first time poster: planting garden vegetables

16 years ago

Hello, fellow Gardenweb members. This is my first time posting on this forum. So far I plan to start off with bell peppers, Serrano and jalapeÃ±o chile's since they are not that difficult, and then later move on to tomatoes, cucumbers, and other vegetables. I also plan to plant fruit seeds as well too. So wish me luck and I look forward to meeting all the members of this forum to post my updates and in the exchanging of ideas and techniques.

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Comments (18)

buffburd
16 years ago
Hi!

Welcome, tell us more about your garden and your plans.

When are you planting? What sort of soil preparation have you done? What kinds of fruit are you planting?

I'm on my second year of gardening in my own yard. I have bush beans, pole beans, tomatoes, sunflowers, chamomile, hollhocks, ornamental corn, and a bunch of other stuff this year. I have a raised bed and a flower box out front, and a few lasagna beds in the side yard. Then some more perennial plantings around the side yard.

I try to be as organic as I can. Which includes not using fertilizers or *cides.

I can't wait to hear what you're working on.

Kyle
Violet_Z6
16 years ago
Where are you located? Your member page does not state and it would help us to help you.
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The type of plant you have, the amount of water (whether natural rain or manual), and container type will make a big difference on the type of mix and how your plant responds in your environment. I think that sometimes we overthink it too much for a plant that is basically only going to be grown as an annual. People have posted great results for tomatoes growing in 5-gallon paint buckets, tires, actual bags of soil as the "container", rubbermaid totes, half whiskey barrels, fancy clay pots, plastic square pots, foam pots, etc., etc. The big thing to consider is your climate - ie., does it get brutally hot all season with little rain or does it fluctuate with hot periods and cooler periods with rain or does it stay cool all summer, etc.? Do you get lazy (or go away alot) during summer and can't water as often or do you baby your plants and try to water them every day whether they may need it or not (out of habit)? Do you get full blazing sun all day long or just morning sun or mainly afternoon sun? Are the plants sitting on concrete? Grass? Black asphalt? Gravel? Wood decking? Basically, over time, you would learn about your area's climate, the actual growing area's microclimate, as well as your natural watering practices, and would then adjust your mix and container type to best fit that. And as an FYI, my mother insists on getting bagged soil rather than a soiless mix and based on her yard, sun exposure, and her watering habits, her container tomatoes and peppers blow mine away by a longshot (she has a south-facing spot for her plants where mine are on a NE-facing covered balcony getting little or no overhead sun but full morning sun and a little in the afternoon in the corner where I position mine). It's the most remarkable thing to see but the whole debate about soil in containers seems to get thrown out after watching her container production year after year after year. Last year, she planted some 12" - 18" tall tomatoes and peppers in pure "Miracle Gro" vegetable and bedding soil (the kind you dump in a bed) at the end of May and by July, her plants looked like this: By August, they looked like this, sprawled all over (she moved her peppers to a different spot as some of the fruit were getting scalded): Apparently, the heavy wettish "soil" that she uses for her containers sitting in full blazing sun was kept in a sort of balance due to the tomato foliage helping to act as a shade over that soil to keep it from getting rock hard too quickly, and thus the soil's tendency to retain moisture helped the roots deal with the sun. So I just say, do some experimenting to see what works best because often things don't always pan out the way that would make any sense whatsover, but the environment and your care practices will be more the determining factor. ;-)
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That lawn grass, you have to identify what type it is. If it's a running bermuda you'll be fighting to keep it out of any border and sidewalk edge. That trench alongside the cement walk is a natural for gravel fill which will give people a place to step into when passing on a sidewalk which appears to be one-person wide and with elevation changes. Begin your sidewalk border with a metal edge strip to keep the gravel in the trench and separated from what will become your planting strips. You can put small planters in the gravel area to hold pretty annuals, I've seen that done at historical homes. Beginning about 6 feet from the porch, begin a curve from the gravel strip to shape your front beds which will allow a pretty welcoming area plus make mowing much easier around the curve instead of a corner. Use a garden hose to decide the shape and just spray paint to mark where you want to dig on both sides of the walk. If that's a wood board across the base of your porch you may want to replace it now with something treated. Taking it off will give you the ability to view the condition of the porch piers (supports) and while it's off, consider having a pest control company come do a treatment while they can get access to under the porch. Once you get plantings in you won't want to be tearing them out to check and repair that fascia board that hides the underneath of the porch. At least not for several years. Good luck and have fun.
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sarahsvegetablepatch
16 years ago
Hi,

I'm also new! I've recently started my first vegetable garden too. First plants went in last week, and I have a few more to go. I live in Northern Austria, but I come from Australia.
I know just how exciting it is to start a vegetable garden! I'm really looking forward to next year as I can start my plants on time, this year is just a bit of an experiment (although I think I might say that every year?!)

Best of luck!!

Sarah

Here is a link that might be useful: Interesting or not, this is my new blog...
ruthieg__tx
16 years ago
Hey read your blog and loved your garden and all the prep...cute pic of the pooches too....welcome newbies and glad to have you....
sarahlynnwhite
16 years ago
kyle, you say that are growing chamomile, do you use it to make tea? i want to grow some next year but i do not know the proper way to dry the plant and what parts to use to make the tea. any tips? thanks sarah
sarahsvegetablepatch
16 years ago
Thanks Ruthieg!

I'm also curious about chamomile. I love chamomile tea, and we have so much growing wild here. I don't know if it's the same type that can be made into tea though. I suppose it's the German Chamomile that I have here.

Sarah
carol_71
16 years ago
Welcome to the forum!

Nice blog. Poor our husbandsÂ they always have to do the heavy work!
granite
16 years ago
Welcome to gardenweb jolly and Sarah!
Very lovely garden start Sarah!
I loved your gardening doggies. My doggies like to garden too, they are very helpful in picking (and eating) the green beans off the lower vines of the pole beans. :-)
Of course, I can't let them in there on their own or they would "harvest" everything directly to their bellies.
jollygreenpimp
Original Author
16 years ago
Hello Buffburd

So far I'm just getting the seeds for some of my vegetables. I 've just went to the supermarket and got some serrano and japaleno chile, and red and green bell peppers in order to collect the seeds to plant. I'm still doing a lot of extensive research regarding soil preparation. Once I get those seeds growing and they become full grown plants I will move on to other vegetables. BTW, I also trying to germinate an avocado seed too.
jollygreenpimp
Original Author
16 years ago
Most of my plants will be grown and transplanted in pots since I don't have a backyard plot. I do have spaces near certain areas of the house that makes for a really good growing condition though as well as the front porch.
jollygreenpimp
Original Author
16 years ago
Sorry but still a noob to this forum. To answer your question, I'm in zone 9. I'm in SoCal so the weather condition is great for growing things over here.
Violet_Z6
16 years ago
Welcome newbies! jollygreenpimp, what fruit do you plan on growing from seed? Many do not grow true to the parent plant depending on where you're getting the seed from.
sarahsvegetablepatch
16 years ago
Carol - I'm convinced my husband loves to do the heavy work! He certainly prefers that rather than me dragging him outside to look at which seeds have germinated early each morning!

Granite - Funny dogs, they are lucky we love them so much. One puppy worked out how to climb onto the table yesterday. I looked out the window to see her DIGGING in my 2 day old basil planter box. Luckily I saw it in time and managed to rescue most. Unfortunately I was too late for the tomato plant :( No more plants on the table.

Jolly - sorry for intruding on your post, just wanted to say hello!
jollygreenpimp
Original Author
16 years ago
Violet_z6,

I'm gonna try my hands on apples, pears, peaches, and mangoes. As for citrus fruit, I decided to go to Home Depot and buy them instead. I've bought two lime trees, and two orange trees. I plan on getting two more citrus trees next time (tangerine trees).
jollygreenpimp
Original Author
16 years ago
Your blog looks nice. Too bad for your tomato plants though.
margaretmontana
16 years ago
Chamomille is very easy to grow. You can just scatter the seed. It is very fine so don't bury it. After the first year you will find it coming up in other places as well. It can spread! You can snap off the blossoms that look like small white daisys with your thumb. I lay them on a screen and let them dry. You put them in a tea ball and put in your teapot and let steep.
paulc_gardener
16 years ago
jollygreen: A lot of experienced gadeners here that are able to solve most any problem you have. Growing your own things for the most part is not cost saving for a lot of vegies. However I have been doing it since 1950. A lot of pit falls and a lot of good too.
jollygreenpimp
Original Author
16 years ago
Hey Paulc,

This gardening gig is mostly just a hobby that decided to start. I know how much work it will take but it is also where i can also experiment too. But in the end i know it will pay off. I also know the costs but to me its only minimal.

first time poster: planting garden vegetables

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buffburd

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