Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Starter Garden
Hi ladies,
I usually lurk here but have some questions this time. I would like to start a small produce garden in my back yard or side yard. I cringe every time I buy produce at the store when I think how much I'd save if I had my own garden! I have very little gardening experience so I need to start small! My side yard is small but I could fit a few plants in there. We live on a shady lot but I think it gets enough sunlight to support a small garden - it's the side with southern exposure. My back yard however is pretty shady, and I think we would need to have some tree limbs removed before I could start a backyard garden. So a few questions:
1) If I decide to go forward with a small side yard garden, what are the best types of things to plant (i.e., tomatoes, cukes, lettuce, etc.)
2) When in the season is it too late to plant? I know that ideally I should have already done this, but is it too late to start one in the next few weeks? I live in the south so it's already in the 80's here.
3) How much daily sunlight does a garden need? That would help me plan in the future for limb removal, placement, etc.
4) Are there any garden plants that would actually produce in the shade?
I'm sorry for my ignorance, I know these must be very basic things to you ladies. But I'm just starting out in the gardening world!
TIA!
Re: Starter Garden
You live in Ga, so you still have time to do a garden. You'll need to get transplants (plants from Lowes/Home Depot or a local nursery) instead of trying to start from seed.
Since you have limited space, check out creating a square foot garden. I don't have a lot of space either, but I did have enough space for two 3 ft x 3 ft square foot gardens. My sq ft garden gives me 9 squares to plant veggies, which is enough for my small family.
As for the light, you'll need to determine how many hours of sun you get. You typically need about 6-8 hours of sunlight to grow veggies like tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers. Lettuce and spinach will grow fine in more shady areas.
Here's a good resource for growing veggies: http://urbanext.illinois.edu/veggies/basics.html
This site includes a Veggie Dictionary which will give you instructions on growing and harvesting.
I agree with pp.
I also wanted to say, though, that I really wouldn't expect your garden (especially your first garden ever & buy plant starts) to save you much money. I mean, gardening is fun for sure, but they only part of it that saves me money is herbs, which can be grown in pots.
So, I def. encourage you to try gardening but I would set lower expectation of it saving you boatloads of cash once you factor in buying plants, improving soil (and/or building raised bed), etc. I've already spent $115 this year on my garden (which was already built) and I started everything from seeds. Thus far, I've harvested just over a pound of produce although our season is just gearing up.
I agree. I've spend a lot on my garden! We spent $50 just buying plants and supplies and you need a spadeand a hoe and supports for your tomatoes and on and on!