Every garden year is different.  Because I grow a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, I can usually be assured that I’ll get some good harvests of most things, even if occasional failures occur.  Thirty-three years of growing in the same area also contribute a lot of knowledge of how things work and increase the chance of success.

This year we had a better than average and most bountiful harvest of peppers, both sweet and hot. However, our eggplant harvest was only so-so. I attribute that to improper spacing – planting the plants too close together.

While we had a great tomato harvest, it should have been better.  For the past few years, leaf blight has become increasingly worse. I practice pretty good garden cleanliness and have tried some sprays with little success. I have a recommendation from a garden writer that a product called Monterey Disease Control works very well.  It’s certified for organic use and next year I’ll be spraying it.

My sweet potato harvest was only okay. I didn’t give my starts a good enough head start and the result was a smaller than average yield. Next year I’ll do it right. 

My Brussels sprouts were poor, and I attribute that to not enough sunlight. I planted them in the north beds and they got shaded by weeds and Jerusalem artichokes.

I purposely try to attract pollinators and let a lot of plants bolt to flower to draw in bees and other beneficials. I also plant milkweed to attract Monarch butterflies.  This year we had way more Monarchs than in recent years. I read that the Monarch population in their nesting area in Michoacán, Mexico was also up significantly.  Apparently, milkweed is the answer to saving the Monarchs. We do our part.

Our Wisconsin winters give us plenty of garden downtime. Until its seed starting time, I only have to reflect on what was good and what was not, and how next year’s garden is going to be the best one ever.