Gardens?

[ZenGwen]

Seeing as people here are so enthusiastic about veggies, who's got a garden? Some of you must, I imagine. What do you grow? Do you have a lot of experience? Any tips?

The weather is warming up, and as always at this time of year, I'm wishing I had a garden to get out into... I'm stuck in a tiny flat with no outdoor space. And the waiting list for allotments here is measured in years!

I've started a bunch of veggies on my windowsills. Tomatoes, cucumbers, some salad leaves, chilli peppers, a small selection of herbs. I picked up a reptile vivarium heat mat and stuck it under them while they were sprouting, seemed to really help. I've turned it off now and they're all growing nicely. Too many seedlings for the space I have, of course! I've made big pots out of a bunch of empty whey protein canisters (crocheting colorful covers for them to cover up the ugly white plastic), and will be passing on spare seedlings to a couple friends who actually have gardens. I have a trailing rosemary on its way to me which I'm planning on hanging off a sturdy curtain rail, heh!

[scuddle]

I just started a garden this year! We have watermelons, pumpkin, lots of tomatoes, okra, garlic, onions, brussels sprouts, peppers, and a ton of different herbs. It's so satisfying eating something that i helped coax out of the ground.

[ZenGwen]

Wow, totally jealous! I wish I had space for all that. Where did you learn about it? Books, websites? Any recommendations? Or did you fly by the seat of your pants?

[Elastigirl]

Check out the book square foot gardening. It has tips for gardening in small spaces. Even some tips for container gardening.

L love my garden. I have letuce, kale, carrots,chard, cucumber, onoins, radishes,parsnips,kohlrabi, and rutebgas.

[airen123]

I want to try some planter gardening. Would love tips!

[RaeVynn]

I have a teeny tiny yard. We live on a corner, on a partial lot, so I really have very little room.

However, we have a couple of raised beds, where I grow mostly greens, like lettuce and kale, and I also have some "smartpots" (fabric planters) where I have strawberries growing.

I also have blueberry bushes along the fence, a plum tree, and an apricot tree. Oh, and I planted a fig tree last year, too. I have some herbs in a raised bed, but I'll admit, I unwisely planted a mint in it, and now it is taking over! Um, I also planted a grape vine near the front fence, in hopes that it will weave its way along that. Oh, and some kiwi berry vines, too, along the side fence.

Yeah, I actually grow a LOT in my little yard!

[morethanjustamom]

We have five acres (soooo blessed, I know!) with the following fruit trees: pomegranate, peach, plum, pear, apple, cherry, blueberries, blackberries, and figs.

Out back we have a 20x30 garden plot with tomatoes (lots and lots of tomatoes!), watermelon, canteloupes, squash, okra, pumpkins and peppers, plus some more blackberries vines, and plans to add kiwi, asparagus and strawberries next year.

[airen123]

What can I plant at this time of year? In TN with rock soil, so would be doing in large planters...

[morethanjustamom]

For anyone in the US, I would recommend checking out your local Ag Extension office, and see if they have a website. They will be able to offer you tons of free information about exactly what grows well in your area.

[cline]

I have a small patio with beds I used for flowers, shrubs, and general prettiness, including herbs (and catnip!). I also belong to a community garden and am an urban gardener in one of the oldest community gardens. There we have fruit - apples, pears, cherries, raspberries, and figs. We have honeybees (and honey!). In my personal gardening space, I plant a lot of kale, lettuce, spinach, beans (see next comment), squash, peppers, okra, tomatoes, herbs, and melon. My spot is fairly small - say 8x6? Our garden also has a program where we grow food to feed low income seniors in the neighborhood. We generally harvest more than 1500 lbs a year. We are growing beans for that program (b/c we are paleo, don't eat beans).

I love the garden.

[cline]

In planters, you can generally grow salad lettuce (I get "parisian mix" or something that is like "baby lettuce"), spinach, small kale. They love boxes and then you can constantly sow seeds and constantly snip greens. They have shallow roots and do very well. If the planter is big enough, tomatoes and cucumbers do well but you'll have to stake them. Green peppers and hot peppers grow really well in pots.

[scuddle]

Books I recommend:

The concise square foot guide! All New Square Foot Gardening

My personal favorite, and written by a native to my city - good for gardening in southern (hot and humid!) climate: Down to Earth Gardening Down South

And if you want something sciencey that goes more in depth regarding -why- you should plant things certain ways: How to Grow More Vegetables

[fishnjeeps]

Man I miss gardening. I've had success with tomatoes and peppers in large pots. When I've had the space I've grown just about every veggie imaginable. I grew up in a small town surrounded by corn and soybeans. Our current place has nowhere I can grow anything safely.

[scotticus]

I started planter gardening a couple of years ago, but ironically now that we've moved to a house with a big backyard the garden is on temporary hiatus - there's just too much other work that needs to be done outside this year.

I would heartily recommend The Urban Homestead. I'm really big on self-sufficiency, which is the overall theme of the book. It covers everything from gardening, to canning, to raising chickens (not allowed where I live), to composting, to... You get the picture. Although it doesn't cover any one topic in excessive depth, it does provide enough detail to get started (hello, self-watering planters) and should provide a solid jumping-off point for any one of the topics covered.

For the past year or so it's been my general reference and inspiration point for going green and being more self-sufficient.

Our goal is to get the brunt of the heavy labour done this summer, and then get a fantastic garden going for next year - peppers, beans, tomatoes, garlic, cucumbers/zucchini, various herbs, etc. We're also plannning to not only eat fresh and share with friends through the summer, but put of some serious preserves for the winter.

Good times

[scotticus]

We have five acres (soooo blessed, I know!) with the following fruit trees: pomegranate, peach, plum, pear, apple, cherry, blueberries, blackberries, and figs.

Out back we have a 20x30 garden plot with tomatoes (lots and lots of tomatoes!), watermelon, canteloupes, squash, okra, pumpkins and peppers, plus some more blackberries vines, and plans to add kiwi, asparagus and strawberries next year.

Holy crap! So awesome!

[morethanjustamom]

Holy crap! So awesome!

Yes it is...I married an awesome gardener. I kill everything I touch.

[IfItPlugsIn]

Yes it is...I married an awesome gardener. I kill everything I touch.

Me too! I have such a black thumb, but my husband is awesome at it. Jealous of your awesome fruit trees!! We're pretty spoiled. My parents are farmers and have allowed us a few acres to plant stuff (mostly trees for when we can get an acreage of our own), and about 1 acre is allocated to gardening. We're expanding our variety this year:

Roma tomatoes (20 plants)

Grape tomatoes (2 plants)

Jalapenos (4 plants)

Green peppers

Carrots

Spinach

Leaf lettuce

Green beans

Peas

Corn (grown in 6-row rotations, so we have it throughout the summer)

Potatoes (4 varieties, I think)

Pumpkins (2 or 3 varieties)

Cucumbers

Spaghetti squash

Summer squash

Herbs (cilantro, oregano, basil, maybe others?)

I think that's it... I also call my husband the king of over-kill. Our family and friends tend to benefit greatly from his zealous gardening.

[thatgirljj]

[wiggles around in seat, raising hand] I do!

A few years back we dug out half of our back lawn and put in a series of raised beds with an irrigation system to grow herbs, veggies and some berries & grapes. Last week we cleaned out a bunch of our fading winter veggies and did our summer planting. We have 3 eggplants, 2 purple jalapenos, 2 persian cucumbers, 3 varieties of cherry tomatoes, 1 anaheim chile, and a bunch of kale & leeks. I need to pick up a couple plants of regular jalapenos too. Plus the raspberries, grapes, sage and oregano that are permanent residents. I'm hoping that this year we actually get some *good* grapes, last year they were sour and the year before that they were all eaten by the squirrels & birds. :-(

-jj

[ZenGwen]

Wow, so many fantastic gardeners! I am totally inspired. And I know where to come for tips!

I ordered a trailing rosemary and a bay tree seedling last night. I am super-excited. Going to crochet a sling for the rosemary, and have it hanging in the window near the kitchen... and put the bay tree seedling in one of the protein canister pots once the veggies I have in them now are done. I figure that should give it space to grow but also keep it from becoming monstrously large.

I have a small patio with beds I used for flowers, shrubs, and general prettiness, including herbs (and catnip!). I also belong to a community garden and am an urban gardener in one of the oldest community gardens. There we have fruit - apples, pears, cherries, raspberries, and figs. We have honeybees (and honey!). In my personal gardening space, I plant a lot of kale, lettuce, spinach, beans (see next comment), squash, peppers, okra, tomatoes, herbs, and melon. My spot is fairly small - say 8x6? Our garden also has a program where we grow food to feed low income seniors in the neighborhood. We generally harvest more than 1500 lbs a year. We are growing beans for that program (b/c we are paleo, don't eat beans).

I love the garden.

Wow! Total envy. I'm signed up on the waiting list for an area like that but it's going to take ages. Any tips for complete novice gardeners? Books you can't live without?

I started planter gardening a couple of years ago, but ironically now that we've moved to a house with a big backyard the garden is on temporary hiatus - there's just too much other work that needs to be done outside this year.

I would heartily recommend The Urban Homestead. I'm really big on self-sufficiency, which is the overall theme of the book. It covers everything from gardening, to canning, to raising chickens (not allowed where I live), to composting, to... You get the picture. Although it doesn't cover any one topic in excessive depth, it does provide enough detail to get started (hello, self-watering planters) and should provide a solid jumping-off point for any one of the topics covered.

For the past year or so it's been my general reference and inspiration point for going green and being more self-sufficient.

Our goal is to get the brunt of the heavy labour done this summer, and then get a fantastic garden going for next year - peppers, beans, tomatoes, garlic, cucumbers/zucchini, various herbs, etc. We're also plannning to not only eat fresh and share with friends through the summer, but put of some serious preserves for the winter.

Good times

This is kind of what I'm aiming for too. Call me crazy (everyone in the UK does, they put it down to American twitchiness) but I've been getting really interested in self-sufficiency and preparedness lately. I'll definitely look up that book. Any other resources you'd recommend starting out with?

I really want to learn to preserve my own food. It's on the project list for this summer - after I clean out and straighten up our cupboards, so we actually have somewhere to put the stuff. I figure even just getting grocery store stuff when it's on sale and learning how to preserve that would be good. I have a friend online who makes her own butter from store-bought heavy cream whenever it's on sale for ridiculously cheap, seems like fun if nothing else.

I have a teeny tiny yard. We live on a corner, on a partial lot, so I really have very little room.

However, we have a couple of raised beds, where I grow mostly greens, like lettuce and kale, and I also have some "smartpots" (fabric planters) where I have strawberries growing.

I also have blueberry bushes along the fence, a plum tree, and an apricot tree. Oh, and I planted a fig tree last year, too. I have some herbs in a raised bed, but I'll admit, I unwisely planted a mint in it, and now it is taking over! Um, I also planted a grape vine near the front fence, in hopes that it will weave its way along that. Oh, and some kiwi berry vines, too, along the side fence.

Yeah, I actually grow a LOT in my little yard!

This is actually really encouraging! We're hoping to move to a place with a garden within the next year or so, but it will probably still be quite a small one, so it's nice to know they can be very productive too.

[Yanz]

I'm looking to get started with gardening with my partner

As we are both vegetarians, it would be fantastic to grow our own. This thread has definitely inspired me to get it started.

Tomorrow is time to clear out the weeds, and dig in!

[cline]

I don't have any go to books b/c internet = wonderful. The books listed here are very popular.

Some things I do: I crowd plants unless they grow underground (like carrots). Most can take a good crowding. Greens, especially. And you can sow new seeds every couple of weeks so you have a constant crop of baby greens. I don't buy big heads of lettuce or dinosaur kale so I can crowd. But many growers in our garden grow beautiful giant heads of lettuce, kale, and so on. If you do, yield will be smaller in limited spaces.

Learn to recognize and treat bug damage in your area.

if it matters, be sure you are buying seeds that jive with your gardening/eating style. I make sure I buy organic, often heirloom, non gmo.

[ZenGwen]

One other thing I've been thinking about... my workplace has a nice sunny patio and backyard, way more space than I have, and no one ever uses it... I'm considering sticking a young blueberry bush in a big pot out there and seeing if anyone complains!

Some things I do: I crowd plants unless they grow underground (like carrots). Most can take a good crowding. Greens, especially. And you can sow new seeds every couple of weeks so you have a constant crop of baby greens. I don't buy big heads of lettuce or dinosaur kale so I can crowd. But many growers in our garden grow beautiful giant heads of lettuce, kale, and so on. If you do, yield will be smaller in limited spaces.

Interesting. I've been a bit worried about my plants having enough space because I'm doing them in containers at the moment. Do you think they'll be okay with less than it says on the seed packets etc.?

I'm actually growing a bunch of salad leaves in a cracked casserole dish right now, as various pictures I've seen on The Internet seemed to suggest they were okay in quite shallow conditions. Seems to be working pretty well, they're just starting to turn colors. Maybe I'll start up seeds for another round of them soonish.

if it matters, be sure you are buying seeds that jive with your gardening/eating style. I make sure I buy organic, often heirloom, non gmo.

I think long term I'll go for heirloom seeds too. It would be great to grow varieties where I could preserve seeds from the foods I grow. Need to learn how to do that! Right now, my main seed type is - CHEAP.

[chasely]

We recently moved to a house and now have four 8x4 raised beds. I'm growing tomatoes, beans, peppers, eggplant, greens, cukes, watermelon, squash, and a couple other things this year. I got a rhubarb rhizome from my parents, so hopefully I'll have plenty of rhubarb next year. I'm also hoping to get into growing sweet potatoes, garlic, and onions for next year.

I'll post a picture later, my garden is still in infancy since I live in Michigan. Don't know what the climate is like in Scotland.

My favorite company for seeds is Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Co (rareseeds.com). They have a book, magazine, and even online forums (idigmygarden.com)! They have the best website I've found so far for their variety of seeds and ease of ordering.

I'm super-geeked because I just ordered a drip irrigation system (from dripdepot.com), and even got a watering timer from Amazon. Nothing like not having to think about watering!

Including blocks for my raised bed, soil, watering system, seeds, and tools, I've spent over $600 this year on my garden. So I need a lot of output from my garden to get $600 of veggies!

The good news is I usually spend about $40/year on seeds (since I have seeds from previous years), so starting next year I shouldn't have to spend very much.

Considering that the cheapest CSA in my area is $300 for five months, I think it's a very tasty financial decision!

[Jcannon98188]

Small yard? Install gutters.

http://lifehacker.com/5229896/gutter-gardens-grow-produce-without-taking-up-space

Been wanting to do this for awhile. Thinking about installing a hanging gutter garden outside my apartment building.

[BadWolf]

I have a balcony, but between my Mom's bit of garden and my porch we have some good stuff going on. We've got two kinds of heirloom tomato started (black krim and aunt ruby's green), some gold cherry tomatoes, lettuce (I forget what my Mom got), lemon balm, catnip, parsley, marjoram, and I'm going to plant my basil and borage seeds soon, hopefully this weekend. I want to get some cilantro as well.

We also forage mulberries and wineberries.