The Good, the bad, and the ugly...

13 years ago

Thought I'd discuss a few of the success and failure from this years garden and see what input all you fine folks might have. I garden in Maryland using raised beds.

1) Cucumbers - continue to be a problem - the cucumber beetles are endemic and the wilt kills my plants before I get decent yield. Maybe I should try covering the plants with thin cloth and use hoops made from PVC pipe. I have irrigation available. Has anyone done this in the mid-Atlantic?

2) Lima Beans - Planted them in mid spring - the plants grew well with thick foliage but the bean pods didn't develop until mid fall and then the cold stopped their growth. Am I planting too thick? I don't add nitrogen and the soil tests are essentially perfect. Used king of Garden variety.

3) Peppers - They grow well but very few seem to turn colors from green to what ever. I plant one per square foot in very rich soil with great drainage. Do others have great success with yellow, red, and orange peppers in Maryland or nearby?

4) Melon suggestions for the mid-Atlantic would be great.

5) Tomatoes were great this year but grew too many.

6) Beans - grew on a huge trellis made from cattle panels - worked very well.

7) Stink bugs - any strategies?

8) Grew to many okra, onions, and leeks. Potatoes grew well also. Asparagus was great and the first year strawberries were wonderful. Need to mow them back and cover them now.

Open for any comments and suggestions.

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Comments (4)

alfie_md6
13 years ago
I've had good luck with lemon cucumbers in containers. I tried this by accident last year, because I ran out of space in the garden, and I did it again this year.

I gave up on pole lima beans, alas. I had the same problem, with the same variety. The season isn't long enough for them. I tried Jackson Wonder bush limas one year, and that worked.

Tomatoes were horrible for me this year. I've never had such a bad year.

And the stink bugs got to the pole beans before I did. Any strategies for stink bugs, indeed. :-(
dawnstorm
13 years ago
Tomatoes were horrible for me as well. Two lousy years in a row. :(
I grew cukes and didn't have a bug problem, but I didn't get a whole lot of cukes either.
The only thing I was up to my ears in was black raspberries.
Yum!
I didn't think that stink bugs were a garden threat. I must be wrong.
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karyn1
13 years ago
I also have better luck with cukes in containers. Eventually they succumb to wilt but late in the season. Our growing season is too short for limas I've tried. I have the same problem with the pods not maturing. Tomatoes were fine. I gave up on melons. I can't seem to water evenly enough and always end up with cracked fruit. My bell peppers green, yellow and red color up just fine but they never look like the ones in the grocery store. I HATE STINKBUGS!!!!!! I literally had thousands in the yard this summer. I couldn't even sit by the pool without the little "stinkers" landing on me but I didn't find much plant damage caused by them. Now I'm trying to get rid of the ones that are wintering over in my greenhouse. At least they didn't make it into my house. Besides the fact that I don't use chemical controls I don't think they are susecptable to most insecticides. I had resorted to occasionally schlepping the shop vac outside and sucking them up but that really didn't seem to make a dent in their numbers.
drscottr
Original Author
13 years ago
The stink bugs seem to make tiny holes in leaves and suck the sap. They damaged my corn last year.

Think I may stick with corn, tomatoes, okra, beans, and peas this year. They all seem to grow well in this climate.

May try a few covered parthenocopic cucumbers.