How To Be The Worst Gardener Ever and Still Grow Food {Veggie Garden Update}

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18 Responses

  1. yup, your pepper plant is just about the right size. You can try sprinkling epsom salts on the leaves of the plant that the bugs are eating. If you have Japanese Beetles (they are coppery colored & you’d find them in the soil during the day) there is nothing “natural” you can do to be rid of them. You have to dig out every last one and squish them. Or use a product like Sevin, which I would NOT suggest you use on veg.
    Oh, and why, yes, I did have a little chuckle at your trellis efforts. You’ll get into a grove with that sort of thing over time. I use chicken wire as my trellises (? how on earth do you make “trellis” plural?). You might find that your chosen sticks (4 footers, yes?) are too short. Cukes usually need a good 6′ to climb.
    Keep up the good work!!!!!

    1. Thank you gardening guru! I’m glad you were just as amused by my trellis as I am. I giggled whenever I caught sight of it out the window today.

      I will try an Epsom salt slurry tomorrow on the pepper leaves to see if it helps. Stinkin’ bugs.

      The cucumber stakes are 6′, so I should be in good shape. I was thinking I needed 10′-15′ since they are climbing like crazy, but my father-in-law gave me enough stakes to make a second trellis on the box next to it. That way I can train them to climb horizontally when they run out of room.

      I hope to have all in place by the weekend to start the fall seeds!! On the list is finishing the soil mix, making organic fertilizer (thanks to Jami at The Oregon Cottage), and brewing up some compost tea…if I can finagle some extra helping hands. I see some family in my future…

      1. oo—If you want to try easy organic fertilizer, buy yourself something called Fish Emulsion. It’s basically ground up fish parts that are bottled up. You use about 1-2 T per gallon or 2 of water. The plants LOVE IT and it’s kinda hard to overdo it with the FE. It stinks, though, like really, really, really, bad-but it works.

        =)

  2. I am a newbie gardener and I decided to grow cucumbers this year! My trellis looks very much like yours! People always want to come and see my cucumbers and I try and distract them because it is a jumbled mess of twine, vines and sticks but the important thing is, I have cucumbers and boy do I have cucumbers. I still have 2 more plantings that haven’t started to flower yet. I am hoping all of my friends like cucumbers, and pickles and relish and…..

    1. Kirstin, I’m so excited that I’m not the only one with a trellis like that! 😉 Mine has almost been completely covered in the last couple of days by the cucumbers (already!!), so I’m feeling pretty good about it. You’re right, the important part is that we have FOOD. For anything you can’t share, keep it. You’ll be happy to have your own produce to eat while you’re waiting for your new ones to grow next summer. I can’t wait to have a full garden next year!

  3. I’m a MI gardener too and this year’s weather sure has stunk. This is my fourth year with a garden, over 130 sq. ft. of organic and heirlooms plants. And my yields stink every year with the exception of most herbs and my Empress bush green beans.
    For the Japanese beetle issue, I knock them off my plants into a bucket of water with soap in it and you can spread Milky Spore on your lawn twice in a year (fall and spring I think) and it’s supposed to last for 10 or so years. It’s a little pricey though.

    1. Thanks for the tips Alicia! I am no so fond of squishing bugs, so the bucket of soapy water sounds like a MUCH better alternative.

      The weather has been pretty crazy. I tried to start my garden last year, but the cool weather and rain kept me from getting it off the ground. Being that it’s your fourth year, maybe you should look into some of the super helpful suggestions that I’ve received: soil test for ph level, “water” with fish emulsion & compost tea, add peat moss and compost for heavy clay soil (don’t overdo your peat moss like I did!), and companion planting. I am still working these into my plan, but I hope it helps my garden immensely next year. I want to look back on this year and laugh and laugh about how bad I was at the beginning!

  4. I love this! You sound so much like me. I am container gardening in my 1 BR apartment patio. It’s been….interesting! But regardless of how *late* everything is growing..at least it’s still growing! My peppers are just now flowering and my tomatoes have just gotten done flowering and are growing lovely little fruits! My cucumber looks half dead….but is somehow flowering and producing little cukes! My herbs are super happy and I think my container carrots are great too. I won’t tell you what has died in my garden (1 huge tomato that never produced, etc) …but it’s all about practice right!?

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