What I mean is, do you get better crop yield in one year and a year later you don’t get much depending on how bad or good the season was?

I’m at zone 7 UK if that helps. We’ve just started to try gardening this year and the summer season has been scorching most of the time and with autumn rolling in it’s still fairly warm but not sunny.

  • just_another_person@lemmy.worldEnglish
    61·
    3 days ago

    I’ll be a bit long winded here, but explain the difference between home and commercial gardening and the yields.

    1. Due to climate change, it’s nearly impossible to tell how things will yield from year to year now, but stick to the conditions for specific crops
    2. Commercial yields are gotten from regularity. Same water amounts, same nutritional feeds, and constant. If you aren’t consistent with both of those things, you’re going to get irregular yields.
    3. Pests vary wildly between locations. If you live in a city, you’re going to have bugs. If you’re in a rural area, you’re going to have ground-dwelling mammals that eat everything.
    4. If you’re growing from seed, don’t start in the ground. Start 2 months before hand in small containers, then transplant. Isolate any struggling seedlings, as they probably won’t make it.
    • Dis32@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
      3·
      3 days ago

      I see! I had a hunch this year’s climate had something to do with it, it was weird indeed, not so much success with the crops from what I’ve seen with other posts elsewhere, mostly diseased crops which is unfortunate. We tried checking regularly and made sure to water regularly and feed also, but only time will tell if anything comes up, especially whilst trying with out cucumbers and melons/squashed. With pests, we have some Nasturtiums, a couple pots about. We don’t get many pests seeing as the Nastys seem to attract the pests which is what they’re for from what I’ve read. Other than that the only pest we encounter are eggs from cabbage moths? From the tatsoi plants we’re trying to grow, had some pakchoys grown earlier but the caterpillars got to them, forgot to check them until it was too late. Regarding if we grew from the ground or not, yes we grew it from small pots first, determined which ones grew and just “died” and moved the growing ones into a sizeable pot to grow.

      Sorry if that seemed too wordy, I tried to be as specific as I could. I appreciate your comment, it was nicely put, basically told me what I needed to know 💯

      • just_another_person@lemmy.worldEnglish
        21·
        3 days ago

        If you only have moth problems, a soap-based spray will help on fruiting plants. They’ll stay away unless it’s some fruit.

        Distraction plants are great. If you find an imbalance, go to a local nursery and get whatever bugs they recommend: ladybugs, Mantids, Nematode spray…etc.

        Regardless of those things, just be super consistent with the watering and fertilizer. Get compost tea locally if it’s free or cheap, and you’ll be in fantastic shape.

        • Dis32@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
          1·
          3 days ago

          How often and during what time of day would you used the soap based spray? I usually use it sometime before the sunsets. Yeah we grew some Nasturtiums to attract aphids away from the actually crops, seems to do the job, plus any ladybirds we find in our garden I usually pick them up and put them where the aphids are and watch them go wild lol.

          We have some coffee grounds saved up since my sister works at a coffee shop and she takes them home, do they work? Apparently they do, but not as effectively from what I’ve read, maybe I need to do more research on that part. Other than that yeah, usually check the soil if it’s dry and needs watering and do the regular feeding.

          • just_another_person@lemmy.worldEnglish
            21·
            3 days ago

            I would usually recommend using it after sundown. Moths are nocturnal.

            Don’t use it during the morning or daytime because you run the risk of it still being liquid and creating a lensing effect when the sun gets hot and burn the fruit. Same reason you shouldn’t water any plants during full sun.

            • Dis32@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
              1·
              3 days ago

              Yeah that makes the most sense tbh, but what I’ve read and what I’ve experienced it doesn’t seem to work with the soap spray? They just keep coming back, the eggs I mean, or do I just keep doing it everyday? From what I see the moths don’t come out everyday just probably in good sunny weather if that makes sense.

              …I don’t know why you got downvoted 😬