In April my wonderful husband built a small slightly raised bed garden for me to experiment with.
By June I had; cherry and big beefy tomato plants, cyenne, jalapeno, and bell pepper plants, carrots, and cucumbers. All from seed, some of which had been started in separate containers.
I learned a whole lot just by trying with the knowledge that it might fail. I was ok with that method.... not really "winging it", but I was not afraid to experiment. I researched a whole lot, but when it comes down to it, the only way to figure it out is to do it. So I did it! Here are some of the things I learned.
1. You should look up your hardiness zone by using your zip code.
- I actually just figured this out today. All along I thought we were in Zone 7, I thought this because I had looked at the hardiness map to determine it. By going to this web site, I found out we are really in Zone 8. This makes a difference, I hope this new knowledge guides me with the fall planting!
2. You really do need space between tomato plants.
-Since mine were way to close together they were really hard to deal with as they grew. I had such a hard time thinning the plants because I couldn't stand the thought that I was killing them! So I just let them grow and hoped for the best. Not a good idea. I faced some toppling problems, as well as a minor stink bug infestation. Not to mention how difficult it was to weed around them or the fact that they just didn't look very nice. Next year- I'm going to give them some space! AND I'm going to plant sunflowers near, but not to near, the garden to attract the stink bugs.
3. Plant in intervals for a longer harvest.
-Our cucumbers were amazing, they were delicious, and we really enjoyed them. But now they are gone :( I could have planted the seeds several weeks apart so that they would reach maturity at different times and therefore give us cucumbers all season. I plan on doing this with lettuces and carrots this fall.
4. Vegetable Gardening won't save you money.
-But it's worth it anyway. I had this idea that having a veggie garden would save us money in groceries. After the investment of, dirt, organic matter, framing, tools, seeds, and plants... you will have spent more than your harvest would have cost you at the store. BUT there are reasons to go for it anyway.
* Nothing tastes better than fresh vegetables that you grew and picked right before serving.
* Gardening is a fun and healthy activity and kids love to help.
* It forces our family to eat more, or different things than we normally would.
* It satisfies the soul!
5. Kids dig it!
- What kid doesn't love playing in the dirt and eating something they found in the yard! Plus it's a great learning experience for them too. Working hard can provide you with tasty rewards. They are also more likely to eat a veggie from the garden, because since they picked it they have some internal desire to consume it. I'm not sure how to explain it, it just works.
As fall/ our second growing season here in zone 8 approaches fast, keep an eye out for more gardening posts.
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