Rather than to try to answer a lot of questions/comments within the comment section, I thought I would put together some of the questions that were asked of me (or comments that I thought I needed to speak to) about our garden. I am in absolutely no way a garden expert. Seriously. So, as they say, your mileage may vary. These are just the answers as they pertain to me and my vegetable garden.
Why did you put your lettuce in a pot instead of in your garden?
I did this for space purposes only, originally. However, the lettuce is doing really well in the pots, so I think that I plan to continue planting my lettuce in pots in the future. Ditto that to spinach as well. One of the reasons I like it is that, with my bunny-filled yard, I can put the pots all up on a small picnic table. Another reason that I think this has been successful is that we used moisture-control potting soil. Lettuce likes its soil to be moist, and this has really helped that.
When do you start planting?
I always plant right around the day that I can start for our region. For us, that’s May 15th. The first year we did our garden, we probably didn’t plant until May 22nd. The second year, we did it right on May 15th. And, this year, we did it on May 14th.
If you don’t know the recommended planting date for your area, be sure to check it out before you start a garden. But, likewise, as long as you aren’t way, way past it, why not try to plant a little something, if you should decide you want to start a garden late.
Do you buy small plants or seeds?
Since we’re homeschooling now, I do plan to try to do some things from seeds next year. I figure it will be a good project for us, and it will be cheaper. In the last four years though (that’s how long we’ve been gardening), we’ve always used starter plants from either Walmart or a local greenhouse. It is more money to buy starter plants, but it is a lot easier. I’ll try to chronical our attempts with seeds next year.
I would love to have a garden, but I hate pulling weeds.
Me too! In fact, my garden doesn’t get weeded too often. What has been really helpful for us is that we lay down weed fabric in the garden before planting, and then also put down something like straw or mulch. This really cuts down dramatically on weeds. If you are letting weeds hold you back from gardening, try weed fabric instead of just throwing in the towel. (Or, trowel, as the case may be.)
I have such a black thumb, I kill all plants, so I can’t have a garden.
First off, I have killed just about every house plant I’ve ever had. I just get distracted, and I forget to water them. So, take that for what it’s worth.
I have found that plants actually in the garden (as opposed to garden plants in pots) are a lot more forgiving than some house plants. Yes, it *is* helpful to remember to water your garden (we use a soaker hose, so all we have to do is turn on the water spiggot and walk away — it’s better for us, the environment, and the garden). But, the nice thing is that it also naturally gets watered every time it rains.
Now, potted vegetable plants are a little less forgiving than those in the ground. So, even if you have had a potted vegetable plant fail in the past, it’s still worth giving it a try in the ground. Or, try a raised bed or kiddie pool garden!
Here is my best tip for remembering to water your garden (whether in pots or the ground) — one of the gadgets I have on my iGoogle homepage is a “Days Since” counter. I just update it every time I water, and then I know if it’s been a couple of days, then I probably need to just go out and do it. I do reset it, however, when it rains and count that as me watering it. (On a side note, I also use this counter to remind me to rotate the composter, add salt to the water softner, change the furnace filter, etc. — love it!)
It all looks so great, can you send me some?
Nope, sorry! But, I hope that I have made you feel like you really can grow your own garden. We started out our garden with just an 8×8 plot, and I’m a lazy plant killer. If I can do it, you can too!
Any tips on gardening?
Other than those I have already given, I would say just try to have fun with it. Here is a list of what we have planted this year (except we also have spinach, which I planted in pots after making that list), but my biggest advice is that if it is your first year with a garden, just pick out things that you think you would like to try. You will learn a lot when you do this.
For instance, we tried growing eggplant, and just couldn’t get it to grow. Since I realized that we wouldn’t use the eggplant anyway (my Mom wanted it), I knew I didn’t want to try to grow it again.
I also learned things like the fact that I need to be very careful and only buy leaf lettuce varities, not head lettuce. (Oh…and growing broccoli is a waste of my time.)
Sure, you can save a lot of money gardening, and it’s good for your family and the environment. But, remember to have fun doing it.
Remember to take time to marvel at God’s creation.
And, remember to occasionally remind yourself how much you rock when you make a salad where you grew all/most of the components!
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