A long over due gardening post!

The little patch in my backyard about a month ago. You might notice that I realized just how closely I had planted and desperately moved a few things. I am glad I did, and next year I will have to be much more careful about this!

Already overgrown!

The garden has grown up since these were taken. The corn and zucchini had sprouted, and I was absolutely ecstatic. I have certainly learned this year NOT to fear timelines with gardens. Get it in the ground, it will grow. In fact, I planted some dill seed a week or so ago and it is popping up now. I may not get much off it, but for 25 cents, why not try? Next year I definitely plan to do more from seed.

Beets!

As far as I can tell, these are caterpillars that would grow into cabbage moths one day. They did a lot of damage before I realized what they were and picked them off. Once I realized the problem, I diligently picked off every caterpillar I could for a couple of weeks and they are gone now. The leaves are still very chewed, but I may get some cauliflower yet!

The damage is actually much worse than this.

I harvested some green beans today. All in all, gardening is a very satisfying experience!

In summary:
1) If something is eating your plants, get close enough to see the little things before the damage increases.
2) Don't plant too close together.
3) Don't fear planting from seed after the ground has warmed up.

Backyard Adventures

This is my second year of herb gardening. Last year I acquired pots, soil, and a rabbit fence in addition to the plants. It was a fairly simple process which ended with abundant results. This year I'm working on a garden, but between finals, travel, and rain I have done very little planting so far.

Since last year I have learned that I should aggressively use my herbs rather than attempt to save them for one big harvest. I will be much better off using them more frequently. I intend to apply this lesson to my garden and eat every little vegetable I can as soon as I can.

I also planted some lettuce that I plan to transplant to my garden soon. I decided that I spend enough money on greens that I really ought to be growing my own. I shoved all six of the poor little lettuce plants into one pot and I feel a bit bad for them every time I water them. They really need some space to grow before I devour them.