When you are growing your own food, you control every step of the process — from seed selection and soil management all the way to carrot peeling and pie baking!

But with so many variables, chances are some things will not go according to plan. And the subreddit r/MightyHarvest has plenty of proof to back this up. Created in 2018, it has 88.4k members, who regularly post pictures from their gardens.

While a select few see it as a platform for humble-bragging and uploading images of their Pinterest-perfect tomato baskets, most people do it ironically and share their hilariously underdeveloped fruits and veggies instead, reminding each other that failing is part of the process.

#1 Hmm, Not Bad

#2 Does Anyone Want A Lemonade

Image credits: GlitteryBorko

Planting a seed and looking after whatever sprouts from it might seem intimidating, especially if you haven't had your hands dirty. But nobody is born into expertise.

Gardening attracts all sorts of people. For two decades, Lou Ridsdale has worked for music industry stalwarts such as Shock Records, Laneway Festival, RRR, and Meredith music festival, as well as running her own PR firm, Lance Rock Publicity.

But now Ridsdale wears two very different hats because she's turned her hobby of gardening and self-sufficiency into a not-for-profit, Food Is Free.

#3 The Asparagus Saga Continues. It Is 5" Taller Today

Image credits: Luvnmylife

#4 My Lime Tree’s First Lime

Image credits: dusty_trendhawk

#5 The Central Valley, Cornucopia Of The World

Image credits: tunafeeesh

This new aspect of her life began in 2014 when Ridsdale began putting the surplus vegetables she'd grown on display in the laneway adjoining her rental property so that anyone passing by could take what they needed.

Soon, her modest Ballarat initiative gained traction, thanks in part to her publicity nous and enthusiastic signage, but also through word of mouth. Later, other people dropped off their produce as well and the volunteers started trickling in.

#6 Definitely Mighty

Image credits: embrvsser

#7 Who Wants Rhubarb Pie?

Image credits: Heavens-2-Murgatroyd

#8 I’m Going To Have Tea For Years

Image credits: mishyfishy135

#9 This Season, I Learned That The Biggest Secret To Yuge Sized Broad (Aka Fava) Beans Is… *gasp* Leave The Damn Plant Alone To Grow To Full Size

Image credits: smokeandmirrorsff

And to get better results than we see in the pictures, Lou suggests starting with rich soil. She says having the best nutrients in your soil will improve the quality of what you grow.

She makes her own rich compost by combining her kitchen and garden scraps with manure from her chickens.

"Concentrate on all the organic matter you can pop in your compost and you will be rewarded," she highlights.

Lou reminds people to take advantage of local council facilities that often sell cow manure from sale yards, as well as mulch made from recycled green waste.

#10 My First Harvest! Get Ready To Feast

Image credits: GlitteryBorko

#11 Behold My Bounty! It Will Feed Villages Throughout The Winter Months!

Image credits: Sharcbait

#12 One Might Be Enough For Today's Recipe

Image credits: 5ittingduck

#13 Tonight.. We Shall Feast!

Image credits: skav2

But also remember that plants need plenty of hydration. Don't neglect your watering regime.

That might mean organizing someone to look after your plants when you're away or installing irrigation drips before the weather heats up.

In summer, Lou recommends watering your plants daily and keeping an eye out for windy conditions which can make the soil dry.

"What people forget is that if it's windy, you might need to water more often."

#14 This Thai Chilli Shall Flavour My Dishes For The Next Eon

Image credits: The_Untracable_Conch

#15 I Cannot Wait To Pluck This Perfect Snap Pea And Indulge

Image credits: BrokenPug

#16 Behold

Image credits: WinstonTheFrog

#17 This Mighty Asparagus Will Make Sure To Pass On It's Superior Genes

Image credits: nooksak

Lou says north-facing light is the best and recommends observing how the sun travels over your garden during the day.

"Crops need a maximum of eight hours of sunlight per day," she says. "But be mindful that some produce needs shade, like lettuce."

Before you roll up your sleeves, it's a good idea to do a little online research and map out the sunlight and spacing requirements of the varieties you want to plant.

#18 Oh The Great Potato Harvest Of 2023. They Shall Write Epic Tales Long Into The Future Of The Horticultural Triumph. God As My Witness, I'll Never Be Hungry Again!

Image credits: monismusing

#19 Gaze Upon My Haul!

Image credits: MAH1977

#20 Really Odd Baby Carrots

Image credits: LochNesMonster17

#21 Carrot Harvest, For Ants

Image credits: ZiggysSack

Lou estimates that around 80 percent of her garden is planted from seeds she's kept from previous years.

On top of saving money, Lou says there's an added benefit of allowing your produce to go to seed.

"It brings in beneficial insects which act as a natural organic pest control system," she says.

#22 My Giant Yellow Raspberry

Image credits: ellenayla

#23 On First Ever Try

Image credits: SnooPandas5329

#24 Container Radishes Are Really Working For Me!

Image credits: ktcardz

#25 Okay, I’m Not Going To Lie. I Like Boasting. My Lettuce Harvest:

Image credits: dreamingirl7

However, Lou's main message for beginners is the same as this subreddit's. Don't give up. Underwhelming results are still feedback. It's nature's way of telling you that something doesn't want to grow somewhere.

"There's nothing wrong with a crop failure. It teaches you something and it makes next time easier," she says.

But when you find your feet as a gardener, you'll have a definite indicator of your success.

"You know you're on the right track when you have so much abundance in your backyard that you have to share your produce with your neighbors and your friends."

#26 Acorn Sized Acorn Squash

Image credits: HippieG

#27 Long Dandelion

Image credits: MrBean1512

#28 Pomegranate Harvest, There's Enough For All!

Image credits: Lo_Ingobernable

#29 The Whole Neighborhood Will Be Feasting For Weeks! I Grew... Pea

Image credits: azulkachol

#30 Just Think Of All The Lemon Pies I'm Gonna Make With This

Image credits: _last_homely_house_

#31 From Less Than A .5g To 31g, My Family Will Feast For A Decade

Image credits: DreamsofApplePie

#32 It's Supposed To Be A Carrot I Swear

Image credits: pomskiesxx

#33 My Mighty Flock Has Provided This Tiny Egg

Image credits: MrBean1512

#34 Last Chile Pequin Of 2022 (3 Mm X 4 Mm)

Image credits: scarlet_sage

#35 Behold! The Jalapeño Bonsai!

Image credits: GanacheMeUp

#36 Enough Peas For The Year!!

Image credits: hoeingcomeseasy

#37 Carrot

Image credits: michaelshreds

#38 Three-Months Harvest Of Pak Choy

Image credits: ArizonaTea_24

#39 I'm Ready To Throw A Party With All The Salsa This Will Make

Image credits: rhinoballet

#40 From Seed To Salad In An Apartment Balcony!

Image credits: asparaguscunt

#41 Looks Like I'll Be Getting A Currant This Year

Image credits: TheAlrightyGina

#42 Feeling Inadequate

Image credits: Psychological-Long-5

#43 Stupid Radishes!

Image credits: PoukieBear

#44 First Crack At Growing Garlic Was A Rousing Success

Image credits: reasonably_handy

#45 Watermelon Harvest

Image credits: tow-kneee

#46 I Planted This A Year Ago And Now It Has Flowers. I'm Starting To Think These Aren't Really Brussels Sprouts

Image credits: LaLaLaLeea

#47 My First Radish Harvest Of The Year!!

Image credits: odawg0007

#48 Rad...ish?

Image credits: Proncus

#49 It’s Got The Juice

Image credits: kjbaran

#50 I Don’t Like To Boast, But

Image credits: dreamingirl7

#51 The Only Radish I've Ever Been Able To Actually Grow

Image credits: pd0210

#52 Behold! The Mightiest Butternut Squash Known To Man!

Image credits: Dewdropmon

#53 Squirrels Decided To Rip Up My Plants, So I Guess This Is My Potato Harvest

Image credits: VomitMaiden

#54 The Mighty Potato

Image credits: pouletfrites

#55 It’s Happening!

Image credits: SpicyThunder48

#56 All The Things!

Image credits: Gudgie1

#57 The Hard Part Is Deciding If I Should Make Pie Or Sauce?

Image credits: nooksak

#58 Did Someone Want To Make A Marinara Sauce?

Image credits: reddit.com

#59 I Shall Make A Pie, That Is Envied By All, With This One Strawberry

Image credits: XxmsmaliciousxX

#60 My Pineberry Plant Is Feeling Generous After 3 Years

Image credits: smokeandmirrorsff

#61 Vampires Beware, Im Growing Garlic!

Image credits: ressie_cant_game

#62 Harvested My First Blackberry Ever! It Was Too Tart After Having Turned Black For Only Two Days. How Long Should I Wait To Pick The Next Ones Once The Red Fades?

Image credits: overthinkingrobot

#63 Breakfast For Weeks!

Image credits: Kindasortawannanotta

#64 My Mighty Cauliflower

Image credits: Superb-Entrepreneur4

#65 Mighty

Image credits: Mysterious-Fail-8967

#66 Vetch Peas In Garlic Butter-- My First Harvest Of Spring

Image credits: tavlove

#67 My God We Will Have Enough Ketchup For The Whole Sub!

Image credits: hoeingcomeseasy

#68 Behold My Almost Mighty Zucchini! This Beast Fed Most Of The Possums In The Area And Many, Many Snails. If I Had A Pan Big Enough I Could Make An Enormous Ratatouille For All The Neighbourhood To Feast On. Happy Days

Image credits: tomesx2

#69 The Mightiest Red Pepper!

Image credits: mamazombieza

#70 First Tomato Harvest Of The Season: Caprese For Everyone!

Image credits: thinklikeamanduh

#71 Apartment Balcony Radishes. Rad!

Image credits: asparaguscunt

#72 I Shall Carve The Skinniest Daikon Rose Of All Time

Image credits: writekatewrite

#73 Bite-Sized Broccoli Heads

Image credits: Possolum

#74 Vampires Better Watch Out

Image credits: beepbooppppp

#75 We'll Eat Like Kings!

Image credits: TheGiantKorean

#76 Sautéed, Mushroom Soup, Fungi Rigatoni -Tonight We Feast!

Image credits: beroemd

#77 Moved From A Village To The Capital And I Couldn't Help Myself... So I Planted Some Potatoes In My Window Box. Here's My "Harvest"! :d

Image credits: PackedTrebuchet

#78 Bumper Crop! Each One Bigger Than The Last!

Image credits: CupboardFlowers

#79 Morning Harvest

Image credits: Josh979

#80 My First Ever Tomato!!

Image credits: Effective_Athlete_87

#81 Behold! My Blueberry Bounty!

Image credits: Bitter-Lab-4375

#82 I’m Gonna Feed My Whole Family For Months With My Radishes

Image credits: Trolivia

#83 My Months Of Anticipation Have Finally Payed Off!!!

Image credits: Mother-Ad7139

#84 Praise Be! These Brussel Sprouts Will Keep Us Healthy All Spring!

Image credits: Prior_Lobster_5240

#85 No, These Are Not Alpine Or Wild. No There Aren’t Any Others

Image credits: littleperogi

#86 My First Maple Harvest Boiled Down It At Least Taste Great!

Image credits: Lampy5

#87 My Plums Think They’re Cherries

Image credits: good_correlation4321

#88 Gonna Make Some Lemonade With These

Image credits: Mainzer1308

#89 After 15 Months Of Carefully Tending To My Chicory Patch, I Have Come To Terms With The Fact That Most Of These Plants Are Not, In Fact, The Chicory I Planted

Image credits: just--questions

#90 Behold!! Radish!!

Image credits: rhiready

#91 So Proud Of The Spinach Crop This Year

Image credits: 4EVAH-NOLA

#92 Saved My Entire Harvest For Seed. Going To Plant A Whole Field This Year!

Image credits: Nimindir

#93 Potatoes

Image credits: Alocasialover-00

#94 Time For A Big Batch Of Hot Sauce!

Image credits: meatballlady

#95 The Entirety Of Last Seasons Carrots Harvest

Image credits: Fuck-MDD

#96 A Sub-Par-Snip Harvest

Image credits: FelicitousLynx

#97 I Waited 2 Months For This Bok Choy

Image credits: Circumsisedtoenail

#98 Deemed Me As A Shower Not A Grower

Image credits: allhailth3magicconch

#99 Little Buddy

Image credits: CourseRelative

#100 Sweet Treats For The Kiddo!

Image credits: throwaway88588858

#101 Mash Em, Boil Em, Stick Em In A Stew

Image credits: coldrubberpussy

#102 This Salsa's Gonna Be *so Spicy*!

Image credits: Just-Be-Real-Still

#103 This Will Surely Make Enough Salsa To Last The Winter

Image credits: kyungp00

#104 Been Growing All Winter!

Image credits: hellobunnyxo

#105 My Last Ripe Little Guy Until The Rest Start To Catch Up.thank You All Who Have Joined My Cherry Tomato Journey

Image credits: embrvsser

#106 We’re Definitely Having Some Real Hearty Dinner Salads Tonight

Image credits: Trolivia