My SFG - first time!

Hey guys!

I have posted a bit regarding questions and I have read A LOT on here because I am brand spanking new to SFG, well and gardening in general! I've never grown anything before in my life and any plant I bring into the house dies, but I thought I'd give vegetable gardening a try!  I thank all of you for all your infinite wisdom on the subject and wanted to post some pics I have of my current garden.  Some things didn't do too well, I've learned a lot of things I need to change for next year, but overall I think it's been a success!!  Let me know what you pros think!  haha

Here's the whole garden:


Sugar Snap Peas:




Pickling cucumber:


Cauliflower:


Cucumbers (pickling and marketmore) are climbing!  Beans are beside it and peas on the far side


Zucchini


Brussels sprouts are getting bigger!


And my peppers (theres a few forming under those leaves!)


And lastly there's the second whole bed.  In addition to the veggies you already saw theres also Swiss chard (which I'm really not a fan of so will probably pull!), lettuce (which is half ravished by bunnies!), spinach, leeks, onions (spanish and green), beets, and carrots (also being enjoyed by the bunnies!  haha)


Hope that wasn't photo overload....I'm just feeling very excited about my garden!  I also have tomatoes in containers and a watermelon plant!

Stunning!  Please forgive the pun --  everything looks just Peachie!   Excellent!!

AMAZING garden!  well done. you should be very proud! wahoo!  

what all did you use in your MM?

WOW! If this is your 1st..... I can't wait to see your 2nd!

Awesome job and thanks for sharing it with us.

Hot DOG! that is one beautiful garden, now you have to shake off the black thumb label, it no longer applies. What types of compost did you end up using in your Mel's Mix?

Well, I cheated a bit in my MM... 

I couldn't afford to make it exactly and I couldn't find vermiculite anywhere around me (good ol' small town!). My room mate's brother is a landscaper and he had dirt that was 80% compost and 20% sandy loam topsoil (I know, I know!! haha). I added extra manure to it as well!

I just couldn't pass it up - it only cost $25 to fill both 4x8 beds plus some extra for containers and other beds! Not too bad!

We started composted as well so each year i'll be able to add that!

(I feel a little like a fraud that was exposed not since I didn't have genuine MM - can I be forgiven? haha)

Gotcha!  In 3 years I haven't seen any peppers with leaves that big on this forum, so I was wondering if you would fess'up to something !   
Anyway, best wishes for a great harvest and enjoy making a top notch compost for the future.

llama momma wrote:Gotcha!  In 3 years I haven't seen any peppers with leaves that big on this forum, so I was wondering if you would fess'up to something !   
Anyway, best wishes for a great harvest and enjoy making a top notch compost for the future.

Is that a good thing or a bad thing? Like I've said, Ive never gardened before so I have no idea what things are supposed to look like! There's a pepper on one of them that's about the size of a large bouncy ball - I was expecting the plants to get a lot bigger before they produced. I was expecting more like a tomato plant! lol

Peachie, for a first time gardener you have done very well. Much better than I have done. My excuse is that I have too much shade as I have on the north side of a hill and only get patchy sunshine, although I do quite well with the cold crops like lettuce, chard, kale, and an overload of Scarlet runner beans etc.

Look forward to seeing pictures of your second year as no doubt you will have learned a lot this first season.

peachiee77 wrote:Well, I cheated a bit in my MM... 

I couldn't afford to make it exactly and I couldn't find vermiculite anywhere around me (good ol' small town!).  My room mate's brother is a landscaper and he had dirt that was 80% compost and 20% sandy loam topsoil (I know, I know!!  haha).  I added extra manure to it as well!

I just couldn't pass it up - it only cost $25 to fill both 4x8 beds plus some extra for containers and other beds!  Not too bad!

We started composted as well so each year i'll be able to add that!

(I feel a little like a fraud that was exposed not since I didn't have genuine MM - can I be forgiven?   haha)

lol...no fraud, but I'd get MORE of that stuff! your garden is amazing, I wouldn't change a thing! You have what I am striving for! congrats. Do you happen to know what was in the compost he sold you? Something good for sure!! again, nice garden!!

peachiee77 wrote:

llama momma wrote:Gotcha!  In 3 years I haven't seen any peppers with leaves that big on this forum, so I was wondering if you would fess'up to something !   
Anyway, best wishes for a great harvest and enjoy making a top notch compost for the future.

Is that a good thing or a bad thing?  Like I've said, Ive never gardened before so I have no idea what things are supposed to look like!  There's a pepper on one of them that's about the size of a large bouncy ball - I was expecting the plants to get a lot bigger before they produced.  I was expecting more like a tomato plant!  lol

 Well Peachie,  you said there were little peppers on those plants so those huge leaves seem ok.  Many of us moan over wimpy pepper plants that's why I commented about it. Sometimes when there is too much nitrogen you get lots of leaves at the expense of fruit.  I hope you find out what was used in the composted part of your mix.  It looks like a winner- at least at this point in time!

llama momma wrote:

peachiee77 wrote:

llama momma wrote:Gotcha!  In 3 years I haven't seen any peppers with leaves that big on this forum, so I was wondering if you would fess'up to something !   
Anyway, best wishes for a great harvest and enjoy making a top notch compost for the future.

Is that a good thing or a bad thing?  Like I've said, Ive never gardened before so I have no idea what things are supposed to look like!  There's a pepper on one of them that's about the size of a large bouncy ball - I was expecting the plants to get a lot bigger before they produced.  I was expecting more like a tomato plant!  lol

 Well Peachie,  you said there were little peppers on those plants so those huge leaves seem ok.  Many of us moan over wimpy pepper plants that's why I commented about it. Sometimes when there is too much nitrogen you get lots of leaves at the expense of fruit.  I hope you find out what was used in the composted part of your mix.  It looks like a winner- at least at this point in time!

It's early yet for peppers in your area Peachie. No worries.

Thanks everyone! I was calling it a success for my first time, but I feel even better about it now!