Vegetable Gardening in the PNW - What DID NOT go well

At Sharon's request, I'm started a thread for us to discuss what didn't go well in our vegetable gardens. Let's learn from one another!

Kathy

Thanks for the thread, Kathy. I need to get down to the greenhouse to check up on the cucumber that I want to NOT recommend. May take a day or two as I have been trying to get the new accounting year started at work.

My black cherry tomatoes took forever to ripen, and didn't taste all that good either after the long wait. I had so many yellow and red cherries that nobody wanted to eat the black cherries (not really black, more of a brown tinged red). At least the plant created plenty of compostable plant matter.

I tried indeterminate tomatoes trained up spiral supports this last season on a pretty tight spacing (about 1' apart). I would not recommend either Early Girl or Cherokee Purple for this, neither did well, just kind of sulked and didn't put on any vining.

composting tomato plants? Is that wise? I did compost my tomato plants a couple of years ago..Then the following year when I used the compost for planting pots, I got all these little baby tomato plants sprouting...8-)

Hmmm - plenty i could NOT recommend, but typically that has much to do with the weather & conditions for the particular plant.

I always try the same crop at least 3 years in a row - bound to have better results at some point.
As far as composting tomatoes - I turn mine under in the soil. Yes, they seed well & sprout, some of which become very strong/hardy plants. The rest of the seedlings I knock down at 3-4" - makes a nice mulch.

Do you plant tomatoes in the same spot year after year? I heard that was not good but I'm so clueless about this stuff!

Despite everything to the contrary, I do plant tomatoes in the same spot every year - a southern exposure against a rock wall right by the back steps - perfect for grabbing a nibble. I do add in lots of manure/compost/etc. and often plant peas earlier in the season. So far, no big problems (cross fingers)

This message was edited Jan 7, 2010 9:55 PM

It's probably because of 1. possible disease transmission to the new plants, and 2. depletion of nutrients in the soil (think crop rotation). But if one hasn't had any strange tomato disease in the prior year and is feeding and amending the soil well, I can't imagine why it wouldn't work.

My dad grew tomatoes in the same pot on his patio year after year and didn't replace the soil. He just fed a high-nitrogen fertilizer regularly.

My squash sucked this year. Don't know why. It's about the easiest thing on the planet to grow, but it was pitiful! Bugs were a problem, but I think also DH may have overwatered out of concern for the little babies. Did them in the straw bales just like last year, when I had so much we were getting sick of it. Had lots that fell off at the stem. Too wet?

Sheri - too wet. Squash are tough buggers - don't let them dry out, though. Given space & great soil: they will take over your garden!
As far as crop rotation is concerned, i do practice it to some degree with tomatoes.
Not all crops being planted have issues with being grown in the same location. As far as tomatoes are concerned - are you growing a variety that has diseases/problems associated with it?
As I mentioned, i turn the spent tomatoes under in the fall, shovel in manure, grass clippings & leaves. Sometimes i grow a cover crop of crimson clover right over them.
The following spring, I select seedlings that are strong & grow them on, sometimes in the same bed, sometimes not. But any seedling not selected will be allowed to grow & knocked down after they hit 4" or so. It's just another way of "do what you can with what you've got" which results in a mini mulching. Think of it as a Worm treat...

The soil in my vegetable garden is over 20 years old, drains well & quite rich. While I believe in crop rotation, i don't get angst from "rules" not being followed. For me, it is more important to continue soil building practices & planting crops with the proper amount of space for maximum sun & air circulation.
This has produced excellent results over the years so I tend to repeat what works well. I also interplant with flowers for cutting, although that can prove challenging depending on what's being grown.

Oh I wish I had turned the tomatoes under last fall instead of yanking them out and putting them in the compost pile. That makes so much sense, since I will end up putting the composted tomatoes back in the same spot! Simplify, Judi, simplify! I pay too much attention to rules - as I have my whole life. Well, except in the 60s.

Judi - iz ok!!!
I have come to certain practices because I work full-time, have 1 1/2 acres to take care of, and i am the head of the Staff of One.
I like to let things self-sow for many reasons, but one is for the benefit (although small-scale) of returning what has grown, back to the soil. I used to grow cover-crops religiously in all the raised beds. Now I throw out produce & turn it under sorta-kinda. This is why my worms have not unionized yet. Well, that & the continuing Starbucks' treats...
I also subscribe to the "do what you can with what you've got" philosophy. My expanse of lawn is abhorent to some, but I only water for about 6 weeks out of the year, and it provides me with ample amounts of clippings for composting/light mulching. Good thing i like the colour green...
And I hope i did not mislead about the potential for diseases - this can be a huge problem.
One more thing: keep in mind that not all rules work for all situations. There are too many variables, and it's easy to get caught up in gardening "performance" rather than gardening "enjoyment".
Observation & experience are typically the best teaching tool for anyone, while following basic principals of horticulture. However, I would maintain that the ongoing practice of soil building is foundational for healthy plants, as is excellent nutrition for all human & animal cell growth.
I promise not to mention the 60's...it was not foundational to cell growth, LOL!
=:0)

Even though I've transformed my prior veggie garden to herbs about 3 years ago, I still get (and nurture) volunteer lettuce plants every season. They show up here and there. If I forget to pick them, they go to seed, and then we start again. Meanwhile, they are a welcome and lovely addition.

I have always practiced the rule of never composting tomatoes or roses just because of the pobabibility of disease. I had a really bad blight on my tomatoes a few years back and so am overly cautious about this. It was really sad to see the blackened plants even before the frost got to them.

I have tried to coax a few tropicals to grow here with no success. Two failures were okra and chayote squash. I did try the chayote indoors last year just for the heck of it (had one from the store that started to root and I had a spare planter) and it was fun to watch it wind around the room looking for light and warmth. Still didn't get any blooms so no fruit but it was a fun plant. It might be the only plant that I gave a name.

and the name is_____?

That must remain secret. Her human alterego would hurt me. Let's just say it is a variation On "Audrey 2" from "Little Shop of Horrors"

My biggest disappointment last year was trying a cucumber called Tall Telegraph Improved. They were indeed long and plentiful but IMO had virtually no flavor.

Also tried Trinity corn and was not particularly impressed.