Advice for a newbie like me?

[shepav]

Hello! This is our first summer in our new home, and I'd like to start a square foot garden. I'm excited to attain this new skill, and would love for my kids to grow up gardening too.

My dad had quite a large garden growing up, but you know what? I don't think he taught me anything about it.

Is there any advice for newbies you can share? Are there hardy, good for beginner plants that would be easier for us to grow? I'd love to grow some tomatoes, peppers, peas, spinach, etc. What should I know? I live in northern Michigan where winter is likely to be here another two months, but the sunshine is giving me the itch!

TIA!

[JamieCatheryn]

I'm just barely past the newbie stage myself. Just planted my spinach and peas here in KY, those can go in weeks before the last frost date where you're at because they love cold. You'll want to buy seedlings of tomatoes and peppers after the frosts are done. I've had terrible luck with plants from big chain garden centers so I'd recommend going to a local farm or farmer's market. Oh and my green beans have really thrived each year despite my mistakes. Plant the seeds just after last frost and if they're pole beans rather than bush beans make sure they have a very tall pole to climb as they grow (6'+).

Fertilize well, it makes an immense difference. Bone meal, fish emulsion, stuff like that in addition to compost in the soil, as recommended on the labels. Somebody was saying they bury fish heads way beneath their tomatoes and they do great as a result.

Mulch after your plants are growing (for direct sow things like peas and spinach and beans) or right after transplanting. It keeps the weeds down and it keeps the soil moist. Water deeply when it doesn't rain for more than a couple days.