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Resources for growing a vegetable garden?
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lifeliberty
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gardening is pretty easy, but can be a lot of work, and you need to be patient. you kinda learn by doing. the first year is kinda experimenting and getting your feet wet. You will have to learn when to get seeds started or when to plant things, some things you do plant in the fall. my family always had gardens growing up, but it has been a long time. another thing is don't dig through any lines in the ground, I guess that would be pretty important! Talk to people and read would be my advice. there are others here way more into it than I and can offer you more detailed advice. just plant water, and grow. if something dies, don't worry about it. my wax beans keep growing then dying this year, no big deal. also, learn what "bolting" is. I started from seed in march I think and everything is growing fine. (corn, gourds, cherry tomatos, tomatos, sunflowers, lettuce-bolting now like a MFr, I'm kinda seeing where that is going, califlower-bugs really ate lots of the leaves, flowers, 3 types of peppers)
we do out lawn and garden shpooing at Oakland nursery on oakland park. they are awesome with advice and suggestions. any time i had an issue, there suggestions fixed the problem.
Posted 9 months ago # -
joev
Merion Village
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I try to address that with my blog. If you start at the beginning, that's where I talk through the those first few steps.
Hounds in the Kitchen is another great resource.
Posted 9 months ago # -
murfmurphy
Westgate
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Wow. I didn't know that was your blog, Joe. I found it recently, and can't remember how, but I've really enjoyed it.
Dsigner - My wife and I are in our third year of vegetable gardening. We're somewhat limited in space, our garden is only 12' x 6'. This year we tried Square Foot Gardening. It's our own bastardized version, as we are doing it in an exisiting space. The quick and dirty of the method is breaking out your beds in 12" x 12" squares, and then planting within the squares. According to the method, and the spacing specs of the plants, you plant each square in differing amounts. For example, we can plant 16 carrots in each square, 9 bush beans per square, 9 spinach, 4 to 9 onions etc.
It's basicallly just a more efficient way to get more plants in the ground, as opposed to straight rows. They have pretty rigid specs for soil mixes and methods. The book is $11 or $12 on Amazon, and it has tables in the back for when to start and plant a large variety of vegetables. We've been pretty successful with it so far.
It's a constant learning experience as you go along. There's no real wrong way to do it, just trial and error. We've already decided on adding some raised beds on an asphalt parking pad behind our garage for next year. It's a lot of work, but very rewarding throughout the year. Good luck with it!
Posted 9 months ago # -
lifeliberty
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somet things I learned were that I had to hand pollinate the flowers for the gourds, which first starts with recognizing which was the male/female flowers, and I heard you are not supposed to plant your tomatos in the same spot the next year. And pick a sunny spot. I have stuff planted all around the house(instead of having shrubs), the sunny side of the house has the best plants.
and if you plant corn, don't plant in a single row, you kind of want them grouped together so they can pollinate better.
http://www.coopext.colostate.edu/4dmg/VegFruit/corn.htm
Corn is monoecious (mon-ee-shuss) which means that there are both male and female flowers on each corn plant. In some monoecious plants, male and female parts are in the same flower. In corn, male and female flowers are in different locations - the male flowers form a tassel which is at the top of the plant. The female flower is located at the junction of leaves and stem. It consists of a collection of hairs (silks) enclosed in the husks of what will become the ears. These silks are pollen-receiving tubes. Wind-blown pollen from the male flowers (tassel) falls on the silks below. Each silk leads to a kernel, and pollen must land on all silks for the ear to fill out completely with kernels. Kernel "skips" (ears only partly filled out with kernels) often are the result of poor pollination.
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Because corn is wind-pollinated, plant it in blocks of rows, rather than in a long, single row, which would result in poor pollen distribution on the silks and many kernel "skips".Posted 9 months ago # -
TomOver
herenowbeyond.org
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dsigner said:
Can anyone offer good, local resources about planning, planting, and managing a backyard vegetable garden to someone interested, but who hasn't done more in the yard then typical mowing and trimming? Local stores, good blogs, great contacts in the community, etc. There's a lot of posts tangential to this request but I couldn't really find anything too explicit.Instead of holding back until you feel you've got all the info, dive in as soon as possible. Right now, you should be able to get things started for some fall crops, or at least help others who are doing it.
Many of us like the concept of edible gardening, but think we're too busy for that. But if the economy continues into uncharted territory, that may affect how you and your loved ones consider the pros and cons of investing time and energy into growing some of your own food.
Posted 9 months ago # -
labi
Weinland Park
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I second those saying the best way to start is to dig up a little area about 12 inches deep, shake all the grass and weeds out of it, and try planting some stuff. Keep it watered until things sprout and see what happens. Right now is a good time for fall carrots, greens (kale, mustard, etc), cabbage, spinach, beets...The best way to learn is to watch what happens and feel your way along. Until you start relating your new learning to personal observation, it doesn't stick as well.
I think the only really overwhelming kind of mistake is to start with too much area all at once.
Posted 9 months ago # -
dsigner
Worthington
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All right, I like diving in... and thanks for the items to plant, but what about sun / shade mix, watering, bugs, or other criteria? Seems like I could be in over my head quick, but I guess at not too much loss. Clearly I'm a bit nervous but sounds like there are lots of resources above for me to check out.
Posted 9 months ago # -
lifeliberty
Here
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Right now I'd suggest starting with where the plot is, things like corn, peppers, tomatos like a lot of sun, the back of the seed packages have basically all the info you need. You might even think about throwing in some flowers for some color and attracting insects to help with pollination. As far as insecticide, I don't use any and basically take my chances. Of course I don't depend on the food I grow for survival, but it always tastes better than you get in a store. You will learn a lot in the first year about what you want for the 2nd year. Don't take it too seriously, life always find a way!
Posted 9 months ago # -
Nuttybat
My drey
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Soil, soil soil.... Central Ohio soil is full of clay. If you don't improve the soil, your garden will not do well. You should dig out at least 5 inches of your native dirt. Replace that with a blend of top soil, peat moss and a small amount of sand. You could also use the Miracle Grow garden soil. Blend this with some of the loose native dirt. You may also want to invest in a vegetable-specific fertilizer that includes extra calcium. Our soil is fairly calcium deficient. If you want your tomato plants to do well, they must have adequate calcium of they will suffer from blossom end rot. Everyone else is giving you good information, but I hadn't seen anyone mention this basic yet.
Posted 9 months ago # -
racheltb
clintonville
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Thanks for linking to my blog, Joe. I compiled my gardening basics into an ebook here: http://houndsinthekitchen.com/shop/grow-your-garden-ebook/
While I do agree with the dive right in attitude, I also advocate for visiting gardens to get some inspiration and see what works for others in your area. Franklin Park Conservatory has a gorgeous edible campus. Wander the alleys and streets in your neighborhood and ask friendly gardeners about what grows well for them. Take a gander at the Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association tour schedule; Joseph Swain's farm in north clintonville is open for a tour this Sunday from 2-4. I am always happy to show people around my tiny space.
I recently went to the Will Allen training here in Columbus and found it interesting that he doesn't bother with using urban soil whatsoever. He recommends hauling in 'new' soil, amending it, and piling it on top of existing substrate. He advises 24 inch wide, 24 inch deep beds with 18 inch space between beds. I do wish I had skinnier beds because I can't reach across my bigger beds.
Throw me an email if you want to visit or talk plans in more detail sometime. I love dreaming up edible gardens!
Posted 9 months ago # -
alexs
Limestone bluffs of the Scioto
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Have you chosen a site yet? Is it in shade, partial shade, or full sun?
Have you broken ground yet? Start with that; if you're in an urban lot it might have a long history that you don't know about, like stuff being dumped or burned back in the day. Watch for trash fragments as you dig. Have it checked for utilities - you _shouldn't_ hit anything within a foot or less of the surface, but who knows.
Invest in good-quality tools because cheap stuff breaks quickly.
Posted 9 months ago #
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