When I was younger, I never imagined myself being the person I am now. Is that weird? Does that make sense? Probably not – but one thing I absolutely never imagined myself doing was planting a vegetable garden. My mom never planted one when I was younger, and I pretty much know nothing about gardening. Last summer, I set out to plant my very first garden. With the help and advice of my wonderful mother in law (and Green Thumb Google), I was much more successful than I thought I could be in planting vegetables. Coming from a girl who regularly kills plants, this is a big deal.
Last year, the Husband built me a raised garden bed on the side of our backyard, and I planted a variety of plants – tomatoes, peppers, green beans, zucchini, eggplant, cabbage, broccoli,spaghetti squash, and a variety of herbs.
garden circa 2011
I learned a lot about gardening last year. I’m the kind of person where people can tell me what to do all the live long day, but a lot of times,I need to experience something for myself in order to learn from my mistakes. One problem I encountered last year was my squash plants totally overtaking my garden. I had no idea zucchini or spaghetti squash plants grew so much, and I definitely did not plan enough room for them to healthfully grow. Because of this, I asked the Husband to add another raised bed to the garden for this year.This way, I could plant just my squash plants separately from the other plants.
I started my garden much earlier this year than I did last year. I started with a few colder weather plants early this spring, and I plan to do the same in the fall. As I mentioned earlier, my mother in law is much better at this gardening thing than I am. She started so many plants earlier in the year (probably when it was still 30 degrees outside – such foresight!), and was kind enough to give me a lot of the plants she had started. She gave me about 50 onions she had started – and I planted them a while ago when the weather was still colder. They’re almost ready – there are a few poking out of the ground already!
She also set me up with a row of rutabagas,tomatoes, and cilantro.Basically, all I do is plant them and hope they don’t die. She did a lot of the brunt work – ha!
Last year I didn’t grow any greens, and this year I have a few romaine plants. I wish I would have planted a bunch more, but you always wish you could do things differently in hindsight,right? It’s noted for next year – in the fall I’m planning on planting a lot of kale! I also decided to get an okra plant this year – I’ve actually never had okra so I didn’t want to buy a whole bunch for an entire row. Hopefully I’ll like them!
I’ll keep you updated as things start to harvest!
Question: Have you ever planted a vegetable garden?
{ 43 comments… read them below or add one }
Ahh so jealous! I wish I could have a garden! Free veggies! I hope they all turn out well
I haven’t planted one before, but I want to. You’re definitely planting that “seed” (no pun intended) in my brain!!
I hope you like the okra; I’m definitely a fan (depending on how it’s cooked, that is). I’d love to have and tend to a garden, but I’m too lazy to make one.
Wow, nice work Chelsey! I am impressed by anyone who has a garden. I have no green thumb so I leave it to the husband-I pick and eat;-) He planted broccoli this year-yum!
I’ve never had a garden, but I’d love to some day. The house where I’m moving doesn’t have a yard that’s very condusive to a garden, but maybe I’ll be able to work something out!
I dream of having a vegetable garden, but we are re-doing the inside of the house top to bottom - it’s the priority right now, but maybe next summer!
Your garden is huge! I hope everything continues to flourish!
I wish I could have one, but our yard doesn’t have the space. Instead I grow some tomatoes and strawberries in pots and get fresh garden produce from my mom and grandma!
Ahh so cool!!! I wish I had a green thumb. Once we fix up our backyard we’re going to add some raised beds and I plan to actually not kill plants. At least I hope!
My Mom always had a huge garden growing up, and I loved everything about it. I have had my own for 4 years this year and even though it can be a lot of work, it is so worth it when I can walk out back and get fresh veggies!
I love gardening, but lack the room you have due to living in the city. Everything I have has to fit in large planters so we can only get so much. Lots of peppers and herbs though and two blueberry plants! Glad you’re enjoying gardening though. It’s so much fun to eat what you grew.
I never imagined that I would love to garden and tend to my little plants but I sure do love it! Currently, I am trying to recover my poor little plants from two storms but they are starting to come out of it- thankfully. I missed onions this year- bummer! Yours look great!!! …..Those raised beds must be awesome! Happy Gardening!
This is awesome! I’ve been begging, pleading and kissing butt to try and get my husband to build me a raised bed like this for 3 years. I just showed him this post and he’s like “you can totally do that yourself!” My new strategy is to stop cooking dinner until he agrees to it. I want my own veggies!!
i’m the same way - there’s no green thumb going on here. i’ve always wanted to have a vegetable garden, but i swear i’ve killed every plant or flower that i’ve owned. haha. maybe next year i’ll get brave enough and try it out.
Wah, wah. This is my second year of gardening, too…and mine looks like your first bed. Hahaha. I need a mother-in-law to do the brunt of the work for me.
Also, your squash in a separate bed is a grand idea! Those suckers TAKE OVER.
I’ve never planted a vegetable garden but have always wanted too. Our new neighbors have two huge vegetables boxes and I’m jealous of all their fresh produce! I’m glad your able to grow vegetables as I’m just like you in not keeping plants alive but I really want to give growing my own vegetables a shot!
We have had a garden for years. We grow everything under the sun. Its fun, and its cheap organic produce!
Youre right, alot of it comes from just learning what works and doesn’t on your own. My sister is a horticulturist so we kinda had our own walking garden dictionairy.
I have just done a post about my little balcony garden! You are so lucky to have such a great space (and such a helpful mother in law)!
I have herbs but no actual veggies. My grandma and dad both plant huge gardens, so I raid their goods.
Looks fantastic, I hope to have a garden one day- its a dream of mine
So impressed with your garden!! I’m doing my first garden this year without much knowledge because I learn best via trial and error too. When will you plant your kale? I want to grow some too!
That is just TOO cool for School. I am loving how you are getting the gardening groove. Just think what Garden 2020 will be sporting!
i am SO not a farmer, so i have special respect for this.
thank goodness for the farmer’s market!
i’m already excited about your autumn recipe posts. they can’t come soon enough!
I tried growing a tomato plant in a pot this year. Its now very dead. I might try again next year, outside. I think it just got too hot in my house for the little guy (or girl). I’m afraid of the squirrels, though.
I wish I had someone like your mother in law to help me with my garden - I’m totally clueless! Half of my plants don’t really look like they’re doing so well either…. oh well though. This year was my experimenting year, so hopefully next year I’ll have a better idea of what I’m doing.
Also - what do you do for pest control in your garden? My broccoli is getting destroyed by these annoying green caterpillars! =(
Haha I’m starting to turn out a bit that way too! Definitely not who I thought I would be - but I reckon it’s a good thing to keep surprising ourselves
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I planted a herb garden with my dad when I was 10 and have had great success with herbs. Vegetables not so much - mainly because I live in funny climates (I am from the Caribbean) which tend to be too hot for them to grow well, and also because I have no green thumb whatsoever. Also my cats tend to eat up whatever they can so it’s hard to get ‘untainted’ veg!
that’s so sweet that he built you a garden!! look at you miss green thumb!! so exciting! little plant babies!
Look at you and the green thumb! You go girl! Can’t wait to watch the progress!
I can’t wait to have my own house with a yard for a garden! Like you, we never had one growing up and my mom is mainly into flower gardening. But I am so excited to grow my own veggies!
I am completely lacking a green thumb. My main problem is I also lack the care to develop one. Digging around in the dirt is my idea of pure torture. Too many summers as a kid being forced to do so and also to go berry picking. *shudder* I could never do that again!
My grandma has always kept a fantastic vegetable garden, and my mom and I have been trying the past few years to keep one of our own. Our harvests haven’t quite measured up to hers, but it’s always cool to cook with veggies you picked from your own backyard!
Ahhh I wish I had planted a garden, but I have a serious brown thumb when it comes to gardening
I’m so impressed! My mom-in-law does a great garden-ish thing in a ton of little pots in the summer. I used to love using the herb scissors and adding the fresh stuff to our dinners. She did all the work and I would reap the benefits…black thumb here
It’s funny that the first thing you said is that you never pictured yourself being who you are now - I can completely relate!! I even joke to my husband that he had no idea what he was in store for with me (and neither did I!). I’ve just changed so much over the past year, but I think it’s all in a good way
Your garden is looking mighty awesome. The best I can do right now are pots on a balcony, but give me a backyard soon, and I’ll be alllllll over that garden, too. Pass your green thumb onto me, mmmkay?!
Love your garden! And I love that you had to add another bed to it this year. I started out with one and now I’m up to 3 plus 3 giant galvanized tubs (strawberries, squash) and 4 more buckets/pots for tomatoes. It’s totally gotten out of control and next year the hubs is building new beds and we’re moving everything to a new part of the yard. I really just need a farm
I’m gardening for the first time this year on my apartment balcony. Of course I wait until I sell my house and move into an apartment to begin gardening, because THAT makes sense, right? I had good success with butter bib lettuce this spring, but it’s really too hot now. Currently I have several garlic and 4 huge cherry tomato plants going strong!
Very cool! I’ve never planted a garden, but I do like reading about other people’s experience. I’m just not sure I have the patience to grow one myself!
i am hopeless with gardens! we have a community one at work and everyone is amazing at it, except me! i finally gave up and just planted blackberry plants and am hoping that takes!
i thought i hated okra, but i recently re-tried it this weekend and it was delicious! my step-mom’s dad grows it, so she had a bunch this weekend…she cut it into bite-sized pieces, sprayed w/ olive oil, S & P and put it in the oven. definitely a great way to try it !
I kill my garden every.single.year. But this year, I’m living next to a woman who has a total green thumb, and after one week of having her water my tomatoes while I was on vacation, they are thriving! ha!
Ohmygosh! I LOVE okra! It’s proably not very healthy, but it is absolutely delicious breaded!
I do not have a green thumb. It must be rewarding to have a garden.
I grew up helping my parents in their HUGE garden, and we’ve had a garden since we’ve lived in a house for the past 6 years. It’s a decent size, maybe 40′ X 20′, but I”d like to make it bigger next year. We use absolutly NO chemicals in our garden and as long as the weather isn’t terrible we usually have a wonderful yeild. One of the BEST organic fertilzers you can put in your garden is to rototill chicken manure into the dirt as soon as its thawed enough from winter to work with. We get all we want from my dad’s small organic free range chicken hobby farm. It might sound gross or wierd but honestly it’s the BEST thing ever! Your fruits & veggies will never grow better.
Do you have a post on how you started and built your raised beds?! I’m finally going to start one!!!