Three Failures in the Garden

When you are gardening, one thing is for sure – there will always be something that doesn’t work out the way you planned. This year I ‘ve had several failures in the garden.

Cabbate Moth

The main thing that went wrong this season was the cabbage moth invasion. However, this is not something I can do much to prevent. When the condition is right for pests like these, they will come.  This season was also the first time I wanted to try growing cabbage. Now all my cabbage plants are ruined, so that was a major disappointment.

I know this has been a large problem all over the country this year. And I also hear that gardeners that have covered their cabbage, also have problems with the moth. My garden is still very new and I don’t have the diversity I am aiming for yet. So, as a result of this, my plants are vulnerable to pest just like this.

My plan for next year, if we get another invasion, is to immediately sow new plants and then be ready to transplant them when the invasion has passed. This year I didn’t realize that this was an option until it was a bit too late.

Broad Beans

Another plant I tried for the first time this year, was broad beans. These I planted in two different locations to see which once did the best. Some straight in the ground and some in a raised bed. I also planted two different types of broad beans in both these locations. This lets me see if one type does better than the other.

Next Read: When to plant Broad Beans – A Complete Guide

What I found was that the early beans managed best, in both locations. But they didn’t do well. There are just a few beans on them. The beans that went in later in the season were more or less completely eaten by the slugs – so they gave zero harvest.

Bolting Lettuces

When I try to grow lettuce on my balcony it just bolts up and goes to seed. The main reason for this is that it is too warm for it there. And when I try to grow it outside, the slugs get to it more or less immediately. This year I do have some lettuce that is growing in a flowerbox hanging on the outside of my balcony – and that seems to be doing okay.

Next Read: Learn how to grow Vegetables on your Balcony

For next year I will try to get more lettuce in the flower boxes, as that is the only space I have at the moment where they seem to grow. I will also look into some slug prevention contraptions on my raised beds, so the slugs don’t get in there in the first place. Another thing I am going to do is to try to get seeds form perennial rocket and see if I can get that growing.

Learnings after Failures in the Garden

I guess it’s true for gardening too, that you learn more from your failures than from your successes. For me these failures are a great way to observe what doesn’t work. Then I can try to find better solutions for next year. Observing and changing your approach accordingly is also one of the principles of permaculture, which I apply in my gardening endeavours.