I have never had a green thumb, or any interest in getting one. I've lived at my house for about a year and a half and happened to notice how well things grew. I have a rosebush in the backyard I haven't touched, but blooms nonetheless. A different type of rose blooms by the driveway. I have pretty blue flowers that bloom around my mailbox. When stuff grows this good, I figured the green thumb was optional.
Tonight for dinner I made mushroom gnocchi, homemade Alfredo sauce, and a salad. I probably do have great greens in the yard for salad, but I cheated. Sean got our first vegetable ready to pick out of the little garden we grew in the front yard. It was a cucumber... and it was HUGE. Sean measured it- 12" long and probably about 4" around. It wasn't bright, dark green like I see at the grocery store. It was the absolute best tasting cucumber I've ever had. He also grabbed the first two cherry tomatoes that finally turned green. It was juicy and HAD FLAVOR!
I decided to go organic before I even decided to have a garden. I didn't like reading the big "KEEP AWAY FROM CHILDREN" warnings on the other stuff. I found a company that sold plant food in cleaned out soda bottles. I sprayed some garlic water on everything to keep some of the bugs away. I spritzed veggie oil on the plants and leaves to keep bugs from being able to climb them. These didn't work entirely, but I feel much better with that than some toxic pesticide.
I would love to be able to go to the store and buy all organic everything, but my financial situation won't allow it. I'll have fresh tomatoes, peppers (green, jalapeño, banana,....), and cucumbers for months to come. I'll have to learn how to can salsa...
All together, our garden, plus the beautiful flowers lining our walkway, cost about $50, including plant food, topsoil, and tools. If at all possible, I would highly recommend growing some of your own food. It's a great feeling to watch your food growing. It's so much safer and tastes so much better. At the very least, try an herb garden! With the prices of food increasing so quickly, it's just a great way to save money.
I wish I had more room for vegetables where I'm at. I am doing herbs right now, but it's not working out that well. My poor little chives just won't grow back quick enough. I need a bigger crop. The little pot from the Dollar Store just isn't enough.
I'll probably do the veggies next year.
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Our front yard is small, and the backyard is huge. The dog gets the backyard though, and he's pretty much destroyed it. I haven't measured my garden, but I would guess it's no more than 10'x4'. The one thing I did not expect was how much room the cucumbers take up. We have to keep redirecting them so they don't grow over other stuff.
I can't believe the chives aren't doing well! They have already taken over an extra foot of the garden. Maybe you should just plant them in the ground.
-Sonja :)
"Democracy works only when you vote. When you don't take the time to vote for the candidate you find the least offensive, you run the risk of electing the candidate you find the most offensive."
We don't have an area of ground to use since we're in a second story of an apartment building, but I can get a bigger pot. I got them from the dollar store, so they came with a pot that has about a 3 inch diameter. It's really small, and there weren't that many seeds. I think I am going to try to buy some seeds next time I go to town and plant them in a big, shallow container such as a baking dish.
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If you have a balcony, you can use that and get things like children's swimming pools (I have a friend that's growing corn in one!), 5-gallon buckets, or whatever other containers you can find that aren't being used or can't be used for their original purpose. Not only will it save you money on containers, but it will also keep those items from getting into a landfill.
I am treated as evil by people who claim that they are being oppressed because they are not allowed to force me to practice what they do. ~D. Dale Gulledge
I live in a place were the dirt is hard and compact. Never the less once we move to the diffrent place I want to start a garden of some of the things we eat most. The area is going to need a lot of work to become soil.
How often did you spray the plants? WHat kind of bugs were you trying to limit?
~T
A nation of well informed men who have been taught to know and prize the rights which God has given them cannot be enslaved. It is in the region of ignorance that tyranny begins. ~Benjamin Franklin
I have pretty good soil here, but I still bought topsoil and mixed it. It really didn't take much to break up the soil. It was a good stress release! When we went to buy the starter plants, we just picked what sounded good. We use a lot of tomatoes, all types of peppers, onions, and the cucumber plants were just for the heck of it. We never buy cucumbers, but I'm glad we planted them.
We planted everything with organic pellets that said they fed for three months. I spray the food about once a week, or when they look wimpy. We've gotten an excessive amount of rain, so I didn't even water them for a few week. I only poured garlic water once, and sprayed the oil once, but I think it's about time I do it again. I have no idea what bugs are eating the leaves, but I have seen ants. I haven't seen any other bugs, but I know they're there!
-Sonja :)
"Democracy works only when you vote. When you don't take the time to vote for the candidate you find the least offensive, you run the risk of electing the candidate you find the most offensive."
The best veggies are from a garden. We used to grow everything in it until my mom got sick and passed away. A good tip for tomatos is do not water then near dusk. They will die on you because of the moisture in the air. It is best to water them mid day or at least before 5 o clock. My mom used to can tomatos they are really easy I can explain it if you don't know how!
I believe it is best to grow your own garden. You will save money in the end and know what is going into your plants. Plus you wouldn't have to worry about salmonella poisoning. It could be the soil by your house as well. Make sure you weed them really good around the plants and they will grow even better. I sound like my mom now sorry lol.
Good post though and it is the best idea.
http://www.progressiveu.org/032913-lupus-uncureable-wait-what
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A bunch of tomatoes have started to grow all of a sudden, so I'll have to do something with them. Sean picked a couple of Serrano and jalapeño peppers last night, so it's a good thing we use a lot of them. I'll probably need to can a lot of salsa.... I kind of know how- mason jars that have been boiled, sealed before they cool down, but I don't really know the details. I'd appreciate the how tos!
I only water in the morning, so I should be ok. One thing someone told me was that whatever plant food you get has to have calcium in it because a lack of calcium can kill the whole crop.
-Sonja :)
"Democracy works only when you vote. When you don't take the time to vote for the candidate you find the least offensive, you run the risk of electing the candidate you find the most offensive."
I've never tried fresh jalapenos before. That sounds really good!
Have you ever heard of growing tomatoes upside down? I'm not sure how it works, but my mother in law puts them in a bucket after they've grown a few inches and allows the buckets to hang. She cuts a hole in the bottom so that the plant grows toward the ground. I think it's so you don't have to use the tomato plant support thingies, but I don't know. Everyone in the family talks about what a great idea it is, so maybe it's something you would want to try. She uses 5 gallon buckets from her workplace.
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The fresh peppers are even better from my front yard. :)
I saw some kind of contraption that you hang to grow tomatoes upside down. I considered that, but I don't really have anything to hang them on. I got three different types of tomatoes. The cherry tomato plant is relatively small, but the other two- "sweet 100" and "big boy" are HUGE. We've tied them against the fence, but they're growing out too. I had forgotten to buy one of the support things, so we just used what we had around. They're too big to change it now. If I can figure some way to hang plants next year, that is a great idea.
-Sonja :)
"Democracy works only when you vote. When you don't take the time to vote for the candidate you find the least offensive, you run the risk of electing the candidate you find the most offensive."
Also Miricle grow (looks like top soil) has alot of nutrients in it. We had HUGE tomatos from that. When the plants grow really tall it is a good idea to stake them. You get a wooden stake and tie string to the stake and the plant but not to tight..because you could kill it. Or those round metal thingies work good as well.
My mom used to can tomatos this way.
Take one of those smaller turkey pans and put water in it.
Place it on both burners and drop tomatos in it.
Boil them for awhile but not to where they bust open.
Then she would peel them and put them in mason jars and seal them.
I am not sure about salsa but you could just can tomatos then add the onions and whatever else you want when you want to eat it...
We had canned tomatos that stayed tasting like new for up to 4 plus years.
Sorry the info was alittle scarce but she hasn't canned in 3 or 4 years probably more because she is not canning on earth apparently maybe heaven. lol.
I have alot of her recipes and I am still trying to master them. Hope that helped alittle bit sounds like your doing a good job.
Plucking nearly all the weeds out is very important..it makes any plant grow much better.
http://www.progressiveu.org/032913-lupus-uncureable-wait-what
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Miracle Grow plant food does work great- my mom used to use it. It's not organic though, and I've been trying to keep with that.
We tied strings around the tomatoes up against the fence. It seems to be working ok.
I remember my great-grandmother also boiling the mason jars to sterilize them. From what you told me, I would imagine as long as I cooked the salsa, I'd be fine for canning. I'd have to add the onions, jalapeños, and cilantro just so those wouldn't go to waste.
I can't keep up with the weeds. It gets to where I'm not completely sure if it's a weed or a plant... I'm trying...
-Sonja :)
"Democracy works only when you vote. When you don't take the time to vote for the candidate you find the least offensive, you run the risk of electing the candidate you find the most offensive."
Make jalepeno poppers! They are so good with fresh peppers!
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/ediblewoman
That sounds so good! We have some peppers that would be perfect sizes for it, just waiting for them to change colors.
-Sonja :)
"Democracy works only when you vote. When you don't take the time to vote for the candidate you find the least offensive, you run the risk of electing the candidate you find the most offensive."
My favorite part of summer is eating home grown veggies! I'm gonna brag a bit, because my daddy grows the absolute BEST sweet corn! And my mom's cucumbers are delicious! Squee!
We even have a good asparagus patch growing!
Home grown food is definitely the best! Cheaper, fresher, less bruised and battered, and you know exactly what went into it! The only thing I don't like is canning... my mom cans relentlessly every fall. It's madness. O.o
And that's comin' at ya' from yer local redneck hippie.
--
The Story of Myself
I hadn't thought about that. I don't know that I even saw asparagus when I was looking for stuff to plant. I do love fresh asparagus though.
Canning is that much fun, eh?
-Sonja :)
"Democracy works only when you vote. When you don't take the time to vote for the candidate you find the least offensive, you run the risk of electing the candidate you find the most offensive."
Asparagus is hard to grow... we had so much trouble with it the first few years.
And I think you have to let it grow for a year before you can eat it...
It's really pretty, though, once the asparagus season has ended, and it gets all flowery and goes to seed. It's like a mini forest!
And that's comin' at ya' from yer local redneck hippie.
--
The Story of Myself
My yard already looks like a mini-forest. I can't wait two years for asparagus. :)
-Sonja :)
"Democracy works only when you vote. When you don't take the time to vote for the candidate you find the least offensive, you run the risk of electing the candidate you find the most offensive."
My sisters' dad started a garden over at his house, and although the soil is crap, things seem to be growing quite well. We have sweet corn out there, tomatoes, jalapenos... and probably a few other things I'm forgetting. It'll be an interesting harvest :)
~C
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I absolutely love gardening (I miss it!!!). I used to work with quite a big garden. A nice thing is a lot of veggies don't take up much space. Now, if you wanted to grow watermelon or squash, you need a lot more space. But tomatoes and peppers can be nice and compact!
All organic is def. the way to go. I never used any chemicals on my plants, and I swear they taste better!
Yes, if you have to water, do it in the morning if possible. Also, if you're planting or transplanting seedlings, try to do it when it's cool or overcast. Transplanting on hot, sunny days can shock your baby plants.
I think we did plant the baby plants on a hot sunny day, but they seemed to take it pretty well. We only have one pepper plant- I forget which kind- that isn't doing well. My eggplant, which my mom swore was impossible to grow, is actually looking great.
I'll have to go outside and get some pictures of the cucumbers. I had to redirect them again yesterday, They are growing so fast! I know better for next year how and where to plant. We definitely should have made a bigger garden, just for them.
-Sonja :)
"Democracy works only when you vote. When you don't take the time to vote for the candidate you find the least offensive, you run the risk of electing the candidate you find the most offensive."
Fair warning! I know nothing about planting veggies - or even cooking anything for that matter, so I will most likely be private messaging most of you who have responded to this post so I can get some more ideas, if that's okay, that is.
I have a tendency to "forget" to eat too often and I'm beginning to think that if I grew some veggies and fruits, maybe I will be a little more motivated to feed myself. Thanks in advance for all help and advice!!!
I truly admire all of you taking initative to make the world a better place.. Plants and gardens are not only a great way of obtaining fresh, good for you food but it is also a place where you can enjoy what God has given us and reflect on your day... My flower of choice is the sunflower... How many flowers do you know of that can grow to be 6 feet tall?? I attempted to grow a few of these beautiful flowers but one day when I came outside to water them I found that a slug type animal had eatin one of my sunflowers, stalk and all. I was devastated... I then planted another one and made a salt ring around the plant, if you don't know salt causes slugs to dry up because it leaches the water of their body. I came out a couple days later to water it and found it taken over by holes from bugs, yet again my beautiful sunflower was no more...
There are some sunflowers growing outside of my apartment. It was almost like they popped up overnight. They're nice to see every day!
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This is tangentially related to your post, but I am so excited about it, I have to share!
Living in a condo, I don't have a yard for gardening, which makes me sad. But there is good news!
My partner and I discovered asparagus and raspberry bushes along the Greenway last week! We're going raspberry picking today! The Greenway is the big bike trail that runs the length of Minneapolis, where the old train tracks were. There are TONS of black and red raspberries coming ripe along the path!
We will look for asparagus next spring!
I love urban foraging!
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/ediblewoman
Haha. There no such thing as no room to garden. What about a very small or even an herb garden inside or hanging from a window?
I'm jealous. The only berries I've seen are in my yard randomly, and I can't identify them. I really don't want to test whether or not poisonous.
-Sonja :)
"Democracy works only when you vote. When you don't take the time to vote for the candidate you find the least offensive, you run the risk of electing the candidate you find the most offensive."
We have herbs in our window boxes, but they are only 8" x 14". It's not enough to grow any real food. Boo.
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/ediblewoman
Well, considering herbs can get expensive, you're still saving money.
I am treated as evil by people who claim that they are being oppressed because they are not allowed to force me to practice what they do. ~D. Dale Gulledge
Fair warning with the cherry tomatoes -- don't get more than one or two plants unless you want to feed the whole county.
We ended up with about 10-15 plants one year and were picking over 700 a day!
I am treated as evil by people who claim that they are being oppressed because they are not allowed to force me to practice what they do. ~D. Dale Gulledge
We only have two cherry tomato plants, and they've both developed a ton of new tomatoes all of a sudden. We were picking only a few for salads. They're all green for right now, but it won't be long before I'll have to can them. I'll probably give a lot of them away. I'm not looking forward to canning!
-Sonja :)
"Democracy works only when you vote. When you don't take the time to vote for the candidate you find the least offensive, you run the risk of electing the candidate you find the most offensive."