Never have I ever attempted to grow anything. So when I got the itch to start a new hobby in the middle an Indian River County summer, I thought, “Why not start a vegetable garden?”
As any wise person looking to successfully launch into a new hobby would do, I consulted with the experts. I conversed with experienced gardeners, I visited local nurseries, and I chatted up every consultant in every lawn and garden department of every store within a 15 mile radius. They all told me the same thing.
“Wait.”
But I’m not very good at waiting so I asked each of them what I could do to best my chances at growing some veggies now.
They responded with, “Don’t.”
So naturally I grabbed a little bit of everything, recruited a few friends with tools, Googled “how to build a raised garden bed,” and got to work.
Here is what I learned about starting a new hobby in a South Florida Summer when everyone who knows anything about that hobby told me not to bother.
1. Those people knew what they were talking about. However, if you treat your garden like an excessively-needy newborn child, you might end up with vegetables.
2. It takes lots of, well, feces. We lined the bottom of the raised bed with a weed blocker, then filled the bed up with a base layer of cow manure and another layer of organic soil mix for vegetable gardens.
3. If you’re not tool-savvy, recruit friends to help with the construction project. Bribing them with dinner and drinks does help. Remember you will owe them some fruits of your labor.
4. Start with seedlings. As I mentioned, I grabbed one of just about everything, and planted them all in the small bed, ignoring all suggestions on the labels about proper spacing.
5. Don’t ignore all suggestions on the labels about proper spacing. R.I.P. artichoke hearts.
6. Herbs and small peppers like jalapenos and banana peppers are your best friends. Things that grow on a vine are not hopeless.
7. Vines grow, and grow, and grow, and grow. So if you plan on planting watermelon or squash, lattice or some sort of fencing for them to grow through are not options. If you skip this step, the vines will descend on your garden like tourists on your favorite beach over spring break, and ruin the fun for everyone.
8. Carefully choose a place in the yard that will spend at least part of the day in the shade.
9. Water it like the dickens (three times daily), until it rains like the dickens, then water it a little less.
Sometimes “exploring” an area is not so much about going somewhere new as it is trying something different. So if you’re ready to try your hand at gardening for the first time, and you aren’t afraid of a little trial and error, don’t shy away from a summer-time planting project. Just know it’s going to need a lot of TLC.
Comment with your IRC gardening successes and failures, tips and tricks! We want to hear them!