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I'm so giddy that I just can't stand it!!!
I set seeds out in the garden on the 21st (along with my tomatoes that I started indoors.) Here it is the 27th and everything has sprouted and has their true leaves! I have to tell ya, this is a HUGE ego boost for this first time gardener!
Now the battle of the critters begins!!!

Check it out:


My green and lima beans:


So glad this forum is here to share my excitement....my family just thinks I'm nuts!

Ohhhhhhh my goodness,
What a great garden you have there...


I know what you mean about the family thinkin'
you're crazy.... My husband continously asks me,
"Why I just can't go to the store to buy a tomato???????????"

hahahaha..

Please keep us posted...
I would love to see the progress of your garden/plants...

Oh! That's cool. I am a first time veggie gardener too. I actually have not even tilled my garden yet. zone 7 and last frost is April 15th-ish. So I did not know I should put down that black stuff. What is it? My garden should be pretty small; Do you think I will benefit from doing that or is it expensive? How do you water it?

Landscape fabric..

Make sure you pick a few different kinds out,
and see each season, which one you like!!!

I've had 4 different kinds..

One was very opaque and didn't let any light in
*so that was very good for weed control, but didn't let
in much water and had to water under it abit...*

The next kind had some great holes in it and let some really
good amount of water thru, but was too thin and weeds' grew quite rapidly...

Another kind was just right, didn't let toooooooo much light in
and didn't have alot of weeds growing..and let just the right amount of water thru..
Was nice..
*I can't remember the name of it and I'll find it, JUST REMIND
me sometime, if you still want the name of it*

So, experiment with them and see which one works best for you..
*and don't try to do it all in one season..
it'll never happen..
That's how you learn...
And I've been learning for about 11 years here now
with my garden...

~~~>it is a bit expensive..
*I did some work for my mother, and she buys me goodies,
so, that's what I chose.. I couldn't really afford it
*no job* but it's not that totally outragous either..

Price it around town, for length and see for your own self,
or needs...

*a very frugal way of doing the same way, is newspaper layers..
***just gotta keep them wet/moist.. and something on top of them
so they don't fly away..
and if you let the top layers' dry out, it forms like a dry crust action, and doesn't really allow water to premiate..
it just kinda rolls off to the side..
~can also take and shake on dried grass clippings too,
that's alot of work, but free...
(gotta watch out for too many weed seeds though from your lawn)


~~~And you let the rain water water it, or take a hose to it..
just over the top of it...
it has tiny holes in it, shaped like funnels..
big on top, and they taper down into the black fabric~which goes into the soil like, they are just really small...

Hi AgnesDeiHmschl....

U r doing great n yet i wanna wish u all da best..!!!

Congrats Alice! That looks great. I know the wonderful feeling when you experience success with your garden (whether it's your first or 100th)! It will feel this good every time :) In case you didn't see it, someone mentioned in a post on the old site about how the black covering will generate a lot of heat (especially down here in the south). As soon as you can get some type of mulch (I use wheat straw), I would cover the black plastic to keep it cool.

I was surprised at how much heat this did generate! When I cut into the plastic to plant the seeds, you could feel this warm rush of air come out. Then when I planted my tomato plants, I dug down in the rows with my hands and the earth was PERFECT! Very warm and moist, so I went back out that night to check it again and it was still warm! No wonder the seeds are loving it!

I'm just loving this plastic stuff! I'm hoping it will last the whole growing season so I don't have to weed! I have a watermelon patch next to the garden and it is already full of weeds. If I hadn't already planted my seeds, I would till it all up and cover it with the plastic.

BTW, I got my plastic at Walmart. 120ft. for 15 bucks!

The one thing you have to watch though with plastic vs landscape fabric is.....
Plastic..
#1. It doesn't let IN water.
#2. It does promote heat and moisture under the plastic
if you manage to put the hose under the plastic..
but it MAY cause powdery mildew or rot or fungus..
Once the summer really kicks in with the heat and temps.

Just keep an eye on it...

Posting a little update on my garden...

Things have really taken off with all the rain we've been having! I need to mow around the perimeter because the weeds are really high and blocking out some of the evening sunshine! (Our backyard butts up to a hay field!)


Here is my squash, zucchini and green beans. I will be putting up trellises this week with some 2X2's and chicken wire.


And throwing in a picture of our fig tree. It literally exploded overnight with all those lush green leaves! Wish I knew what variety of fig it is! Hopefully it will make for some good preserves this summer!

Gosh that's a gorgeous garden..
And we love to watch them as they progress...
Thanks soooooooo much for the pictures...

Great garden. I so wish I could plant out. My stuff is taking over my house.