I was out in my garden last night -actually now a big stretch of dirt and grass. I'm not sure what to do. I live in zone 5- mid Missouri. We have had a very cool spring and lots of rain. So between one of the heavy rains, I planted cucumber seeds along a cattle panel for climbing, carrot seeds where the tomatoes are going to go (just sprinkled around), two rows of green beans (bush) and a row of beet seeds. Then the rains came!

I'm not sure about the cucumber seeds - they have never done a thing.

A few beets have come up, only about 4 bean plants have come up.

There is grass sprouting everywhere and I can't tell what is a weed/grass sprout and what is a seed. What should I do? Start over? In spite of the rain a few days ago, the ground was hard last night. When I pulled at what I knew to be grass, it broke off and I didn't get the root. There is so much grass everywhere I certainly can't pull it all.

Should I start over - re-till the ground or should I wait until everything growing out there is much bigger so I can tell what's grass and what's not.

Any ideas??

Thanks for any help for this very newbie gardener!

Jeanna

Some things will not germinate if the soil is too cool and wet, beans and cucumbers being 2 of those things. They are considered warm weather crops.

Try re-planting and you should have better luck.

Beets and carrots are cool weather crops, meaning they will germinate when the soil is cooler.

Don't give up, keep reading and learning. We all were where you are at some point in time! You will have some successes and some failures, it's all a part of the learning process.

And learn about mulching. It goes a long ways in keeping weeds at bay, but not until after the crop is up and you know where the plants are. Plus it's good for the soil.

Others will have more ideas and suggestions, this is what comes off the top of my head!

Google the things you are planting and learn about what conditions they require. There is alot of self-help out there, and we are always more than happy to help!

I know the feeling because I'm also from mid missouri. What i do now with cukes is to start them inside(I also do this with watermelon and pumokin also), this solves the problem of the weather and keeps bugs from eating the seeds. Just today I transplanted my cukes out to my garden.

Mumsey and Homesteader:

Thanks for the help and words of encouragement. Question about mulching - I usually put grass clippings over my garden after I have everything up. What do I do about all the grass growing in there? Will the mulch smother it out and yet not smother out my veges? Should I put some newspaper or something down first before I put down the grass clippings? Is there something I can do next year so those grass seedlings don't pop up everywhere?

Homesteader - I was surprised to see you are in Versailles. My husband and I have a place "at the lake" at Gravois. Small world! This weather is crazy isn't it? I am just so ready for warm weather!

Jeanna

Grass clippings will not smother out grass. Many people do not bag when they mow, as the clippings are beneficial to the soil and help the grass grow better.

Carrots look just like grass when they first appear (although they have two small upright leaves, they can easily be mistaken.)

My advice would be to dig all the grass out and put in a good quality metal edging that you can bury at least three inches down, all the way around the vegetable patch. You will have the occassional bit of grass still show up, but it will be easier to get out. You can get edging at the two big box stores, and it has it's own stakes, rounded edges for safety, etc. With even 1-2" above the ground level, you can start to build up raised beds.

Grass and sod can be a struggle, but the edging has been the solution for me, metal, not any other material. My yard would be almost 100% wild grasses to 3 feet tall (perennial rye, wild oats, etc.) but since I switched to the metal edging everywhere, I don't have to fight anymore. Now dandelions are another issue.

BTW, some materials yards will sell really nice 8' sections of edging which are long enough to be flexible and bend around curved beds.

M

I don't think you will manage to get ahead of the grass if you don't rip it all out...then replant.

For the few things that are up, you might be able to dig them up gently, lay them to the side, rip out all the grass, then re-plant your tiny plants.

Grass is a bear....but if you are still freezing...your season is just starting..no giant worries.