1) Everything started great, getting the garden tilled and prepared (we even added compost from the city green recycling center). But just to make sure that the soil was just right Michelle added some slow release fertilizer (with weed preventer). What we didn't realize at the time was that the weed preventer also prevents garden plants (seeds) too! Once we discovered that we had to replant the majority of the garden (everything that started as seeds...corn, beans, peas, etc.).
2) Now that we had the garden sprouting and growing we wanted to ensure that the plants had enough moisture. Everyone knows that you put grass clippings around the base of your plants (except tomatoes - because you tend to invite little pests) and that helps your plants grow, maintain their moisture, etc. But...grass clipping are a bad idea if you just sprayed the lawn with weed killer! Yes, we killed the garden a second time, except the tomatoes.
3) Undaunted, Michelle faithfully started over and replanted the garden taking great care not to apply anything with weed killer (we didn't even bother doing the grass thing this time). Things were going great. The corn was shooting up, beans up the fences, squash out of control (just a happy day for my "budding" farmer). And then we noticed that some little bugs were enjoying our garden more than we were! So Michelle started to spray the leaves to kill off the bugs. And then the fateful mistake occurred. Just before leaving on our camping trip for Pioneer Day (July 24) she sprayed the entire garden. The problem was that it was still mid-day, way to hot to apply this particular type of spray. We didn't realize anything until we returned home from a most wonderful experience only to discover the entire garden wilted and brown! Let's just say that it was not a pleasant evening. And what wasn't killed by the bug spray fell over in the big wind storm because the garden was getting watered too much (we were watering the garden on opposite days from the neighbors watering their lawn and the net result was a daily dose of water...equals soggy ground).
4) Just like the pioneers of old we planted a new crop at the end of the summer! This time we have added no fertilizer, no grass clippings, no bug spray, nothing! Just a completely natural garden! (Third time's the charm! How many people would plant their garden 3 times in one year?) We can now gaze out of our window and see corn stalks over 6 feet tall, beans returning up the fencing and big squash leaves in the garden corners again! And today we got the first harvest of green bean which we enjoyed in a wonderful dinner! Normally we don't get quite this excited over a small harvest of green beans. But this year it has taken an amazing amount of persistence to get this handful of green beans. (And Michelle harvested enough cucumbers to make her very first batch of pickles!)
(Please note that she is holding the bottle of pickles in her left hand)