My Dollar Tree Garden: Stunted Starters and What Actually Survived

It is an absolute joy to write this post every month. I love writing about the garden, but I also love this little experiment I’ve got my feet in. As many of you know, I started my very first garden this year, my first time buying Galvanized Beds, lettuce starters, a lilac bush, and a bunch of seeds from the Dollar Tree to try. It has been a journey, to say the least, from squirrels stealing strawberries to a gopher or mole that’s an absolute destroyer of yards. We’ve had our work cut out for us.

This post contains affiliate links but because Dollar Tree isn’t online, I’ve added another amazing seed company. I’ve linked everything in my ShopMy collection, makes it easy to browse and shop. It costs you nothing extra and supports my work, and I’m so grateful when you do. 💕

Table of Contents

Dollar Tree Vegetable Seeds: What Actually Sprouted

I’ve learned a lot about gardening in the PNW these past four months. Strangely, the biggest lesson I’ve learned is that even when you think you’ve planted too many items or started too many starters, you’re wrong. It’s still not enough, and it’s not because they don’t sprout, it’s because you cannot control the environment once they get outside.

This year I learned about stunting your starters by not getting them used to the outside climate slowly. I feel like this should have been obvious, but I threw them outside and they all looked great! Til they were not. Those poor sweet peppers didn’t stand a chance in under 70 degrees every day. They’re still not growing, and I’m pretty sure they’re done for, but now I know the secret: keep pepper starters indoors til July here in the PNW.

That said, my tomatoes did roughly the same thing until I repotted them in huge containers, and now they’re taking off! Unfortunately, I have two lone survivors otherwise, one zucchini trying its darndest to survive in the back bed that gets partial sun, and one cucumber doing well in a container in full sun.

The green beans? Eaten by crows.

Zucchini from the first round? Eaten by a slug, I think.

Here’s what’s left:

We’re not doing great, but if I get anything out of these, it’ll be a miracle. Everything is working against these little guys, and I think I’m in denial over the watermelon because there’s just no way it survives out there on its own, especially with that gopher on the loose. So it’s staying inside til it either dies or I can keep it properly safe.

New Dollar Tree Seeds We’re Adding to the Garden

As you know from the last check in, none of my pollinators started from seed, but surprise, a batch actually has! I have absolutely no idea what I planted there, so if or when they start sprouting, I’ll let you know. For now, though, I read about planting cosmos this time of year, and I think I have another two bags of seeds from the Dollar Tree. So I’m going to try direct sowing them and see what happens. It’s full sun this time, so I’m hopeful.

I’m still debating the pumpkins. They take 100 days to mature, and we’re roughly 120 days out from Halloween. It might just be possible if I plant them right now.

Nursery Starters and Pollinator Plants: What’s Thriving

It’s not a lot, but what I bought from the nursery is killing it. What I bought from big box stores is struggling, and I’m not completely sure why.

I moved the lavender out of its container into the back bed to help pollinators, and I’m hoping it thrives back there. I also added some cat mint, it smells amazing, though it’s not for eating. The bluish purple flowers are lovely and bumblebees love them, so I’m hoping they help that zucchini pollinate too.

The echinacea is finally starting to bloom! I was worried it wasn’t doing well, but I have a single orange bloom and I’m thrilled. I was hoping to use these in an elixir, but I’m too happy about the bloom to pick it yet.

As for the lettuce, there’s no shortage. We have so much it’s overgrowing and I’m prematurely picking it. We haven’t bought lettuce since April. Can you believe it? It’s been the best investment for us, we’ve harvested roughly 20 rounds at this point. I also have dill growing along side it, which grew from seeds that were direct to sow. They’re thriving as well!

The Strawberries

Last but not least, the strawberries. Last month I built a literal cage around them to keep the squirrels out. It’s been very effective, and I’m doing the same thing on the back bed now to keep the crows out too.

That said, we did get a harvest of June bearing berries, and unfortunately, they weren’t very good. I was hoping they’d be extra sweet, but they were watery and a bit sour. We’ve been disappointed, but at least we have strawberries. The ones coming in this month look way more plump and yummy, they’re clearly thriving in the heat.

Keep your fingers crossed for our little babies! Til next month, friends.

xoxo