growing Vegetables and organic gardening

17 years ago

Hi,

I am new to gradening and last year i tried some vegetables but didn't succeed. I am not sure what went wrong, the fertilizer or pesticides or water.So, this year i want to take it slow and start only a few vegeatbles.

In my backyard, i left about 4 -5 feet of soil for vegeatables while the rest of the bed is all with flowers but spaced quiet apart.I put nice vegetable garden soil in this place for vegetables and also did NOT put any mulch.

I got one Hot Peppers plant and kept it still in the pot. As i still see some rains here and there, i wanted to transplant it only after the rains stop.Otherwise i fear that it will get too much water in the soil and die.

I want to start on Tomato and i am very eager. But is this a good time to start in Houston(Katy), TX?

Should i keep the plants in the pot before transplanting them to the garden soil? And how soon should i do it?

And for the most important question, i don't want to spray my vegeatables with lots of pesticides and insecticides as we have to eat them unlike the flowers.

One of my friend suggested that i plant Garlic in between the vegetables and this will drive away the insects. Is this true?

What are the organic methods for growing Tomatoes and Peppers without using any insecticides and pesticides?

Any kind of compost that i can use to mix in the soil before planting them? Any fertilizer's recommended or are the store bought ones good enough?

Also, can you suggest any of the other (may be 2-3) vegeatables which are easy to grow without lot of time and care? I know Gardening itself takes lot of time and care if you do it on ur own, but as i am also a working mom, i can

only spare so much time everyday and weekend.

Thanks

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Comments (6)

john_bonzo
17 years ago
I'm afraid that it's too late to start tomatoes in Houston. Really you want to put the largest transplant possible in the ground by the middle of March (I do 4 inch pot transplants in March 1, then protect if there is a late freeze in the forecast). You could try one now if you found a huge transplant, but the temperatures will likely be too hot for good fruit production by the time the plant is ready.

Peppers should be fine, and I would also recommend summer squash and/or zucchini. I have had very good luck with them. I had a pepper plant live for 3 years without me doing a single thing to it (except pick the peppers of course). It died in the ice storm this past January.

I put veggies in the soil as soon as I buy them. Also, mulch is very important.

Not all insects are bad! Personally, I visually inspect veggies every day and kill stinkbugs and snails.

I would also do a search on lasagna gardening if you haven't already.
denisew
17 years ago
Lots of compost is the best thing you can add to a veggie garden. John is right about the timing of tomatoes, but go ahead and get any seeds in like beans, squash, etc.

John - what do you use to kill the stink bugs? I prefer organic methods. Maybe a little orange oil and couple drops of dish soap in water in a squirt bottle? Is that enough to kill them?
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srburk
17 years ago
I only use compost and liquid seaweed spray for my tomato. I don't use any pesticide besides picking and squishing EXCEPT for BT (a bacteria that gives caterpillars a belly ache so they expire) because I had more tomato hornworms than I could keep up with, even picking every day. My solitary tomato plant has been out since the first week of March and will likely be done by July. It's just the way things go. A lot can be accomplished with good dirt, some compost, and some effort. I will say mulch is good to keep splash up from happening--sometimes this spreads fungus when it rains too much. Whatever you choose to do, have fun and experiment a little. You can learn a lot by reading the Organics board, just be careful what you post...I wouldn't say they all are not friendly, but some are not tolerant of newbies.
parupudi
Original Author
17 years ago
Thanks for all your trips.
Can any point me to a site where i can get the timings as to when i can start the veggies here in Houston?

As far as Tomatos, can i not have any luck even if i get a 3" plant in the container and transplant it to my garden soil?
gora
17 years ago
Please find the link to the vegetable planting dates for Houston area.

Here is a link that might be useful: Vegetable planting dates for Houston area
john_bonzo
17 years ago
Yes - as Denise said, compost and organic matter is extremely important. You should never throw out fruit/vegetable scraps again (or leaves or lawn clippings for that matter).

Denise - honestly, I put on gloves and squash the bugs and then put them in the veggie bed. If you do it consistently, its surprising how few you begin to see after a while.

Are you thinking of the orange oil mix to spray on the leaves to prevent stinkbugs, or spray directly on the bugs to kill them? If spraying directly on the plants, I would test it on a small area first. It would probably be ok, but what do I know?