my vegetable garden

i am determined to grow all of my fruits and vegetables! ok: that's a bit lofty: i am trying to grow some of my fruits and vegetables. this is the third year working my plot in virginia. the first year, i staked out 50 feet by 50 feet of sandy loam, put a strawberry pyramid in the center and central paths forming a cross with a round about the strawberries. i lined the paths with a thick mulch of loblolly pine needles. i plotted out on paper my plan and inserted all of the seedlings. the first potatoes were fantastic! then we got 11" of rain that drowned my pink and blue popcorn. the deer ate my tomato and pepper plants. i was away for a couple of weekends, and the weeds took over the strawberries: i never found them! so i abandoned it. last year, i started potatoes on valentine's day, followed up with seedlings later and the farmer came and plowed everything under, including the strawberry pyramid. so, i abandoned it. this year will be different though: i can tell! i started seeds early. we bought a walk behind tiller to help with the weeds; there are still a lot, though! i have walking onions, leeks and sweet onions. the tomatoes havent been touched by the deer yet. the potatoes had a lot of bugs, but i smacked them off and they werent around this week. the mustard is still kicking. the cabbages are growing, but i am not really sure how they are supposed to look. the swiss chard looks amazing! my moon and stars watermelon looks a bit anemic, but is still alive! some of the sweet potatoes dried up, but most are sprouting. the arugula and italian parsley have past: i need to replant them. the radishes (which were delicious) went to seed: i am going to save it for next year. the carrots didnt make it.