Any Gardening Tips For A Beginner?

[purple]

We are planting our first major garden this year (I have lots of time to tend it). We had a small one a couple of years ago, we had luck with peas, cucumbers, tomatoes, green onions, carrots and zucchini.

I plan to save the heirloom seeds from our garden this year...reading up on how its done and am excited.

We live in the mountains so we have cool nights but still have a hot summer though the growing season is shortened. We our planting about 16 veggies in case some wont grow. Our soil is sandy. I planted lots of peppers in cups yesterday. There are a few people in this tiny town that have huge successful gardens. Our garden is where there is lots of sunshine all day.

Any tips or advice???

What about bugs and fertilizer and compost?

How does your garden grow?

Thanks very much!!!

[Ahorsesoul]

Just do what makes you the happiest but do pull weeds daily. Weeds are really just compost waiting to happen.

[purple]

  Ahorsesoul said:

Just do what makes you the happiest but do pull weeds daily. Weeds are really just compost waiting to happen.

Thanks for your happy reply

[lbd]

Make raised beds. For years we did the regular plow, disk, till, weed, weed, weed thing. By the end of the season, the garden would be full of weeds. A few years ago, I made 8 raised beds ( about 4 x 8 ft) using non-treated logs. Filled them up with compost (I have 5 horses and chickens, so there is a lot to be had from the compost pile). I used the Square Foot method of planting. I can plant as much in those beds as I used to plant in a 1/2 acre of garden. The secret is to never walk in the beds so you don't compact the dirt. Preparation now consists of fluffing up the dirt in the spring with a spade or fork. Weeds easily pull out.

I have since replaced the logs with parking lot bumpers made from rubber which were available from my local hardware store. They should last a very long time. I have raised corn in the beds, but it takes a lot of space and it is easy to buy around here, so I don't bother with that, but everything else grows great.

One more tip: You can grow potatoes very easily under straw. Just loosen the soil lightly, place the seed potatoes on top, cover thickly (about 6 inches) with straw. The potatoes will come up right through the straw - you just need to replenish it from time to time throughout the season. When the plants die back at the end of the summer, just gently remove the straw and you have lots of potatoes!

Good luck!

Laurie

[purple]

  lbd said:

Make raised beds. For years we did the regular plow, disk, till, weed, weed, weed thing. By the end of the season, the garden would be full of weeds. A few years ago, I made 8 raised beds ( about 4 x 8 ft) using non-treated logs. Filled them up with compost (I have 5 horses and chickens, so there is a lot to be had from the compost pile). I used the Square Foot method of planting. I can plant as much in those beds as I used to plant in a 1/2 acre of garden. The secret is to never walk in the beds so you don't compact the dirt. Preparation now consists of fluffing up the dirt in the spring with a spade or fork. Weeds easily pull out.

I have since replaced the logs with parking lot bumpers made from rubber which were available from my local hardware store. They should last a very long time. I have raised corn in the beds, but it takes a lot of space and it is easy to buy around here, so I don't bother with that, but everything else grows great.

One more tip: You can grow potatoes very easily under straw. Just loosen the soil lightly, place the seed potatoes on top, cover thickly (about 6 inches) with straw. The potatoes will come up right through the straw - you just need to replenish it from time to time throughout the season. When the plants die back at the end of the summer, just gently remove the straw and you have lots of potatoes!

Good luck!

Laurie

Thanks for all your tips! We have 2 horses. Can you use too much manure and burn the roots, I read that somewhere. I put 6 wheel barrow fulls of manure spread out so far, but the ground is not covered yet. I thought about doing the raised beds for at least the cucumbers this year and then expand next year. Sounds like a good idea. My dh's mom always used raised beds in her small back yard and it produced alot. Thanks again!

edit: I talked to my dh about the raised beds and we are planning that for next year and he liked the idea for the potatoes. We love red potatoes!

[lorka150]

I wrote this a bit ago, it might help with some organic tips: Open Original Shared Link

[purple]

  lorka150 said:

I wrote this a bit ago, it might help with some organic tips: Open Original Shared Link

Thanks for posting your article! I never bought beans but still have room if I get some, I did get peas though. Gee I totally didn't think of sunflowers. I will certainly get those.

Thanks for all these great tips!

[blueeyedmanda]

I need all the help I can get. My husband and I just bought our first house (in Jan.) and I want to plant a garden. I already picked up seeds--tomatoes, peas, radishes, lettuce and cucumbers. I am excited. We live in the suburbs, but we have this nice level yard perfect for a garden.

Plus I also want to plant some sunflowers. I need to get some flowers in the front of my house too. The previous owners didnt garden and the house sat vacant since last May when the bank took it. So the yard has been untended since so we have our work cut out for us.

We are also going to paint too. I love the summer to begin with but this is the first summer I have my own yard and I am just happy. Sorry for my rant. :)

[purple]

  blueeyedmanda said:

I need all the help I can get. My husband and I just bought our first house (in Jan.) and I want to plant a garden. I already picked up seeds--tomatoes, peas, radishes, lettuce and cucumbers. I am excited. We live in the suburbs, but we have this nice level yard perfect for a garden.

Plus I also want to plant some sunflowers. I need to get some flowers in the front of my house too. The previous owners didnt garden and the house sat vacant since last May when the bank took it. So the yard has been untended since so we have our work cut out for us.

We are also going to paint too. I love the summer to begin with but this is the first summer I have my own yard and I am just happy. Sorry for my rant. :)

Hey we can both plant our sunflowers together and watch them smile on our gardens

[ranger]

  lbd said:

Make raised beds. For years we did the regular plow, disk, till, weed, weed, weed thing. By the end of the season, the garden would be full of weeds. A few years ago, I made 8 raised beds ( about 4 x 8 ft) using non-treated logs. Filled them up with compost (I have 5 horses and chickens, so there is a lot to be had from the compost pile). I used the Square Foot method of planting. I can plant as much in those beds as I used to plant in a 1/2 acre of garden. The secret is to never walk in the beds so you don't compact the dirt. Preparation now consists of fluffing up the dirt in the spring with a spade or fork. Weeds easily pull out.

I have since replaced the logs with parking lot bumpers made from rubber which were available from my local hardware store. They should last a very long time. I have raised corn in the beds, but it takes a lot of space and it is easy to buy around here, so I don't bother with that, but everything else grows great.

One more tip: You can grow potatoes very easily under straw. Just loosen the soil lightly, place the seed potatoes on top, cover thickly (about 6 inches) with straw. The potatoes will come up right through the straw - you just need to replenish it from time to time throughout the season. When the plants die back at the end of the summer, just gently remove the straw and you have lots of potatoes!

Good luck!

Laurie

I plant potatoes the old way. This straw thing sounds easier. Don't the potatoes turn green, or is that much straw thick enough?

[Jestgar]

  blueeyedmanda said:

I need all the help I can get.

me too

Thanks for everyone's suggestions. I'm doing most of my things from starts. Too scared about seeds.

[lbd]

The potatoes won't turn green. Just make sure they are covered thickly with straw (about 6 inches) so no sunlight peeks through.

As for seeds, I plant beans, peas, lettuce, cucumbers, squash, radishes, beets, corn sometimes, carrots, sunflowers from seed. I buy tomatoes, melons, peppers, eggplant, cabbage, onions, garlic, and sometimes squash as plants. You can buy nice plants in the amount you want and they have a head start on seeds. I did seed start some Brandywine tomato plants directly in the garden last year and they were late, but did fine. I don't have the patience or setup to start plants at home. Luckily, I have a great grower near me who sells heirloom veggie plants and seeds of all kinds, as well as potato eyes, onions, etc. and seeds of every variety. I almost hate going there - it is so hard to decide and I always overbuy. Anyway, if you buy plants, you can select many different varieties. Last year, I had 10 different tomato varieties! And each one was delicious in its own way.

Just do it, don't fret about it, and enjoy. My dad always taught me to "give a little drink" of water to each plant before you close up the hole around the roots. I always do that to this day and it hasn't failed me yet. I don't fertilize but I do add more compost as needed. Raw manure may be too strong. You want to pile it up somewhere over the winter and let it cook down to "black gold" soil. It will be loose and crumbly with no visible manure or smell left. And the plants will love you! I haven't started planting yet. I will plant onions and potatoes today, but the rest have to wait for the last frost date around here which is May 15th. The first asparagus has poked its little head above ground though!

Laurie

[MaryJones2]

Laurie, thanks for all of your excellent advice on the potatoes. We've been gardening for years and finally decided to try the square foot method in raised beds. We too have a rather large garden (1/2 or so) and it's just way too much to keep clean (i.e. weed free).

We start everything from seeds: peppers, tomatoes, sunflowers, corn, cucumbers, squash, onions, etc. I enjoy it because we get varieties that we can't get otherwise but it takes a lot of work. In Georgia, I start tomatoes in late January for mid-April planting. I don't recommend seed starting for beginners.

We added asparagus and blueberries last year and strawberries, garlic, horseradish, and ginger this year. We are also trying potatoes this year (my husband's project).

As for my additions to the topic, dog hair works great to keep the deer out and tomatoes love egg shells. (Tomatoes need calcium to produce well). We recycle our chicken shavings into the compost pile. Our county also has a compost facility so you can get free compost by the truckload so we can supplement when necessary.

[purple]

  lbd said:

The potatoes won't turn green. Just make sure they are covered thickly with straw (about 6 inches) so no sunlight peeks through.

As for seeds, I plant beans, peas, lettuce, cucumbers, squash, radishes, beets, corn sometimes, carrots, sunflowers from seed. I buy tomatoes, melons, peppers, eggplant, cabbage, onions, garlic, and sometimes squash as plants. You can buy nice plants in the amount you want and they have a head start on seeds. I did seed start some Brandywine tomato plants directly in the garden last year and they were late, but did fine. I don't have the patience or setup to start plants at home. Luckily, I have a great grower near me who sells heirloom veggie plants and seeds of all kinds, as well as potato eyes, onions, etc. and seeds of every variety. I almost hate going there - it is so hard to decide and I always overbuy. Anyway, if you buy plants, you can select many different varieties. Last year, I had 10 different tomato varieties! And each one was delicious in its own way.

Just do it, don't fret about it, and enjoy. My dad always taught me to "give a little drink" of water to each plant before you close up the hole around the roots. I always do that to this day and it hasn't failed me yet. I don't fertilize but I do add more compost as needed. Raw manure may be too strong. You want to pile it up somewhere over the winter and let it cook down to "black gold" soil. It will be loose and crumbly with no visible manure or smell left. And the plants will love you! I haven't started planting yet. I will plant onions and potatoes today, but the rest have to wait for the last frost date around here which is May 15th. The first asparagus has poked its little head above ground though!

Laurie

Thanks for more great tips. I put some loose/dry manure on the garden spot last night. Now I understand the difference, thanks for the clarification.

I watched some "how to plant a garden" videos last night. They are very helpful. They showed the straw on the potato beds. One video showed pole beans for those that have limited garden space-that's a good idea. Another video showed how to plant spuds and do canning, etc. Another showed that compost feeds the soil and keeps the bad guys out and not to use artificial compost. Another trims the tomato plants until they are "ugly"-I didn't know you should do that. Water in the morning so the garden will be dry b/c fungi grows at night. Some show how/when to harvest. Gee, I coulda ben watchin' these last winter....

[purple]

  janetw said:

Laurie, thanks for all of your excellent advice on the potatoes. We've been gardening for years and finally decided to try the square foot method in raised beds. We too have a rather large garden (1/2 or so) and it's just way too much to keep clean (i.e. weed free).

We start everything from seeds: peppers, tomatoes, sunflowers, corn, cucumbers, squash, onions, etc. I enjoy it because we get varieties that we can't get otherwise but it takes a lot of work. In Georgia, I start tomatoes in late January for mid-April planting. I don't recommend seed starting for beginners.

We added asparagus and blueberries last year and strawberries, garlic, horseradish, and ginger this year. We are also trying potatoes this year (my husband's project).

As for my additions to the topic, dog hair works great to keep the deer out and tomatoes love egg shells. (Tomatoes need calcium to produce well). We recycle our chicken shavings into the compost pile. Our county also has a compost facility so you can get free compost by the truckload so we can supplement when necessary.

I read that about the pet hair. We have deer in the fall but our garden will be fenced well so I might try that if they somehow jump the fence. We have to keep the horses out of it. I've been saving my egg shells but now I will save them for the tomatoes-thanks for the tip.

[lbd]

My dad was my inspiration for gardening. He used to plant 250 tomato plants by hand each year, as well as tons of other veggies. We sold tomatoes and corn at a roadside stand at the end of our driveway. With 250 tomato plants, I can tell you we never trimmed them and didn't even stake them up. I only raise 10 or so now, so I do stake them to save space in the raised beds, but they never get trimmed. I do pinch the first few blossoms to allow the plant to get to full size before it has to start producing tomatoes, but other than that, I leave them alone. I never use artificial fertilizers or pesticides. The chickens do a good job of keeping most bugs away ( they also tend to pull my onions out and scratch my seeds out sometimes, so I have to put netting over the beds until the plants are established). I hand pick off remaining bugs and egg deposits.

Laurie

[Jestgar]

  lbd said:

My dad was my inspiration for gardening. He used to plant 250 tomato plants by hand each year, as well as tons of other veggies. We sold tomatoes and corn at a roadside stand at the end of our driveway. With 250 tomato plants, I can tell you we never trimmed them and didn't even stake them up.

I read something about this, and don't remember the details, but I do remember this doesn't work for all areas. If you live somewhere with frequent rainfall, or just damp in general, the recommendation was to keep your vines off the ground, or they'll just rot.

[Mother of Jibril]

I've been a growing a container garden on my deck for the last three years... it's great! It's very easy to grow herbs, hot peppers, and edible flowers (marigolds, violas, nasturtiums) if you buy starters from a garden center or the farmer's market. I like to mulch the plants so I don't have to water them as often or pull weeds. Last year I tried French tarragon for the first time and it was SO good in omelets. I've also tried various kinds of lettuce, bell peppers, tomatoes, and bush beans. Depending on where you live, some herbs like oregano, thyme, and sage are perennials.

I also have established beds of mint, thyme, and chives in the yard that the deer leave alone. The fawns are too cute to chase away

[purple]

What are some early veggies we can plant. We are still having frost. Our planting is not supposed to be before June 1st in our area, except last year people planted the week before that.

And what families are best together/apart like cabbage and broccoli near each other or in the same bed. I read to keep some apart if you are saving seed for next year. Lots to keep straight until I get it. We have pine needles up the hill to get for mulch-does it work good?

Whew...Lots to think about. We had the garden tilled yesterday. It slopes down hill just a little...is there something that likes more water to plant on the down hill side? Maybe a raised bed down there would be good...hm. Our plot is about 20x50.

Thanks for your help!

[MaryJones2]

purple, check the website of your state extension service. Most extension services have excellent publications on what to plant and when as well as some great how-tos.

[lbd]

  Jestgar said:

I read something about this, and don't remember the details, but I do remember this doesn't work for all areas. If you live somewhere with frequent rainfall, or just damp in general, the recommendation was to keep your vines off the ground, or they'll just rot.

I don't know. I live in southeastern PA, land of hot and humid summers. I do stake mine now, but growing up in Maryland (equally hot and humid), we never staked them and they did fine. The benefit of staking though is that the tomatoes stay cleaner. Tomatoes are pretty hardy in general. My sister-in-law in Houston though has never been able to grow even one successfully.

Laurie

[purple]

  janetw said:

purple, check the website of your state extension service. Most extension services have excellent publications on what to plant and when as well as some great how-tos.

Thanks Janet! It's seems like I am learning something every 5 minutes.

We are putting up a chain link fence today. I am gathering dirt, horse poo and some pine needles too. Glad we have another month of prep but wish I could see those veggies growing.

[one more mile]

The first tip my mom gave me was "don't eat the dirt"

Start them young she thinks.

I love to grow a big pot of parsley. If you have kids or just like bugs you may bet a kick out of how the monarch butterfly caterpillars that will chomp the heck out of it. I let them have it, the parsley grows back. I just pick around them. and enjoy the butterfly's.

if you have a critter problem lay down sharp (organic) thorns to keep them away. It works on Cats and Groundhogs.

I lay a few big thorn branches down and just move them when I want to garden then put them back when I am done.

Gardeners love to talk. I like to find out what grows good in my area by taking a walk and talking to neighbors.

[Sweetfudge]

  janetw said:

tomatoes love egg shells. (Tomatoes need calcium to produce well).

Eggshells also kill slugs. When I was a kid, we saved our shells all winter and sprinkled them around the perimeter of our garden, then around each plant. Some places (like Oregon) have more of a slug problem than others.

I miss having a big garden. I have a very small backyard now. I usually grow lettuce, spinach, tomatoes, squash, herbs, and peas. I put as much as I can in the ground, then use containers for the rest. I can't wait to get into a house with a real backyard, because I've read so much about the raised bed gardens.

I'm learning a lot too. I found out that I was overwatering my tomatoes last year, that's why they were getting splotchy. We also have really bad soil, so I'm treating it this year.

Great post I'm excited to hear how your gardens grow!!

[purple]

So how deep do you till the soil esp. if it still has sod? I have read anywhere from 4-12 inches, depending on what you are planting. Some say remove the sod to the compost pile and others say just flip it over. We had it tilled several inches but I think it needs to be deeper and also to dig up more weed roots. Lots to learn...Thanks!