AW: Got a plot in our community garden!

lefty8881

I'm just so excited!  We tried to get one last year but didn't get picked (it was a lottery).  This year we made sure to get there early and we got a spot.  We are new to gardening so I think this is the perfect thing because the plot is all ready, all we have to do it plant!    We are also going to get a mentor to help us out, which is great because we have NO idea what we are doing! 

Any planing/gardening tips for a newbie?

santacruz2009

That is exciting! We did a community garden last year and Loved it-- it was really fun to have other people gardening around us, and seeing what everyone was growing. My advice for a first garden is don't try to start to big-- pick the things you really want and focus your energies there. That way it can remain fun instead of Tons of work. Tomatoes are my favorite thing to grow, because you can use them immediately or make sauce & can them and enjoy them all year. Beans and peas are generally easy, and lettuces love cold weather so you can get them in the ground on the early side. Does your garden provide the tools? If not, invest in a good shovel and trowel. I broke 3 cheap trowels in the first month before I sucked it up and bought a decent one. And I think we broke at least one cheap shovel too... clay soil here though, so you might not have that issue.

treesapplaud

-Get quality tools. Only a few in the beginning.

-Grow organically, no pesticides or fertilizers.

-Compost, you'll need some so build a bin on your plot and see if you can findsomeone with horses nearby. Make friends and take some of their manure. Even better if you can get some that has been sitting for a year. (You can?t mix it in fresh, it will damage plants)

-A sense of humor is necessary! Some years something will grow well, the next year it will fail. Expect things to vary and laugh about it when it happens. 

-Grow from seeds to save serious money (especially if you have a seed swapping day at your gardens) and avoid the loads of fertilizer they use on small nursey plants. 

-Save your own seeds from things you grow. For example, let a small part of the chives go to flower and save the flower head for seeds. They're pretty and the bees loves them, and you'll never buy chive seeds again.

-Grow what you'll eat. Sounds obvious, but it isn't always.

-Ask other gardeners for tips, at our community gardens a few people have their specialties, potatoes or pruning fruit trees...

-Have fun!  Digging in the dirt is theraputic for the soul. 

treesapplaud

Oh, and read lots, online and at your library. I don't buy gardening books... And don't be phased if you get conflicting advice.

And draw a little diagram of your plot. (What you grow where). You'll wish you had the next year when you're planning your crop rotation. 

Alisha_A

Oh how exciting! I know the plots around here are in high demand.