Jshep

I too am learning. I didn't know until yesterday that herbs cannot take full sun. I also learned on here last year about it taking asparagus three years to mature. (Didn't even know you could grow asparagus in my area). This year I am planting some things I have never grown before such as brocolli, brussel sprouts, cabbage. I also learned yesterday that brussel sprouts make a large plant. Gosh at the rate I am going I may have enough to feed an entire city. LOL I have not only learned a lot on here about quilting, I have also learned alot about gardening and canning.

Mariposa

Do use Heirloom seeds-and not hybrids. You can then save the seeds for the next year. Share with friends too. Google heirloom seeds or heirloom tomatoes-fun finds! Seedsavers.org is good too. :)

Sweeterthanwine

My husband did square foot gardening when we lived in Sacramento, CA. it worked out great. It was easy to work in and to keep the weeds out which will always be there. You have to work at it to make it productive. He is now in the process of making square foot gardening in our back yard here, although he is making it a lot taller so he doesn't have to bend over as much. Using cement blocks to surround the area, sort of like a tall waist high fence. Using dirt from our really far back yard to fill them up.

merry

Have been doing SFG since the 70s. The yield is fantastic. Do you do vertical gardening with it as well as well?

playswithcolor

i have 2 raised beds and love them. make sure you rotate where you plant things, especially plants prone to virus diseases like tomatoes.

i used tomato cages as a support for sugar snap peas. just planted peas in a circle around the cages.

herbs, peppers, cauliflower and snap dragons are up inside. Will probably start tomatoes this weekend.

uncovered the garlic bed yesterday, they were sprouting thought the leaf cover.

Flying_V_Goddess

I love to garden! Last year I started my own plants, but kind of went over board (had something like 30 tomato plants for example) and then I got my job on overnights so I couldn't tend my garden during the day. Hopefully this year will work out better. I haven't started as many plants.

And I'm also making my own seed tape. I used to think seed tape was stupid until I planted a 15' row of perfectly spaced carrots and radishes. Not only did it take two hours to do it was cold and it started to rain halfway through...and I was determined to get them planted so I stayed out there freezing until I was finished. Takes me about the same time to mark and glue seeds to a long strip of newspaper, but at least that time isn't going to be spent out in the cold or being wet.

Cris

If you purchase 2-3 year old asparagus roots, it doesn't take as long, our first year after planting was so so, but they got better every year!

Jshep

Jshep

Boy next year I've got to start my own seed. I made the mistake this year by buying all plants. Cost a small fortune plus the added costs of having someone break it up for me, then having to buy new soaking hoses. But, I'm learning. I just hope after being out this much expense, the garden does well.

Flying_V_Goddess

Well, if you're not planting a full garden then I think buying plants is the way to go. But if you have a decent sized garden, want to try different plant varieties, or don't want to wait on the garden centers then I think see starting is the way to go.

If you do seed start next year I suggest water your seedlings with chamomile tea. I tried seed starting before my gardening job in '09 and they kept dying as soon as they woul sprout...later figured out during my summer job they were getting infected with a fungus called "damping off". Once seedlings get it they are doomed. When I started seed starting last year I read somewhere chamomile tea is a mild fungcide so I used it on my plants. I think it worked because the seeds that did sprout didn't die. This year I got a cheap 12 cup coffee pot and that's made it a lot easier to make tea (I do one tea bag per pot). So the tea helps in addition to good air circulation, watering from the bottom, and using sterile starting mix.