First-time Gardener, looking for some advice
faerybutterflye
14 years ago
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sred98
14 years agolast modified: 9 years agoRelated Discussions
Any advice for first time gardener?
Comments (6)Josh, If you can, train the cucumbers up some kind of trellis. You will probably find the tomato cage way too small and if you cut off the vines, you will probably not get much of a yield. Makine a trellis can be as easy as taking some of the (not sure what they are called) green fence posts and driving them into the ground with a sledge hammer and winding some strong twine around them....better yet buy some netting and attach. As far as the lettuce as they start to crowd each other, cut off every other plant at ground level and the ones left will have room to grow. As the weather gets warmer, watch the lettuce so it won't bolt. The center starts to grow taller and then the lettuce becomes bitter. If you think they are starting to bolt pick and eat them. You will probably find out, as I did, that the tomatoes are way too close. You can help by pinching off the little shoots that will sprout between the leaves to keep them from getting too wide. This will make them want to grow up though. You can also trellis tomato plants to get maximum yield this way or you can cut them off as tall as you want them. It will take a little work keeping them on the small side but it is very doable. It looks like you have space behind this garden. Could you make a smaller box and dig up the tomato in the middle? It would make more room for the other 2 tomatoes and I think all would be happier in the long run. Hope you have fun! I bet after this your little garden will continue to grow...it is so hard to stop once you get growing. Kim...See MoreAdvice for border plants/flowers for a first-time gardener? Pics
Comments (7)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....See MoreHere are some 'First Time Gardener' Questions...
Comments (1)I'll leave the soil mix for someone else. Many people have their own "special formula". It sounds like you have that under control though. Hopefully the manure was aged/composted so it won't be too rich. It is definitely not too early to plant the above listed vegetables. In fact, you could have done it quite a bit earlier. I will provide a link to the UT Ag Ext site below. Take a look at their Guide to Cool-Season Vegetables. It's probably too late to winter sow. Usually this is done earlier when the weather is consistently cold. Planting indoors would be a very good idea and will give you an important head start. I have already planted mine and have little baby plants popping up. If you are going to grow them from seed, I would plant ASAP. Here is a link that might be useful: University of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service Publications...See MoreFirst time gardener, greenery advice!
Comments (7)Hi Karen! I'm also in Park Slope. (Technically Windsor Terrace.) My garden is on a big deck in containers. Hasta does beautifully - love it. It comes back without fail every year, and you'll probably have more hosta than you know what to do with in a few seasons. If you wanted to mix up the groundcover, I've done well with carpet juniper (it's a dark evergreen that sticks close to the ground). If you wanted to put in a shrub for interest, I think boxwoods are nice. Mine are beautiful and stay green all through the winter, even in pots. (Pretty plants too.) Beware the ivy unless it is in pots - it is really invasive and bad for the bricks and pointing when it starts climbing walls. I was just down at Lowes ("down-slope" at 2nd Ave and 12th Street) and noticed they had sixpacks of different groundcovers. All the things I suggested I have seen there in previous seasons. I like Lowes best, but you usually have to go to a nursery if you're looking for somthing uncommon. I go to Shannon Nursery on Ft. Hamilton. If you're on the South end, there is a corner deli store at Windsor Place and Prospect Park West that always has lots of seasonal plants - really, a decent amount of good stuff. Right on the corner. I buy a lot of annuals there. Pachysandra is a nice plant, but I see TONS of it all over Park Slope. Get in there, get dirty, and show 'em up! I have all of these I mentioned in a pic from last season at the link below - there are small hostas to the right and left of the chair, carpet juniper to the right of the hosta, and boxwood to the right of that in the terra-cotta pot. Best of luck! Here is a link that might be useful: Last Season...See Moreowiebrain
14 years agolast modified: 9 years agofaerybutterflye
14 years agolast modified: 9 years agoOkiedawn OK Zone 7
14 years agolast modified: 9 years agomulberryknob
14 years agolast modified: 9 years agomulberryknob
14 years agolast modified: 9 years agofaerybutterflye
14 years agolast modified: 9 years agoMacmex
14 years agolast modified: 9 years agoOkiedawn OK Zone 7
14 years agolast modified: 9 years agomulberryknob
14 years agolast modified: 9 years ago
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