Bill, what would you do if you won the MegaMillions Lottery? You know the answer, right? The answer is "I'd just keep on farming until I'd used it all up" Right? Right.

Glad you have a good attitude about it.

You forgot to mention:

Heat (Insane) Above 110

BIRDS PECKING THE FRUIT FOR WATER

The oh-so-attractive leaf-footed-bugs

BLACK WIDOW SPIDERS WITH NESTS IN YOUR CAGED PLANTS

Grasshoppers

EARLY FREEZES IN SEPTEMBER

Tomato and Tobacco Hornworms

SEPTORIA LEAF SPOT

Other than that, I don't think you missed any of my favorite reasons.

Best of luck to you in this worst-garden-year-ever!

Dawn

Well so far I have missed about 3/4 ths of the list. I owe it all to well water, clean living and animal scarifice. Hail TIAMAT !!

praise the Lords of TIAMAT

I think I was covered in spider mites, teeny reddish biting crawly jumpy things. I guess I'll go spray everything out there.

Jammie

well I don't know If I can beet all that(rabbits always eat my beets). but I want to eat all the rabbits that ate
all my broccoli
cauliflower,
brussels
radish
kohlrabi
swiss chard(bright lights and lucullus)

kale(all but 1 that is surviving the heat)
3 kinds of lettuce
spinach
cucumber(shared with GH)
okra(all but 6 by GH and bugs bunny)!
When our aera got 2 and 3/4 in of rain
at the end of May 2 days later we were scheduled
to take our long 4 day memorial day weekend.
Didn't have a weed 1 when we left
I returned to a jungle knee hi.
WEEDS,WEEDS,WEEDS!

Let me not forget my favorite song 2x a day

whistle why I water, who who who who who woooo, whistle why water.
Everone must blow off steam during ok conditions.
thanks 4 listening and lisening.
did i forget anything either?
thanks tree
good luck

Bill if I didn't have anymore problems than you list I would feel like I was floating on a cloud. LOL. So to go along with those that you and Dawn listed I will list a few more off the top of my head before I head out to the garden before it hits 100.
BER
TSWV
Psyllids and Psyllid yellows
leaf miner
Bacterial speck & spot
Damping off
Root knot nematodes
Walnut Wilt
Wasps
Curly top / Beet leaf hoppers
Cucumber Mosaic Virus
Bacterial Canker
EXTREME DROUGHT
HIGH WINDS on a daily basis
split stems

Despite all these reasons (and more) not to attempt tomato farming here in our harsh climate, there is still the over-riding reason why we grow them anyway: because they are just so delicious and flavorful. You'll never be able to buy a grocery store tomato that can match the flavor and texture of those from your own garden.

Also, you're the envy of your friends who eye the bowls of tomatoes on your counter and say "you're so lucky". The truth, though, isn't that we're lucky because to me that implies that "tomatoes happen". We know they don't just happen and we know how very, very hard we work for each and every one of them. In our climate, though, luck does help because sometimes hard work alone just is not enough.

Dawn

Dawn can't believe I left hail off the list. Guess I have tried to just forget it even happens. LOL. Jay

Dawn,
In reply to your last message. When I lived in Louisiana I had some business to do with a fellow. While out back, I spied his very good looking and tended garden. I said "Mr. Pursley, that sure is a nice lookin garden." He replied, "and you know son, it just didn't happen by accident."
The best of luck to you all,
Bill

A few days ago, I had a couple of ladies shopping for 10-10-10 fertilizer, cause someone told them it was BEST for strawberries. Besides that, they bought 5 plastic wanna be whiskey barrels, five tomato cages, two bags of potting soil, a bag of rocks to put in the bottom of the barrels, five stakes to make sure the tomato cages stay upright and not remembered other items.

As you can see, most to grow some tomatoes.

One woman couldn't stand the heat and hid out inside, and the other was in a HD motorized shopping cart.

I just wonder, if they got their planting chores done, and if they ever thought of how much they spent to grow the few measly tomatoes they will most likely hope to get.

Me, I got some parsley, basil and lemon balm on my balcony this year.

Moni

I was gonna add HAIL, then saw that Jay added it. But am I the only one who has ever had a dog steal tomatoes? I blamed the kids for picking them "pink" but they protested that it wasn't them. Then one day saw the dog sticking his nose through the openings of the cages and picking and eating them. That dog is long gone. The current ones haven't learned the trick.

My dog Duke likes to chase tennis balls. To his eyes, tomatoes look like neon green tennis balls. So, he isn't allowed in the garden. He doesn't eat tomatoes, he just plays with them.

Unless I missed it, we need to add SQUIRRELS to the list...they carried my green ones last year for water, and I'm wondering if they're not at it again this year with the very few that have set.
I'm ever-so-slightly bummed about the tomatoes - my lettuces, onions and potatoes were so GOOD...I had high hopes :~(

Sharon

Mulberryknob,
I have 2 labs that LOVE tomatoes. I couldn't figure out what was happening to the ripe tomatoes. Just when they were almost ready to pick, they would disappear. I finally caught the black lab sneaking tomatoes. He would actually look around to see if I was watching.Our yellow lab also likes them. The puppy hasn't hasn't been able to try them. We had to put up a fence around the garden to get any tomatoes. It's a good thing I really Love my dogs, because I also Love tomatoes.
lisak

I had a part Border Collie female. I usually come through a back gate into the back yard and set down my bounty for the day while I close the gate and check the dogs water ect in the back yard. She would slip over to the bucket and remove tomatoes till she found the ones she wanted and then take it and go eat it. I did a little experiment with her and would put the varieties she liked in the bottom. She would take each one out and usually unless they were really ripe never hurt one till she found the ones she liked. I often wondered if it was the odor or what she went by. And of course she had good taste. The few varieties she would eat were also the ones I really like and usually the poor producers. I had to take the bucket or basket to house if I didn't want her to eat any. If I had one that the worms, wasps , ect got into I would give it too her. You would of thought you had gave her a T Bone. But throw a Jet Star out there and she would get within a foot and then walk away. Jay

Border Collies are exceptionally smart. When we lived in Fort Worth, ours would follow our other dog, Butch, through a hole he dug under the fence in order to "escape". Then, when I walked out into the back yard and called them, she'd crawl back under the fence to come into the yard so she wouldn't get in trouble for being "out".

As for JetStar, it is a nice heavy producer that's great for giving away to friends and relatives who beg for "home-grown tomatoes". Then, you can keep all the tasty heirlooms for yourself!