Gardening update!

I am so torn with this blog. Should I break off my gardening to a gardening blog? And other on cooking? And another on being green? But then I realized that this is titled Missy's Journey for a reason - it's about my journey through this thing called life, and ALL of those fit into that journey. For now, I am keeping everything here. But I'd love to hear your input!

So I tried to start plants from seed this year. I've tried it before, but more aggressively this year, as I have more time. Here is how that little experiment went:

• Planted 24 impatiens seeds, only got 5 plants. Not sure if it was the seed quality, or how I handled them. So today I planted those five little plants in a container. Next year, I will try more. The ones that took root actually grew very well inside.
• Planted a dozen sweet pea (confused at what the plant was) to find that it's a climbing plant. Not the best kind to start inside. They were long, crawling vines. Today I planted them in a planter with a metal rack behind to climb on. Hoping they will start to grab hold.
• Started lots of marigolds to put in my garden, as I've been told they will keep the bunnies out. Last year was the first year I had any problems with bunnies, but there are a few running around in the yard now and then. The marigolds seem quite easy to grow, but I should have started them a little early. They're kind of small yet, but healthy. Will definitely do them again.
• Started four pots of cucumbers and they grew VERY well. So much, that if my husband doesn't get the climbing structure built soon, I will be harvesting cucumbers in the house... Could have started them a little later... but they are very healthy plants.
• Started eggplant inside, could have started them earlier, they're a little small, but went outside today.
• Started kholrabi, not sure how they are going to work out. Still too small to tell.
• For fun, I planted some flowering kale (decorative) to add to my perennial border, to add some interest. I've not added annuals to my borders in the past, and they get a little blah during the summer months.
• I didn't plant nearly enough flowers for my containers, as I'd hoped. I wanted to save money on flowers (hard to justify), but I was way off. I will have to plan better next year!
• Need to figure out why some of my plants are so spindly.. RESEARCH!

The garden is changed up this year too. We added a big "country" garden this year, in addition to my round decorative garden.

• Planted two long rows of red potatoes (new to me), a gift from a friend.
• 30 tomatoes - 12 plants for eating (two varieties - have to go ck the names), and 18 roma for sauces and salsas.
• 24 peppers - 6 jalapeno, 6 red bell, and 12 mixed green bell

The round decorative garden, planted in honor of my mother, surrounds a flowering crab, and includes four peonies, and spring tulips and Sweet Williams. The rest is filled with vegetables.

• 6 cauliflower
• 6 broccoli
• 8 eggplant
• one row of onion sets
• Still to plant: kohlrabi, peas, beans, lettuce, chard, and spinach
• I'm hoping to have one quadrant left that will house a zucchini and a summer squash.

We don't have enough space for "crawlers" as I like to call them - i.e. pumpkins, cucumbers, etc. So this year my husband is building me an A-frame trellis to grow cucumbers on for pickles. I am VERY excited to be growing cukes and making pickles! I wish, wish, wish I had space for multiple squash - I love spaghetti squash, acorn, and buttercup, but I have to have SOMETHING to buy from the farmer's market, right?

I am looking at this garden as my "job" for the summer. My pay being a freezer and pantry full going into fall. I am hoping to be on top of it all summer - weeding, harvesting, etc. We will see. There will be ups and downs. I am such a gardening novice. But I am young. There is time to learn.