First Time Gardener

[CrunchyKat]

Well I've decided that I want to start a garden. I checked out some starter plants on Sunday, but haven't bought anything yet. My question is, what are some really easy vegies to start off with? I would like to grow tomatoes, carrots, green beens, lettuce, cucumbers and squash. There are so many different types though, so I'm not sure what to buy! Is there any other vegies that are easy to grow? Any tips for a first timer? Do I plant them directly into the ground or do I put them in planter boxes or pots? I really don't know a thing, I just want to save $$$$ and stop buying our produce! Thanks!

[boongirl]

Sqash and zucchinis are really easy to grow. You can plant them in large pots or in the ground. You can fry the flowers or eat them in a salad or let them turn into fruit. My dad grows green beans and salad lettuce and peas and they seem easy to grow as well. They can be potted in a large planter if you give them a pole to climb up. The problem with the large pots is that they are pricey and heavy to move when they are full of soil. If you put these in the ground, just watch for slugs and snails. Beer baits are the best way to keep them under control.

[CrunchyKat]

Ok so all I've got is grass. Should I dig up all the grass in a little section and put a layer of potting soil down and then plant the vegies? Or is there a better way to do it? I really am clueless about this!

[Petersmamma]

I'm a first time gardener too, and my garden is growing so well that I wish I would have made it bigger!! I'll be having dh build me some more raised beds soon!

We cut up the grass in an area, pulled out as much as we could (grass, weeds, etc) and then built a little frame for it and filled it with dirt. I do get some grass, weeds, etc growing up, but I pull them every day or so, so it's managable.

We live in hot and humid TX, so it's possible we could grow things out of rocks here! If you live somewhere with a more fickle growing season, maybe you would want to do something different?

[courtenay_e]

Yup, I agree with the raised bed idea, if you have room. It's the best way to keep little feet out of the soil (compacting it and making it difficult for the roots to penetrate), and it gets warmer earlier (which means you can start growing things earlier next year). I'd get a good mix of compost and top soil at least a foot deep (mine is 18"). Make the bed no wider than 3 feet (if it can only be reached from one side...as if it were against the wall) or 4 feet (if it can be reached from both sides of the rectangle), and frankly as long as you want, but I think that 10' is a common dimension (my box runs the entire length of my house...I figured why waste wood and space making seperate boxes?). Tomatoes grow well if they're supported (they can also vine on the ground, but I don't like "dirty" toms...personal preference), but be sure to put the supports around them when you plant them so as to keep from damaging the roots putting them around the plant later.

Peas also like a fence, a trellis, or somesuch thing to climb, and are VERY easy to grow, in my experience.

Squash is really so easy to grow that it's silly, no special instructions required.



I think that you MAY want to forget about lettuce this year, as it's getting late in the season in some places (I'm assuming you're in zone six or seven?), and I know oregon summers can get hot! Heat makes lettuce bolt (which makes it bitter). Perhaps someone in your zone could help with that, though.

Beans come in bush or climbing variety. Climbers save a ton of space. I even run fishing wire around the supports of my bean tower to get the absolute most growing space that I can out of the garden, but if you do this, you need to be sure to "feed" the plants well with compost, compost tea, etc., as it'll deplete the soil faster.

You can also find cukes that are in the bush and climber style. I climb mine, again, as this saves room.

Carrots like the loose soil of a raised bed. Make several plantings of them, waiting a week or two between them, to keep the harvest going for a longer period of time.

Good luck, have fun, and happy eating!

You can also, as a PS, do nifty things like growing beans up corn, with squash at the base to save room and shelter the roots of the corn. The beans also tend to keep raccoons away, if you have them around.

[CrunchyKat]

YES, we have racoons BAD! Lots of them! Ok so I think I understood most what you said, but wow, I'm way new to gardening because I was a little confused, lol. We are renting right now, and have to be out in a year, so if I start a garden now, will I have vegies before then? How long does it take for them to grow?

Owwie I'm getting so excited though! I hope I don't kill everything.

[boongirl]

If you are renting, what I would suggest is to get a few cheap plastic pots and some stakes and plant some beans and peas and maybe a tomoto or two and put them in a sunny place. Or you could try herbs like parsley and basil. If you are moving in a year, you can take them with you.