Vegetable Garden?

I want to make a small small garden for DS to take care of this summer...I dotn have a big spot thats sunny all day...so im basically making one ont he grass...any ideas on what to grow, suggestions,...what will not die??LOL

Message edited 4/29/2009 1:09:56 PM.

Re: Vegetable Garden?

Do you get a fair amount of sun in the spot you are planning to use? This is one thing you do need for most vegetables, a lot of sun. If you don't get much it's really not worth it.

What you could do if you have smaller areas that do get sun is plant tomatoes, etc. in containers. I did that last year since our backyard is all shade or partial shade.

Re: Vegetable Garden?

Re: Vegetable Garden?

We started already and the hardiest for our area that you can start now ( or soon) is lettuce, cucumbers, beans.

We do fruits ( blueberries, strawberries, raspberries) in containers and Tomatoes in and out of containres but they alwyas do well in both.

Oh and spinach seems to do well all the time too.
HTH!

And P.s Target dollar spot has the cutest little Watering cans for kids

Re: Vegetable Garden?

Posted by dm24angel

We started already and the hardiest for our area that you can start now ( or soon) is lettuce, cucumbers, beans.

We do fruits ( blueberries, strawberries, raspberries) in containers and Tomatoes in and out of containres but they alwyas do well in both.

Oh and spinach seems to do well all the time too.
HTH!

And P.s Target dollar spot has the cutest little Watering cans for kids

Re: Vegetable Garden?

we started most of them from seeds this year and will transplant them to a garden in say a week or two from now.

In the containers we started Lettuce, and the fruits. The lettuce from seeds. We just got one of those Giant containers from home Depot and filled with Soil ( we got a starter soil for veggies ...they are easy to pick out) and put the seeds in ) and now about 2 weeks has past and we have huge sprouts. Just let grow. Water and sun as needed.

The tomatoes we usually buy already started...a small seedling plant from anywhere, transplant to the container with soil.

The fruits , we found at home depot this year, and I think at Lowes last year , already sprouted, they are small bush like in containers...just transfer to the large containers, place in sun and grow.

The rest are sprouting from seeds and we are gonna start a veggie garden in like 2 weeks....I'm doing a raised garden. Just basically soil, mulch, compost, a mixture of above the actual ground ( I googled it..LOL)

Last year we planted the tomatoes, peppers and basil and soem other herbs right in the ground ( we bought them as plants though already started) and they grew fine.

Re: Vegetable Garden?

OK your a pro...so what should i do, i want just a few...i guess ill buy seeds and those little starter soil things that you add water to?

Hmmm...what doesnt get huge? I tomatoes need steaks to grow on...and i want something DS can eat?

Re: Vegetable Garden?

Okay, she explained the containers well. Seeds you can try, but they can be tricky. If you aren't doing a large garden, I would buy plants that are started from a nursery. It won't be as cheap as seeds, but if you are talking about a few plants, it won't add up to a lot. I would wait another couple weeks to do that though--it's supposed to get cold at night this week.

You can get the containers or the soil ready now and buy the plants when the temps aren't dropping so much at night anymore.

Re: Vegetable Garden?

If you go to the garden area you can get 2 patio planters. Purchase some organic garden soil (Miracle Grow makes a great one) Purchase 2 already started tomato plants and put them into one of the patio planters. You can get 2 small wooden stakes to use in the planter. And in the other grow lettuce or peppers or whatever you want. You can also get a strawberry pot at most garden centers and fill it with strawberry plants. That is really fun.
The patio planters are easier for a child to water and pick the veggies from. Plus you can move them to sunny spots if you need to.

I think starting from seeds is great to teach children about growing. But I don't do my actual veggie garden that way because I don't have enough room in my home for a huge seedling area. I would love an outdoor green house for that though.

You can buy seeds for flowers and plant them.

Re: Vegetable Garden?

Re: Vegetable Garden?

ok great...can I just use a plastic container and put holes in it or do I buy those big pots????

Im thinking of doing a tomato, zuccini and strawberry..i have a spot along the fence that I used once but my dog peed on everytihg (sorry gross) so now Ill need to block him...not sure how yet but hmmm ill think of something...

I also heard spraying your plants with tobasco and water keeps bugs away???? true???

Re: Vegetable Garden?

strawberry can deal with a tiny bit of shade. it would be a pity to plant them in planters because they're perennials and very low maintenance.

Eggplant and zucchini I have not seen done in planters. tomatoes frequently are, but make sure you get a tomato plant that is suited for a planter.... something like a beefsteak or cherry tomato plant probably wouldn't be.

Tomatoes might also be too much work for a kid.... they require frequent feedings and continuous watering.

what about herbs? they would work quite well in planters, and would be a bit less work.... increased chances for success!

Re: Vegetable Garden?

We did a veggie garden last year, and I plan on doing it again this year. Most successful plants were the tomatoes. The cucumbers died out on us. I got a couple of eggplants out of the garden, and plenty of peppers. The birds ate all the strawberries The herbs were a big hit too (parsley, mint, basil).

Re: Vegetable Garden?

I did beans last year in a partial shade spot and they grew really well. We grew them from seeds, it was VERY easy. We also did cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes and corn from already grow plants. It was hard in the beginning, but honestly super easy thinking back.

Re: Vegetable Garden?

Get some plants or seeds and put them in big tera cota pots (or plastic pots!).

Put them in a sunny area (deck, etc..)

You can do

Lettuce
squash/zucchinis/summer squash
cucumber (although they go everywhere)
Tomatoes

Re: Vegetable Garden?

How big do the containers have to be? I bought some pots with seeds and soil from xmas tree shop, but then it said to transfer them to the ground. I don't want cats peeing on them and squirrels walking them, so are you saying I could just actually leave them IN the pots and continue to grow them that way on my patio table?

Re: Vegetable Garden?

Message edited 4/29/2009 3:23:25 PM.

Re: Vegetable Garden?

pots = PLANTERS.... you need pretty big pots, especially for something like tomatoes.

you also would probably have to water them 2X a day, since pots dry out faster than the ground.....

strawberries are very low maintenance, as is mint. both grow best in the ground and can be invasive... so a limited patch size would be best. Herbs like basil, sage, and thyme are also pretty easy to grow, and could easily be grown in pots. I also have had good luck with cucumbers and eggplants... but they were planted in the ground in full sun.

Re: Vegetable Garden?

Just as an aside...Buy Buy Baby has garden starter kits that are intended to be worked on by kids with their parents. It comes with the containers as well.