Gardening

[temjeito]

We moved into a new house last Fall, and it has some boxes in the yard for gardening. I'm a city boy, but love to cook, and now that the weather is warming up would love to have an herb garden and grow my own veggies.

Any suggestions for a total n00b on where to start? Books, online resources, tips for what to plant (we live in the suburbs of Boston)?

 

[Toothpick]

start with digging a hole and putting seeds in it.

I'm not much of a gardener myself but my mother has always had a garden and growing up I learned much from her. I'd suggest you visit a local greenhouse. Find someone knowledgeable there and ask questions, they will tell you the grow seasons, when to start seeds, what fertilizer you might need, what to buy to keep insects off the plants (seven dust). Gardening really is a simple process. Pull the weeds, keep the plants healthy and living and you will be eating the fruits of your labor in no time.

I've always felt like books and "online" reading really don't compare to hands on experience. Get your hands dirty, you'll learn the most that way.

 

[reboot]

I've found that the best forums for gardening of any kind are at http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/
The people there are happy to answer questions and give advice.

You may also want to talk to your friends and neighbors. They'll know what grows best in your area and when to plant each veggie or flower.

Get in there and get your hands dirty. Don't worry about making a few mistakes; we all do that. There's always next season.

 

[Wingnut]

...what fertilizer you might need, what to buy to keep incests off the plants (seven dust)...

Woah!!Remind me to never garden in your neighborhood!

 

[Fkread]

3 types of tomatoes -- a roma for sauce, a grape for salads, and an heirloom slicer for sandwiches. Use marigolds as an insect deterrent. I have some container lettuce and grow several types of peppers as well (everything from bell to habanero). I usually grow way too much -- my friends love that.

As far as the herbs, my suggestion is the basics: parsley, rosemary, thyme, basil, chives and oregano. Put the basil in a container as well -- it's the only one that won't come back (well established rosemary winters pretty well). If you let the basil go to seed at the end of the year, the seeds in the container will re-populate and you will get some volunteers the following year.

This year I had some garlic in my cupboard that was on the edge of getting bitter and decided to put that in the herb garden. I have about 6 nice sprouts right now. They should be ready by mid June.

good luck,
Kelly

 

[Toothpick]

Woah!!Remind me to never garden in your neighborhood!

hahaha I really need to start proofreading my work.

 

[KindestCutofAll]

Start your seeds in old paper egg cartons indoors a few weeks prior to you last frost.

Plant the three sisters (Corn, Beans, Squash) together.

Let the corn (3 stalks in the 6 inch triangle) get to be about 12 inches tall. Then plant climbing beans in between the corn. As soon as the beans are climbing the corn plant squash at the base.

The beans fix Nitrogen in the roots. This feeds the corn and squash. The corn is the pole for the beans to climb. The squash shades the soil, which keeps down weeds and prevents the soil from drying out too quickly.

Planting and growing these three this way takes very little room.

 

[rxonmymind]

Hey! You'll love gardening and it's rewards. First find out what "zone" you live in. This refers to your local seasonal climate. Mine is zone 9. Then look at the dirt you have. Is it clay soil? Sandy? Or somewhere in between? If it's clay (as mine is) you'll have to get a bag of vegetable fertilizer and mix it with your native soil. Same with sandy. My first suggestions is to plant tomatoes, string beans and if you like hot peppers Jalapenoes. All three are easy to grow with moderate attention. As for bug "repellents" go with diaomatceous earth. I've used this with EXCELLENT results and have no fear of it because it's natural. Read more here. http://www.richsoil.com/diatomaceous-earth.jsp I also have kids and pets playing in my backyard so anything else was a no go for me. Keep in mind you need FOOD GRADE diaomatceous earth. The big chemical companies would like you to buy their ultra expensive sprays with questionable health risk while this all natural killer will lay to waist snail's, and other bugs cheaply. Oh, I will add this is good stuff to kill fleas & ticks in the grass and dog bedding! Good luck!