My Dollar Tree Garden: June Update & What’s Actually Growing

Waiting an entire month to update you on my Dollar Tree Garden has been pure torment! There are so many things happening and, as a first time gardener, it has definitely been more rewarding than disappointing. Which is so exciting to report. If you’re coming here from my May post, welcome to the series! I’m doing my best to document everything from Dollar Tree seeds to nursery finds to see if you can have a genuinely inexpensive garden.

As of right now, we’re not sure if we’re going to stay in this house long term and I didn’t want to do a full backyard makeover when we can just run a few A/B tests instead. So naturally this experiment hasn’t been completely free or entirely from the Dollar Tree. There have been a few upfront costs including the galvanized beds but I’ll get more into that later. Let me start with our $1.25 for 3 seed packets first and then we can roll into my nursery buys.

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Table of Contents

Dollar Tree Vegetable Seeds: What Actually Sprouted

I am beyond thrilled to report that just about everything that started indoors has seeded! We officially have:

I’m over the moon and ready to get these into our beds but I’ll be honest, I didn’t do the best job planning this out. I’ve run out of room in two of our beds and since I can’t plant vine crops with other vines like cucumbers and zucchini together, and I also can’t plant them with peppers, I’m honestly debating whether I could grow some of them in cardboard boxes or plastic bins. Research needed before I jump in!

As mentioned in my previous post, none of my pollinators sprouted. Which is such a bummer. I dreamed of this insanely beautiful garden filled with bees and hummingbirds but it just didn’t happen. To add insult to injury, all we’ve been able to grow in those spots are weeds.

I’m a little nervous about how well planting our seedlings will go when we get back but we’re past the rain and it should be nothing but blue skies and sunshine for a while. We’re actually supposed to go through a heat wave next week! If you’re anything like me, I love the heat and cannot wait to feel all of my fingers and toes for the next three months. 😄

A few quick seedling updates worth noting:

The zucchini is doing great and I actually have a second zucchini from another company growing alongside it, which will make for a fun comparison.
I’m also mildly worried about the watermelon. While it’s still surviving, watermelon tends to be very particular and I read you shouldn’t disturb the roots when planting, which feels nearly impossible. I have it in a biodegradable cup so we’ll see. Truly a 50/50 situation.
Lastly, the sweet peppers seem to have stalled. They’ve sprouted and grown but so slowly that they appear stunted. I’m hoping some proper sunlight and fresh air helps once they’re outside.

New Dollar Tree Seeds We’re Adding to the Garden

My sister very sweetly picked up three more rounds of seeds for me on our annual family trip. She grabbed green beans, more sweet peppers, and pumpkin! I wasn’t planning on growing pumpkin without a dedicated bed but I might make an exception if I can manage it in a container. They need roughly 100 days to mature though so I need to do my research before committing.

That’s all on the Dollar Tree seeds for now! Stay tuned next month to see how they’re doing.

Nursery Starters and Pollinator Plants: What’s Thriving

I’m thrilled to report that the French Butter Lettuce and Green Butter Lettuce we picked up from Sky Nursery are absolutely thriving! To the point where we’ve already gotten our money’s worth in harvests. We’ve harvested lettuce 12 times and since every box at the grocery store is roughly $6 and lasts us 3-4 meals, and our starters were $8 and have given us 12 meals already, we are absolutely winning. Since we’re doing the pick and grow method they just keep coming, but we still got nervous they’d die out so I went back and bought 2 more packs. Those are also thriving. We are going to have so much lettuce this summer. We’ve already shared some with my parents, my sister, and our neighbor and I’m hoping to help people who need fresh produce with a few harvests later this year too. 💕

My Moroccan Mint is also thriving! The Chocolate Mint actually grew back from last year and it’s flourishing. So much so that I was able to propagate 4 other starters from it. I have no idea what to do with them all so I’m debating putting them on Facebook Marketplace for trade or on OfferUp for anyone who needs them. It’s super delicious though and definitely more spicy than the Moroccan Mint.

The Lemon Balm is struggling a little but the Greek Sage growing next to it is doing beautifully. I think the Lemon Balm just needs a pot that drains a little better.

The Spanish Lavender that’s my primary pollinator also needs a new pot. It grew fast and wild! The Dwarf Lilac I bought on clearance is doing great but sadly only blooms for two weeks, which genuinely breaks my heart. I wish it lasted longer.

Sugar Snap Peas, Sunflowers and Zinnias

Beyond the combating zucchinis, we also have roughly 9 Sugar Snap Pea vines going and so far 1 lovely pea is growing! We should have loads more in the next few weeks which will make Ad very happy. He loves them and eats them straight off the vine with absolutely no dip required. I’m strongly debating growing the green beans now that I have the seeds but I think I might be running out of pots and containers. I also need more sticks to build a trellis.

All of the sunflower seeds I planted went in too early. I have ONE survivor. It will look a little silly by itself but I think it’s a warrior and I’m rooting for it! I’d love to try starting more indoors to see if I can eventually get a proper garden of sunflowers. They’re one of my absolute favorites.

Zinnias are last on my pollinator list and are growing strong but I’m worried they won’t take to my soil. Only time and luck will tell!

The Strawberries

Oh friends. Where do I even begin.

Ad has been not-so-patiently waiting for these strawberries to come in. We finally had three ripen up and we talked about it all day. How we were going to feast on our little homegrown strawberries for dessert. I went out to the garden and – gone.

All three. To where? Franklin, the squirrel. Aka, my new nemesis. 🐿️

Last year I had the same problem but this year, for some silly reason, I thought we were safe. I was so wrong. After loads research and an 11pm online order after finally deciding what to do, I came home from our BC trip and built an entire fence around the strawberry plants. Honestly, if any squirrels get in at this point they deserve it because this thing has a trap door I made on top and no other entry points. It’s kind of difficult to even get my own arm in there but it will absolutely be worth it for the strawberries alone. Franklin, you have met your match.

As for the plants themselves, they’re amazing. Growing so many runners that I’ve been cutting them back so the plants can concentrate their energy on growing fruit. Last count we have roughly 30 strawberries growing with the majority being from our June bearing crops. The others will produce all the way into late autumn.

Thank you so much for reading my gardening tales, friends! If you have any words of wisdom or advice please share below. I have a strong feeling we’re going to be feeding the neighborhood loads of zucchini this summer, which would make me so happy.

What are you growing from Dollar Tree this year?

xoxo