Vegetable Garden Rebound! Susan's in the Garden (2024) #31

[@MichaelSmith-je4qv]

Thank you Susan, such a wonderful way to start our morning! Your knowledge, honesty, enthusiasm and patience have helped us on the East coast, zone 5b/6a , to keep going. It has been quite a challenge, but we have not felt alone . Such a beautiful and abundant garden you and Bill manage! God bless.

[@SusansInTheGarden]

Hi, Michael. Wow, thank you for such kind comments. I know the weather has been challenging all over the country which is scary. Let's hope next year's weather is much more stable! Thanks again.

[@sp9600]

Of all the Greenstalk planters on KZbin, I love yours the best. After viewing your plant selections I am inclined to purchase one. Good to see you again! Thanks for sharing your experiences. I will also trim my tomato plants back now. Thanks again for the Merlin tip as we have enjoyed learning about birds and their sounds/calls❣️

[@SusansInTheGarden]

Thanks so much on all counts!

[@joycedagostino8869]

Hi Susan, so glad your garden is doing much better. Had a challenging season just like you have had too. As soon as we got a little lowering of the high heat, the plants did seem to respond, but I do hope that what is coming along can produce before the frost! Had the same experience last year with Supremo, started out small, had one round of BER and almost pulled them and then one last crop of a nice group of tomatoes at the end of the season. My first round of corn seedlings was promptly eaten by a rabbit that sneaked in, replanted so now they are coming along. Nice results with your Greenstalk.

[@SusansInTheGarden]

Thanks, Joyce. These crazy growing seasons are not for the faint of heart!

[@NebraskaDav]

Susan, I just finished reading your article (Solve Your Garden Problems) in the August September issue of Mother Earth News. It answered many questions I had about the growing problems and gave me information about how to solve them. My small backyard garden struggled this year as well. I live in the Midwestern state of Nebraska in zone 5b. We started the year cold until the end of May then hot through June with 100 degree days and now wet with lots of rain and high wind. Somehow my tomatoes managed to make it through all that and are producing enough to keep me more than supplied in salads and sandwiches. I'm in a bit of a transition to smaller gardens in the backyard. Watching your video inspired me to search out new techniques of growing. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and being real about the struggles of gardening. Nebraska Dave Urban Farmer

[@SusansInTheGarden]

Hi, Dave. It's nice to meet you. I'm glad the article and video helped. I'm hopeful next year's garden will be more "normal!"

[@krazedvintagemodel]

Here in Maryland, July had mostly 100 degree days and less than an inch of rain, for the whole month! My Black Beauty tomatoes have yet to set fruit, potatoes were pea sized, etc., so I'm starting a fall garden. No amount of hand watering with gray water can make up for drought. I guess I'm expecting a mild winter. Your plants recovered nicely Susan! Peace and Blessings 🌱🪴🌻😊

[@SusansInTheGarden]

Oh my, that sounds so discouraging. Maybe if you start getting some precipitation, you could plant a few fall crops. Take care.

[@dollyperry3020]

I also have had a difficult year. I gave my tomatoes their haircut earlier this week. My cucumbers are going to town. My peppers are so tall. They are hiding some of the cucumbers :) A lovely problem to have.

[@SusansInTheGarden]

Hi, Dolly. Yes, that's a very nice problem to have! I've heard a lot of folks say that their cucumbers aren't doing well, so I'm glad to hear yours are doing great.

[@kellyforeman1703]

I am glad to see it wasnt just me that lost the watermelon battle this year

[@SusansInTheGarden]

Well, now I'm glad to know I have company!

[@KristinaDowns-q7i]

Thank you, Susan! Great reminder to have patience when gardening! 😊

[@Barryalejandro_288]

Hi 👋🏻

[@WinsomeWinslet]

Well done, Susan! Your garden is full of blessings for you! Also, you just inspired me to re-plant my Greenstalk for the fall as well.

[@SusansInTheGarden]

Thank you! Have fun planting your fall garden.

[@mollysmith6055]

Hi Susan. Yay for better weather, your garden looks great. I'm hoping to get a Kellog's Breakfast or Dr. Wyche's ripe by Labor Day. We've gotten 3 'Gardener's Delight' tomatoes this summer, haha. Glad you addressed the tomato pruning, I wondered about it this year considering the weather. The best crop we've had this summer is Field Bindweed. If it was edible, I could have kept Spokane in greens all summer. What a terrible plant, I'm thinking it came in by bagged manure a few years back and has exploded in the heat this summer. Nice to have cooler days to spend out there digging it up.

[@SusansInTheGarden]

Hi, Molly. Ugh, field bindweed is THE WORST! We have it in a couple areas of our yard and I just keep pulling it up, knowing it will come back. Re: tomato pruning, you don't want to prune determinate tomatoes but since you're in Spokane, it's a good idea to start pruning back the tops of your indeterminate tomato plants. I usually do this about 3 times, with each subsequent pruning being a bit more severe. I want those last tomatoes to ripen!

[@LindaWitting-c2o]

Susan. Do you ever do presentations? I am a member of the Little Spokane Garden Club and we would love for you to come and speak with us.

[@SusansInTheGarden]

Hi, Linda. I have cut back on doing presentations. Sorry about that! But nice to meet you.

[@barbkenas5663]

Well this was positive! It really was a challenging growing season, my bush beans were so sad. We need to have patience 😍😘🥰

[@SusansInTheGarden]

Patience can be very hard to achieve!

[@marilynm8812]

It is always exciting to see a garden improving after setbacks. I am going to look back to view your set up video on the green stalk. I am thinking of getting one instead of using 5 gal pails in the walkways, now that I am getting older.

[@SusansInTheGarden]

Hi, Marilyn. Here's a link to that video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z5TcaaOmerR7nNk. Let me know if you have any questions.

[@mw7527]

Thanks for another great video, Susan!

[@SusansInTheGarden]

Thanks so much!

[@cbak1819]

What a great tip about determinate tomatoes. Thanks gardening friend😃

[@SusansInTheGarden]

My pleasure!

[@annmoy8932]

Susan, I’m so glad your garden is doing better! Everything is looking great! 12:25 Today I’m making fresh salsa with my tomatoes for the very first time!

[@SusansInTheGarden]

Hi, Ann. Thanks so much. Fresh salsa is THE BEST! Enjoy.

[@marypalmer2088]

Oh Susan, I wished I had kept going but I gave up! I live in Maine, zone 5a and the temperature this morning is 58. We are looking at more thunderstorms and maybe 70's this afternoon. I still have tomatoes, the cucumbers gave up and the squash never had a chance. I have a small garden but now I wish I had added more as time went on. Your garden looks wonderful and I'm taking notes from you for next years garden. Thank you both for sharing your garden.

[@SusansInTheGarden]

Hi, Mary. I'm so sorry to hear that. Let's hope next year is much better. Maybe you could plant a few things for a fall garden?

[@marypalmer2088]

@@SusansInTheGarden Thank you Susan, I think I will try some fall planting.

[@cjshadow-o2k]

How funny! My bush beans are vining exactly like yours - which caused a bit of a dilemma because they are planted on an elevated growing table. I have a Blue Lake variety. Every variety of green bean that I've tried in the last few years has completely failed to even germinate (no idea why), so this is good anyway!

[@SusansInTheGarden]

Wow, that is odd, although like you said, at least they germinated!

[@cathyclark-p3w]

Thank you for sharing your garden with us. Have a nice day!

[@SusansInTheGarden]

I'm so glad you enjoyed it. Hope you've been having a great day as well.

[@joycearthur5244]

Everything looks good Susan. My season has been a struggle too, we have been hot & dry , dry, dry. I tried the Fortex beans this year but think Seychelles do better for me, we also like Roma II & Provider bush beans. Although I have started getting rust on some of them this year, a first for me. I’m about tomatoed out, been giving them away like crazy since I’ve already preserved all we need. cucumbers and zucchini have been prolific too. My biggest fail this year has been peppers, not sure what happened to them.

[@SusansInTheGarden]

Hi, Joyce. It's truly been a tough year, no matter where folks live. I sure hope next year will be better!

[@PLD244]

Everything looks great Susan! I have a question for you. I am growing Crimson Sweet Watermelon. I have already pulled one ripe melon, and it was delicious. My plant is now yellowing and not producing flowers. Does it need fertilizer??? Thanks

[@SusansInTheGarden]

Hi there. It could be a shortage of nutrients. If you think you have enough time left in the season for the plants to produce more melons (or at least ripen whatever's left), you could certainly give them a bit of organic vegetable fertilizer.

[@lisapolanski9379]

What kind of mulch do you use under your melons? I just planted pumpkins and after they sprout I think I should put down mulch. Do you have a video of when, how, and what to mulch?

[@SusansInTheGarden]

Hi, Lisa. I don't think I've done a video specifically on mulching but I know I've suggested it as a way to reduce weeds and also to help the soil retain moisture. We use grass clippings from our front lawn because we don't use Weed 'n Feed or any other herbicides. That's important because herbicides target broad-leaf plants such as dandelions, but guess what the majority of vegetable plants are? Yup, broad-leaf plants! It's really handy to have a ready supply of grass clippings whenever I need them. One of the other reasons I like using grass clippings is to get the developing melons, squash and pumpkins off the soil surface.

[@vmcshannon]

Maybe there is still hope for mine! I’m in zone 5a,b. Everything has just been sitting there and it just seems to have started really growing. Carrots are still a fail but I’m not giving up? Thanks .

[@SusansInTheGarden]

I'm glad some things are showing signs of life! I would leave the carrots alone and see how they do closer to fall. You might also consider planting a fall garden. Here's my recent video on it (kzbin.info/www/bejne/mJnOoJiOZdSiqbc) just in case you missed it. And I'll be shooting a video of what I'm planting this coming week.

[@dianepuskas6362]

My second succession of bush beans are acting like vines too! Very odd

[@SusansInTheGarden]

Hi, Diane. When I checked ours yesterday, they had stopped vining and were holding themselves more upright, so maybe they'll start acting more normally!

[@lindykidder4698]

Hi Susan Do you leave your insect netting all winter long? I have cabbage moths and I put out my transplant today , or should I remove the netting once it gets down to 60’s. I’m in zone 7A.

[@SusansInTheGarden]

Hi, Lindy. I will remove the insect netting once we start getting some frosts this fall, so I would say when the highs get down to 45-50 degrees F. or thereabouts. It also would be a good idea to keep an eye out for cabbage moths just to see if they're still active when the temps start dropping. Ordinarily, I would plant the fall crops in our little hoop house, in which case I wouldn't need the insect covers. But Bill's growing peppers in it and they won't be fully harvested for at least a month. I didn't want to wait that long to start growing the fall stuff.

[@daviddeininger2938]

What would you recommend for killing grass type weeds in my garden that is organic if there is such a thing? The weeds really got away from me in my raised beds. Lorraine

[@SusansInTheGarden]

Hi, Lorraine. I don't know of any reliable organic herbicide, to be honest. You could try covering the weedy areas with sheets of newspaper or something, to block the light from them. But I'm just a hand-puller of weeds. Any time I see some in our garden, I immediately yank them out! Try to get the roots so they can't spread. Good luck!

[@dustyflats3832]

Do you use drip tape for irrigation? Do they have pressure regulating emitters or holes? I’m thinking of switching out the emitter lines for drip tape. Do you run zones and can you run them all open at the same time for even coverage? I have mostly long 3’ wide beds. The brand I’m using was only available in 17” spacing on 1/2” lines or 6-12” spacing on 1/4” lines. I’m running into problems with long 1/4” lines not covering on the ends very well, but I wanted closer spacing. Another brand I see has 1/2” lines that are closer spaced. I think I have too long of lines on 1/4”. I need a product that won’t clog in sandy soil and figure out how much each zone can handle. I have to get this corrected as I can’t keep dragging miles of hose around as it wipes out everything and takes too long. Need to make gardening easier. Thanks Susan and enjoy your videos.

[@SusansInTheGarden]

Hi there. Yes, we use drip tape for most of our raised beds, although we also use 1/4" drip tubing on our 4 wider beds. Bill thinks that 1/4" drip tubing is a lot easier to work with and more versatile than the drip tape. So if we had to do it all over again, we would probably just use drip tubing. While it's tricky commenting on your set-up without seeing exactly what you have, I have a few suggestions. First of all, if you're running long lengths of drip tubing, that could explain why they aren't effectively watering all of the plants in your raised beds. Drip tubing is only efficient in 16' or shorter lengths. We set up a manifold for each of our raised beds, so our drip tubing lines are 8' long each. The nice thing about using a manifold with 1/4" drip tubing is that you can add additional emitter lines to a particular bed to meet water needs (for example, we add extra drip tubing for growing corn). We move the manifolds around the garden each year to match the crops in each bed. Also, we have a few Vari misters (from Dripworks) that we run off the manifold to do a bit of surface watering for growing lettuce and also in areas that seem dry. We do have a pressure-reducer in the sprinkler valve box where our drip system's water lines originate. You've probably seen the drip irrigation video that I shot earlier this year, but you might want to watch it again to see our specific set-up. Here's a link to it: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gJucl3qiYq6Ahbc. I also heartily recommend dripworks.com. That's where we've bought the majority of our supplies and their website is really helpful.