We moved to 200 acres last summer. We have put in so much hard work and the place looks 100 times better than it did in June but there is still so much left to do. The space where we want to put a garden in is now clear and free of the debris and crap the renters left behind. Dh even built me an awesome double compost bin and we placed it near the garden area. Problem is that I know nothing whatsoever about vegetable gardening. What is easy to grow? How do I do it? Can I sow the seeds right into the ground? Tell me everything you know! I do know about herb gardening. I just plotted out the space last week and just need to till up the ground and have dh build me a little fence to go around it.
I grew up with a mother who gardened and I dabbled a bit as an adult. It really depends on the planting zone you are in. Once you know that you will be able to guage the length of the growing season where you are. I would suggest you get in contact with the local horticultural society. They would have a tonne of info for you about your area and what works best. I assume you have picked a spot that recieves a lot of sun? Easy to plant are peppers, cucumbers, pumpkins, squash( Both winter and summer varieties) , lettuce and other greens, tomatoes, potatoes and carrots. Things like corn can be trickier due to variety planted and space. You need to plant at least a four foot square patch of corn for it to germinate properly. Most of the seed packets have directions directly on the back to help you plant. What out for pests. Look into good bugs for pest control in your area as well. Like ladybugs like to eat aphids so they are a great one to order and add to the garden. Of course if you plant some flowers to attract bees and other pollinators to your yard that helps as well I recall mom grew broccoli but it usually ended up with some odd caterpillar eating it. And she did grow kholrabi a couple of times successfully. Watermelon or other fruits may also grow well in your area. When planting vines though you have to think space as they take up a lot unless you buy the bush variety. Order yourself some free seed catalogues from seed companies to get an idea about plants and their growing times as well. Have fun. It's a lot of hard work but so rewarding to sit down to a meal that is 90% your own labors.
The info Northernmamma gave you is great so I will just add to it. One thing that we find helped our garden greatly was to till up the ground so it was softer at planting time and when we did that we'd till into it some manure (try and find a local farmer, it'll be cheaper than a garden center). Other EASY veggies to grow are beans, we like bush beans (both green and wax), onions (we like the little green onions), peas are also easy if you give them something to climb. Berry bushes are great to plant, require little maintenance and give great reward, but it will be a couple years after planting before you get berries. If you don't want to spend hours weeding your garden be sure to lay down a nice thick layer of straw, woodchips, peat moss, or grass clippings once your plants are big enough. Also we always liked to start our seeds indoors about 2 - 4 weeks before the ground was safe for planting. Then once the danger of frost had passed I would plant my seedlings outside in the garden, weed it for a few weeks and then once the plants were about 7 - 12 inches tall I would put down peat moss preventing weeds. If you plant marigolds around your veggie garden it will keep out small animals like rabbits, squirrell, etc. hanging pie tins from strings will keep large animals like deer out of the garden.
I grow tomatoes, green bush beans, and peas. We've tried cukes, but have had mixed results. They take more space. Also my green peppers haven't seen to do too well. Oh, and I grow lettuce! Tomatoes and peppers I buy plants; the others I use seeds. Last year, I tried to make a layered garden. I put down mulched leaves, shredded paper, and then straw. It REALLY DID HELP when it came to weeds!!! I turned a lot of it under this past fall, so that should end up providing good stuff to my soil. Oh, and I had added coffee grounds from Starbucks! This year, I'm going to layer it again, but my compost pile is finally to the place where I can use that, too. And I'm debating about getting some free horse manure from where Faythe rides to put down, too.
I like organic square foot gardening with raised beds using Mel's mix (google square foot gardening). It takes a little more effort to set it up, but maintaining it during the growing season is easier. Planting directly in the ground works too, but you will have more work getting rid of weeds. If I had acreage I would plant right in the ground, but prepare the soil ahead of time with something like manure and peat moss and put down something to prevent weed growth. As far as easy to grow it depends on where you live and the methods you use. I have tried to stay organic. Tomatoes and cucumbers did well for me in the northern part of the USA. Peas, tomatoes, and squash did well in the NW. I didn't get much of anything to grow well in Florida :roll: And I've never been able to successfully grow a watermelon. You can look online at the Burpee website to get information about your growing area and different types of seeds you can buy that should grow in your area. I didn't get to plant anything last year, but I should have a little bit of ground this year to plant a few things - probably cucumbers and tomatoes. We can eat a lot of them.
Wow, wow, wow. Where to begin??? It might help for you to make a list of all the vegetables your family enjoys and then find out the needed information on each of them. Vegetable planting times and methods vary so much that it is difficult to cover all of the needed information in a few posts. Some veggies like tomatoes, peppers, brocolli, cabbage, eggplant, etc. get started as seeds around this time of year so that you can plant the actual plants in the ground in mid-spring (depending on your zone). Others, like zucchini and other squashes, melons, pumpkins and such get planted as seeds in late spring or even early summer.
I have been a vegetable gardener, like many here I am sure, for over 30 years. My advice - start small and grow from there. If I were where you are and know what I know now I would start with these: Corn, cucumbers, beans, squash (your favorite of winter and summer), some greens of some sort, and tomatoes and peppers. Honestly, I believe that would be a task for your first year. Tomatoes and peppers you buy plants or start ahead yourself (I'd start with plants the first year). Greens, lettuce, etc, get planted as soon as ground can be worked in spring. Radishes, too. Now that is an easy veggie to grow! The rest get planted when the soil is warm and danger of frost is past for your area. I plant my squash in hills, but you can plant them in rows - your choice. But be sure to separate varieties by enough room or they will cross. Corn needs at least 4 rows deep to pollinate correctly. And don't plant too close or the roots won't develop deeply enough and the corn will blow over in the wind. I'd go with bush beans. They produce plenty and are much easier. Save trying viney beans for later. Cukes go in hills - directions are on the package. Plant the kind you like. Burpless, regular or ones to make pickles. Remember, you get a lot of cukes and a lot of summer squash off one plant! Root veggies do well in a light soil, so if you live in a sandy area, go ahead and try a few carrots or rutabagas. If your soil is heavy, try something like broccoli maybe or brussel sprouts. Plant a few things just for fun as well! A few flowers or some herbs or flowering kale. Have fun and happy gardening!!!
I have been gardening all my life, but this year I planted at my dad's place across the way....anyway, I was not even thinking about my zucchini and acorn squash both being squash....we got some crazy stuff going on, I'll tell you that! :lol: All great advice for a beginner, Countrygal!
I've never gardened. But based on observations of neighbors/friends who do: Figure out how much you like tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, and zucchini. Then plant half as much tomatoes, one third as much cucumbers and peppers, and about a fourth as much zucchini, as you think you want! ROFL!
One other tip.... You can take a soil sample to your local/state agriculture department and they will test it ... great info for determining what to add to have the right balance.
OH! Almost forgot.... I was able to extend my lettuce season a couple weeks by creating an arch of chicken wire over the lettuce bed. I planted the cucumber to the side and by the time the cucumber leaves and vines started to covered the lettuce, it protected it from the hot NC sun enough to extend the harvest without being bitter. Could that work in Texas?
We don't have a garden space so Freddy plants things in small beds all around our house. He loves to grow green beans so to be able to produce a large amount in a small spot he goes up. He makes a frame out of bamboo (he has a huge bamboo patch in our backyard) and plants the beans under the frame. He runs strings down from the frame and they grow up it. He loves doing this and the neighbors get a real kick out of it because the beans grow so tall you have to stand on a ladder to pick them. He plants the seeds that say pole beans on them. I have pictures of him up on that ladder and the kids think it is so funny. By the way, I can't wait to tell him the tip about protecting the lettuce with cucumber leaves. We live in NC too and it gets so hot and dry here too. One more thing Freddy does is go to tire places and get old tires they are glad to give away. He fills them with his soil mixture and plants pepper and squash in them. They do great like that. I wish we had a huge spot for him to have a garden. He loves planting and I can whatever he grows.
ROFL!!! I had a bunch of squash come up wild this year and I just let them go for fun! It was hilarious! None of them even turned out edible..... :lol: Squarepeg - love the cucumber idea! I've tried letting my cukes and beans go up the cornstalks like the Indians did, but they ended up strangling the corn. Won't do that again. I'll stick to pumpkin among the corn if I really feel the need to do something more traditional! ROFL!! I also tried burying fish under the hills - all I got was maggots! YUCK!!! Then there was the baby woodchuck that ate every single plant as it appeared - without any favoritism. It loved them all! I'll bet we'd all have some fun stories to share about gardens!
How 'bout this. Last year I was all excited to get planting. I put in my broccoli, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant and cabbage on May 8th. My grandpa says to me, "You should wait until May 15th." He always uses the Farmer's Almanac type of traditions. I'm just thinking, well, frost has been gone a long while, I'm good. Soooooo...in the next 48 hours, we had frost AND HAIL!!! We were rigging up individual little covers for each baby plant out of chicken wire and plastic. :lol: I will say, we didn't lose a plant and our garden had the only tomatoes in our area that did well. So early was key for us last year....but I shoulda listened to grandpa!!!
I see that you are in Texas. The best guide I have ever seen is Neil Sperry's Gardening in Texas. The climate here can be difficult to garden in. Some things just don't do well in 110 degree heat with no water! Tomatoes and peppers do great here, and depending on what zone you are in, can be planted as early as late Feb,early Mar. I've never had any luck with pumpkins, squash,etc. Mostly I just grow a "salsa garden", tomatoes, peppers, and onions. Dh loves to make his own hot sauce. The kids also love growing their own pickles! the cukes did amazing this year. I have a very dense clay soil here in zone 7b, so I really have to amend the soil.Good luck with your garden.
OK, I can top you, Brooke! LMHO!!!! I live in WI..... go figure..... I have had my garden freeze off on the fourth of July weekend - we had SNOW!!!! AAAAARRRRGGGHHH!!!!! I have to admit that was over 20 years ago, but it was a summer I'll never forget! I can't imagine gardening in TX. When my dd was there for basics, she said they LITERALLY fried eggs on the sidewalk! It's a miracle to me that you can get anything to grow!!!
Wow what fabulous responses! Thank you all for your suggestions and stories. I am in zone 9. My grandfather, father and uncle gardened here and the land has been farmed since the mid 1800s. I know things will grow here but with everyone dead and gone there is nobody here left on the land to ask questions. I am for sure putting in an herb garden and will probably put my tomatoes in there. Herbs I can grow. Veggies I have never tried so this shall be a fun learning experience. I am going to go back and read all these posts again and then do a little research. I do have a water source close to where the garden will be and our compost bin is already in place next to the garden area as well. We tried to put things in an easily accesible location to where we knew we wanted the garden . I am hoping at least to get in some potatoes, corn, squash, greens and cucumbers. I want to try my hand at making pickles!
My stepmom used to grow a small, raised bed garden. It was not large but we all pitched in and kept it clean and cared for. It produced a lot of food. I would just say a small plot will be able to grow a lot of food. Enjoy cultivating your green thumb.
