Everyone wants that perfect garden and harvest but from beginners to veterans we all have a issues from time to time. For the first time ever I had to deal with squash bugs and those black fleas that eggplants get. Plus the weather in the northeast has less than favorable. It was super hot then unseasonably cool and now back to heat and humidity. This has wreaked havoc on my cukes and melons. Had a very good potato,lettuce and tomato (Abe Lincoln and Black Krim doing very well for first time growing) harvest. Beans did ok and peppers are producing. Got some decent sugar baby watermelons almost ready for the kids to enjoy. Very excited with the pumpkins I got going(another first effort). Onions did ok. Started the fall garden with beets more lettuce swiss chard spinach and broccoli. Though I get frustrated I always remain optimistic. Hopefully this post will help others get through those tough moments. Happy gardening and never surrender my fellow Stewbies
Welcome to the world of gardening ! Its never the same two seasons running ! Optimism is what keeps us going !
My only problem is, availability of fresh water... City water supply is always running dry. And so I always have to plan and store water in advance. If I had abundant sweet water, I would have 6 to 8 times as many planets on my property. But I always have to take into account the amount of water available to me. It is useless to dig a well over here, as I am right at the coast. So ground water is very salty, same as seawater. That's my major reason for frustration. Otherwise everything I try to grow, usually succeeds.
Do you have a water barrel that will fill if/when it rains? A lot of water can be collected this way -even from a small shed roof. Even a sheet of tin propped up on the ground will run rain off to be collected, like we did when we lived in the Australian bush many years ago.
We usually get droughts which last for around 5 years. And it rains only during the monsoon season. And this whole year - No rain... Casual regular rain, just doesn't happen here. Either a tropical cyclone, like once in maybe 5 to 10 years, which causes flooding. Otherwise nonstop drought.
It is good S-H that those of us who are more fortunate with our weather should be grateful when it rains, and stop complaining when so many others worldwide have such a shortage... I remember being in the bush for 4 years back in the 1960's when there was drought and we used to travel about 17miles to a cattle pump with a 40gallon drum and fill it there. Much of that was lost on the bumpy road home. We are far more fortunate now in the UK and would share with you if only it was possible. h
If you can build a three phase generator then you got this @S-H. https://news.mit.edu/2020/passive-solar-powered-water-desalination-0207
"Though I get frustrated I always remain optimistic." That quote from your post sums it all up beautifully.
