It's time ~ the garden goes from hobby to necessity

[Uniwolf]

So I also share the goal to have a much better garden this year. Have moved the garden bed to the side of the house. It will still get plenty of sunlight, but not as direct or scalding, as it will not be beating off of the wall of the shop at the same time. Last year you could see the heat waves radiating off of the shop walls, and my poor garden baked, literally. So, have moved the garden, had DD2's boyfriend till it for me last fall. Have been saving coffee grounds and eggshells, over the cold season, and will have him till all of it up together this spring. Since Lent just started this past week, I know that I still have right at 40 days before planting. But it is time to start getting everything together. I also have plans of doing a strawberry bed around one of our trees in the back yard. The roots stick out above ground way bad, and rocks seem to sprout from it. So if I do a strawberry bed around it, it will solve a couple of problems. As well as the fact that I want a strawberry bed

[Spirit Deer]

I would love to have some root veggies (pots, sw pot, onions & carrots) but I have NEVER been able to grow anything like that.

Try growing potatoes in a big pot. Here's one of ours.

Salvaged free from the metal pile at our solid waste transfer station. It's an old tub from a clothes washer. Works great. The platform it's on was just some scrap lumber I threw together, also free. Getting stuff up off the ground sure is a back-saver, and that makes us more likely to tend our plants. Not that they need much tending. BTW, you can see by the rock in that picture why container gardening and raised beds are pretty much our only option.

I think bulb onions are, for the most part, a waste of space. It's a lot of work and space and water and all you get is one bulb. Put in some perennials, like bunching onions or Egyptian walking onions. I got starts for both by asking on Freecycle. They're very hardy and you practically can't kill them. They're about the first thing up in the spring, too, and just automatically show up. They multiply so as long as you leave some each year, the onion patch will grow. The bunching onions produce seeds and drop the seeds, which grow each spring, no effort required on your part. The walking onions produce bulbils (which are also edible) at the top of the stalk. The weight of the bulbils makes the stalk bend down, so over time, the onions will 'walk' and spread around their area. Those also multiply and produce each year without any effort on your part.

Isn't nature wonderful?

[sabrelvssammy]

Try growing potatoes in a big pot. Here's one of ours.

Salvaged free from the metal pile at our solid waste transfer station. It's an old tub from a clothes washer. Works great. The platform it's on was just some scrap lumber I threw together, also free. Getting stuff up off the ground sure is a back-saver, and that makes us more likely to tend our plants. Not that they need much tending. BTW, you can see by the rock in that picture why container gardening and raised beds are pretty much our only option.

I think bulb onions are, for the most part, a waste of space. It's a lot of work and space and water and all you get is one bulb. Put in some perennials, like bunching onions or Egyptian walking onions. I got starts for both by asking on Freecycle. They're very hardy and you practically can't kill them. They're about the first thing up in the spring, too, and just automatically show up. They multiply so as long as you leave some each year, the onion patch will grow. The bunching onions produce seeds and drop the seeds, which grow each spring, no effort required on your part. The walking onions produce bulbils (which are also edible) at the top of the stalk. The weight of the bulbils makes the stalk bend down, so over time, the onions will 'walk' and spread around their area. Those also multiply and produce each year without any effort on your part.

Isn't nature wonderful?

Thanks! I can try the potatoes in some of my 'crates'.

I will do some research on the onions coz I sure go thru a boatload of them.

I am thinking about trying to grow some of the plants vertically (such as squashes, eggplants) coz' they take up SO much room in the garden with their vines - I have heard that you can stake them up and then put the veggie's in panty hose and tie them so that they can continue to grow and are supported by the hose.

Anyone ever done this?

[Uniwolf]

sabrelvssammy - you can also train some to climb, depending on what you are using for trellis. I also use strips cut from hubbies old work t-shirts that have been laundered to the point of being very old and very soft.

Spirit Deer- you rock, I have heard of using trash cans, for potatoes, but would have never thought of a washingmachine tub. I have used the big totes for it to, and had medium success.
I have used the coconut planters to grow hanging greenbeans and peas to, but you are right they do dry out rather quickly.

[Spirit Deer]

You can grow squashes in a big pot and just let them sprawl out of the pot onto the ground, too.

Uniwolf, thanks.

[Missourimom]

Good luck! Our garden performed horribly last year due to the weird weather, the deer and the stupid squirrels. I'll try again though, but the animals ate 3/4 of the garden last year!

[sabrelvssammy]

You can grow squashes in a big pot and just let them sprawl out of the pot onto the ground, too.

Uniwolf, thanks.

I thought about that in the backyard but I was afraid that the vines would be competing with the grass they are growing on and then I wouldn't be able to cut tall grass growing in between the vines but I suppose I could hand cut it. It would be worth the trouble getting all the wonderful veggies! Thanks!

[Spirit Deer]

Do you have a deck you could put a pot of squash on? Or other non-grassy surface that doesn't get too hot?

Good fences are a must here to keep critters out.

[sabrelvssammy]

Do you have a deck you could put a pot of squash on? Or other non-grassy surface that doesn't get too hot?

Good fences are a must here to keep critters out.

Yes I have a deck but dh would have a cow if he had to stomp over squash vines every time he went out- lol

[momof42003]

I am going to have to agree. I just saw the price of gas go up almost 6 cents OVERNIGHT! Gas is basically 4.00 a gallon and I too do not see an end in sight. My garden is going to have to be able to help sustain my family. Enough to eat fresh and enough (hopefully) to can and put away for the summer. My electric is going up, gas up, cost of pretty much everything is going up. I need to cut costs and corners where I can. Thanks for posting.

[frugalwarrior2]

We just lost $1200. this yr. to taxes
and the dogs operation $1300.(blew out his knee)
I would love to garden big but 3 dogs and our zone really make it tough. Not that i won't try again.

[warramra]

I have been studying and planning out my garden since the beginning of January. We will absolutely need the garden this year. Due to the mild winter we have had I even jump started our cool weather crops (lettuce, spinach, broccoli, chard and peas) planting them the second week of Jan. Invested $8 in felxi-pvc and plastic to build a small hoop frame over the raised bed I use in the Spring. I cleaned out a flower bed that never produced many flowers because it is too shady once the trees leaf. Instead I am using that this year for more cool weather crop that will use the abundant late winter & spring sunlight. I will be harvesting lettuce in the next week or so. Maybe this way I can harvest something worthwhile before our 80-90 degree May days.

DH expanded our summer garden plot last summer. Since we got the hens in Jan I have been throwing waste hay from the coop in there to be tilled in before we plant. I am studying companion planting with herbs and some edible flowers for the garden area.

DH has also given me the greenlight to fill a good third of our back deck with containers. We have built ledges off the deck to hold window boxes for herbs. My mom passed on about 10 planters she didn't need anymore. I am going to try planting potatoes in containers along with a lot of herbs. Yesterday, when I went to the Garden Shop for the seed potatoes, they were giving free strawberry plants to kids...so I brought three of my kids with me. I will add those to the volunteer strawberry plants I found growing in my 'trash' container from last year. Thought the roots were duds since they didn't do anything...this year they are already sending up strong, healthy leaves.

Between repurposing space and containers we are almost tripling our garden. I hope we have as good a year as three years ago. Weather has done its number lately. I'm already dreaming about roasted veggies and simple pasta meals made with olive oil and fresh herbs.

I am planning on doing mushroom kits to grow inside year-round. They are pricey, but still work out to about half the retail cost per pound when harvested. We have started replacing meat sometimes with mushrooms.

I am also planning for fall plantings of garlic, onions and greens. I will use plastic hoop houses to try to keep the harvest going as long as possible into the winter.

[sabrelvssammy]

Do you have a deck you could put a pot of squash on? Or other non-grassy surface that doesn't get too hot?

Good fences are a must here to keep critters out.

I got to thinking (you guys are GREAT for that!!) and I do have the patio on the side of the house that I could let the vines crawl on.

It's a concrete patio on the north side of the house and it gets plenty of morning and late afternoon sun.

So you are saying that the crawling vines do not have to have the ground to attach to? Whenever I planted squash in the past the vines would 'attach' themselves to the ground. They would be ok on the concrete? Should I give them a blanket of straw to lay on as they grow out? And what about water? Do I water just the root plant itself or do the vines absorb water too so I should spray down the whole thing?

[Spirit Deer]

I don't think they need to attach to the ground, but someone with more squash expertise might have a different and better answer.

You could put a pot on the patio and also plant squash elsewhere and see what does best where.

How much squash do you actually eat each year? For us, we don't use that much and it's not a huge expense, so we've decided it's not really worth growing it considering the space and care it needs. We feel our efforts are better put into more valuable crops. I usually buy a few squash in the fall when they're cheap, nuke them in the microwave a while, and freeze them in serving-sized containers.

You can use squash to make pie, using a pumpkin pie recipe. They taste about the same.

[sabrelvssammy]

How much squash do you actually eat each year? For us, we don't use that much and it's not a huge expense, so we've decided it's not really worth growing it considering the space and care it needs. We feel our efforts are better put into more valuable crops. I usually buy a few squash in the fall when they're cheap, nuke them in the microwave a while, and freeze them in serving-sized containers.

I eat BOATLOADS of squash. Yellow, zucchini, butternut & spaghetti (which the last 2 I am going to have to grow too). I probably eat it 4 times a week in some form (being a vegan and all).

I stir fry a lot of the yellow & zucchini. And put it in soups. And slice up and pan fry to eat as 'sandwiches'. We grill it too.

The butternut I either cut in half & bake face down in a shallow pan of water and then scrape out the insides (like mashed pots) or I peel & cube and sprinkle with cinnamon & pepper and bake and it comes out like chunky potatoes. (super yummy!)

The spaghetti is great baked and then hollowed and it's just like 'spaghetti' (hence the name) and I use it in place of pasta.

So see- I NEED squash! Currently I am able to buy the yellow & zucchini in the reduced produce section and when I see it I hoard it up. I have 4 gallon size bags chopped and waiting in the freezer.