Gardeners: How have your crops done this year?

[SSDreamin]

My whole garden was a complete failure of epic proportions this year. If it wasn't the deer, it was the drought, and if not the drought, it was the soil not being right. I killed my peas by planting them where the soil was TOO good Anyway, mine crapped out long ago, and i immediately started planning the Fall garden. I have it under way with tomatoes, peppers, and cabbage, with hopes of getting in turnips, broccoli, brussel sprouts, more peas, more beans, more squashes, oats, wheat, and quinoa. We shall see

What kind of oats are you putting in, WBF? I bought some hulless oats to try, as well as some mangel seeds. The hubster is supposed to be planting the mangels for me this weekend - I'm very excited to see how they do!! I need to read more about planting times for the oats up here though.

 

[SSDreamin]

Our garden started off great. Everything looked like it was going to grow like mad. We then got hit with potato beetles - damaged the majority of our potatoes. Then the heat struck here, and all our plants stopped - there were green tomatoes, green beans, cukes, etc. on the vine, but they stayed small and undeveloped until the heat lessened. Things are now starting to grow again, but very slowly compared to years past. We're also dealing with a huge attack of squash bugs right now :/ Lots of blossom end rot with the tomatoes too. Think we'll end up with about a quarter of the harvest expected. Bummer

 

[Joel_BC]

Our garden started off great. Everything looked like it was going to grow like mad. We then got hit with potato beetles - damaged the majority of our potatoes.

Sounds like this infestation came before the heat.

Was there any factor you know of that weakened the plants to where they were more susceptible to beetle damage? (On the other hand, if your beetles are anything like the very large, maroon-colored western potato beetle - often just called a "potato bug" - they don't much need the plants to be weak!)

Sorry to hear of the troubles in your gardens. :/

 

[Wannabefree]

My whole garden was a complete failure of epic proportions this year. If it wasn't the deer, it was the drought, and if not the drought, it was the soil not being right. I killed my peas by planting them where the soil was TOO good Anyway, mine crapped out long ago, and i immediately started planning the Fall garden. I have it under way with tomatoes, peppers, and cabbage, with hopes of getting in turnips, broccoli, brussel sprouts, more peas, more beans, more squashes, oats, wheat, and quinoa. We shall see

What kind of oats are you putting in, WBF? I bought some hulless oats to try, as well as some mangel seeds. The hubster is supposed to be planting the mangels for me this weekend - I'm very excited to see how they do!! I need to read more about planting times for the oats up here though.

Avena sativa organic. I dunno what that means. I haven't studied up on it yet. Smart huh?

 

[Joel_BC]

A lot of us are coping pretty well I think, given the circumstances. We get American PBS satellite broadscasts up here, and tonight I was watching theit 5:30-6:30PM U.S. news report, a lot of which had a focus on the 2012 drought and its effect on staple crops and food prices.

The 2012 corn harvest in the U.S. is now understood to be down about 17% from the level expected even last month - and the drought has impacted harvest to a much greater extent than this national average, in some regions. Soybean harvest is similarly turning out be lower than expected.

Wholesale prices are already affected - increasing as we'd all expect on the basis of the law of supply and demand. Last month a U.S. national food index predicted a 3-4% overall increase in food costs. Given that some key crops are being harvested at even lower levels than understood a month ago, I supposed this increase prediction may be lower than will actually occur.

In my part of Canada, we've had gloomy skies and lots of rain in May, June, and a lot of July - but this has posed problems, too (as I mentioned on this thread). But we've coped as well as we could, and we've been learning, I guess. Those of us here at SS are generally pretty lucky, no?

 

[animalfarm]

Here in Ontario we have had drought. The corn and soy crops suck, I am told, and there is no hay or pasture. The price of cattle has dropped like a stone from just 2 months ago when for once, the prices had us all hoping, and they are going lower as we are all forced to sell most of our livestock. The regulations are such that a small farmer such as my self gets no relief.

Seed for replanting fried pastures is at a premium. I personally will have to sell 2/3 of my livestock at a loss and maybe more. Buy your meat of all varieties now, because next year meat will be a true luxury item. With the cost of feed going up, and only so much to go around, cattle, chickens, goats, sheep and pigs are all being sold off. Many will be lucky to keep a few head of breeding stock but I am hearing about farmers who are just throwing in the towel, because they beleive these conditions are more likely to be the norm and not the exception from now on.

So it is not just the US that is hurting, although we have a cake walk compared to them. Yeh, I am lucky in that I will survive, but I will no longer be able to supply other folks and will just have to look after my own. I don't feel good about that.

 

[Joel_BC]

Here in Ontario we have had drought. The corn and soy crops suck, I am told, and there is no hay or pasture. The price of cattle has dropped like a stone from just 2 months ago when for once, the prices had us all hoping, and they are going lower as we are all forced to sell most of our livestock. The regulations are such that a small farmer such as my self gets no relief.

Seed for replanting fried pastures is at a premium. I personally will have to sell 2/3 of my livestock at a loss and maybe more.

Everyone will remember the big push to "free trade" way back during the Reagan/Mulroney years. How has the FTA affected your ability to sell livestock or meat into the U.S.? I mean, the commercial and private consumer down in the States is already paying more for meat, and prices are predicted to rise - common sense would say you'd be in a position to get a good price selling into that market. Your prices are low, their consumers feel they are already paying too high.

Or is it a matter of the cattle being underfed and hence affecting the quantity or quality of the beef on each animal? You mentioned regulations... are the regulations restrictive for the Ontario cattle farmer to find markets in the U.S.?

 

[Beekissed]

Crap...pure ol' crapola, Joel. :/ And not the good kind of nourish the soil crap....

 

[Joel_BC]

Crap...pure ol' crapola, Joel. :/ And not the good kind of nourish the soil crap....

Is that a response to "how have your crops done?", my friend?

 

[Beekissed]

Unfortunately...yes.