Garden

I want to start a garden this year. When do I need to get things started? I'm thinking maybe a 12x12 area to start. Or maybe a raised garden with a few platforms which might be better for myself and the kids. Anyway, I just need some advice about when to start and how to do it right.

 

Andre and Mark Viette have some great books out on gardening. They will help you out by your region and by the month of what you should be doing to prepare your garden. Andre Viette is also on the radio here every saturday morning. Not sure if you can pick it up where you live. When Gage is here, i hardly get to listen him anymore, but he does have great tips and advice.

Will you be starting any plants indoors? Token is a great source too but he/she never comes by anymore.

Which vegetables are you thinking about growing?

 

I'm thinking of starting with baby plants instead of seeds. I know it's going to take a while to get my soil right so I wanted to figure out what I'm going to need to get this thing started. Wordsworth gave me some info. I swear there isn't anything she can't do! Anyway, I think I'm going to go with Tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers maybe some carrots. If I can make that work then I'll move on to something else next growing season. I think all of that stuff is pretty easy to grow...right?

 

I'd go with the plants as well. seeds take a lot of time, space in your house and special lighting. Unless it's something you want your kids to learn from. Carrots i have never done well with but i've always had success with tomatoes, cukes and peppers. Peppers are super easy! Get a variety of colors. I had purple peppers...your girls will like that.

you should go with the raised beds. That couple i'm friends with that are both in wheelchairs, have raised beds all in their back yard. It's just so much easier for them to work. For me it's more work...with all my acreage and my brothers tractor, i can just till up a huge plot and fence it to keep deer out.

Man, you got me jonesing for some garden vegetables now! Maybe wordsworth could give me some pointers. I'm always eager for more experience people to give me their tricks of the trade cause i'm pretty much a begginner myself.

 

The raised bed probably will be the best way to go. It will be a lot easier to manage the soil that way too. Like you said I'm looking for experience rather then just reading what google has to say. I really want to do green beans but I think I will just try with the other stuff for now. I don't want to get in over my head.

 

Oh yeah, someone who has done it for years is the way to go. Google can have you chasing your tail.
I was going to suggest to you green beans. they are really easy to grow and you can get the kids to help you pick them and man they taste awesome! I would go with the bush type or maybe if you could construct some sturdy trellis' at the ends of your beds, you could get the trailing type..may be easier for you to pick and won't take up too much space in your bed. def get a type that are stringless...like bluelake. My grandpa loves White McCasltes but no way you can get all the strings off of them.

 

All I'm going to plant this year are tomatoes and maybe collards.
I've never planted collards before.

 

I'm always glad to see someone wanting to grow their own food, I think I will be a valuable skill. It's a lot of trial and error, try to grow what you like to eat, it's a lot of work for something you don't even like and if your garden doesn't look like the magazine pictures, so what, the goal is to get veggies.

 

It is fun once you get started. That is the hard part. I think we will see more people growing some veggies. I am going to start next week on a plan.

 

If you've been grocery shopping lately, people are gonna start plowing up those manicured lawns to plant potatoes.