OVERCROWDING LIKE CHINA

This years growing season is officially OVER.. And with it the great abundance that was the harvest??  And I laugh because it keeps me from crying.. What happened this year to cause my disappointment??  Well it was hot enough to grow everything, it's just a question of overcrowding.. Again.. AGAIN??  Yes I had an overcrowding issue before when I tried to grow corn in the Earthbox planter.. I grew some 16 corn plants in an area where 8 is the suggested amount.. And they grew but didn't produce any ears of corn.. I swore I would never do that again and yet I did it again this year.. The earthbox was to be a salsa box.. Three peppers, Anaheim, Cayenne and Jalapeno and the Roma tomato with cilantro being grown in a little sub planter right next to the box.. The trouble was there were two of each pepper planted next to each other.. Six plus the tomato  so.. The Roma grew amazingly well over six feet tall and produced fruits all of slightly bigger than the moby grape variety.. Moby grape??  Were they cross polinated because there was a Moby right there within a bees ability to fly over and do it's business.. And they could have crossed there but more than likely that wasn't the case.. The project was the seeds produced from the project that had the entire setup from two different seed starter kits that I bought during one of my weaker moments this past winter early spring.. Yep, there they were just sitting there on the shelf looking like "you gotta buy me, I'm the project that will make your growing season".. THEY LIED!!!   Ok, I lied to myself, I was sure this would work.. THESE WILL GROW!         They did grow.. "Guaranteed to grow"   don't you love the packages of seeds that say that??    They did grow but the Roma were small.. And the peppers grew some but not enough.. The peppers were too small to be used as a salsa and it would have taken dozens of those plants to produce a cracker dipped in the salsa.. Disappointed to say the very least.. So thinking to next year.. Four tomato varieties and THAT'S IT!!  I like Roma, Early girl, beef steak and another to be named in May more than likely.. Probably the Moby grape or cherry.. Four varieties only.. And oh by the way my pumpkins and return to the giant variety to look so cool...  There weren't any..   Why??  I have no clue.. I had four pumpkins planted and none came up, although I was sure there were two.. They turned out to be sunflowers which I meant to grow and the mommoth variety which ended up being shorter than me and spindlier than the ones grown in the ditch out in the country...  I watered them until August first then shut that down when the pumpkins turned out to be non existent..  So next year (again) I will start the seeds inside at the end or near the end of April and move them outside.. Hope to grow some biguns for the nephew and nieces .. Maybe enough for the entire extended lot (Jordan's set kiddos)... 

Badge Henry