Lessons From My First Garden

I have been thinking about our vegetable garden since last fall when I slowly watched the leaves wilt as cooler weather moved in. Last year, B and I dipped our toes into gardening with just a few veggies and herbs. We planted 2 yellow squash, 2 zucchini, 1 jalapeno, 1 green pepper, 1 red pepper, and 1 cherry tomato plant. For herbs, we planted oregano, cilantro, rosemary, and basil. I am so excited to dive into our second year of gardening. Fingers crossed we can 'break ground' this weekend! I just purchased an additional raised garden bed so we can expand on the 4x4 bed we have already.  

How it started...

How it went!

We learned so much after just one summer harvest. Based on last year's experience, I will be implementing three lessons to make this year's crop even better. 

1. The plants will need more room than you think. Our zucchini and squash took over! We had a great harvest for those veggies, but sadly the peppers didn't grow very well due to the proximity of the giant squash. This year we will definitely make sure to provide each veg with each space to flourish! We did get one tiny green pepper, but here's hoping we can grow a few more this time around.

2. Don't forget to trim your plants. This ties into #1 a bit. Our zucchini leaves were huge and we ended up trimming them back to let the other veggies breathe, but by then it was too late. As you read in #1, the green peppers were a bit stifled and it stunted their growth big time. 

3. Plant the herbs in a separate pot you can bring them inside at the end of the season. When the cooler temps rolled around, I realized how much I was missing fresh basil and rosemary. This time I am going to plant our herbs in small pots so that we can bring them in when the time comes and have fresh herbs all year round. 

I am so mad I did not take more pictures last year, but I will definitely be sharing my garden on my Instagram page, @_amodernmary. I am so excited to build and prep our garden and see our little plants grow.  Not only do you reap the benefits of fresh, homegrown veggies, but tending to a garden reduces stress, gets me outside more and the whole experience was so joyful, rewarding, and delicious!