it's a new year

when I look at the investment of time and money that went into last years garden vs. the quantity and quality of the return on that investment I am at first mostly disappointed. But ultimately feel compelled to try again and to attempt to do it better. True failure would have been to give up or to have never tried in the first place.

Mistakes made last year include:

• spending too much money on fancy brand name fertilizer
• over crowding the garden
• planting from seeds instead of seedlings
• pulling half my plants when they first sprouted because they looked like weeds
• thinning too late

it's possible too that I may have over watered last year... but I'm not sure... that's a mistake I might make again. The thing is there are more "experts" at the garden than there are variety of things being grown in the garden.... and every "expert" has their own thoughts on right and wrong... too much vs too little... when to add this product or when to add that one.

Being newbies we try to take the myriad advice we get and choose the options that best feel right to us. Sometimes we get it right... we had cucumbers out the ears for two weeks last year... and some times we get it wrong... our beets and carrots were woody and small. But its our land... our time... our satisfaction... and it sure beats sitting on the couch watching television.

Welcome back to year two of our garden blog.