By Karen Highland

My first attempt at gardening happened about 3 years ago.  It was to serve three important purposes. First, to help improve my diet.  I am a true southern girl and like good southern food.  I wanted to increase my fresh vegetable and fruit intake, but I wasn’t willing to pay the high cost at the supermarket. Next, as my children became teens and less dependent on me, I needed new hobbies.  Gardening seemed to be a perfect hobby that I could do by myself.  Lastly, I needed to get some exercise.  I wanted to do something that I enjoyed and not spend money on a gym membership that would probably go to waste.  I got into gear and researched what type of garden suited me best.  I settled on container gardening because the soil in my yard was so poor, and it seemed the best for a beginner.  I chose vegetable seeds and fruit trees that I knew would produce foods I liked to eat.  I bought a small green house, potting soil, containers, and everything that the internet said that I needed to be successful.  I was fully equipped for the journey.

I started my seeds in trays indoors seeds in trays indoors and acclimated them over time to the greenhouse outdoors. Seeing them sprout was so exciting.  I documented each step in my journal and took photos.  As they grew, I eventually moved them to their permanent containers on my porch.  They thrived.  The foliage was bright green, strong, tall, reaching onward and upward to the sky.  I had grown my green thumb and I was so proud.

As the weeks passed, I watched them flower and bud, anticipating my bountiful harvest.  Out of 50-60 healthy plants I got very little mature produce.  What had I done wrong?  What had I missed in all my research?  I watered more, I watered less, I moved containers from full sun to partial sun, I repotted some, I fertilized, I documented every detail to no avail.  I literally had the most beautiful vegetable container garden without one piece of produce to show for it.  I was devastated because I had worked so hard, and I could not figure out where I had gone wrong.  After some more in-depth research I realized I had chosen plants that weren’t bush/container varieties, I watered and fertilized improperly, and I had not considered how much squirrels enjoyed new budding vegetables,

My backyard had been a squirrel haven for years.  I had been feeding them in shell peanuts for years on my back porch, which was the same place I had chosen for my container garden.  I assume my squirrel children thought I set out a garden bar just for them.  This didn’t deter me, it only made me investigate other methods of gardening and how to control my pet squirrels.  My methods have improved but those squirrels are still outsmarting me!

Karen Highland, an intern in the 2018 Master Gardener Class, lives in Montgomery, AL. For more information on becoming a master gardener, visit www.capcitymga.org or email capcitymga@gmail.com.