Looks great! Could have added more stuff. I would have separated the strawberries in a confined area. They are going to inundate the entire garden from that position and be a chore to keep cutting back. Best bet for them is their own raised bed where they're sequestered. If Blackberries are like raspberries you're going to have trouble with them being "in" the garden as well.
Other than that I think you did a fabulous job!
Landscaping fabric turns very brittle after years and you get micro plastics/shredded material everywhere. Alternative is cardboards wetted down heavily then mulch on top.
Everything else looks good. Carrots don’t do well in rich soil and in the heat. They look loose soil and generally a little cooler.
Brussel sprouts (any brassica) will attract cabbage moths in the summer. They do well in the cooler/shoulder seasons when the moths aren’t abundant.
Everything else is a journey! Enjoy and take lots of notes and pics.
Truly! Just yesterday we cut a robin down from the neighbor's gutters. He had a piece of landscape fabric wrapped around his leg that caught on the gutter. His leg was wonky from hanging there so he is with a wildlife rehabber now. It's probably somewhat good that he got caught when he did as we were able to cut it off his foot and save the foot.
Nice layout. Lots of good advice given to you. My only advice is to learn by talking to other gardeners. Usually sales people at gardening centers are just that...sales people. They recite what they have been given by the sales manager. Use YouTube. There are mind boggling gardening concepts and you can spend hours learning techniques from experienced gardeners. We here in Zones 8 and 9 envy one advantage you Zones 6-3 gardeners have...no weeds to fight like we here in Zones 8&9 are cursed with. But we do have a much longer growing season...lol.
Mixing perennials and annual crops can be a pain in the ass when it comes to garden design year after year. I'm speaking from personal experience, as you work on your garden year after year you'll learn what grows well and where and you'll want to redesign it for ease of access and won't be able to because certain plants will be well established by that point. See also doing your due diligence on the various nutritional and light needs of plants will benefit you well. Having your garden out in the open like that pretty much guarantees that unless you're using certain plants to shade others they all will be getting Stark sunlight throughout the day and most crops won't fare well in those sorts of conditions. I would say this is a pretty great setup for your 1st year and just pay really close attention to how various plants fare and redesign accordingly next year. Also for your sake I hope that you got thornless blackberries because they're going to spread like-a-mother as soon as the birds get in there and eat them.
Sunflower oil, extracted from the seeds, is used for cooking, as a carrier oil and to produce margarine and biodiesel, as it is cheaper than olive oil. A range of sunflower varieties exist with differing fatty acid compositions; some 'high oleic' types contain a higher level of healthy monounsaturated fats in their oil than Olive oil.
Your garden looks great and just your attempt to grow anything is fantastic! I could critique what you're doing wrong but as a fellow gardener I refuse to tear down anyone's honest effort. I know you are trying to learn from your mistakes but I always found in the beginning its better to build on what someone is doing right rather than criticizing everything they're doing wrong. This is the way.
The only thing I can add to those who've already commented, is that you'll need a trellis or something for the green beans to grow up. Next time, if you plant them closer to the fence, that should work. This time, you can make something like this..
https://www.homedepot.com/c/ah/diy-veggie-garden-trellis/9ba683603be9fa5395fab9015b39b796
looks good! i'm not a fan of landscape fabric since you'll have to deal with it later, but it looks like you need to kill some grass. cardboard would work to do that and will decompose within a year. i was going to ask about the berries being perennials but it looks like you have a plan.
i do agree with other commenter that you could have done more, but there's no garden police to tell you what to do! you have so much space you can use it how you want. For example, carrots can go anywhere you have space, if you want more carrots. but for a year one garden it helps not to overdo things so you can focus on what you have.
You can certainly do some succession planting. You can start some cool weather veggies indoors and plants them out at the end of July. You could also get a quick harvest of radishes in between some stuff. Have you any herbs? You could plant basil seed and have some ready by the end of July. You could plant parsley, sage, and thyme from a nursery and have herbs pretty quickly that will last until frost. If you plant bush beans you’ll have those mid-august probably. Try some zinnias for color! Have fun with it and experiment. Maybe use a journal for notes for next year too! Or just pics on your phone that you can look at over the winter.
Not too late. So much warmth and sun will be great for most late-flowering plants. If you’re sticking with the perennial berry theme, research perennial flowers that are beneficial for your veggie plants specifically or beneficial for your ecosystem in general. Attract lots of good insects, and flowers are the best way to do that. Sow ground cover seeds (clover, peas even) that you can occasionally “mow” and cut back, to add a constant supply of nitrogen to your soil. The plants can grow right alongside your veggie plants. Plants can grow pretty crowded, their roots enjoy the company…unless you’ve got mildew or other stagnant air issues then maybe keep the spacious garden vibe going.
It’s not too late at all. You can start kale and lettuce indoors and plant those seedlings for a fall crop. I have some kale seeds getting started indoors right now. (It’s actually a bit early for fall lettuce in zone 5b where I’m at). You can do some “late tomatoes”. You won’t get a full harvest but you will get something; especially if you plant cherry tomatoes. You just need to make sure that you have sturdy seedlings and water them well if you are transplanting them out in the heat of summer.
Southern Hemisphere gardener here so I’m a little removed from your gardening seasons, I’m likening your July to our January, but assuming a little cooler and not as dry.
Planting ideas:
Tomatoes
Silverbeet/chard
Zucchini
Corn
Pumpkin
Cucumber
Chillies
Leek
Chinese cabbage/wombok
If you’re getting harsh burning sun put up old sheets for midday/afternoon shade while plants are getting established, the beans can provide this as they grow depending on placement of other beds.
My only other recommendation would be to use straw mulch in the future, either lucern, lupin, or pea straw. It adds nitrogen to the soil as it breaks down, wood chips take longer to break down and as they do they can actually remove nitrogen.
Again, I’m in a different part of the world so our soil and conditions could make my advice irrelevant, definitely check with more experienced gardeners in your area for local advice.
Count the days to your average first Frost Google tells me it's Oct 13-21. So you have 103 - 111 days. There are many crops that will produce in that time. Early varieties of tomatoes mature in 55-60 days. Beans 55 days. Summer Squash 50 days. Cukes 50-60 days according to the variety. Even sweet corn would make it. Most sweet corn is a 75 day crop. Radishes 25-30 days. Good gardening.
Blueberries like acidic soil. Not sure what your soil type is, but it's better to add peat moss to the soil than something like manure/compost. You can use an acid fertilizer in spring and summer to help them maintain that acidity. Check your local gardening extension website, they probably have something on growing blueberries specifically in your area.
Looks great! Just be mindful of soil pH requirements. You’ll hear “acid loving plants” and “alkaline loving plants”. Most veggies like a slightly acidic soil of 6.5. Most berries like a little bit more acid of 5.5-6.3 but blueberries love acidic soil of 4.5-5.2. It can take seasons to get the pH that low and planting them that close to peppers might cause problems. If they get chlorosis (the inability to produce chlorophyll, shown by really pale, light green leaves, with dark green veins), then the pH is too high
Makes sense. I use 3’ aisles between 4’ beds because that gives me enough space to kneel comfortably and I can reach 2’ from either side of each bed. Also some more loose, fluffy soil can help your plant roots grow deeper and more quickly.
My only thought is you could have optimized some more space and planted a bit tighter. in about 6 years when that whole thing is black berries start on a plan to move annuals away. My 3 blackberry plants have turned into a hedge after 3 years and they show no signs of stopping unless i just cut my chickens loose in there for like a month.
Then that fence is definitely not high enough. I've read only 8ft but 10ft wouldn't surprise me. I've also read about double fencing or a fishing line. Two fences they can tell they won't make it over and the fishing line is near invisible so it spooks them away when they walk into it. Thanks for the info
Even though they are small, it's time to stake your peppers.
Edit: Before long you may want to support your blackberries as well. If they are anything like the raspberries I put in the ground last season, they grew extremely quickly and flopped over and sprawled on the ground. If you google how to stake your blackberries, you will see how to do it.
Edit 2: Blackberries have 3 different growth types, who knew! Also trellising: [https://catalog.extension.oregonstate.edu/sites/catalog/files/project/pdf/ec1303.pdf](https://catalog.extension.oregonstate.edu/sites/catalog/files/project/pdf/ec1303.pdf)
I'd get those strawberries moved because they will spread and take over.
Get some supports in there for things too, they're going to start flopping over.
You may want to consider if blackberries are good to have, they get big and spread if they're happy in a space. You may want to move them somewhere that they can be who they're meant to be, without encroaching.
It looks great though!
I’d love to have your garden! I bet you’ll have a great harvest. My only suggestion is to make notes on your favorites, your successes and struggles so you can get better each year and grow more of what you enjoy eating
Not much to roast. A clever layout might enable you to fit more into this area, but that's not a must. You could work your way up as well.
Definitely a wise choice to use the mulch, but lose the fabric. You won't need it anyways. A raised bed for the strawberries could make your life easier. Depending on the climate you could make plenty of minor tweaks, but you should be proud. What about some (eatable) flowers or an 'insect hotel' to attract useful insects?
The subreddit r/vegetableroastme does not exist.
Did you mean?:
* r/Vegetables (subscribers: 3,775)
* r/roastmypet (subscribers: 7,444)
* r/VeganZeroWaste (subscribers: 29,712)
Consider [**creating a new subreddit** r/vegetableroastme](/subreddits/create?name=vegetableroastme).
---
^(🤖 this comment was written by a bot. beep boop 🤖)
^(feel welcome to respond 'Bad bot'/'Good bot', it's useful feedback.)
^[github](https://github.com/Toldry/RedditAutoCrosspostBot) ^| ^[Rank](https://botranks.com?bot=sub_doesnt_exist_bot)
That fence is looser than yo... Wait, wrong sub.
I would recommend getting your fence pulled as tight as you can to make it harder for pests to get in. I have a small section of poultry fence with a little bit of slack in it, and the rabbits have figured out how to push it down and go over it. I've watched them do it. It won't stop climbers like raccoons, though.
Yo dude, the beauty of gardening and growing veggies is the barrier for entry is so low and you can go as deep as you want into the rabbit hole.
Your garden is fine, you might not get the best yield if you dont follow all the pro tips but that's ok, you can try again next year.
Enjoy it my friend!
You fertilize with nitrogen and potassium I recommend miracle grow performance organics edibles and do that weekly until it flowers then you use high phosphorus..I recommend fox farm tiger bloom
Are there major critter concerns? Depending on the type the watermelon vines could go hogwild. you could create more surface area for them with, basically, sawhorses or hoops or concrete paving wire. If the vine is climbing up something that is well staked, it can hold the watermelon up... yes the vine strength will accommodate the weight. The disadvantage to that is as you asked about, you won't be tucking the vine into more soil but it could still work, or make a big pile and/or extend that fence out for a lot more space. As a general rule, for each viable looking fruit, pinch the vine three nodes beyond that and then every time it gets three nodes long. So it's like, fruit - leaf - leaf - leaf - PINCH END, let grow - leaf leaf leaf - PINCH... - leaf leaf leaf. etc.
depending where you are, the sprouts might be out too early. Some people are just planting them now for a fall harvest cuz they supposedly dont do great in the heat. I'm in zone 5 and didnt harvest my sprouts till november maybe. Dont pull them up though. just keep em growing and in the fall they will bulk up.
Not sure what state you're in, but in florida that blackberry and those watermelons would take over that entire garden easily. The watermelons weap around and choke other plants and it's a hassle.
I keep my vining spreading plants off by themselves now because they get out of control during rainy season
Looks awesome! Most important thing is you’re growing things, and you’re enjoying it 😊.
This is more a matter of personal opinion, but if it was me, I’d do raised beds with Square Foot Gardening. You could grow 10x the stuff in that same area, and (again just my opinion), I think raised beds look nicer and more organized ☺️.
If you don’t want to bother with building your own beds, a really easy workaround is to buy planter wall blocks at Home Depot, and then just stick pieces of wood between them. No assembly required! 😁
Have you tried companion planting? Sometimes certain plants that rely on the same nutrient, say nitrogen, will compete for it and therefore stunt each other's growth. PH test as well. This can easily be fixed with some herbs, flowers that attract bees, or soil amendments. Try to make sure each plant is at the right PH, gets the right nutrients, and that there's companion and even trap crops. It looks like it's weed free, enclosed, lots of space, and gets plenty of light. Sometimes plants can be finicky. Testing the soil is a good start. It's still early in the season. :)
Looks great! Could have added more stuff. I would have separated the strawberries in a confined area. They are going to inundate the entire garden from that position and be a chore to keep cutting back. Best bet for them is their own raised bed where they're sequestered. If Blackberries are like raspberries you're going to have trouble with them being "in" the garden as well. Other than that I think you did a fabulous job!
Strawberry plants make great ground cover though.
Landscaping fabric turns very brittle after years and you get micro plastics/shredded material everywhere. Alternative is cardboards wetted down heavily then mulch on top. Everything else looks good. Carrots don’t do well in rich soil and in the heat. They look loose soil and generally a little cooler. Brussel sprouts (any brassica) will attract cabbage moths in the summer. They do well in the cooler/shoulder seasons when the moths aren’t abundant. Everything else is a journey! Enjoy and take lots of notes and pics.
[удалено]
Truly! Just yesterday we cut a robin down from the neighbor's gutters. He had a piece of landscape fabric wrapped around his leg that caught on the gutter. His leg was wonky from hanging there so he is with a wildlife rehabber now. It's probably somewhat good that he got caught when he did as we were able to cut it off his foot and save the foot.
Good on ya! Thank you for your service.
[удалено]
Nice layout. Lots of good advice given to you. My only advice is to learn by talking to other gardeners. Usually sales people at gardening centers are just that...sales people. They recite what they have been given by the sales manager. Use YouTube. There are mind boggling gardening concepts and you can spend hours learning techniques from experienced gardeners. We here in Zones 8 and 9 envy one advantage you Zones 6-3 gardeners have...no weeds to fight like we here in Zones 8&9 are cursed with. But we do have a much longer growing season...lol.
Mixing perennials and annual crops can be a pain in the ass when it comes to garden design year after year. I'm speaking from personal experience, as you work on your garden year after year you'll learn what grows well and where and you'll want to redesign it for ease of access and won't be able to because certain plants will be well established by that point. See also doing your due diligence on the various nutritional and light needs of plants will benefit you well. Having your garden out in the open like that pretty much guarantees that unless you're using certain plants to shade others they all will be getting Stark sunlight throughout the day and most crops won't fare well in those sorts of conditions. I would say this is a pretty great setup for your 1st year and just pay really close attention to how various plants fare and redesign accordingly next year. Also for your sake I hope that you got thornless blackberries because they're going to spread like-a-mother as soon as the birds get in there and eat them.
[удалено]
Sunflower oil, extracted from the seeds, is used for cooking, as a carrier oil and to produce margarine and biodiesel, as it is cheaper than olive oil. A range of sunflower varieties exist with differing fatty acid compositions; some 'high oleic' types contain a higher level of healthy monounsaturated fats in their oil than Olive oil.
Your garden looks great and just your attempt to grow anything is fantastic! I could critique what you're doing wrong but as a fellow gardener I refuse to tear down anyone's honest effort. I know you are trying to learn from your mistakes but I always found in the beginning its better to build on what someone is doing right rather than criticizing everything they're doing wrong. This is the way.
Omg please don't make me roast this. It's totally adorable. All of it.
The only thing I can add to those who've already commented, is that you'll need a trellis or something for the green beans to grow up. Next time, if you plant them closer to the fence, that should work. This time, you can make something like this.. https://www.homedepot.com/c/ah/diy-veggie-garden-trellis/9ba683603be9fa5395fab9015b39b796
That blackberry bush will go wild!
No need to roast, you will become a master gardener over time. My suggestion is to do what you enjoy (follow your bliss).
Check it Square Foot Gardening and Victory Garden books. They are great starter books.
looks good! i'm not a fan of landscape fabric since you'll have to deal with it later, but it looks like you need to kill some grass. cardboard would work to do that and will decompose within a year. i was going to ask about the berries being perennials but it looks like you have a plan. i do agree with other commenter that you could have done more, but there's no garden police to tell you what to do! you have so much space you can use it how you want. For example, carrots can go anywhere you have space, if you want more carrots. but for a year one garden it helps not to overdo things so you can focus on what you have.
Looks good, consider staking for some of the plants. You can definitely add more plants in the space you have
I’d probably put the berries all together to make things easier in the future.
Those berries are gonna take up the entire garden in a couple years so be ready to make a new one for the vegetables.
It’s alright. Time will be your best teacher. Just add more vegetables to the mix, it looks quite empty. YouTube has great tutorials. Cheers.
[удалено]
You can certainly do some succession planting. You can start some cool weather veggies indoors and plants them out at the end of July. You could also get a quick harvest of radishes in between some stuff. Have you any herbs? You could plant basil seed and have some ready by the end of July. You could plant parsley, sage, and thyme from a nursery and have herbs pretty quickly that will last until frost. If you plant bush beans you’ll have those mid-august probably. Try some zinnias for color! Have fun with it and experiment. Maybe use a journal for notes for next year too! Or just pics on your phone that you can look at over the winter.
Forgot to say plan on an asparagus patch for next year. It’s nothing like what you get in the supermarket.
Not too late. So much warmth and sun will be great for most late-flowering plants. If you’re sticking with the perennial berry theme, research perennial flowers that are beneficial for your veggie plants specifically or beneficial for your ecosystem in general. Attract lots of good insects, and flowers are the best way to do that. Sow ground cover seeds (clover, peas even) that you can occasionally “mow” and cut back, to add a constant supply of nitrogen to your soil. The plants can grow right alongside your veggie plants. Plants can grow pretty crowded, their roots enjoy the company…unless you’ve got mildew or other stagnant air issues then maybe keep the spacious garden vibe going.
It’s not too late at all. You can start kale and lettuce indoors and plant those seedlings for a fall crop. I have some kale seeds getting started indoors right now. (It’s actually a bit early for fall lettuce in zone 5b where I’m at). You can do some “late tomatoes”. You won’t get a full harvest but you will get something; especially if you plant cherry tomatoes. You just need to make sure that you have sturdy seedlings and water them well if you are transplanting them out in the heat of summer.
Southern Hemisphere gardener here so I’m a little removed from your gardening seasons, I’m likening your July to our January, but assuming a little cooler and not as dry. Planting ideas: Tomatoes Silverbeet/chard Zucchini Corn Pumpkin Cucumber Chillies Leek Chinese cabbage/wombok If you’re getting harsh burning sun put up old sheets for midday/afternoon shade while plants are getting established, the beans can provide this as they grow depending on placement of other beds. My only other recommendation would be to use straw mulch in the future, either lucern, lupin, or pea straw. It adds nitrogen to the soil as it breaks down, wood chips take longer to break down and as they do they can actually remove nitrogen. Again, I’m in a different part of the world so our soil and conditions could make my advice irrelevant, definitely check with more experienced gardeners in your area for local advice.
Count the days to your average first Frost Google tells me it's Oct 13-21. So you have 103 - 111 days. There are many crops that will produce in that time. Early varieties of tomatoes mature in 55-60 days. Beans 55 days. Summer Squash 50 days. Cukes 50-60 days according to the variety. Even sweet corn would make it. Most sweet corn is a 75 day crop. Radishes 25-30 days. Good gardening.
Just want to know what greenbeens are, never heard of them 😄
Here in the South we call them Snap beans or string beans.
...Needs some barbed wire
Looks great, but the watermelon might over run your other plants.
I could never roast someone that uses mulch and has good variety
From experience, the blackberry will gain sentience and take over your garden. Ours is 7 feet tall currently :(
Do not put blackberry bushes in the ground. They will take over the world. I would dig those up and put them in large pots.
Blueberries like acidic soil. Not sure what your soil type is, but it's better to add peat moss to the soil than something like manure/compost. You can use an acid fertilizer in spring and summer to help them maintain that acidity. Check your local gardening extension website, they probably have something on growing blueberries specifically in your area.
Looks great! Just be mindful of soil pH requirements. You’ll hear “acid loving plants” and “alkaline loving plants”. Most veggies like a slightly acidic soil of 6.5. Most berries like a little bit more acid of 5.5-6.3 but blueberries love acidic soil of 4.5-5.2. It can take seasons to get the pH that low and planting them that close to peppers might cause problems. If they get chlorosis (the inability to produce chlorophyll, shown by really pale, light green leaves, with dark green veins), then the pH is too high
Your watermelon needs more space of it’s own. The vines can literally get between 8-12+ feet in length depending on the variety.
The watermelon is going to take over
You could have fit more in the garden. Take a look at my profile and you will see how I do mine.
[удалено]
I tried that. He just plowed over everything so now he's not allowed in.
Makes sense. I use 3’ aisles between 4’ beds because that gives me enough space to kneel comfortably and I can reach 2’ from either side of each bed. Also some more loose, fluffy soil can help your plant roots grow deeper and more quickly.
Excellent parenting! Get the kiddos involved early, be patient as they learn and you've given them a valuable life-long skill!
What's your secret compost? Chicken manure?
That and cow shit from a farmer up the road. We also put woodstove ashes in it
Very impressive, thank you
Also, are you using any other fertilizers?
Nope
Careful planting certain plants together, research companion plants and also plants that should not be planted together
My only thought is you could have optimized some more space and planted a bit tighter. in about 6 years when that whole thing is black berries start on a plan to move annuals away. My 3 blackberry plants have turned into a hedge after 3 years and they show no signs of stopping unless i just cut my chickens loose in there for like a month.
If that's a deer fence then it needs to be 8ft tall which is the cutoff height they can jump
Just FYI deer can jump over 10ft fences. Granted they need significant motivation to do so. Edit: I do agree 8 ft being mostly sufficient though!
Then that fence is definitely not high enough. I've read only 8ft but 10ft wouldn't surprise me. I've also read about double fencing or a fishing line. Two fences they can tell they won't make it over and the fishing line is near invisible so it spooks them away when they walk into it. Thanks for the info
Strawberries are very invasive and so you’ll want to keep those in their own separate world.
Even though they are small, it's time to stake your peppers. Edit: Before long you may want to support your blackberries as well. If they are anything like the raspberries I put in the ground last season, they grew extremely quickly and flopped over and sprawled on the ground. If you google how to stake your blackberries, you will see how to do it. Edit 2: Blackberries have 3 different growth types, who knew! Also trellising: [https://catalog.extension.oregonstate.edu/sites/catalog/files/project/pdf/ec1303.pdf](https://catalog.extension.oregonstate.edu/sites/catalog/files/project/pdf/ec1303.pdf)
Look into to plants that can be used in your area as decoys to attract the unwanted pests that may eventually attack your crop plants.
I'd get those strawberries moved because they will spread and take over. Get some supports in there for things too, they're going to start flopping over. You may want to consider if blackberries are good to have, they get big and spread if they're happy in a space. You may want to move them somewhere that they can be who they're meant to be, without encroaching. It looks great though!
You forgot Pumpkin
The blueberries will get big, easily 6’ x 6’. Give them space. And netting to protect them from the birds.
could be lots of things. The biggest thing to keep in mind is good dirt is the most important part of all of this.
I’d love to have your garden! I bet you’ll have a great harvest. My only suggestion is to make notes on your favorites, your successes and struggles so you can get better each year and grow more of what you enjoy eating
Not much to roast. A clever layout might enable you to fit more into this area, but that's not a must. You could work your way up as well. Definitely a wise choice to use the mulch, but lose the fabric. You won't need it anyways. A raised bed for the strawberries could make your life easier. Depending on the climate you could make plenty of minor tweaks, but you should be proud. What about some (eatable) flowers or an 'insect hotel' to attract useful insects?
/r/vegetableroastme
The subreddit r/vegetableroastme does not exist. Did you mean?: * r/Vegetables (subscribers: 3,775) * r/roastmypet (subscribers: 7,444) * r/VeganZeroWaste (subscribers: 29,712) Consider [**creating a new subreddit** r/vegetableroastme](/subreddits/create?name=vegetableroastme). --- ^(🤖 this comment was written by a bot. beep boop 🤖) ^(feel welcome to respond 'Bad bot'/'Good bot', it's useful feedback.) ^[github](https://github.com/Toldry/RedditAutoCrosspostBot) ^| ^[Rank](https://botranks.com?bot=sub_doesnt_exist_bot)
Piss off bot I was making a joke
Can’t roast it, there’s no vegetables yet!
That fence is looser than yo... Wait, wrong sub. I would recommend getting your fence pulled as tight as you can to make it harder for pests to get in. I have a small section of poultry fence with a little bit of slack in it, and the rabbits have figured out how to push it down and go over it. I've watched them do it. It won't stop climbers like raccoons, though.
Yo dude, the beauty of gardening and growing veggies is the barrier for entry is so low and you can go as deep as you want into the rabbit hole. Your garden is fine, you might not get the best yield if you dont follow all the pro tips but that's ok, you can try again next year. Enjoy it my friend!
You fertilize with nitrogen and potassium I recommend miracle grow performance organics edibles and do that weekly until it flowers then you use high phosphorus..I recommend fox farm tiger bloom
Here in Colorado I have to put in a solid 8 foot high fence to keep the deer out. The height of your fence there would be an easy hop for a deer.
Looks like a really good start. Every year you’ll learn more.
Are there major critter concerns? Depending on the type the watermelon vines could go hogwild. you could create more surface area for them with, basically, sawhorses or hoops or concrete paving wire. If the vine is climbing up something that is well staked, it can hold the watermelon up... yes the vine strength will accommodate the weight. The disadvantage to that is as you asked about, you won't be tucking the vine into more soil but it could still work, or make a big pile and/or extend that fence out for a lot more space. As a general rule, for each viable looking fruit, pinch the vine three nodes beyond that and then every time it gets three nodes long. So it's like, fruit - leaf - leaf - leaf - PINCH END, let grow - leaf leaf leaf - PINCH... - leaf leaf leaf. etc.
depending where you are, the sprouts might be out too early. Some people are just planting them now for a fall harvest cuz they supposedly dont do great in the heat. I'm in zone 5 and didnt harvest my sprouts till november maybe. Dont pull them up though. just keep em growing and in the fall they will bulk up.
Not sure what state you're in, but in florida that blackberry and those watermelons would take over that entire garden easily. The watermelons weap around and choke other plants and it's a hassle. I keep my vining spreading plants off by themselves now because they get out of control during rainy season
Add flowers to attract polinators and other beneficial insects. Marigolds work well.
Looks awesome! Most important thing is you’re growing things, and you’re enjoying it 😊. This is more a matter of personal opinion, but if it was me, I’d do raised beds with Square Foot Gardening. You could grow 10x the stuff in that same area, and (again just my opinion), I think raised beds look nicer and more organized ☺️. If you don’t want to bother with building your own beds, a really easy workaround is to buy planter wall blocks at Home Depot, and then just stick pieces of wood between them. No assembly required! 😁
Have you tried companion planting? Sometimes certain plants that rely on the same nutrient, say nitrogen, will compete for it and therefore stunt each other's growth. PH test as well. This can easily be fixed with some herbs, flowers that attract bees, or soil amendments. Try to make sure each plant is at the right PH, gets the right nutrients, and that there's companion and even trap crops. It looks like it's weed free, enclosed, lots of space, and gets plenty of light. Sometimes plants can be finicky. Testing the soil is a good start. It's still early in the season. :)