As i have a garden to use now i've decided (we've) to plant some veggies/fruit in a section of it. I have a space roughly 4ft by 12ft to use and a small patio area beside our hut. We have a noth east facing garden and a high wall to the east which reduces what we can use (hence the boxed off space).
We are planning sticking a couple of tomatoe bags and planting pyramids for tomatoes and strawberries respectively. Any ideas for some cool things to plant? I plan working on it tomorrow, and planting some time in the next couple of weeks. I'm looking for anyone who has done this before who can give me a tip or two on what works best and easiedt for the first time out. We plan on a few rows of potatoes so tht sould take up a third of the ground i think...maybe some lettuce or cabbage.
Any ideas? (something we can harvest/use this year would be prefered....the strawberry bushes being our exception) Only serious replies please...Huck
The specifics of what and when to plant depend entirely on your physical location. See if neighbors, extension services, internet, etc have ideas or a chart of when to plant what in your area.
The spacing advice on seed packages/transplants assumes you will use power equipment to till/weed between the rows. If you are like me and use a hand-held hoe, that wide spacing is just a waste of space. If it is ok to put your broccoli 12 inches apart in the row, why should you put the rows 36 inches apart? Put them 12 inches apart in all directions using a staggered pattern:
x x x x x
x x x x
x x x x x
You'll get much more produce per space used.
The soil itself is the key and that involves a multi-year process of adding organic material (leaves, grass clippings, manure) and being willing to dig deep enough to open up any clay subsoil/hardpan in your garden.
As far as what to grow, well grow what you like to eat plus a few small experiments of something new each year. Stagger your plantings. For example I plant corn every two weeks which gives me a good supply, but is not overwhelming.
Good luck with it.
Green peppers and broccoli are easy as well and you can often get them started already as little plants. You probably wouldn't need more than 3 of each for a family plot. Cantelope is fun but it is very viny. It and the zuchini and will spread like crazy so be sure you have some free space for those. You also want to be sure the things you are planting are good for your growing season and temperature zone. Most garden centers have a map that will show you the zones near you and help you pin point the right varieties for the length of season you have. Lots of fun to you both 🙂
Originally posted by huckleberryhoundMy favorites are Swiss chard, green beans, tomatoes, zucchini.
As i have a garden to use now i've decided (we've) to plant some veggies/fruit in a section of it. I have a space roughly 4ft by 12ft to use and a small patio area beside our hut. We have a noth east facing garden and a high wall to the east which reduces what we can use (hence the boxed off space).
We are planning sticking a couple of tomatoe ba ...[text shortened]... be prefered....the strawberry bushes being our exception) Only serious replies please...Huck
Plant stuff you love to eat, it's hard work but well worth it.
Sunny location, Huck? Shady?
Potatoes and some root veggies do okay in shady spots...
... Flowering veggies (... with seeds we eat like beans and peas) prefer more sun
Tomatoes and green peppers don't like rain in the late summer/early fall... they get mouldy and rot
... that's why commercial growers grow them in long plastic greenhouses
(PM me an address and I'll send you a photo-link to our garden - or check FB?)
Originally posted by mikelomif you have room for a greenhouse and are serious about growing things you may wish
Lots of info here Hucks, and of course you don't need to order from here...
-m.
http://www.tradewindsfruit.com/hot_peppers.htm
to invest in one, you can grow practically most things much better than you can
outside. The difference in taste between a home grown tomato and one bought at the
supermarket is almost unbelievable and well worth the effort. If you like fruit you
can grow, blueberries, gooseberries, raspberries, black currents, red currents all
fairly easily, strawberries are also easy and i see no reason why you cannot get at
least some strawberries this year, apple pear and plum trees also do well, but take
years to mature and often may be blighted, we had to chop down three plum trees
in our garden and one apple tree because of disease. Most vegetables grow fairly
easily, but i see no difference in taste from the ones bought at supermarket and
tend to avoid the hassle of digging potatoes. Last year my rabbits got into the
green house and eat everything 🙁
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Originally posted by widgethe lives in ireland... we get shady.
Sunny location, Huck? Shady?
Potatoes and some root veggies do okay in shady spots...
... Flowering veggies (... with seeds we eat like beans and peas) prefer more sun
Tomatoes and green peppers don't like rain in the late summer/early fall... they get mouldy and rot
... that's why commercial growers grow them in long plastic greenhouses
(PM me an address and I'll send you a photo-link to our garden - or check FB?)
i was going to suggest carrots and garlic... the best carrots and garlic i've ever tasted have been home gown in ireland.
The herb garden is a most satisfying addition to any garden...a simple solution is buy, or better still make yourself a suitably sized planter, fill it with a good neutral soil and grow or maintain your most favoured herbs..
The U.S 'swiss chard' may well be better known to you as 'perpetual spinach'..
