“As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you
.”
Hi, my name is Asha, and I am a beginner gardener.
This year marks my first full year of gardening, and it has been a learning experience. I began last Septemeber when the weather here in Texas is a little more forgiving. I learned this to be true tending to my first vegetable garden in the summer, here.
I live in central Texas, zone 9a, and chile Texas is hot in the summer! But, I am excited about our 271-day growing season; having a long season is pretty awesome for someone with a gardening obsession like mine. With that said, summer gardening is challenging and requires a little extra care and maintenance. I'm going to go over my top five challenges of gardening in my backyard.
1. native soil
2. pests
3. summer gardening
4. watering
5. spacing
Clay Dismay & Pesky Pests
My native soil is so hard and compacted its nuts. Its also riddled with weeds and rollie pollies, earwigs, spider mites, and grubs, all of which are my nemesis'. I am on a mission to turn my soil into workable, nutritious soil that my fruits and veggies will thrive in. However, for now, my garden thrives in different types of raised beds and smart pots. To manage pests, I use diatomaceous earth, blasts of water, or neem oil in soapy water.
Summertime Garden Sadness
Gardening in the spring and fall is by far the easiest of the seasons. Summer is the toughest season to maintain a vegetable garden for me based on my first year. I'm hoping for more success next year after discovering the need for mulch. Much of what I planted got toasted and died due to insufficient watering.
Drink up Buttercup
Water is vital, and we all know why plants will not thrive without it. And in my case, I wasn't watering enough. I was surprised to find my plants consistently wilted in the afternoon sun even after a morning watering. Well, I wasn't watering my plants deep enough; that's right saturating the beds every few days would've been better to establish healthy plants instead of the short daily spritz.
Person Plant Bubble
Spacing and depth were both problems of mine in the spring and summer. I learned that reading is fundamental, and you should read the seed package. As a rule of thumb, it is, generally, a good idea to sow seeds twice the depth of their size. Proper spacing ensures plants get the best start in life and don't get crowded throughout their life cycle.
Since I am a beginner, I want to assure you that the purpose of my blog and vlogs are not to come across as a master gardener with loads of experience. But, as someone that you may be able to relate to if you're also just getting started in this highly addictive lifestyle. Because let's be honest, I surpassed it being a hobby once all my spending change started going to it. Gardening is now a full-blown obsession! (haha..) Anyways, I want to share my journey with you in the hopes of inspiring and motivating you to get outside and play in the dirt.
Successes
-tomatoes: spring/summer/fall 2019
-cucumbers: spring/summer
-lettuce: fall 2019
-cilantro: fall 2019
-winter squash: summer/fall 2019
-peppers: spring/summer
-basil: fall/spring/summer
-rosemary: spring/summer
Failures
-beans: pests/lack of water
-broccoli: pests
-lettuce: summer
Check out my Etsy Store: https://www.etsy.com/shop/MixedBerryHomestead?ref=shop_sugg
Follow me on Snapchat: ashkosh89
Subscribe to my Youtube Channel: https://youtu.be/EgkcfYPXUIo
Comments