Lessons Learned

This year has been much cooler over all than last year in our area.  Because of this, tomatoes and peppers did not fare nearly as well as last year which was much hotter.

One of the lessons learned this year was that mulch can bring extra issues to the garden.  Our biggest pest explosion was pill bugs, followed by slugs, and a few ear wigs.  Many of our peppers, among other crops, were damaged by them.

Another lesson learned is that it is best to add "hardware cloth" when making a raised bed, not afterwards.  Mole(s) and voles have been reeking havoc in our beds, disturbing or destroying plant root systems and eating valuable earth worms.  I have tried a mole trap with no success.  There are a lot of ways people try to get rid of moles, but many times the mole simply moves on, regardless of the method used.

I have only done one bed so far.  It is a lot of extra work to add the hardware cloth, which in my case is a 1/2 inch wire mesh, to the beds after they are finished.  Anyway, we have enough mesh for 6 of our 10 beds.  From the pictures below you can see snow accumulation.  It won't stick yet but it is showing up early this year. (10-24-2013)