[South]

How did you fill your beds?

What have you planted in them?

How much sun does the area get?

Photos?

Yes you should be able to still either turn it around or start over. There’s a lot you can still plant right now.

• This reply was modified 1 year, 6 months ago by  South.

[1PhillyGirl]

Thank you! All things i have considered. I am working on having my soil tested.

[jordanmills]

Have you had your soil tested? Are you short of any nutrients?

[1PhillyGirl]

Thank you! That is where I will start!

[NonaLee]

We bought soil test kits a rural king and tested each planter. Then we add what is needed. This is a pic of how one of our planters is doing in our high tunnel

[1PhillyGirl]

Wow. Looks great! Thanks for the encouragement.

[Njorun38]

Nice!

[CarolinaCarefree]

Start with the fact that you have not done anything wrong, but learned what not to do the next. Then what the others have said should help. Attitude has a lot to do with many things. Negative items will bring you done but if you learn from something (even if that is not what to do) then thing were not wasted and you can always start over. (Even if not this year, then next). You should have time to correct things because different things grow at different times of the year. Don’t start over, only correct things that need to be.

[1PhillyGirl]

Thank you for the kind words of encouragement😊

[Ozark-Hillbilly]

Just keep going with it. Start what ever will grow. Lettuce beans etc. It’s still early enough that you could even get a few tomatoes before freeze. You can cover them on the frost nights. You won’t get the bumper crop but you will get some. Green tomatoes have some good use. Fried and canned in salsa. What you really need is the expereince of doing it. You will do better the next time. Even in weeding the garden learn what the weeds are some of those have benefits and can make foods, spices and medicines. Learn about the bugs that you see. It is hard to change something. I have found that its best to take what is there and go with that. Learn it then amend it if need be. Trying to amend soil with out really understanding what you are doing is very costly and laborious. You can just be pouring a lot of money in a mud hole. All you really need is dirt and some seed. That’s a great place to start your journey. Grace to you and may your blessings be multiplied. 🙂 Keep a written journal of what you plant month/day and what happened over time Loss and successes even pictures, It will be priceless come next growing season. After all it is the journey.

• This reply was modified 1 year, 6 months ago by  Ozark-Hillbilly.
• This reply was modified 1 year, 6 months ago by  Ozark-Hillbilly.

[1PhillyGirl]

Yes! Thank you.

[A_Backyard_Barn]

I’m also in zone 6, (south central PA), and the garden is very late this year. I’m just now getting peas, and everything is smaller due to the lack of rain. We’re finally getting some good soaking rains, so I’m hopeful for the remainder of the season.

[1PhillyGirl]

Oh, thank goodness I’m not alone up here.

[PetraTilling]

Here are two books I have found useful this year. Gary Pilarchik also has a great website and helpful YouTube channel – The Rusted Garden.

https://youtube.com/@THERUSTEDGARDEN

I’m relatively new to gardening and am learning as I go.

I continually remind myself that I can’t learn without first failing.

[PetraTilling]

Whoops! Here are the two books:

[1PhillyGirl]

What a great thought! Thanks for the resources.

[JerseyGiantChick]

We use a market garden set up, so our beds are raised but not really raised beds if that makes sense. This is the first year we use rabbits manure and compost from own produce, and it is looking promising.

Just some mixed in the soil and some after planting like mulch, it is poison free so clean to use. In the compost is chickens manure, kitchen scraps, tea, cafe grounds, weeds, al that can be composted.

Plants look satisfied, green and healthy, we will see what the harvest will show us.

[MartHale7]

You have already done it. Welcome to gardening, it is normal to take up to 5 years to get a good idea of what gardening is about and make all the mistakes it takes to be a good gardener.

What can you do to make this less time?

I suggest find gardeners near you and visit them and trade. Finding a local gardener that has good garden can help easy the learning curve of gardening, as they have already figured out what is needed to grow in your area.

Also there are excellent gardeners on Youtube that you can learn from.

Gardening takes courage as you will kill plants, but the reward of getting past the black thumb is food for your belly. Keep at it!

[1PhillyGirl]

Thank you 😊 i am in the process of connecting with some local gardeners.

[FaithK]

There are so many things it could be. Right now, most things here are stunted because of lack of rain (6B, Southern Illinois). Other places have too much rain. Other places are having too much heat and blazing sun. And those are only the beginning of issues that could be happening.

Soil testing doesn’t have to be expensive to get an idea what’s going on nutritionally (at least with NPK). Lustre leaf (or leaf lustre, or something like that) has what they call a 40 test pack. It’s 10 each of pH test, Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium. I found out I basically had dead soil, very slightly acidic, that needed a bunch of things to produce. I don’t keep up with the fertilizer though. I really wanted a STUN garden (sheer, total, utter neglect) but I’m a few years from that. Anyway, that test pack is only like $15 and can be found at most big-box stores or even places like Ace. It’s good for keeping tabs on how your soil is changing through the season. You can get in touch with your local extension service; they may offer free or very very inexpensive soil testing. There are places online that also do pretty detailed soil testing for like $40-50 with quick turnaround.

Good luck, and come back with some pics! Experienced gardeners are great at diagnosing a lot of issues just by looking (I am not one of them lol)

[1PhillyGirl]

Thanks! I’m heading over to my local extension tomorrow. I hope they can help a little.

[EvW]

This has been a chilly spring, after a warmish late winter. A lot of us are having trouble.😉

[KansasTerri]

Our spring in Kansas was cool and dry. With regular watering the brocoli and potatos are doing well. but peas look terrible and the beans are just STARTING to look good. I am having to re-plant the melons and zucchini

I am hoping that now it is warmer that other veggies will pick up as well.

[1PhillyGirl]

Thank you 😊