Vegetable Gardening Guru

[Kat]

Well it's time to start thinking about getting the garden ready, if you have not already.  Down here in the deep south, I'm able to get started sooner than most.  For those who would like to know what you need to do to get started I found a site I really like 'Vegetable Gardening Guru' at this link http://www.vegetablegardeningguru.com/

A couple more good gardening sites.
Gardening articles - http://www.colostate.edu/Depts/CoopExt/4DMG/VegFruit/vegs.htm

Planting Your First Vegetable Garden - http://www.lifescript.com/Life/Timeout/At-home/Planting_Your_First_Vegetable_Garden.aspx?trans=1&du=1&gclid=COXT6uaVzpgCFQJHxwoddUu41A&ef_id=1350:3:c_718e3e3d0812ae497625c12976f5bc06_2540070725:XN5uzNBkOIYAADFC2MAAAAAX:20090209002215

No-dug Vegetable Garden - http://www.no-dig-vegetablegarden.com/build-a-garden.html
Cooperative Extension Service - http://pubs.caes.uga.edu/caespubs/pubcd/B577.htm

Organic Gardening - http://www.ehow.com/how_4452141_become-organic-gardener.html

mercy, peace and love
Kat

[EKnight]

I wish I could grow my own vegetables.  Every year my husband attempts one and every year I tell him he is wasting his time.  If the Killer weeds (and I mean giant, thorny killer weeds) don't do the garden in, then the deer, rabbits or gophers will get it.  It's just impossible! 

I absolutely hate the produce at the grocery store. Half of it is spoiled at the moment of purchase!

Eileen

[Kat]

Hi Eileen,

You must live out in the country.  Well I don't live where wild animals can get at my vegetables, but I have 2 labs that love to dig holes in it.  So I'm fencing it in this year, I have one spot already fenced and I will do the other soon.  Weeding is a chore, it's something that must be done regularly or it will get out of hand.  Can't say I always keep on top of it either.

I hope you don't give up on it, the fresh pesticide free vegetable are so worth it.  I look at the work as good exercise, so I don't have to go to a walking track or a gym 

mercy, peace and love
Kat

[Ninny]

I keep saying every year that I am going to plant a garden! We used to have a garden all the time. My hubby is an excellent gardener, but he just plain got lazy!! I love to garden, but I haven't gotten out to do it in 9 years or better! That's just REALLY sorry!  LAZY, LAZY, LAZY!!! I keep saying "well it's about time to plant the taters if I'm gonna make a garden." I saw where DR has a tiller that you can pull behind your riding lawn mower. I told my husband he needs to check it out. Our ground is so hard it's like concrete when it hasn't rained! Tilling would be good for it AND well, durn it all I might even grow me a tater or a squash! Hee hee! Maybe I will do it!!
thanks Kat, I might just do it!
Kathy

[EKnight]

What's a DR?  I told my husband we need to till this little piece of land he has tried to grow a garden in before.  I think we are going to do it this time.  Just gotta figure out a way to keep the critters out!!

Eileen

[Ninny]

DR is just a company that has all kind of yard and garden equipment for home use, they advertise on tv all the time. If you decide to buy a tiller get a rear-tine one the ones with the tines in the front with vibrate you to death!! I saw some at Home Depot the other day the rear tine ones are almost $500.00 but I guess if you use it a lot it would be ok. The front tine ones are a lot cheaper. Those are walk behind tillers, the one I saw on tv you pull behind your garden tractor...I can imagine they are probably $1000.00 how rude! In desperate times I have dug my garden with a shovel..hard work! I had raised beds once they were a lot easier to make in one way and then in another way they are a pain..my husband griped at me for years when I abandoned my back-yard raised beds for a big patch my neighbor disked up with his tractor for me! I didn't really smooth out the beds so my hubby hated mowing over those lumps in the yard!!
Dig, Ya'll!!
Kathy

[EKnight]

I live near Pine Island NY and they have what is called the black dirt region.  You should see how dark and rich looking this soil is.  They grow mostly onions there but I had sod done in a small section of fenced-in yard and they said it was grown in the black dirt.  After they till it, it's just beautiful....ha ha imagine beautiful DIRT.

Eileen

[Ninny]

Are you kidding I LOVE beautiful dirt!! I am not so fond of all the red clay stuff here. My yard has a lot of red clay, but there is some good places in it where it's not so bad. In Hawaii, though...there was red dirt everywhere! You don't wear your shoes into the house there! No carpet can hold up under the red clay!
Rich black dirt would be cool!
Kathy

[Kat]

Well I think this is a great time to get out there and get your hands dirty  
It does take work and of course the bigger your garden spot the more work it will be.  So go smaller and just make a salad garden or a herb garden, any little bit you get is better than nothing.  I think mine will be much better this year, as last year I was kind of getting started.  

Eileen I'm putting up a short fence (only 3 ft.) to keep the dogs out, that would work on the little critters for you.  But deer are a different story, I found this site where there are a lot of people proven methods, here's the link http://www.carolinacountry.com/StoryPages/howtos/deeroutofgarden.htm

Kathy, I planted taters last year and they didn't do well, so I'm skipping them this year.  I don't have a tiller, I don't think I need one for the little spots I'm working up.  I don't have rich black dirt, but it's not red clay either.  So I'm thinking mulch is a key factor in keeping weeds down and holding moisture in.  So I plan to go heavier on the mulch this year.

Here's hoping we all have success in the up coming gardening season  

mercy, peace and love
Kat

[Ninny]

Hey Kat, mulch is definitely the answer to the soil problem! Yeah, I guess I'd better start with just a little spot myself! Something that I can do alone! I have thought about doing planters, too. Some tomatoes grow well in containers. I have seen people grow some kind of strawberries in pots, too. Maybe I will check that out, too. I go to dig me a little patch o' dirt! Oh, I just remembered I have a little area on the south side of my house that would be a good place to start! I'd probably have to fence it a little to keep the wandering dogs out of it! People just let their dogs ramble around at night. I lock my dogs up tight at night so they don't bark at the roamers! I can't understand why people let their dogs run all over the countryside!  We have always kept our dogs fenced in the yard, what is so hard about that?  (that's for another subject though!!)
Kathy

[britt]

UMMMMMMMM!!! The georgia boy loves Taters and Maters. 

[jg]

Gardening! Yay!

As far as keeping out the deer, on any given evening I can count as many as 30 of the pesky garden wreckers lounging around the fields near my home.  Up until last year, they destroyed my garden, eating my green beans and every green tomato I had.  But, after my dear Mom gave me a roll of "ribbon" to put up around my garden, not one deer print was found in the garden. It works!  The ribbon is about a half inch wide, and has a shinny red side and the other side is aluminum in color.  I strung it up from post to post at about chest high.  I catches the wind, no matter how slight and shimmers and moves, which keeps the deer away. In a high wind it actually makes a loud whirring sound.  You can probably find it at any farm and garden place.  Mom got it from the local state horticultural rep.

Try it, it worked for me!
Joe in West Virginia

[Roy Coates]

I got back onto gardening last year and love it. I started planting edible landscape everywhere I could. I plan to expand this year even more. I am composting and organic so far. Here is a link to a ton of pic's from last years progress.

http://s299.photobucket.com/albums/mm296/roycoates/Garden/

[Falconn003]

ferget veggies.....arrrrrgg

how in Pleasantville do you keep a yard green is what i want to KNOW.

That lush thick yard bekons me, instead i grow something compare to a bad toupee.

Aside from water it with green dye all has failed. 

Farmer Brown down

Rodger

[OBrenda]

Thanks for those Links Kat, I learned allot from the thread you started last year...
Well Living in Florida I've already started my Tomatoes, Cukes & Scallions for Veggies.  For Fruit we have Banannas, Papaya, Mango, Orange, Lemon, Lime and Avacado which wasn't produced yet.

I wanted to share about "trees" that we have started planting on our property with my neighbors.
We make ice tea out of the leaves, and put it in our salads...it is just amazing and easy to grow...
Check out the info on the nutrition here...(it even has flowers)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moringa_oleifera

Let's Get Dirty!
Brenda

[Roy Coates]

ferget veggies.....arrrrrgg

how in Pleasantville do you keep a yard green is what i want to KNOW.

That lush thick yard bekons me, instead i grow something compare to a bad toupee.

Aside from water it with green dye all has failed. 

Farmer Brown down

Rodger

Try watering it with green dye:) here is a company in Arizona http://www.turfpainters.com/

[Kat]

Hi Roy,

I'd say seeing your pictures, you've got growing veggies going on   


Brenda, I'm going to try to get one of those Moringa trees.  I'm on the Miss Gulf coast and my 3 year old orange tree really producted nicely this year.  I also have 3 blueberry bushes that are good producers.  I've already got strawberries to set out too.  I think it usually just takes a little practice... sorry about the lawn Rodger.  Mybe you should try the green dye   

mercy, peace and love
Kat

[Falconn003]

ifen i go dye , i will go for the Star Spangeled Banner motiff




Rodger

[Ninny]

Oh cool, Rodger! A Big Flag on your lawn?  that would be very interesting!
Kathy

[Falconn003]

Oh cool, Rodger! A Big Flag on your lawn?  that would be very interesting!
Kathy

Hoping the HOA will garde on a curve for artistry and not for lacking a green thumb   


Rodger