Vegetable gardening

Posted:
in AppleOutsider edited January 2014
I have started to clear out an area in my back yard for the purpose of planting a vegetable garden this spring. As a kid my parents had a garden in the back yard. It had tall okra plants, green beans, radish, onion, and tomatos.



These are exactly the same vegetables I plan to grow in my vegetable garden. I have bought the seeds and the time is near when I can start the seeds. I have been tilling the soil and preparing the soil for use as a garden.



I was curious if any of you have a garden or garden experience. If so please share your experience of growing vegetables.



Fellows

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 8
    flounderflounder Posts: 2,674member
    For tomatoes, things tend to work out better if you buy little tomato seedlings, rather than seeds.



    I'm from Michigan though, where people try to anticipate when the cold weather has truly ended and how early they can get their tomato plants in the ground, so it might be totally different for Texas.
  • Reply 2 of 8
    trumptmantrumptman Posts: 16,464member
    I've wanted to plant one this year in my backyard and also plant sort of a community garden at my apartment building with some of the tenants. My most pressing issue is my wife secretly got rid of my rototiller just because it was like some 1964 Sears model with a Briggs and Stratton engine that I had rebuilt the carb on a few times. I used that rototiller a few dozen times and we had a very large garden a couple years back that had all manner of items in it. Tomatoes are easy. Corn is pretty easy. Sunflowers are really cool to watch grow. I very much enjoyed all the squash and cucumbers as well. Ours just got ridiculously large and we would just give them to friends or take them into work in bags to give away and start conversations.



    So I am basically prowling the neighborhood during the next "big item" pick up for a couple rototillers to piece together to start this project. The garden just doesn't seem as fun if I didn't have to rebuild a small motor first.



    BTW, as an aside, never pull the gas tank out of your 1971 Winnebago and leave it in the garage by the dryer. It seems to really tick the spouse off.
  • Reply 3 of 8
    flounderflounder Posts: 2,674member
    From a taste standpoint, you don't want to let your cucumber / squash / zucchini get ridiculously large. They are best at a more moderate size.
  • Reply 4 of 8
    The trick is really to grow plants that are known to grow well in your soil and climate, which I think you're more or less adhering to. I'm trying to grow Moroccan blood oranges here, which probably should work OK.



    The other thing that makes plants taste great is cow shit! Get some (typically dehydrated), and make sure not to open windows on that side of the house for a couple of weeks. I'm told that using human fecal matter violates the USDA "Organic" regulations, although in many areas it's certainly used to irrigate fields.
  • Reply 5 of 8
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Fellowship View Post


    I was curious if any of you have a garden or garden experience. If so please share your experience of growing vegetables.



    When I was a kid my parents used to have a small vegetable garden near our country house. We had tomatoes, cucumbers, garlic, onion, a dozen apple-trees, strawberries, and potatoes growing there. For me it was a huge torture when I had to water the garden every day (I was 15-16 at that time) so now I'm unwilling to grow vegetables

    But some people just need to take care of gardens - sort of a hobby. But I prefer pets to gardens!
  • Reply 6 of 8
    nvidia2008nvidia2008 Posts: 9,262member
    Organic? That would be interesting.



    My neighbour has a few plants that are helpful. Basil, for one, and "Pandan" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pandanus) ...



    Wrap some chicken in Pandan and deep fry it, yummy...



    Basil, of course, everybody knows that one.



    Banana leaves are useful, though the banana tree is quite big.



    Obviously I have no relevant information because I am living on the

    Equator right now.
  • Reply 7 of 8
    nvidia2008nvidia2008 Posts: 9,262member
    Oh, there are a few Mango trees around. Teh yummy. Up the road there is a http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rambutan tree but it hasn't really borne any useful fruit in several years now.
  • Reply 8 of 8
    marcukmarcuk Posts: 4,442member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Full_Steam_Ahead View Post


    When I was a kid my parents used to have a small vegetable garden near our country house. We had tomatoes, cucumbers, garlic, onion, a dozen apple-trees, strawberries, and potatoes growing there. For me it was a huge torture when I had to water the garden every day (I was 15-16 at that time) so now I'm unwilling to grow vegetables

    But some people just need to take care of gardens - sort of a hobby. But I prefer pets to gardens!



    c'mon, watering the garden is the best bit - you can get mother as she takes out some trash, spray the just-cleaned windows, freak out the neighbourhood cats and spray the topless neighbour over the fence!
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