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03-21-2007, 09:59 AM
Re: (...)
Good Morning all (at least where I am it's morning!),
This is the year that I'm going to turn my son's sandbox into a small vegetable garden. For those of you experienced in this sort of thing... where do I begin??? I know I need to remove the sand... and replace it with?? I also need some good suggestions for vegetables that don't get out of control- it's about a 6'x4' space, so just a few veggies will do. I have herbs planted elsewhere.
Thanks for any help you can give...
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I will also be very interested in any advice that comes this way since my black thumb seems to be turning olive lately.
Maryann
Maryann
"Drink your tea slowly and reverently..."
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I go to my local garden farm [mostly trees and shrubs] and they sell soil by the yard. I started out with their "transplant soil" which was a rich, hot soil mixed with chicken manure. Once it's spread out it needs to sit for a week or two to let the soil "cool down." The richness of this soil gives your plants a good start and about every two or three years I till another half yard into my garden. If there's a Farm like that near you, they would be able to advise you. The stuff I get is about $11 for a small pickup full [I have a Mazda pickup].
For the past couple of years I've posted pictures of my garden on here. Some of my cherry tomatoes grow 8 to 10 feet tall and produce like crazy.
Don't wait too long to tell someone you love them.
Billy
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Do what billy said. Things that grow up are good, tomatoes, peas, beans. Beetroot are a dead cert. to grow. Things like pumkin, butternut, gerkins, cucs. zucchini, can be trained over the side to spread on the grass. Try and get Queensland Blue or a 'dry' pumkin seed, you will never purchase one again. It is a good idea to put newspaper under the growing pumpkin to keep it clean underneath. Or baking paper.
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I think I'll have my gardener see if he can get me the correct soil as I do not have a vehicle that I can transport the stuff in. I'm sure he has a good idea. I'm thinking tomatoes, beans and maybe zucchini. I definitely don't have enough room for pumpkins although that would be fun. If we are able to sell our house and move to the one with more property that will be lots of fun- plant pumpkins and all kinds of stuff. What a great hobby that would be. Do I just plant the seeds, or should I be looking for little plants that are already growing to plant? Sorry for my lack of knowledge in this area!! Thanks for your help
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I never gardened either, Lori but started 2 yrs ago with 3 tomato plants. Never having grown anything before, I was tickled to death.
Last year we planted the tomatos, green beans, chinese pea pods, jalapenos and green bell peppers. The tomatos were so HUGE that they killed the rest of the garden, almost. I have never seen such big tomato plants. They were Romas.
This year, Mr HB got more serious and I bought the book "Square Foot Gardening". He built this little garden area way in the backyard, about 12x8 but it has an 18" walkway between. Each area is separated by 2x4s. So I use the walkway to the end which is 2x8 and has jalapenos and tomatos. On either side of the walkway, there are 3 - 3'x3' plots. So far, we've planted (and they are coming up) 1st box -radishes, carrots, beets, 2nd box - eggplant, chard, leeks, 3rd box - green beans, chinese pea pods and peas, 4th box- red, orange and green peppers, 5th box - head lettuce, romaine and black simpson.
I have 3 more boxes to plant and I'm thinking of another tomato or 2, more leeks and cukes. I'll decide when I go to the garden center next weekend. We did this little by little so it didn't wear us out. Whenever we were out, we'd pick up some Miracle Grow dirt and deliver it to the garden. Each box held 3 bags (I don't know how much it weighed) of dirt so we hauled 27 bags over a couple of weeks.
We bought the tomato, jalapeno, all the peppers, the romaine and head lettuce plants. The others are from seeds.
This garden certainly isn't big enough to feed us all summer but I really get great enjoyment from watching everything grow.
Jan
Please spay and neuter your pets.
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I usually buy my plants from the same farmer every year. I just don't have the room inside to start things. Except, I planted okra, blue lake bean, radishe, and carrot seeds. I don't think it would work to buy those type plants
Don't wait too long to tell someone you love them.
Billy
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"okra, blue lake bean, radishe, and carrot seeds. I don't think it would work to buy those type plants "
??? except for planting radish seeds, I've gotten plants of the others.
Retired and having fun writing cookbooks, tasting wine and sharing recipes with all my friends.
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You've actually bought bean plants and carrot plants and planted them? Okra too? Hmmmmm, I've always sowed them directly into the dirt.
Don't wait too long to tell someone you love them.
Billy