Raised bed garden end of season thoughts & Belling the tomatoes?

Pour a cuppa and get comfortable folks:@) To say we were blessed with a good gardening year would be an understatement! At the time of this writing, Oct 12th, I still have jalapenos and bell peppers growing, and if mother nature cooperates, I should have my last picking of green beans over the next few days from this planter. Pumpkin added for seasonal color, the small plant in front is a pansy, once the beans are pulled it will get more sun and should color-up nicely. Hopefully on and off throughout winter.

Peppers, thyme, rosemary, marigolds, 

and should be pulled end of season geraniums are pretty much all that's left.

Because the huge tomato plants shaded it,

my perfectly shaped rosemary flopped and grew lopsided, towards the patio.

I will try to prune it to be neater and more upright.

And roasted potatoes with rosemary sounds pretty good too:@)

After living with the raised bed all summer,

I asked the boys to move the tower from the center to the end.

The idea is to plant lower growing vegies to it's left, 

so the portulaca will get more sun.

And so I'll be greeted by lots of vibrant colorful flowers every day:@)

The thyme and chives on the right side of the pyramid survived the move with no problem.

I do encourage everyone to add a little whimsy and fun to the garden...

This $10 solar fountain was worth every penny!

No real maintenance, and it added movement and sound.

I did end up building a little 4x3', three tiered strawberry garden.

I started with four plants, the babies/runners filled in the rest.

It is thriving and I've enjoyed a few berries here and there.

These plants are ever-bearing and are still blooming today!

I have high hopes for next spring:@)

Year One with the Raised Bed -Thoughts/Observations:

• Even though they are all approximately the same size, different manufactures aren't interchangeable. I bought Walmart's Expert Gardener cedar raised beds. Greens fencing panels did not fit.
• Always buy what you need at the same time. Much like dye lots in yarn and fabric, sets manufactured at different times may vary... My second set had some kind of a sealant, coating or varnish(?) on the outside. The first set did not. 
• Zucchini, I still think a dedicated bed is best, further out in the yard. It's a fairly unruly plant. But I am so grateful that it was an extreme over-achiever and I was able to share tons of zukes!
• Just because zukes have powdery mildew, doesn't mean we need to pull plants, I kept cutting leaves off, the plants looked odd, but lasted until September. 
• Zucchini, while I didn't need it this year, some folks plant seeds inside in May so, if needed, they can replace their garden plant. Sometimes the bugs, heat or drought get to the plants folks...
• Zucchini, growing it vertically in tomato cages may be an option... It would look odd, but it might save space and work if I don't add that stand alone bed.
• Peppers, can easily get two-three plants (possible four???) per box.
• String beans, better in pots? Well... I'm still not sure I think they are worth valuable raised bed space. Succession planting of beans seeds in pots does work really well folks.
• Tomato plants can get huge, and they are ~very~ top heavy. I must use heavy duty stakes in addition to tomato cages. Nothing more heart breaking then coming home from work to find them blown over from a storm...
• My biggest critter issue, slugs. They did more damage than anything else.
• Super Hero Marigolds are the only variety I'll buy going forward. What an amazing flower, large 2" blooms from spring up to, well, they're still going strong today:@)
• Do not hesitate to cut plants! First time I've ever done that and it worked well. Whether it's trimming tomato branches or cutting the leaves off of zucchini. It didn't hurt ~anything~.
• I did literally water every morning and evening on days it didn't rain, and we didn't have much rain this summer. I water with buckets, and pour it directly into the soil, not onto the leaves.
• I used a cheap water soluble fertilizer every 2-3ish weeks. It was added to my watering buckets.
• Do things grow better in the ground than pots? Yes. Pots are still lots of fun, I'm just saying there is a difference in the size and robustness of the plants.
• And most importantly... NO MATTER WHAT PLANS YOU HAVE, OR WHATEVER YOUR VISION IS... IT'S GONNA BE, WHAT IT'S GONNA BE:@)

Belling the Tomatoes:

2022 was an amazing year for tomatoes in Philly!

I did read something interesting though...

Whether it's a gardening tip or old wives tale?

Don't know.

But, I see some folks hanging large red bells on/around the tomato plants.

The idea is, if critters try to bite or peck the bells, they'll be deterred.

I mention this now because stores are putting out Christmas merchandise.

Dollar Tree has packs of 1 1/2" red bells, green too.

I did pick some up for giggles.

Never saw one of these little nasty's before...

Thankfully it was literally after I pulled the tomato plants,

he was sitting on the trash bag!

One final long shot for 2022.

Big smiles folks, it truly was a good year!

You can see the garden progression and all posts HERE.

🍁I hope your garden treated you well, 

have a happy day:@)