My Most Brutal Summer: Here’s What I Learned.

Sometimes things just go wrong. It's been a challenging summer, with record breaking heat waves bringing more troubles than just watering woes. Who knew that high temperatures could also entice pests large and small?
In this episode, Ben reveals all he has learned from an extraordinary summer and demonstrates what he will do to combat these problems in future. Fortunately for us, Ben has made all the mistakes so we don't have to. Thanks Ben!
For more on how to grow soft fruits, see our video:
• Grow Healthy Berries F...
Discover how to roast your own delicious pumpkin seeds:
• Easy to Grow Edible Se...
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[@antoinettebeck6773]

Welcome to gardening in South Africa! You've had a taste of what we face every single year. I have put shade cloth over part of my veg garden and it works well. I also harvest 4000 litres of rainwater and have an electric pump so I can also use my hose pipe on the rainwater tanks.

[@christinamoxon]

Indeed, we have seen what you have to deal with. We usually have the opposite problem - too much rain leading to rotting plants and fruits, which you can't really do anything about either. So this year has been educational in terms of gardening in hot, dry weather. I intend to get our rain-water collection system set up for next year. 🙂

[@cassieoz1702]

Like much of Australia 😉

[@maries716gardenvlog6]

Hi! Greg, I encountered the same problem with my eggplants this year. None of the 12 eggplants that I planted made it, because of that black tiny pests. They made holes all over the leaves, making it impossible for the plants to grow. I sprinkled cayenne pepper all over the plants but it didn't work. Now, I feel better, knowing that I am not the only one with this issue. Thank you for sharing. Your old time subscriber from Buffalo, New York. God bless.

[@mariap.894]

@@maries716gardenvlog6 Have you tried Neem oil?

[@maries716gardenvlog6]

@@mariap.894 Hi! Maria, No, I haven't tried neem oil yet. My eggplants are completely withered now, but next Summer, if this happens again, I will try the neem oil solution. Thank you for the tips. God bless.

[@helensearle1896]

I inherited a garden this July after never having had anything bigger than a pot of herbs from the supermarket and your videos have been invaluable to a total novice - as well as enjoyable; you are one of those very special presenters whose enthusiasm and animation are endearing rather than annoying. Many many thanks.

[@GrowVeg]

Thanks so much Helen, that's very kind of you to say.

[@harryireland5363]

Great to see an honest garden video with some failures and plants that look like mine! Its been one hell of a summer for growers all over!

[@tc9459]

Thanks for sharing your struggles and not just your success, I wish more channels were as showing!

[@mollybradshaw9336]

Agreed. It is nice to know that this is par for the course for any gardener, rather than the perfection usually shown on camera.

[@juliaryan1410]

Thanks for constantly showing the happy side of gardening regardless of what chews up, who digs up, flies in to peck to pieces, or otherwise demolishes your lovely planted produce! I always feel upbeat and leave with a smile after watching your videos. Garden on!

[@GrowVeg]

That's wonderful to hear Julia. Happy gardening to you!

[@kdavis4910]

In Maine USA it's been a brutal year too. Everything has suffered, absolutely everything. I had horn worms in the tomatoes AND peppers. Cucumber beetles in the cukes AND cantaloupe. Cabbage worms, moths, and loopers in the cabbage, Broccoli, Kale, and collards. The heat has also been brutal. On the upside I planted sweet corn and I'm getting ears on my first year, which I hear is unusual. The Asparagus is taking hold very well and I'm getting a grape arbor up. I'm looking forward to cabbage, Broccoli, Kale, collards, the few carrots I'll get, and Brussel Sprouts this fall. I learned that perhaps the brassicas are best planted in the fall instead of spring. Take heart gardeners. Some years are really tough.

[@Paula_T]

Your garden season sounds just like mine here in northern nevada. I have hornworms the size of hotdogs. This year has been one of the worst.

[@booktiallaway]

I'm so glad I wasn't alone here in zone 7b, SC. I thought for sure I had done something wrong. The garden pests on my melons and cucumbers and squash was RIDICULOUS. And I stayed on top of it too and tried to prevent it from happening. I've never had it this bad before. I'm starting my fall garden and hope dearly that fall/winter garden will perform much better.

[@GrowVeg]

Yes, I guess we have to take the rough with the smooth. The important thing is to carry on and not give up!

[@kdavis4910]

@@booktiallaway things are changing in a big way beyond that which we can control. All we can do is throw best we can.

[@kdavis4910]

@@GrowVeg yes, this.

[@cassieoz1702]

Plants that dont thrive in heat can be struggling on two fronts: lack of water (pretty obvious) and heat impairs photosynthesis in many (a factor most folks don't know)

[@jerrynemeth6735]

Thank you for displaying the reality of gardening. It is refreshing.

[@Satscape]

I put a bird feeder on the fence for pigeons away from the raised beds, the height means they'd sooner go for that rather than risk going down on the ground where the cats like to hide 🙂 It seems to work for me. The only downside is the squirrels take the nuts out of the feeder and then bury them in my raised beds, usually digging up a few seedlings! You just can't win.

[@GrowVeg]

That sounds like an idea worth trying.

[@trustonlyline4206]

If you paint the ibc tank in green or brown it won’t look so out of place and it will inhibit bacterial growth from uv light.

[@andersonomo597]

Would growing a vine over it do the same thing? Or wrapping it in green or brown shade cloth?

[@GrowVeg]

Great ideas folks, thank you.

[@CriticalThinker1967]

We live in an area where 100 degrees F in the shade is a cool change and laugh when the seed packet says “full sun ☀️”. Shade cloth and missing systems are a necessity to reduce sun and heat to encourage summer vegetable to fruit. Either that or just grow okra and sweet potatoes :)

[@dustyflats3832]

Full sun🤣🤣

[@clairesilverspar]

This has been my first year attempting any sort of gardening and it's been dismal. I think I've had one spring onion and a handful of spinach. I won't let it put me off next year though. It's good to know it's not only been a struggle for the newbies like me.

[@GrowVeg]

The trick is never to give up Claire!

[@clairesilverspar]

@Black Bamboo thank you for the tips!

[@slomo1716]

Thanks Ben! It's encouraging to know that you, a seasoned Gardener experienced trouble this year, so did I! But there is always NEXT YEAR.

[@GrowVeg]

Absolutely!

[@lisasenkbeil1935]

Thank you! This answers so many questions for me as I have had very similar problems in my garden.

[@debkincaid2891]

Thank you for the pep talk, Ben. Never heard of the diluted milk treatment for powdery mildew. Good to know! Thanks for the video ~ 🌻

[@VoxFelis]

Forever thankful for this channel!

[@christinamoxon]

Okay, I don't feel so bad now. This was my first year growing food (other than simple herbs) and I feel I've done quite well considering. I have lost a lot of radish leaves, lettuce and pak choi to caterpillars. I never thought I'd disliked butterflies 😂 But I have harvested lots of cherry tomatoes (although recent downpours have caused lots of splitting). I've learned a lot in my first year of gardening!

[@umiluv]

If wasp type bugs come by they will take out the caterpillars. If you feed birds near the garden, they will go and scope out the garden for caterpillars. You can also always come out everyday to check under leaves. That’s what I do and I toss out the caterpillars myself.

[@dustyflats3832]

Yes, cherry tomatoes are notorious splitters especially after rain. I heard from another garden video viewer he like grape tomatoes and said they were good keepers and no splitting and will have to try.

[@GrowVeg]

Gardening is always a learning curve Christina. Well done on harvesting so many cherry tomatoes - what a treat!

[@samueljaramillo4221]

This is what gardening is like in the hot Southwest USA all the time. This year I had to use shade cloth to protect the plants.

[@carolinejackson9405]

I have a wigwam of runnerbeans this year, the plants on the south facing side are looking far more stressed than the plants on the north side. Shade definitely makes a difference.

[@f_youtubecensorshipf_nazis]

bolted lettuce has high levels of lactucarium and you can make a decoction or a tincture of it and it's good to great for sleep and mild muscle aches.

[@tracycrider7778]

Great to know!

[@GrowVeg]

Interesting - never knew that. Thanks for sharing. :-)

[@Vivienwestphal]

Knowing our luck, the next years summer will be rainy and cold 🙈 I wouldn't be surprised at this rate of changes

[@RalfyCustoms]

Wonderful Ben, this year has certainly been an adventure, and my return to veg growing has been a challenge at times too, you've been very very inspirational and educational throughout

[@GrowVeg]

So pleased to hear that - and well done on getting back into veg growing!

[@toniedalton5448]

Wow, I didn’t know that was a mildew. My pumpkins got that. Had beautiful plants, not much fruit. I’ll remember that next year

[@GrowVeg]

Yes Tonie, it seems to have been a particularly bad summer for it this year.

[@elizabethpiela7389]

Thanks for sharing how the challenges impacted your garden. I struggled with a lot of different pests this year and really appreciate your honest review and ideas.

[@catladycatlady7359]

Thank you. It's nice to know that even KZbin famous gardeners struggle with gardening. This year is the worst garden we've ever had. Although it is the best year for sunflowers I've ever had. Keep producing great content I enjoy your videos!

[@growtocycle6992]

Really, this is a great example of the value of diversity, in garden planning (or the perils of monoculture).

[@GrowVeg]

Thanks CatLady. It has been a challenge for sure!

[@janarhyu5664]

This may have been my favorite of your videos. It’s a constant battle to keep a garden healthy and productive in the face of constantly changing threats, but such an enjoyable one, even when some things (inevitably) don’t quite work out. Thanks for sharing your love of gardening with such optimism and humility!

[@GrowVeg]

And thank you so much for watching Jana. Things don't always go our way as gardeners, but we keep going!

[@hoosierpioneer]

Love your attitude in spite of losses

[@SonniesGardenPA]

With all the trouble in your garden you still got good growth. Your corn and peppers look good. Thanks for sharing!

[@GrowVeg]

Yes, still had some successes. :-)

[@cltinturkey]

In Virginia (eastern U.S.) we've had a rough year. We check the garden every day or so to harvest and fight off problems and pests. We pick tomatoes with a h0int of color and let them ripen inside. We use them for confit. We halve cherry tomatoes, add fresh garlic and basil, and cook in a pan with 1-2cm of olive oil. Bake it low and slow, and it makes a wonderful pasta sauce or burst of flavor to add to savory dishes. Freeze small portions to enjoy throughout the winter.

[@GrowVeg]

That's a great variety with your tomatoes there - I bet you're a superb cook!

[@freezo244]

Very encouraging since this year was my first go round with vegetables Anne my “crop” was much less than stellar… Thank you!

[@1CTS442]

love that Rhubarb behind you!

[@charlaemery1811]

Texas summer was absolutely brutal 100’F for over 60 days and no rain for 80. The only survivors were our southern peas, peppers and sweet potatoes. But I believe soil should always have vegetation, so I scattered zinnia and sunflower seed in late June and we’ve been blessed with a kaleidoscope of color all summer, pollinator habitat and the soil enriched with active roots to keep the micro rich organisms fed. We can grow year round in USDA zone 8, so snow peas were planted today, carrots, beets and onions have sprouted and greens will be seeded in the next week.

[@GrowVeg]

Glad you've managed to get some new crops in. Hopefully you're now getting some decent rain (or will do soon!).

[@AlanWright14]

Useful tip about growing squash with a trellis. Thanks.

[@edwardhammock24]

Ben, thank you so much your honesty! Just the best video for us mere mortals. I've got sandy soil, I've decided to spend the winter working on my soil, I've borrowed a neighbours tractor and built a heap of horse manure. There's always next year!

[@GrowVeg]

That horse manure should certainly help with improving water retention Edward. Best of luck with all your soil prep.

[@k.p.1139]

Well Ben, I hate that your garden failed. We have started all over again..4th time, I think. But, I have to tell you, I can't say that I have ever had such beautiful seedlings. I started more tomatoes 10 days ago, and I had to transplant them, today. They are gorgeous! My brassicas are off to the races as well. I'm looking forward to this next season! I started potatoes.. I did something different this time, I started them indoors in pots rather than straight outside. I planted them Aug 16th in cups of soil. Aug 22nd they started popping out of the soil. Sept 4th, I transplanted them outside and they have gone nuts! I had already had to add soil 2 times to my tater cages. It's good to see things growing! It's been a very long times since we got to harvest much of anything.

[@GrowVeg]

I hope the season continues to go well for you - sounds like your new sowings/plantings are off to a stellar start!

[@kittvt]

We've had the same problems in the northeastern US. Thanks for keeping us updated, and best wishes for a good harvest!

[@firesunearthmoon8999]

Much admiration from the hills East Tennessee! I love your dog a great Supervisor!

[@GrowVeg]

She certainly is! :-)

[@deborahanderson3768]

OH Man, thank you for this video, Ben. Such a hard year here too, and I appreciate that you shared your trials with us.

[@GrowVeg]

I think it has been a challenging year for so many of us Deborah.

[@notinmyname792]

Ben, have you tried cooking pumpkin leaves and shoots? Pick smaller leaves and shoots so you're not bothered by prickly bits. Pumpkin leaves are delicious when added to sweated onions and chopped tomatoes, seasons with salt and pepper with a little stock or water.

[@GrowVeg]

Genius - I never realised you could eat the leaves and shoots!

[@niamhfox9559]

If you are struggling with a water supply with restrictions, I would absolutely recommend getting a grey water system set up. Even if it's just a hose from the washing machine out a window into a large container. We have a large bin (almost ibc size) with a dirty water pump so we can put it on the trees up hill from the house and the amount of water from just three people is massive. If you don't want to put it straight onto your vegies you can move it around the paths around the beds so it filters through the grass or dirt and makes the surrounding ground more damp. Just make sure it doesn't sit or puddle for more than 24 hours and you use the right soap for putting on plants. If you have access to straw bales, putting two or three around any trees that are struggling with cracked soil not even untying them but they'll protect and retain the moisture around the roots. I currently have the opposite situation in Melbourne Australia, we've had such wet last three years.

[@GrowVeg]

Really super advice, thanks so much for sharing Niamh.

[@ChrisJModelMaker]

Plant now, late the season crops can survive through our mild falls. I use slow watering through water bottles with with small holes in their bottoms, doing well. Made some cages to protect attacked plants, out of hardware cloth.

[@Leo-nine]

it was a challenge to garden on Long Island, NY, too. drought, high heat and humidity

[@sandraherder2330]

You are experiencing gardening in Western Kansas every year. Heat, no rain or not enough and bugs galore. Mulch, soaker hose and drip on automatic time and harvest as much rain water as barrels will hold. Neem oil helps with knock down bug populations but have to reapply every 7-10 days. Grasshoppers are bad out here and cant get Nolo bacterial bait anymore. Tried flour earlier in summer but have gotten busy and haven't been out lately to apply. Grasshoppers have gotten as big as sparrows now!

[@GrowVeg]

Oh wow - that's quite a pest!

[@awinbisa]

Got my allotment in march. It’s been a real struggle this summer to keep things watered! I’ve learnt a lot for next year though.

[@Jimsraisedbedgarden]

Great update Ben just shows the ups and downs of gardening , keep up the good work

[@GrowVeg]

Exactly that Jim - keeps us on our toes!

[@dollyperry3020]

I love it when you show the bad events in the garden. We all have them. But some KZbinrs only show successes and that leads to unrealistic expectations. Get that IBC ASAP and maybe one for the greenhouse as well! Its only going to get drier.

[@GrowVeg]

Absolutely. Best to plan ahead now.

[@moranih]

2022 was my first attempt at gardening, ever. A neighbour gave me large water bottles which I used to carry water from my kitchen to the garden- exercise and lots of hours' work. Many plants died but still picking physalis, upright peppers, kale, onion, tiny corn & tomatoes, spinach, beets, large leafed rocket, round courgette and creeping fast sweet potatoes while waiting for a 6ft cosmos' journey upwards to stop so it can flower.

[@GrowVeg]

That's a g great result for your first year gardening - well done!

[@peacejoyblessings3735]

Thank you for showing your struggle in gardening! My bittermelon, Malabar spinach, sweet potatoes, scallions, moringa, lemongrass, tomatoes in shade, and Egyptian spinach are abundant this year. I put a net on my collard greens and that helped. ❤🙏

[@GrowVeg]

Glad you've had so many successes. :-)

[@nadias5192]

Thankyou Ben intense summer does bring challenges though you always find the positive side to keep trying & enjoy gardening. Your tips & strategies are reliable & adaptable.

[@GrowVeg]

Thanks Nadia. Nice to have cooler weather now. :-)

[@ollvebranch]

I have a small town garden with lots of pigeons and Starlings. I’ve found that by leaving out a variety of birdseed including suet and meal/calciworms and a source of water they’ve left all my fruit and veg alone!

[@GrowVeg]

Great idea - thanks for sharing. :-)

[@grumpy_poo]

Dastardly flea beetle.... yes it hit my brassicas with a vengeance this year. I wondered what it was as I couldn't find the pest , just the end results!

[@karenmonroe2058]

Welcome to South Central Texas every year! This year was terrible. I actually gave up on the raised beds and moved to fabric grow bags on my deck. I’ve had more control over things.

[@GrowVeg]

I can't begin to imagine the temps you have to put up with Karen - I do sympathise!

[@TimSmith-df2gz]

Good day from the North Okanagan in British Columbia. Been a slave to watering for most of the summer, brutally hot and white fly on everything. Managed some squash, garlic and luckily tomatoes for salsa. These weather patterns are what we gardeners and garden centres everywhere are facing and it only is going to get worse. Some of the fruit crops out here did not happen. If you can and it is practical and affordable I would suggest drip irrigation. Get the water to the plant not the bed. It conserves great quantities of precious water and of course follow up with heavy mulching around the plants leaving a small exposed area around the plant base for the dripper and then add an inexpensive water valve timer at your water source if possible. This is a very easy DIY project for anyone. Not practical in all situations for sure but but for my situation it was either that or no more gardening due to the time commitment required for watering.

[@GrowVeg]

Very sage advice Tim, thank you.

[@jeandrecloete1284]

Lol when Ben eats the Scotch Bonnet Chilli 🌶 😂

[@lgrillo]

I just love this channel. Ben is so knowledgeable and amiable, it’s always a treat to view these vids. One thing I will share about squash plants here in the northeast USA… we constantly battle squash vine borers. A tip I picked up along the way is to not try to grow squash vertically, but instead, as the main stem grows, cover parts of it with soil so that it can reroot in several places. That way, if the plant gets attacked by SVB you can remove one part of it and still have the rest. I tried it this summer and it worked!

[@lisavachalek7946]

Lynn: I discovered this by accident this year. I had grand plans to grow everything vertically, and everything that started vertical was decimated by vine borers. The ones I left on the ground a bit longer before training up put out extra root systems and survived long enough to produce fruit . Next year I plan to be more vigilant about using insect cloth to protect the seedlings.

[@maries716gardenvlog6]

@@lisavachalek7946 Hi! Lisa, I am an avid backyard gardener here in Buffalo, and I had issues with squash vine bores as well. This is how I somewhat managed the vine bores phenomenon. I attacked the problem at an early stage, by inspecting the squash nodes frequently. Usually, the vine bores starts at the nodes next to the root base. With a sharp pairing knife, I would make a small cut right where it was infected, take out the larva, and then fill the hole with garden soil. Also, I don't plant the squash on the same spot, because those larvae goes through a Metamorphosis, burry themselves on the ground, hatched in the Springtime, and then lay eggs on the new plants that are planted in that spot. The culprit laying eggs that turns into squash bores are MOTHS, REDDISH BROWN in color. These two methods worked for me. Hopefully, this helps. Happy gardening! God bless.

[@dustyflats3832]

@Lynn Grillo, Ugh! You just reminded me why I never grew vertically and I just commented that’s what I wanted to try.🤣 I always cover part of the vines because we have VB every year. I’ve tried wrapping stem but they will go further down the vine. I’ll try with one plant and see how it goes. I was just thinking I could monitor the stems better and water easier. The vines can really take over. My husband is the VB surgeon and usually gets them. I am trying a new squash from Bakers Creek and it’s huge and suppose to be better than Waltham. It was not attacked as I think it has a hard stem and No powdery mildew present-Yippee! I think it’s Violina Rugosa? They look like a giant peanut. If they are really good this will be my go to from now on as the size is huge and wouldn’t need to grow many to fill the freezer for winter.

[@dustyflats3832]

@@lisavachalek7946 there are 2 reproduction cycles here in Midwest-June and July. I would not be able to cover for that long. I posted here about the variety I’m trying now that has been promising.

[@dustyflats3832]

@@maries716gardenvlog6 moving planting site doesn’t work at least not here in Midwest Z5a. We tried it twice, they see the yellow flowers and know where to go. I’m still going to try vertical as I can see the base better especially for surgery and watering.

[@milaprskalo5777]

I garden in the western suburbs of Melbourne Australia and depending on summer temperatures I protect fruits and vegetables with a sea of beach umbrellas. It's a pain but works weĺl and looks charming from a distance.

[@GrowVeg]

Sounds rather fun - must be quite a sight!

[@moniquem783]

Sorry you had such trouble this summer Ben. With the powdery mildew, it’s sometimes helpful to snip off a leaf or two before there are any signs of it to increase airflow and try to prevent it happening. It can slow it down. It’s pretty much inevitable though. My solution is to plant one more zucchini plant than I need. That way I have such a huge glut and am so over zucchini by the time the powdery mildew gets really bad that I’m grateful for the dropped production and usually quite happy to pull them out a bit early 😂 Consider investing in some shade cloth to be your row covers on really hot days. The mulch that you showed around the base of I think the corn… we use much more mulch here. Try about double the amount next year to help it to hold on to every bit of moisture it can. Enjoy the tomato bounty. The upside of hot summers!

[@lgrillo]

That’s hilarious! It’s true, some years we have zucchini coming out our ears and our neighbors hide from us when they see us coming along with the big greenie…

[@moniquem783]

@@lgrillo 😂😂😂 I had one year where I made so much zucchini slice and froze it that there was still enough for a few more months in the freezer when I had the next zucchini glut! I know some people give them to the chickens but I must have some of the fussiest chickens ever as they’re really not keen on it. They don’t like celery either, and it depends on their moods if they’ll eat kale or chard stalks 🙄 I’m about to try a new method of just roasting some zucchini slices with a drizzle of oil and some cheese on top. If that works well, I’ll try flash freezing it so I can have a big bag of a ready to go side dish in the freezer. I could happily eat cheesy charred zucchini every day so hopefully that turns out well.

[@dustyflats3832]

Yes the powdery mildew is inevitable on certain squash. We are in low land subject to fog and dew and that’s why I want to try vertical growing until another comment mentioned what I also do and that’s bury the vine because of vine borers. I will still try it though and a new to me variety that has been promising this year.

[@dustyflats3832]

@@lgrillo 🤣🤣

[@lgrillo]

@@dustyflats3832 Maybe do both! 2 zucchini plants, one on the ground to foil the SVB and one on the trellis to foil the PM! Though I actually grew my acorn squash vertically this year and it had plenty of air flow around it and still got powdery mildew like the other squash plants.

[@melodymartin4503]

This has been a horrible year for everything but our hot peppers...... they have loved this brutal summer.....

[@Pixieworksstudio]

That is so interesting about the runner beans and the difference in french beans. You're a brave man with the Scotch Bonnet, Ben. Thank you for a great video!

[@GrowVeg]

Yes, I would have expected the French beans to prefer the heat, but I think the runners benefitted from that little bit of extra shade during the hottest period of summer.

[@wanderingsoul3679]

I’m so glad you made this video- I’m in Denver CO and my garden has done miserably this summer - so hot and no rain. I had the same issues as you and my green beans are starting to come back. Had a late start to the season due to snow . Hopefully I can plan better for next year. Thank you !

[@GrowVeg]

Every failure's a learning opportunity. Better luck for all of us next summer.

[@almutstephanmarino5956]

Thanks again, Ben. You produce excellent content. I teach gardening at an elementary school in Missouri and I always tell the kids that my friend Gardener Ben is going to teach us a new lesson. After watching your video, we go to our school garden and practice. The garden looks fantastic thanks to your instructions from afar!

[@dustyflats3832]

That is so Cool! Wish we had teachers like you when I grew up. I probably would have been a botanist. The grade school here is finally putting in a greenhouse 5 decades too late☹️

[@GrowVeg]

That is so lovely to hear, and such an honour! How wonderful that the kids are growing at school. Every school to do this!

[@mbuhtz]

Thank you for showing us the challenges as well as the successes!

[@jackieo8693]

Two cloudy days here and the slugs have rallied!

[@KMaCK8848]

Thanks for the reality check and confirmation. I'm in zone 7b in North Carolina US. We've had a slightly different, but similar problem. Stretches of more rain than you can handle followed immediately by near 100 deg. (F) temperatures. Both extremes lasting for a week, two weeks at a time, even more at times for the heat. The results were almost all of the same plants you mentioned failing. Perhaps in a different way but failing. I thought it was me. But your video - and conversations with a couple of gardening friends and one small scale farmer has begun to ease my mind. My plan? Pull just about everything up, compost it all, cover the beds with silage tarp and other heavy plastics until late October, early November, then incorporate winter cover crops to be turned in come pre-spring. I hope THAT works!

[@GrowVeg]

That may work Karen. Getting as much organic matter into the soil to help improve it should go a long way to help hopefully. :-)

[@crushivintage]

Great lesson. I'm learning alot! These same things happened to my garden in Minnesota.

[@davidniemi6553]

Over on the other side of the pond in the mid-Atlantic USA, we had a very rainy May through July with kind of average temperatures (for us). After good midsummer production, most of my tomato plants have died of "grunge" and my green beans have been set back by bacterial brown spot (both caused by relentless rain, multiple times a week on a sustained basis, combined with unusually high humidity). But what we have in common -- peppers have done well through heat and cool and dry and wet. Fascinating how the challenges of one climate interpose with those of a slightly different climate in unusual weather.

[@GrowVeg]

Yes, funny how you get those similarities David. Sounds like you’ve had a challenging time of it too.

[@Rumade]

This year was BRUTAL but I had a few winners. My raspberries must have put down deep roots, because they did great right until the end of August, when the fruit got very small. Rouge vif pumpkin made only 1 fruit but it's an absolute beauty. My chard has done fantastically- planted behind a bathtub it has has a touch of shade to help.

[@GrowVeg]

Glad to hear you've had some winners too. :-)

[@justsayin5609]

Powdery mildew has been the bane of all my efforts every year on anything that will grow it-veggies & flowers alike! We too had a very hot summer in North America, but it has been a problem ever since I' started gardening several years ago. Situated between 2 of the Great Lakes, I always attributed it to humidity, but not entirely sure. This year I faithfully did the milk treatment with minimal results. Moved onto spraying soapy water, baking soda mixture and dilute H2O2 (peroxide), all separately of course. Nothing worked! I cordon most of my veg; others are in containers. I had a striped squash volunteered which grew along a 4' fence away from all other flora, but that got it too! Next year I'll give neem oil a go as our season is winding down for fall. I do cut off some affected leaves, but not as aggressively. I won't be so timid next year. 😅Love your channel, from your pal across the pond.

[@GrowVeg]

Cheers for watching mate. Sounds like a troublesome summer for you too. Hopefully next year will bring better luck for us!

[@YesiPleb]

When I had that powdery mildew attack my leaves I sprayed them with Listerine. I watered it down 1:10 and sprayed it liberally over the leaves (including undersides) and that made the world of difference to them and they carried on growing well and I didn't have to remove and leaves. Yes, you do have to re-apply, just once a week did it. One last thing - it's learnt, not learned. We're British, not American/Canadian ;) EDIT: Forgot to mention, I've got two large water butts which emptied pretty quickly this year thanks to my tomatoes and onions. I've got a condenser dryer and have brought back a 25 litre container from work, washed it out and storing water from the dryer which I'm experimenting on some plants to see how it affects the garden. I do badger rescues and whenever we get someone contact us asking us for advice about badgers raiding their garden, we say to put food out but cut it up small as their jaws don't open that much. If they've got food given to them they're less likely to dig the garden up. Stick some wildlife cameras up and see what you can find :)

[@GrowVeg]

Thanks for your suggestions Zeb. Great idea re the badgers - they're incredible creatures.

[@jeannettelawson3671]

Here in the Pacific Northwest we normally have plenty of water, in fact, more than we want in most cases. However, this year has been nothing short of drought and like you, powdery mildew took all of my squash. Finally, with the weather dropping below 90 degrees, my tomatoes are starting to ripen.

[@GrowVeg]

Such a challenging summer in so many regions!

[@chinfuzzchet3616]

Same here...biggest difference compared to past summers was the record heat + the grasshoppers I have had to deal with. No, squash bugs like in years past, so that was a blessing.

[@Dawn_Grows_Veg]

Hi Ben, think you for showing us your gardening adventures this summer. I have had a similar experience here in Surrey. We were lucky enough not to have a hosepipe ban, but I followed you watering tips earlier on and only watered what actually needed watering such as the greenhouse and pot veggies and things that had just been transplanted during the drought. It was tough and I also had a disaster with my French beans. The runners beans have been slow and are just starting to come good now which is so much later than normal. I have had a very early winter squash harvest this year and am really suffering with the powdery mildew issue too. Here’s to a productive autumn and I hope your chard does well.

[@GrowVeg]

Thanks Dawn. My pumpkins seem to be ready much sooner than I'd expect too. Some things have loved the heat, others struggled.

[@bluestar.8938]

Thank you Mr Ben : )

[@madeleinehayes4100]

Thank you for sharing this information! There is as much to learn from things gone wrong as things gone well! This year I had trouble figuring out who or what was digging up my seedlings until we put up a trail camera and caught the culprits - raccoons! Turns out they were attracted to the blood meal and bone meal I used for the first time in an attempt to use only organic fertilizers. I also had trouble with mourning doves (I believe they are in the same family as pigeons) and after putting up a feeder and bird bath for them they no longer needed to raid the garden - and they are really a pleasure to watch, as well as all the other birds the feeder attracts.

[@GrowVeg]

Interesting - that may be the issue with that bed - I also but blood, fish and bone meal down. Wonder if that's what they were after.

[@linzertorte4003]

For a lot of our summer, we had too much rain! I couldn’t even use the rain in our barrels and had to drain them because the beds would have been overwatered!

[@GrowVeg]

Wow - that's quite a contrast.

[@fionamcormac7786]

Thank you ben.

[@mauracerisola5614]

Hi Ben, here in Italy, Liguria, Imperia, dry summers have always been a challenge but we had a dry winter too which has made things much worse than usual. Very little rain all winter long and not at all from May to well into September and now again with 30/33 degrees up till now.…I have a big garden with many cold- loving plants (as acers, Chlerodendrons ecc. ) and I had to understand that I will have to change many of my choices from now on as I have been in need of about 5.000 liters of water EVERY night. Water has been rationed in all the small villages around but not here luckily, although this will be a huge cost for us. I confess I used to envy all the fresh greens I used to see in your lovely videos and often wondered how could be living in fresh and wet weather all year long…I regret you have come to know this awful issue in your country too!!! Thanks for your cheering videos I watch over and over again, as my english is not too good, Maura

[@GrowVeg]

It is distressing to realise this may become the norm Maura. It's a wakeup call it really is.

[@mauracerisola5614]

@@GrowVeg you’re right, Ben, indeed, we are all trying to do our best but here in Italy I perceive we live as in the third world, unluckily. Thank you for your nice videos that always cheer me up!!👏👏

[@andyfarmer759]

My biggest issue this year has been water. I have to grow most of my crops in pots as I only have a small back yard. My second problem was slow germination that left everything very late going in. All this said, I have had better crops than I was expecting. Salad stuff was quite a failure early on due to bolting. I a now putting together an irrigation system for next year.

[@BonesAndButtons]

I've had great success with growing in large storage containers with holes drilled about two inches up from the base, filled with stones, then filled with organic matter, then soil. Then in each container I have a smaller plant pot, I use that like a mini worm farm and put all my vege scraps in that. A second plant pot full of dirt goes on top of that so your not losing growing space and it stops vermin getting into the scraps. It's working very well.

[@mariap.894]

@@BonesAndButtons Agree! I have the same. My only issue is the heat, SoFlo is so humid that the heat and the humidity create fungal disease and is a losing battle. I'm thinking of growing fruit trees for some shade🤔

[@dustyflats3832]

It was impossible to keep 2 pots on the patio watered this year. One pot is plastic with self watering base the other glazed clay.

[@andyfarmer759]

@@BonesAndButtons Ilove the worm farm idea but with 37 x 30ltr or more pots, I think I would struggle with that. I think I will try adding soil though. Thanks

[@andyfarmer759]

@@dustyflats3832 I have 37 large pots and was watering twice a day. I have started using strulch and that did seem to help a bit. I love those self watering base pots.

[@MrFrank45]

Thank you for your content! watching from Georgia USA and love your stuff! Thanks again!

[@GrowVeg]

Cheers for watching Frank! :-)

[@patriciagleve4784]

Good idea about the courgettes - I had a terrible crop this year, but I'll try raising them skywards next year. Fair exchange though, i've had a good crop of tomatoes this year, plus chillies and cucumbers - all outside. I'm going to try over-wintering the chilli plants.

[@GrowVeg]

Same here - hoping to overwinter the chillies to get a head start next season.

[@angelakenyon7490]

Thank you for those tips Ben... in challenging times......nature has it's way of turning things around. And as for that Scotch Bonnet...I thought the heat may kick in at some point! Thank you as always for sharing.. x

[@GrowVeg]

Thanks for watching Angela. Nice to have that hot Scotch Bonnet - makes you feel alive!

[@angelakenyon7490]

@@GrowVeg 😊😡

[@shelleyrodanisky944]

Thanks soooo much for all you share. Can you please do a video on horseradish, from start to finish, please? I LOVE all the info you share, and the way you deliver it to us! Love your videos!

[@GrowVeg]

Thanks so much Shelley. I'll add horseradish to our list of ideas, thank you.

[@chrisgait5533]

We have also suffered with the hot and dry weather, for about a week we reached 53.6++ in the polytunnel seeing off most of the tomatoes, even when it cooled the flower did not pollinate. The upside, after a replant, was a bumper crop of peppers and aubergines. Also no aphids hurrah. We use IBCs, in one I keep tench that provide a decent liquid fertilizer. looking forward to planning next season, thanks for another splendid video 👋👋

[@GrowVeg]

Thanks for watching Chris. That's an extraordinary temperature inside your polytunnel - sounds like it killed all the pests off too!

[@enatp6448]

Glad to hear your finally getting a good amount of rain in your neck of the world.

[@tanjak99]

Thanks for this video, it was eye-opening! My beans just looked the same and now I know why my newly sown carrots only bolted. I have been gardening in the south of Germany for seven years now and this year I grew my courgettes vertically to save some space and indeed it helped against the mildew. We had a pidgeon issue in the past on our balcony when two years in a row pidgeons tried to build their nest on our awning. Since we put a plastic crow on the railing they have not tried again.

[@GrowVeg]

Glad you've had success growing courgettes vertically to avoid mildew - it's great to hear it's worked for you.

[@lyndaturner6686]

Ben that was a most welcome video, I didn’t get any pumpkins or courgettes, not powdery mildew, just only got male flowers on the courgettes, and the butternut squash started to grow squash at the end of August , lovely healthy plants but not a chance of producing mature fruits with the shortening days. However beans did ok frozen lots of those . To see someone like you struggling like the rest of us was so reassuring, maybe you can help us find ways and crops that will grow in these conditions bowing forward.

[@GrowVeg]

Challenging year for so many of us it seems Lynda. I'll be looking to adapt to future summers like this and will share any tips I come across.

[@Rainsley63]

Sounds like Australian weather i tend to garden most in our cooler weather and stay indoors in summer.I collect as much rain water as possible.Keep up the good work.

[@GrowVeg]

Thank you - and will do. Just need to collect much more rainwater I reckon.

[@oldgold5848]

My lemongrass overwintering in an un heated greenhouse this year, so it may be worth trying again this year. They are in open soil.

[@myrustygarden]

😂😂😂 sorry Ben I had to laugh at the scotch bonnet taste test because it always takes a few seconds to kick in.

[@GrowVeg]

I should've known - got too cocky I think! :-)

[@myrustygarden]

@@GrowVeg I mentioned you in my video this week and everyone was like 👍 well if Ben does that 😂

[@carolinejackson9405]

I'm stocking up with stable waste to rot down for manure, I want to make sure I have plenty of options for mulching next year. I used unrotted cattle manure this year around my mini sweetcorn & they have done fine. I also used it when planting out my kalette plants in July, they are doing well too.

[@dustyflats3832]

Oh I’m so excited we were blessed with huge load of untreated green grass for our compost. My SIL bought a Newhouse and has great grass! Lucky her husband doesn’t like mowing much because he has tubs full! We have never had a hotter compost ever! We have sand and mow maybe once a month. I mixed it with old marsh hay and in a day it sunk a foot. It’s hot!

[@GrowVeg]

How wonderful to have a good supply of stable waste - that's grand stuff!

[@anapaulacrawford5837]

I totally feel you .. southeast texas and it brutal this summer ! Hopefully our fall garden will produce a decent harvest.

[@GrowVeg]

Let’s hope so. 😀

[@Christina-xc7on]

Seems like many gardeners have struggled all over! Unfortunately summers like this one will become the norm, we will have to rethink some traditional wisdom about when to plant some crops, or what will grow in our zones!

[@GrowVeg]

I think you’re right there Christina. It will be a challenge for all of us.

[@janeperry4080]

Always look forward to your videos on Sunday morning. My zucchini plants produced almost nothing before succumbing to powdery mildew also - next year I will trim off affected leaves. Didn't know about that. This has certainly been a challenging year in Maine - very dry, and we've been overrun with voles, and mice in our hoop houses and garden, as well as a woodchuck or two in the outside garden. Could not hang on to my bean plants in either area! Never had that problem before. And my potato foliage fell over after a promising start. SIGH - next year! Thanks for your sunny outlook and can do spirit! Always inspirational!

[@dustyflats3832]

It has been a hot one. I’m in WI and the heat/humidity was crazy. I had a couple potatoes go down and it was cut worm. Found the devil. We had a lot of C shape white grubs in areas where there was a lot of decomposing bark and it was the area with most moisture. We have had to pull the rat traps baited with celery out again because the gophers thought it great to encroach again. We killed 50 of those rats the first year. Too many and they carry disease and disrupt plants and yard.

[@GrowVeg]

Hi Jane. There's always next growing season - nature gives us a reset each spring!

[@Gkrissy]

Yes the flea beetles ate my Swiss chard and kale. For me, squirrels took my corn seeds and scatter them across my backyard so I didn’t get even germination and pollination.

[@GrowVeg]

Sorry to hear that Krystal. Squirrels are determined blighters when they want to be!

[@imaginarygardener]

Thanks for sharing with us 👍

[@meriemo4482]

I had a bumper crop this summer in london uk thanks to your videos thank you

[@GrowVeg]

So pleased to hear that. 😀

[@laurensvenson-emms5944]

Thanks for the videos Ben! Its our first allotment growing season this year and im absolutely loving it, praying for a good crop!

[@GrowVeg]

So pleased you're getting stuck in with your allotment. Hope you have a fantastic first season! :-)

[@homelife8597]

Thank you for taking one for the team and eating the pepper for the sake entertaining us. I am wondering how long you of a break you had to take before you started recording the lemongrass part.

[@GrowVeg]

Haha - indeed! I needed a few minutes to compose myself!

[@Firevine]

We've had quite an odd year here in the state of Georgia. It didn't seem to want to warm up. It took much longer than normal. Then all the sudden it was 90F and higher like someone flipped a switch. It's hardly _stopped_ raining since the beginning of August. Now, September is giving us October temps. Oh well. Just gotta adapt.

[@GrowVeg]

That is bizarre weather. :-(

[@657449]

Here in New Jersey, USA, it was also hot and dry. I planted 50-60 tomatoes and so far I have harvested about a shoebox full. The squashes are stunted but are now starting to grow since the weather got cooler. My first frost date is Oct 15 but I am hoping for a warm fall so I can get a harvest before the first frost. The Swiss Chard was the only salad vegetable that did well. Chickweed is starting to grow so I will have that to harvest. I planted a fall and winter garden in mid august and nothing sprouted due to the heat. I just re planted and hope that they grow. This year has been from Habakkuk 3:17-18.

[@pristineperistome5696]

Shade cloth not doing the trick or just don’t feel like using it?

[@657449]

@@pristineperistome5696 I got them in late August so it wasn’t worth putting them up. A week later it started to cool a little. Next summer they go up early.

[@chompers11]

@@657449 you plant your tomatoes in late August in Jersey?

[@657449]

@@chompers11 sometime in May when the soul has warmed up.

[@loriferrara5259]

Yes it seems that a neighbor who put up shade over their garden bed, is doing a little better, using containers this year, no luck with early lettuce crop , tomatoes ok but fighting bottom rot. May turn to bringing some things inside and just learning to harvest other things like wood sorrel , chickweed etc..