RE: strange gardening year

I know the disappointment you are feeling Auralie... 

At first I thought it was some of the types of seeds I was using.
Purchased a bunch off ebay and thought-- hum,..... but even the usual
brands purchased from local retailers didn't do any better. I also
planted a row of sunflowers along the side fence (always trying to hide
it) and only got two to sprout and flower. But did have a bunch of
volunteers in the back area from last years crop or birds feeling sorry
for me :)

Even my hollyhocks, which normally are higher than the fence were only
at the very most 2 ft tall.... very strange looking!

My peaches did fine.. well actually too many of them and they cracked
off one of the branches....

I am sure your garden will be much better next year.... (note, I am sure
you will be fine too...)

Donna


> 
> Donna, it's been a very strange year here, too.  I, too, feel as if I
am
> still waiting for summer to start - and others I talk to have said the
> same thing.
> 
>   We had one very hot day - 90+ degrees - in April, of all times,
followed
> by
> several frosts.  That was the hottest day of the so-called summer.  I
> think
> it may have hit 90 one day in early August.  The rest of the season it
has
> been
> in the low 80s or just the 70s.  That is not usual weather for this
area -
> can't remember another such cool summer.  The worst part was that most
of
> the
> time was very cloudy, overcast and humid but not much rain fell.  I
know
> that
> others in the area had lots of rain, but we seem to be in a dry pocket
of
> some
> sort - our pond is down about a foot.
>   As for the growing part - my early garden was great.  Daffodils were
> better
> than in many years - the planned succession of bloom really worked so
that
> I
> had daffs for nearly two months.  Some years they all bloom in one or
two
> weeks.  The early perennials were good too, but I've never had a worse
> year with
> seed-starting.  Many of the seeds I planted just never came up, and
slugs
> took
> out a lot more.  (Even if we didn't get rain, it was so humid that we
had
> an
> awful slug year.) For instance I had to plant beans about three times
> before I
> ever got a good row, and I planted six packets of sunflower seeds and
only
> have three pitiful plants.  Sunflowers were planted in pots in my
> container
> garden, in the vegetable garden, and finally I tried starting them
> indoors.  Even
> those didn't come up.  Can't understand it.  I usually have great
> sunflowers.
>   By midsummer I had given up and bought annuals.  Most of these were
> promptly eaten by deer, which have been much more numerous than usual.
I
> found a
> handsome four-point buck breakfasting on my phlox just as they were
> looking good.
>  Later they demolished the plantings on my front stoop - impatiens,
> miniature
> roses, zonal geraniums, and a couple of large hibiscus plants.  About
the
> only thing that survived the various onslaughts and looked great were
the
> turk's
> cap lilies growing in a large container.  They were pretty spectacular
for
> a
> few weeks, but of course didn't last after they bloomed.
>   The vegetable garden was also a disaster.  Onions, which I usually
do
> well
> with, didn't mature - just browned off at less than an inch in
diameter.
> Others in the area have had the same experience.  I think it was lack
of
> sunlight
> - onions are day-length sensitive, I know.  After numerous plantings I
> finally
> have had beans, but not a really good crop.  Early peas didn't do
> anything.
> Many of the squash I planted never came up - after numerous plantings
I
> have
> had a few squash, but not nearly the abundance I usually have.  I
could go
> on
> and on with the litany of what didn't live up to expectations this
year.
> True,
> I was unable to work in the garden as much as I would have liked early
in
> the
> season, but I can't imagine how that would have caused the failures I
have
> had.
>   As for weeds - I can't really say they are worse than usual.  Just
the
> slugs and the deer and the lack of sunshine.
> 
>   Signs of fall.  We are seeing patches of color in the maples, and
the
> dogwoods are beginning to turn.  Goldenrod is full and fall asters are
> starting.  I
> noticed yesterday that my Colchicums are blooming (I only have a few.)
> We've
> had nights down into the low 50s but this week it has only been the
high
> 60s
> at night - pretty warm - even though it didn't get out of the 70s
during
> the
> day.  Today it is raining - a good, steady rain.  We haven't had a
rain
> like
> this before this summer.
> 
>   All in all, a pretty disappointing year - maybe next year will be
> better.
> Of course at my age, who knows what next year will bring.
> Auralie - NY Z5

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