Grow and grill?? Gardening questions

[HankB]

I can't speak to your local conditions. I'm sure things are different in the Midwest and what works for me may not work for you.

I highly recommend getting some herbs like sage, rosemary, thyme, chives and anything else you use regularly. (I have some chives on the windowsill and used them to spice up some butternut squash soup we had for dinner.)

In the summer I love to pick a zucchini, slice it up and grill it to go with dinner.

I also suggest that you look into square foot gardening. It espouses techniques that work well for small plots like raised beds.

Some garden pron:

[Bluesman]

Guess I need another hobby to feed this hobby.......So, why raised beds over flat? I know were I live the rabbits eat everything. Do you guys have rabbit problems? And what in the Fark do you do will all these veggies and herbs!! So now I gotta take up canning as well..... Go ahead, get me hooked I'm easy and I like to cook and eat...............

[Hoosier1960]

Originally Posted by basuraman

Planning on growing some of the food we cook this year. We are thinking of doing at least one raised bed and some random pots. I know we want to attempt tomatoes, peppers and some herbs. Anyone have some suggestions for us brown thumbs?

We have a small backyard and I am in hot northern California.

Any ideas appreciated.

Check out the book The New Square Foot Garden. I got it from the library and liked it so well I bought it.

[fnbish]

Originally Posted by Bluesman

Guess I need another hobby to feed this hobby.......So, why raised beds over flat? I know were I live the rabbits eat everything. Do you guys have rabbit problems? And what in the Fark do you do will all these veggies and herbs!! So now I gotta take up canning as well..... Go ahead, get me hooked I'm easy and I like to cook and eat...............

Any of the links here will answer the raised bed benefits. Traditional gardening works too, but for me is was easier than tilling up the yard along with, better drainage and easier weed control.
https://www.google.com/search?q=rais...&client=safari

[Pugi]

Originally Posted by Bluesman

Guess I need another hobby to feed this hobby.......So, why raised beds over flat? I know were I live the rabbits eat everything. Do you guys have rabbit problems? And what in the Fark do you do will all these veggies and herbs!! So now I gotta take up canning as well..... Go ahead, get me hooked I'm easy and I like to cook and eat...............

When I started some 20 years ago, I tilled up some ground and planted plants bought from local store. Kept them watered and got a ok harvest. Since then I've learned what to plant next to each other and how to and when to harvest. My biggest suggestion would to build up your soil, add organic manure, get a good weeding hoe and water regularly. Mine is watered automatically every night by sprinkler. Not the optimum way but it works. Last year off of 12 roma tomatoes plants I got a little over 200 pounds of tomatoes. Don't be afraid, jump in and grow fresh natural veggies. Your taste buds will appreciate it!

Home canned salsa on home made chorizzo and fresh home made flour tortilla.

[cowgirl]

I plant in wide rows... and let my chickens weed eat the walk-ways for me.
http://cowgirlscountry.blogspot.com/...weedeater.html

Not very good pics but it works great.

[Al Czervik]

Originally Posted by fnbish

Any of the links here will answer the raised bed benefits. Traditional gardening works too, but for me is was easier than tilling up the yard along with, better drainage and easier weed control.
https://www.google.com/search?q=rais...&client=safari

I grow in raised beds too for the same reasons. Here are some new ones I put in last year that I constructed out of 1"x6"x6' cedar fence boards...





The old ones were finally rotting away after about about 15 years. As you can see in the bottom pic, I irrigate with drip lines from my sprinkler system. If I had to hand water, it would never happen. And yes I know the fence needs to be stained...

[Pugi]

Originally Posted by Al Czervik

And yes I know the fence needs to be stained...

Al, don't worry about the fence, it looks just like mine. I actually prefer the gray look.

[AussieTitch]

Raised beds here as well,sure saves the back.
We grow thru the hot weather and found mulching to be the most important.
Simple things that complement a meal,herbs as already mentioned.
Tomatoes and we do a lot of mixing into the same beds.
netting for us to keep the Chooks out.
Small hot house for winter time,
Small yard for around here.




Backyard is under construction and has not been neat for years.

Cheers.
Titch

[Untraceable]

when I lived in an apt, I started out with a whiskey barrel and a couple cheap plastic pots, the next year it grew into 2 barrels+pots, then I bought a house and have a monster garden. Ive wanted to do the raised beds but havent yet. one thing keeping me from doing it is I got 7 yards of black dirt last year to put around my house with only a wheelbarrow. almost killed me! lol. Remember, if you do raised beds, you have to fill the raised beds

[jazzybadger]

Originally Posted by Pugi

When I started some 20 years ago, I tilled up some ground and planted plants bought from local store. Kept them watered and got a ok harvest. Since then I've learned what to plant next to each other and how to and when to harvest. My biggest suggestion would to build up your soil, add organic manure, get a good weeding hoe and water regularly. Mine is watered automatically every night by sprinkler. Not the optimum way but it works. Last year off of 12 roma tomatoes plants I got a little over 200 pounds of tomatoes. Don't be afraid, jump in and grow fresh natural veggies. Your taste buds will appreciate it!

Home canned salsa on home made chorizzo and fresh home made flour tortilla.

My wife just looked over as I was browsing through this thread and she told me, "You should reply to that post and tell whoever that is that their food looks DELICIOUS." So that is what I am doing. I agree, it does look delicious.

[Deep South]

We filled the freezer up last year and had a bumper crop of banana peppers. Every year one item seems to thrive while another just doesn't produce (based on weather I suppose). A smaller garden close to the house seems to be safer from deer and other pests and I'm more likely to water and keep it weed free. I hope to elevate the beds this year to make maintenance easier. We have mostly acidic soil in Alabama, so tilling in my leaves and all my ashes from the grill and smoker make GREAT soil for growing vegetables.



canned green beans from last year

[basuraman]

Thank you everyone for the ideas. We are expecting a child mid June so I am thinking that drip/auto watering is going to be important as we will other things on our mind. All these gardens look great.

[cpw]

This thread definitely wants to make me give this a shot. I have always wanted to grow fresh herbs, just haven't ever had much luck with them indoors.

[BevoBurn96]

You should try bush type white scalloped patty-pan squash (I call them UFO squash). You can find the seeds on ebay and they have a great selection of vegetable types you can't find in the garden stores. Even can get black/purple tomatoes which are really tasty.