Tips on starting a veggie garden

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cparker10
cparker10 Posts: 10
in Food and Nutrition
My husband and I are excited about planting our first vegetable home garden in a raised 8 x 4 foot garden box. We thought this would be a great way to eat more healthy and at the same time lower our grocery bill.

If you've had a garden, I would love to hear your suggestions on what veggies, herbs and fruits are easy grow? What tips can you share with me to help us avoid making big costly mistakes. Thank you in advance! :flowerforyou:
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  • 0flynnstone0
    0flynnstone0 Posts: 150
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    bump, i'm going to try one this summer too
  • slimkitty
    slimkitty Posts: 418
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    Posting so it goes in my topics. I will share my gardening adventures later when I have more time.
  • marindak
    marindak Posts: 168
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    bumpp can't wait to start mine!
  • missy1970eb
    missy1970eb Posts: 1,209 Member
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    we grow potatoes, strawberries, tomatoes and lettuce all of whi:smile: ch r easy
  • teachparents
    teachparents Posts: 225 Member
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    my partner is a farmer.. this will be my first garden on his farm this summer.. so far he has told me.. one or two tomato plants is PLENTY , plant tomatoes and peppers a few weeks before anything else. onions and peas can also go in early...
  • Ge0rgiana
    Ge0rgiana Posts: 1,649 Member
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    *bump* I have a small terrace, but there's room for pots of something.
  • mrsblair84
    mrsblair84 Posts: 62
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    My grandpa has an awesome garden. He's got different kinds of squash (butternut, spaghetti), tomatoes (he swears by the topsy turvy thing on tv). He's had pumpkins, watermelons, he has an apple and I think a pear tree. Heck, I think he had corn before too. He just puts a low voltage fence around his b/c the deer and other animals try to get in it. Good luck friend!!
  • countryrose7
    countryrose7 Posts: 107 Member
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    I love to grow my own veggies. You picked a fun hobby for this summer!
    I suggest starting with some spinach and black seed lettuce. Those two are ready in about 30 days. Radishes and carrots are easy too. I always grow tons of green beans and yellow wax beans because my kids like to pick them. Just don't buy the climbing beans, pick "bush beans." You would have room for a tomato plant or two, green pepper and a cucumber plant if you squeeze them in. Plant stuff that will take a while to grow in between the fast growers. For example, plant lettuce between tomato plants. You can harvest your lettuce before the tomato gets too tall to block the sunlight. Good luck!
  • JanerZzz
    JanerZzz Posts: 276
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    Just planted my garden this weekend!
    I planted so much stuff and cannot wait to reap the benefits of all the fresh veggies!

    I would recommend planting things that grow in your area (I'm sure FL is quite diff from MA) in accordance to their expected height...like taller things in one row and decending as you go....to allow all the plants to get even sun. Plant and care according to the seed or seedlings instructions.

    I planted peas, beans, hot pepper mix, tomatoes, cucs, squash, zucchini, chives, cilantro, scallion, brussel sprouts and carrots!

    Get good soil, plant in a sunny spot and water daily esp during hte hot hot months (but do not water when the sun is beaming down as the water droplets on the leaves will act like magnifying glass and burn the leaves making hte plant sick).

    Give plants the support they need...if they are vines...help them up trellies or a fence....tomatoes need support as well such as a tomato cage.

    Good Luck! You'll be hooked on gardening, I promise you.
  • godblessourhome
    godblessourhome Posts: 3,892 Member
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    for us, corn did not grow well. green beans are super easy and you get a great crop from them.
  • ubabe1
    ubabe1 Posts: 144 Member
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    Check what grows well in your area and soil. You may need to treat the soil. Also pick the best spot in your yard that gets good sun. Start a compost pile as well. You might want to plant a border of certain flowers that are natural pest repellants...like marigolds. Read up on pests and how to naturally rid your garden of them without using pesticides. Dig in and don't be afraid to get your hands dirty!! Enjoy the benefit of fresh veggies!!!!
  • slimkitty
    slimkitty Posts: 418
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    I've been gardening for a few years now. Sometimes I get a great yield and other times not so much.
    First I turn the soil over, then I add quite a bit of organic manure and mix it all in (I've started my own compost this past year and it looks ready to go into the garden as well). I plant carrots and potatoes in October. They don't get bothered by the cold and are ready to eat by late spring. I plant lettuces (baby lettuce mix) in early spring. The lettuces do better in the colder weather, rather than hotter. For the summer, I plant tomatoes (cherry and beefsteak), peppers (bell), eggplants (Chinese), zucchini, peas, cucumbers, green beans and waxed beans. Tomato plants need to be supported. I just put a stick in the ground and tie the tomato plant to it. Cucumbers and green beans need someting to climb on. I usually plant those near the fence and they just climb the fence. Otherwise they will need a trelice to climb on. There are always a few pumpkins growing in there because some of the seeds survived the composting. I've never had good luck growing corn. I've also never been able to grow sunflowers, although my neighbor had them growing taller than his house. I don't cover the soil with those weed protectors. If any weeds do grow, I just get nice and dirty pulling them out. I don't use any pesticides or chemical fertilizers. Just good old compost and organic manure. The rabbits and squirrels love fresh ripe tomatoes, so build a chicken wire fence around your garden. They wait until it's perfectly ripe and then they eat half of it :mad:
    By the entry door to my house I have a pot of herbs (rosemary, chives, oregano, parsley, basil). Chives are super easy to grow. Just throw some seeds in a pot and they will grow and keep coming back every year. I would only plant them in a pot because they will take over your entire yard.

    Gardening is so much fun. Good luck with it.
  • donicagalek
    donicagalek Posts: 526
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    YES!

    https://www.artisticgardens.com/catalog/

    Their sample seed packets are SO inexpensive so you can have ALL kinds of veggies super cheap. Go wild! I *love* them! Try the Ronde de Nice from the summer squash. Stuffed Rounds are SO GOOD! You just pick them when they are the size of a softball, wash them, gut the seeds and fill with tomatoes/groud turkey/garlic and top with a sprinkle of parm and bake! The skin is edible.
  • calmmomw3minimeez
    calmmomw3minimeez Posts: 499 Member
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    This is my second year of gardening. I'm expanding a little this year although not quite done with the planting. So far I have red romaine, butter crunch, and curly leaf lettuce, broccoli, tomatos, green bell pepper(looking to get some red, orange and yellow if I can), eggplant, and strawberries. I'm surprised at how fast the strawberries are coming out. I've got a little more room for some peppers and cucumbers, but I'd really like to do blueberries too. Thanks you guys for the tip on green beans...gonna have to squeeze them in somewhere too. I didn't use seeds for any of my veggies, I started out with the baby plants, but they seem to be coming along nicely. Also weeding and turning and spreading your soil burns plenty of calories. Good luck, it's a good bit of work, but you'll love the benefits.:wink:
  • slimkitty
    slimkitty Posts: 418
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    I forgot to mention something about watering. I have a long soaker hose that I spread around the roots of the vegetables as best as I can and I water them through the soaker hose. Some vegetables like tomatoes don't like to sprayed with water on their leaves too much. OK from the occasional rain, but for everyday watering they do best if the water goes straight to the roots and not on their leaves. The soaker hose and a timer for watering were a good investment. That way I don't forget to water if I get too busy or am away from home.

    A couple of years all my tomato plants got the blight and all died. They needed to be uprooted, packed in black garbage bags and disposed of. The blight spores can survive a mild winter and come back and destroy all the tomato plants the following year. In the 10 years that I have been planting my vegetable garden, this happened only once and it happened to everyone else here on NJ. It was upsetting, but a great learning experience and totally worth it.

    Oh and the little kids love the vegetable garden! They just go in and start gnawing on a tomato or some green beans.
  • calliope_music
    calliope_music Posts: 1,242 Member
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    BUMP! i have a black thumb, i kill all plants i touch...
  • Tristis
    Tristis Posts: 288 Member
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    I grew in raised garden beds my boyfriend and I made of cedar the summer before last. We grew onions, different tomatoes, corns, green beans, lettuce, and tried to grow peppers but birds ate them. Raised garden boxes are just as high maintenance as growing in the ground. You still get weeds and have to water daily. Here is what I'm going to do this year...anyone with a balcony can grow veggies:

    http://www.seattleoil.com/Flyers/Earthbox.pdf

    Easy to make and easier to grow! Self watering...no weeds...fits anywhere...doesn't get simpler. :) If you don't think you can manage to build one, you can spend and buy from here:

    http://www.earthbox.com/

    HAPPY GARDENING!!!!
  • cparker10
    cparker10 Posts: 10
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    Thanks everyone for the helpful tips! I knew that I could count on my fitness pals for good suggestions. I found some good information online with the Maryland Cooperative Extension on planting dates for this region.
  • clem7444
    clem7444 Posts: 64 Member
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    people who have a hard time of corn might not be planting enough. Corn has to cross pollinate, so if you only plant one row or a couple of plants, the chance of actually getting corn is small.

    Make sure your lettuce isn't in direct sun all day. Even here in Michigan, lettuce is easily burned/damaged. I grow mine next to the deck so that it gets morning sun and is then shaded in the afternoons.
  • slimkitty
    slimkitty Posts: 418
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    people who have a hard time of corn might not be planting enough. Corn has to cross pollinate, so if you only plant one row or a couple of plants, the chance of actually getting corn is small.

    Make sure your lettuce isn't in direct sun all day. Even here in Michigan, lettuce is easily burned/damaged. I grow mine next to the deck so that it gets morning sun and is then shaded in the afternoons.

    Thanks for the info on the corn. I've planted just a few plants. I will try more this year.

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