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Am I getting in over my head? Critique my garden plans
So first time gardner here. Last year we did a CSA, then we moved and I couldn't find a new one so I decided to do my own garden. Then I found a CSA and we decided to join, but now that I'm all pumped about gardening I'd still like to do a couple things my CSA isn't offering and a couple that I know we will use regardless of how much we get from the CSA.
SO I'd like to know if any of you veterans can offer advice on what I'm planning. Am I jumping in with too many different things for my first time? Are any of these going to be too complicated for a first timer? Any good resources or tips on how to lay out the garden?
I'd like to plant:
herbs (will be in planters hanging on the deck) - chives, mint, basil, chamomile
tomatoes in 2 huge planters on the deck
sf gardening (can any of these not be done in a sf garden?) - green peppers, jalepenos, raspberries, strawberries
On the maybe list - cucumbers, lettuce
Thoughts? Criticisms? Suggestions? TIA!
Re: Am I getting in over my head? Critique my garden plans
Raspberries and Strawberries are perennials, so I don't know if they're 100% appropriate for a SFG... I don't know, I've never done it. Hopefully others will chime in.
I don't think it's too ambitious.
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Raspberries (I'm assuming this is a cane kind) shouldn't be in a SFG. They spread, so you'll want to contain them...you could put them in their own raised bed, but i wouldn't put them in a bed with peppers & such. Likewise, I have a 100% strawberry bed b/c they are perennials & spread as well.
As far as your plant selection, I don't think it's too much. You've got lots of things in the same family that have the same growing requirements & pest issues, so you won't be pulled in lots of directions.
I would consider scattering some non-head lettuce seeds around your peppers & tomatoes seedlings. by the time the pepper/tomatoes are taking off, the lettuce will be bolting (thus, over with). If they germinate, great, if not, you only lost $2 (the cost of a packet)
I, personally, would probably wait to do cucumbers until next year. You'll need a trellis for them and they have some different pest issues. If it's your first year & you don't want to feel overwhelmed, I would save cucumbers for next year (that's what I did).
Good luck!
Thanks kastle - very helpful. So the way my space is laid out, I plan to have one bigger (wider and longer) bed and I have room for another that would make it L shaped. Could I put my raspberries and strawberries together in that bed or should I make 2 square ones?
Is there something that tells how much space they should have? I don't even really know how big to build the boxes. Oy this is going to be interesting.
To be honest, I've never grown raspberries but am considering starting some this year. Right now I have a 5' x 3' box with strawberries in it. I put 3 strawberries/sqft, but I kind of wish I only would have done 1 or 2 since they spread so good ... I've got to constantly snip off the daughters.
If you look at teh SFG book, it tells you how much of each veg fits in a sqft box. That might give you an idea of how much you can plant in a given space.
I'd recommend putting the raspberries and strawberries in separate beds if you can. Otherwise you could put two raised beds right next to each other with one board in between to separate the roots. I'm not sure where you are but in our area raspberries/blackberries take over and would smoother out most of the strawberries. My family and my in-laws have large gardens and they are always trying to give away raspberry bushes in the fall (that's the best time to divide them) because they spread so fast.
I'd also recommend having some stakes on the corner of your raspberry bed with a wire strung between each stake. This keeps the berries up higher so they are easier to pick and makes it's harder for small animals to reach them. Plus if it's an area you mow it keeps the edge nice and clean so you can mow around them. Keep your raspberry bed small enough that you won't be overwhelmed when it's full of plants. And a skinny bed will make it easier to reach the interior plants especially if you have any ones with throns. Also plant more than one type of raspberry plant in your beds. Pick ones that produce fruit at different times of the year so that you'll have fruit all growing season.
HTH!
Good glad I could help. I plan to plant some raspberries and transplant some blackberries (growing wild on our property) this fall into one of our existing raised beds where I'll put a piece of wood to separate the bed. Hopefully, that will keep them contained enough.
One more thing. Plant your mint in its own separate container. It will also take over and crowd out everything else in the same container. My in-laws planted it in their 1/2 acre garden and they are constantly pulling it out. I hope to plant some of that too in a container on our porch. I can't wait to make some fresh mint mojitos!
I was about to type almost everything Kastle said. Good advice!
If you happen to have a fireplace, save the ash for the raspberries. (About a liter for 3 square feet.) We do and they love it.