The greenhorn and the green thumb: Midseason

Gardeners grow all along the learning curve. Some are rookies, just trying to keep a few plants alive. Others are seasoned vets trying to maximize yields and refine their methods. This growing season, we're following two urban gardeners at opposite ends of the knowledge spectrum. In May, we checked on their planning and planting. Now that their gardens are well established, we're sharing their crop triumphs and tribulations. Experienced gardener: 'I'm a tomato snob ... They're my babies.'

Catrina Mujwid-Cole, Minneapolis

Back story: Mujwid-Cole has always gardened. "It's in my blood," she said. When she was a child, she had her own small plot, where she used to sing to the plants to encourage their growth. "I don't know if it helped." In addition to tending her home garden, she also operates Tinka's Gardening (www.tinkasgardening.com), a garden design and maintenance company.

Biggest success: "The tomatoes are doing great. I got 'em in early. They're huge already." This year, she's experimenting with staking them instead of using tomato cages. "So far, I like it," she said.

Biggest flop: Leeks. "I started them from seed. But I couldn't keep them watered enough."

Favorite crop: Tomatoes, hands down. "They're my babies," she said. A self-confessed "tomato snob," Mujwid-Cole grows 14 kinds, mostly heirloom varieties. "I really like the green ones -- very zippy." Aunt Ruby's German Green is a favorite. And every year, she experiments with a few new varieties; this year, it's Paul Robeson (a black tomato), Virginia Sweets (bi-colored) and Moonglow (yellow-orange).

Tomato tips: Mujwid-Cole spreads straw around the base of her tomato plants. "It helps keep water in and the heat of the soil down," she said. "Too many fluctuations cause cracking, splitting and end rot." She also adds a tiny pinch of Epsom salt.

Harvested so far: Radishes, beet greens and lettuces. "And peas. They don't make it into the house. They're eaten before they get there."

Intruders: "I've had a lot of trouble with cutworms this year. I've never had trouble before." She's had to replant, putting her cukes in "cutworm collars" to protect tender seedlings. Slugs have been munching on her basil; she traps them with a beer can. But "I have a high tolerance for weeds. I don't care if it's perfect -- although I have clients who do."

Other obstacles: A June storm washed away her composted manure and pounded her soil, leaving it sandy and compacted. So she had to apply more manure, scratching it in with a hand rake. Hasn't gotten to: Planting corn. "I'm still going to try it. I have 60-day corn [seeds]. So I could still have corn in September. If not, I'll go to the farmers market."

Novice gardener: 'I love it! It's my hobby, and I'm glad I found it.'
Jamaica DelMar, Minneapolis

Back story: DelMar bought her first house last August and is undertaking her first garden, which she created from scratch. "I don't know what I'm doing at all," she said in May. But she was eager to start growing some of her own food and provide a learning experience for her 12-year-old daughter.

Biggest success: "My tomatoes [she has six plants]. They look happy. It's surprising to me. The peas look healthy and happy, too. But I think they're too crowded."

Biggest flop: Spinach. "I eat so much of it. I really wanted not to have to buy it," she said. But she wasn't sure when to pick it, and it went to seed. (Our experienced gardener, Catrina Mujwid-Cole, who agreed to serve as DelMar's garden mentor this season, advised her to dig it up and plant something else; she put in cabbage.) DelMar's carrots also have been a disappointment. She planted seeds back in May, and so far, only one tiny plant has surfaced.

Biggest surprise: "Cucumber. I didn't know it grew from flowers." And she didn't learn until after she planted it that her asparagus wouldn't produce edible stalks for several seasons.

Harvested so far: "Nothing yet. Soon, hopefully. I have lots of green tomatoes," she said. "Am I supposed to be getting strawberries yet? I don't know. I'm excited to start eating this stuff." Her daughter, Keiani, said "I'm excited for the watermelon."

Intruders: "I don't get many weeds," DelMar said. "I thought I'd be spending a lot more time weeding." Her "weeds" are volunteer morning glories. "They just came out of nowhere. I love morning glories, but not throughout the middle of my garden."

Other obstacles: DelMar is worried that the catalpa tree next to her garden plot is going to be an impediment to future garden success. "It's small now but soon it will make too much shade," she said. "Maybe I'll put it on Craigslist."

Unexpected helper: Keiani isn't as interested in gardening as DelMar had hoped. But her boyfriend's 9-year-old daughter is. "She LOVES being in the garden with me. She's an awesome gardener. It's fun having her around."

Side benefit: "I've lost 10 pounds so far, which is awesome," she said. "It's because of gardening, definitely. It's great exercise."