Prepping for Victory in the Garden

I was just browsing through one of the myriad gardening magazines that flow into my house this time of year. The warm spell this past weekend really helped push me into the “get out and plant” frame of mind, but I wisely chose to mostly clean and prep the gardens and do the planting over the next few weeks.

See, I’m not a great gardener. Oh, I’m not bad, but by no means am I a pro. But I stay at it, and every year I get better. Most of my garden is herbs and annuals. Herbs are relatively easy – many of them are darn near weeds! (That’s another post). This year, I’m looking to give a wider variety of veggies a try. Like many of us, pennies need to be pinched. What better way to save than growing your own veggies. One $3.00 plant can give you $50 worth of food, with a fresh picked taste that cannot be duplicated by supermarket produce.


Usually, I buy plants. One of my favorite sources online is Mountain Valley Growers. They have a terrific selection and I’ve had great success with their plants. I also buy from local growers, such as Barlow’s or Timothy's. They have wonderful selections and very helpful staff.

Of course there are problems along the way. There are a few types of fungus and mildew I seem to fight every year. My biggest problem is a plump little gopher that seems to enjoy eating the leaves off my plants and my tomatoes. Then there’s Rudy. He’s my dog. He seems to like my tomatoes too.

As a true Jersey girl, my garden will prominently feature tomatoes. We’ll probably get at least 3 kinds – a plum, some kind of beefsteak, and some unusual heirloom.

String beans are always a favorite. We never get to cook them because we always eat them fresh from the plant or nibble of them with dip before dinner. I prefer bush plants, because they are a little easier to grow and maintain. I have enough vines roaming around the yard.

I’ve tried growing peas before. It always seems that something happens to them, but since they are one of my absolute favorite veggies, there will be another attempt this year.

Add to that an assortment of sweet and hot peppers. Peppers love my dirt, and I love peppers. They’ll join some unique type of eggplant and probably some zucchini. I may even attempt some spinach, beets and carrots this year.

Some of these plants I’ve attempted to start from seed. My father, the true green thumb in the family, can get amazing plants from old seeds and have them thrive. I don’t seem to do as well. Little seedlings will come up - then I forget to water them, or they get too cold, or too hot. I’ll figure it out sooner or later. But it’s fun to try.

For many people, getting out into the garden is about getting it right from the start. Everything is planted in perfect rows. Seeds that don’t come up or fail along the way are considered disasters. Those people miss so much. Half of the fun of digging in to dirt and planting your seeds or plants is about learning from your mistakes. I’ve discovered that eggplants grow best in my front garden with my flowers. They thrive there and look pretty too. What good is a garden if you can’t play in it!

What will you be planting this year? Will you try a new challenge or stay with what you know? I’ll keep you posted if you keep me posted.

Remember, Nature is a very patient teacher, if you don’t succeed this year, she’ll always give you another chance next year. Victory will come to the garden – and fresh veggies will be on your table!