You Are Going to Fail

{Peas in May}

Starting a garden has been a learning experience to say the least.  I've never gardened before, and I am certainly no expert.  Before I planted my seeds, I spent quite a lot of time researching garden topics: gardening in the desert, how to make raised beds, irrigation systems, etc.  I even typed my notes as I went, and now have them printed out into a 100 page manual! 

 {My first pea seedling}

 I wanted a garden, so I decided to try it, knowing full well that it wouldn't be perfect, and that I would probably fail.  I was really surprised when my seeds started to sprout.  I was even more surprised when they actually grew!  When I built my garden bed, it turned out better than I imagined... Maybe I wouldn't fail... Maybe my garden would be perfect...

{06.01.11}

Nope, I was wrong.  When I planted my garden, I knew that some of my crop choices are "cool weather crops."  They will grow well in colder climates, and in the desert, they would be viable in winter, but they are not tolerant of our extreme heat.  I also knew that some of the crops I chose, would require a lot of attention, and skills that I didn't have.  I also knew that watering would be a challenge because some of the crops in my bed require lots of water, and others require only a little.

A few weeks ago, I noticed that my pea leaves were beginning to turn yellow and shrivel.  I researched possible causes.  One possibility was a fungus!  My heart broke.  If it were a fungus, it would have surely spread throughout the soil, and all of my crops would soon die as well.  I read another cause might be "root rot."  A condition caused when certain crops get too much water.  This happens to plants in containers with poor drainage.  Their roots decay because they are flooded and not able to get air.  Again I was crushed, but decided that I would try to fix the problem before it got worse...

I scoured my garage for plastic containers.  I covered the peas so that they wouldn't get any water, unless I manually watered them, but they would still be able to get sunlight.  This had to work.

It didn't, and yesterday, I decided enough was enough.  I knew from the beginning that peas are a cool weather crop, and can't grow in temperatures over 80°.  The past few days we've been in the 100°-105° range.  My poor peas didn't stand a chance.  Lesson learned, and I'll try again in September.

{06.10.11}

If you're trying gardening for the first time, don't let failure deter you.  Instead, try something new, and keep going!  I pulled out all of my pea plants, and threw them in the compost bin, and planted my watermelon plants in their spot.