14 replies to this topic

[magickat]

Do you grow your own fruit and veg? I really want to start doing this for environmental, economical and health reasons but don't really know where to start. Which varieties are easiest for a beginner to grow?

[zararina]

I used to grow some vegetables in a small garden before but that space was already cemented and being used for another purpose.
Right now we only have some plants on pots that are easier to maintain/grow such as tomato and ginger.
If you have space for tress, you can try planting coconut tree, mango tree and babana tree.Those are fruits easy to grow on a tropical country like here. And for vegetables, bitter gourd, ginger and even some spices like oregano are easy to grow for beginners.

[Shortpoet-GTD]

Root veggies are easy-carrots, potatoes (white or sweet), turnips, beets, radishes.
Beans are easy too. Depending on variety, attach wires to an existing fence for them to grow on, or
add a trellis. Squash is good too but can become invasive with runners going everywhere.

Container gardens are easy when no space is available, or physical issues don't allow for bigger
gardens. Herbs, tomatoes, peppers, cukes.

If you're just starting out, buying a small (already established) plant may be easier than starting from seed.
Plant flowers too to help with pollination, in between rows, along the perimeter or in pots.

[Pushhyarag2000]

For the last few years we have really missed the opportunity to grow our veggies which we were doing earlier because we have mostly been living in apartment copmplex. Though space is not the real constraint, we find far too many restrictions by the association whcih act s by the book and doesn't help make it a pleasurable activity at all. We still manage some box & pot type of herbs, leaves, even tomatoes but they don't grow fully. We plan on moving into a building with good open area and indulge in grwoing as many as we can.

[magickat]

Some really great advice there, thank you guys. I will definitely give the root veg a go and the established plant suggestion is very sensible.

[kathie_san]

I don't but my parents do! Back in the city there's no space for a garden nor pot garden but I still get fresh veggies when they send some. Right now I'm back home, my parents do farming so there's really a lot of fresh greens here.

[CrownedClown]

kathie_san, on 13 January 2012 - 07:28 AM, said:

I don't but my parents do! Back in the city there's no space for a garden nor pot garden but I still get fresh veggies when they send some. Right now I'm back home, my parents do farming so there's really a lot of fresh greens here.

Same here, except the one sending it to me is my grandmother. I'm living in a apartment, so I can't really go all out, but recently I've tried growing some spicy peppers and it's working so far. I'm planning on adding some herbs and cherry tomatoes. I would suggest if you don't have the space to grow veggies at least grow herbs, it's really nice when you use fresh herbs ;)

[shaun]

All vegetables are fairly easy to grow, especially root vegetables. I like to grow as much as possible, I had a pond at the end of my garden and filled it to use it as a vegetable patch. It is one of the best things I've ever done, the vegetables taste so much better and it saves money.

[Jessi]

I miss having a garden oh-so-much. We used to have a large one every year, but now that I've moved away, I rent and don't have a yard at all. Instead, I do have one good window that gets some light and I've opted to have a window planter for some herbs.

[shaun]

I might be moving soon and I will badly miss my vegetable patch but I'm hoping there will be an allotment nearby. Allotments are great, I've been to a few in my lifetime and the atmosphere always relaxes me. Probably because everyone is happy on a vegetable based diet :)

[Mon-Jes]

I wish I wish I wish I had a garden! I'd love a raised-bed garden surrounded by fruit trees. I'd have many, many satsuma trees. :-)

[CrownedClown]

Yeah I would definitely love having a lot of Satsuma trees around. I'm having future plans of buying a house, but they are really expensive here and I don't want to sell my apartment in order to be able to afford it.

[Shortpoet-GTD]

Do you grow your own?

Suggestive title. Nope, it's against the law.

[E3 wise]

As a matter of fact, I do grow my own – vegetable that is. I travel over 200 day a year. Doing that much traveling you might ask how do I grow a garden and since I am gone so much why would I?

Well first my garden is one of the great stress releasers of my life. I get home and I go out to my garden and the stress falls away. I feel the cool earth in my hand and smell the different fragrances all around me and I see life, bees, butterflies, ladybugs, and plants in all its many differences, all sharing the earth together and I understand.

Also my garden is my inspiration for many of the ideas I present on sustainable energy, water, ecosystems and living. Now about growing a garden.

Where to begin, I like raised beds a lot. Usually 12 inches is good and if you put a 2 x 6 or 8 around the outside you have a nice place to sit while you are working. If however you are just getting started and you want to try gardening out before you invest time in building the beds, here are some things to remember.

1. Your soil is the most important starting place; good soil is a mixture of sand, clay, organic material (compost) peat moss and love. If you buy gardening soil to start remember to mix it 50% gardening soil, 30% sand and 20% peat moss. This will give you a soil that holds water but does not stay mud, thus allowing good root growth.

2. Look at a seed packet or online and see what climate you live in. Plant too early and you freeze plant to late and you may not have enough time for the vegetables to reach full maturity. Knowing your climate zone helps you understand which varieties best fit you location.

3. Start Small and then expand over time. The reason is so your garden does not become a big chore that you dread. If you live in apartments and have a small patio try the Topsy Turvey they work great, keep the nutrients in the soil and save water. If you have a yard find a place that gets full sun for at least six hours a day so that you can grow the largest variety of vegetable possible.
4. Water- Make sure you garden is close to you water source.
If you are just starting out try to avoid spending a lot on your garden, what I mean is that if you buy a soaker hose and put it on a timer or just turn on the water for a few minutes you will give you plants enough water.

We have a drip irrigation system hooked up to eight rain barrels but also we have added a little each year over 20 years. Each year we bought one or two rain barrels and added the drip irrigation system a little at a time.

5. Enjoy your garden-don’t dread your garden. We mulch everything to avoid lots of weeding and to save on water. Try and make your garden a place of regeneration, not a big chore that requires a huge amount of labor and time. Plant food that you like and remember that you can get all the information you need on the internet easily so do some surfing and find out what people in your area think are good plants.

6. Think holistically about your garden, here is what I mean. Organic gardening is easy if you get some basic information about compost, to avoid heavy fertilizers and non-pesticide ways to control insects. Here is my favorite recipe.
First cut the toe off an old set of sheer stocking. About 8 inches is good.

Next - 1 Jalapeño, Habanera, or Ghost Chili- if you go with the last two wear rubber gloves when chopping and do not touch you face.

Next- 3 small garlic cloves finely chopped,

Next 1 large onion chopped

Next 1 cheap cigar- any kind. Break in to pieces.

Put the chopped pepper, onion and garlic along with the cigar in the stocking and tie a not in the top. Next boil water in either a microwave safe glass jar or on the stove. Put hot water in a container and the stocking with the contents inside and let set overnight or 6 to 8 hours.

Lastly drain the liquid into a hose end sprayer and add 2 Tea spoons of dish soap as an emulsifying agent then spray directly on plants. This will not kill insects, just make them go look for plants that taste better, yet it will mean that you never have to use pesticides-Ever.

You can spray about once a week and eat the vegetables anytime with just a quick washing.

Honestly I could write a Gardening Blog all day long with this type of information but if you go on line you can find all this out just as easy.

I have had some of my biggest ideas in my garden, taught some important life lessons to my kids, spent hours of joy with my husband and lowered my stress and blood pressure while feeling the life force of the universe around me along with peace in a hectic world. I hope you will also.

Lastly consider becoming a member of a community garden. These have sprung up all over the country and they are a great way to have a big garden without all the money and work. We have several here and if you talk to your county agriculture extension agent you will probably find one close.

A garden is a place to understand life, the universe, and our place in it.
Health, Happiness and Success

E3Wise

[brihooter]

Hello everyone. I am very interested in starting my own garden. I live in Arizona so it's always hot here. I need to do some research on what will grow in certain weather. I have been interested in gardening since I was a little girl. Do you have any recommendations for a new begginner?