Thanks!
We made a LOT of mistakes last year, we are hoping to apply what we learned to get a decent crop this year...
Mistake 1: Started far later in the season than we should have
Mistake 2: Put sticks in the bottom of the buckets at the suggestion of a neighbor, to help with drainage, they became infested with termites... supposedly they don't eat living plants, but the infested plants seemed to be stunted.
Mistake 3: left the outdoor light on at night, once we stopped doing that, plants seemed to perk up...
Mistake 4: Didn't pay enough attention to pests... lost all zucchini to the vine borer because we didn't know to look for the signs...
Fish emulsion worked miracles on our plants, but we started using it late in the season...