So You Think You’re Going to Grow Your Own Food (A True Story)
Everywhere I go, whether online or in the face-to-face world, people are talking about starting a garden. Whenever I see or hear those proclamations, I shake my head and laugh. Saying you’re going to garden and actually producing a crop are two separate things. I’m on year three of gardening and it’s still a clusterfudge.
Here are the gardening lessons I’ve learned the hard way so you don’t have to. Buckle up, Buttercup. We’re going for a ride. A ride that just might make your garden more successful than mine.
-Soil is food for your plants, and if your soil sucks, so does your garden.
Our first year, I thought ordering ‘premium’ composted garden soil from a landscaping company was enough. It was not. My garden was anemic and unhappy all season. I had plants that couldn’t produce a crop even after I got smart and started using fertilizer. It’s hard to overcome a bad start.
Get your soil straight up front. I like Mel’s Mix from the Square Foot Gardening method, and I also use the organic line from Miracle Gro along with bags of compost.
My garden exploded after I improved the soil, but that still didn’t mean I got a good crop. More on that as we go.
