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startover22 · Apr 2, 2008, 07:42 PM

I am going to start a brand new garden. :) I have been looking, is there a better place on AMHD to start a discussion about a veggie garden?
I am aware of all the little things, but would sure like some help during the process. Anyone here going to have a great garden this year? This week end will be the above ground box building! Anyone have any tips or ideas? Thanks in advance for all your answers!;)

Clough · Apr 2, 2008, 07:54 PM

I love to garden! Both flowers and vegetables. I have been the secretary and president of the local horticulture club as well as passed the course to be a Master Gardener. I am by no means an expert or at gardening, but I do have some great resources for knowledge now! I do love learning and sharing with others about it!

Thanks for starting this thread! Are you going to be starting seedlings indoors?

startover22 · Apr 2, 2008, 08:03 PM

I was just talking about whether I should start them indoors with seeds or if I should buy them already started. Aww, Clough, I really want it to be mine as a whole so, I want to start from total scratch. I am going to start them in the house in about a week. We live in western Oregon where everything grows so well. We are on well water, so I was wondering if it would make a difference. I am going to get truck loads of brand new dirt, and would like to add compost to it. Hmmm, so many questions! We can start there... water and dirt... LOL
I can't wait to hear about everyone's experiences, this is not a new hobby, just wanting to get more serious and into it. So everything from keeping the deer that live on our land out and keeping the worms in is where I need to start..!

Clough, I am so excited to have your experience here!

Clough · Apr 2, 2008, 08:12 PM

Like I said, I am by no means an expert. I'm sure that there are others here who know a lot more than I do. But, I do have great resources. The manuals for the Master Gardener course are huge? You're making me want to get them out!

There was one year that I started as many as 1,200 seedlings. Why so many? They make great friendship gifts! As a matter of fact, that's what I call my vegetable garden. It's a "Friendship Garden."

If you (and me, too!) are going to start seedlings, then we had best be getting busy doing that! The time is going by quickly!

The first things that you need to do is decide where your garden is going to be located and plot out the area as far as what you are going to want in it. Some vegetables are going to need more space then others and you are going to need space so that you can move around in it for maintenance.

The next thing to do is figure out which climate zone you are in and see which types of vegetables are going to grow the best where you are located and when you should be planting the seeds and also whether some seeds would do best if just planted right in the garden rather than started indoors.

I am assuming that you have an area picked out that gets a full-day of sun and has good drainage. Correct?

startover22 · Apr 2, 2008, 08:18 PM

Yes... and it is a very very open and big area, I plan on starting small this year but with many varieties to see what grows best. Next year will probably be the best. This year I have made a list of things I want to start.
Bell Peppers
Chili peppers
Snap peas
Corn
Lettuce (romaine)
Carrots
Lemon cucumbers
Cucumbers
Water melon
Pumpkins
Squash
Geen beans
I haven't had melons before or a good crop of carrots yet.
The others seem to grow great here. I want raised beds and I was going to use chicken wire to protect it from the deer, around and a roof of it.
I know I need to get started so next week I am going to start seedlings in the house and wait for them to grow. I love the idea of a friendship garden, seems like we always have left overs for friends, so I love the name you chose. I can share, I love sharing!
Clough I have a feeling with your help and others this may be the best gardening year ever!

Clough · Apr 2, 2008, 08:36 PM

For your growing season, the map from the following link should be very helpful to you.

Climate Zones-Washington, Oregon

startover22 · Apr 2, 2008, 08:38 PM

The peas, tomatoes, and green beans have a spot already they will not be included (so to speak) in the big garden. Oh goodness I am getting so excited!! Ok, I will quit for tonight, but don't think you have seen the last of me. :) :) :) :)

EDIT:::::
Thank you Clough. That is helpful!

Clough · Apr 2, 2008, 08:39 PM

Your vining varieties are going to need the most space, so I would plan accordingly. For Cucumbers, I find that constructing a trellis works well. If you are going to plant corn for consumption, you will need to plant a lot of it to make it worthwhile. Just my opinion...

You haven't seen the last of me, either! I'm going to see if I can find some pictures of gardens and seedlings that I have had in the past.

Which zone on the map do you live in? That's my next question. I have to go for awhile, now... I will return again sometime... Definitely looking forward to this!!

startover22 · Apr 2, 2008, 08:48 PM

Originally Posted by Clough

Your vining varieties are going to need the most space, so I would plan accordingly. For Cucumbers, I find that constructing a trellis works well. If you are going to plant corn for consumption, you will need to plant a lot of it to make it worthwhile. Just my opinion...

We always plant two or three rows of twelve each row. THAT is a lot of corn and we eat it every night till it's gone for the season. We love it!
Don't worry I am just thinking here, but I also have pots for herbs and other "smaller" things... I am hoping to make salsa, spaghetti sauce, and I would love to dream to have "fresh" frozen veggies for the winter. That is looking way too far ahead, but that is a sort of goal. I think I am going to go GROW crazy this year and learn my lesson from up keeping it all up. I am willing to see how it all goes though!:D
I haven't seen the last of you, you silly, I know that!

Eugene/Springfield... zone 6 is by Portland and me so I think that is my zone.

MOWERMAN2468 · Apr 3, 2008, 07:05 AM

Well startover, I guess you could get a book titled, "Gardening for Dummies". Not calling you a dummy, just a suggestion. I have purchased the book at a book sale, and never even looked at the book. But I have gardened most of my life. And you see I have quite a book collection to the point I have hundreds of books boxed, labeled boxes, and stored. I do plan on building a new home within two years and am going to have to build a library / study room. So even though I have the book, I don't know exactly where it is, but if you could get your hands on a copy it would probably give you some great tips.

Originally Posted by startover22

We always plant two or three rows of twelve each row. THAT is a lot of corn and we eat it every night till it's gone for the season. We love it!!
Don't worry I am just thinking here, but I also have pots for herbs and other "smaller" things......I am hoping to make salsa, spaghetti sauce, and I would love to dream to have "fresh" frozen veggies for the winter. That is looking way too far ahead, but that is a sort of goal. I think I am gonna go GROW crazy this year and learn my lesson from up keeping it all up. I am willing to see how it all goes though!:D
I haven't seen the last of you, you silly, I know that!!

One thing we have begin doing with peppers and okra for instance is to vacuum pack these items. Man they are great, the peppers and okra are just like fresh out of the garden and we enjoy them in the winter.

startover22 · Apr 3, 2008, 08:47 AM

Cool, thank you very much for the tips. I will gather that book up, I have seen it before at the used bookstore!
A library is my dream, funny how I have collected books just so I get my BOOK WALL someday. So happy for you on building the house, how exciting! And someday I will steal one of the kids' rooms when they leave the house for a straight up Startover22 room. Heehee. K, back to the garden, a vacuum packer is a great idea! Thanks!

AKaeTrue · Apr 3, 2008, 09:04 AM

If you're going for it, then I might too...
You've done this before start?
Space is limited - I do have 2 raised flowerbeds that have nothing in them
But weeds - wonder if they would be suitable for some kind of veggies...

startover22 · Apr 3, 2008, 09:15 AM

Ohhh AK, you should. Is it toolate over where you are? WHAT ZONE ARE YOU IN?? Look up in Clough's post there is a link to click it will tell you. Heehee
Oh, we used to have a big ole garden in our old house, we made the basis out of all recycled aterial, even old water skis for some fence posts and an old antique door for the entrance, it was amazing the first and second year, then we got buzy and didn't take care of the things we planted the third. Last year, we just put things in various spots and it didn't do so good. This year we are going full crazy, I want yummy veggies!
Ak, this would be great if you get starters, you and the kids could go out and work on it, they can water it too, that is fun. My kids love it, and get so excited when they see sprouts, and especially when we get to see the veggiegrow right before our eyes, oh and when we pick it to eat, sometimes it never even makes it in the house. So yummmy! I get excited too, so lets do it AK, you can. First thing is first, you got to get those beds cleared and turned... you can do it!

AKaeTrue · Apr 3, 2008, 09:46 AM

It's too late for me to start from scratch, but the nurseries and greenhouses that I've been to around here for my flowers have beautiful fruit and veggie plants already started that I could get.

I probably have to think about some kind of caging too because of the squirrls...
How did you keep bugs off them too?

startover22 · Apr 3, 2008, 09:53 AM

Originally Posted by AKaeTrue

It's too late for me to start from scratch, but the nurseries and greenhouses that I've been to around here for my flowers have beautiful fruit and veggie plants already started that I could get.

I probably have to think about some kind of caging too because of the squirrls...
How did you keep bugs off of them too?

For the squirrels, I would use some sort of chicken wire. I am not sure about the bugs, we didn't have much of a problem in Eugnee, but here in Springfield, it seems to be a problem. I will look into it. Maybe some one else has another suggestion for the sqirrels. Not really sure if it would work, I will Google it and see what I come up with. Going to the nursery is great, because they can give you tips too, cheap and easy to expensive and hard. You get to pick what you do and what you grow. I have found many helpful hints like only grow what your family eats, unless you plan on giving it away. Corn grows great in the back because it gets the tallest and you don't want to "steal" the sun from the other veggies, peas can grow up and it makes for more organization if you put a little wood trellace up for them. Hmmmmm, we are on a roll! Let me see about them cute squirrels... :D
Keeping Squirrels Out of the Garden
Cheap and easy, wonder if it works?

AKaeTrue · Apr 3, 2008, 10:38 AM

Thanks for that...
I think I'll do the chicken wire.
I did notice that they sell it by the plants.

My husband probably won't like that too much though, is there a way to make chicken wire look stylish LOL

startover22 · Apr 4, 2008, 07:43 AM

I am going to go get some seeds tomorrow or Sunday so I can get started!
Ak, I think it would be safe to say that chicken wire would work. (not sure though)
I for one love a decorated garden, I like to put glassware around, the sun shines on it and it's beautiful! The weather seems pretty dreary... we need sun!

bushg · Apr 4, 2008, 07:54 AM

Our garden is made from chicken wire and we have built a princess gate that is painted lavender, around the outside of it we plant flowers that get tall, plants such as cosmos, spider plants... willowy plants that let the sun filter through also we plant short growing plants like marigolds and you can also put sweet pea vines and train them to grow up the wire. There is a sun flower looking vine that we are going to try this year, which will be more colorful than the sweet peas.

We also use bird feeders and sheppard hooks for hanging flowering baskets from.

startover22 · Apr 4, 2008, 08:04 AM

bushg, that sounds so wonderful! There is a whole nother reason for doing this too, as our garden will be a small walk to get to, so when I get there, I get a beautiful surprise, and spending time in the garden with beauty around you, well, you just can't get better than that!

bushg · Apr 4, 2008, 08:09 AM

Lol, lavender was not my choice of paint color but my daughter begged and it has kind of grown on me. Ours is just right out in the back yard... I often wonder if my neighbors think it is an eyesore esp. in the winter.