In the last 3 months since our move to Utah, the little garden area that I had hoped to fill with glorious plants was quickly turning into a stubborn weed patch. The weeds had gotten so out of hand that hubby even mowed them a time or two while he was out mowing the lawn. During Mom’s and Grandma’s recent visit, I recruited them and their infamous green thumbs to help me finally get my little garden started. We turned over the soil, pulled those nasty weeds and added blood and bone meal. Soil preparation was not an easy process. It took us a good day and half, a hot bath and two doses of pain reliever for our aching backs to get the area weed free – or at least as weed free as we possibly could!
Since this is a fall garden, we planted broccoli from starts, and peas, butter lettuce and spinach from seed - all big staples at our house! Mom warned me that since we weren’t able to get all of the weed’s roots up, I’d likely be weeding on a daily basis for a while. I’m certainly willing, but the problem is that since Mom left, I can’t tell what is a weed and what is a seedling! You see, after we planted the garden, it rained for days washing away many of the newly sown seeds to different areas of the garden. I know this because I know what my broccolli looks like and darn if I don’t have spinach growing in it. 
This should be my spinach. Of course, these seedlings coming up do not resemble any spinach leaves I’ve ever seen before but they are coming up in rows so they must be, right? Please let them be!
These should be my butter lettuce. I think I see a random weed growing next to one though. That leaf with the scalloped edges just isn’t like the others….
If anyone can identify this, I’d be grateful. It looks like it could/should be something but it doesn’t look like anything else currently growing in the garden. Not even the volunteer pumpkin plant that magically came up among all the weeds a month or so ago.
And last but not least, my beloved broccoli.We purchased these as frighteningly fragile and spindly little plants. They’re much bigger and sturdier than when we planted them. They’d be even stronger if the grasshoppers would leave them alone. Grrrr. Do you see the butter lettuce growing under the broccoli plant? Ha!
The promise of my first garden! I can’t wait to see how it grows. I’m excited!
5 Comments
SURPRISE!! Sometimes that is a good thing. lol Big weeds will be easier to pull once you identify it as such.
Stay calm and enjoy the process. Your area is so good for gardens. Your family is really going to enjoy the harvest. I’m proud of your little garden!
Carli-
Those are spinach. The seedling leaves come out first (and don’t look ANYTHING like spinach leaves) then the “true leaves will follow. Looks like your volunteer seedling might be a squash or cucumber? The reddish leaves look to be a weed…..probably purslane. Hope that helps! Happy Gardening!
Thank you, Lori! That helps a great deal! Now I’m excited for some squash or cucumber! Unfortunately, it’s not growing in the best place (right where I was going to place my stepping stones, matter of fact) but I’m going to have a hard time even thinning out my spinach soooooo, I think I’ll find another place to put stepping stones.
Pulling up growing, thriving plants just won’t be my strong point.
It’s tough love, Carli.
haha! I lack that tough part, mom!