Last year (2019) was my first year to have a garden so I’m really still a rookie at this whole thing but I’m enjoying it so I thought I’d share with ya here!

Last year we planted our garden in the ground on April 3rd, this year we opted for a tub garden and we planted on April 7. We went with tubs this year in hopes of less weeding needing to be done. I had a hard time keeping up with it last year in the ground. From what I understand middle of April is the best time for planting so both years we’ve been a little early. My plan this year was to wait until mid April but honestly I was worried about if I could get to the stores and/or find what I wanted so I just went ahead and did it. We may have to cover them up on the chilly nights to come.

I prefer to buy the started plants because it’s easier to start there and learn as you go eventually transitioning to starting from seeds, in my opinion. This year I did plant green bean seeds to start for the first time so we’ll see how that turns out. We are also trying potatoes for the first time. I’ve always been told to plant potatoes by St. Patrick’s Day to have a harvest by 4th of July so we’re a bit late on that but excited nonetheless. I know with potatoes it’s super important to keep the soil moist + never let it dry out.

Last year we didn’t use any kind of fertilizer but I do think this year we will use some just to see the difference in growth. We also didn’t use any herbicide or pesticide last year but did end up with some squash bugs so I plan to get some 7 dust this year to sprinkle in case of bugs. Our goal isn’t to be organic, it is to maximize yields.

Some of our loot from last summer. The zucchini were HUGE. Way too big. It’s important to check the garden every day - sometimes twice a day. Stuff grows FAST.

So what all did we plant? As of now we have 6 tomato plants, 6 banana peppers, 6 jalapeños, 1 green bell pepper, 1 squash, 1 zucchini, 1 cucumber, a few strawberries, lots of green bean seeds planted, 30ish onions and 12 or so potatoes starts. We still plan to plant a few okra plants + in 2-3 weeks get some more tomato plants. The purpose of this is so they don’t all start producing at the same time, this should help spread the harvest out a little bit.

Justin did put 2 tomato plants in a straw bale. We’ve heard that the straw retains moisture + the root system will grow intertwining with the straw. I will report back on that.

Last year we got our first harvest from the garden on July 1 so we should be on par for a July 4th harvest this year.

Some important things to note - cucumbers need a lattice to grow up. We use part of a cattle panel. It’s important to put the cage around the tomato plants when you plant them so as they grow, they grow up and aren’t droopy. It is also encouraged that all the pepper plants have a cage or some structure to help them grow up. Honestly last year we didn’t have great luck with any of our peppers so fingers crossed we have a different story this time.

Also - be sure to not water your plants when they’re in the direct sun. This will burn the plants. It’s best practice to water then in the cool morning or evenings when they’re shaded.

Basically I don’t know a lot but I am learning. This time last year I was SUPER overwhelmed with allthethings gardening but I’m figuring out that it does get easier to navigate. Ask questions to your friends/family that have experience. Find books that help you. Do you research. Pinterest is a great resource.

I hope this was helpful and/or entertaining, in the least. If you’ve got any gardening tips- leave them in the comments! I would love to learn more!! Happy gardening, my friend!!