Lessons of a 1st Year Gardener

This is my very first year of gardening and I am just LOVING it! I have made plenty of mistakes and have learned many lessons along the way and I am sure there is a whole lot more to learn.

Lesson #1: Do not attempt to grow cauliflower. My great friend and more experienced gardener Melissa tried cauliflower last year with weak results....I don't know what made me cocky enough to think that mine would be any better. In all the reading I have done since I bought my initial stash of seedlings, everyone says that cauliflower is one of the hardest vegetables to grow. It is very picky. If the conditions aren't just perfect, the crop will most likely fail. Well, I planted in April and by June the plants either just died on their own or were eaten by ants. So, next year, I'm not even going to attempt to grow cauliflower.

Lesson #2: Spiders are your friends. I'll be honest, I really don't like spiders. I even cringe a little watching my son's Charlotte's Web movie (although I admit the movie has helped me accept spiders for who they are). However, in the garden, spiders help keep away (meaning, they eat) all the other little insects that might otherwise attack my plants. I have noticed many spiders in and around my plants and after an initial surprise, I try to see them as my little security guards, keeping other insects away.

Lesson #3: Lettuce is fast and fun. I have had so much fun growing lettuce. It is so easy and it grows so fast. I've had to learn to be patient with all my other vegetables, but lettuce grows very quickly and will go from seed to harvest-ready in just 6 to 8 weeks.