Starting vegetable gardens

I am completely new to this, but I want to make a vegetable/herb garden in my backyard. What is the best time to do this and what things should I start buying to make it successful. I want to make a raised bed since we have rabbits!

Re: Starting vegetable gardens

You cannot plant before official freeze time is over.

A lot of people wait for Mother's day. I usually wait for Memorial Day weekend.

So Mid to Late May is when you plant. Either seeds or plants.

I did seeds last year. I started inside the house. It was a HUGE mess. Trays everywhere in my kitchen counter.

This time I will put in a portable shelf greenhouse.

The plants are MUCH easier to do IMO. Seeds planted directly in the soil can be hit and miss. It is much cheaper though.

I got organic tomato plants last year. It was $$. I also did seeds. Took FOREVER for tomato plants to grow from seeds.

Seeds that work great for me:
Yellow squash
Zucchini
Cucumber

I bought the following from plants:
Eggplants
tomatoes

Raised bed will not stop rabbits. You need a little net fence around your beds. Another alternative that I heard from people. Red cayenne paper flakes or human hair (go to a barber shop and ask for it!)

Message edited 3/1/2010 11:49:40 AM.

Re: Starting vegetable gardens

My father always says 4/21 as a frost date (he's a huge gardener), but I tend to wait until mother's day, since I make it my mother's day gift that we all go to the nursery and the kids help me plant.

plant basil and marigolds around tomatoes to keep bugs away.

peppers, eggplants, beans - really hearty - easy to care for.

I have raised beds and they won't keep the varmin away (I hate to say it, but they may not be rabbits eating your crops!) I have a mesh fence that goes around and opens in two places, so I can get to both sides of the raised bed. but if you are doing a viney plant like pumpkin, they take over and the fence won't work.

I plant tomatoes, basil, marigolds, cucumbers, eggplant, jalepenos, lettuce, brocoli, green beans, strawberries, watermelon and pumpkins in a 4x8 and a 4x4 raised bed. I may switch out the green beans once I get to the nursery (I buy seedlings -for ease- at Prianti's or Smitt's in Dix Hills)

Re: Starting vegetable gardens

We plant mother's day weekend as well. I buy seedlings.

We have raised beds and plant
tomatoes
lettuce
cucumbers
peppers
spaghetti squash
celery (has a very long growing cycle - I didn't realize it, so I don't know if I will do this again)
chives
parsley
basil
oregano

I wasn't very successful with strawberries and beans. I am going to try again this year though.

Re: Starting vegetable gardens

Thank you so much!! I am so excited to start my garden!!!
Is there a certain type of fertilizer I should get? I dont even know where to begin to dig out a bed!

Re: Starting vegetable gardens

My grandpa used to have a HUGE vegetable garden in his back yard, it actually was most of their back yard. He passed away last fall and my parents just gave me all of his gardening books yesterday, so I would love to try a grow a garden but I have so far managed to kill every single plant I've owned. It could be fun though. so I now know first hand there are lots and lots of books out there but I think you will get better advice here although "the American Horticultural Society Encyclopedia of gardening" looks like it could be a good one. Good luck!!

Re: Starting vegetable gardens

Re: Starting vegetable gardens

I had basil and tomatoes last year and hadn't used anything to help them grow and it looked it. I used a little miracle grow and holy cr@p! My plants were huge!