Experiments

One of the things that is hardest for me about gardening, is that there is no "recipe" for success.  As someone who really enjoys cooking, and rarely follows a recipe exactly, this should be wonderful!  However, because this is my first true gardening season, I WANT RESULTS.  Good ones.  Where I get to eat what I am growing, and everything turns out perfectly.  Perhaps I am asking too much.  =)

So, in the spirit of relaxing my high standards, I am already experimenting.  Experiment #1: Freezing veggies.  Do I really need a sun box when the temperature is in the 20's and plants are supposed to be cold hardy to 32?

If you will notice at the bottom left, I kept one small broccoli plant out, just to see what would happen.  One morning this week we had a hard frost.  I looked at the poor plant left out, and it was deep purple in color, and wilted.  I knew it was a goner...  And because my gardening knowledge is so vast, and I have so much experience.... I WAS WRONG!

That sneaky little veggie had the last laugh.  I checked the weather for the next 10 days and decided to remove the sun box today, and there was that broccoli plant.  Healthy and happy as the rest of the plants in my garden!

That just goes to show you... Never trust broccoli.  =)

Experiment #2: Plant spacing.  Most of the time, plants will tell you on their label or seed packet how far apart they need to be planted.  Easy, right?  Follow the recipe.

Unless the recipe says, "Throw all caution to the wind and just go with the flow, dude."  Like my lettuce plants.  I swear, it says exactly that right on the label.  Okay.  Maybe not exactly.  The label says to plant 4-12 inches apart.  Well, which is it?  4 or12?!??  Or something in between?!?  Results of this experiment are TBD. I have a feeling the lettuce and broccoli are going to gang up on me.  I can already tell who is going to win.