Garden | July 2018

Well…an attempt was made.

That’s the best I can say about the 2018 so far.

Don’t let the pictures fool you:  the garden is a disaster this year!  Sure, there are tons of little tomatoes & peppers, but it’s nowhere near its full potential.  It’s so disappointing to see these weird plants with little or no vines on them!

The funny thing is, the plants that were doing well in the beginning have pretty much shriveled away & the ones I didn’t think would make it are now thriving!  The one tomato plant that I was sure was going to die is now producing vines!

Also!  When I was taking these pics, I noticed a couple of green beans!  I thought for sure that the bean plants were dead, but they’re still here!

Here’s what I think contributed to the demise of the garden this year:

- Hotter Temperatures:  This year has been extremely hot & I think the garden just can’t handle it.  We used black plastic as the base for the raised bed this year & I think it’s frying the plants as it heats up.

- Less Soil:  We ended up not using as much soil this year.  Last year, our little raised beds had so much soil in them, especially the peat/manure mix.  With the raised bed being different this year, we didn’t know exactly how much to use & thought we had enough.  Now I’m not so sure.

-  More Rainfall:  Last year, we were able to control the water the plants were getting a lot more.  This year, there has been so much rain.  Sometimes it rains for days & the plants just can’t get a break!

- No Shade:  We put our garden in the same spot as last year, which is a place that receives pretty much zero shade.  It worked well last year because the temperatures were cooler & the plants would use any sun they could get.  This year, I think it’s just been too much for them. 

Even though I’m disappointed in the garden this year & want to rip it all out & start again, it’s producing just enough to keep it going!  It’s frustrating, but I’m going to let it keep going & see what happens!

If this has taught me anything, it’s that I’m going to be spending a lot of time on Pinterest over the winter, strategically planning my garden for 2019!  I have big plans for next year’s garden already, but I want my plants to thrive!

PS:  When I was going through my pics, I found way too many that I loved & couldn’t include here!  Instead of keeping them to myself, I’m going to be putting them all up on my Facebook page so be sure to check it out!