Florida gardening impossible?!?!

So as always I'm fighting the good fight. But I'm so done with organic gardening. Please don't abuse me over this. I have humidity at 90% most of the time. And hot damn when it rains it pours.... LITTERALLY!! I live where the bugs never sleep no matter the season. Fungus thrives, blight takes over everything. And no matter what I do or try organically is a complete waste of time and energy. So this season I am trying out different things to see what works for me. I finally found a great product for my ornamental plants and it works really well and I'm good with it. But what can I use on my veggies to prevent insects and fungus and disease? I have squash, pumpkin, green and wax beans, leeks, garlic, mint, oregano, chili peppers, okra, Romaine lettuce and I had two cherry tomato plants, I say had cause they have been sentenced to death!
Can someone please save me? I could hit up google again, but id prefer someone with real experience in these matters, not something being pushed by the stores for there own reason. So please do tell what works for you? What hasn't worked for you? I refuse to give up! I will just keep planting!

 

Ren2012 lives in Florida too and she have a beautiful garden but I'm not sure whether it is organic or not.
I live in Malacca which I believe share the same weather condition in your area and my mini-farm is organic. Yes the bugs here work overtime too but they do disappear every now and then. Fungus and blight can be control even the bugs too!!! I think patience, expectation and willing to share plays a big part in organic farming.
1. Patience - if we fail the first time we just have to try again.
2. Expectation - we cannot expect to get good looking produce all the time, sometimes they are disfigured or lots of holes in them especially leafy veggies but they are always yummy good to eat.
3. Willing to share - We have to share our produce with the bugs and insects sometimes, they can be quite greedy at times. Getting rid of them is impossible but control is possible.
I went through these problems too but I think my mini-farm had more or less some kind of a balance now.
There are new problems that pop up every now and then, I guess these are the challenges that make organic gardening interesting. Best of all we have very experienced members here and they know what to do. So I hope you will stop the fighting and practise control.
Good Luck :-D

 

I'm so willing to live with imperfections and I don't mind sharing with the bugs... I just would love to actually get some veggies. Last year all I did well with was hot peppers... haha And 1 batch of green beans. Mind you I planted a large assortment, feel free to take a peek at my pics. Not as much as you probably have on your mini farm. But I won't give up, guess I'm still trying to find my balance.... But thanks for the encouragement. How do you protect your squash and pumpkins from the blight/fungus? Any tips would be great.... even organically

 

I too struggle between organic and not. I think part of the success of any garden whether organic or not is in plant selection and soil quality. The more you can find seeds and plants bred specifically for your location the better your success rate will be. Search on line and talk with local nurseries. Both are good resources. Look for regional forums that can be helpful, but always taken with a grain of salt.

Research any product you use and make the best decision for you. Ask questions of people here of what both their positive and negative results have been. This is a friendly community.

I have tried a lot of different plants; flowers and veggies. Some I have realized I simply can't ever grow successfully because of my climate/environment. Even knowing this I continue to try (like tomatoes and petunias). Some I have givenup on (watermelon). Enjoy the journey. I have found it interesting and ever changing, and often something I have little or no control over (examples: neighbors planting fir trees that took away the sunlight on a greater portion of my yard; slugs that devour a lot of plants and dogs I can't keep out of the slug bait; eastern filbert blight that is killing my 30 year old filbert trees; cold rainy summer last year where nothing grew much).

Gardening to me is: My joy/frustration/happiness of watching change in my environment. Seeing birds and critters that share my outdoor space. The sameness and differences of the seasons.

Let gardening be for you what you want it to be and go do it with heart. For me it fills me in a way nothing else can. But that is just me.

 

Ok Jewel you have totally made feel better cause squash and pumpkin are the plants that I keep trying and trying and no matter how much I baby them they get blight or fungus. I know what I must try next, better seeds. I have just been getting any kind not resistant kinds. Thank you so much, I never seem to stop learning. I think my soil is good, last year I did potting soil and it became to chunky after a bit now I'm buying compost with cow manure in it and using a 10/10/10 fertilizer, last year I didn't fertilize. Thanks.... I really have my heart set on squash and I keep trying for pumpkins cause I want to give them to my daughters for halloween, I got jockolantern seeds....

 

Hey by the way have you tried mint as a slug repelent,, I've never had the issue but last year I read up on companion planting and they recommended mint.

 

I have to giggle at the mention of mint...I am a mint killer. Where others have it take over, somehow I manage to kill mint over a single season. With the number of slugs I can get I am afraid I would have to turn my yard into a mint farm to slow them down. slugs love our cool, damp climate. Six to eight inch slugs are not uncommon.

I used to grow pumpkins for my son and neighborhood kids. We'd write their names on a young pumpkin and watch it grow. They enjoyed seeing their name etched and watching their personal pumpkin.

 

Haha I figured with your expierience you've heard about mint but figured ya never know. Oh so mint for you is like me with Marigolds.... hahaha I kill them daily! Store bought, seeds no matter they die! Hehehe And if I ever get a pumpkin out of a plant I will try your name idea, my girls would get a kick out of it... I've never seen a slug. And yours sounds like something from a movie.Killer slugs from outer space.... hehe

 

Hi Mrs.Galeassi, Sorry to hear you are experiencing such disappointment in your garden. I don't have the challenges you do, I will tell you that. So, my thoughts may or may not work well for you. Fist can you get a couple chickens to free range? even bantams would do well and maybe even better than full size birds, but they will peck at fruit so you may need to protect that or remove the hens to a different area, but they would be the absolute best bug control you will find. and even though the eggs would be really small they would still be useable, just use two for every one a recipe calls for. I feed my hens all our left overs that are appropriate for them because there is an egg in return :idea: for the investment.

The next is can you "mulch" with oyster shell, nothing large, though. You don't want them hiding under the pieces during the day, or whatever is available and not too expensive? Diatomecious Earth is supposed to be excellent as an insect controller. It either deters them or dehydrates them. I buy a granular one at Auto Zone called Oil Absorb, it comes in a white plastic bag with green and blue printing, product #8188. (make sure you ask or check on the number before purchase. do not buy the fullers earth or whatever the "clay" product is.. The DE is a great soil amendment, also, so as it gets worked into the soil it also helps the roots and supports healthy plant growth. Use it generously around each plant. And/or you can go to a farm supply store such as TSC (in the chicken section) if there is one close and purchase Red Lake Earth DE in a 1#container and dust it onto your plants, but it will wash off as soon as it rains so it needs to be applied regularly. Don't inhale it, otherwise it is a perfectly safe product. People feed it to their animals for parasite control and even use it as personal hygiene product, such as tooth paste, and internally for health, too.

Insecticidal soap is easy enough to mix and spray, but I would recommend getting a pump up pressure sprayer for it, a hand trigger bottle is too much work and not effective for a garden. the pressure sprayer coats all parts of the plant and insects also knocking them off the plant, too. another safe enough to bathe in product. It works well for mites, as well as aphids and larger insects. it only targets as a contact application, no residual effect.

Baking Soda and diluted milk are all great fungicides.

 

I only planted pumpkin once a very long time ago and I let it grow wild. I do not know I had blight/fungus or not but I had two lovely nice pumpkins.

 

Carolyn thanks for the ideas, awe I've been wanting chickens for so long.... when we lived in the suburbs they had a city ordinance that you could have 2 chickens... and I was so close to getting some. But here in this city/county I'm not sure of the rules and I only have a tiny fenced in yard area, I use yard losely cause its only sand hahaha. So I guess I have to check with the landlord and the city.... I'm only doing container gardening this year for the same sand purpose, I just find it easier..... do you think I could stil use some of those products with potted veggies? I'm sure I can find oyster shells, there are a lot of seafood places arongd here. I greatly appreciate the help, my second year in and I still have a lot to learn.
KK Ng Really I'm jealous..... From what I've learned in our area pumpkins squash and watermelon type plants don't grow well here.... also just learned I need to try better seeds. Question did you use resistant type seeds?

 

Mrs. G, You can implement any of the ideas into your gardening whether it is in the ground or container gardening. While you are doing container gardening may I suggest to make sure you have very large containers (as in 5 gallon size pots or larger unless you are growing a dwarf, but they still need plenty of soil for a root mass) and plants suitable to container gardening. I know you have given up on "organic" but do use lots of organic amendments in the pots. Rabbit poop is a great one. It doesn't stink and is kind to the roots of the plant. Trying to stay organic is difficult to do it to the "t". You never know what is in every amendment you use, but using such keeps the plants healthier and more bug undesirable. Organic materials help to hold more water and keep the soil nice and friable. the more area the roots have to grow in the healthier the plant. It is the fast soft new growth that insects are drawn to. When you use manures to feed the plants the bugs just aren't as interested in them. I keep rabbits just for the manure.

 

Mrs. G Carolyn has some great ideas there. I would also check out Gardens Alive. I believe they have a product or mildew. Our neighbors have rabbits and their garden always looks great. Maybe I should see if I can get some of their rabbit poo.

 

Thanks Tooty, this year I'm using compost with manure and I do see a difference in my plants.... so poo is some good stuff..... lol

 

Hi Guys!

Sorry I haven't been on in a long time but between work, family, the garden, my zoo and all the stuff in between I have been a busy girl!
I understand the frustrations of organic gardening all too well. Good Lord I have wanted to give up a lot! LOL I don't use any poisons or fertilizers. I manually "remove" the bad bugs as much as I can. It is a never ending war on stink bugs, bad worms, caterpillars, fungus and every other pest known to man. The fact that our bugs don't die they just get bigger and badder makes for a rough summer. :-( I have found that planting as early as possible (before the critters come)helps my garden get a head start. Composting and mulching helps with the incessant weeds and helps keep the roots cool which helps my guys fight disease since they don't get as stressed out during the crazy hot days. I fought blight this year like crazy as well as powdery mildew. There isn't much you can do about blight other than give your plants a head start. Planting as early as possible, and adding compost (I use poo and I also have a compost can that I put fruit and veggie waste, leaves, and other organic stuff in) gives them the head start and the nutrients they need to grow and the mulch keeps them cool so they don't wilt when it is really hot. The mulch also breaks down into compost over time. It has been raining non-stop here for 7 days. Not good for my guys. There is a such thing as too much water. Poor things are going to have to start growing gills soon.

Mrs. Galeassi what part of Florida do you live in? Have you had any success since this post? How old is your veggie garden?