Although I'm not having a "whole" lot of luck

[Inchworm]

with my first garden, I'm sure learning as I go.

There is time left to figure out what I'm doing hehe. I had to basically let all my spinach go because I thought the tall, cool stem that becomes a flower was cool. That makes it taste not so good. I tested a lot of it after I washed it. It was hmmm, yum yum.. then it tasted like grass.

I also learned to keep better records. I'm still letting things grow because I cannot tell if they are a weed or not. Either way they are getting watered well :)

I swear it is fun and I don't care if it doesn't all work out so much as I care to learn to do better each go.

I have like 8 green maters.. weeee!

Thought I'd share. I do learn a lot from here. LoL..well, I still swear I read to tear the first flowers off a 'mater plant. I'm still catching hell for doing that :P

:hi:

[noamnety]

1. I have a few of those mystery plants.

I've been gardening off and on forever, but now I have senior moments that compensate for any experience I've gained.

I acquired a batch of compressed peat pots, which I generally don't use. Put seeds on them, carefully labeled them because I had a variety of stuff in the tray, poured water on them. Well, the peat repels water initially, so all the seeds floated up and off the pots into an unidentified mass. My second attempt at the pots was going good, til I left them out and they got dumped on with the rain. I gently gently tilted the tray to let the excess water run off. Too much tilt - all the pots tumbled over and again I lost track of what was what. I think I'm more of a direct seeder.

I have a few mystery weed-vegetables that I'm watering well also.

[Inchworm]

9. I'm thinking that is what happened to my marigolds

they floated off to different parts of the garden. (pics below)

Umm.. that is IF they are indeed marigolds :D

:hi:

[MuseRider]

2. :)

I used to have small gardens and had a pretty green thumb but then I bought the farm and moved and added to my horses and the gardening went by the wayside. Now that I am living out here I am back into it although it was late and haphazard. I have lots of stuff I am watering that is unidentifiable. Is that the chives or the grass? Whatever, I will know eventually. One thing I did learn. Never plant seeds when your goats are running around. Every square inch of my garden has cilantro growing. One good butt to the arm holding the seed packet on a windy day and there they went! The strand of electric wire is working well for them, the dogs, the other wild critters and the geese that have decimated my wildflower garden. You want to talk about growing stuff you don't know? My wildflower garden is a mess. I have a few that I know are wildflowers but the rest? No clue, not yet anyway!

It is all about learning as you go.

Love the spinach story.

As for pruning the tomatoes, my husband is a tomato freak. He loves them more than life itself (not hard to understand) and one year at our first house he planted 4 big pots outside and grew these beautiful plants. They were loaded with flowers and a few small tomatoes. He was so excited and so proud. Well his mother came for a visit. She went outside one nice afternoon and when she came in she informed us that while she sat there she pruned our tomato plants. Down to nothing I tell you. She essentially pruned every growing part off all of them. I think it is the only time I ever saw my husband cry.

Thanks for sharing. It is fun isn't it?

[Inchworm]

7. Having a blast

The evenings are eventful out there :P

:hi:

[hippywife]

3. I like your attitude!

LOL :hi:

[Inchworm]

10. Fun fun!

I may have to start a thread on my compost heap. The tale involves chicken wire, metal stakes, coffee grounds, and poison ivy! hehe :P

:hi:

[asdjrocky]

4. When you're in a hole.... keep digging!

:hi: Thanks for the story.

[Inchworm]

8. LoL - I want that in a tattoo!

:rofl:

:hi:

[Gormy Cuss]

5. But you have pretty spinach flowers...

The pinch off for tomato plants really helps if the plant flowers when it's small but the only thing you risk by not pinching them off is the eventual size of the harvest. For that reason if you're buying plants, avoid the ones with flowers and look for the ones with the sturdiest stems.

The other reason that some gardeners pinch off blooms is to get fewer but larger tomatoes (for that purpose, the idea is to pinch off the competition along the same stem.)

[Inchworm]

6. Speaking of flowers... what is this?

I think they are marigolds but can't be sure. A few look like they are growing where I planted them, but several more are popping up throughout the garden.

This pick is the best one that shows the definition of the leaves.



Any idea?

:hi:

[Gormy Cuss]

11. Could be a marigold.

Could be a lot of other things too though.

[Inchworm]

12. Yet another.. water til it bears fruit creatures

:D

Thanks Gormy

[REACTIVATED IN CT]

15. It could be ragweed n/t

[shugah]

13. i am a haphazard gardner

i don't do anything "right." i dig a plot in the yard, make some rows, pour seeds in and cover them up. i water every day, and then suddenly, i have veggies!

my veggie garden is so productive this year - even tho i planted way too early and got hit with 2 frosts - that i went ahead and cleared another plot and planted some more!

<a href="" target="_blank"><img src="" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

i enjoy my garden immensely - the weeding part becomes evident after awhile - something that doesn't look like everything else in the row should be pulled.

good luck!

[Inchworm]

14. Yours looks awesome!

Next year, I need to plant my leafy stuff closer like you did. I still see a lot of dirt between the rows.

:thumbsup: