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Post by rideincircles on May 4, 2011 1:33:26 GMT -5
I don't recall seeing a thread about this, so I figured I would start one. This thread will be about gardens.
Last year I started a 12 x 12 raised garden bed in my backyard. Since it was my first year growing a garden, lots of things I learned have been applied to this year's garden.
I added a 13 x 25 and a 8 x 16 plot using a tiller which makes almost 600 square feet of garden in my backyard this year. This is around 1/3 the size my grandparents used to grow in the yard.
I have no clue how many plants I have now, but I have everything from tomatoes (all kinds), green and red bell peppers, jalepenos, swiss chards, asparagus (5 plants from last year, 6 new ones), strawberries, basil, oregano, onions, zuchini, squash, watermelon, green beans, black beans, rosemary, cantaloupe, corn, broccoli, cilantro, sugar snap peas, green beans, radishes, carrots, chives, lettuce, serranos, dill, parsley, cucumbers, okra, garlic, potatoes, and probably a couple other things. For now that is what I will start with, who all else has a garden?
This is 2 of 3 garden plots.
I figure I will update progress throughout the year. I am still learning but can answer basic questions about it.
I'm a long-time gardener and I wish more people would do what you're doing. As you've demonstrated, it doesn't take much effort or self-education to make a big dent in your grocery bill and at least a personal-sized dent in your carbon footprint. I think I grow ten to twenty percent of our food by dollar value; I've also read that on average it takes fifty calories' worth of fuel to put one calorie worth of bought food on an American's plate. And besides which: gardening is fun.
It looks like you're growing "bang for your buck" crops, which is smart -- when you have limited space it makes better economic sense to grow herbs, tomatoes, bell peppers, and other expensive produce as opposed to staples like potatoes. Also, I like that you're using durable fixtures like metal tomato hoops and concrete edging instead of stuff you'd have to replace.
One piece of advice I'll give you: if you're seriously committed to this and you have space, go ahead and dig in some fruit trees, blueberry bushes, grapevines, etc. These are plants that can take years to establish and start bearing, but which will make a TREMENDOUS difference to you when they finally do.
Later on I'll try to get some pictures of my garden up. I also grow veggies in raised beds, but I've added a mini-orchard (7 trees), a big strawberry patch, rows of blackberries and raspberries, and about 250 asparagus crowns.
Last Edit: May 4, 2011 9:59:34 GMT -5 by Deleted - Back to Top
rideincircles its like you were reading my mind. I just had a discusssion about this last night. Growning up my mom used to have a decent size garden in the back. It was very enjoyable for me to go out and take care of it. I however live in a townhouse right now and I hate that I cant have a garden. Im thinking about throwing together a little deck one but it will be herbs minimal and maybe some tomatoes. In my house searching a yard big enough for a decent size garden is a huge priority. I have garden envy
We just put in a raised garden a few weeks ago with tomato plants - I have various pepper plants started from seeds that I'll transplant as soon as they are big enough and decided to grow some basil also. Plus I have a friend who has wild garlic so I am going to go dig some of that and put it in a pot out back.
I've grown herbs in pots on my back porch for the past two years. You can get small plants at pretty much any garden or even grocery store. I always transfer them into larger clay pots so they have room to grow. Since I rent, I can't dig up a garden, so growing herbs is my substitute. Plus, my mom and sister and b-i-l grow gardens, so we're never at a loss for fresh veggies!
Last year I clipped my basil and dried it so I've been using the dried basil all winter. I'd like to try to grow some cilantro this year.
Good looking garden, rideincircles. I'll try to post some pics of my two 4'x4' squares sometime soon. I bought Mel Bartholomew's book, All New Square Foot Gardening, in winter of 2009 and built a couple of boxes last spring. This year I'm still in an experimentation mode as far as figuring out what to plant where, but I'm feeling better about this years garden since I already got some things in the ground.
Post by dreamingtree on May 4, 2011 20:38:12 GMT -5
My husband and I have discussed doing this for a while now, and we have a big enough yard, but we have 4 dogs, so I think we would have to build a raised area of some kind. He is gone a lot so I would end up being the person dealing with it, and I am just worried it would be too much.
How much time do you really need to put into this? I would like to grow some herbs, tomatoes, green beans and maybe cucumbers, and I would love to have raspberry and blackberry bushes. I would hate to do this and then become overwhelmed.
Also, how do you know when to plant each item and when they grow?
I planted blueberry bushes and grape vines along the fences in my backyard. I also grow strawberries, heirloom tomatoes, various herbs, chives, sweet & hot peppers. I try to grow the stuff that costs me more at the store, so I tend to avoid many staples.
Post by LoveLuckLaughter on May 4, 2011 21:00:50 GMT -5
Nice sounding gardens everyone! I have some raised beds in the back but have failed miserably at gardening for the past 3 years.
The first year I had small neon orange pumpkins, some cantaloupe that were about the size of a baseball (but still tasted yummy!), miniature carrots and green beans that were about 10 inches long. I was sure I had radioactive soil . I move the boxes to a sunnier patch of the back yard two years ago. The garden is now the local hangout for the neighborhood squirrels, rabbits and a groundhog.
I've tried some environmentally, non-toxic deterrent with no results. Aside from building a fence for mesh cover for them, I'm at my wits end at what to do.
We're all a mess of paradoxes. Believing in things we know can't be true. We walk around carrying feelings too complicated and contradictory to express. But when it all becomes too big, and words aren't enough to help get it all out, there's always music.
dreamingtree, you can buy a farmer's almanac, and I'm pretty sure they tell you when to plant what. But you can also find the information on the web pretty easily. The herbs are really easy to grow in pots, I would start with those. I buy mine at Publix usually. You know that if I can manage it, it can't be that hard! I would help if you needed it while your hubby is away.
OH, I forgot about growing pumpkins! After Halloween 2009, I threw my rotting pumpkin off the side of the porch. Last summer, vines started to grow, and in August, I started to get blooms. I watered them and checked on them daily. And in October, I harvested three pumpkins! I'm hoping for something like that to happen this year; threw two pumpkins off the porch after Halloween last year! Accidental growing is a great way to figure out if you like growing things
Nice sounding gardens everyone! I have some raised beds in the back but have failed miserably at gardening for the past 3 years.
The first year I had small neon orange pumpkins, some cantaloupe that were about the size of a baseball (but still tasted yummy!), miniature carrots and green beans that were about 10 inches long. I was sure I had radioactive soil . I move the boxes to a sunnier patch of the back yard two years ago. The garden is now the local hangout for the neighborhood squirrels, rabbits and a groundhog.
I've tried some environmentally, non-toxic deterrent with no results. Aside from building a fence for mesh cover for them, I'm at my wits end at what to do.
Any suggestions?
What my grandfather called flaming vampire spray...
* 2-3 garlic bulbs (about 6-10 cloves per bulb) * 6 large or 12 smaller hot chilli peppers (any variety will do, or if unavailable try 1-2 tablespoon hot chilli powder) * 1 tablespoon vegetable oil * 3 squirts of liquid detergent (approximately 1 dessertspoonful) * 7 cups water. (Use about 2-3 cups in the blender, and top up with the rest later)
Put the whole lot into a blender, strain well, pour what you need into a spray bottle and keep the rest in jars.
Also, he used to pour beer into mason jar lids to rid slugs. Slugs love beer! And once they get in the lid (or small bowl, which is what I use) they drown.
My dad used to have 3 different plots here around the greenhouses where I now live. Since he is no longer able to care for them (and my brother and I have gotten accustom to home-grown veggies) we decided to take over. We have carrots, radishes, corn, black/green beans, lima beans, sugar-snap peas, lettuce, sweet peppers, broccoli, cucumbers, squash, zucchini, green onions, heirloom tomatoes, watermelon, and cantaloupe. I always want to grow spinach but am never early enough in getting started planting.
I've also ventured into herbs this year, since we started doing them for the nursery. I'm not going garden-style, I just decided to do them in planter boxes on the porch rails to see how I like it, first. I have two containers, one with tricolor sage, french thyme, jantar cilantro, oregano, parsley, and magical michael basil.... and another with rosemary, lemon balm, roman chamomile, lavender, lemon verbena, and Stevia. I did a large mint pot with orange mint, peppermint, Kentucky colonel mint, apple mint, and pennyroyal. I've found it's best to let the herbs get somewhat dry before watering them.
I'll see if I can get around to snapping some photos this weekend.
You sound a little intimidated and if that's the case, you really don't need to be. Find a copy of "The Vegetable Gardener's Bible" by Ed Smith and you'll see how easy raised-bed gardening is. I think it's one of just a handful of books that can give a beginner a green thumb within the first growing season.
My husband and I have discussed doing this for a while now, and we have a big enough yard, but we have 4 dogs, so I think we would have to build a raised area of some kind. He is gone a lot so I would end up being the person dealing with it, and I am just worried it would be too much.
How much time do you really need to put into this? I would like to grow some herbs, tomatoes, green beans and maybe cucumbers, and I would love to have raspberry and blackberry bushes. I would hate to do this and then become overwhelmed.
Also, how do you know when to plant each item and when they grow?
Post by rideincircles on May 4, 2011 22:58:47 GMT -5
Definitely the hardest thing is setting up the garden. Last year one of my first mistakes was working the soil when it was wet and I basically turned it into mud. I still put the raised bed above it, but that is a big no-no Since it removes the air in the soil. It was also in a low spot of the yard. If you want to consider it for next year, make it a fall activity to get the dirt ready.
This year I rented a front tine tiller mid March and tore into my backyard for about 5 hours, it's a hell of a workout. I was told to rent a rear tine tiller next year. If making a raised bed, go somewhere that sells bulk dirt and by it by the yard. It's about 1/3 the price of bags. Last year I got 2 yards of dirt for my raised bed, this year I bought dirt as needed. I don't have a truck so that was my only easy option. I also got around 5 or 6 carloads of free mulch from the city. It'd not the best quality and I find random trash in it, but it's free. In the south mulch is an absolute necessity during the summer.
As far as making a garden now in the season, it's not too late, but I would recommend buying plants instead of starting with seeds for most plants now. This is the prime growth time for plants so getting them in the ground asap is priority. I still will buy a few more plants to replace some in areas that never took off or seeds that didn't start.
I did notice that some strawberries have gone missing and I spotted a cute baby possum in my backyard. I am not terribly concerned since the strawberries are not very sweet yet and it's just a baby possum. I might make some of that spray soon and see how it works though. Next year I may add a fence if needed. I would think that would be necessary if you have dogs also.
I think it may be too late for most berries in my zone, I still might buy some of the $3 closeout berry bushes at walmart and see if I can make something happen anyways. I did plant some raspberries last week. No sign of life out of them yet.
Definitely give it a go if your considering it. It is a fun learning process and should be considered mandatory in life. You can't beat waking up and going outside to eat some strawberries.
We're all a mess of paradoxes. Believing in things we know can't be true. We walk around carrying feelings too complicated and contradictory to express. But when it all becomes too big, and words aren't enough to help get it all out, there's always music.
We just closed on our house so we ripped out a whole bunch of bushes and got our garden going. We have some bleeding hearts, a butterfly bush, some balloon flowers and a whole bunch of others. We also just planted a burning bush and a Mrs Kim lilac(a dwarf version). I normally have a veg garden too but this year its not gonna happen. And then I have a 2 year old bhut jolokia pepper. Which used to be the hottest pepper in the world but now 2nd. I would post some pics but I'm not sure how
Post by cheeky resurrection on May 5, 2011 7:27:27 GMT -5
Another thing, I'm not gonna rant here, but it's always a good idea to try to buy your plants locally
Farmer's markets, county co-ops, and local garden centers will have a lot of what you need (and very good advice to boot). Small businesses are struggling hardcore these days and every little bit helps!
You spinach-growing fools, when do you guys start planting it? I've always heard you have to start early with it, but never actually tried planting it because I've always thought I've been too late.
You sound a little intimidated and if that's the case, you really don't need to be. Find a copy of "The Vegetable Gardener's Bible" by Ed Smith and you'll see how easy raised-bed gardening is. I think it's one of just a handful of books that can give a beginner a green thumb within the first growing season.
My husband and I have discussed doing this for a while now, and we have a big enough yard, but we have 4 dogs, so I think we would have to build a raised area of some kind. He is gone a lot so I would end up being the person dealing with it, and I am just worried it would be too much.
How much time do you really need to put into this? I would like to grow some herbs, tomatoes, green beans and maybe cucumbers, and I would love to have raspberry and blackberry bushes. I would hate to do this and then become overwhelmed.
Also, how do you know when to plant each item and when they grow?
Nice sounding gardens everyone! I have some raised beds in the back but have failed miserably at gardening for the past 3 years.
The first year I had small neon orange pumpkins, some cantaloupe that were about the size of a baseball (but still tasted yummy!), miniature carrots and green beans that were about 10 inches long. I was sure I had radioactive soil . I move the boxes to a sunnier patch of the back yard two years ago. The garden is now the local hangout for the neighborhood squirrels, rabbits and a groundhog.
I've tried some environmentally, non-toxic deterrent with no results. Aside from building a fence for mesh cover for them, I'm at my wits end at what to do.
Any suggestions?
I use the Contech Scarecrow to keep the animals away from the garden. I have to replace the 9 volt battery a few times throughout the summer, but it works really well at deterring the wildlife.
For my raised beds I used Mel's formula of 1/3 vermiculite, 1/3 peat moss, and 1/3 compost (at least five different types mixed). Mixing the different composts together is essential to get a good mix of nutrients. The vermiculite keeps the soil from compacting while the peat moss helps retain moisture. The mix worked out well last year, though I think this year will be a better test since I got plants in the ground much earlier this time around.
Basically they're easier they could be easier to maintain than a large garden plot. There's no tilling at all and with the four foot width, it's easy to reach in to any part of the box and harvest and/or pull the occasional weed. Also, you don't have to worry about soil tests since you implement your own mix.
Looking back, I probably could have started out with a 4' x 8' box and worked it that way, but I'm still learning how things work best in my yard.
for those of you who feel intimidated, start simple. Tomatoes do well in large pots as do herbs. Get a healthy well established plant, plant in a mixture of potting soil and manure, and get some miracle-gro to mix in when you water. Tomatoes need LOTS of water. One regular tomato or one cherry tomato plant will be sufficient to keep one or two people supplied. My father just sticks tomato plants straight into a slit in a bag of manure...one per plant...it works great too. Tomatoes, by the way, if they grow tall need to be staked or caged so they don't fall over.
As far as herbs, basil is very easy to grow, as are cilantro, parsley, and dill. Harvest basil leaves often...you can make some great pesto easily. The champion of all herbs is rosemary. Put it outside or in an ornamental large pot and it will stay evergreen and grow like wildfire, requiring little to no care.
the best advice that I can give is: start simple, don't feel like you have to spend a ton of money...no more than one or two tomato plants and 3 or 4 herbs the first year. If something dies, gets eaten or destroyed, don't beat yourself up...just learn from your experience. We've all lost plants.
Don't even think about these unless you have a year or two experience and a garden plot of some kind: cucumbers/squashes (trailing vines), beans of any type, okra or eggplant. Not to say that they are necessarily difficult, just not for beginners, and require some space.
Hope this helps. We're scaling back a bit this year because we have a very active puppy who's still in the chewing stage...but we typically have had a garden every year for over 20 years. Nothing like going outside to get a tomato or two and some herbs for dinner...and with fresh basil and tomatoes, Caprese salads can be a menu staple.
This is such a great thread! I am going to start a small herb garden this summer in a raised bed...hopefully it'll work out. I'm pretty optimistic though:} I also landed this AWESOME job at an organic farm so I'm hoping to learn a lot of useful skills there. Thanks for all the advice being posted on here, please keep it up!!
Post by dreamingtree on May 6, 2011 10:07:07 GMT -5
My friend at work has a ton of tomato plants and is going to bring me a few on Monday. So I am going to Home Depot tomorrow to get 2 large pots, soil and fertilizer. Julie, you are in charge of watering while I am gone!!
I've read up on how to take care of them and am going to put them on my deck that gets lots of sun. I'm starting to small. I just don't see that I could be capable of growing something that I can actually eat