Gardening for Food

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ComfortFoodAddict
ComfortFoodAddict Posts: 278 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Okay, so I just moved into a new house and I now have room to have a garden. I have NEVER grown a garden before. I would like to have fruits and vegetables in my garden. The area I am going to be planting in has never been used for this purpose. Is there something I need to know about before starting my endeavor? There are no trees around where I plan to plant.

Also, what do you plant if you are just starting in April? Remember... I live in northern Louisiana...

I am only interested in knowing what fruit/vegetables to plant... I already have my flowers in pots.

Thanks so much for the help!

Replies

  • 8turboturtle8
    8turboturtle8 Posts: 239 Member
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    I live in Fort Worth TX and am planting my veggies for the first time tomorrow. So I don't have a lot of info as of yet just what I have read. Since I have high clay soil I had to add a lot of compost and my dad rented a tiller and tilled it up for me. My compost was mostly peat moss, plant matter, lava sand and mushroom compost. I am planting tomatoes, lots of different peppers, a baby watermellon, beans, broccoli, cucumbers, zucchini, strawberries, lettuce and carrots....I think that is all....
  • Hermit4Hire
    Hermit4Hire Posts: 197
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    You will have to do some research on your climate type and what grows best in your area. I use the Sunset Garden book for my area. Here is a link where you can look up your climate region, then search veggies that will grow there (and importantly, when to plant them, etc).


    http://www.sunset.com/garden/
  • JessicaBuff
    JessicaBuff Posts: 233
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    Okay, so I just moved into a new house and I now have room to have a garden. I have NEVER grown a garden before. I would like to have fruits and vegetables in my garden. The area I am going to be planting in has never been used for this purpose. Is there something I need to know about before starting my endeavor? There are no trees around where I plan to plant.

    Also, what do you plant if you are just starting in April? Remember... I live in northern Louisiana...

    I am only interested in knowing what fruit/vegetables to plant... I already have my flowers in pots.

    Thanks so much for the help!


    I live in Northern Louisiana too!!
  • ComfortFoodAddict
    ComfortFoodAddict Posts: 278 Member
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    Thanks... I have been researching the topic already. I have found a lot of information. I mainly wanted to know other's experiences of what to grow in this area.

    I am thinking about planting tomatoes, bell peppers, okra, watermelons, and cucumbers....
    Maybe cantaloupe, pumpkins, or honey dew as well....

    I dont want to over do it my first time.

    Hi. Jessica Buff... what part of LA?
  • khoolette
    khoolette Posts: 73
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    I have heard that certain things should not be planted next to others....such as no cantelope next to watermelon. Make sure you check on that too. Happy Gardening!
  • jennylynn84
    jennylynn84 Posts: 659
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    I'm in Southern Louisiana!

    I don't know if its because of the climate or what but my husband and I have lime, lemon and satsuma trees that go NUTS. We get ridiculously large fruit. If you like them maybe try satsumas or navel oranges, cuz all of our citrus thrives.

    Ours even lived through the hard freezes/snow this year somehow!
  • smarston
    smarston Posts: 78 Member
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    My mom planted watermelon last year next to cucumbers and I'm not sure if this is one of them but the watermelon looked like watermelon but tasted like cucumber. I'm not sure what happened.

    Edit: Oops! I meant this to go with Khoolets reply.
  • smarston
    smarston Posts: 78 Member
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    I planted my first garden last year. I planted green peppers, onion, cabbage, carrots, green beans, and tomatoes. I couldn't keep the ground squirrels out of my tomatoes. They didn't touch the cherries but I only got a few roma and maybe two big boys all year. I was soo mad. This year I am going to skip the cabbage and try some spinach and romaine. The kids want to plant cucumbers too so we'll see if we have room.

    If anyone has any suggestions on the ground squirrels I would be glad to hear.

    Good Luck with your first garden!
  • cruisegirl
    cruisegirl Posts: 43 Member
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    Cucumbers really spread out too.. their vines go everywhere. Nothing like going out to your own garden and picking your veggies. Tomatoes are good to plant. I love planting the little cherry tomatoes (and eating them!) As another poster said, yes, be careful about planting things like watermelon and cumcumbers together.

    A Farmer's Almanac would be handy to have, too. Good luck with your garden.
  • lifeaccordingtolily
    lifeaccordingtolily Posts: 60
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    don't plant your tomatos next to the house......they leech the concrete from your foundation makes them taste gross and they will die..... always plant your okra and tomatos together they help the other ones soil..... and unless you have an arbor or some place for vine things to grow then stick away from all varieties of green beans other than blue lake because they grow in bushes.......hope this helps a little
  • megamom
    megamom Posts: 920 Member
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    I used to put in a large garden every year. I planted organic and while there is some plant issues it is healthier. Here is a great site for some tips for pest control:wink:

    http://www.eartheasy.com/grow_nat_pest_cntrl.htm
  • robbienjill
    robbienjill Posts: 456 Member
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    I am planting a herb garden on my deck (in containers). I plan to make fresh salsa right from my deck. I hope your garden grows well. It certainly is healthy and fun to eat what you grow. Not to mention really doing a positive thing for the environment. Good luck!
  • ComfortFoodAddict
    ComfortFoodAddict Posts: 278 Member
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    I would love a lemon/lime tree... not sure how well they would do up here though...

    Robbienjill-I have some fresh herbs in a container now as well... only problem is that I planted them three years ago and now I have forgotten what they are... I am horrible at the taste testing to figure out... but I still use them lol...

    lifeaccordingtolily-Thanks for the advice... it helps a lot.

    crusiegirl-do i need one of those stand thingys that tomatoes use if I want to do cucumbers? or do they just need a lot of growing room on the ground?


    Thanks for all of the posts everyone!
  • Sunsh1ne
    Sunsh1ne Posts: 879 Member
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    Tomatoes, peppers, zucchini and other squash are all fairly hearty, so you've got a large margin of error as a beginning gardener. You can start them from seed or buy seedlings from hardware or gardening stores.

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