I met Melanie Bremner at an Internet Marketing event in Atlanta Georgia a few years ago. She comes from a family of lady marketers who each run their own businesses from home and I had the pleasure of meeting 3 generations of them. Since that time, Melanie and I have gotten to know each other better by following each other on Facebook. I’ve enjoyed seeing what she’s up to with her business and for that matter I’ve always enjoy her personal posts as well. That being said, my ears really perked up when she started talking about beginning vegetable gardening and Melanie graciously accepted my request to provide a guest post for my gardening friends who perhaps feel the same way she did in feeling like she just didn’t have a green thumb!
Thank you @Melanie for taking the time to share with my readers. 🙂
When I first decided that I would try my hand again at growing a vegetable garden, I didn’t have much faith in my abilities. My beginning vegetable gardens had both been flops and I had pretty much determined that I didn’t have a green thumb in any sense. But, my family loves tomatoes and green peppers and knowing how these vegetables can become quite expensive, I set out to conquer this gardening challenge and reap some benefits.
So, what did I do?
- I researched the proper time to grow these vegetables
- How far apart to place the plants
- Where the best location was where they would get just the right amount of sun and shade
- The best soils and manure to use to aid them in their growth
- And how often they should be watered
My darling hubby dug up the dirt in the old flower bed in front of our house and then we spent $60 on two different soils, some sheep manure, and some mulch. This combination of ingredients worked so well that we only had to pull out two or three weeds the whole time and sometimes when I forgot to water them, the mulch did an excellent job of retaining some of the moisture so the plants did not suffer any.
It has now been roughly two months or so since our plants have grown and the numbers are climbing. At last count we had 100 vine tomatoes, 6 green peppers and 10 little cherry tomatoes (these were planted weeks after the other ones so are slow to come to fruition).
The green pepper plants I believe could have done much better if they had not been placed in between two of our tomato plants since they ended up being dwarfed and cut off from the sun. But once again, this is a lesson learned.
Next year, I would like to try growing some cucumbers and green beans. It would be nice even if we could get some fruit out of the deal too. I have learned this year through my experience that if you take the time to research, buy what you need, nurture your crop, and have faith; you never know what can be accomplished even if you think you don’t have a green thumb. I thoroughly enjoyed teaching my children about nature and how things grow as well and I believe they too now have a greater appreciation for where food comes from.
About the Author
Melanie Bremner
Melanie Bremner is a work at home mom of four who enjoys helping other stay at home folks find ways to make money from home, save more money and tackle every day parenting issues one step at a time. She invites you to stop on over at her blog and help yourself to a free report! http://momsassistingmoms.net
I love this time of year! Everyone is thinking about what’s in store this year for their gardens and landscaping. Unfortunately, not everything growing in the gardens is wanted. Let’s talk weeds and specifically what to do when your strawberries have gone wild or your unwanted strawberry plants are simply taking over your backyard.
