Year Two is underway!

My family has been gardening since before my 86-year-old grandfather was a dirt-poor cotton farmer raised in Alabama. I have heirloom longhorn okra seed that we have a genealogy for going back to the early 1800s.

That being said, last year was my first year with my own garden. My soil isn't that great (clay and clumpy), and my green beans didn't even come up. Neighborhood squirrels ate all of my tomatoes to the point where I stopped watering them. We had a lot of cucumbers and okra.

I've tilled in around seven bags of compost this year to improve the soil, and I've started vermicomposting as well.

I'll start my tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers from saplings, and try some different pole beans this year. I'm also going to try to grow some peppers because I do not think animals will bother them as much as tomatoes.

Tomatoes, cucumbers, green beans, and a few pepper varieties coming soon.

Any tips for squirrel deterrent? Do sprays or marigolds actually work?

If anyone wants some heirloom longhorn okra seed, I'll send you some for the cost of the envelope and stamp. (I can remove this paragraph if not allowed)