Tis a sad day today. Everything in my garden is dead. The cooling weather finally finished off even the hardy plants. I have a large collection of squashes that will probably last all winter, but I am still sad. There is just something about me that has to be growing something. Something I can eat, not wussy flowers that have no purpose cept prettiness.

I have two artificial indoor gardens luckily though. ^^ Ordered cherry tomato seeds for em, so I will have something to plant. And winter is a great time to order mushrooms to grow in coffee grounds in a bucket. ^^ Nothing tastes better then oyster mushrooms grown on what is essentially trash.

I think I am just babbling here...but what I am trying to say is that I like winter's coolness, but I hate the fact that I can't walk outside, eat a tomato off a vine, or pull fresh snap beans off to eat. ;_; I did learn a lot of stuff though this year, if I write it down here, maybe I will remember it for next year. ^^

1: Just because a summer squash plant is supposed to be "compact" does not mean it will not swallow up five square yards of space with huge leaves.

2. No one in my family likes zucchini. They like it even less when there is a pile the size of a small hill on the kitchen table. Grow patty-pan squash instead.

3: Giant pumpkin plants are monsters. The one plant I had took over 400 square feet of space, and grew up and over the garage too. Got 500 pounds of pumpkin from it, but still. *shudders* Thank gods the frost killed it.

4:Make another bug house for the adorable fluffy solitary bees. They helped pollinate, and it only cost me four stings all year.

5: Do not add mulch around the stems of plants. it rots em.

6: Tomatoes planted over fish heads from camping trips produce abnormaly large amounts of fruit. Go fishing before planting.

7: Bug problems are not a problem with a good ecosystem. In my garden, I had over three kinds of dragonflies, dozens of different spiders, soldier beetles, hover flies, ladybugs, and lacewings. I did not have to worry about pest insects, they were simply eaten. Note to self: plant dill next year, butterflies and hoverflies love the flowers.

8: Use wall of waters and milk jugs over early plants. I put my tomatoes and pumpkins out three weeks ahead of time without them freezing with these.

9: I hate cats in gardens. The plants to not need to be watered with kitty urine. Scatter those little spiky sweet-gum seed pods in the garden, any cats that squats down will get spikes up the butt, without actually hurting them. (note, I like cats, but you have to draw the line at pee flavored produce)

Lastly 10: Just four pole bean plants will produce more to eat then a family of five can handle. Do less next year.