I'm very afraid I planted spinach and onions too late, tomatoes too early, beans in the wrong soil, and cucumbers just plain wrong. My hope is that my plants will grow and produce in spite of being mine.
Gardening Panic?
Am I the only one who suffers? I'm new to gardening (last year was a complete failure) and so this year I'm completely second guessing everything I do! In fact, when I drive by someone's garden, or read a post about things other people are doing, I nearly have a panic attack that I've completely screwed up! There are SO MANY opinions on when/where/what/how that I had the hardest time ven deciding if I was up to the task. LOL
I'm very afraid I planted spinach and onions too late, tomatoes too early, beans in the wrong soil, and cucumbers just plain wrong. My hope is that my plants will grow and produce in spite of being mine.
I'm very afraid I planted spinach and onions too late, tomatoes too early, beans in the wrong soil, and cucumbers just plain wrong. My hope is that my plants will grow and produce in spite of being mine.
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rainbowgardener
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 25279
- Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:04 pm
- Location: TN/GA 7b
Relax!!! It is in the nature of plants to grow. Give them a modicum of the right conditions and get out of their way!
We here like to obsess over the right way to do things, because if you can't be in your garden, the next best thing is thinking/ talking about it. But there's never really one right way to grow anything. We all just have to figure out over time and experience what works best for us in our local conditions. There will likely be a few failures along the way as you figure that out, but that's okay and the success are likely to outnumber them.
If you are in Tennessee, it's definitely not too early to plant tomatoes. Mine have been in the ground a couple weeks and I'm north of you.
We here like to obsess over the right way to do things, because if you can't be in your garden, the next best thing is thinking/ talking about it. But there's never really one right way to grow anything. We all just have to figure out over time and experience what works best for us in our local conditions. There will likely be a few failures along the way as you figure that out, but that's okay and the success are likely to outnumber them.
If you are in Tennessee, it's definitely not too early to plant tomatoes. Mine have been in the ground a couple weeks and I'm north of you.
Trinoc, the only plant I now get a little anxious about it my summer squash. I have had a bad problem with them and SVB's (squash vine borers) in the past. Even though I now have very healthy and productive plants, I'm waiting for the shoe to fall and they all die a slow, painful to watch, death.
I find if you have decent soil, enough water, and give them enough space to grow, they tend to take care of themselves as far as producing. Now our intervention is needed for weeding, pest and disease control, and the occasional watering if conditions are dry for too long, but that is not much to ask for home grown produce.
In a nutshell, quit fretting so much. Sometimes you do all you can and still have failures. That is just the nature of, well, Nature.
I find if you have decent soil, enough water, and give them enough space to grow, they tend to take care of themselves as far as producing. Now our intervention is needed for weeding, pest and disease control, and the occasional watering if conditions are dry for too long, but that is not much to ask for home grown produce.
In a nutshell, quit fretting so much. Sometimes you do all you can and still have failures. That is just the nature of, well, Nature.
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Francis Barnswallow
- Green Thumb
- Posts: 696
- Joined: Fri Sep 03, 2010 7:28 pm
- Location: Orlando
Gumbo, I've stopped trying to defeat the SVB's. I've already planted my second generation of squash this spring and the first generation is just starting to produce. I will plant a third generation in another month.
In my garden they sometimes come in both spring and fall. Some years, they come in spring or fall, but not both. An occasional year, they don't come at all. Some years, they come in huge swarms and other years just three or four moths. My philosophy now is plant more plants than they can kill.
Ted
In my garden they sometimes come in both spring and fall. Some years, they come in spring or fall, but not both. An occasional year, they don't come at all. Some years, they come in huge swarms and other years just three or four moths. My philosophy now is plant more plants than they can kill.
Ted
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Francis Barnswallow
- Green Thumb
- Posts: 696
- Joined: Fri Sep 03, 2010 7:28 pm
- Location: Orlando
Trinoc, The SVB's are not beastly. They are simply one of the many adversities gardeners face. Most problems have an established and proven method to overcome. SVB's don't seem to have any natural enemies and they seem to consider insecticides and repellents as dessert. We have to find ways to work around them and incorporate our growing methods around their behavior.
Another thought for a new gardener is the fact that the most common mistake most new gardeners make is believing if a little of something is good, a lot must be better. Don't over water and don't over fertilize. Let your plants tell you what they need by their stress level and color. With a little experience, you will learn to recognize the signs.
Ted
Another thought for a new gardener is the fact that the most common mistake most new gardeners make is believing if a little of something is good, a lot must be better. Don't over water and don't over fertilize. Let your plants tell you what they need by their stress level and color. With a little experience, you will learn to recognize the signs.
Ted
I have to say I hear ya, this is techincally my second year and I tell my friends to sum up my first year in gardening "IT SUCKED" it was horrible and I spent more time replanting and fixing my mistakes then I care to remember. Not enough from the garden for all my work. Then the fall came and I started doing things alittle better and learning alot, and this year I feel confident I will graduate from "SUCK" to "NOT TO BAD" Already some things I have planted are doing great, others still not so good, but I feel if there is alittle progress each year I am learning and I have to tell you I love doing it, even when it is not so good. Keep with it if you like it, it will slowly turn in your favor. - 
Also the things that I have the most trouble with, I consider an experiment - I don't plan on them doing anything and if they do - I am one step ahead - for me it is squash, carrots and Potato's (my crop this year look beautifuyl for about 2 months and slowly shriveled into a horrible mess) Keep uis posted. 
Also the things that I have the most trouble with, I consider an experiment - I don't plan on them doing anything and if they do - I am one step ahead - for me it is squash, carrots and Potato's (my crop this year look beautifuyl for about 2 months and slowly shriveled into a horrible mess) Keep uis posted. I am, unfortunately, a worrier by nature. Last year was the first year in a long, long time that I grew plants, and the first time I ever tried to do it "in the ground" instead of just a few containers. Last year was also a *terrible* summer for growing in Seattle, I got great results out of peas, favas, potatoes, carrots, broccoli, and very disheartening results from most everything else I planted. Even zucchini was sad and lackluster. I found myself second guessing a lot of the planning I did earlier this year because of what happened last summer, but I try to remind myself that it wasn't just my "learning mistakes" that were an issue, the weather played a big role too.
I learned a lot, and am learning a lot already this year (such as I really REALLY miss not having my hoophouse cover this year, my peas are way behind compared to last year!), and I'm hoping nature throws me a bone and we get a better growing this summer in my neck of the woods. Othewise my husband may become less understanding as to why an entire room of our house is devoted to my seedlings for several months of the year.
I learned a lot, and am learning a lot already this year (such as I really REALLY miss not having my hoophouse cover this year, my peas are way behind compared to last year!), and I'm hoping nature throws me a bone and we get a better growing this summer in my neck of the woods. Othewise my husband may become less understanding as to why an entire room of our house is devoted to my seedlings for several months of the year.
You know it is funny, I naturally assume everyone up north has much better luck then Florida. When I started last year we had the coldest winter in about 30 years and alot of things didn't do as well for me because I was planting warm weather crops, instead of winter crops, this year it got hot (not warmer) hot - today 90 degrees - this is alot sooner and I was shocked at the way winter stuff just stopped growing. I know it will take a few years, to get my act in order but it sounds to me like you do have some things that do well for you - like me and others that are a total loss. grow alot of those and work on the others with help from this forum. I find it funny 
how squash and Zucc are tough everywhere when you do it organic. Stay on this forum - I have learned the most here. I also got alot of books from the library to read as well - but this forum helped me the most. It will start to pay off.
how squash and Zucc are tough everywhere when you do it organic. Stay on this forum - I have learned the most here. I also got alot of books from the library to read as well - but this forum helped me the most. It will start to pay off.-
Francis Barnswallow
- Green Thumb
- Posts: 696
- Joined: Fri Sep 03, 2010 7:28 pm
- Location: Orlando
Yeah, summer started in late February this year in Florida. We are 12+ degrees above the "normal" temps this time of year. It's so rare that the meteorologists are already talking about sea breeze thunderstorms......and those storms usually start around early June.
My lawn would like one of those sea breeze t-storms asap.
My lawn would like one of those sea breeze t-storms asap.
Summer seems to be early here, too. My first lesson of this year: You can't go by calendar alone but must pay attention to weather and temps. I put spinach and onions in "in time" but that is an average "in time"...since this year is so warm I think I was a couple of weeks late. My spinach may give me a little bit because it does still seem to be growing and I've been thinning my rows so the plants have room...but the onions seem to be less than enthused.
I was trolling around today and noticed that my beans that did sprout seem to happen to be a few seeds in a row...meaning they're too close together. So, I'm trying to decide if I should cull them or try to transplant them to an area of the row that did not germinate. I have one semi-terrific looking little bean plant.
Someone mentioned not "over-doing" anything and that's helpful! I'm pretty sure I was over watering. I've backed off and things look happier (plants can look happy...that amazes me!). My soil is absolutely horrid. I tilled in compost, humus, and manure but I think not enough. I hoe it to keep it turned and to keep weeds from getting comfortable but as soon as it rains it looks flat and cracked across the top....like an arid plain. Underneath that it is still moist but on top it looks awful. It's "crusty".
So, I think that will be my main battle all year...is maintaining a good growing medium w/o allowing myself to get too gungho and completely overdo it.
I was trolling around today and noticed that my beans that did sprout seem to happen to be a few seeds in a row...meaning they're too close together. So, I'm trying to decide if I should cull them or try to transplant them to an area of the row that did not germinate. I have one semi-terrific looking little bean plant.
Someone mentioned not "over-doing" anything and that's helpful! I'm pretty sure I was over watering. I've backed off and things look happier (plants can look happy...that amazes me!). My soil is absolutely horrid. I tilled in compost, humus, and manure but I think not enough. I hoe it to keep it turned and to keep weeds from getting comfortable but as soon as it rains it looks flat and cracked across the top....like an arid plain. Underneath that it is still moist but on top it looks awful. It's "crusty".
So, I think that will be my main battle all year...is maintaining a good growing medium w/o allowing myself to get too gungho and completely overdo it.Well, I'm jealous of every other aspect of where you live!!!! My parents are in Puyallup and the Pacific Northwest is probably my favorite spot on Earth!Des_WA wrote:Ah I'm jealous of you trinoc! I just read an article about how April in Seattle thus far has set record LOW highs...I'm so antsy to get things going and this weather is dragging on..