First time growing a vegetable garden: Advice?

In My Humble Opinion
1

I rototilled a 10X10 plot behind my house. I thinking about planting pumpkins, corn, carrots, spinach and tomatos. It’s a small plot, so just a couple of each, obviously.

The missus wants me to grow organic, so I presume I’ll have a limited selection of fertilizers and pest control stuff to choose from. And we’ve got lots of squirrels in the yard - they ate our jack-o-lanterns last Halloween. Hmm. We also had (have?) some racoon troubles - I bought a big Rubbermaid thing to keep the rubbish barrels in, so they (the racoons) don’t cause too much trouble these days, but I accidentally left the Rubbermaid thing open once last summer, and the damned racoon(s) got into it (so I guess they still patrol my garden). I ramble.

So. Got any advice for a newbie gardener? Mainly I’m looking for general advice about organic pesticides and how to kep the damned squirrels from getting into everything (is that even possible?).

2

I garden in NE Pa zone 5. I just planted sweet corn ( 5 25’ rows ). Peas and potatoes already in the ground. I have flats of tomatos, marigolds, and cabbage started. I do not use any insecticides. I do pick off the japanese beetles by hand. I spread compost and also use some 10-10-10, which is not organic. The corn needs to be a block of at least 4 rows for pollination. My best advice keep after the weeds. A little at a time is easy, if you let them get ahead of you ouch! Start a compost bin. No racoon or squirrel, ( or deer & groundhog), problems for me as we have a dog. After I plant I cover the row with either chicken wire, or plastic mesh (from wally world real cheap for 50’). This keeps the chickens from digging up the seeds. Remove the mesh when the plants sprout and start to grow.

3

If you’re growing your veg in a plot that was previously covered with grass, I’d forget the carrots for this year - they tend to get eaten by the invertebrates that were previously munching the grass roots.

What kind of soil do you have?

4

OK, so I guess corn and carrots are out. I haven’t started any seeds, but I guess I can get sproutlings from the garden store. I’mm certain tomatos will grow - hell, tomoto’s will grow almost anywhere.

I’m in Massachusetts, north of Boston. The soil is moist and black, on the acidic side, I think. The plot was grass. And some (peat?) moss. In summer it gets full sun.

5

The pumpkins will also take up a crapload of room.

If anybody else has good suggestions about the squirrels, please chime in! Last year they were such a problem that I had to put netting over the whole garden, and then that kept me from really getting int here and doing things like suckering the tomatoes, so I had a big awful jungle. I tried putting mothballs around, which does work, but you have to constantly do it especially after the rain.

6

Winston, we’ve had pretty good luck growing carrots in a garden that was previously covered with grass. So YMMV.

Compost, compost, compost. It’s like having your own little science project in the backyard. You can get a composting bin pretty easily, and you just chuck kitchen scraps (no animal products or oils) and garden clippings into the bin. Every once in a while, you’ll need to turn your compost to aerate it. Worms, bateria, and time will turn your trash into dirt. Very cool.

Also, you can’t grow enough tomatoes. We always make a ton of sauce and soup from our homegrown tomatoes and freeze it, so we enjoy them all year round. You can also do your own dried tomatoes in the oven (cut in half, seed them, brush them with oil and bake at 375 for an hour), which are incredibly delicious.

7

I’ve never grown pumpkins, not liking them, but I have grown various kinds of squash, and unless you get just the right type, they do take over everything. We grew eight ball squash, and they grow in a circle, spaghetti squash and zucchini, though, grow so fast you can almost see them move.

We tried corn in Louisiana, and didn’t have much success. I think they may need a lot of plants for fertilization, but you may want to look this up.

I’ve always grown carrots from seeds, but you need good soil for the varieties that get long.

What was on the ground before you turned it into a garden? When I live in NJ, the house was on the land of an old chicken ranch, so my soil was great. Here it took years for the soil to get into shape, so don’t expect great things right away. Gardening can be a long term proposition.

As for squirrels, we have dogs and cats live next door, so they haven’t been a problem. The trees where they hang out are on the other side of the property also.

8

I called the garden center, and the guy told me I’m three weeks early for planting (which is a relief). He also said they have seedlings for just about anything I’d care to try to grow (hooray!). And he told me to put down cow manure right away, so I guess that’ll be this saturday’s task. burundi, I may try carrots yet - we’ll see.

We tried to start pumpkin seeds on saturday, but the squirrels got at them some time between saturday afternoon and mid-morning sunday (we put the seeds in one of those little germination planters. Damned squirrels.

One thing I should mention - I selected pumpkins and tomatos straight away because they are both low investment, high reward. I’ve grown tomatos on my patio in years past, and I hear tell pumpkins will grow like hell with little encouragement. I thought the kids would get a real kick out of it, especially if they could choose veggies, too (corn and carrots). And I didn’t want my wife to feel left out (spinach). So, like so many other things in my life, this has quickly evolved from a minor side note to a pretty big project. :smack: :smiley:

I’m starting to think about tilling up another 10X10 plot, and doing all pumpkins in one and 4 or 5 rows of veggies in the other. Voyager, I know you said you don’t grow pumpkins, but do you grow your squashes alondside other veggies? I’m reading up on the interwebs, and it would seem even as few as 6-10 pumpkin plants will need a lot of space, and I’d be afraid the vines and roots would choke out the other plants.

9

I really suggest planting at least one thing that’s almost guaranteed to grow and give you a confidence booster. My first successful crop was radishes - I don’t even like radishes, but I was so excited when I got to eat one out of my own dirt! Zucchini is another pretty safe bet, unless you get squash borers.

10

[QUOTE=Zsofia]
I really suggest planting at least one thing that’s almost guaranteed to grow and give you a confidence booster. My first successful crop was radishes - I don’t even like radishes, but I was so excited when I got to eat one out of my own dirt! Zucchini is another pretty safe bet, unless you get squash borers.
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Indeed. The missus thinks this whole thing will end with me being angry and disappointed come June or July. :smiley:

I look at it like this: the pumpkins and tomatos are almost guaranteed to grow, and the rest are going to be the “let’s just keep our fingers crossed” crops.

11

Where’s yer green beans? Didn’t see those on your list - they’re amazingly easy. Well, unless you get swarms of those Japanese beetles, but those are easy to shake off the leaves manually.

Green peppers are pretty easy, too. We also had good luck with jalapenos.

My husband planted some “decorative gourds”. We had 82 bazillion gourds, they went nuts - sent tendrils 12’ into the grass and way up in the neighbor’s tree. But if your wife is a “crafter”, maybe she’d come up with some fun projects to do with the kids?

12

As I understand it using blood meal as a fertilizer can help to keep away herbivores (rabbits, deer, and others), but may attract predators/scavengers (coyotes, skunks, racoons, opossums, etc…)

That site has some decent info on how to use it. It’s good powerful make stuff grow stuff too!

13

Oh, yeah, jalapenos are great - that was probably my most productive crop last year! Grow pole beans - you do have to put up some sort of trellis, but they grow great and are really satisfying. I always had trouble with my bell peppers coming up thin-walled and bitter, though.

Seriously, man. Radishes. They don’t take any space, they grow fast, and they’re gratifying. Also, have you considered doing square foot gardening? You can get a lot out of your space that way.

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[QUOTE=Zsofia]
Oh, yeah, jalapenos are great - that was probably my most productive crop last year! Grow pole beans - you do have to put up some sort of trellis, but they grow great and are really satisfying. I always had trouble with my bell peppers coming up thin-walled and bitter, though.

Seriously, man. Radishes. They don’t take any space, they grow fast, and they’re gratifying. Also, have you considered doing square foot gardening? You can get a lot out of your space that way.
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Actually, I’ve got plenty of space. The spot I’m using for the garden is pretty much a “panhandle” part of my yard. Last summer, it was just sort of forgotten. The kids don’t play there, we either sit under the car port or off in the yard, proper, and generally the space just sort of needed something. My plan was/is to install a rock garden with stone path and koi pond, but I just don’t have the money for raw materials (I’ll do the design and install myself, but good landscaping materials are pricey even without labour costs).

Here’s a pic of the “yard proper” from last May (or thereabouts). And here’s a “before” pic. To illustrate my point about the panhandle being sort of forgotten, I don’t even have a picture of it, and I’ve photographically documented my improvement projects pretty well so far.

15

Your legumes are all nitrogen fixers, so you want to plant at least a few of those around the garden each year. Corn takes a long time to mature; our growing season is nowhere long enough here, so I don’t even bother with it (when I do have a garden). Check the maturation time when you buy seeds if you have a shorter growing season, too.

Stupid squirrels. Not only do they eat your stuff, but they gotta dig EVERYTHING up, those little tree-rat bastards.

16

[QUOTE=Winston Smith]

I’m starting to think about tilling up another 10X10 plot, and doing all pumpkins in one and 4 or 5 rows of veggies in the other. Voyager, I know you said you don’t grow pumpkins, but do you grow your squashes alondside other veggies? I’m reading up on the interwebs, and it would seem even as few as 6-10 pumpkin plants will need a lot of space, and I’d be afraid the vines and roots would choke out the other plants.
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My plot is 9 X 40, on the side of my house, so I put squash at the ends of it, where it can grow away from the garden. I’m doing more exotic types now, like the 8 ball, which doesn’t take over. However last year I had a bunch of volunteer spaghetti squash, which not only grew all over the garden, but even climbed the fence, so I picked a squash about four feet off the ground!

You should try some peas and beans. I grow stuff that is expensive, or else really easy. I agree that you should do some radishes, so something will work, and because they are out quickly. One year I interplanted radishes with carrots - the rads were over by the time the carrots had emerged.

Jalapenos are very soil sensitive. WhenI lived in Louisiana I grew great jalapenos, here I can grow them, but they don’t have the taste of good ones, so I’ve given up. Besides, they are so cheap in farmers markets they often just get thrown in with some other veggie.

My planting is delayed this year because I’m getting the fence by the garden replaced, and the guys, who have arrived today, would trample all over my veggies. On the good side, with the new fence I will no long have to deal with the ivy that comes through the fence from next door, and the snail population will be diminished. I’ve killed over 60 snails on several nights.

17

[QUOTE=butler1850]
As I understand it using blood meal as a fertilizer can help to keep away herbivores (rabbits, deer, and others), but may attract predators/scavengers (coyotes, skunks, racoons, opossums, etc…)

That site has some decent info on how to use it. It’s good powerful make stuff grow stuff too!
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It’s very high in nitrogen, which is good for things where you want a lot of vegetative growth, like lettuce, but not for tomatoes or other things where you need fruiting. You don’t want a lot of lush leaf growth at the expense of flowers and fruit.

And speaking of lettuce — it’s way easy to have gorgeous, fancy-schmancy mixed greens! Buy packets of “mesclun mix” or just four or five packet of leaf lettuces with different colors and leaf forms and mix the seeds together. Broadcast them over your plot, sprinkle some soil over them, press lightly and water. You can divide your plot into thirds, and plant each third a week or so apart, if you want. Plant arugula this way!

Don’t thin the plants when they come up. You want a dense patch of leaves. When they’re 3-4 inches tall, harvest with scissors, leaving the bottom of the plant intact – no more than you’ll use or give away in a couple of days. What you’ve trimmed will sprout new leaves, if you keep it watered and give it some foliar food – fish or kelp emulsion if you want to go organic.

The lettuce will bolt (get tall and lanky and bitter as it produces a flower head) when the weather gets hot. When it does, rip it out, compost it, and plant something else in the spot. If you really love lettuce, plant it again in early September or whenever the worst heat of the summer is over, and you’ll get a crop in before frost.

18

Home grown tomatoes are wonderful. I don’t like supermarket tomatoes much at all, but I love those homegrown ones. They have FLAVOR. Cucumbers are great, too, though they tend to produce fruits like zucchini.

Have you thought about putting in some herbs? We have about half a dozen herbs that my daughter chose and planted, and it’s great to step out and snip off tonight’s seasonings. Right now I’m trying to figure out how to make a contained plot for some spearmint (it’s very invasive) because I love it so.

An elderly neighbor of mine used to have a compost pile. She used a huge sieve made from scrap lumber and hardware cloth to sift out the compost into a wheelbarrow. The bits that were too big to go through the sieve went back into the compost pile, and she’d apply the sifted compost wherever she felt it would do the most good. That woman had the greenest thumb I ever saw. She rarely bought seeds. She’d save seeds from one year’s harvest for the next year, and she’d swap starts of various plants.

As for squirrels, if you manage to find a way to stop them, let the world know. You will be hailed as a hero.

19

Yes, I’ve thought about doing a herb garden, too. It’s sooooo hard to decide what to do. :slight_smile:

20

I used to house share for a short time with people who had a vegetable garden. I didn’t pay much attention except for the pumpkins. They grew them right at the edge of the vegetable patch and trained the vines to run dead straight across the yard away from the patch by the back fence. So they didn’t use up much of the vegetable patch actually. I recall they had a set length of vine to produce the optimum number of best quality pumpkins.