Veggie Garden

tiffanygil

I'm going to start my own veggie garden this year, but I knw nothing about nothing, in this subject can anyone give me tips? :flowerforyou:

TheMaidOfAstolat

1) Hit the library and check out some regional books on veg growing
2) Stick with easy plants-peas, peppers, tomatos, and beans
3) Have fun...if you want to try some other veg-see if there are any garden clubs near you-they should be able to help and give tips.

SammiAnne11

Here is a great link I found for a No-till garden. I am going to try this this summer too!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwjR6bIy45A

Good luck!
~sami

gurgi22

Collards and mustard greens are also very easy to grow. Try herbs too so you can have fresh ones to season your veggies.

meokk

Hi Tiffany,
We are doing the same thing!
1st garden ever in the planning stages right now. I took a general gardening course in the fall which taught me the basics of soil and plant care.
We bought a book about raised bed vegetable gardening which has been a huge help.

We are doing 2 raised beds, each 3' x 8' and planting a wide variety of crops this first year. This way we will get to see what works well and what doesn't so we can adjust for next year.

The raised beds are really important as it allows your soil to be airy and drain well. We are making them 3 feet wide because you get way more yield per sqft that if you do thinner rows.

We are in a deer prone area so are doing 8' high fencing around the whole plot. We just ordered our seeds and tomato plants and will be building the plot in a few weeks after the ground thaws.

Do you have any specific questions? I would be happy to help any way I can. I'm getting advice myself from some veteran gardeners.

Meokk

MTGirl

Also contact your county extension office. They have loads of info and can tell you specific things about what will grow good, soil composition and all kinds of info. That's what they do! Good luck - homegrown veggies are so yummy.

robbienjill

I plan to do alot of container gardrening such as tomatos and also some herbs. Will be so great to make my own fresh salsa. Yummy

stratdl

Check out books on companion gardening. The one I like to use is "Carrots Love Tomatoes". It tells you what things grow well when planted next to each other and which ones will "rumble" (as in, not grow so well). I guess placement really matters! Corn and tomatoes should be planted away from each other, since the pests that bother the corn will also bother the tomatoes. Things like that are useful to know!

Good luck with your greenery! You'll absolutely love it (just make sure you take off some time from work when it comes to harvest time)!!!

godblessourhome

th first time around, don't try to grow from seeds. go to your local nursery and buy a mature plant. you'll be much less frustrated with gardening if you do that. have fun!

sdwelk11

BUMP I AM BUILDING MY FIRST RAISED BED THIS WEEKEND WITH HUBBY AND STARTING MY OWN VEGGIE GARDEN THIS YEAR. I AM INTERESTED IN THAT BOOK THAT DEBORAH SUGGESTED. WHERE CAN I BUY IT?

"Carrots Love Tomatoes".

TheMaidOfAstolat

BUMP I AM BUILDING MY FIRST RAISED BED THIS WEEKEND WITH HUBBY AND STARTING MY OWN VEGGIE GARDEN THIS YEAR. I AM INTERESTED IN THAT BOOK THAT DEBORAH SUGGESTED. WHERE CAN I BUY IT?

"Carrots Love Tomatoes".

First check your library-they may have a copy. Barnes and Noble probably has it...check online (they have a nice feature to tell you if it's in a store located near you as well-and can put it on hold for you to come buy it within the next 48 hours).
The library is my number two source of info when it comes to gardening. My mother is number 1 (she's a horticulterest and owned a flower farm for 16 years-for some reason I don't have as green a thumb as her, though).

AmandaB4588

We just built a raised bed here! We are planting this weekend---- still don't know what exactly we are going to plant yet. Good luck to everyone starting their own garden!

& I love The Lady of Shalott :-)

TheMaidOfAstolat

We just built a raised bed here! We are planting this weekend---- still don't know what exactly we are going to plant yet. Good luck to everyone starting their own garden!

& I love The Lady of Shalott :-)

Thanks...I love Tennyson and all things related to Arthur, Elaine (the fair maid of Astolat/Lady of Shalott) is one of my fave legends.

mmnichol

Think about planting things that you will eat and like and that you would maybe buy organic in the store like tomatoes, green onions, spinach you can plant early and some lettuces also. Don't forget to protect it from deer and bunnies if you have that problem. Herbs are good too, some will come back year after year which is great! Good luck and have fun!!

TwentyTen

I did this for a time some years ago. Yes, make sure and protect from birds and bunnies and whatnot.. We had failed to do that until they ate half the garden.

There is absolutely nothing better than being able to pick your lunch stright out of your back yard. Talk about convenience! Not only that, the price is right and the food is sooo yummy, fresh, and nutritionally loaded.

tiffanygil

Thanks for all the great advice I am so excited....next post will be about canning I want to learn that too!!! LOL I'm having so much fun just planning it!!!

Kudzu

Yellow Crook neck squash (summer squash) and zucchini are EASY! Cucumbers, bell peppers, banana peppers are also easy! We never have trouble growing these...we have a hard time with the tomatoes! Good Luck! My MIL and husband want to plant one this year. I don't mind planting the above....but I grew up having to pick peas, butter beans, okra, corn, I HATED IT!! But of course my dad always planted miles of the stuff---enough to feed the whole county it seemed like to me! He would let people come in and pick on halves and we'd still have acres of stuff to pick ourselves! I enjoy a small plot and love the fresh veggies but I refuse to do a large one! Another place to check with would be a hardware/farm store (a feed and seed store). Probably the best place is the county extension office someone mentioned above.....Have fun!!!

meokk

I bought the "Vegetable Gardener's Bible" by Edward Smith. Picked it up at a Barnes & Noble and it has everything you could wish for......
What plants like each other, which ones hate each other, how to make the beds, what varieties work best in the northeast, exactly how to plant & care for just about every vegetable you can imagine, fertilization tips, EVERYTHING.
It's a great book but is definitely for those in colder climates like the Northeast.
I just know I'm going to be referring to it over and over again.

leelu

Stephanie Alexander's Kitchen Garden Companion

My freind was given this as a gift and she loves it i am not sure if its written with australian seasons in mind but look for something simular if so. it has a section on each type of veg, how to grow them and then what to make when they are in season - gardening and receipe book in one!! its a bit expensive but is a big book with a lot of information in it

tiffanygil

Well, I think I'm going to do tomatos, sugar snap peas, zuccini, carrotts, cucumber, jalapeno, green beans, red pepers and onions. My step dad is comming tomarrow to help me till and Im going to take a sample over to the extenstion office on monday>

I live in oklahoma so my garden will have to love hot weather but everyone I've talk to said all the above will do well and are easy.
Thanks everyone