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First vegetable garden...need help
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BeanJuice
Just Arrived
Joined: 22 Jan 2007
Posts: 4
Location: Minneapolis
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| Posted: Mon Jan 29, 2007 1:39 pm Post subject: First vegetable garden...need help |
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Hello everyone. I'm hoping that someone can give my wife and I a hand. We've bought our first home (last april) and we would like to start a veg. garden.
We are planning to grow
Kale, carrots, green beans, garlic, assorted herbs, mesculin lettuce, butter lettuce, chard, tomatoes, cucumbers, zuccini, acorn and pumpkins.
Our garden situation is a 10X10' area and also a 2x12 raised bed that is between our retaining wall and our neighbors fence. Both areas have great sun, but never have been tilled before. The upper garden is currently full of rocks and we have lots of preprep to do. The lower is simply grass and a rock bordered flower bed that will have to be removed.
Our question is how do we lay out what to grow where. and as some vegetables mature sooner than others can you just replant the same item in the in the bare spot or is a rotation required?
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eileen
Moderator & Resident Taxonomist
 Moderator
Joined: 07 Feb 2005
Posts: 9835
Location: Scotland (Map)
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Frank
Happy Gardening
Administrator
Joined: 25 Jan 2005
Posts: 8475
Location: Malmö, Sweden
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| Posted: Mon Jan 29, 2007 2:19 pm Post subject: |
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Beanjuice maybe it would be a good idea if you are starting out anew to take a pH reading of your soil as vegetable gardens like something in the 6.0 to 6.8 range. If needs be you can raise or lower your soil's current pH level and this is best done at the start.
I would rotate to prevent disease. Regarding soil nutrient levels I shouldn't see too many issues as long as the soil has an adequate supply of nutrients, lots of lovely organic matter should see to this. Do you keep a compost heap?
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Happy Gardening
Last edited by Frank on Mon Jan 29, 2007 2:38 pm; edited 2 times in total
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BeanJuice
Just Arrived
Joined: 22 Jan 2007
Posts: 4
Location: Minneapolis
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| Posted: Mon Jan 29, 2007 2:26 pm Post subject: |
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Thank you much. I've been searching all winter, but seemed everyone wanted me to buy a memebership.
This will be very handy.
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toni
Mistress of Garden Junque
Moderator
Joined: 07 Jan 2006
Posts: 4195
Location: North Texas (Map)
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| Posted: Mon Jan 29, 2007 2:59 pm Post subject: |
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Hi Beanjuice, welcome to the Stew from north Texas.
We don't require payment for membership here but we do request pictures of gardens, we all love to see the progression of a garden and pictures of it's produce whether that is flowers or vegies.
Most seed packets will have instructions for starting successive plantings every two weeks to extend the life of your garden. I don't know how long your growing season is, but you should be able to get a couple of crops of most everything. Since you can harvest herbs without killing the plant if you cut carefully, those will last the entire season.
Planting in the same spot shouldn't be a problem, but rotating your crop placement is sometimes recommended every year so keeping a chart of where each plant is each year will be helpful.
http://www.gardenguides.com/how-to/tipstechniques/vegetables/vcomp.asp
Since some plants make great companions and some can not stand each other, this chart might be interesting to read too.
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BeanJuice
Just Arrived
Joined: 22 Jan 2007
Posts: 4
Location: Minneapolis
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| Posted: Thu Feb 01, 2007 2:42 am Post subject: |
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Ah thank you. Just had a chance to check in and see all the welcomes.
I've managed to get a list of all our seeds from seeds of change. They do list all the growth info on the back and how often to sow...so once we know the soil is okay we'll be tilling and pitching more rocks than you've ever seen out of the way.
Just as a side not someone above mentioned ph of the soil...i keep reptiles and it is crucial to ph to note the temp of the water...Does temp matter with soil samples or no?
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Frank
Happy Gardening
Administrator
Joined: 25 Jan 2005
Posts: 8475
Location: Malmö, Sweden
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| Posted: Thu Feb 01, 2007 9:33 pm Post subject: |
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Room temperature will be fine BeanJuice. Do not apply any artificial heat to dry the soil samples as this may alter results 
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Happy Gardening
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reggaefan
Official Poet Laureate
Joined: 24 Aug 2006
Posts: 2520
Location: Zone 8b Louisiana (Map)
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| Posted: Thu Feb 01, 2007 10:10 pm Post subject: |
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The best advice I can give is to start with just a few plants of different varietes {sic} to find out which have the best results. Have patience and don't give up
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Richard
"We have met the enemy,and it is us." POGO
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