Fresh from the garden

[Hijinks]

I'd never gardened before, because I never had a house before, but this year is my first in a rental house so I planted a garden. I tried zucchini, tomatoes, onions, green peppers, and sweet peas.

The zucchini's the only thing still going, that I can tell. I've got large green leaves and some pretty yellow/orange flowers that open in the morning then close in the heat of the day.

The tomato plants, I didn't know I needed a wire support for them, so by the time I got some, they were rather wilted. Also we haven't had much rain. So I don't see any tomatoes and doubt I will.

The green peppers never came up. I planted them as seedlings but this other plant seemed to overgrow them, don't know what it is but it's a weed, I guess.

The onions are in the back and I have no idea if they're still alive or not, since they're in the ground. When does one harvest onions? They were planted in April. The long stems coming out of the ground are still bright green. How do I dig them up?

The sweet peas, I read about before planting and it said to provide 3-4" supports for the vines. I bought several little white lattices, about 6" tall each, and the vines wouldn't cling to them. The vines wound up in a big tangle. I got a few delicious pea pods and now the vines are all brown and dried up.

I had cultivated the bed and then mixed garden soil with a vegetable fertilizer in with the soil already in the bed. I planted in mid-April. At first I thought I was supposed to water every day, but then someone told me I was overwatering, so I stopped watering and only watered when the plants were looking thirsty. I'm sure I did something wrong I don't think the garden is much of a success. But I didn't really learn anything because I don't know what I did wrong.

 

[Queen_Dopplepopolis]

I think if I had a garden, I might grow eggplant, lettuce, and probably tomatos and cucumbers since my wife would eat those. And corn would be good. Maybe a strawberry patch as well.

There's nothing quite like the taste of fresh sweet corn. Makes me hungry just thinking about it!

I also love cucumber... oh - stupid apartment! I want a garden! *grumble, grumble*

 

[cuteasaurus]

The onions are in the back and I have no idea if they're still alive or not, since they're in the ground. When does one harvest onions? They were planted in April. The long stems coming out of the ground are still bright green. How do I dig them up?

I guess you could dig them up if you wanted to, but everytime I've gardened (and that's a lot) we just pulled them up. (You hand should be closer to the ground, to avoid just pulling off the tops.)

 

[Cthulhu's Librarian]

I think if I had a garden, I might grow eggplant, lettuce, and probably tomatos and cucumbers since my wife would eat those. And corn would be good. Maybe a strawberry patch as well.

Corn is a pain in the ass, as you need to have a pretty decent size plot for the pollination to occur, otherwise all you will get are small, stunted ears. You also don't get much from it, only a few ears per plant.

 

[cuteasaurus]

Also, strawberries are great (really, they're my favorite thing to have in a garden), but you have to be a little more "dedicated" to them since you don't "scrap them" and start over every year.

 

[Queen_Dopplepopolis]

Corn is a pain in the ass, as you need to have a pretty decent size plot for the pollination to occur, otherwise all you will get are small, stunted ears. You also don't get much from it, only a few ears per plant.

Little known fact: the reason I married my husband is the corn his family grows on their farm in South Dakota.

((just kidding ))

 

[Cthulhu's Librarian]

The zucchini's the only thing still going, that I can tell. I've got large green leaves and some pretty yellow/orange flowers that open in the morning then close in the heat of the day.

It's almost impossible to kill zucchini. It's practially foolproof.

The green peppers never came up. I planted them as seedlings but this other plant seemed to overgrow them, don't know what it is but it's a weed, I guess.

Have you been weeding? It's sucks, but you need to do it. Otherwise the weeds will take over.

The sweet peas, I read about before planting and it said to provide 3-4" supports for the vines. I bought several little white lattices, about 6" tall each, and the vines wouldn't cling to them. The vines wound up in a big tangle. I got a few delicious pea pods and now the vines are all brown and dried up.

They probably meant 3-4' for supports. Peas like to have LOTS of room to grow, and they will grow up just about anything. I don't have any (they take up more room than I had this year), bt some friends plant them along their fence every year, and they take over.

At first I thought I was supposed to water every day, but then someone told me I was overwatering, so I stopped watering and only watered when the plants were looking thirsty.

Depending where you are located, you need to water between 2-4" of water a week. Not too much, and definitly not too little. Water in the early morning or evening, so the water doesn't just evaporate in the heat. If you waited until the plants looked thirsty, they probably weren't getting enough water.

I'm sure I did something wrong I don't think the garden is much of a success. But I didn't really learn anything because I don't know what I did wrong.

So you try again next year. You learned stuff, you just don't know it. Next year you'll do better. Go pick a few basic gardening books up at the library, or look online for information. http://www.organicgardening.com/ is a great place to start.

 

[Hijinks]

It's almost impossible to kill zucchini. It's practially foolproof.

That's one reason I picked it to try in my first garden

Have you been weeding?

I did my best, but I was never sure what to pull and what not to pull. It felt like I was doing more harm than good.

Go pick a few basic gardening books up at the library, or look online for information.

I read "Gardening for Dummies" but it didn't have a whole lot of information on the specific vegetables I was trying to grow. I searched for "onion" and "peas" on yahoo.com but couldn't find any gardening guides.

I'm not really sure if I want to try again next year. My flowers didn't do well either. None of the seeds that I planted grew at all, only the bulbs. And they haven't flowered yet, there's just greens sticking up. Gladiolus, canna lilies, and I did get some calla lilies to grow flowers, although not one in a pot.

 

[Cthulhu's Librarian]

I'm not really sure if I want to try again next year. My flowers didn't do well either. None of the seeds that I planted grew at all, only the bulbs. And they haven't flowered yet, there's just greens sticking up. Gladiolus, canna lilies, and I did get some calla lilies to grow flowers, although not one in a pot.

Hmm. How hard is your soil? That could explain why lots of your stuff didn't do well. You might need to really mix up the soil with some good additives-compost, peat moss, vermiculite, stuff like that to make it loose and "fluffy".

I'm sorry you didn't get as good a garden as you hoped. But don't give up. Maybe next year try a few tomatoes and herbs in big pots. Pateo gardeing is what I've teased myself with for a few years now, until I was finally able to get an actual garden in the ground.

 

[Laurel]

Haven't had a garden in about 6 years I have pots on the little condo porch, but it's just not the same. I have lots of herbs, and keep trying for a tomato plant each season. That's about all the space can handle.

On the upside, my rosemary has completely taken over the ledge pot it has.

Whenever we get the chance, my husband and I drive to south jersey for some sweet fresh corn and jersey tomatoes. I can taste the difference in the corn, but can't tell a difference in the tomato.

I love salads, so using grocery produce just isn't the same in so many ways.....