Starting a Vegetable Garden

Laughing At You

I might be on the wrong board since I just noticed there's a gardening and landscaping board, too, but I'll ask anyway.

I would really like to plant a vegetable garden this year.  It'd be great if I didn't have to buy tomatoes, peppers, carrots and sting beans, cucumbers, etc. this summer.  It might be a little ambitious for a first timer but my grandmother was an awesome gardener so I must have some kind of gardening gene right? 

So anyway, where do I start?  I have no idea if I need special soil, what kind of seeds or bulbs, or really anything about this.  I just know I want to give it try.

Laughing At You

This link seems like a good place to start:

http://www.gardenguides.com/599-starting-first-vegetable-garden.html

 

 

*speedracer*

see if your county extension or local gardening clubs has any classes.  i went to a veggie gardening class held by a local permaculture group and it was SO helpful.

Lanerbell

I just started a tomato and a strawberry containers this weekend.  I went to my local lowes and they were very helpful.  There's usually a main garden person thats very knowledgeable about it all.  They main thing they told me when you're just starting out is to grow your first garden from already started plants.  Its very hard to start from seeds and bulbs when you're a newbie. 

Jeff & Em

Tomatoes and pepper are supposed to be started indoors.  You'll want to start them about a month to a month and a half before your average last frost date (which you should be able to google).

Things like green beans and peas don't transplant as well, so they generally go outdoors.  

I started my tomatoes, peppers, and daisies inside in a Jiffy 7 greenhouse.  It was super cheap at Lowe's (made for 72 plants for less than $5, I think), and I'll be able to reuse it for several years. 

I also bought a light kit there, and picked out my own bulbs instead of buying an official grow-light setup.  We found a shop light for about $10.  We bought one warm fluorescent bulb (around 3000k) and one cool fluorescent bulb (about 4000k).  I think the entire light setup cost less than $20. 

If you're planting in containers, you'll likely want to purchase a potting mix rather than potting soil, because the mixes drain a little bit better.  

I can try and help more if you need, but this is my first year starting everything indoors, and I'm doing a container garden.  I just set things up the way my Dad told me to (he used to be a county extension director, and has always started his garden indoors). 

pixieprincss

This is our first year and we are growing over 30 things from seed. I found the book All New Square Foot Gardening to be very helpful, as well as Nestie Kastle's blog. I blog some about my new gardening endeavors (link in sig).

Lisa78

I have a recent post on my blog about starting my garden, if you are interested!

http://simplifyingthesimplelife.typepad.com/simple/2010/02/two-left-thumbs-and-neither-of-them-green-1.html

 

Laughing At You

Thanks, girls!

Mrs Manners

pixieprincss:

This is our first year and we are growing over 30 things from seed. I found the book All New Square Foot Gardening to be very helpful, as well as Nestie Kastle's blog. I blog some about my new gardening endeavors (link in sig).

This is our first year too and the Sq Foot Gardening book has been a lifesaver!

SuperGreen

Mrs Manners:

pixieprincss:

This is our first year and we are growing over 30 things from seed. I found the book All New Square Foot Gardening to be very helpful, as well as Nestie Kastle's blog. I blog some about my new gardening endeavors (link in sig).

This is our first year too and the Sq Foot Gardening book has been a lifesaver!

Ditto!  It has a separate section for every veggie that shows when you should start it indoors, or direct seed outside, and when to harvest.  Plus diseases and growing tips.

Mrs. K in TX

pixieprincss:

This is our first year and we are growing over 30 things from seed. I found the book All New Square Foot Gardening to be very helpful, as well as Nestie Kastle's blog. I blog some about my new gardening endeavors (link in sig).

 

We are doing Square Foot Gardening, too.  Check out their website: squarefootgardening.com

I really like it because once you get it set up, there is very little maintenance.