My first little harvest
I know it’s very humble, but it’s the first harvest that I have had since I put together a backyard garden about 2 months ago.
7 porch planters which get partial sun for things like herbs and the micro greens
2 raised beds in the backyard which get full sun for squash primarily, but also anything I can fit in with it.
Radishes, a few onions, and a small amount of micro greens (would have been more but I didn’t realize that the caterpillars were going crazy in the micros).
Lessons that I have learned already:
1. Do not over water
I would worry if the top soil got dry in my small porch planters which only get partial sun. They got way too saturated and I didn’t realize.
2. Do not over fertilize
I mixed in way too much of a granular fertilizer in my little porch planters (after doing more research, I now understand that seeds don’t need fertilizer to germinate). This combined with keeping them very wet led to a fly orgy and ultimately caused a crazy bloom of maggots, which horrified me. (I treated the planters with peroxide, but this killed or heavily stunted my other plants- I think the micro greens only did ok because they had not really sprouted yet.)
- Be proactive about checking for caterpillars
Caterpillars ate a disappointing amount of my micro greens. The squash and radishes in my raised beds were nearly untouched by leaf eating insects. I’m guessing it’s because I have some ants in these beds which are hunting.
I guess these are the only lessons that come to mind thus far, but it still feels like I’ve already learned a lot. This sub has been a big help with getting started, so thanks to all of you who provide such great advice.