My 2014 Container Garden (irrigation, fertilizers, insects, veggies)

[NickMan7]

Originally Posted by nmnita

It look so wonderful. I am excited: we leave for Vegas in 6 days. When we return hubby is going to let me use his $50 gift certificate from Hope depot to start my container garden. We are going to first kill all the crap in our now garden, put plywood over our now border and buy some containers. I don't think we will add any soil just yet, but my Christmas gift from whomever draws my name will be a gift certificate so I can buy quality soil. Then we will get started for next year. Good bye 2014, hello 2015.

Sounds like a good plan to me, nmnita! My curious neighbor (who's been in-ground and raised-bed gardening for more than 30 years) asked me today about helping her set up a bucket or two next year. She has a good view of my container garden from her kitchen window and back patio, so she's been watching the progress all summer long. Of course I said yes, as it is such a great way to garden!

[NickMan7]

Time for another update as of September 13, 2014!!

The season is definitely coming to a close and the garden is winding down, but not before providing another couple of huge harvests. I'm amazed at the performance of these "global buckets". I absolutely can't WAIT to add more to my collection next year. They're so genius I can hardly stand it.

We had our first official frost last night/early this morning - 30 degrees! I was able to take my 4 pepper buckets into the garage where it stayed above 60 all night. I covered my two EBs with peppers with an old shower curtain and they suffered a bit of frostnip on some tips, but I pinched them off and the plants are otherwise just fine. Had I not covered them at all I would've easily lost all 17 plants. The cucumbers got hit pretty hard, but they were on a quick downward spiral anyway, so no issues there. I harvested lots of larger green tomatoes before the frost, so only small ones remain. Most of the plants that are viable at this point are close enough to the house to have avoided major damage. The two squash plants were nipped pretty good, so it'll be a waiting game to see what happens there. The strawberries and my small fall garden of radishes, cilantro and lettuce suffered zero damage.

Today through the end of next week promises beautiful late summer weather with highs mostly in the 80s and lows around 50. The pepper plants, in particular, should thrive - and I hope they do because they are covered head to toe in small peppers.

Below are my updated numbers - the first number is how many total items I've harvested to date and in parentheses are how many more I've harvested since my last update on August 30 (two weeks). Included for each are updated notes reflecting my thoughts so far for the season.

Green Bell Pepper (2 plants) - 3 peppers (+0). Apparently fall is a good time for bell peppers..? Who knows? I have not harvested any more, but the two plants have a total 7 peppers on them. Still no plans to include them in the garden next season.
Jalapeno Pepper (Standard) (2 plants) - 99 peppers (+36). Extremely prolific plants and I have just been in love all summer long. Currently a minimum of another 30-40 peppers on these two plants. Still planning to have at least 4-6 plants next season.
Jalapeno Pepper (Mammoth) (2 plants) - 62 peppers (+11). Not quite as productive as earlier in the season, but these peppers live up to their name. They're huge. Like the standard jalapeño, still planning on 4-6 plants next season.
Sweet Banana Pepper (5 plants) - 125 peppers (+40). Productive is an understatement. Smaller peppers than last year, but far more in number. Plants have about 100 peppers between them now, so looking forward to many more jars of pickled banana peppers!
Giant Marconi Pepper (4 plants) - 21 peppers (+9). The plant in my bucket has about 20 peppers on it, but the ones in the Earthbox are not NEARLY as productive. Enormous pepper (one was 13" long - hidden among the foliage) with excellent flavor, especially if allowed to turn red!
Carmen Sweet Pepper (1 plant) - 32 peppers (+9). One of my favorite peppers. I will absolutely have this in the garden again next season. Very prolific. Plant currently has at least 40 small peppers on it.
Anaheim Pepper (1 plant) - 30 peppers (+23). After my last update, this plant exploded with peppers. I've been harvesting them by the handful every couple of days. Easily another 50 small-medium sized peppers currently on the plant.
Ichiban/Japanese Eggplant (1 plant) - 40 eggplant (+7). I met my goal of reaching 40 eggplant from one plant. The last 3 were quite small, as the nights have been cool, but it's still healthy and covered in new flowers. We'll see if I get more over the next couple of weeks.
Straight 8 Cucumber (2 plants) - 11 cucumbers (+2). Same notes as last update. Not very prolific and the taste is average. Will plant something else next season.
National Pickling Cucumber (2 plants) - 14 cucumbers (+0). See notes on Straight 8. Feel exactly the same. New varieties of slicing/pickling cucumbers next season.
Lemon Cucumber (3 plants) - 50 cucumbers (+11). Plants really spiraled downhill after my last update, but that's okay. I have several pints of gorgeous pickles in the fridge. They thrive in a 5-gallon bucket, but I think I will only plant two in a bucket instead of 3 next season. Probably a little overcrowded.
Yellow Straightneck Squash (1 plant) - 13 squash (+3). 6 currently on plant, but I suspect only one or two will be properly pollenated. I have no complaints - 13 squash from one plant in a 5-gallon bucket is more than I ever realistically expected. Will not plant this next season, as I prefer the looks of the crookneck and will be using this bucket for zucchini.
Yellow Crookneck Squash (1 plant) - 13 squash (+2). See notes on straightneck. Will plant again next season. VERY happy with 26 squash from two plants this season!
Roma Tomato (1 plant) - 128 tomatoes (+48). I am very pleased with this plant overall. It's been blown over twice and still keeps doing its best. Being a determinate, it's done producing tomatoes, but the ones currently on the plant continue to grow and ripen perfectly. Thrives in a 5-gallon bucket. No complaints whatsoever.
San Marzano Tomato (1 plant) - 78 tomatoes (+27). See notes on Roma. This bucket has also blown over twice and continues to hang on. It is still producing tomatoes, although any new fruit will not grow large enough to ripen at this point. Most of these have been frozen for sauce at season's end.
Early Girl Tomato (2 plants) - 74 tomatoes (+42). I might have changed my mind about this little gem since my last update. I have actually been very pleased with these tomatoes. They are a delicious, medium sized slicing tomato that has made us very happy. Most fruits averaging around 5oz. *May* decide to plant next season. In the air.
Park's Whopper Tomato (1 plant) - 24 tomatoes (+17). Unfortunately, this plant got hit quite hard with disease early on, so the tomatoes aren't any larger than the early girls. Flavor is good, but the fruits are small. I will probably try this again next year because I've heard great things about it.
Better Bush Tomato (1 plant) - 25 tomatoes (+9). Large tomatoes for such a small plant - most fruits averaging 7-9oz. Good flavor and delicious on sandwiches. Will absolutely plant again next season; perhaps I'll have two.
Grape Tomato (1 plant) - 291 tomatoes (+67). Wow. Amazingly prolific plant that has provided us with little snackers since July. It is the only tomato in the Earthboxes that did not fall to disease; it's clearly a fighter. Still about 100 green tomatoes on the plant, so we should be eating them for a few more weeks. I will for sure have at least one in the garden next season, perhaps two or three.
Black Plum Tomato (1 plant) - 127 tomatoes (+10). Blech. Still hate 'em. Still giving them all away. A few still on the plant - the birds can have 'em.
Fort Laramie Strawberries (18 plants) - 73 strawberries (+39). FINALLY, I have achieved SWEETNESS. This is my first time successfully growing strawberries, so it's taken some trial and error. Leaving them on longer ensures they get sweet, but leaving them on too long ensures they lose their sweetness. I've finally learned when to pick them and they're DELICIOUS. Yay!!! They're also quite large - about the size one would find in the grocery store. I am very happy with these and can't wait to see what next season brings!

The photos of the garden were taken as of the date of this posting. The harvest photos are various photos taken since my August 30 update.

Note: The photo of all of the tomatoes in a cardboard box includes many of the tomatoes that fell off the plants that got blown over during the August thunderstorm. All of those tomatoes were green when I put them in the box; I put the box in the basement and let them do their thing. First time trying it and it works perfectly. Food for thought..

[inui]

Thanks for the update. I'm sorry to hear about the frost. Is that unusually early for you? The average frost date for my neck of the woods, in the Northeast, is about a month away. But we've just started getting Fall weather a bit early, with night time temps dipping into the upper 40's. So I'm keeping my Radio Flyer wagon ready to roll my 2 tomato containers into the garage if an early frost is predicted.

Your results from this season are terrific and an inspiration for me to expand my container garden next year.

[Nonchalance]

Awesome results. I will need to add a pepper plant and a cuke to my small garden next year. A sweet pepper that'll grow well in Zone 7. And an EASY cucumber.

Oh, and I discovered I do have a trug! It's made of wire. I guess I could line it with newspaper to go collect the cherry tomatoes and beans.

[NickMan7]

Originally Posted by inui

Thanks for the update. I'm sorry to hear about the frost. Is that unusually early for you? The average frost date for my neck of the woods, in the Northeast, is about a month away. But we've just started getting Fall weather a bit early, with night time temps dipping into the upper 40's. So I'm keeping my Radio Flyer wagon ready to roll my 2 tomato containers into the garage if an early frost is predicted.

Your results from this season are terrific and an inspiration for me to expand my container garden next year.

Hey, inui! Yes, our first frost was about a month earlier than normal. October 19 is normal; our first frost last year was October 05. Very surprising as the weather prior to our frost was very warm and today was 87! Colorado never ceases to amaze me. One can never count on ANYTHING from Mother Nature around here! Prayers, with a religious undertone or not, don't really count.

Keep your wagon handy! I've used our dolly a couple times this summer (mostly because of nasty storms). It sucks moving them around (mature plants get HEAVY!!), but it certainly beats the alternative..

I am so glad I can be an inspiration to you! I highly recommend at least trying different types of containers - they're so fun even if they aren't all as successful as we'd like.

[NickMan7]

Originally Posted by Nonchalance

Awesome results. I will need to add a pepper plant and a cuke to my small garden next year. A sweet pepper that'll grow well in Zone 7. And an EASY cucumber.

Oh, and I discovered I do have a trug! It's made of wire. I guess I could line it with newspaper to go collect the cherry tomatoes and beans.

Hey Non! The Carmen has been an amazing sweet pepper for me this year! I am in zone 5b. It's a medium-sized Italian "grilling" pepper that gets about 6" long and 2" wide at the top near the stem, tapering near the bottom (not lobed like a bell pepper). They are gorgeous and very prolific. In my photos, it's the pepper plant on the left of the two that are nearest the fence. I've harvested more than 30 with at least 40 on the plant now, which is why I was so desperate to save them from frost. Delicious, gorgeous and thin-walled (unlike the aforementioned bell). I highly recommend this variety. We used a couple in chiles rellenos this evening - amazing.

I absolutely LOVE my trug - I wanted a true basket, but all of the ones I could find have handles that go length-wise down the basket. I wanted a basket that was long with handles width-wise across the basket. Enter the trug. It was actually a gift from a co-worker, for which I am truly grateful, because I couldn't find anything like it in my own searches..

[Cambium]

Originally Posted by NickMan7

Below are my updated numbers - the first number is how many total items I've harvested to date and in parentheses are how many more I've harvested since my last update on August 30 (two weeks). Included for each are updated notes reflecting my thoughts so far for the season.

Green Bell Pepper (2 plants) - 3 peppers (+0). Apparently fall is a good time for bell peppers..? Who knows? I have not harvested any more, but the two plants have a total 7 peppers on them. Still no plans to include them in the garden next season.
Jalapeno Pepper (Standard) (2 plants) - 99 peppers (+36). Extremely prolific plants and I have just been in love all summer long. Currently a minimum of another 30-40 peppers on these two plants. Still planning to have at least 4-6 plants next season.
Jalapeno Pepper (Mammoth) (2 plants) - 62 peppers (+11). Not quite as productive as earlier in the season, but these peppers live up to their name. They're huge. Like the standard jalapeño, still planning on 4-6 plants next season.
Sweet Banana Pepper (5 plants) - 125 peppers (+40). Productive is an understatement. Smaller peppers than last year, but far more in number. Plants have about 100 peppers between them now, so looking forward to many more jars of pickled banana peppers!
Giant Marconi Pepper (4 plants) - 21 peppers (+9). The plant in my bucket has about 20 peppers on it, but the ones in the Earthbox are not NEARLY as productive. Enormous pepper (one was 13" long - hidden among the foliage) with excellent flavor, especially if allowed to turn red!
Carmen Sweet Pepper (1 plant) - 32 peppers (+9). One of my favorite peppers. I will absolutely have this in the garden again next season. Very prolific. Plant currently has at least 40 small peppers on it.
Anaheim Pepper (1 plant) - 30 peppers (+23). After my last update, this plant exploded with peppers. I've been harvesting them by the handful every couple of days. Easily another 50 small-medium sized peppers currently on the plant.
Ichiban/Japanese Eggplant (1 plant) - 40 eggplant (+7). I met my goal of reaching 40 eggplant from one plant. The last 3 were quite small, as the nights have been cool, but it's still healthy and covered in new flowers. We'll see if I get more over the next couple of weeks.
Straight 8 Cucumber (2 plants) - 11 cucumbers (+2). Same notes as last update. Not very prolific and the taste is average. Will plant something else next season.
National Pickling Cucumber (2 plants) - 14 cucumbers (+0). See notes on Straight 8. Feel exactly the same. New varieties of slicing/pickling cucumbers next season.
Lemon Cucumber (3 plants) - 50 cucumbers (+11). Plants really spiraled downhill after my last update, but that's okay. I have several pints of gorgeous pickles in the fridge. They thrive in a 5-gallon bucket, but I think I will only plant two in a bucket instead of 3 next season. Probably a little overcrowded.
Yellow Straightneck Squash (1 plant) - 13 squash (+3). 6 currently on plant, but I suspect only one or two will be properly pollenated. I have no complaints - 13 squash from one plant in a 5-gallon bucket is more than I ever realistically expected. Will not plant this next season, as I prefer the looks of the crookneck and will be using this bucket for zucchini.
Yellow Crookneck Squash (1 plant) - 13 squash (+2). See notes on straightneck. Will plant again next season. VERY happy with 26 squash from two plants this season!
Roma Tomato (1 plant) - 128 tomatoes (+48). I am very pleased with this plant overall. It's been blown over twice and still keeps doing its best. Being a determinate, it's done producing tomatoes, but the ones currently on the plant continue to grow and ripen perfectly. Thrives in a 5-gallon bucket. No complaints whatsoever.
San Marzano Tomato (1 plant) - 78 tomatoes (+27). See notes on Roma. This bucket has also blown over twice and continues to hang on. It is still producing tomatoes, although any new fruit will not grow large enough to ripen at this point. Most of these have been frozen for sauce at season's end.
Early Girl Tomato (2 plants) - 74 tomatoes (+42). I might have changed my mind about this little gem since my last update. I have actually been very pleased with these tomatoes. They are a delicious, medium sized slicing tomato that has made us very happy. Most fruits averaging around 5oz. *May* decide to plant next season. In the air.
Park's Whopper Tomato (1 plant) - 24 tomatoes (+17). Unfortunately, this plant got hit quite hard with disease early on, so the tomatoes aren't any larger than the early girls. Flavor is good, but the fruits are small. I will probably try this again next year because I've heard great things about it.
Better Bush Tomato (1 plant) - 25 tomatoes (+9). Large tomatoes for such a small plant - most fruits averaging 7-9oz. Good flavor and delicious on sandwiches. Will absolutely plant again next season; perhaps I'll have two.
Grape Tomato (1 plant) - 291 tomatoes (+67). Wow. Amazingly prolific plant that has provided us with little snackers since July. It is the only tomato in the Earthboxes that did not fall to disease; it's clearly a fighter. Still about 100 green tomatoes on the plant, so we should be eating them for a few more weeks. I will for sure have at least one in the garden next season, perhaps two or three.
Black Plum Tomato (1 plant) - 127 tomatoes (+10). Blech. Still hate 'em. Still giving them all away. A few still on the plant - the birds can have 'em.
Fort Laramie Strawberries (18 plants) - 73 strawberries (+39). FINALLY, I have achieved SWEETNESS. This is my first time successfully growing strawberries, so it's taken some trial and error. Leaving them on longer ensures they get sweet, but leaving them on too long ensures they lose their sweetness. I've finally learned when to pick them and they're DELICIOUS. Yay!!! They're also quite large - about the size one would find in the grocery store. I am very happy with these and can't wait to see what next season brings!

The photos of the garden were taken as of the date of this posting. The harvest photos are various photos taken since my August 30 update.

Whoa! Now that's some awesome Garden stats! So you hit 30°F? That's considered a freeze even if there was no ice anywhere. How long did it stay below 32 for?

Also Sometimes the ground temp differs from air temp.

Are you finding potted veggies don't last as long as in ground? Nice pics

[NickMan7]

Originally Posted by Cambium

Whoa! Now that's some awesome Garden stats! So you hit 30°F? That's considered a freeze even if there was no ice anywhere. How long did it stay below 32 for?

Yes! We hit 30º at our house; 31º officially at the regional airport. It was below 32º for about 4½ hours from about 3:30am-8:00am. Of course, the rest of the day was absolutely gorgeous and reached 74º.

The grassy areas away from trees and rooftops had substantial frost, but areas out to about 15' from the house did not have frost (my garden is mostly within 10' of the house). We are in a lower-elevation area north of Denver that regularly experiences much cooler nighttime temperatures than areas further south or closer to the foothills. We're only 10 miles or so east of Boulder, but Boulder averages 5º-8º warmer at night; significant differences, especially during the winter-spring and summer-fall transitional periods when only a mile can mean "garden spared" or "garden over". Conversely, we average around 5º hotter during the day, so..

Originally Posted by Cambium

Also Sometimes the ground temp differs from air temp. Are you finding potted veggies don't last as long as in ground? Nice pics

I don't plant any vegetables or fruits in the ground, and never have, so I have nothing to compare my containers to. My guess would be that my plants don't benefit from any radiational heat from ground level at all. I brought the bucket peppers into the garage and covered the Earthbox peppers because experience tells me they're very susceptible to cold temperatures - good thing because I did get some nip on the EB plants, but only on a few tips. No cover and they would've certainly been killed.

Fortunately, the next week is looking very favorable for the tomatoes and peppers to continue flourishing. It has reached 89º so far today (as of 3:35pm), mid-upper 80s through Friday, then mid-upper 70s through early next week. Lows in the 48-55º range.

[NickMan7]

It's time for another update.. and, NO, it's not the end of the season yet! It's been 3 weeks since my last one and the garden has produced some of its biggest numbers during this time.

All of the 7 cucumber plants I had are finished for the season, so they've been pulled. I also pulled the black plum tomato plant and the majority of the Park's Whopper tomato, but a new sucker popped out in the last couple weeks, so I left it to see what it'll do. We've had our first official hard freeze as late as mid-November, so one never knows. I could have tomatoes THROUGH October.. Also, a striking observation from this season (and last, too) is that my pepper plants absolutely LOVE September. My biggest harvests last year were in September and September 2014 is no exception.

Minus this morning's light frost (33 degrees and the second frost of the season), the next week promises highs in the 70s to around 80 and lows in the 40s. No frosts or freezes expected for at least the next 7-10 days.

Below are my updated numbers - the first number is how many total items I've harvested to date and in parentheses are how many more I've harvested since my last update on September 13 (3 weeks). Included for each are updated notes reflecting my thoughts so far for the season.

Green Bell Pepper (2 plants) - 8 peppers (+5). 5 currently on plants. They haven't grown to full size, but the peppers are delicious. No plans to grow them next season, but it's been nice to get a few from these plants. FINALLY.
Jalapeno Pepper (Standard) (2 plants) - 117 peppers (+18). Extremely prolific plants and I have just been in love all summer long. Currently a minimum of another 20 or so peppers on these two plants. Plans include 4-6 plants next season.
Jalapeno Pepper (Mammoth) (2 plants) - 87 peppers (+25). Not quite as productive as earlier in the season, but these peppers live up to their name. They're huge. Like the standard jalapeño, still planning on 4-6 plants next season.
Sweet Banana Pepper (5 plants) - 211 peppers (+86). Productive is an understatement. Smaller peppers than last year, but far more in number. Plants have about 100 peppers between them now, so looking forward to many more jars of pickled banana peppers!
Giant Marconi Pepper (4 plants) - 43 peppers (+22). The plant in the bucket continues to impress. The 3 plants in the Earthbox have only produced another 2-3 peppers (the remaining 20 were from one plant in a bucket). I will actually not be growing this pepper next year, although I love it, as I will be trying several other varieties of large sweet peppers for comparison.
Carmen Sweet Pepper (1 plant) - 64 peppers (+32). One of my favorite peppers. I will absolutely have this in the garden again next season. Very prolific. Plant currently has at least 20 small peppers on it.
Anaheim Pepper (1 plant) - 95 peppers (+65). I don't really have words for this plant. At 3' tall, this plant has absolutely exploded and exceeded my expectations in any and every way conceivable. I harvested 46 5-7" peppers in one evening. Amazing and gorgeous plant.
Ichiban/Japanese Eggplant (1 plant) - 51 eggplant (+11). Admittedly, the last 10-11 eggplant have been quite small, but that doesn't mean they weren't edible! Currently about 8 fruits and 25-30 flowers on the plant. Astonishingly prolific, but will plant another variety next season; either Rosa Bianca or Rosita.
Straight 8 Cucumber (2 plants) - 12 cucumbers (+1). Same notes as last update. Not very prolific and the taste is average. Will plant something else next season.
National Pickling Cucumber (2 plants) - 14 cucumbers (+0). See notes on Straight 8. Feel exactly the same. New varieties of slicing/pickling cucumbers next season.
Lemon Cucumber (3 plants) - 50 cucumbers (+0). Plants died quickly after the last update. They thrive in a 5-gallon bucket, but I think I will only plant two in a bucket instead of 3 next season.
Yellow Straightneck Squash (1 plant) - 13 squash (+0). 3 currently on plants, but I do not expect them to be properly pollinated. I have no complaints - 13 squash from one plant in a 5-gallon bucket is more than I ever realistically expected. Will not plant this next season, as I prefer the looks of the crookneck and will be using this bucket for zucchini.
Yellow Crookneck Squash (1 plant) - 13 squash (+0). I will get at least two more squash off this plant before season's end, as they were clearly pollinated, but are not yet up to size. See notes on straightneck. Will plant again next season. VERY happy with 26 squash (28?) from two plants this season!
Roma Tomato (1 plant) - 150 tomatoes (+22). I am very pleased with this plant overall. It's been blown over twice and still keeps doing its best. Being a determinate, it's done producing tomatoes, but the ones currently on the plant continue to grow and ripen perfectly. Thrives in a 5-gallon bucket. No complaints whatsoever.
San Marzano Tomato (1 plant) - 114 tomatoes (+36). See notes on Roma. This bucket has also blown over twice and continues to hang on. It is still producing tomatoes, although any new fruit will not grow large enough to ripen at this point. Most of these have been frozen for sauce at season's end.
Early Girl Tomato (2 plants) - 108 tomatoes (+34). I might have changed my mind about this little gem since my last update. I have actually been very pleased with these tomatoes. They are a delicious, medium sized slicing tomato that has made us very happy. Most fruits averaging around 5oz. *May* decide to plant next season. In the air.
Park's Whopper Tomato (1 plant) - 24 tomatoes (+0). Unfortunately, this plant got hit quite hard with disease early on, so the tomatoes aren't any larger than the early girls. I will not be planting this variety again next season.
Better Bush Tomato (1 plant) - 35 tomatoes (+10). Large tomatoes for such a small plant - most fruits averaging 7-9oz. The first of the tomatoes were pretty tasty, but the flavor quickly dropped after a few cold nights. A fun tomato to grow because of its tiny size, but I will not have it in the garden again next season.
Grape Tomato (1 plant) - 453 tomatoes (+162). I just can't even describe this plant. 453 is conservative, as I know I have lost a few to the dog (he LOVES tomatoes), birds and carelessness. There are EASILY another 150-200 tomatoes still on this plant. I will have AT LEAST two grape tomato plants next year. Amazing.
Black Plum Tomato (1 plant) - 141 tomatoes (+14). Blech. Still hate 'em. Still giving them all away. A few still on the plant - the birds can have 'em.
Fort Laramie Strawberries (18 plants) - 76 strawberries (+3). Because of the cool nights, the berries aren't ripening properly, although the plants themselves are beautiful. I might get another 5-10 good berries before the complete end of the season, but I'm not one to hold my breath. No complaints with this patch whatsoever.

I have begun ordering my 2015 seeds in earnest and am looking forward to growing many varieties of tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers I've never even heard of. I will grow a few of the varieties I grew this season because I would never be without them, but much of next season's garden will be completely foreign to me. Can't WAIT to see what the future holds..

The photos of the garden were taken as of the date of this posting. The harvest photos are various photos taken since my September 13 update.

[Jaxson]

NickMan7 Man I've never heard of yields like that off of one plant your Early Girls are about what I yield when I was ground gardening. What kind of grow boxes are you using & fertilizer? Congrats your efforts have paid off well.