Failure is Not Free
I’m old enough to know failure can be one of the best teachers in life. However, when it comes to a garden setup and starting a new garden, failure is definitely not free.
In fact – failure can be downright expensive and even cause a lot of new gardeners to give up on their dream of growing their own organic food.
While failure can teach us a lot, why fail if it’s avoidable?
We have a very specific process and roadmap for successfully setting up a garden so we guarantee you’re off to a great start. I’d argue garden setup gets up about 85% of the way to success.
I’ve been gardening for over 25 years, and I’m pretty sure I made every mistake a new gardener can make. While I learned a lot, my mistakes also costed our family a lot!
I tried growing in the ground. Terrible idea.
I started using raised beds eventually, but I used the wrong soil. Nothing grew.
My boxes were only 1 foot tall. They were miserable to work in and take care of each week. So after only two years, I got rid of 6 boxes (yikes) and replaced them with taller boxes. So much wasted money!
I left grass around the outside of my boxes. That was a mess and I constantly fought grass growing in my boxes.
I mulched around the garden. This helped with grass, but the pests were so bad I could never stay ahead.
I had no plan for irrigation besides hand-watering. Which meant I was a prisoner to the garden or was constantly coordinating and paying people to help water when we were away.
I could go on and on.
Eventually, after a lot of trial and error, attending gardening classes from Texas A&M University where we lived, and lots of reading, I figured out how to be successful in the garden!
Why I kept going after so much failure – I’ll never know!
By 2016 I was growing more food than we could eat. A few years later, I learned how valuable drip irrigation is in a garden and how much gravel helps make a garden more inviting.
Here’s some great news: you don’t have to fail. Yes, the proper setup can seem like an expense, but trust me – setting up your garden incorrectly can cost an unbelievable amount of money and time to fix down the road.
Let us help you do it right the first time. Your first year can be a triumph!
HELPFUL LINKS
Want to learn to garden? In Monarch Garden Society we help Houston-area gardeners go from confused about growing in our area, missing important planting deadlines, and wasting precious time and money to feeling confident, eating more from their garden, and saving valuable time and resources!
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