Want to start a garden but don't know how?

[ShawtyCat]

Yes Ive even thought of container gardening. I know about lettuce because that is what was by the pool but was overgrown with weeds. I thought the area next to the house was the perfect place to plant. Im not interested in feeding an army, just my little family. As for my stepdad, he lives with my mom in MA and Ive decided to ignore him.

Lettuce would go very well alongside the pool and I thought some herbs, and carrots would be nice next to the house. I dont know about tomatoes though but I wonder if I should use a container on my back steps.

Thanks for your help guys. Im gonna need some tools in order to till? the ground I think and lessons in compost.

[mudbug]

Forgot to post the wonderful choices of vegetable cultivars you can plant in containers...

Beans and Peas: Bush Romano, Bush Blue Lake, Tender Crop, Royal Burgundy, Henderson Bush, Jackson, Wonder Bush, Topcrop, Greencrop, Contender, (Pole) Blue Lake, Kentucky Wonder

Beets: Little Egypt, Early Red Ball, Asgrow Wonder, Detroit Dark Red, Greentop Bunching, Monoking Burgundy, Red Ace, Little Egypt, Early Red Ball, Early Wonder, Boltardy, Burpee Golden

Broccoli: Green Comet, DeCicco, Spartan, Italian Green Sprouting

Brussels Sprouts: Jade Cross, Long Island Improved

Cabbage: Dwarf Morden, Red Ace, Early Jersey Wakefield, Dwarf Modern, Red Ace, Early Jersey Wakefield, Little Leaguer, Earliana, Copenhagen Market, Ruby Ball Hybrid, Red Head Hybrid

Carrot: Short & Sweet, Danvers Half Long, Tiny Sweet, Long Type Chantenay, Danvers 126’ and ‘Orlando Gold, Baby Finger Nantes, Goldenhart, Little Finger, Royal or Red Cored Chantenay, Ox Hart, Baby Finger

Chinese Cabbage: Michihili, Burpee Hybrid, Michihili, Burpee Hybrid

Cucumbers: Burpless, Liberty, Early Pik, Crispy, Salty, Patio Pik, Spacemaster, Pot Luck, Bush Whopper, Bush Champion, Burpee Hybrid, Salad Bush, Parks Burpless Bush, Burpless Early Pik, Patio Pik, Spacemaster, Pot Luck

Edible Flowers

Eggplant: Florida Market, Black Beauty, Long Tom, Slim Jim, Ichiban, Slim Jim, Ichiban, Black Beauty, Modern Midget, Mission Bell

Garlic Most Varieties

Green Onions: Beltsville Bunching, Crysal Wax, Evergreen Bunching

Herbs

Lettuce: Buttercrunch, Salad Bowl, Romaine, Dark Green Boston, Ruby, Bibb, Green Ice, Red Sails, Lolla Rosa, Nevada, Bibb, Parris Island Cos, Salad Bowl, Slobolt, Tendercrisp, Black-Seeded Simpson and Oakleaf, mustard cress, Salad Bowl, Ruby, Grand Rapids, Oak Leaf, Buttercrunch, Dark Green Boston, Little Gem

Parsley: Evergreen, Moss Curled

Onions: White Sweet Spanish, Yellow Sweet Spanish

Radishes: Champion, Red Prince, Scarlet Globe, Cherriette, White Icicle, Chinese Winter, April Cross, Easter Egg, Red Flame, Icicle, Champion, Scarlet Globe, Cherry Belle

Spinach: Dark Green Bloomsdale

Peppers: Yolo Wonder, Keystone Resistant Giant, Canape, (Hot) Red Cherry, Small Ruffled Red, Thai Green, Bambino, Valencia (Hybrid), Jackpot (Hybrid), Camelot, Red Chili, Giant Thai, Super Cayenne II, Sweet Banana, Yolo Wonder, Long Red Cayenne, Bell Boy, Keystone Resistant, California Wonder, New Ace, Red Cherry, Jalapeno, Thai Hot

Squash: Dixie, Gold Neck, Early Prolific Straightneck, (Green) Zucco, Diplomat, Senator, Scallopini, Baby Crookneck, Creamy, Golden Nugget, Gold Rush, Zucchini (most varieties)

Tomatoes: Tiny Tim, Small Fry, Sweet 100 Patio, Burpee's Pixie, Toy Boy, Early Girl, Better Boy VFN, Agriset 761, Celebrity, Colonia, Mountain Fresh, Mountain Gold, Mountain Spring, Park’s Improved Whopper, Sunbeam, Solar Set, Sanibel, Captiva, Sunleaper, Suncrest, Sunrise, Sunpride, Terrific, Cherry Grande, Mountain Belle, Small Fry, Sweet 100, Peto Hybrid 882, Plum Dandy, Tropic, Caruso, Laura, Jumbo, Tropic, Vendor, Tiny Tim, Small Fry, Patio, Burpee's Pixie, Toy Boy, Early Girl, Better Boy VFN, Pixie, Red Robin, Sugar Lump, Tumblin' Tom (hanging baskets), Patio, Saladette, Spring Giant, Tumbling Tom

More on tools and composting later.

[ShawtyCat]

I finally found out which zone Im in 6b. And Ive also found the New York Botanical Garden site that tells me what I should be doing for every month of the year, how to seed, direct sow, prepare beds and care for the crop. Im so excited. I think Ill do a raised bed. Just box in and add more soil. I think my soil is perfect. Nice and loamy. Thanks for all your help.

I tried this before last year but really didnt know what I was doing. I think a squirrel ate my herbs.

I can finally have my garden. Ah I can taste those fresh veggies.

Thanks cchiu. Tomatoes will be perfect in containers on my back porch. That way I can keep a close eye on them...plus they will be very close to the kitchen in full sun.

[Isa]

You can grow a lot than tomatoes in containers. Try leaf lettuces in a flower box. plants seeds every two weeks during the summer and you'll have fresh lettuce throughout the summers. Red and green peppers grow well in large size containers, you can put two or three plants per pots. Rhubabrd plants will also grow well in large containers.

[marmalady]

Try planting things together in a flower box; sow some lettuce seed in your tomato container when the tomato plants are about a foot tall; the shade the tomato plants provide will help the lettuce during the hot sunny summer days. Or stick a bunch of chives, or plant radich seed in with the lettuce in containers. Lettuce roots are pretty shallow, so they won't interfere with the bigger plants' root systems, and won't steal much of the nutrients needed for the tomatoes.

My only caution about container plantings is to watch your water!! Containers dry out rapidly in the hot summer, and I find myself watering sometimes twice a day - something to think about for those of you in the Northeast who are facing drought conditions this summer! Guess we'll have to sneak out with the hose at midnight!! I'm thinking of getting a rain barrel to catch whatever rainwater we might get.

Hey Shawty,

Couple of ideas about that garden of yours.

When space is very limited, choose plants very carefully. You want to lay out a plan for the garden, knowing how much room is required for each type of plant and how many of each you'll be able to fit in. Make sure the growing season is long enough for the plants to actually develop, flower, set fruit and develop again.

For a small garden, plants like squash and melons are impractical as they 'sprawl'. Think not only about the foods your family loves, but also about what's expensive to buy in the market and what's cheap. If, for example, lettuce is cheap in your area (meaning it's probably grown locally) then don't plant lettuce, use the space to plant pricier items.

Also keep in mind that some veggies from the home garden don't taste *substantially* better than the ones purchased at the market. The three things that I've found are *hugely* better tasting from the home garden are tomatoes, peppers and green beans.

Since you have a back wall on one side of the garden you could hang a net on it for green beans (or another vining plant) to climb. You'll want cages for tomatoes and peppers if you go that route. Plant according to height, with the tallest plants in the back (relative to the direction of sunlight) and the shortest plants in the front.

You might also want to consider planting some fruit. Strawberries need well-drained, warm soil and a lot of sun and moisture. They do very well planted against the foundation of a house in full sun (with mulching). I've also planted red currant shrubs (beautiful to look at and the fruit freezes well and makes a wonderful ham glaze), blueberries, and blackberries.

Container gardening is a good solution for peppers and cherry tomato plants. I learned my lesson long ago about planting herbs in the garden. They get out of bounds very quickly...especially the mints. Now I grow them in containers. When Fall rolls around remind me and I'll tell you how you can over-Winter containerized herbs.

We haven't put a veggie garden in yet. This is only our second Summer in this house and we've been up to our eyeballs with other projects, but we hope to get a garden in this year. Yum!!!

Rhea