One Step Forward and Two Steps Back

I swear sometimes it feels like I take one step forward and two steps back.  After all of the work I've done amending my garden beds with organic matter it seems I've got a few problems.

In the scattered seed area of the garden NOTHING seems to be growing.  First I was loosing all my seedlings to cutworms.  I tried the collar thing, which was only successful on one of my plants.  I've been out early in the morning to look for the darn cutworms, but have had little success.  I know, I know.  I'm supposed to look for them in the dark, but being a stay at home mom I am responsible for running the household so creeping around in the garden with a flashlight at night isn't in the cards for me right now.  The evening is when I am busiest with dinner, baths, cleaning up and feeding my husband who doesn't get off work until 8:00 pm.  I finally gave up on fighting cutworms only to have all my little bean plants die.  (You can see a picture of the beans if you scroll down on THIS PAGE.)  I reluctantly pulled up the beans only to find a million knots on the roots.

Yep...Root Knot Nematodes!

Talk about being discouraged.  I try to do everything right, but I swear Mother Nature doesn't want me to succeed.  It's frustrating.  I want to stomp my feet and scream.  But I don't'...often.

In one of the two areas I amended with organic miracle-gro all my plants were stunted and yellow.  I've watered (and watered and watered) to drain out the over fertilization.  I've dug up and transplanted many plants.  Finally things seem to be getting better in that area.  Whew!

After beating myself up for not being able to control these things I decided the best thing to do is to keep moving forward.  After all, how can things get better if I give up?  Last night I made a bunch of seedling pots using The Flyer and a shot glass.  And today I made a bunch of seed starting containers using things I had lying around (half a Dr Pepper box, cardboard milk container, plastic water jug, toilet paper rolls and a shoe box).  I took my tot outside and we planted seeds of Gourmet Blend Eggplant, Okra, New Zealand Spinach, Borage, Boc Choi, Black Eye Peas, Green Beans, Cantaloupe and Golden Amaranth.  I have my fingers crossed that they actually grow and produce.  I over planted to make up for the cutworms and nematodes.  It's best this way.  Better to have too many plants than not enough.  I know it's not really the right time to plant all of these seeds, but at this point I'll just be happy to see something growing.

Last week I planted carrots, boc choi, okra, artichoke and lettuce in containers.  The lettuce is sprouting nicely in the shade.  No activity from any of the other seeds yet.

The chicks should be here this weekend.  Sigh...I'm not prepared for them.  I have a container, litter, food, waterer, feeder...but no heat lamp and no coop (although I do have a huge dog crate I'll be using I haven't enclosed it or set it up yet).  I do have a work light out in the shed.  I also have a lamp in the closet I'm not using.  One may have to do for now.  I'm afraid if I don't get the right light I will end up killing them.  Heck, I'm afraid I'll end up killing them even if I do get the right light.  Dealing with dead chicks is not something I'm looking forward to.  Maybe, just maybe, since I've managed to keep my kids alive this long I'll be able to keep these chicks alive too.  Lol!  (That was totally a joke, by the way.)