July 2020 Garden Challenges

[@ldg2655]

A good takeaway..”gardening is a good metaphor for Life...Sometimes it is what it is, and you just have to accept it and adjust”...

[@beverleysimmons7885]

Thank you for this video. This morning I was down in my vegetable garden and all I could think is what am I not doing right. Good thing we love it because it takes tenacity to deal with Mother Nature and a will NOT to go to the grocery store as much as possible ALL YEAR. All the best for the rest of the season. Something will be exceptional💝🇨🇦

[@philandhannahslittlefarm1464]

Great video! I enjoy the honesty and the ability to show that it isnt all unicorns and rainbows!

[@williamrobinson7256]

Love ur videos we have been struggling with bug issues this year and weather issues but we keep pressing on ty for the tours love seeing other ppls gardens

[@northstarprepsteader]

Weather is such a difficult factor to deal with. You are doing the best you can and everything looks fabulous!

[@LittleMountainRanch]

Thank you so much!

[@jasonmorrow9616]

I am constantly impressed with your ability to find balance. Good luck with your beets!

[@LittleMountainRanch]

I can be a little one track minded and balance is hard won for me. Thank you for seeing it, means maybe I’m winning. 🙂

[@loraineleuschke4186]

Hope you have huge harvests for feeding your family.

[@mywoolmitten]

I had terrible germination with beets this year as well! Even bought fresh seed from a different place and still poor...it's so hard to know the whys always. Thank you for the thoughtful video

[@MVbailegardens]

This is very encouraging, and a reality check. I get used to things going a certain way and wonder what's wrong when it changes, lol. Nothing wrong! The good news is we're creative and adaptable, yay. Thanks for this, love your channel!

[@LittleMountainRanch]

Thanks you so much! I really appreciate that.

[@trudymautz4388]

Ah, ok now I know why mine did the same thing. I was wondering about this. Thanks so much.

[@maryedmo7798]

You have such a sweet spirit and perspective. You're looking radiant, too.

[@LittleMountainRanch]

❤️❤️❤️

[@Honey-_bee]

Coming to you from Rachel at That 1870s Homestead. Love your content. You probably don’t hear it, but you both say “garden” the same way.🥰

[@LittleMountainRanch]

She’s one of my favourite people! Thanks for coming over, I appreciate it!😊

[@bearzhere]

MN here and our weather has been crazy too! We have had very very hot days here, so unusual for June. We too have had new issues, cabbage loopers almost devastated my brassicas, I think I have about 100 total, but I got that tended too thank goodness. Blight hit us as well and that is an ongoing thing, I thought it wiped out my beans but treating early helped a lot. Our beets as well are not doing great, the first I planted are still small, the second I planted are doing better but very slow and spotty and the carrots I replanted 3 weeks ago are not up yet. In between the hot days we get super cooled days one into the 50s. It makes gardening harder but we still work hard at it. All we can do it keep at it and hope for something in the end. Thanks for sharing!

[@LittleMountainRanch]

Weather and bugs - ugh! Persevering is the name of the game this year.

[@09echols]

Treat the broccoli like greens and cut and freeze. I find that I'm liking the leaves much better than the broccoli. When I have enough I'm going to can them with a bit of ham.

[@HHeirloomIA]

I like how that you use the word challenge vs. fail. Every year something is a fail for me and I have come to expect and accept these "challenges". We have to adapt and make innovative changes along the way if we want to grow our own food. These challenges are the fuel to keep us going, always thinking of ways to better our food supplies. :) thanks for the encouragement friend. We all need it! 😍

[@jmhamilton87]

You're going to want to invest in some hoop houses/green houses. We are currently entering the grand solar minimum, which is a 400 year natural cycle of the sun. It's when the sun's solar activity decreases and we get both earlier and later frosts, more intense winters/floods/droughts. The stability we have gotten used to over the past centuries will be put on hold for 10-20 years until the sun finally starts to come out of the grand solar minimum. Utilizing hoop houses can help shelter you from the effects of these unseasonably cold weather events.

[@LittleMountainRanch]

I’ve been reading up on this and Dan and I are seriously considering another high tunnel. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

[@latoychamom]

Well this just added to my depression about the weather in the PNW 🤣😭

[@johnnymayo8534]

1st-time gardener here. Tks for being transparent about ur challenges. Some items I planted r doing ok....some....not so good......but, if I can get 1 bean, one tomato, one squash and one bell pepper, this will be an awesome summer and then it's on to the fall/winter planting....yea!!

[@LittleMountainRanch]

Yes!!😊

[@robertshelleyduck3268]

Your best video yet.

[@TheBahamabob]

Yes, farming too. We’ve gone six years and our tea has produced zero seeds. This year-big bloom in the Fall, bees and other pollinators all over and no seed. We can clone plants but I like tap roots and hardy plants. It’s a true challenge to grow things. I think it does produce one fine thing: humility, which wears beautifully!

[@LittleMountainRanch]

I’ve missed you.😊

[@TheBahamabob]

I’m covered over with family in a good way. We’ve received two more grandchildren in a year, one in May. One is visiting with her family for three weeks currently. We had 18 nuclear family for Independence Day celebration yesterday over and more. And I’m on hold traveling to my farm because of the recent unpleasantness. Lots of surprises this year. Always want to encourage you anyway. Good show.

[@BrainStormAcres]

Boy can we relate to some of this year’s weather woes. We were on a fantastic start with warmer than average temperatures forecast. We were ready to transplant our starts from the greenhouse when we had a forecast for freezing temps in two days! It was a mad scramble to rearrange seedlings in the greenhouse and reinstall the propane heater! The short story is that our seedlings were planted out close to a month past when they were ready. And the bugs have been amazing, too. We actually had to drag the bug book out! Good Luck!

[@LittleMountainRanch]

Glad to know I'm not the only one, although hoping others are suffering with it too is not very generous of me. 😉

[@BrainStormAcres]

Little Mountain Ranch 😁😂🤣. “Misery” loves company! Each of us has been gardening for something like 60+ years. We’ve been on our homestead here in the High Desert of Northern Arizona for 15 years and still have surprises every year - some of them have been completely new to us in magnitude. Love how your place looks. One of the projects we’re documenting on our channel are a series of head-to-head growing techniques. Both of us sat here nodding our heads in agreement with your microclimate comments. Irene decided to convert and expand our foundation flower bed to grow a number of “full sun” plants in. They’re living the partial shade and moderated temperatures. Your cauliflower looks great considering the challenges. If you were market gardening for chefs, that would be “premium baby cauliflower” at exorbitant prices!

[@samstevens7888]

I will say some of the old people that grew at my allotment had been growing for 50 or 60 years. Some people would call them experts. They would tell me they still considered themselves novices. Weather and climate changes yearly, there is always something new to grow you will always be learning if your growing food or flowers. That always gave me confidence to try. Because there is always next season or year to try again. I will say they all told me I couldnt grow melons in the UK back when I tried they said it wouldnt be hot enough in the spring to get a good start. So I showed them how I was going to do it now they do it to and have showed others. Never give is a good moto with gardening.

[@LittleMountainRanch]

Yes! Just keep swimming!😊

[@melannielang3446]

It has been cooler then later in June for use as well. It went supper hot.

[@homehearthwithjules8596]

Thanks Chelsea...had the same exact issues with my broccoli, cauliflower, beets and weeds🙄...mother nature's gone wonky here in NH as well...😜

[@sylviabradley7355]

This is my first year to trim onion tops and my first year to get big onions🥳

[@latoychamom]

Thanks for sharing. I'm in western Washington and this summer (so far) has been incredibly disappointing. I'm trying to keep the hope, but after last year being such a letdown for growing hot weather plants (especially tomatoes), I'm feeling the same. Our nights are still getting down into the low 50s F, we're just barely hitting 70 during the day, and it's just super frustrating!

[@learninladyhomesteader9374]

Am so glad to hear we were NOT the only ones who barely got a broccoli harvest. Our brocs looked small like yours and the secondary heads were minuscule too, the cauliflower did rot...first year growing both so that stinks but it really was the crazy weather they are saying many homesteaders that we are for the first time in american history experiencing a grand solar meridian...which explains some of it especially with the weather machines and sun blocking they are doing on top of all that. So i hope this is not going to make things lots harder for those growing/learning to grow but we will just have to keep working hard to adapt...greenhouses, walipinis etc I guess. 😓 lot of work farming but Better than relying on grocery stores..where today it’s a mask tomorrow it could be the mark. So we will keep at it!

[@LittleMountainRanch]

Crazy weird times for sure!

[@4philipp]

Biggest challenge with gardening is that we only get one chance per year per crop and by next year we forget half of what we learned. Your garden still looks lovely

[@LittleMountainRanch]

Absolutely true!

[@peaceofedenhomestead841]

Thank you for sharing. This is encouraging as we prepare to move to our homestead and become self-sustaining this and it seems your channel will be helpful! I am chronicling our experience as the comic relief and have never been successful with broccoli or cauliflower so I should have fun trying at the new place. By brother loves beets (me only the greens) and we both love carrots so your lessons will be helpful.... ~Homer The Homesteader!

[@LittleMountainRanch]

Welcome!

[@DiT555]

Great video! My grandma used to gather all the leaves either of cauliflower or broccoli on top of the head, making like a cocoon and tie with twine or elastic around, this would protect the head from the elements..

[@LittleMountainRanch]

I do that too but I usually just break a few leaves and bend them over because I never remember to bring twine to the garden. Lol

[@riseshinehomestead9371]

Thanks for sharing, as a new gardener I found this encouraging :)

[@LittleMountainRanch]

I’m so happy to hear that!

[@Oregonmac]

I'm feeling your pain, this year has been a difficult year. Usually by now I have taken a million pictures of my garden but my part of Oregon has had a lot of rain that has been quickly followed up by 90 degree weather my poop garden doesn't know what to do.

[@LittleMountainRanch]

That’s exactly it! The plants are completely confused.

[@ghostpipe888]

I have found that wether I deal with the suckers or not I don't really produce that many more ready tomatoes in such a short growing season to justify staying on top of it. No matter what- 100's of tiny green tomatoes will be picked in a mad dash hours before a northern predicted frost. The best I can do is keep the leaves from touching the ground and I'm ok with that.

[@nannygeorginasmith3938]

Great video and informative too. Trial and error are the way to go in any situation. We have bush Italian Custoluto Fiorentino tomatoes growing in our small greenhouse, loads of flowers but no fruit yet. Did 2nd sowing Parsnips, nothing at all, they are my favourite. So none for us this year. Hey ho and on we go. Thanks for sharing👍😎

[@LittleMountainRanch]

Hey ho and on we go! The gardeners mantra!

[@terrafirma75]

We’re in the same boat here in central Saskatchewan. Waiting for some good days to hay, lots of issues in the garden. We’re thinking we may need to wrap bales as silage in order to put them up. A farmer/gardener needs to be adaptable and innovative like you said. I have also had to question my ideology. I would love to be no-till but there is no possible way for me to keep up with the weeds this year so I broke down and tilled couple spots just so I wasn’t overwhelmed. Great video, take care

[@LittleMountainRanch]

I have ambitions of a no till garden, too, but... weeds. I'm hoping that by not tilling and mulching heavily that eventually I'll win the fight, but if not tilling it is.

[@athyvandenberg289]

Hi Chelsea, I had six plants in my small raised bed from 3 pallet collars, which I thought were cauliflower. I had another 5 in pots. Both turned out to be calebres broccoli. I gave some planted away that turned out to be the cauliflower. It was the first time for me. All had the same problems as you had, only small heads and some side shoots. I grew purple sprouting broccoli last year so I had some head in spring that were only slightly smaller than the real broccoli now. I ended up eating also some of the younger leaves. My pakchoi bolted, my beans did grow Ok but I had a lot of wind damage. I have lifted all my onions due to the wet weather. My beetroot has done very well for the first time. This years weather is so different from last years. Yesterday a lot of sun and today pouring rain again. My compost is so wet that I have little white bugs in there. Some bush tomatoes are semi determinate and you only prune them if they get too bushy. Most tomatoes available in the UK are indeterminate for greenhouse growing and only a few for outdoor which are determinate or semi determinate, but in Scotland growing them outdoor is not really working. You take care. Eveline

[@LittleMountainRanch]

I think I’ll give the bush toms more space next year. Lots of love to you.❤️

[@justmare111]

I'm so sorry about your broccoli and cauliflowers. I grew both of them last Fall over winter here in Southern California, and, although the plants grew like gangbusters, the heads on every single one was even smaller than yours. I still don't really know why. I can't get over how beautiful that Aquilegia caerulea behind you is. Stunning!

[@LittleMountainRanch]

Isn’t is so beautiful! I wish they bloomed all summer!

[@justmare111]

@@LittleMountainRanch They're pretty much just a spring bloomer here in Southern California. Sadly, I haven't grown them for years, though. That needs to change after seeing yours!

[@harshad......]

Awesome 🌟

[@dianneb208]

So sorry about your broccoli and cauliflower, that is a shame. I can appreciate how much work went into starting those crops. My beets also germinated poorly, I replanted and still poor. I have one more chance when I pull the peas and garlic - which its almost time. Carrots - same. :( We have had exceptional rain for our area - 8 times the average in May and June ( our wettest month) we doubled rainfall. Temps are really low as well. As I write this it is only 8 degrees!! I hope your hoop house exceeds all your expectations.

[@LittleMountainRanch]

It’s cool again today with rain for the next 5 days. Really hope for a little heat soon!

[@Tsmi0216]

California garden tv uses a clothes pin to fold the leaves up around the broccoli so it doesn't get directly rained on! Hope this helps!!!!!

[@suebar5177]

The weather has been so frustrating🌞...then I found clubroot in one of my beds ...Didn't even know it was a thing😳 On the bright side...I discovered early fruiting chanterelle mushrooms🐝

[@LittleMountainRanch]

Yay for mushrooms!!

[@amandalucas79]

Same situation here in Calgary...so much rain! Plus we had a major hailstorm recently that killed all of my plants except the potatoes. I replanted but it may be too late and cold to do much good. Bummer.

[@LittleMountainRanch]

That hail storm was insane!! So sorry you lost so much.

[@katalinaj3450]

Thank you for sharing your success and challenges. My son loves and only eat broccoli so I am learning from you. May I ask if you could share the varieties you grow and how do they perform? We are in Pacific Northwest and it is really tricky as our weather varies 30 F degrees between day and night. I am sampling growing purple type and will see. Hope you and family stay safe and continue to share your success stories. I wonder about growing garlic in Spring as well as ours need much more time. Cheers!

[@kristinawrites238]

My carrots took forever from my spring sowing. I reseeded a couple weeks ago and it’s coming up much faster. Hay is also a big worry for me too.

[@danamama6766]

I am also having bumps. We are having a huge heat wave in ontario that is really stressful for the plants. It is supposed to last for two more months. :( I had gorgeous dill self seeded, it has just bolted too. I am trying to pinch flower heads. Wanted the fresh dill for pickles in August but.....And my other issue is my brussel sprouts are not doing well and I have never had a problem with them. But it is life in the garden. And I get it but my husband seems to think every year should be identical. He will never get it. Oh and my carrots are being really not happy either. But the beats and radish are maniacs. Never had a carrot issue. They are usually hardy. But I still love it all. And I did manage to dry my rose petals :) That next day a huge storm was forecasted. I ran out pulled as many off as I could in the blowing wind pre storm in the nick of time. Like I mean they were blowing out of the bowl. But I have them done and tucked away for fall. I love that you share your challenges. It makes me feel not alone and I learn. And don't feel like I am the only one with issues. But my goodness my gardens are a fraction of the size of yours so you are amazing how you handle that I have no idea. hugs and love

[@virnafarm9059]

I had the same thing with my broccoli.

[@dhansonranch]

Great video! I have not grown cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower for a number of years due to root maggot (not onion maggot), but this year decided to try. Well we had same weather and mine are doing the same thing as yours, just at smaller stage. The failures that can come each year is why I always plant large amounts so that I can do up lots when the getting is good. Make hay while the sun shines if you will! I am trying diatomaceous earth on the cabbage and companion planted as well, but the root maggots are attacking....if you know of anything, I would appreciate. As it stands, I think I may have to get some maggot powder or loose everything - cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, turnip and radish...they do not affect the onions. I see you trellaced your peas! LOL.

[@LittleMountainRanch]

I left some trellised and some not. The ones that aren't trellised are getting chokes out by weeds... I'm assuming you must keep your patch pretty week free to make it work. I haven't experienced root maggot before, but a friend of mine has and she is trying wood ash poured at the base of the plants this year to try to combat them. Good luck!

[@dhansonranch]

@@LittleMountainRanch No it is not weed free, but it is not over run either. I have had that where they got ahead of me and I just break the pig weed seed head off as pulling them will pull the plants out. I have tried wood ash to no avail, trying egg shells now, but if none of this works I will be doing the cardboard or weed fabric. I have planted in pots with sterilized soil and its worked...but not a production method. Good luck yourself!

[@MsCaterific]

🧡

[@bernadinenewland5100]

With climate change we will all see things like the big swings in temps. In addition we are moving into a grand solar minimum with colder than normal temps for possibly years. I have been covering crops to minimize cold issues.

[@LittleMountainRanch]

I agree. Covering is going to be my friend moving forward.

[@shari6063]

I love this! Subscribed!😄

[@LittleMountainRanch]

Awesome! Welcome!😊

[@shari6063]

🤗

[@ecocentrichomestead6783]

I think everyone has their struggles with gardening. Especially if s/he want's to try new things. We fall to the fault of hiding our embarrassment when things don't work the way we are trying to get them to work. Then our viewers are deceived into thinking everything is always perfect in our gardens.

[@LittleMountainRanch]

Yes, exactly!

[@cynthiafisher9907]

I’m sad for you about your broccoli, especially after that amazing harvest last year! You are my broccoli guru! I did send for the Everest variety from West Coast Seeds, couldn’t find it here in the States. I’m thinking about planting it for the fall. Have you tried that? Maybe even in the greenhouse? Just wondering and exploring ideas. I love you and your content!

[@LittleMountainRanch]

No, I haven’t tried for fall planting although I’m tempted I think my season is too short. I’m quite seriously considering another high tunnel for mid season planting...

[@Thisisit120]

We have your cats 🐈 twin. We call him Blonde.

[@debbieb.8708]

That's strange that your broccoli doesn't like weather under 7 celsius (44 Fahrenheit) weather. Where I am broccoli loves cold weather just above 3 Celcius (39 Fahrenheit). Last year for us it was way too hot and my broccoli didn't do anything. This year I got some beautiful crowns off them. You are so right that gardening is a challenge.

[@LittleMountainRanch]

Usually it doesn't like cold, cold for long periods of time. At least that's my experience. Does awesome if it stays cooler though.

[@hicksadventures256]

My broccoli did the same thing. Also my Brussels Sprouts. Very disappointed.

[@betts258]

live on the South Shore of Montreal, Quebec : no rain for 5 weeks !

[@LittleMountainRanch]

This weather is definitely unstable.

[@rootsanddirt]

Do you not leave your broccoli in all season? My broccoli produces the larger main head and then produces side shoots all the way through our first frost. Most varieties will do this regardless of the size of the main head. Very curious if you don't usually get them because of the variety you plant? I'm a well seasoned gardener and even I still like hearing about others challenges hahaha. Every year I learn something new! We garden here in Minnesota and the last few years have been a learning curve to say the least. Here's hoping you have a more than abundant harvest to get you through the winter.

[@LittleMountainRanch]

I leave them in until they bolt, and then usually still, for the bees. Mine always flower by late July.

[@anujam2951]

your cat

[@milda0820]

💖

[@melaniedompierre4873]

Hello, you have a great garden and I really envy your space. I am in the Laurentian mountains, and I have a serious problem with animals coming into my garden and eating my vegetables, (from deers to hedgehogs). Twice this year I had to reseed my beets, my carrots, and coriander. I look at your garden and you don't seem to have fences around your beds, do you have any problems with animals coming into your garden? What do you do to keep intruders away from your garden beds? Thank you

[@LittleMountainRanch]

I have Great Pyrenees dogs which have eliminated my wildlife issues. Mice can still be a problem but I’ve put out traps in hopes of stoping them too.

[@metamud8686]

Thank you for sharing the "failures" as well as the successes. Given that you are in the luxurous position to be able to have space to plant out 100 broccolis, would it be an idea to "hedge your bets" by planting out only 25% (or 1/3, or 1/2, ..) per batch in, say, 1-week successions? That way not all of your plantings are at exactly the same stage when "disaster strikes".

[@LittleMountainRanch]

I did do that with some of the cauilflower, but the tricky part is is that we get blazing hot days in July that usually cause bolting if I plant too late. The mystery this year is why the heck, even with all the cold, things are maturing faster than usual. So, so weird. Having only 3 months in which to get most things in is tricky, but kind of a fun challenge to see what I can pull off.

[@dawndawn6946]

Hello! What are the dimensions of your high tunnel? Thanks for sharing! I haven’t been able to grow broccoli ever. I’m trying again now for fall harvest.

[@LittleMountainRanch]

20x60.:)

[@cqammaz53]

Could you have planted some of the plants in and then a month later plant more This way you might have some of the broccoli grow to their full potential? I haven't grown broccoli or cauliflower but I hope next year. This is my first year of gardening and everything is growing and growing and growing. Now it is a big green mess of plants. Oh well, There's always next year.

[@LittleMountainRanch]

I’m going to try doing that next year. Thanks for the tip!

[@bearrivermama6414]

I had issues with green bean germination and than once they did , they where poor quality. Beans are so easy but unfortunately they flopped this year.

[@LittleMountainRanch]

Yup, I ended up replanted and they are up, but weather or not I’ll get a harvest is another thing.

[@bearrivermama6414]

Little Mountain Ranch perseverance is the best antidote! I planted 4 varieties (I live in zone 3a) the calima variety is the only one that is doing well. My butterwax and dragons tongue flopped on 2 plantings 🤷🏻‍♀️I'm just going to plant some fall greens and radishes in the empty space. The calima will produce well so I will still get a crop. Just not the variety, oh well. I'm grateful for what I get! And trust God with the rest!

[@ElderandOakFarm]

Do you have a channel where you do scrapbooking? You sound like someone ive watched videos on scrapbooking before.

[@LittleMountainRanch]

No, but you're not the only one to ask me that.

[@ElderandOakFarm]

@@LittleMountainRanch lol. I cant remember her channel name. I'm going to try to find it so you can listen to her!

[@janecannon5567]

How far up from the bulbs of the onion do you cut the tops of the onion for larger bulbs?

[@LittleMountainRanch]

6 inches or so

[@janecannon5567]

@@LittleMountainRanch thank you

[@sherrymurphy-kleine4592]

Do you have time there to do a fall crop of broccoli?

[@LittleMountainRanch]

Sadly, no.

[@sherrymurphy-kleine4592]

@@LittleMountainRanch That's too bad! Y'all are doing a fantastic job...and the Lord's work! Thanks!

[@kellylinkous8120]

What is that beautiful purple flower?

[@LittleMountainRanch]

Columbine

[@kirkhobbs9003]

Hey thur gal - you are doing great >> nice job & ya the labour of luv never ends : thank you - to balance it is the trick & ya got it going on - luv the tour - great job / thank you - Chelsea ? wonderful :-) : If I could contact ya - Kirk here >> Cold Lake Alberta area - I have a thought I would luv for you & Dan to consider >> has to do with 40 yrs of horse breedin ( farrier for 20 yrs ) - Carry on if ya wished - bred for mountian ponies _ we have land out at Burns > your south on the plane _ west of Williams ?? / I believe > I ride the pony 2 / 4 wheeled & luv the 4 legged version first & have been a farm boy - country boy - a bit of a shit I'm sure / ha for 58 yrs >> just would luv to share > Outta 5 kids - all outa the nest > we are not as young as we wish we felt or should feel HA - DAM IT A SHORT TIME ON THIS DUST BOWL >> COOL & INTERESTIN THOUGH _ keep up & best luck on hayin time / sucks here to - crops under water ?? - Call me if ya was interested : Kirk or Cheryl @ 780 -826 2516 - thanks _ will send picks - if ya wished Ya need ma"s cell # or she needs yours / want ever stuff >> stud - perfect blonde mares > all black feet - socks mane & tails On the gals Molly & dolly - have had their first brood ( filly & colts ) - Buddy / the stud is runnin with them 10 - 11 months & is a gentleman this yr > the first yr / last was fun to watch - ya guys be well & take care out there - blessin"s & chow for now - kirk out

[@KaitlynBurtonISaGOD]

Hello I'm new

[@LittleMountainRanch]

Welcome!!