Getting Started

I am so excited that it is time to get my spring/summer garden going again.  I love that I can make dinner based on what has ripened in the garden.  I love that my kids race out to the garden to pick green beans, tomatoes, or strawberries right off the vine and start eating them while they are standing right there in the dirt.  I love that I do not have to worry about what chemicals were sprayed on the veggies or how many hands have touched them...there are no chemicals and only my hands.  I love that my kids love harvesting for me and that they know that fruit and veggies don't just appear on store shelves.  I love that I did it with my own two hands.

I am certainly not an expert and do not really draw up any huge plans or organization when it comes to my garden.  I am more of a "guess and test" and "do what feels right" kind of girl.  Many of you have asked about how to get a garden started...like I said..I am not an expert, but I will tell you what I have learned from other gardeners and through my own trial and error.  Seriously, don't expect any mind blowing garden knowledge.

You want to start with a good, rich soil.  I like to give my soil a rest between gardening seasons.  When I'm ready to plant again, I give it a good turn.  This gets oxygen to the soil and softens it for the next set of plants/seeds that will live there.  For spring veggies, I wait until the ground is 65 degrees ( I use a meat thermometer) and we have no more danger of frost.  Then I add some good poop to the dirt to get is nice and healthy again.  I stick with the poop of animals I know only ate veggies...you don't want meat products in your garden...blech!  Always ask what kind of animal your fertilizer/compost came from...there are some types that contain human feces...double BLECH!  I like to use this:

I turn it into the ground really well..then I'm ready to plant.  I buy some seedlings at the store and start others from seeds under a grow light in my garage.  When they are ready to go into the ground, I dig a hole and throw a little of this into the hole:

It's basically dried and powdered bat guano and molasses.  It has no odor and does wonders for your veggies.  It also contains Diatomaceous Earth to keep those nasty little pill bugs from eating the roots.  DE is my best friend in the garden and around my home. You can use it where your pet sleeps to prevent fleas and around the perimeter of you home, doorways, and pantry floors for other crawling bugs.It is basically tiny fossilized diatoms (water plants). You need to buy the food/garden grade DE for using in your garden.  This kind is not harmful to us.  There is a kind that is used in pool filters...you do NOT want that one. It comes in the form of a fine powder.  I find an old coffee can, punch holes in the lid, and fill it with the powder.  

Then I sprinkle it around my plants once a week or so.  If it is a rainy week, I do it more often since that is when the pill bugs flourish and can eat the leaves of your veggies to the ground!  The diatoms in DE have razor sharp microscopic edges.  When bugs ingest these, it kills them.  I also dig a hole to put yogurt cups filled with water in.  The pill bugs fall in a drown.  Other things I sprinkle to keep pests away are white flour (bugs ingest and swell) and cayenne pepper powder.

Here are a few of my little plants in the ground.  One trick I learned in planting veggies like pepper and tomatoes is to plant them deep.  If my tomato plant is 12 inches high, I plant at least 8-9 inches of it in the ground.  If you don't have ground that deep, you can even plant tomato bushes on their side.  The existing stalk that goes under the ground will sprout roots and give your plant a great root system and a sturdy stalk.  There are also some common sense rules of what to plant together.  I like to keep my pepper, tomato, and basil together..they like each other, they don't spread diseases to each other, and the peppers and basil help keep pests away from the tomatoes.  I also plant my beans in front of my lettuce.  Beans like sun and get very large; lettuce likes shade.  They are the perfect team...as the beans grow, the lettuce gets to live in it's nice cool shade.

Also, remember to rotate where you plant each veggie in your garden...don't plant tomatoes in the same spot every year.

Once they are well established in the ground, I use this to keep the leaves and stems healthy and strong:

and this for weed control.  It's basically really strong vinegar:

This is what my garden looks like now...it really does not look like much since all the plants are so small, but I will update every couple of weeks.  I forgot to take a picture of my other garden where I keep my onions an corn....I'll try to include that later. So, that's my humble "advice" from things I have tried and advice I have gotten from my gardening buddies.

Last year I froze a lot of things that came out of the garden, but this year I will try out pressure canning...eeek...that makes me a little nervous.  Any advice on canning???

 Oh, I almost forgot my compost "bin"...It is not much to look at, but it will work for now.  It's basically just some old logs that are sitting in our yard that we will never burn.  I layered the bottom with twigs and grass clipping, threw in my 'green' materials (veggies peelings, fruit, coffee grounds, egg shells), a layer of shredded paper (from my paper shredder), a layer of poop, and then more greens.  I water it down really well, keep adding to the pile, and turn it every couple of weeks.  It turns into beautiful compost to add to my dirt next planting season.

Comments

[Stacy of KSW]

Wow, I learned more about gardening in this post than I have scouring BHG & other web pages for weeks. I continue to be in awe of you and can't wait till I can call you my real "live" friend instead my "online" pal. You Grow Girl!

[jackson]

looks great...my only comment would be that by the time you use all the products you listed, it can get very expensive...depending on the size of your garden. going organic is cool but whats better is going country. lol
here are some things you can do that are better for your veggies, reduce your carbon foot print by not purchasing manufactured products...AND leave that all so lovely green in your wallet.

1. build several compost bins to fit your needs...these will eliminate the store bought compost, rocket fuel, and sea weed. (the last two are just small amounts of potash and nitrogen)

2. save your fireplace ashes throughout the winter, and till them into your garden (http://www.emmitsburg.net/gardens/articles/frederick/2004/ashes.htm

3. weed control= spending time in the garden and pulling them...even better if you have kids, makes them appreciate the veggies even more ;)

4. if you really need cow shit, do what i do....shovel and haul it yourself

5. and of course a rain barrel (no explanation needed on this one)

and always remember the following....every time you buy a product, there is manufacturing involved....even the organic stuff uses plastic containers which almost never get recycled. Also, "organic" is a huge money maker these days, and beware of every one slapping the ever so popular non squitur onto their packaging. i am kind of shocked that anyone would buy a gallon of 0-0-1 liquid sea weed...Rain water has more benefit then that..
anyway...hope i did not carry on too much...i just hate seeing people spend alot of money on nothing.
p.s. love the recycled compost bin....slap a black top on it, and you are good to go.

[MelodyA.]

You're little puppy makes the compost pile look so much more pleasant. Do you now have a problem with critters getting into it since it's not covered? Can't wait to watch your garden grow.