Grow your own veggies?

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  • frugalmomsrock
    frugalmomsrock Posts: 1,123
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    I only grow a few things. I grow green onion year round (FL), and I do peppers part of the year. The other stuff varies. I have done eggplant, cucumbers, tomatoes, and lettuce, but nothing took off real well. Three years ago, I got a promise of a garden box for my anniversary, and I'm still waiting. *rollseyes*

    I have blueberry, red raspberry, black raspberry, golden raspberry, and blackberry bushes. :)
  • MrsBlobs
    MrsBlobs Posts: 310 Member
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    I would love to grow my own veggies but, I'm scared. Whenever I've looked into it it seems that every bug under the sun will come and attack them! And I wouldn't know where to start.

    I planted a minature apple tree last year and it barely survived the green fly attack and I had to resort to spraying which I really didn't want to do. I may give onions ago this year as I love 'em.
  • Sweet_Potato
    Sweet_Potato Posts: 1,119 Member
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    My parents have a fairly large garden and they grow lots of things. I live in a rowhouse with a brick patio for a backyard, so I'm somewhat limited with what I can grow.

    Last year I tried growing a few things in pots: basil, mint, parsley, thyme, oregano, sage, banana peppers, jalapeno, and container tomatoes. The basil, thyme, oregano, and sage did really well (unfortunately the squirrels stole all my tomatoes). We also got a few figs from the neighbor's tree which hangs over our fence. Next year I'll definitely do the herbs again.
  • Hezzakiah
    Hezzakiah Posts: 18 Member
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    I love fresh fruits and veggies. Since we moved out to the family farm, we have been planting a garden. Each year it has been getting larger with more varieties. This year we plan to add plum and nectarine trees to the apple, peach and pear trees. I also plan to add strawberries and grapes. My husband has already order the chicks (both for meat and eggs) which should be here next month. The baby calves should be delivered sometime during the summer. We are hoping to have to spend very little at the grocery buying food with additives and preservatives.
  • kd_mazur
    kd_mazur Posts: 569 Member
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    Somehow the tomatos grown in the back yard just taste better:)
    For those who don't have good soil or just not much room, check into the book
    "All new square foot gardening : grow more in less space!" Mel Bartholomew

    I found using these suggestions I could have a very good harvest without much space.
  • marquesajen
    marquesajen Posts: 641
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    My mom (and by extension me since I live nearby) grow tomatoes, peppers, lettuce, herbs, and a couple years ago I grew tomatillos. At my apartment we just grow herbs usually, not enough sun for many things, though we pick our own food at some nearby farms.
  • SammiAnne11
    SammiAnne11 Posts: 158 Member
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    I can't wait to have my garden going again! We are now vegetarians, and it will be nice to pick my own stuff! :smile:
  • beckys19
    beckys19 Posts: 119 Member
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    Somehow the tomatos grown in the back yard just taste better:)
    For those who don't have good soil or just not much room, check into the book
    "All new square foot gardening : grow more in less space!" Mel Bartholomew

    I found using these suggestions I could have a very good harvest without much space.
    Anyone else try out these methods, and how did they work for you? We always have so much we want to grow, but not much space! We're in NE Wisconsin, so input from people in a similar zone would be helpful!
  • mjsmith1223
    mjsmith1223 Posts: 59
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    We've grown herbs, tomatoes and peppers in containers on our patio in the past. They always did fine. We live in the northern lower peninsula of Michigan. Last summer we had roses in the containers. They do well as long as we move them around to maximize the sun exposure.

    Our yard is kind of small, so we rent space at our local community garden every year. It allows us more growing space without much cost. For those dealing with limited space it might be something to look into.
  • Mel2626
    Mel2626 Posts: 342 Member
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    I do too! My bf and I started a few years ago and everything tastes so much better from our little organic garden.!! We just moved recently so we can't have an actual garden where we live now but we're planning to do it bucket style for the items that did the best for us. We found the most success with tomatoes (we've done all kinds: tiny, big, multicolored etc and they all come out amazing!), red skin potatoes (yum yum), sweet potatoes (yum again), sugar snap peas, all sorts of peppers (multi-colored bell peppers, all sorts of spicy ones), all sorts of spices (rosemary, basil, cilantro, sage etc), pole beans, watermelon, cucumbers (we've done all sorts of these including lemon cucumbers), and some more I can't think of. We've also done bok choy (too many bugs and we don't use pesticides), broccoli, carrots (they usually grow in funny shapes~we've done multi-colored which are awesome!), zucchini, yellow squash, spaghetti squash, radishes, spinach, eggplant, rhubarb, chard and the list goes on!!!
    What we usually do is plant a bit of the ones that we know grow great and then add a few other new things to test. Some years are better than others because of weather conditions but it's always worth the effort. We even have a pot of strawberries and we had blackberries and raspberries as well (we only brought the strawberries with us to the new house).
    Anyway, just wanted to say that I do hope you decide to have your own garden. It's a great way to get outside in the spring-fall and nothing beats home-grown organic veggies. It will bring you such pride!! We've had so many people come to our house and eat our food straight off the plants! lol

    Best of luck!!
    Oh and come on spring~ I've got some plating to do!! (I get a little excited for our garden, can you tell?! lol)
    :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou:
  • vim_n_vigor
    vim_n_vigor Posts: 4,089 Member
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    We will start our seedlings next weekend in our greenhouse for the early veggies and then in about a month, we will start the other seedlings. It tastes so much better from the garden.
  • Mel2626
    Mel2626 Posts: 342 Member
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    I grow some veggies in the summer, but love keeping green onions year round. You can put the white part with the roots in a glass of water inside and they grow back. Just rinse the onions and change the water every 5-7days and you're set! Its nice not only having a constant fresh supply (because I eat them on almost everything!), but they are also so, so much better than what you can get from the store.

    I saw this on Pinterest the other day and tried it out with chives. Not only does it keep them nice and fresh, but they grow new shoots as well. So you get more for your money! Great idea! :happy: :happy:
  • becoming_a_new_me
    becoming_a_new_me Posts: 1,860 Member
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    My dad hosts a family garden. We all pull our resources, help weed, and all get to help pick. There are four of us kids and my mom and dad, and we still take a trunkload to the food bank every week. Soooo yummy!
  • trailblazer888
    trailblazer888 Posts: 33 Member
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    I look forward to gardening with my little sister! Last year we grew green peppers and cherry tomatoes. I think this year we'll step it up and try growing some other things.
  • lifeisadancefloor
    lifeisadancefloor Posts: 91 Member
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    My boyfriend and I grew our own garden for the first time last summer! It was so much fun and rewarding!! Everything just tasted better than store bought :) We had two big boxes and one small box full of veggies and a few tiny ones with herbs! We dried out the herbs at the end of the summer and we still have so much! I can't wait for next summer too!! We planted our garlic in the fall, hopefully they will do better this year! :)
  • FITnFIRM4LIFE
    FITnFIRM4LIFE Posts: 818 Member
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    Every Year for the last 10 years I grow a garden. Full of every veggie that will take my growing zone. Also grow herbs and can and preserve it all for the winter. It is my true passion:-)
  • EPICUREASIAN
    EPICUREASIAN Posts: 147 Member
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    My fiance and I grow mostly herbs and peppers. We're trying to expand it this year by adding garlic, onions, leeks and bok choy. We're prepping our second veggie bed for this year. The only challenge in Texas atm is the drought, so we have to find things to grow that can handle the severely hot and dry conditions.

    And like others who have expressed the same, it's extremely rewarding to cook with your own home-grown produce.
  • Laura_Ivy
    Laura_Ivy Posts: 555 Member
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    I love the idea of gardening but I always end up killing my plants. Maybe the key is starting off small? I am envious of your gardening adventures!
  • PaleoPath4Lyfe
    PaleoPath4Lyfe Posts: 3,161 Member
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    Only if i had a yard to plant some veggies....my veggies would be fresher and cheaper.

    Container gardening is just as good.

    http://lifeonthebalcony.com/
  • TrailRunner61
    TrailRunner61 Posts: 2,505 Member
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    I grow tons of veggies and strawberries, flash freeze them on cookie sheets, place in foodsaver bags and they are as delicious as fresh. Red onions, white onions, green beans, herbs, all kinds of peppers and strawberries mostly. I just cant pay 1.89 for ONE red pepper when I can easily grow them in my backyard. Plus I know that there are no chemicals on them. Win win situation!
    Another way to save money if you are buying herbs and don't think you'll use them all is to toss them in a ziploc bag and put it in the freezer. It tastes just as good as fresh. Some people freeze them in ice cubes then just drop one or 2 into soup later, but I'm too lazy. Also you can freeze lemon or orange zest, the juice or even toss the whole piece of fruit in the freezer. The same with fresh ginger. Doing that has saved me a trip to the grocery store many times. :) Happy gardening!

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