Under no circumstances do I call myself a gardener or even that I have a green thumb. But if I can do it, then so can you! Here is everything I know about gardening. It's the exact opposite of professional advice. Somethings I think the best information you can get is from someone whos just learning too. An easy, no-bull crap approach to growing food in your own backyard. At least what's worked for me. Keep reading to see how I did it!
I currently live in the heart of downtown south salt lake city and this was my second year gardening. My dog can be a little pest and loves to dig. That's why I had to create an entire barrier around the garden. In my first year, I used a black deer net. But this year I used a slightly cheaper barrier made of burlap. Personally, I preferred the deer net. Over the course of the summer, the burlap started to sag and my dog could then peek her little nose in the garden. But it wasn't that big of a pain, I'd just rewrap the sagging burlap whenever I noticed it hanging too low. Luckily my pup didn't have a chance to dig anything up this year. Last year she kept getting the jalapeno plant and sadly he didn't make it.
Salt Lake is known to have very hard dirt. Someone once told me it literally has concert mixed into for whatever reason. So we had to add some fresh dirt to our garden bed. Online you'll find tons of videos of what mixture of dirt you should buy and/or make... we just got dirt. Literally the cheapest bag we could find at Home Depot and it worked just fine. I'm pretty sure it was supposed to be used for bushes or something. I don't know, but I do know it worked just fine to grow my vegetables.
My advice is don't take any unsolicited advice that'll overwhelm you. You can keep it pretty basic and evolve from there. In my second year, I grow a few more zucchinis than my first year. So you'll get better with time. It's better to keep it simple at first rather than quitting prematurely.
Gardening is very much a belated satisfaction. It's a great lesson is being patient. As well as keeping realistic expectations. Basically have zero expectations. Gardening can be hard. I swear sometimes the plant just says, "I don't like you today". Plus if you keep very low expectations, then when you do get anything to grow, you are that much more excited. I don't know just one of those "glass half full vs half empty" things. Also, it's important to know, the more years you do it the better they will grow. So like I already said, it's good to be patient!
This year here in Utah we had a pretty bad drought, so I only hand-watered my garden twice a week. This was really all they needed. I never noticed any signs of under or overwatering. Also, make sure you pick a spot that gets a good amount of sun. Most plants you can grow here in Utah require at least 6 hours of direct sunlight every day.
This year I tried tomatoes, zucchini, and spaghetti squash. I'd say I have pretty good success with all three. Especially good success with the tomatoes and zucchini. Those seem to be the easiest for me to grow.
In my first year, I tried to grow tomatoes, zucchini, peppers, jalapenos, and mint. Both sets of peppers did not grow at all. My dog was very attached to the smell of both of these, and she dug them up more than once. My mint did surprises well. I grow it in a small container and it lasted me all summer long. Just make sure to not grow it with the rest of your garden. My friend did that once and the mint completely took over the entire garden.
My zucchini plant has always been my most successful plant. They grow very easily here in Utah. I would get one to two squashes each week. Does anyone have any suggestions of what I should try to grow next year??
As for my spaghetti squash, I was only able to grow three medium-sized squashes. I believe it's because I didn't have a big enough garden box for them. They really like to take a space. I think it would have done better if I let it grow up the deer net. But this year with the burlap, I couldn't really let it climb without pulling the burlap too low.
For my tomato plant, I noticed it'll produce a lot more tomatoes when I would pick off leaves and branches that won't grow any tomatoes. I also liked to pull my tomatoes right before they turned red and then bring them inside. I felt they tasted better that way. Or at least it was easier for me to see when they were the perfect red when sitting in my refrigerator.
I'll try again next year and let it grow and update it does any better. Thanks for reading. Make sure to come back here later for more tricks and tips!
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