Some parts of this garden are doing really well, and some parts are definitely testing me.
Three months in, the cherry tomatoes have been the clear highlight. They’re the kind of thing you can just pick straight off the vine and eat on the spot, which is exactly the sort of garden win I was hoping for. The burly tomatoes are a bit behind, but they’re finally starting to ripen now as well. The capsicums are fruiting, which is encouraging, but they’ve ended up badly infested, so I’m not expecting a great harvest from them. The strawberries started off strong, but lately the fruit has been tiny, which has been a bit disappointing. And the cucumber has completely ignored the plan and gone wild in every direction.
That’s probably the best summary of this season so far: some things are thriving, some things are struggling, and quite a few things are teaching me lessons whether I asked for them or not.
What I Was Hoping For
When I first set this garden up, the main goal was pretty simple. I wanted fresh fruit and veg that I could pick straight from the plant, save a bit of money, and do it in a way that was cheap and portable since I’m renting.
I also wanted to experiment with companion planting and, if everything came together, maybe even make my own salsa from the garden this season.
That was the dream, anyway.
What Has Been Working
The cherry tomatoes have probably come closest to that vision. I planted them from Bunnings seedlings about three months ago, and they’ve already given us a really decent harvest. We’ve been picking and eating them regularly, often straight from the vine, and that part has honestly felt worth it.
The burly tomatoes were also started from seedlings and are about the same age, although they came on later than the cherries. They only started producing a few weeks afterward, so they’ve felt slower, but it’s still nice to see them finally ripening.
The corn has also been a pleasant surprise. At one point it was flattened by strong wind, and I honestly thought it was done for. But it bounced back far better than I expected, which felt like a good reminder that plants can be tougher than they look.
What Has Been More Challenging
The capsicums went in at the same time as the cherry tomatoes and have started to fruit, but unfortunately they’ve been hit badly by pests. So while they technically got going, I’m not expecting a strong harvest from them.
The strawberries have also been a mixed result. They’re planted in a herb self-wicking bed, and I started them with three different varieties. They looked strong early on, but the fruit has ended up quite small, which has been disappointing.
And then there are the cucumbers. They’ve gone completely wild and are now trying to take over everything around them. What was meant to be one part of the setup has turned into the dominant one, and I’m now watching to see whether the climbing beans can still hold their own or whether the cucumbers have simply overwhelmed the space.
A Few Things I’m Learning About the Setup
This season has also reminded me that not every container setup suits the way I garden.
The raised bed made from a vertically cut-down drum has taught me a lot, but I don’t think I’d do it again the same way. I much prefer the horizontal drums. The vertical one needs a wooden structure underneath, which adds extra cost and uses skills I’m not especially confident in. On top of that, the curved sides reduce the amount of useful soil space for deep-rooting plants like tomatoes. Because I had to move the plants inward from the edges, it also limited how much companion planting I could do.
I also forgot to properly condition the soil for the tomatoes, which hasn’t helped. They’re heavy feeders, and I’ve noticed the compost water runs out quickly. That container is also much more exposed to heat than the others, which seems to make everything dry out faster.
The grow bags have actually been pretty good in some ways, but they come with limits too. There’s not really enough room in them for meaningful companion planting, so next year I may try repurposing them for potatoes instead.
Small Practical Things I’d Change
There are a few smaller things I’d definitely do differently next time.
Because of the size of the grow bags, I’ve mostly been watering in the centre instead of around the root zone, and I can see now that this probably isn’t the best approach. I’ve also used thin bamboo stakes for the tomatoes and capsicums, and they’re just too flimsy. That’s an easy improvement for next season.
I’ve also been reminded that just because something grows doesn’t mean it grows the way you imagined. The cucumber is a very good example of that. It’s healthy, but it’s also chaotic, and I may end up finding that it’s too heavy for the corn to support properly.
The Other Bits of the Garden
Outside of the main beds, I’ve also got a homemade grow tower with a mix of strawberries and herbs in it, plus a little worm farm that has now been unsuccessful three times.
So there’s still plenty of room for improvement.
Where Things Are Sitting Right Now
That’s where the garden is at after three months. It’s messy, useful, frustrating in parts, encouraging in others, and full of lessons I probably wouldn’t have learned any other way.
I definitely haven’t nailed it, but I do feel like each season makes things a little clearer. I’m starting to understand what works in my space, what doesn’t suit the way I garden, and what I want to do differently next time.
The next thing I’ll be covering is the grow tower — the good, the bad, and what I learned from that setup too.