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2022 Garden

This year marked my return to gardening after a long hiatus. Although I used to run a greenhouse business, growing plants in a controlled environment is vastly different from dealing with the unpredictable elements outdoors.

Tomatoes:
For my tomatoes, I decided to start from seed. As a result, I ended up with a whopping 40 tomato plants in my garden, specifically the Mortgage Lifter and Cherokee Purple varieties. To ensure proper support, I turned to a helpful YouTube video by MIGardener on tomato staking techniques, which I adopted for my plants. Initially, this method worked splendidly. However, as the plants grew heavier, the strings I used began to break. As a temporary fix, I substituted a stronger string to salvage the rest of the season. Upon reaching out to MIGardener, they informed me about the fantastic elastic tomato string they use, which I will consider for the future. Unfortunately, a sudden heatwave arrived, preventing many of my green tomatoes from ripening despite my efforts to fertilize the entire garden twice with a 10-10-10 blend. My research revealed that Cornell University published a report stating that when temperatures consistently exceed 85 degrees Fahrenheit for an extended period, tomatoes struggle to turn red.

2023 Tomato Plan:

1. Conduct thorough research on tomato varieties, considering determinate (yield all at once) and indeterminate (yield throughout the season) types, days to maturity, and heat tolerance.
2. Determine optimal sowing dates.
3. Purchase additional t-posts and potentially incorporate wooden stakes to reinforce the existing support system.
4. Increase the spacing between rows.

Green Beans:
I planted two rows of green beans, which began producing abundantly around mid to late July. From just a 40 ft row, I managed to can 24 quarts of beans. Next year, I intend to try the Roma 2 variety.

Eggplant:
Unfortunately, neither the Black Beauty nor Hansel varieties of eggplant met my expectations in terms of performance.

Okra:
Regrettably, growing okra proved to be a poor use of space, so I will not be planting it again.

Onions:
I plan to increase the number of onions I grow next year.

Bell Peppers, Jalapeno Peppers, Yellow Squash, Zucchini:
No specific feedback or changes mentioned for these crops.

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