Well first year gardens are often discouraging but don't give up. A good garden takes an average of 3 years - kind of like a small business does to show a profit - so you need to hang in there and you will be rewarded.

Since you tilled without stripping off the grass first you will have it to deal with for this year but it will eventually all disappear and next year will be better. Meanwhile a hoe honestly is your best fried. If you wish you can also by some Round Up and use a paint brush to apply it to the biggest patches of grass and weeds.

Wind and weather is something all we gardeners have to cope with so take comfort from the fact that you aren't alone in that. Next year consider changing the orientation of your rows so that they drain better and aren't as affected by the winds. Run them with the dominant wind direction, not against it.

Your problems were compounded by inadequate soil preparation and amendment and planting way too early for your zone. You were anxious and so jumped the gun for zone 5. So spend some of your time this year learning about proper planting times for your zone and working on improving your soil. Consider getting a soil test done via your local country Ag extension office, do some reading on peat and its associated problems, incorporate lots of compost into the paths and areas between your plantings, lay on a good layer of an organic type mulch like hay or straw or more compost all over the bed and plan to till it into the soil this fall, think of ways to add other nutrients to your bed and more organic matter to improve its tilth.

And now - mid May is the time to start planning to plant your seeds so buy some more seeds, check your long range weather forecast, learn what the soil temperature needs to be for each variety, etc. Once the garden dries out and your weather settles, re-till once more and then have a go at it.

That's the great thing about gardens - they let you start all over with a clean slate. ;)

Good luck.

Dave

I second what Dave said. Too early, didn't give all the grass seeds time to germinate before you tilled the ground. The one thing I really disagree with is the 3 years to get a great garden. I've started stuff in virgin sod and had fantastic results the first year - it depends on your ground.

Mike

I'm in New Hampshire, which is in the same general zone as you. My cukes and squash are still indoors on my light shelf, and they'll be there for 2-3 more weeks. They like it REALLY hot to germinate - 80 is toward the bottom of their germination range. I've never direct-seeded them in my/our zone, but of course it's possible. They don't really like being transplanted, so it's one of those 6 of one, half dozen of another things.

It's easy to get discouraged when the idea in your mind - especially when it's been there all winter - doesn't match the veggie garden out in your yard. Weather rolls the dice for us each year, too. Personally, I set goals for myself each year, and I rate my "success" by how well I do on those goals. You simply can't learn everything in one year - there's just too much to know! Every year, I've added to my knowledge & skills, and the end result is that every year, my garden has produced a little more. I agree with Dave that it takes a few years to get much of a result.

This year, I really focused on starting seedlings for the very first time - it's never worked for me before because my house is too cold & dark in late winter & early spring. I read all kinds of stuff about it, got some equipment, made myself a schedule, and was pretty serious about it. Even if all heck breaks loose from here, I consider this a successful year already, because I've grown some darn wonderful little seedlings.

So maybe instead of feeling like a horrible gardener for not being able to turn over the soil, start seeds, build a lovely fence, etc, etc - all in one year - maybe you could just focus on starting to get the soil doing well. Maybe measure your success by how well the transplants you get from the store do, or maybe just by how much you learn.

Here's the book that I got when I was first learning - it really helped me to feel like I knew what I was doing: "The Vegetable Gardener's Bible," by Edward Smith.

Hint: it all starts with good soil. Learning about building your soil is Gardening 101. Just turning over the soil & adding peat might not have provided all the right nutrients. Getting a soil test from the Cooperative Extension is a very good idea.

Hi, I am in zone 5, 2nd yr gardener. In our area its too early to plant warm season veggies. I will be planting those the last week of May. What I already planted: onion sets, garlic, peas, carrots, cabbage, broccoli, beets, spinach, potatoes and lettuces. Some things are up and doing great and some, no sign yet. I have a few seedlings in the house (I started from seed) but have to wait to plant those. Cukes/zukes did better last year with direct sowing. I am planting a few melons and pumpkin seeds this weekend just for trial and error to see if they make it. We had frost 2 nights ago. I will plant more in 2 weeks! We have a shorter growing season and cooler nights. Be patient, keep notes this year, start a compost pile...you will need it for next yr, read and learn as you go.

I think that the Advice is great from the above, it is hard but one thing to remember is that has passed and the in the near future everything been warmer, I thought I had lost my Squash seeds and runner beans this week as I planted them last week when the sun was out and the 10 day forecast promised good weather, then bamm a frost warning, I covered some stuff, but I didn't bother with that bed as my sons, I had already caught digging in the area I had sown, today I go out and a tiny little squash and runner beans seedlings are emerging, same can't be said for the Pole beans, but you win some, you lose some, next year, when you see a post like this hopefully you will chip in and say, this happened to me and I got through it :-)
I feel your pain on the grass, I have some which has forced itself up through my weed cloth, under my raised beds, but thanks to your post, I now know the answer, it's an ill wind...
the first taste of the carrot you pull to early :-) or the first ripe Tom, all this will be forgotten.

To the excellent advice given above I'd just like to add that gardening in a new location adds an extra degree of difficulty to the whole process, so like Candogal said, please don't feel like you're a horrible gardener.

It's hard to know where the sun will fall in different seasons, what the drainage is like and what the prevailing winds are when you haven't been there long enough to experience these things yourself.

Add to that, the fact that soil and micro-climate are rarely consistent across the whole yard, so there is always a process of finding out what grows best where and developing a soil amendment regime to improve the areas that need it.

We all long to get started in the spring and I guarantee you're not the only gardener who jumped the gun this year.

IMO successful gardening is as much about observing, making notes and planning as it is about doing. Gardening in a new place, you don't have years of observation and gardening records behind you, so start now. Make notes on what happens this year ('cause you *will* forget!), good and bad, treat it as a learning experience. Next year will be less stressful because you'll have a better idea what to expect.

DONT BE DISCOURAGED!!! A setback is simply an oppourtunity to learn something new! Keep a garden journal and record everything especially so you dont repeat the mistakes! I recommend you start your initial seeds indoors so you can control the environment better and let your seeds develop into healthy starts. When you plant out after hardening them off!!!, put down sheets of newspaper or black plastic or something to smother the grass/ weeds around your veggies! When you tend your garden pull the grass and weeds as they develop to make it easier. My kids have to weed the flower beds right after school, they are closer to the ground anyway! I was a horrible gardener when I first started, and I started way to big to enjoy it!!! Stick with it, I love that I did and this year is my best yet!

I agree with everything above but.....And if you prefer organics, please feel free to discard these words without reading further...but, tilling in grass just slows down the lawn. And if you think you are discouraged now, wait until that grass is knee deep. I think it is still early enough to kill off that grass before replanting. With the proper use of a herbicide, like round-up, you can safely replant the seeds in a week, and plants in two weeks.

i just wanted to say I know how you feel. my gardens first year was a disaster for the must part. spent every daylight hour after work pulling weeds, Id get home the next night and it seem like theyed all be back again. had to actually mow the paths. the second year was a little better but not great just mainly focused on peppers in a small area and some did ok others didnt, but I realized something my garden was over whelming me. this year I cut it to a third of the size can't grow everything but can grow better. its easier to make a small area sweet at first than a huge one. I covered the area with black plastic in the fall till the grass was dead and it kept it warm enough for the worms to play. took it off in the late spring when it started getting warm and started digging and I was surprised at how easy it was, just push in and turn. my garden is by no means perfect as it still needs lot of organic material, but it has come a long way. few of us have the luxury of tilling an area and poof we have a garden instead we have to build up to it and that takes time but it can be done.

Maybe this year you might want to buy a few seedlings from a local nursery. This will help you determine which vegetables grow well in your soil. Last year I planted kohlrabi seedlings in my soil, and they took off. This year I planted kohlrabi from seed, and they are doing great. Last year I planted peppers, but they didn't do quite so well. It was a cool summer so I know that had something to do with it. I also think I didn't prepare the soil correctly for peppers. I've changed up the soil composition, and I am trying again with seedlings from a nursery. Your first year of gardening should be all about experimenting.

I am highly opposed to using Round Up anywhere near the garden or at all for that matter. My neighborhood, despite being in the middle of the city, has a very healthy frog population. Round Up can do all sorts of awful to frog population and eventually the human population. I would try cardboard or black plastic to cover the grass and kill it off. Of course, this is strictly your choice.

Wow! Lots of great advice! I haven't decided what I'm going to do at this point yet. Thanks for the encouragement!

Here is a link that might be useful: My blog about transtioning to the country

What everyone said about building a better soil is absolutely true. Actually I'm still building after working in this garden for 12 years. That's why I still have card board boxes laying all over the yard.

But that doesn't mean you can't have a little instant gratification this year. You already have a good plan about getting a few starts from the store. Why not anchor down some weed barrier. Cut small openings in the weed barrier and plant those starts you're gonna get. You're good with tomato and strawberry, try some of these! This way you can enjoy veggies while waiting (for soil building or whatever else your plan will be).

For the seeds you already planted, keep an eye out. They will come up later. Maybe we'll see another thread from you about a hard decision on what to keep that you think will work ;-)