Opps! Grow with the flow

The second year of gardening for me and I have learned so much and improved so much from last growing season.  I was so excited to do my garden this year and put my new found knowledge to work.  In the winter/spring when I was looking for ways to best optimize my garden and the limited space I have I stumbled upon a website that helped me map it out.  It literally was like an excel set up and every plant, vegetable thing was set to the space it needed to grow.  All I had to do was design my garden boxes as is (with square feet) and I could see how much or little I could fit in a box.

Who knew I jammed way too much in my boxes last year.  Opps!  I put fewer plants in and have had a great growing season.  Of course it hasn't been perfect but I was yielding squash and zucchini at the end of July.  Last year I didn't get much of anything until September and very little of it too.  Plus everything was so small.  But this year is a whole different story.  My tomato plants are huge and my zucchini and squash are well ginormous.  

I tried lettuce this year and I didn't know you were suppose to trim pretty much right away to make it a bush rather than a stalk.  Opps!  Then my cucumber plant isn't doing so hot.  Anything that it did produce was withering away before it got big enough to harvest.  I also was having this problem with my zucchini and squash too I would get one from a plant and all others were withering.  Thanks to my brother in law who is also as big of a nerd as I am when it comes to gardening shared some of his wisdom with me.  About cutting some produce off to send energy to grow other produce bigger and better.  So that is what I did I try to keep 2-3 of each on a plant and if I see new sprouts I cut them to let the ones growing grow nicely.  Also doing this has made them grow faster and in turn I have a greater harvest.  

I also planted carrots again this year.  Last year I messed up and planted them like flowers a bunch of seeds in one hole. I was able to get a few but they were a big ball.  Opps! This year I only did 2-3 seeds per hole and spaced me evenly.  They had a hard time this year I am not sure why.  I had a bunch take and a bunch that didn't.  It was even early enough that I tried to replant several times and the same ones never took.  I don't know what is up!  Plus the few carrots I have pulled thus far are not as big as I would have liked at this point.  Maybe it is my soil.  

My tomatoes have been awesome this year I have had a few ready to pull.  I gave them a box of their own and I only did 4 plants.  I do have one plant that hasn't done well.  I am not sure what its deal is.  I thought it was being attacked by bugs so I made my all natural bug repellent several times.  I don't know it is so small still and it isn't bright green the leaves turn yellow and dry out.  It has started to produce but its produce is even weird.  But the rest are just doing great and one plant is so big I am running out of ways to hold up its branches so it won't break from all the tomatoes on them.  I will have lots to share this year, tomato wise.  I also used some plant food yesterday and I am hoping it stays warmer for at least until the end of September so I can have a big bounty.

I have even decided I am going to do one more garden box for next year.  I am excited for that and we have to put in another zone for our sprinkler system so I asked D if he could also put a drip line in for each box while he was at it.  Watering my plants and garden takes a good 30 minutes every other day.  It is work!

Spring we added another box and bought a ton of soil for the boxes I also made both boxes deeper this year by stacking two boxes on top of each other.

Check out my big helpers!

First good zucchini of the year

a bunch that I harvested one day

Another harvest, see how small my carrots are but they taste good.

I did herbs in pots this year to free up garden space.  I did Basil, Cilantro and thyme.  This is what is left of the basil and cilantro.  I didn't know some important things to growing these two like I should have.  They flowered and died before I benefited from them.  I am replanting basil to have through the Fall hopefully.

  

I have used lots of my thyme this summer but it doesn't need pruning really like other herbs do.  Thyme is probably my favorite herb.  It looks small because I have used it so much.  

My carrots!  I pulled some out, but all the blank spots are pretty much the area that wouldn't grow.

My tomato plants!  The one in the front left is the biggest and out of control, and the one that is hidden and in the front right is the small one.  They are even bigger now.  This picture doesn't do it justice.  That fence is 6' and the tip of some are poking over it.  Impressive!

Here is my zucchini, yellow squash, cucumber and lettuce.  My cucumber is peeking out in the front right corner and my lettuce is in the back right corner where it looks like nothing is growing.  Next year my zucchini and squash get a box of their own they were covering the other plants too much.  My lettuce is pretty much done for the year since I screwed it up but the cucumbers are just late bloomers this year. I have trimmed these plant several times due to size.  Plus some of the lower leaves that hide kind of get mildewy and yucky.

Here is Paiglee holding my harvest from today.  It is huge, she loves the garden but I can't get her to eat anything other than tomatoes from it.  But she sure likes to touch and check it all out when I harvest stuff.    

It has been great this year for the garden.  Even with the troubles I have had. I can't wait until my tomatoes really start to ripen.  I am really craving some fresh garden salsa.  I also have learned some new things that I will do differently next year.  I really need to test my soil and see what I need to do to prep it for next year.  Honestly I see myself being one of those old ladies who spend a lot of time in the garden.  I love the satisfaction it gives me.  Being able to start things from seed and growing it into something to eat, really, it is so rewarding.  Some may say nerdy but I heard nerdy is in.  

I have also really taken to making my lawn really nice, thick and green.  That is honestly more work than the garden.  I still have tons to learn about it though.  I think for the most part gardening is fool proof, even the clueless of people can grow something.  If you are ever looking for a good beginner gardening book check this blog out.  I have her book You grow girl and I have loved it.  She gives great natural pest killers or repellent recipes and other fun advise.  Get your grow on. Hahahaha