By August, we can usually see what the results of our gardening efforts will be. Harvest of some crops may be a month or more away while the early spring vegetables are a memory. I like to look at the results and see how the next year may be different. One of my goals is to put up enough of some vegetables to pretty much eliminate purchasing them during the winter. These include corn, beans, tomatoes and sometimes peas and spinach. I also like to freeze peppers already stuffed for quick winter meals.
Of course there are other goals. I like salad fixings in the spring and pumpkins to share and make a few pies with. The results and goals are never quite met. A big factor is the weather and that is the one that we can do the least about. I have had huge spring rains right after planting. Summer droughts can be addressed with watering but unseasonable temperatures are a factor that is harder to deal with. Other factors can be pests of all types. This year the rabbits were really a challenge and I lost most of my spring crops. Insects and other small pest can be a challenge as well.
Of course sometimes we don’t give gardens the attention that they need. We are called away on important business just when our garden needs us. Other times we fail to recognize and address problems and realize too late the damage.
In the fall, I like to look at what I harvest compared to my goals. Of course those factors mentioned above, weather, pests, time away and so on have to be factored in. I start thinking about next year’s goals. I can’t control the weather, but sometimes I find new ways of dealing with other challenges. This year, I used automatic watering for the first time and that had mixed results.  I had leaks and a new timer to learn how to operate. Sometimes the garden was too muddy and other times too dry.  I plan to improve that next year.Of course we all can resolve to spend more time weeding and attending to garden chores. Late in the season I found a strategy for dealing with rabbits.
A big lesson learned, for me, is how much and what to plant. I have in some years planted so much lettuce that I gave it away by the bag-full. This year I planted a more modest amount but the rabbits ate most of it.
I no longer try to plant later lettuce and radishes. By the time the first batch is done, it is generally too hot to get good results. Likewise, I don’t plant tomatoe and other vegetable varieties that take over 100 days. I have had a lot of green tomatoes to ripen inside or leave outside to freeze. The growing season is just too short here.
Besides adjusting how much to plant, my goals for next year are: start earlier on rabbit deterrent plans, get the watering system more finely tuned to give better results without wasting water, and I am building a cold frame with plans of starting some plants a little earlier for the short growing season. I am sure that over the long winter, I will think of more improvements, perhaps discover improved varieties to plant and resolve anew to spend more time weeding.
