Hey Scarletsimple
A couple of things I am on the Pa-Del border. Some early crops will give you a taste of success
1) Strawberries are easy and you can get them cheap from Walmarts but they take up space.
2) Snap peas are due to be planted now are also easy but they need something like a trellis or fence to climb on.
3) Lettuce from the garden is also wonderful. Youll never look at a head of iceberg the same
4) New potatoes (small ones) right out of the ground are a gift from god not to be missed.
5) If you love spinach give it a go too..fast and so tasty.
6) This late broccoli may need to be bought from the garden center get some row cover because the cabbage moths will otherwise destroy your plants.
Oh yes - Get some slug pellets.

Go on you tube and watch a few videos on how to plant each..lots of great info there..do watch a few as expertise Barrie's.

Enjoy you gardening adventure.
RayinPenn

Hello, fellow Marylander! It's getting late for peas maybe, maybe because of our unusually warm spring. It's really hard to predict where our spring will go from here. Also, your habaneros would have been better started indoors a month ago, they take a long time to grow and set fruit. Maybe grow them in pots that you can take indoors so that you are sure to enjoy some ripe ones this fall. Bell pepper I think would be good to start now (also indoors), I just started my annuums, but I don't really grow bells. Carrots can be tricky to start.

I think it is important when starting out to grow crops that you really like to eat. It keeps you engaged in the whole process. I finally got my first artichoke last year after trying for 7 years. I kept trying because I REALLY like artichokes (it was delicious). Also a good thing to know, is that while we want to keep pests and disease at bay, a nonperfect plant can still produce. There's lots more, but I do better answering specific questions.

Maybe think ahead to warm weather and consider some beans, they are an excellent beginner crop, and you can choose your space for them as either small bush plants or trellised up the side of the house as pole beans. Okra is another very easy plant with pretty much no problems, but it is rather large.

Personally if space is a premium, I would plant only one type of bramble, it takes a lot of them to amount to anything when it comes to eating time. As for gooseberries, do some reading. I seem to remember reading that they would not thrive in our high heat and high humidity, or maybe that was currants. Check out ediblelandscaping.com since they are over in Virginia and they may be where I read that. Anyhow, lots of luck!

Hey there, congratulations! I think there's lots of good advice above -- I'd second the notion not to plant anything that you wouldn't normally eat. If you're planning to grow tomatoes and don't have much space, why not try a couple of heirloom varieties instead of hybrids?

The taste and colour are very different, and tomatoes are a great beginner crop to start with. Lots of nurseries have heirloom tomato starts nowadays. Last year I planted a mix of hybrids and heirlooms and the heirlooms were far superior, with the exception of "Sungold", a cherry tomato hybrid, which is totally worth planting. Note - tomatoes get very big. Much bigger than you imagine, so use the largest possible container you can find. Good luck!

I will be going with container gardening.

In addition to all the good advice so far I'll focus on this part of your question. BIG containers. The greatest mistake most make is trying to garden in small containers. Tomatoes need 10 gallons unless you grow one of the small dwarf varieties. peppers need 5-7 gallons (really too late this year to grow them from seed - buy transplants this year), carrots need DEEP containers, too late for peas as mentioned, strawberries do well in containers but not raspberries, zucchini needs a wide container as 1 plant can easily get 3 feet wide or more.

Get a good quality soil-less potting mix and this will be your biggest expense most likely. There are many good brands available. Do NOT buy Miracle Grow Gardening Soil as it is NOT for containers. MG Potting Mix is ok - some like it, some like me don't. If you have a Lowes' they carry Sta-Green Potting Mix. Premier Pro Mix BX is the most highly recommended but difficult to find.

Feeding and watering with containers is more of a challenge than with in-ground gardens. So you'll need to do some research into proper watering and frequency of feeding needed.

Hope this helps and I suggest you do some intensive reading over on the Container Gardening forum here for more info as that is their specialty.

Dave

Hi again guys,

Thanks so much for the quick help. My name is Ruby by the way. :)

I should have been more clear, I have enough space for many pots in my backyard, and on my back porch. What I do not have is a lot of grass or dirt, and what grass and dirt I do have is unusable thanks to my lovely dogs.

I have a front yard, too that I could do some stuff in, but children run through playing on a pretty regular basis (no real fence out front) and that would be a large pain in the butt I think. :) My front porch gets some shade so I am sure that I will be putting some things out there that need shade, and using it to harden off my seedlings.

I am glad you guys warned me about the habaneros, is it the same with the bell peppers? Too late? The place I prefer to buy transplants from doesn't open until April 1st and I didn't see any pepper plants at Home Depot today but there are tons of other places to check here.

I read that I can do a fall crop with the peas, is that true?

I am reading through the container garden forum too, which for some reason my eyes had slipped over repeatedly until you mentioned it.

Thanks again guys, I am still doing a lot of reading and learning and I completely expect to make some mistakes, but I appreciate the knowledge that everyone here brings to the table!

-Ruby

Lots of good advice here!

The larger the pots, the better. 20-gallon pots are not too big. You can get those brightly-colored tubs with the rope handles (anywhere but WalMart - theirs are thin, cheap, weak) for $8-9, the same kind except heavy-duty tubs for use around livestock (~$23), Rubbermaid totes in all sizes, and synthetic fabric Smart Pots (~$8). All but the Smart Pots will need to have drainage holes drilled in them. Check your local phonebook for hydroponic supplies, as many of them seem to be selling the Smart Pots. Just remember that anything that isn't designed for outdoor use or for plants is not going to be UV-resistant, and will get brittle after a year or three, and self-destruct (maybe sooner if you have large, rambunctious dogs).

If you or a friend has a pickup truck, forget the bagged potting soil and buy a cubic yard of soil from a place that sells landscaping materials. One cubic yard will fill about 10 20-gallon pots much more cheaply than buying by the bag. Don't assume --ASK what their soil consists of. And tell them what you're doing with it (planting vegetables in pots). If they're honest, they should help you out with selling you the right stuff.

Get some good organic fertilizer and follow the directions. Feeding more than they advise is not better.

For fall peas, call a Master Gardener at your local Cooperative Extension Office and ask what is the best fall date for planting peas -- they should know.

If you need a snail/slug bait, look for Sluggo, Worry-Free, any with an active ingredient of iron phosphate, which is basically non-toxic to kids and pets (but NOT if they eat it by the spoonful -- scatter it thinly). AVOID any of the cheap metaldehyde-based snail baits which are deadly to kids, pets and wildlife.

Sue

Here is a link that might be useful: Baltimore Master Gardener Program

Ruby - with the right pots, and the right plants, you could easily create a sort of living fence right in your front yard. In some neighborhoods, that might be too much of a temptation for people to help themselves to the literal fruits of your labors, but it could give you a little more valuable growing space, especially if the sun is better there. Don't despair about finding good plants - the better nurseries will have good things still available for people who are getting a little bit later start... just don't wait too long.

You'll get plenty of good advice here, but look close to home, too. If you have a neighbor with a good garden, or see someone working on their plants, stop and introduce yourself and don't be afraid to ask questions. Gardeners love to talk about gardens.