vegetables – Page 2 – Luluisthatgirl

Hi everyone!

Gardening is more than a hobby for me—it’s my way of staying connected to nature and my roots. I grew up in Sierra Leone, West Africa, where my grandfather had an incredible garden. During school vacations, we’d help him grow about 90% of the food we ate. He lived into his mid-90s and even baked his own bread! Since moving to the States, I’ve noticed my body doesn’t process food the same way it used to. I’m trying to reset by growing clean, chemical-free food for my family and myself.

Making the Most of My Space
I don’t have a big yard. I’m maximizing the use of the space I have. Recently, I added two more raised beds. This helps me get closer to my goal of growing most of our food. My next big project is building a privacy fence—not just for looks, but also to protect the garden. Hiring a contractor isn’t in the budget, so I’m doing it myself. I’ve already bought 10 fence panels and have been slowly collecting the rest of the materials. YouTube tutorials have been my best friend during this process!

What’s Growing Now
This year, I started with:

Broccoli, kale, and spinach (spinach didn’t make it 😔)
Cherry tomatoes, Roma tomatoes, and jalapeño peppers
Okra, white potatoes, sweet potatoes
Cabbage, onions, and cantaloupe
Sweet corn alongside an apple tree
Goji berry tree & Elderberry tree
Bush beans & strawberries (the strawberries didn’t survive either)

From this, I’ve harvested potatoes, cherry tomatoes, okra, sweet potato leaves, sweet corn, and cantaloupes.

On my deck, I keep herbs for easy access while cooking. I have sage, basil, and oregano. I also have a small trial run of lettuce and green beans.

Future Planting Goals
I’m hoping to add soybeans, bell peppers, garlic, beets, watermelons, and leeks. I also want to plant radish, squash, cucumbers, peanuts, and more corn. Furthermore, I plan to grow strawberries, plums, cherries, and more apple trees.

Challenges I’m Facing
The biggest headache? Stray cats. They keep using parts of my garden as a litter box, which completely ruined my spinach this year. This is one of the main reasons I’m pushing to get the fence installed. If anyone has safe, cat-deterring ideas, I’d love to hear them!

Looking for Your Advice
I’d really appreciate tips on:

How to safely keep cats out of my garden.
How to organize my space better to maximize yield.

I’ll post some pictures of my current layout soon. The new raised beds will not be included. This way you can see what I’m working with. Any ideas or suggestions are welcome—thank you in advance! 🌿

Recent harvest

Hybrid Rose

Okra plant…so pretty

Hibiscus

Cherry tomatoes

Cantaloupes

Last year was the first time I truly committed to designing and creating a small garden. I had no idea what I was getting myself into. All I knew was that I wanted to grow fruits and vegetables my family and I would enjoy. I spent a lot of time at local stores. I hunted for gardening tools, supplies, and starter plants that were on sale. Looking back, not trying to grow everything from seed was a smart decision. It made the whole process much more manageable.

Here are some pictures from my garden last year. I plan to share more photos and lessons I’ve learned. I’ll also share how I’m working to avoid repeating some of the mistakes I made. If you have any tips to simplify the issues I’ve shared, please feel free to pass them along!

This was the first tomato plant in my garden. It produced so many tomatoes. I managed to make pasta sauce. I shared some with my neighbors. I used the rest in plenty of stews and salads. One lesson I learned the hard way was the importance of checking the weather before planting. I’m in a Zone 7 gardening area. I didn’t realize that until I joined a Facebook group. This group helped me understand when to start my seedlings and when to transfer them outdoors.

The apple tree I germinated and transplanted is still growing and thriving. I’m hoping to get some fruit from it in the next year or so. The idea for this tree came after enjoying a delicious apple one day. I saved most of the seeds and then researched ways to germinate them. As an experiment, I prepared just one seed, and I’m so grateful it worked. Now, I have a few more seeds in the process of germination.

It was my first time trying my hand at landscaping, and it turned out better than I expected. I do wish I had used weed barrier fabric—that was a rookie mistake I won’t be repeating this year. I’m still working on removing the rocks from this part of the garden. I’ve realized they are not the best choice. This year, I plan to try red mulch and see if that helps the plants thrive.

These were my green bell peppers and habanero peppers, and they yielded much more than I anticipated. I even dehydrated some of the habaneros for later use—and I still have some left! I bought these peppers from a local store. I only had to prepare the garden bed and then transplant them. I made sure they got plenty of water, sunshine, and fertilizer. Still, I’m still figuring out the right fertilizers for my garden. I tried using egg shells and kitchen scraps, which worked well. This year, I plan to start composting to guarantee my fruits, vegetables, and plants get enough nutrients.

Thank you for stopping by, I hope you do come back! I have a lot more to share. Leave tips if you feel incline to do so.

-Lulu

Tag: vegetables

Expanding My Garden & Looking for Advice 🌱

Lessons from My First Year of Gardening: Successes and Mistakes