No you are not the only one. The many previous discussions here about similar results will show that unfortunately.

How was your weather pattern compared to normal? That is what has caused garden-wide problems for many this past year - the well documented weird weather patterns.

Otherwise, under-performance across the board is usually caused by a soil problem - a wide spread grub or other soil pest issue, skewed soil pH so nutrients aren't available to the plants (very common), widely inconsistent soil moisture levels, etc. Have you thoroughly investigated those possibilities by getting a professional soil test done? Another is a radical change in sun exposure?

Many things come to mind as possible causes that would have far more validity than "chemtrails".

Dave

After seeing chemtrails overhead I have noticed stickiness on plant leaves the next morning. I have also noticed at different times frost-like sparkling on the pastures in the middle of summer...and it's not dew.

dont buy a word of it

ken

Stickiness on plant leaves is due to honeydew, excreted by certain small sucking insects, the most common of which are aphids and scale.

Okay, back to voxleo's challenges.

Where in CA do you live?

If in SoCal, various soil conditions may be among the causes or contributing factors. Among them root knot nematodes and several soil-borne diseases.

Problems are often different in containers than in the ground and are usually related to water (too much or too little) and/or whatever was used to fill the container.

Consider planting date.
Also consider if the sun exposure was appropriate for each kind of plant.
And water -- how do you decide if the plants need it. Then how do you apply it? (Method and timing, please.)

How did you prep the garden soil before planting?

Consider root knot nematodes (RKN), especially on tomatoes and any plants started from direct sowing into the garden.
If RKN, you can see the damage on the roots if you dig up the plants. (When you pull them out, the evidence remains in the ground.) Affected roots will resemble a strand of variously sized "beads."

Lots more needs to be discussed. But we need some of the details from you first. Without details, we can only guess.

Jean,
who gardened for 30-some years in Long Beach, CA.

You could go look up the "chemtrail conspiracy theory" (on the screwy presumption that something bad in your garden has to be the fault of a sinister government plot), and you could get a soil test. Both would be good things to do.

I've noticed bad things in my garden after I sneeze. So ...

But the fact that you've had good gardens in this plot at other times makes it a bit more complicated. If you did something differently this year, you're the only one that can figure it out.

My garden was also pretty miserable this year for no obvious reason!
I had some 1# tomatoes last year and this year they were cherry tomato sized. Almost no peppers, cukes, eggplants.
I'm a creature of habit (read OCD ;) ), so I almost always prep the garden the same way and plant on April 15th.
My guess is that it might be something to do with the drought. Sure, I have a well and can water as I want ( my well is monitored every 3 months due to a stupid casino going in 2 miles away, and is still in good shape), but there has to be a long term impact of this drought! Maybe the good stuff gets sucked down into the water table? I don't know!
We'll see how next year goes! We can only hope it'll be better! Nancy

I think you are correct to be skeptical that 'chemtrails' can affect one particular garden.

Chemtrail is the conspiracy theorist name for contrails, or condensation trails, which are water vapor streaks in the sky that result naturally from a jet engine's interaction with the air.

The government does plenty of shady things, but they aren't spraying chemicals in the air to ruin your garden :)

Here is a link that might be useful: Wikipedia Contrail article

I have to say that, as gardening problems can be so upsetting, frustrating, and wholly nonsensical, it is not too surprising that conspiracy theories start getting hauled in to explain them!

Why, when the Air Force has recurring problems with aircraft, they might well blame it on the steaming compost pits they're flying over, which are no doubt being maintained for sinister purposes. What are alleged to be clouds of water are no doubt something more destructive.

It seems to me that it could be something you have used in the entire garden. Such as contaminated compost or a contaminated bag of fertilizer. I've read of people contaminating their compost by inadvertently using grass clippings that had been fertilized with a weed and feed type product. Herbicide drift from a neighborhood yard could be a source of your problem.

LOL Dan! Nancy

Yes, I think Dan is on to something. I certainly hope that the air force does a careful investigation before unleashing the drone attacksâ¦

Geez, Dan, I live right on the flight path to Andrews AFB... I've been noticing those guys flying lower and lower. Now I'm worried about the safety of my compost pile! ;)

voxleo - all the chemtrail stuff aside, as Jean asked above, can you get back to us with answers to some of the questions posed? Nematodes, weather differences, soil test done, results, unusual pest patterns, symptoms of any diseases, soil amendments added, compost or mulch from a new source, etc?

Dave

Have you considered trying a new boyfriend?

When it gets hot and dry, watering will keep plants alive but they will not produce the way they would if it had rained. Tomatoes tend to stop setting once temperatures reach 95 degrees. Even bermuda grass does not grow well when temperatures get in high 90's. But once it starts raining the irrigated plants will start growing faster than the non-irrigated.

By the way, I kind of agree with zeuspaul.

nancyjane_gardener....do you save seed? If so, it could just be due to fatigue from constant inbreeding of your seeds..
If not...your soil could be depleted if you have grown veggies in the same spot for years...might be time to take a soil sample to have it tested..even one seemingly simple nutrient lacking in your soil can greatly hinder your outcomes..
I would look at my soil first...it is the basis of everything living...not to the skies.

Donna, I save some seed, but not the ones I've had problems with. Since I only grow 6 tomato plants, I want a variety, so I usually go with organic plants from a couple different local sources. The seed I do use comes from a local seed bank where the seeds are all from plants grown organically in our county.
I know I wasn't the only one with not the best garden this year. I'm thinking a truckload of organic compost mixed in this year plus my own will be helpful. We shall see!
Nancy
PS the problem with the soil test is that I grow in raised beds and they have been filled from several different sources! I have 8 different beds that would need testing!

If it were me...I'd start with at least one of your beds...just pick one and test! My theory is that you probably added compost to one, compost to all, nutrient to one, nutrient to all..they should be at least close, if money for the tests are an issue..but I would test at least one.
Compost is good, but what if..for example...you are lacking magnesium, and the compost you add has everything BUT magnesium?
I have things here that I know my soil lacks because of my location..I'm sure it's the same where you are. Adding compost from another nutrient deficient part of town/state, etc...won't help.
You may have just reached that point in your garden where you have depleted something.
What specific types of vegetables did you see lacking vigor? If they were in the bean/legume family, then you most likely would benefit from an innoculant...the drought you are having may very well have killed off your beneficial bacteria...
There is an answer for you...we just have to find it...don't get frustrated...if your garden did well once, it can again!

Here is a link that might be useful: soil test in California

If you have 8 different beds with 8 different soils, it seems hard to believe that the chemistry of all of them has cratered at the same time, unless there is some unifying cause, like weather or pollution. You might ask your neighbors, and see if this is a more widespread problem. Are people near you having similar problems?

Does no one else think that this is a scam?

Chemtrails? Nope. There's a lot of CT about it, but nope.

Other planes that are spraying other things? Possibly, if you are living in an agriculture area where crop dusting is common. But if this were the case, your neighbors would be getting dusted as well. And this would only be if you are living on the edge of fields that get dusted.
You could be getting overspray from a neighbor using chemicals, and that would have nothing to do with planes at all. And depending on how big your yard is, it might or might not affect your whole yard.

I notice one thing that seems to be a common thread among all your problems. Organic.

speaking of common thread...

if you have been in CA lately...or for that matter, much of the American west...

and someone posted a question re: poor performance of garden plants across the board...

what's the first thing that comes to mind? I mean, after you have covered a colander in tin foil and adjusted it to wear as a hat.

Does the word "parched" possibly come into play? or more extreme lack of water?