Any vegtable gardeners?

[Confuzius]

Our balcony used to be wood with sheets of plywood that was not condusive at all to any sunlight getting in, but the landlords remodeled our balcony just before the winter so now we've got full light (standard metal bars instead of plywood), a much sturdier balcony and a southern exposure.

We've got tomatoes, sweet peppers, jalapeno peppers, serano peppers, green beans, parsley, mint and chives.

I just hope it works out, neither the girlfriend or I are greenthumbs, but her mom is a pro so we've got a good consultant.

Balcony is about 5'x20' which is great.

 

[tpoof]

Our balcony used to be wood with sheets of plywood that was not condusive at all to any sunlight getting in, but the landlords remodeled our balcony just before the winter so now we've got full light (standard metal bars instead of plywood), a much sturdier balcony and a southern exposure.

We've got tomatoes, sweet peppers, jalapeno peppers, serano peppers, green beans, parsley, mint and chives.

I just hope it works out, neither the girlfriend or I are greenthumbs, but her mom is a pro so we've got a good consultant.

Balcony is about 5'x20' which is great.

sounds excellent! you may want to look into a shade cloth for the summer months... possibly.
We use some at times as well, very light/white material that lets in a diffused light... keeps the bugs off too.
IMO, southern exposures can be HOT and water and shade become crucial

sounds like you like your peppers

 

[Confuzius]

I'm kind of worried about that. Especially the peppers, I'm keeping them very well watered because from what I've read, the drier the soil, the hotter the pepper. I'm not super big on the heat, I just like the variety.

I'm thinking about trying my hand at smoking and drying some of them depending on my bounty.

 

[King of Kailua]

I put in several hours at the community garden in my town and have containers of tomatoes, squash, and various peppers, and chilis at home waiting for me to complete a raised bed. There are lot of seedlings coming up in my nursery as well so I better get on point! The jungle here in Puna has been a challenge with the pests. I am attempting to keep my home project organic by composting all the green waste from my kitchen with lawn and jungle debris. I also spray a mix of water and Dr. Bronner's peppermint soap on the plants occasionally. I have heard that if you collect the detrimental insects from your plants and grind them up together with rain water in a blender, then strain the mixture and spray it on your plants this will act as a natural barrier to pests. This technique is part of a trend in natural system gardening that relies on indigenous microorganisms (IMO's) Anyone tried these ideas?

My next big project is a aquaponic/aquaculture set up for the community garden in town. Oh yeah, and next week we are hosting an annual state wide food sovereignty conference in Keaukaha (Hilo); Hoea Ea. A few of us are building a kitchen on the site grounds for the event. The site is developing as a sustainable community garden complex and reestablishing an adjacent traditional community fishpond.

 

[gaseousclay]

Hey, just curious if there are any gardeners around here? My wife and I are buying a new house (close at the end of the month) and just put in a new garden. [It is currently vacant (older lady now living in a retirement home) and we were allowed to trespass so that we can get it going so we can garden this summer...] We are excited to get started, but know next to nothing.

We have a decent sized spot and planted squash, zuccini, cucumbers (not to much of any of these, they will likely provide way too many for us anyway!), carrots, beets, green beans, tomatoes, green peppers and 1 lolely little habanero plant. Any good tips?

At this point, we are already realizing that we will be lookign into pickling/canning as well... I am sure that we will figure it out... or not.

my fiance and I just put in our garden as well. it's probably about 6' by 16' but should get the job done. we've planted swiss chard, cantaloupe, tomatoes, sugar snap peas, peppers and a couple other veggies I can't seem to recall. the only tips I can offer are to water regularly and if you live in the midwest, don't start planting until end of may or early june, otherwise your plants will die. good luck with your garden.

 

[5t8t2u]

My advice to first time gardeners is to go either 50 square feet or 100 square feet. More than that while you are developing your skills and having limited equipment, you can become overwhelmed with soil preparation, watering, weeding, defending against the animals, plant diseases, etc., all the stuff that goes wrong. Then gardening becomes a chore rather than a form of relaxation, and you run the risk of letting it go and vow to "never try that again." The next year you will know how to adjust the size to your needs. This is enough room to experiment with different things to grow.

My wife tried canning for a few years, but now everything we save we freeze, including tomatoes. If you're near Minneapolis, we have lots of canning jars we are willing to deal on.