take away your will to resist. "To fulfill the prophecy we must defy the prophecy" - Workaholics.

[@jenniferrevilla5298]

Wow, that was a lot, but I do agree, it all comes down to choice. I love the wind and adjusted sail quote. 🤗🤗

[@deecorey2910]

I get the planting the same thing all the time, I've decided to change things up! Has given me a renewed energy. Keep up the good work!

[@Theweeze100]

Hey, just want to let you know that you are a major encouragement to me during my times of being in a funk concerning my garden. Just realize, that what we go through is extremely cyclical… And what goes up, must come down. The ups and downs actually, provide a wonderful context to our life. Thank you for your very scientific approach to relating to the garden. I love the fact that you never give up, and continue to find creative ways to boost your interest.

[@BonnieKennedy-pj7tn]

My weather has been good for me, but I had some personal trials that knocked me down. My garden pulled me thru. I am SO sorry for your trials. Gardens are hope. Sometimes we start all over, there is no way around it. Gardens are hope. Good luck. God bless.

[@briantrout7051]

Thanks for the honesty! This has been a rough year for a LOT of us. Our farmers market closed a month early, just nothing much to sell. Here in north-central Tennessee, we've had a season of extremes. When it rained, it would rain 5 or 6 inches at a time. And then it would go for 4 or 6 or 8 weeks with nothing. Then another 5 or 6 inches. Went big on strawberries, got back about 10 cents on the dollar. Lots of different crops just refused to grow or ripen as expected and an awful lot of plants just up and died. Very discouraging. Sometimes I wanna quit, too. But I keep telling myself that bad years happen. And it's not just me. Will probably take a few months over the winter and not do a whole lot gardening wise but I suspect I'll have an itch to get some stuff going by February or March.

[@Maggie-eq4cd]

You make sense, and your feelings are completely understandable. I get upset when a squirrel digs into my fabric grow bags. It must be devastating with the possoms destroying your lovely fruit trees. So good of you to relocate them as you must be so upset with them. I hope things get better for you and wish you well. Your advice is great so if possible try to keep on teaching. Maggie UK

[@SelahCambias]

I’m glad you’re pressing on. I’m new gardening this but I’m very inspired by your work. Because of you I planted blueberries, a persimmon, two citrus trees and then I got ten fig cuttings in March and rooted them. Nine did great. I gave away four because I wanted to share. I’ve had barely any figs this year. I think because they needed more sun ( I’m still learning!). A lady that helps with my garden, who got two of the figs I rooted, has had so many figs she brings me containers full! I’m delighted by her success. I’ve always wanted fruit trees and because of you I finally got it done. And next year it’ll be better. Sending you a big hug and gratitude. I learn so much from you. I’ll be trying some of your suggestions here next year. My basil was a mess too.

[@bradmetcalf5333]

This was the first year in 10 years of gardening that my wife and I went 100% all in. We had a baseball hailstorm, a derecho, and a hurricane all hit within 2 months this summer. It was so sad seeing the plants destroyed. But it does get better!!. You are our go to source for great tips and advice! don't give up brother!

[@dianalaw]

good for you finding a way to excite yourself after garden losses. I recently did the same because I'm moving and leaving my garden of 10 years and moving to a completely different climate. I sold and gave away so many plants that I loved. Dealt with the grief by planning my new garden, researching what grows in the new area and trying something new; vertical planters to get an easy start while building some beds.

[@aada220]

Thank you for sharing yr ups & downs, it makes you a real person & whom I can relate to, what an encouragement, thank you again.

[@IslandTiffiney]

I'm so sorry that you had a bad experience with your late summer gardening this year. I have to say, this has been the most incredible year for gardening in my central NC garden. Best of all, its all thanks to your experience and advice over the years! I added shade cloth, added more rain barrels, used your methods for fertilizing, seed starting, and general care throughout the year. I am so thankful for your channel my friend, you have given this homebound gardener a reason to wake up with a smile, and an eagerness to get outside and enjoy every day. I rely more heavily on your opinion of when to plant my seeds, and then plant out in my garden. Sending virtual hugs, positive vibes, and warm wishes for a kickstart back into the gardening experience.

[@cheryleisenmenger5501]

Rutabagas are good in soup too! Hope you survived the hurricane ok. Hang in there, you are inspiring a lot of us.

[@_kikaso]

Sorry for the bad weather and garden pests. Thank you for sharing including your seasonal affective disorder which I also struggle with. Rooting for you!

[@jimhanson2860]

It's OK to rest, take a break but never give up

[@GardenKing50]

I live in north Texas and it was HOT and DRY for me this year and the grasshoppers wreaked havoc on lots of my garden until i could get insect netting on it all. I am so glad you pulled out of the slump ! Keep on keepin on brother and God Bless !

[@brandywineblue]

I love how you share everything warts and all. Right now I'm happy I got beans growing and greens coming. But I am so frustrated trying to get frost fabric onto the little hoop houses you showed us how to make. And I still cant afford a fence to keep the dang deer out

[@DrMJasek]

Hello, TMG, I can tell how much you love spending time in your garden. It's clear how much you care about your plants. Experiencing such devastation can be challenging and often makes us question why we do what we do. Sometimes, it even makes us want to walk away. I hope the following helps with what you’ve been through this past year. Last December, I lost my job. I fell into a severe depression and lost interest in the things I enjoyed. I isolated myself, and most days, I spent in bed. I understood what was happening, but I just couldn’t find the strength to get up and find happiness again. That’s when I found your videos. I watched them and truly enjoyed them. Inspired, I found a spot for a garden and began the process. Your videos taught me what to do. I started with seeds and eventually transplanted the plants into the garden. Because of your videos and my effort, I had a reason to get out of bed. I spent my mornings weeding and mulching. It was such a joy when the tomatoes, basil, and peppers grew. Thanks to your videos, I already have ideas for next year. Yes, I’m going to do it again! I hope to install rain barrels and a drip system. I’m looking forward to blending flowering plants with my vegetable garden. I know this entry isn't exactly what you were looking for, but when I saw your video, I thought it was important to share. You are making a huge impact by sharing your love of gardening. You’re teaching a new group of individuals the tricks of the trade and showing the value of growing your own vegetables instead of relying on the store. You are making a difference.