Grew my first garden this year. Mixed results.

Posted out a bed a bit shy of 20' x 30'. My neighbor rototilled it for me, and then I fenced it in (deer, rabbits, groundhogs, squirrels and chipmunks).

We got a late start to the whole process (June), and the kids put some seeds - corn, carrots and sunflowers - into pots to start. By the time we got an actual garden bed set up, the seedlings were growing too thickly in the pots. When I went to transplant them, they were wispy and barely able to stand. Luckily, the corn's done well - it's almost ready to pick.

Had to add chickenwire to the bottom two feet of the four-foot-high fence to keep out the baby rabbits, which ate the sunflowers and nibbled some other things. It's worked fine - nothing else has been nibbled.

So, this would be a learning year. Some of the things I learned:

Don't plant stuff in the gap between zucchini and yellow squash plant hills. The spacing looks great when everythings a sprout, and becomes a problem when the 4- or 5-foot radius of leaves overshadows and hides the carrots and leeks. They don't grow much after that.

I don't need to plant three hills of pumpkins - especially as I watch them spread and the tiny "whiskers" start grabbing the tomatoes and smaller plants.

Tomatoes are doing well - so well, that they grew out the top of the wire frames that support them, tipped some over, and grew so far over the others that they're basically killing themselves by bending double with the weight of the tomatoes they're producing.

Zucchini and summer squash have been fantastic - but then I got a white mildew which has killed them, as well as the pumpkins and cantelope. I (too late) read that this can be treated with a mixture of one part milk to five parts water, sprayed on the leaves frequently. I'll know for next year and catch it early.

Herbs did well, mostly - especially parsley, thyme and rosemary. I've killed at least three different window box attempts at herb gardens as an apartment dweller, so this was satisfying. Cilantro grew well, but went to seed very early. So did fennel - grew very nicely, then went to seed and I never did get to have any.

Watermelon and lettuce never went anywhere.

Anyway, I have lots of ideas for next year, and it has been satisfying to eat what has come out of the garden.

Dave