Vegetable gardens this year...

This has been a weird year weather-wise around Charleston, SC . It's also been a weird year for growing vegetables. As in "Total Crop Failure". Non-selective; just "total". And it's not just me... all of my vegetable growing friends experienced the same thing...total failure of this year's crop. Normally at this time of year I'm hauling hundreds of pounds of Squash, Tomatoes, Beans, Canteloupe, etc., to various food kitchens around here, thankful to make use of the excess. I've gotten a few green/wax beans this year, but they were "mealy". Harvested 6 ears of corn tonight, and while puny (6"---they're normally 12" by now), they were delicious. But other than that, I'm declaring "total crop failure"! Never had that happen before in my lifetime, growing in many areas of the country. So my question is, "is this failure limited to the immediate Charleston area, or does it extend beyond the Charleston area?". Need your input to figure this out!

I just came from a Farmer's Market where I asked about a half dozen farmers for their thoughts on your problem. The overwhelming response was "Why, I ain't ever heard of sech a thing." These folks all came from Beaufort County.

One did mention that the old timers often mentioned that when the rain came from the east crops often failed. Storms from the east brought salt spray inland. Who knows??????

Thanks, ardesia! I'm no closer to figuring it out since when I first noticed it. And even more of my organic friends are reporting similar results... only one gardener got tomatoes this year...and she got 5 decent tomatoes! Normally, she's awash with tomatoes right now, just as I am. But not this year... Definately a weird year!

Same here in NC. Terrible year, thought the Fall crops are looking better, getting some late beans, eggplant, peppers.

A lot of friends have reported the same thing, expecially with tomatoes. I'm the only one with tomatoes still alive and producing.
The only veggie I've lost is my cucumber.
Barb

Stono, It is not just in the Charleston area. Here in Horry County where I do believe we grow the greatest vegetables with little effort, it has been a bad year. I thought it might be the heavy rainfalls followed by days of 90-100 degree temps. I always have plenty of okra--none this year. Cucumbers --maby a total of one dozen. Tomatoes were beautful at the beginning of the season. The past two months I had large bushes full of tomatoes but they never developed into anything worth having. Banana pepper have been so-so but nothing great. I did plant two rows of zinnias in front of this mess and they have made me feel better but you sho can't eat them. Maby next year wil be better for all of us.

A report from both my gardens

Down here at the beach I had a total crop failure with my cucumbers.I always do very well with them.I harvested about 5 at the beginning of the season.My tomatoes have done well.I bought starts at Loew's this year instead of starting seeds.I have medium size fruit.Tastes great ,forgot name of variety.I have loads of grape tomatoes and have also been making sauce with the 3 varieties of basil grown next to tomatoes.2 varieties of egg plants are doing well as usual.Okra ok and sweet red peppers produced very limited amounts.

Up in the mountains [ I go up about every 2 weeks for about a week] all I need to do is weed.Plenty of rain this year and everything got off to a late start but is growing and producing like crazy.Tomatoes,squarsh,beans peas,cucumbers,corn all were harvested during the week before I returned to the beach on Monday.Potatoes will be ready in the Fall.I have so much that I have been giving it away.

my garden did not do so well this year. a couple plants died and came back but produced next to nothing....Next year will be better I hope.

I think this year's weather is a strange anomaly, and the first that I've encountered in some 30 years in the south---in North Carolina, Texas, and South Carolina. I've NEVER experienced "Total Crop Failure" before. But that's what happened this year! I'm not a "Master Gardener" by title (don't like all the strings they attach to the Title), but consider myself a "master gardener" by dint of experience. Been "organic" all my life; fiercest pesticide I use is BT, although I've had to use Rotenone/Pyrethrum on occassion.
I think what caused my TCF this year was simply weather related. We had an unusual Hot Week in early June this year(+90 degrees) . I think it stumped their growth, and they couldn't recover.

StonoRiver, I am a master gardener by title only. I can asure you that I have learned so much from people like you who have that "dint of experience". Nothing is more improtant than that. I would consider you also a "Master Gardener" . It is just a title and what's in a name anyway? I also agree with you on the reason for the crop failure this year..With all I planted, I only had success with banana peppers. So much for that master gardener trainging, huh? I think our fall gardens may be better. I am going to give some collards, lettuce, etc. a try. What about you?

The hard part is finding the plants and starting fall garden seeds is always iffy because of the hot weather. All I can find around here are the Bonnie Plants and their variety is slim to none.

BSD; gut feel tells me our fall gardens will be magnificent, but noting ardesia's comment, timing is everything. I've tried starting seeds for fall crop planting. Never really worked well---too hot for germination early, too cold for rapid growth when necessary. I did have some success with an experiment last year---starting Swiss Chard and Kohlrabi seeds in the house (in the air conditioning in August), so I'm going to try to explore this more this year. It sucks up dining room floor space for plants, so my experiment is "iffy" in terms of marital relationships... But hell, it worked last year, ya gotta try to improve on it this year... May be the only way around the "Bonnie Plants" dictatorship astutely noted by ardesia...

lol, yeah, those plants in the dining room do it every time. I've tried telling my spousal unit that the spots on the oriental are really part of the design but he doesn't buy that anymore.

When we travel anywhere this time of year I stop at every nursery and garden center to see if there are any veggie plants. I got some good ones last year at an Ace Hardware in Jacksonville.
BSD, I also found some nice plants at that herb place in Murrells Inlet.

I'm planning on planting my normal fall garden at the normal time this year, and hoping for the best. I know, I know, "...past results do not necessarily predict future performance...". I've successfully grown all the Brassicas in the past here in Charleston, plus a variety of "winter" lettuces, Swiss Chard, spinach, Radish, etc. Also potatoes, but I'm not sure how well this will work out. I'd been assured by a number of knowledgable gardeners when I first moved here that "you can't grow a fall crop of potatoes in Charleston". I found their observations to be generally correct, with one caveat; a variety called Red Kennebec, which will reliably produce a fall crop of small "New Potatoes" before the frost gets them. The beauty of this discovery is that you don't have to harvest them until you need them. The ground temperature keeps them fresh in the ground. So I'd go down to the garden in February, dig what I needed, and enjoy. Unfortunately, my supply of Red Kennebec seed stock recently dried up...and none of the mail order catalogues' shipping dates meet my needs. I purposely left a few "Yukon Gold" in the ground this year to see if they would "over summer"...

Ardesia, I am sure you are referring to the Culinary Herb Nursery in MI. I think I have the name correct. They have fantastic plants. I usually buy my plants (fall) from a local farm and garden store here (Conway Farm and Garden Supply). If you are in the area, it is on 701 N. They have great plants but not until about the end of Sept.

Stono, you are right about fall seed starting in this area. It is just too d--- hot and I never have good luck. Might be getting a little lazy also, in my older years.

BSD

I made a wonderful discovery last year.Most of our plants here on the grand strand come from a place in Pawleys.They are mainly wholesalers but also sell to the public at very good prices.They are only opened for several months at a time (before spring planting) and before Fall planting.I have taken Ardesia there so she knows where it is.If you are interested I'll try to find the address.They have another location in Little River and should be opened some time in Sept.

Hey, you're up really early today. :-)

I never thought about that place in Pawleys having veggies but they probably do. Definitely worth some consideration.

babe,

I would love to get the addresses and names of the places in Pawley's from you.

Would love to know the name of the place you are talking about. Is it the herb nursery that I mentioned in MI. Nope, you said Pawley's. Let us know. Thanks!!

The name of the place is Island Greenery.I don't think they have veggies or herbs ( MI is the best place for herbs but not that good for veggies)

Their brochure states " Serving the Golf Course and Landscape Industry since 1988."

They had a wonderful variety of perennials and annuals when I was there in the Spring.Spring is March-June Fall is September-November

I don't know when they open in Sept.# 843-237-7398 it's on Tiller Dr.very hard to find if you don't know it's there so call for directions.THis is Pawley's

Little River 843-390-7398

You won't believe their prices.

The woman managing now is Mary who was my friend from Waccamaw (they will reopen when the economy gets better) she also work at True Blue in Pawleys and really knows her stuff.

It would seem there's a market for an enterprising young gardener to grow/import/sell fall veggie plants here in the low country... Definately a challenge, though...