This year’s garden is not producing the results I had hoped it would.
The other year we had a garden, 2010, our veg project required very little upkeep. In return for a small bit of watering and weeding, we had a lovely supply of tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, and squash for the summer. Perhaps it was the plentiful rain that year, or perhaps it was the amazing soil and plants we bought from a friend — we thought gardening was going to be easy.
This year started out with a bit of a bump. I decided to grow everything for our garden from seed. However, I got started a bit late and wasn’t aware of exactly how much water and sunlight seedlings need……so out of the 50 or so plants I started, one eggplant and a couple of onions remain.
So we whisked ourselves off to the local nursery to fill out the rest of our garden with established veggie plants.
Our cool-season crops produced decently well, despite the above average temperatures. We did discover we needed to water and monitor our broccoli a bit more when the first floret bolted, but after that we got a good bit of broccoli and spinach from our back yard.
Once our warmer season veggies (tomatoes, peppers, squash, and zucchini) established themselves, I thought we were home free. After all, we’d done this in a previous garden. Just a little watering, and voila!
As we patiently watched for developing veggies, I grew dismayed as I discovered that the peppers and tomatoes were rotting before they reached ripeness. Apparently the “Abnormally Dry” conditions here (stop snickering, Texas relatives!) mean the plants are in a bit of shock, causing blossom end rot.
And then there’s the squash….oh, the squash. Our squash and zucchini plants grew lovely and large, and then proceeded to wilt and turn brown. We were the lucky recipients of powdery mildew, which spread to every single squash plant. I cut off the worst of the leaves and sprayed the rest with a milk mixture that organic gardeners tell me might save the plants. Oh, and while I was spraying and trimming said plants? I discovered the stem slits and sawdust that meant squash vine borers had attacked as well.
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| The few, the green: The peppers that made it this far. |
While I was out there in the garden, trying to save my plants, I became incredibly thankful that my family doesn’t need these vegetables to survive. My garden is my pet project, an endeavor inspired by Alabama roots and an East Nashville lifestyle. Remembering that for some families garden pests mean going to bed hungry……I don’t know…..that makes me feel very small.
So now I’m spraying my plants with milk and trying to remember to water more often and hoping that our little garden will keep producing. We’ve picked a few small peppers that didn’t rot, and some tomatoes are showing signs of health. I think this summer’s battle for the garden will be an exercise in perseverance, discipline, and hope for me.
Oh, if I mentioned to you the amazing peaches and blackberries we are going to have this year? Nevermind. The birds ate them all.
Good Luck getting the rest to grow! I bought lots of peppers, zuccini, cucumbers and they all died before I even got them in the ground! All I have are tomatoes…lets hope they grow!