Garden Envy...

I have a serious affliction of this horrible disease....I look around at others gardens and think WTF??!?? Did these people spend their winter looking at garden porn?....I mean...Nichol's or Territorials seed catalogs?? Did they research for hours the different options in available dirt that could be delivered? Did they think about drainage or the correct placement of the beds to get the most sun? When I look around at the gardens around me most of these answers are a big fat no....some people even :::gasp::: just planted some seeds in the ground!!! Yet even with all my hard work I see that my garden is lacking. Some people have bigger Kale/a better diversity of plants/already ready beets! Whats a girl to do when she is almost dying with Garden Envy?

As some of you might know we bought the house last August and while I got some plants in, it was a little late in the season to garden hard core. I was sooo ready for this summer! We made raised beds, got top notch dirt delivered (on that note if you had said to me I would spend that much $$ on dirt two years ago I would of laughed until I peed), and even got plants delivered in the mail!

After raising starts on my counter for MONTHS I first noticed my newly acquired disease...at the Saturday market they were selling bigger/better starts for $2.00! Why had I given up so much counter space for months with constant monitoring to save $2.00??!!? I then gave many of my starts away, planted some and even bought more at the Market. I was so excited to plant and to be able to show off my awesome gardening prowess/my hard work..to see my research pay off!

And then the rain happened......

And happened......

And happened......

It caused me to panic a bit...I waited to be sure no more plants would have to sacrifice their life. Once I was sure the rain was gone for a bit I replanted. THEN THE SLUGS....can't a girl get a break??!!? Ok two mini massacres down and I thought 'gotta put on my big girl panties and keep up the good fight'. So I kept watching/hoping and slowly I saw growth. Yet when walking the dogs I see much some amazing gardens. Plants I was sure would grow have died (Kale=failed), some never flowered (eggplant=dud) and I have realized that even with all my planning one of my raised beds is in shade.....I don't even know what to say. I keep telling myself it will turn around, all my knowledge/research will pay off but we shall see.

Does anyone else experience garden envy?? Any major mishaps?