Garden Adventure 2.0

3/1/2014

POSTED BY: Stefanie LaSalle

It's been a long, cold winter here in New England. With another storm on the horizon, what better time to begin planning for spring!?

Last year, I decided that I wanted to grow vegetables. My dream of gardening was not without challenges. One, we rent, and we don't have any space for a traditional garden. Luckily, container gardens are very popular and there are tons of resources for having a successful crop. Second, I am not a garden-person. I don't know anything about growing plants. I am crazy afraid of bugs. And by "afraid" I mean spider-on-ceiling-stare-at-ceiling-until-someone-finds-me-and-deals-with-spider kind of crazy.

But my head was filled with images of leafy greens, plump tomatoes, and that fresh earthy scent of soil.

Read enough garden books and blogs, and one message is loud and clear - you learn something new every year. I wouldn't say my first garden was a failure, but it was far from the lush jungle that I pictured. I'm making a lot of adjustments to my garden this year - everything from the containers, to the types of veggies.

Over the next few months, I'll be sharing with you my Garden Adventure 2.0. I'll highlight my favorite resources, my DIY attempts, and (hopefully) my lush and delicious harvest!

Until then, here's a review of my "Test Garden: 2013"

"Test Garden" 2013

Challenges
Space, water source, containers, inexperience, sunlight, animals & pests

Mistakes
Inside too long - leggy and weak, not enough water, not adequate light for some plants, no pest control, half soil/half potting mix

Improvement plan for 2014
Research, self watering container, companion planting, different crops, better location for light.

Looking back, my porch garden seemed so big, but really it was just a few pots and bags. You'll notice the make-shift cages over several of the plants. The birds and squirrels kept eating my little plants!