Judith discusses the importance of locating your plants in the sun
It is a grey day with various types of precipitation and a heavy gloom. Ah the joys of November. Soon the world will be covered in snow and the garden will sleep for the season. Unfortunately, this weather means that my scraps of Internet have become crumbs and Netflix is now off the table. So, rather than disappear into Netflix’s offerings, I am beginning the assessment of my 2022 gardening season.
Better Use of the Sun
The first seed catalogue arrived in the mail, and of course I want everything. What I need to do first is decide what worked and what did not work in my garden. I have already run the garden through my mind and muttered to myself, but that is not going to help me going forward. At this point, my overall assessment is that I made better use of the sun this year. I had moved my pots of tomatoes to a sunnier spot, but I think I found an even better place for next year. I had spent time this summer studying where the sun was in my garden.
Potatoes
The potatoes were in a great spot, and I tripled my yield. but the potatoes from seed never produced. Although I had only one disappointing plant from seed, I will read up on them because I want to try them again. I had some good soil for the seed potatoes and have added leaves and compost to break down for the winter. I will plant my seed potatoes in the same area this spring, but the following year it will be time to find another spot.
Squash Sun and Nutrients
The squash were planted in the wrong place. They did not have enough sun and they did not have enough nutrients. I suspect it is because they were planted too close to the cedars. I am going to try them again in the hügelkultur because they did well there. I am going to make sure to wrap the lower stems with tin foil as that really helps to deter the squash borer. I had used that little trick for years and it was wonderful to read that Nikki Jabbour, whose vegetable gardening I admire, used it as well.
Zucchini
I grew my zucchini in a pot in the front garden as I had wanted to try to outsmart the cucumber beetle. It seemed to work, and I got the beginnings of a good crop, but then the leaves began to wilt and die. I had forgotten about the squash borer, and it had a glorious time destroying my zucchini. The squash borer digs in right at the base of the vine and eats its way inside to outside. It is not easy to see until it is too late. My tin foil wrap would have foiled the bug if I had done it as the vine matured. Overall, I had good success with zucchinis in pots and will do that again. My front garden has the right amount of sunshine for them.
Judith Cox is a Master Gardener and President of the Stittsville Goulbourn Horticultural Society . The many topics covered in her blogs include starting a garden, planting seeds, selecting the best seeds, identifying specific plants, and growing produce other than what is found at the grocery store. Every issue offers solutions to common issues faced by gardeners, including wildlife, whether to water, pests, snails, and other issues. During the winter, Judith writes for local journals and newspapers, give talks at local horticultural clubs on a range of gardening topics. She also finds time to run a small business selling watercolor and pen and ink cards.
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