Hello from ontario Canada

Hi
I'm Melissa from Hamilton ontario. I'm 33 and on hiatus from nursing to be a sahm to my precious 4 yr old.

Last year was my first attempt at SFG and I followed the ANSFG book as best as I could. It was a yr of learning with many set backs.

1- I didn't get vermiculite and was convinced by a garden center that coco fibre would be the same......it's not and I am looking for bulk vermiculite this year.
2- I was attacked by Insects. Mainly Squash vine borers and cucumber beetles (which also led to wilt). This year I will be ordering praying mantis eggs and possible ladybugs along with planting some flowers to attract them.
3- A rat dug under my raised garden and had a family!! Ended up catching over 10 before it was over. I was surprised since I have never seen a rat in the area and I have a large dog. I suppose my crops were just too tasty to resist so this year I will use chicken wire under the beds and have a plastic owl deterrent.
4- unfavourable hot weather!!

I'm hoping this year will be better and am so glad I found this forum

Hi Mel,
Welcome to the site .
It looks like your baptism of fire is all but over .
How many beds are you planning for this year ?
What do you intend to grow ?

I hope this year is smoother than last year. Finding vermiculite at a reasonable price is my big mission right now. :scratch:

This year I am going to focus on mainly heirloom vegetables including beans, peas, cucumber, carrots, chard, garlic, kale, onion, tomato, etc. I would like to try watermelon, squash and pumpkin again but am still nervous due to bugs killing most of it last year. I also want to due a small herb garden, a potato box, and a berry garden. I have a very small yard but think I can pull it all off that's to SFG'ing.