This is topic Calling all Gardeners! in forum General Support at LymeNet Flash.


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Posted by canefan17 (Member # 22149) on :
 
Does anybody here grow their own vegetables or herbs?

Lately I've grown interested in startin up a garden in our backyard. I work 4 days out of the week and find myself bored the other 3 days.

I'd like to grow some vegetables and herbs but I wouldn't know where to start.

Any suggestions?
Ideas?
 
Posted by sixgoofykids (Member # 11141) on :
 
Moved to general.
 
Posted by canefan17 (Member # 22149) on :
 
ahh yes... where threads go to die

: )
 
Posted by MorningSong (Member # 19989) on :
 
My husband and I started a vegetable garden a couple of years ago. We knew nothing about gardening at the time.

A book that was a tremendous help was and still is "The Vegetable Gardeners Bible" by Edward C. Smith:

http://www.amazon.com/Vegetable-Gardeners-Bible-High-Yield-Gardening/dp/product-description/1580172121

Both my neighbors had recommended the book to us. Tonight we had a salad straight from the garden [Wink]
 
Posted by TS96 (Member # 14048) on :
 
I Love gardening.

visit the library. Check out a few books.

Mother Earth News is a great magazine on the how to's.

You don't have to get a tiller. Just put several layers of newspaper down where you want to garden and add your compost/dirt and start planting.

Start small, don't overdo.

Parsley, cilantro, basil are great herbs. Parsley is slow to germinate so be patient, but basil grows nice and fast.


Gardening is very theraputic, good for the body and soul.
 
Posted by canefan17 (Member # 22149) on :
 
Awesome!

TS96, I was thinking the same thing.

I just wanna turn my music on, and head out into the hot texas sun and mend to my garden (that i dont yet have)

: )

morningsong, thanks... ill check it out
 
Posted by momintexas (Member # 23391) on :
 
Does anyone have any good suggestions to keep the bugs off of vegetables???

I started a vegetable garden this year and the bugs are really enjoying it.
 
Posted by sutherngrl (Member # 16270) on :
 
I have always grown tomatoes! A southern thing!
Also have grown squash and zucchinni.

I grow mine in big pots on my deck right now. My deck is huge so it works fine. Might do a bigger garden in my yard when I feel better, hopefully next year.

My next thing to want to try and grow is herbs, but don't know much about those yet.

I also plan on growing peppers in pots.

It is theraputic for sure. It feels so good to eat something you grew with your own hands.

I haven't had any issues with the bugs. I do know that if you have a garden and plant some merigolds amoung the veggies it helps keeps some of the bugs away.

My biggest problem is with squirrels. What works best for those nasty creatures is I sprinkle cayenne pepper around on my deck; they hate it; you have to reapply it often and when it rains. Also I have a fake owl that I move around from place to place.

I want to add herbs and try and make my own salsa. Will work on that next year!
 
Posted by 17hens (Member # 23747) on :
 
Canfane - 3 years ago my husband read a book, "All New Square Foot Gardening" by Mel Bartholomew and that's all we've been doing ever since!

I challenge anyone to grow more veggies in less space, with less work, less time, less water, less weeds, with less tools! Mel says all you need is a little trowel, scissors and a pencil and it's true!

My husband even took a class and is certified to teach it! He loves it!!! Now he's starting his own side business helping other people start their own square foot gardens!

Check out the book - I promise you won't be disappointed!

momintexas - cayenne pepper spray!

[ 05-27-2010, 10:16 PM: Message edited by: 17hens ]
 
Posted by momintexas (Member # 23391) on :
 
Ohhhhh great ideas! Thanks so much!
 
Posted by aMomWithHope (Member # 19255) on :
 
I second the Square Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew--great and easy way to grow LOTS of veggies and flowers.
 
Posted by Geneal (Member # 10375) on :
 
My husband got a new tractor this year.

I usually have a 16 foot by 16 foot garden.

This year is is a quarter of an acre!

Garden overkill in my book.

Still I love to putter around and grow my own veggies.

A natural way to control bugs is to plant marigolds around your garden.

Horse manure (when dried out) is the best fertilizer in the world.

Doesn't smell at all if properly dried.

I am currently at 55 tomato plants, about one hundred snap beans (children got carried away),

Thirty yellow squash, ten green squash, 5 rows of corn (about 130 ft per row),

Fifteen cantelope plants, 3 watermelon (children won't eat),

Seven jalapeno plants, 10 bell peppers, 8 okra plants and some banana peppers.

I still have over 5 rows empty.

I give a lot of veggies away.

It is therapeutic, but I suggest you start small.

A box garden isn't difficulty and easier to maintain.

My husband always does too big. Maybe 'cause he's short. [Big Grin]

Try snap beans. They are super easy.

Hugs,

Geneal
 
Posted by MADDOG (Member # 18) on :
 
Mom in texas,Weak dishwashing soap and water spray kills bugs.

I don't remember the mix ,seems like a small teaspoon per gallon of water.

Spray it on some weeds and test it first.

MADDOG
 
Posted by LabRat (Member # 78) on :
 
Glad to see others playing in the dirt. I've enjoyed gardening off and on my whole life and just recently really got into it again, sort of by accident. My most powerful wife, in a previous life, was I'm quite sure a plantation owner, with many slaves!! She has no mercy when it comes to working in the garden with her. Lift this and tote dat and once we get it all set up all you have to do is water it. Great plan, thank you dear!

Interesting how we stumble through life not really knowing where we're going or how we're going to get there. I'd read about catfish farms in Mississippi as far back as 1963 and I found it intensely interesting.
I had a bit of luck in Vegas back in 91 and decided to convert about half my greenhouse to a fish farm. An old boy in Ill. sold and delivered it here in Corpus Christi. I had it up and running in no time.

I started raising Australian red claws, a big crawfish. I discovered a few things that they failed to mentioned, like these critters ate holes in the tank liner and each other. It was fun but I lost interest. The equipment sat in the greenhouse till about 2005 and I started growing catfish. This was more fun and they were very easy to raise.

I've discovered that for me, the only way to garden is an automated watering system. Well, if you do that you may as well drain the water back to a tank and call it hydroponics! If you use the fish tank water, then you can call it Aquaponics!

You wouldn't believe how this fish water makes everything grow! There are tons of videos on youtube where you can get ideas. Just type in aquaponics and enjoy!
 


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