SUCCESS DRESSED UP AS FAILURE: I’m so proud that I’ve done everything right and produced a bumper crop, but EVERY insect, and fruit & vegetable-eating freeloader nibbles on everything before me 🤦‍♀️ 🦗 🐀 🐌

@Tabitha Sitton same here! Yet I drive around my neighbourhood to see healthy trees sagging to the ground, laden with fruit. It’s not a climate issue - it’s a ME problem 😆

@Julie Vigil woohoo, thank$ 👏

All the best for a speedy recovery

Take all the time you need. Just like a well-fed and maintained garden, this community will thrive while you rest during a rough season.

@Dennis Wichter On average, two large ones (10-15 cm long) and a couple smaller ones

@Dennis Wichter I’m not sure if it’s any one thing; probably a combination of factors. When the veges come to the end of their time, we let them go to flower (attract bees), harvest any seeds we want to keep, then mulch the old plant and leaves into the soil. We water regularly and deeply. Apply sugarcane mulch to ensure moisture retention. We always blend mushroom compost into our garden beds between crops. They’re the main things I think that might contribute. Even today, I was clearing away grass from my fence line and there were hundreds of worms and castings. I used to have chickens near this space for about 15 years, and I’m wondering if their manure has laid the foundations for it. I have pretty good quality sandy loam here anyway, plus it’s protected from direct sun, and receives plenty of moisture. These are the conditions. I’m only guessing they all contribute to a beautiful thriving little underground ecosystem.

@Dennis Wichter Thanks 🙏

@Toni Flanagan Yes, it’s been a lot of work, and worth every minute 🫶