I haven’t had ANY SUCCESS gardening. None. I am a hindered, but nonetheless, hopeful gardener. I’m bound and determined to make something grow… somehow, some way… some day.

Our original garden plan was ruled out when we discovered we have a serious gopher problem, and a good vegetable garden just wont survive until we can build some raised beds with hardware wire in the bottoms. Those wont be built and ready to plant before the Fall, but I refuse to accept another defeat, or even a postponement in doing some real gardening with my kids. So… I’ve come up with a Plan B.

The point to this Plan B garden is simply to get out there in the yard with my children, enjoy the sunshine and all of God’s glorious creation at our fingertips, and hope to make something grow. All of us would be so thrilled if we could just have some pumpkins to harvest and make pies with this Autumn.

So we’re starting simple. We’re going to plant Sunflowers, sugar peas, watermelons, and pumpkins… and that’s it.

We’re leaving our Plan A gardening spot alone so that it can be worked on, building raised beds, putting in hardware wires, amending the soil, etc.

We’ve chosen a new area near a fence we can tie our Sunflowers to, if they really get as tall as the package suggests is possible… 12 ft.

Of course this new area has needed a little help to get started.

First we had to do a whole lot of weeding.

Hey… now that looks so much better doesn’t it?

And then Papa set up a drip line with sprinkler heads for the area, and added a hose as well.

The next task was to amend the soil with some good organic fertilizer.

The kids have been out there helping me, every step of the way, and really enjoying it.

I know how these pictures look…

Like I’m sipping lemonade while taking photographs and using my kids as slave labor.

I swear they love being out there and digging, and watering, and playing with bugs they find. They just love it.

And trust me…

I’ve been working hard out there too.

Here’s the dirt and blisters to prove it.

I was even wearing gloves.

Sheesh!

So let’s get down to business.

Dearest community of gardening friends…

Here are my hand drawn plans and now I need your input.

Give me all you’ve got… your thoughts, your advice, your warnings.

I’m planning on doing a row of Sunflowers against the fence.

Then I’m doing a double row of staggered Sugar Pea Pods.

In the front, I’d like to do some hills for watermelons, and some hills for the smaller Sugar Pumpkins used for baking.

The seed packets say my watermelon and pumpkin hills should be 7 – 10 ft. apart. Can you tell me why this is. Can you also tell me what will happen if I break this rule and stagger my hills only 1 or 2 ft. apart so that I can fit in about 8 hills. If I go by what the seed packet says I’ll only have room for one hill of each. Please oh please tell me I can put my hills closer together and it will be fine.

And… once I get my little seeds in the ground, and keep them watered, what else do I need to do? Do I need to take measures to protect everything from bugs, birds, and critters now preemptively, or wait until I see some signs of attack? What do you recommend, based on what I’m planting?

Do I need to give any of these plants extra food?

I’m scared. I’m hopeful… but I’m scared.

I just can’t imagine anything in the plant family actually, really, surviving to full maturity at the hands of this hindered gardener.

Help!

I cherish your input and your kind encouragement.

Make sure to head over to the Inadvertent Gardener and check out what everyone else is doing in their Kindergardens. There’s a lot of inspiration and GORGEOUS produce to be found!

18 Responses to “Saga of a Hindered but Hopeful Gardener – Post 3 – Plan B”