MY first vegetable garden

[Serenity Lane]

So I'm starting my first vegetable garden. After a lot of work, this is what I have to work with..

I planted in short rows.. Pumpkin, lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, and will plans peppers but they're still inside and not ready to go out yet. I also ordered some potatoes, carrots, and beans.. Hopefully they'll arrive soon. Before planting anything, I dug the ground at least 12-18 inches, added seasoned horse manure,mixed all together well.when I planted I uses black cloth to help with weeds and moisture.

Once everything was planted, I watered thoroughly and sprinkled old hay over top of the garden cloth.
Yes, I'd like to get to get lots of veggies out of there but I know it's a trial and error thing and I'll learn more with time. My hang-up is that my son and I showed it to his father (my boyfriend) and he had to make fun of my lack of green thumb. He made fun of me for putting hay on top. I just thought something should go on the garden cloth.
I'm not going to let him get me down.. Instead I'm going to use his insults as reasons to prove him wrong!! Does anyone see anything wrong with what I did? Or anything I should do differently?
Please, all comments will be appreciated

 

[droidlizard]

I noticed you have pumpkins and carrots and everything in between. They all have different drainage requirements, but you seem to have planted them all in the same patch of evenly amended soil. Just an observation.

 

[Serenity Lane]

I actually plan to put the carrots and potatoes somewhere else, but I'll look into what you said.
Thanks for your reply

 

[Alaskan]

OK.. First, as to differing drainage requirements *thupt*

Some vegetable plants are more picky in regards to drainage, so less forgiving.

But, all of your vegetable plants want the exact same things:

1. Soil rich in organic matter

2. Enough depth of soil for easy root growth (or course, carrots need "easy to grow long in" soil, so are more picky in this requirement).

3. Moisture, usually a good soaking every so often. The frequency of a good soak depends on the temperatures, the soil, and the plant types (some are more forgiving than others). I wait until, when I put my finger into the soil, it is dry in the entire top inch. However, if you have scorching summer heat, you might have to water twice a day for little baby plants and new transplants. Remember though, most new gardener a tend to over water. . Just keep reminding yourself, that those roots actually need to breath air too, not just have water. If the soil is too wet, then all of the spaces in the soil are full of water, no air.

OK... I think that what ou are doing sounds great! You will have to pull the mulch back from where you planted the seeds, until the seeds sprout. As they grow, you can tuck the mulch up around them.

Everything you did sounds GREAT!

The black plastic will help to reduce weeds Is it landscape fabric though? That is designed to let water get through? If it isn't, still OK, just make sure that the water gets to the soil under the plastic.

The mulch on top of it all will keep the soil cool for your vegetables. Sometimes weeds will grow in your mulch (I know, annoying huh?), but with mulch, the weeds pop right out since they can't root firmly in it.

As to potatoes....my all time favorite is to NOT plant them. I pick any old place that gets sun and will be warm and toss the cut potatoes on the ground (remember that you need at least one eye per potato piece). Then I toss on old spoiled hay on top to cover them from the sun. Use a layer just thick enough to hide them from the sun. When they start growing, keep burying them, leaving only about four leaves peaking out the top. You can use dirt, grass, leaves, whatever to keep burying the potatoes. If you use horse manure, make sure you pick really old stuff. Too much nitrogen on your potatoes and you will get lots of leaves, but no potatoes.


Also.... It makes me steamed that your boyfriend said that.

This is something new that you are trying, something that you worked super hard on, something that brings you joy. You need people to pat you on the back, and simply be happy because you are happy! I am worried that he will be the kind that says "what? All that work and you didn't get a single tomato? You must suck as a gardener!"

You need to either 1. Kick him to the curb, 2. Totally ignore him 3. Sweetly explain to him that this is important to you, you want him to simply be happy that you are happy, and explain how his comment was hurtful.

Gardening is an ongoing experiment. Every year is different, and each year has failures, and sometimes successes too. . I have gardened for years and have lots of failures as well as fun successes.

So, why garden, all that work, sometimes lots of money too, when you know there will be failures?

1. It forces you to sit down in the lovely outdoors, watch the birds, and *destress*

2. The chickens LOVE all of the weeds, the slugs, the squash you let get way too big, the tomato that got wormy or smushy.

3. When you do finally do finally get some goodies, they are so much tastier and better for you then the ones from the store!

4. It is a perpetual fun experiment. Like this year.. Plant two potatoes in the ground, plant two just tossed on the ground like I suggested, and see which way works best for you.



Oh, TAKE NOTE! Then, next year, you will have a better idea of what you should have planted earlier, later, or not at all!

Have fun with your garden... This is *your* hobby, even if nothing works, you will learn all sorts of stuff so that next year is better, and trust me..... The chickens will LOVE you for having tried! (You can't feed them the raw potatoes, but they will and can eat every other common garden veggie I can think of right now)

 

[RJSchaefer]

Don't let him get you down! It's a big learning curve. I still make major errors after 20+ years of gardening.

My biggest concern is that you put pumpkins in there. Depending on the summer, that space will be enough for just the pumpkins. Typically, when I plant any kind of vine, I do it along rows of taller plants. I've had vines choke out tomatoes or peppers in favorable summers. The lettuce may, unfortunately, be a lost cause.

Lettuce grows well in very loose soil. I put my spinach in a tire planter this year. It's growing much better than I expected given the weather.

Don't plant your potatoes in the ground. You will regret it. Use tires (I'm serious). This is the first year I've done it and I'm already a convert.

I don't use garden cloth as a rule. When I do, I use large rocks to hold it down.

Have you read up on companion planting? You have a small space there - relatively - and it sounds like you're planting what sounds good. Which is OK, it often works for a year. For the long term, though, I'd look into what plants fortify each other and how to keep the soil quality up.

 

[Serenity Lane]

Thanks for your replies and for the info. And yes, it's garden fabric that the water can go through. I could move the pumpkins once they sprout. I just planted them the other day. Originally I was going to put the pumpkins in the corner of a not often used horse pasture but I didn't want my son to get upset if one or more got stepped on and ruined. Maybe I'll sacrifice a spot in my yard for the pumpkins. I have to check it out tomorrow.
What made me decide to make a garden this year was my Mother's Day card.. My son had to fill in the blank.. My favorite memory with my mom is.. Planting. Now, let me explain some more. I work nights and long shifts (and holidays) so Friday through Monday I hardly see my son. He's in school during my days off so our time together is very limited. To top it off, I'm in school full time trying to earn another degree so I can get a better job. I know I'm not the only one working hard so the last thing I'm looking for is sympathy. I guess his answer on that card told me what little things mean a lot to him. So really, this is our garden and my son is my motivation

 

[Serenity Lane]

Although growing lots of veggies to feed my family would be a plus, my original intention was just having some quality time with my son.. No insults, no pressure. NOW, I would like it to be somewhat successful. The insults probably wouldn't have mattered had my son not been standing right there. That kid looks up to me, as well as his father, he doesn't need to hear that. No need for anyone to knock anyone.

 

[RJSchaefer]

That's sweet. =) Just give your boyfriend a verbal smack-down. He should be encouraging it. It's not like it will take a lot of time from your day, and it will be good for everyone.

As for the pumpkins...I'm on a tire kick this year because we have a seemingly limitless supply for free. So I would use those as mounds and place them 6 feet apart.

 

[FlySammyJ]

(of course, carrots need "easy to grow long in" soil, so are more picky in this requirement).

I absolutely agree with everything you said except for this! People forget about half-long and round carrots! I have a heavy clay soil that I'm gradually adding more sand and loam to, but while I'm still in the soil-building process I'm loving my Parisian Market, Oxheart, Chantenay, and Danvers varieties. The Paris Markets are small and round, like radishes, and have absolutely no trouble in shallow, heavy soil.

 

[veglover]

I'm excited more people are getting into gardening and growing their own food! I would think about growing as much as you can vertically by trellising things like your tomatoes, cucumbers, beans, etc. It helps in saving room on the ground, room that you could use to grow even more veggies!