A cook's garden: A review of my first season

One season in and my vegetable garden was...a project! Some successes, some failures, and lots of learnings. I'll be back at it next year - with a new and improved garden. In the meantime, I thought I would share the twelve things I learned from season one.

Make a watering schedule and stick to it. It was a particularly dry summer this year and not having a regular watering schedule made my vegetables suffer. Unable to rely on frequent rain, the vegetables went through very dry periods, followed by huge rainfalls. The result was uneven growth, spots on some vegetables and some cracked tomatoes.

Water the soil, not the plant. Dawn and dusk are the ideal times to water, when you don’t risk scalding the plants by watering in high heat. This isn't always possible, so at least try to water the roots instead of spraying the top of the plants. Wet plants are susceptible to fungus and disease - it's also not the easiest way for plants to absorb moisture. Soaking hoses that you can lay directly in your vegetable beds are ideal.

Make sure your container plants have enough room. While it is very pretty to have a bounty of herbs in one pot, many of these herbs will take over and crowd the rest out (I’m talking about you, mint). You’re better off with several pots, and research what likes to grow together.

Pumpkins take over. Know this. Find an edge of the garden where there is lots of room for them to spread…because they will.

Fence off your garden. This can be very hard (and costly) to do, however there are only so many nights you can keep watch and chase away hungry bunnies. Plan ahead and put your vegetable garden somewhere that will be hard for little critters to access - otherwise your hard work will be for not.

Thin out carrots, beets and lettuce. Once these vegetables begin to show green shoots it is crucial that you thin them out allowing room for the vegetables to grow to full size. Failing to thin means that the vegetables will be under developed and misshapen.

Tomatoes are a girl’s best friend. Stake your tomatoes, and be sure to check on the regularly to make sure they are supported. They were by far my most successful crop, maybe because the bunnies couldn't reach them! Very rewarding and so delicious when grown in your own backyard.

If you hope to grown cucumbers vertically, use a proper lattice and train the cucumbers not to crowd each other. My attempt at growing them up the fence with a makeshift lattice was unsuccessful. I have however seen some beautiful examples of this done properly in my community. Water the root system frequently - they are a thirsty vegetable.

Keep a gardening calendar. Make note of planting days and the days when the crops should be ready to pick (it tells you on the seed package). Although there will be visual indicators, this will help give you a better sense when items like carrots and beets are ready.

Draw it out. Do gardening plan. When you have all your seeds packets ready, measure our all the required distances between rows to determine exactly how much room you need and what to put where. Hang on to this plan year after year so you can improve on last years mistakes.

Grow potatoes in a garbage can. This works! It was hugely successful and the potatoes grow safe and sound in their protected bin. I harvested some as early potatoes and let others grow later in the season. This project was a lot of fun.

Plants make it easier. Seeds are inexpensive and fun to plant with kids – but for some vegetables, plants that have been started for you are much better. Namely cucumbers and tomatoes. Slightly pricey, but much easier...especially for us rookies.

Originally published September 15th, 2012.