I remember being frustrated by the commercial compost drying out seemingly really fast but even a tiny bit of mulch on top (like in my garlic beds) changed things dramatically.
I was totally right that my planned veg patch gets lots of diffuse light. Beets, perpetual spinach and silverbeet all sprouted beautifully. No one is looking too leggy yet.
Also my cabbages!
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Hope they do well 
The closer you are to the equator, the more veggies actually need some shade, particularly in afternoon.
My tiny garden complaint is that I planted Bright Lights chard, which varies in color. And the one that sprouted is just plain green. Hmph. I like the pretty colors. Oh well. Itās still food.
But, itās doing well and very happy in its container. Everythingās doing pretty well, actually, though, the peas donāt seem to want to climb? Wondering if I should gently tie them to their support so they get the idea and donāt just end up lying flat?
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Iām starting to get nervous about this yearās garden. I hoped to get drip irrigation installed, but havenāt been able to get out and buy materials beyond what we happen to have in the house for some reason, and still have sprinkler heads that got lopped off by inattentive mowing and I canāt quite figure out how to attach something to where the heads were to fix it. Meanwhile, my soil is quite dry and I donāt know how Iām going to find the time to get it moist. I have no hail cloth for the inevitable summer hail storms. Very little that was direct seeded is growing ā only some of the spinach in a bed with very little compost topping it. Iām pre-emptively steeling myself for things to die upon transplant. Iām getting berry plants and fruit trees next week and Iām so nervous Iām going to screw it up. Lowkey considering just letting most of the beds sit empty with mulch on them while only focusing on the tomato and pepper bedsā¦
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You can get by just using something like these things for a season. You will waste water, and you will have to pay closer attention to it (use timers or alarms on phones). Youāll have to drag it around the yard. Itās fine donāt worry about it.
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You can definitely bite off too much. Better to succeed at a smaller garden than fail at a bigger one.
I donāt know anything about lawn sprinklers but thereās gotta be info out there for repairing lawn mower injuries if you just look. It probably happens all the time.
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Impact head sprinklers are another option depending on the shape of what needs water.
I think you can even put down temporary drip tape and attach the lines directly to the outside spigot, if managing a lawn sprinkler type thing is too much. Iād get a splitter thing so you can still attach a hose to the spigot as well. You need a pressure reducing valve too, so it doesnāt blow out the emitters. But itās definitely doable and Iāve seen people do it. In the non-humid west, though, it isnāt as big a deal (disease-wise) to overhead water (although they still recommend not to do it), which is why I think just using a lawn sprinkler or two would work just fine in a pinch, and the cheapest ones are only like $10-$20. (Iāve even seen them set up in series.)
I do have a sprinkler thing that can attach to a hose. Itās not this kind, and itās not directed as well as I would like. But I think it will do for now. Iām going to run it for about a half hour and then go out and check to see how well stuff got watered. it seems to reach about 3 beds. One like @Calbal linked would probably be slightly better for how the beds are lined up.
The bed Iāve focused most on watering seems to be improving in its dryness. So fingers crossed.
My top priorities for the garden are going to be the tomatoes, peppers, and basil, since Iāve put so much effort into starting them (and love them). Next is the trees and bushes Iāve ordered online, since itās too late to cancel the order and they have the potential for great payoff for years to come. Anything after that is a great bonus.
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If you put out some shallow cans all around (tuna or cat food can sized), you can measure how many inches are being deposited per time unit, and also see if some areas are not getting enough. This is the cheap/easy way they recommend us to measure how much we are watering (specifically for lawns, but it would work for garden beds when done this way too) to determine optimal watering schedules here in the summer (they have recommended amounts, but of course it also depends on soilsā¦ still, it is good data to have if you know you need to up the amount or lower it).
(Also keep in mind, deeper, less frequent watering is better in our climate than frequent shallow watering. And mulch out here makes a HUGE difference when it comes to keeping soils moist. I couldnāt believe how big of a difference when I first started using it.)
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Iāve got a couple very large pots, and since the in-ground leafy greens arenāt coming up, Iām going to try making a compost/potting soil/perlite hybrid and plant some lettuce in these large pots & put them outside.
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Most greens grow well from transplant if you struggle to solve the direct sow germination problem.
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Good to know. I never have had a problem germinating them inside. Space and soil are just at a premium right now.
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Somehow Iāve just now found this thread. Iāve got a lot of in-ground space, but all new garden since weāve been unwilling to cut trees for it. Weāve got a section that will get lots of sun directly against the house in a spot we would have kept clearer for walking space in normal times. Itās about 300 square feet, maybe a little more, but roughly 10x30, and itās newly fenced to keep deer out.
The other area is at best partial shade where two of the big canopy giants died the year before last. Itās close to 600 square feet, but not fully fenced. Planting things that canāt take our heat there and hoping. Thereās an awful lot elsewhere for the deer to eat so weāll see. Also planted radishes around the edge as a deer offering.
Both garden plots are amended with forest loam as thatās what we have in bulk. Iām a pretty good food gardener in more forgiving circumstances and always do fully organic. No choice now as we will not be going out for either amendments or poisons. Here goes.
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Iāve heard forest loam/duff is fantastic for garden soils.
Iām hoping so.
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But fresh crap is right out.
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