I just thought, being the gardening novice that I am, that I would start a topic of the best and worst of gardening experiences...hopefully for the humor of it.
It rained the first day we tilled the garden spot. Lesson #1...don't till in the rain. Till depth??...less than 2 inches, most of it sod and a thin layer of clay-like muck.
It rained for three days. A week later, we tilled again...Depth??...4 inches.
We added a pickup bed full of fine sand to the garden...on one end. Lesson #2...don't dump all your sand in one spot.
Now, our tiller was borrowed, so we had to give it back. I waited and waited to till some more, but after three weeks, I knew time was running out. So out came the shovel. Not just any old shovel, mind you... this one was a long, narrow spade on a three foot handle. Lesson #3...buy a REAL shovel for a garden...note to self: remember a rake while your there.
Out to the garden I went...First, I spread the sand out to the other end of the garden. Here's where the rake would have come in handy...had I possessed one. It was very much like shoveling snow. Having done all the sand spreading I could, I started to turn the soil. Thrust, step, push down on the handle...thrust, step, push down on the handle... I worked my way across that garden in 3 foot wide sections. (The garden is 20 x 40, mind you) On the second strip of dirt, I took a break...partly for a drink of water...partly for the blisters I now had. Lesson #4...buy stock in first aid items.
Three days later, my garden was turned a depth of 8-10 inches. I had a great tan, new muscles that I didn't know existed in the human body, and I think I even lost a few pounds. I was soooo proud of myself. And then the pickup truck rolled into the driveway. The borrowed tiller was being returned so we could finish tilling the garden. Lesson #5...they have telephones now...even out in the country.
This is a true story...I'm a creative person and I couldn't have written a comedy better than this. Thank goodness next year will be easier...Lesson #6...don't count on it

Oh goodness Connie, that is a great story! Love it!

That sounds oddly familiar!

Oh Connie I can relate to your story I remember my first attempt at making a garden about 30 years ago. I lived in town and wanted to plant some store bought tomato plants...I had no garden tools. I dug what I thought was a wonderful little garden for these 6 tomato plants using a big spoon, a fork and a butcher knife Boy was I proud of my little garden. Hubby does all the shovel work around here...I am no good with a shovel. We have had many gardens with no tiller. We finally have one (I think DH got tired of all the shovel work when our garden increased to 50'x50') and I also have a little row cultivator. So Connie you are not alone

COmfrey, now THAT is determination!!!

That is so true..where there is a will there is a way...Look at all the hard work Connie went through. So it goes to show you if you want to do something even without the tools or right tools, if you work hard enough you can do it.

That is so very true!

With fall coming, you should be able to find a good deal on a tiller, I bought a used Troy-bilt for $300.

I had quite the struggle with this garden, with rabbits invading it and munching three rows of beans, 12 pepper plants, 4 cucumber plants, a dozen cucumber sprouts, 5 tomato plants and 2 rows of corn...and the carrots and green onions not even sprouting. But what I have out there is beautiful and more than bountiful. I'm giving away squash and cucumbers. IF the tomatoes ever ripen, I'll be canning until I drop. I LOVE IT!! I've never lived where the soil is this rich! It's no wonder the crops do so well around here. One more lesson I've learned...Invest in chicken wire fence!

Oh! I was going to mention...my wonderful and extremely smart husband bought me a REAL garden rake, a hoe and tomato cages...after I got done digging the garden, but it's the thought that counts. Now he has new things to pick on me with...you should have seen me struggle with the cages. But that's another story. :rolleyes:

Thats too bad Connie, while they didnt eat my veggies, they did eat all of my sunflowers right down to the ground...i know some people are against them but i cant do anything to them...those little bunnies are too cute..but your right...chicken wire is a great investment!

Good post!!! My first garden I ever did, many moons ago...I had to leave out of state for awhile and my cousin took care of my place, and put up sticks with coors lite bottles on them and left a note...look what popped up in your garden...lol otherwise not to bad, some floods etc...

Connie one thing I learned the hard way...With tomato cages they really need to have at least one stake two is better holding them down. One summer a big storm came up and I stood on the back porch and watch as the wind just blew cages and tomato plants over to the ground. After the storm my son and I went out and was able to stand them back up and very little damage to the plants....these were huge full sized plants, my cages had little wires that stuck into the ground also. So if you didn't do this, you might consider finding some sticks to put down in the ground and tie your cages to the stakes. And I have a fence around my garden, learned that the hard way also, the deer can make quite a mess of your garden in one night. Last year we had a groundhog that dug under the fence and wiped out all of our cantaloupes. My mom has an 8' fence around her garden and a skunk climbed the fence and made a mess in her garden what it didn't eat or destroy it sprayed on last year. So even with a fence you can still have critters in your garden, but a fence helps keep it down to a minimum. Oh and congratulations on getting a real rake and hoe!!!!

Chenno, your cousin sounds like a hoot ! What a fun idea ! I'd have cracked up too !

So far after a year I have a hand spade, the little hand held 3 prong thingy, and pruning shears, small ones. And the three prong thingy in long form. Everything else I still borrow from my landlord. I also have a collection of different sized pots, clear plastic juice bottles for mini green houses, the back of a big a/c unit that works as a shifter for the compost. A 2 by 2 table that is my potting table. And oyster shell lime, alfalfa pellets, green sand, orchid potting soil and fertilizer, general purpose plant food, a spray bottle, 4 milk jugs for my house plant water and plant food, window shelves for the winter indoor sowing extravaganza, florescent lights for the same reason, plastic tubs to keep everything in (that didn't work lol). And all of this in a 525 sq ft apartment. Did I mention that my dinning room table is covered with harvested seeds, seed template making supplies, and boxes and drawers to store them in until they can be used. Well other than the ones I am currently starting indoors for the cool weather crops come september or whenever it cools off lol.

Ok I admit that it took a fair amount of time to make a place for my home teachers to sit down the last time they arrived unannounced. But what can I say it's an addiction. We've even discussed sowing wild flowers on my floor instead of taking all that time away from the garden to sweep and mop the floors. lol.

Yes, I know I've not only went around the bend but down the river when it comes to the gardening addiction.

Well, I left my garden to go out of town on a 4 day rodeo trip. I was so worried that it would get over grown with weeds, but when I returned I found that those worries were well founded...it's gonna take me a week to get rid of all the weeds I now have. On the up side, it will look great when I'm done.

It does take long for weeds to sprout up and get out of control quickly. So yours must not be too bad if you can take care of in a week. Mine is beyond taking care of the weeds, but almost everything has been harvested that I want, so I'm letting the weeds have it until Fall.

If it would quit raining, I might be able to get into the garden. Otherwise, I'll just have to get muddy...maybe I can talk the kids into it. They love getting dirty!

oh, fat chance...my son just walked by and read it over my shoulder...I don't think so - that's his response...lol!

My grown sons won't even come around if they think I might have garden work to do...They know I will put them to work...and the "I don't think so response" doesn't work with this mom, But they will find reasons why they have to leave after working for 10-15 minutes They just use a different tactic is all.

Well that rain even if you get in there when it is muddy, will really help those weeds along as far as growing...But the muddy soil will make it easy to pull them out.

I'm finding that I like wet gardens much better than when the sun is beating down on me. Note to self...when I come in from a muddy garden, STAY OFF THE CARPET!!! Lesson #6 - invest in a carpet cleaner!

so true there Connie!

In my case I have no carpet.... And I am happy about it, DH doesn't care what he tracks in, nor do my big dogs, nor does my grown stepson. My two grown sons are the only ones who seem to pay attention to mud or worse on thier shoes when they enter the house. I have a pair of those heavy duty rubber boots, like they wear in milk barns..which I wear them when going into a muddy or wet garden, then I can slip them off at the door, where i left my shoes.

Fortunately, when it dries, it will vacuum off of the carpet...gotta love that Berber. I think I'll take a picture or two of my very first garden and share it...even if it does have 4 empty rows. Just as soon as I figure out how to post them.

I planted the tomatoes 18 inches apart, just like they told me to. I think that's too close. I could probably have gotten away with one good cucumber plant per mound and 2 squash plants. I had no idea that they would produce so much. I'm definitely going to check into a farmer's market for next year.

Even though I have gotten a lot from my garden...I have to say this has been the worst year of gardening here for me. It rained for 2 months in the early spring before my potatoes could sprout up and over half of them rotted in ground The first row of beans were washed out of there row and when I could finally get into the garden they were sprouting laying all over the top of the soil, so I took handfuls of mud and placed on top of them. I am glad I had planned another row of beans to plant after the first row sprout up...Because I got bean rust, but was able to get as many as I had planned to can, but would have liked a few more. My squash was taken over by squash bugs and all my repeated efforts to save both plants was a total waste of time. I planted way to many cucumbers Then we have the melons which I started out placing some cardboard under the vines as they starting spreading out, but didn't follow through on that and have to look for melons in the weeds My tomatoes had aphids early in the season and it effected my tomato production, even though I still have plenty of tomatoes, there should have been more. The only things that have done really well are my sweet peppers, my hot peppers & my okra was huge this year, with big stalks that produced side shoot with okra also, but of course since it produced good, I have way more then I can use or give away also. Now I have allowed the weeds to take over and what a mess I will have to clean up. Oh well there is always next year..hopefully it will be better!!!!!

I have been thinking about planting some cool weather plants. So far the only response I've gotten from my husband is "Didn't you learn anything yet?" He's such a card. He teases me alot, but he doesn't mind eating the fruits of my comedy in motion. He works at a pet store and is bringing our extra cukes and squash with him. He gives away the cucumbers to costumers, who want more...yeah!!, and feeds the squash to the critters. They like it too. It's usually the squash that have gotten too big to taste as good as the smaller ones. My tomatoes have bugs...we're going to take care of that too...but they are still slow in turning red. The corn is doing great. My daughter, who's 9, picked 4 ears before they were ready, and by the looks of them, I will have alot of corn to freeze.

Thats great about the corn! So what cool weather crops are you considering???

Well, after hubbie got done teasing me, he suggested the brocolli and cauliflower that I couldn't plant at the beginning because it got a late start, but I'm not really sure what would be a good cool weather veggie. The idea of planting at this time of year is a new one for me.

You can plant carrots, turnips & beets...and I am sure there are tons of others also. Fall is the time to plant garlic if you want to harvest it next spring. When it cools off just a little more, you can also do leaf lettuce & even radishes.

A good piece of story-telling here, Connie - it's my guess that you do some writing? Maybe even published?

That wouldn't surprise me.

Keep working this story up . . . it's enjoyable - even a person who doesn't garden would be entertained.

My garden didn't do good this year at all. I am going to go out this week and pull almost everything.

Pat...I think it was just a bad garden year all the way around at least here in the middle of the USA. We have to be thankful what we did get and I'm with you...I'm starting to pull all mine out and clean it up. I am letting some okra and cukes stay out there to ripen for seed saving, And there are still a few tomatoes, so wait on them, everything is going. I just wish it would cool off a bit more, it would make all of that work easier to do!!! Then we can be complaining about how cold it is

The only thing that didn't do as good as usual for me was the squash. We had enough to eat, but usually with squash there's so much you can't give it all away. I'm not sure what happened. It wasn't bugs or anything like that. It had to do with the weather. The plants were beautiful, but it seems like when we got blooms it would rain forever and they'd rot off.

I'd like to plant winter crops too but I can't wrap my mind around it. Why don't the plants die in the winter?

My worst failure was the poppies I planted where the bicycle wheel fence was.

The actually wheels themselves were stolen, but I don't think that had anything to do with the failure of the poppy growth.

I did notice that very few people in the neighbourhood had poppies come out this year - mighta' just been an environment thing.

My best progress this year was the south island fence garden - I struggled and struggled to get things to grow in there - it was mostly clay and the slope that leads down to it causes the rain to bring the clay down into it.



I corrected that situation by mulching - not only right into the strip of soil along the fence, but by placing a brick pathway along the bottom.

The clay doesn't come up in there anymore.

The slope itself is now covered in mulch - my own mulch collected from leaves as far back as last summer, along with small wood pieces I've clipped into it.

I'm not really sure if I will remove that mulch before winter and seed the area, or just leave it there till early spring.

And now...the continuing drama of Connie's Garden...(dramatic music, please...)

I went out and pulled weeds yesterday. I didn't even bother with the hoe, the ground is so moist from all the rain we've gotten that the weeds just pull out easily. I didn't even bother wearing shoes...why track the mud inside. Besides, it's been 20 years since I last played in the mud. That was fun!

I pulled two laundry baskets of cucumbers out of the patch. Lesson #7...double check the kids when sending them out to the garden to pick cucumbers! I pulled on one very large and past it's prime cucumber and the darned thing pulled back! Into the patch I fell. I swear it was growling at me as I fought with it. I stood up, brushed the wet dirt off my face and looked around for witnesses. Lesson #8...there is NOTHING graceful about falling face first into the cucumber patch. Lesson #9...there is no such thing as no witnesses.

My tomatoes have been invaded by bugs. Hungry, evil bugs that don't even finish one tomato before they start on the next. My seemingly beautiful, large and gloriously red tomatoes were rotting on the vines! I cried as I chucked them across the gravel road into the the ditch. I did manage to save several, though. They are resting happily in my window sill, sunning themselves til they turn the right color. Next year I will be prepared for this invasion. Lesson #9...pay attention next time your watching Gardening by the Yard!!!!

The corn is standing tall and proud. So far, so good with that one...knock on wood. Soon...very soon.

My squash has another purpose, besides being yummy fried and broiled. Hubby takes the ones that get too big and feeds the turtles and other reptilian vegetarians at the pet shop where he works. He took a laundry basket full of cucumbers and squash with him today. He's such a good person.

I need therapy. LOL

Oh Connie...Sorry but I had to I can relate I tripped over the hose one day in the garden...No one saw me We do need to be careful when we are in the garden, there are so many ways we can get hurt.

Aahhh! Success!!! I have finally pulled the last of the giant weeds out of my garden. I had my daughter scatter some marigold seeds where the peppers met their tragic end. It's been almost a month now. I almost thought that the birds had gotten them, but lo and behold...they're there...pretty as a picture! I spent three hours today plucking beautiful tomatoes off the plants, only a few cucumbers...(thank heaven!!) and about 15 good sized squash. My hubby's pear tomatoes have finally bore fruit. Miracles really do happen! I may have to resort to cold calling on my neighbors to see if they need any squash...which seems really silly to ask farmers if they need any more veggies! Either that or go up to the highway with a sign that reads "Free To Good Home!!" lol

Oh! and by the way, Comfrey...it's okay to laugh at me! My sense of humor left me for what felt like forever, after my sister died a few months ago...laughing feels SOOOO good...even if it is laughing at myself!

I wish I had as much energy as you have Connie...I still have not got out there in the garden and started cleaning up the mess, each time I wade thru the weeds to pick tomatoes, I say to myself Ok in the morning you need to get out there and just get it done. I won't have a hard time doing what needs to be done, it just getting out there. I guess in my own mind, I have excepted that most of growing season is done and I have until cold weather to clean up the mess...Besides If I am out there working, I can't be inside on the computer at the Gardener's Forum

Actually, I'm lazy by nature...I had to choose between pulling weeds or cleaning the house. I chose the lesser of two evils. Isn't that horrid??!!

Actually, I like how it looks when I'm done. That's my main motivator. When I was a senior in high school, I had nothing to do one weekend right before I graduated, so I pulled the crab grass and creeping something or other out of our driveway. The next weekend after I graduated, I pulled all of the fallen fence posts out of the grass by the apricot trees. I guess I'm a fixer. I like how it looks when I'm done 'fixing' it.

How did I miss this post before?? Very entertaining!!
I learned a lesson just now as I was picking tomatoes.
I went outside in my pajamas and the bottoms I have on dont want to stay up. I wasn't too concerned as I had thought there was only a couple tomatoes that will need to be picked. Well..to my surprise, I had arms full. Instead of me going back to the house to get a pail, bucket, or bowl to carry them in, I decided to try it all in one's armload. Well as I was crossing my backyard lugging all these tomatoes, my bottoms began to slip..so I tried to move faster (I thought "big deal..no one is watching"). I should have listened to your lesson Connie about how no one is never not watching. My pants ended up falling right down so I had to drop all my tomatoes all over the grass so I could pull them up. My dog thought they were balls and decided to start running with them in her mouth. So here I am chasing my dog...hanging on to my pants and thats when I noticed my neighbour in his backyard!
What a wonderful start to my day. :rolleyes:

Thanks for the laugh Christina, don't we all have these moments once in a while.

Oh, No! What an awful way to start a day...but it is funny afterwards, isn't it? Fortunately, my nearest neighbor is 1/2 mile down hill, and the garden is on the opposite side of the house than they are, but it didn't stop my husband from laughing until his eyes were watering, and he NEVER laughs like that...ever... but I got a sympathy hug...as he was still shaking with laughter, but trying to hide it.

My garden has done soooo well, (all three veggie varieties) that I have decided to bring as much as I can to the local community center and donate as much as they are willing to take off my hands. I can't stand the thought of it going to waste when there are hungry people even here in rural Iowa. I think back at the tough times we've had when fresh veggies were a scarce commodity, and we found ourselves at the community food bank. I realized that it took a while, but now it's my turn to give back. That feels soooo gooood...and that alone makes all the triumphs and tribulations of this first ever garden of mine worth every bug bite and blister.

You are so right Connie it does make it all worth while!!!!!

Well everyone...the long awaited and much anticipated (okay...maybe just by me...lol) photos of Connie's first garden are uploading to photobucket as I type. As soon as I figure out how to do it, everyone can see my (okay...God's) handiwork. All y'all are as excited as I am...right???

oh, i hope this works...

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l22/gheer061468/northhalf.jpg
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l22/gheer061468/southhalf.jpg
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l22/gheer061468/bountifulharvest.jpg

And this is just todays harvest...I've had three just like this this week alone.

The tomatoes are quite ripened, but if I leave them out there any longer, those evil, veggie eating, alien bugs destroy them.

oops...I meant aren't quite ripened.

Connie, That gardens look great and the harvest is amazing!!! You did an awesome job!!!

Yeah!!! It worked!

It started out looking so scrawny...and when you see these two pictures...you'll be amazed that my garden turned out so good...lol

This was NOT my fault...
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l22/gheer061468/tree.jpg

Okay...this WAS my fault...
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l22/gheer061468/petunia.jpg

Kinda makes you wonder how my garden turned out so...large.

Yikes, what did you do to those poor plants... Or maybe I shoudl say what did you NOT do. Hey the garden still looks good though!

Wow! You're an angel!
Your garden looks fantastic!! And I REALLY enjoyed reading these posts...still can't understand how I missed this one...I usually follow Comfrey around...I'm her stalker.

Great Job Connie!!!!!! Congratulations on your first successful garden!!!!!!

Actually, I don't know what happened...or didn't happen to that poor little pine. It's in the front yard in between a huge cedar and a silver maple...and nothing else in the yard dried up and died. Now those petunias on my porch....that's another story. They got forgotten about...we don't use that door often, and, well, out of sight out of mind, I guess. Next year, they'll survive. I felt so bad when I saw that!!!

I have done the same thing. Put some stuff on the back porch that I NEVER use and it was toast. I felt really bad as well.

Well...I think it's getting to be that time of year. My tomatoes have alot of green fruit, but by the time it ripens, it rots...haven't quite figured that one out yet...but I will. The cukes and squash have finally slowed. The corn is doomed...a fungus has exploded the kernels on several ears, and what the fungus didn't get, the ants and worms did...made me very sad.

Looking back on this summer's garden, I have figured out changes and additions for next year. A chicken wire fence for sure...more stakes for the tomato plants...Lesson #10...can't have too many tomato stakes...more corn...less cucumbers...less squash...Lesson #11...cutting vines and growth from over-abundant plants is NOT a crime against humanity.

All in all...my first garden was a GREAT experience...maneating cucumbers and all! But...

Next years garden will be better.

Thats what its all about Connie, each year we figure out how we can improve next year, I've been gardening for many years and each year I do something different hoping to improve the over all garden and production of things. You have down great this year, So you have alot to look forward to next year.

I think I've had a wonderful idea for next years garden...

I was thinking of several raised beds/boxes to make a border to the garden. In those boxes, have the beans, peppers, peas...anything that the rabbits would eat like they did this year. That would eliminate the need for the chicken wire. That would also allow me to spread things out a bit...give the tomatoes more room...

What do you all think of this idea?

Sounds like a great idea!

If you look in my PB Connie...i have raised flower beds...now I'm sure that you dont want to go that high..I'm 5 foot 2 and they come to my waist, but its keeps the critters out!!

Very Nice Penny! That's just about what I had in mind. Of course, Rick being the practical person that he is, totalled up the estimated cost of treated lumber for my idea...versus the estimated cost of chicken wire and re-bar...some days, I tell ya...I'm gonna have to kick his butt...

...okay, that probably wouldn't be such a good idea...so I'll just have to explain to him the added discount of making his wife happy with the raised boxes...compared to the price he'll have to pay if he gives me chicken wire...lol

Raised beds would be nice. For me it would not be practical, the deer, cats, dogs & chickens could get into them easier, then having a fence all the way around. And having raised beds means more hand work or..in other words...no room to use a tiller, but if you mulch around your plants and or cover them during winter, then weed filled beds would not be a problem and no need to till anything anyway. I would like to have some raised flower & herb beds though.

Let me play around with it for a couple of days. I'll see if I can create what's in my head in Illustrator. (okay...insanity is NOT what I need to create...lol!!) I'll post it if it works! I don't necessarily want a completely enclosed garden...just a border on one side, or maybe a broken border all the way around...oh, so many thoughts...so little time!!!

Oh I see...the raised beds would be the border around the garden area.?????

Ahh...well, now that I'm back from my trip away from it all...

As I hacked my way through that jungle that used to be my garden, I've found that my corn has been gobbled up by none other than...everything. Those poor, defenseless kernels didn't stand a chance against the fungus that made them turn black and explode, or the raccoons that ate what the worms and ants left behind...a moment of silence is in order...

I have had a blast with this garden...and I will be sad to see it wither with the coming change of season. I put my thoughts of a fall veggie garden on hold while I try to put in order the rest of my...oh, what's the word I want...life, outside of my garden. All of the excitement of digging and planting...the anticipation of what will be as I watched everything grow...stifling the impatience of having to wait until it's ripe...

I CAN'T WAIT TIL NEXT SPRING!!!

Next spring you will be ahead of everything..you have all winter to plan for your next garden, what to plant and when how to improve and change things to suit you better, and maybe be better equiped to get started. Congratulations on a job well done!!!! I have been trying to clean the weeds out of mine, it is such a slow process, pulling out all those tall weeds by hand, so that I preppare the soil for winter and then spring planting.

I am putting together a small cookbook over the next few months, and gathering info on the many local farmers markets around here, so that next spring, I can put my extremely fertile soil to good use. I've got ideas and ideas swimming around in my head...hopefully not many of them will drown...lol

Party time, I got the first third of the garden completely cleaned up down to the bare dirt and even tilled it after all the weeds and grass was removed by me, by hand...Now to get the other two thirds done....I'm taking a couple of days off before I start the next section.

As the summer winds to a cool and rainy halt, and fall takes its place, I think this will be my last entry in this post. My garden has yielded the last of its wonderful fruits, and even my neighbors and community members have reaped its rewards. Next spring will come way too soon...I know that from past experience, whether with a garden or not. I am alive with anticipation...already planning the next great adventure into

Gardening...The Thrill of Victory...The Agony of Defeat

Til next spring....

Okay...I fibbed!!

I got a tiller!...I got a tiller!...

It's big and red and rear tined and self propelled and oh, boy....Connie's happy!!!

I bet you are happy. A tiller is a way cool thing to get, especially in the fall when those gardens could use a good tilling.

I know how you must feel Connie...We got our's at the start of the season and it's great not having to borrow one, and tilling when you want to!!! Congratulations!

My husband's boss GAVE it to him...in exchange for some of my big, juicy, orange, meaty tomatoes!!! Free!! Used ONCE....! And it's a Yardman....



...it's ma birthday...it's ma birthday...got a tiller...gonna party...like it's ma birthday...lol

I'm really not that excited about it...can ya tell??

Hey Connie that is a great deal!!!! I believe we have the same tiller you have.