I decided to try my hand at gardening this year. I have a small patch at our lake cabin that was about 500 sq feet of space to use with good soil brought in from a neighboring farm. I lucked out by going to a greenhouse just before the May long weekend this year and everything was 2 for 1 that day for their grand opening special. I spent about 40 dollars on various plants, 4 cucumber, 25 tomato, 2 dill, 4 green pepper, some corn, and finally a few peas and carrots. As the garden was about 20 minutes away from my primary residence, it didn't always get the attention that it should have probably, but overall it was fairly well cared for.
I'm absolutely shocked at the results. I did use a lot of higher end plant food, and we got a good bit of timely rain and a lot of sunshine this year which certainly helped I'm sure. We cropped out over 500 Tomatoes, 90 Cucumbers, 60+Peppers, and a lot of corn which is still coming down. For very little money and a little bit of work every 2nd day or so, the amount of product we received is astonishing to this first timer. Plus, one of the cucumber plants died on day two or so, and they were only about 4 inches high when I planted them. It's simply amazing how much the 3 survivors grew and spiraled up the rebar I stuck in the ground for them to climb. The wife has made two dozen jars of salsa from a small number of the tomatoes and peppers, so all of our family and friends are set for nacho's and the football season.
I know gardening is the "pastime" in the UK, and with so many Brits on board here I'm sure a few will sound off with their results and experience. I'd like to have a better plan for next year and advice on the best way to plan out a garden, and any tips and tricks would be welcome. Now I realize it isn't exactly rocket science, but it's been quite a bit of fun "creating" and growing something from scratch as this is something well outside my usual skill set.
