Sunflowers
These beautiful Teddy Bear sunflowers are actually in the 'failures' category. I think they are gorgeous, but they didn't start to bloom until September, which is just too late to wait for an annual that takes up so much space. Maybe if they were a huge hit with the bees or butterflies, I might be tempted to grow them next year, but they aren't visited by pollinators as much as most of my other flowers, so I will plant tithonia again next year instead. I often purchase tithonia (Mexican sunflowers) at the Friends School plant sale, which was cancelled this year and so for the first time in about 10 years I did not grow them. I really missed them because everything loved those flowers. I will be buying fresh seed this year and starting them myself just to be sure I have them.
Melons
I also flopped at growing melons this year. I've tried off and on for years and never had notable success, so I should just give up. I may try one more time at my plot at the Conway Community garden, so that I can say I exhausted all possibilities before giving up on them entirely.
Beans
I grew pole beans as I usually do, but they didn't do especially well. We picked enough to have a few meals this season, but they just came in slowly so that there was only one time when I had enough to blanch and freeze a meal's worth. What I'm looking for is enough to come in so that I have at least 10 bags for 10 meals frozen for winter/spring -- plus some to share with family or the food shelf. So I threw out all the various bean seeds I had collected and I'm starting fresh next year. I have had good luck with Monte Carlo yellow pole beans, so I'll buy those for sure, and then I need either a green or purple pole bean, because I like to grow at least two types. The Monte Carlo even did OK this year -- at least twice as productive as the other beans I planted -- and those seeds were three years old.
Summer Squash
I tried planting these twice and they didn't germinate so I ended up getting a plant at the farmer's market and from a co-worker who had extra (thanks, Jennifer B!), so in the end I had enough crookneck squash, but I didn't start harvesting until about 3 or 4 weeks after most people were getting squash.
Winter Squash
I planted a lot and only got three small fruits. Most the vines were attacked by squash borers, but even those that weren't did not set fruit. Very frustrating. I'm going to try some new varieties next year and I'm sticking with Cucurbita Moschata varieties as they resist borers. I've seen that written in several places, and I agree from personal experience. Next year I'm going to plant squash where my compost pile is this year, so that they are very well fertilized. I grew them in my front garden this year, and maybe there is too much competition there with the perennials (although there is more sun). I thought I fertilized well, so I'm just not sure what happened.
Fascinating! Good to know.
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