I want to start growing my own food, but don't really know where to start. I've been reading maria menounos' new book, which has a lot of tips. One of the chapters shows how to grow your own food, and mentions GroOrganic. Has anyone done anything with them? There's great tips, but I'd like to hear what everyone else has to say. Thanks.
Well, what I did to start off was plot the area... I took a big circle out back that gets the most sun during spring/summer. I then dug about a foot or so deep to loosen up the dir and get rid of any larger rocks. Then I took rocks from the woods to put around it, and raised it up a little with some dirt. I'd like to get more dirt to raise it even more, but truck loads of dirt can get pricey... especially when it's your parents paying for it I started the seeds indoors in little biodegradable cups until the danger of frost had passed. (Look this date up for your area, around here, it's the middle of May). Starting the sprouts depends in what type of plant they are. It should say on the back of the package. I moved them into the ground, as I said, after the danger of frost. I water them at least every other day, unless it's supposed to rain. I have a fence around it to keep out the groundhog and discourage deer. For bugs, I'm going to spray some vanilla mist around, since that should keep them away. I planted some marigolds around the veggies too, since the bugs prefer these over the veggies. Sprinkling epsolms salts on the plants also will keep groundhogs away... there are plent of ways to keep out bugs naturally. Good luck!
Good advice. I started the seeds in flats then transplanted the seedling into cups. Besides beans and corn and melons/cukes most seeds need to start 'out of the weather' until the seedlings are strong enough to handle heavy rains and wind. I built a lean to 'greenhouse' out of old windows thats works good. Keep the weeds down until the plants are big enough to shade the weeds out. Gardening is a life long learning process. Storing the food is a whole other world of knowledge. I mostly flash freeze and 'can' V8 juice and tomato sauces.
Root crops such as onions, garlic, shallots, leeks, radishes, turnips and carrots are great beginner plants to try out as they are well protected from the elements and if watered properly will grow rather large and very successfully(with these its more common to water too much, browning leaves at the base will warn you of this however). The biggest bummer one can encounter when gardening is what I went through just last night. When it hails, prepare to see your work nearly obliterated before your eyes. It looks like a bloody massacre out there and it was so tediously well-groomed before (this would be another plus for the root crops as they were entirely unharmed). Oh well, that's just part of the ride Best of luck!
I'm going to wait until it's the right time to start planting. I want to grow my own cucumbers, tomatoes, and maybe some carrots. I was inspired after my girlfriend showed me one of these Maria Menounos videos. She would have a new tip every day, and one of the days had to do with growing your own food. [ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDAEoAEd3Uo
I went to the youtube page, and there's a lot of great Maria Menounos videos. I love the one about what to do if you're put on the spot. As for your garden, that sounds like a good start. Good luck!
Figure out what kind of soil you have Condition the soil Map out what kind of plants you want to grow. Grow plants that work well together together, and plants that do poorly together apart. Start your seeds early- put a warming pad under the roots so that they'll not ge too spindly. Leave enough weeds around for the local insects to eat
I know, there's a lot of great stuff. On her fan page, she is always leaving tips every single day. And thanks for all the gardening tips!
Start your garden in an organic way. Hydroponics Gardening is the best way to grow plants in organic and healthier way. Plants like tomatoes, lettuce and pepper grow very well hydroponically. It is an advanced method to grow plants without soil using only hydroponics nutrients. with hydroponics you can save a lot of space and grow your choice of vegetables and fruits.
Jean, Hydroponic gardening is usually NOT organic. The liquid fertilizer is typically made using fossil fuels. But I am not anti-hydroponic if it is done right. It is possible to create a manure "tea" that could deliver much of the Nitrogen, Potassium and Phosphorus that your plants need. It could be liquified manure from grazing animals or a solution of plant matter. Fish emulsion is organic and very good for many plants. There is debate about using pulverized lime and granite dust. It is the product of mining, but where soils are acid, the lime can sweeten the soil. In the case of hydroponics, some plants will need more calcium than a manure tea can provide. You can add lime solution to the tea. I don't think we need to make value judgements about the relative merits of hydroponic gardening vs. soil gardening. Each has their place. Soil gardening is seen as primitive because our ancestors did it at the dawn of time, but simplicity can be a virtue. It keeps the costs down. A simple garden does not necessarily mean an ignorant farmer. With the right know how, you can feed yourself and your family using simple tools, a few trellises and a small sunny plot of land with rich soil. Sometimes simplicity means making a one-time planting of perennials such as asparagus and one-time planting of berry bushes and fruit trees. Even these require maintenance labor, but it is easier than starting from scratch every year. For extra simplicity try naked gardening, if you have privacy or tolerant neighbors.
Vegetable gardening Vegetables are easy to grow and very rewarding at the time of harvest. The most important requirements are sunshine and watering. Other requirements are a loose soil, some fertilizer, and some weeds. If you have an area of your garden that receives sunlight most of the day (06.08 hours in summer), then you can have a garden. The first time you start a new garden requires more work, but do not despair, the work you do not initially have to be redone every year. The fact that plants grow on the needs to be relaxed so that the roots of tender plants can grow plants in soil and make plants stronger and healthier. The roots are the only way the plant takes water and nutrients so you want to make your job easier. Unfortunately, the soil is the most yards has become compacted over the years and can be as hard as concrete in summer. Therefore, the best time to dig your garden is early spring, when it is moist enough to dig easily but not so wet that the ground is muddy and heavy. The first step is to mark your place making sure there are no trees or large shrubs around the roots that will last in your garden. Then remove the grass and create some sort of border around the garden to keep it clean and free of weeds. I also recommend a short fence if you have pets, like the garden can easily be confused with a litter box large. You should dig the ground to loosen the groups and allow the air to allow the roots to breathe (yes, they also need air). The depth that I recommend is at least 12 ". It looks a lot when you are digging, but keep in mind that your tomato plants its roots extend about 2 feet deep in the ground. I can use a large fork digging and involve the entire family, but a rototiller makes short work of it. Rakes also help to soften the ground after the excavation is carried out. You should add about 2 "of compost at this point and mixed in the soil also. Do not add too much, 10-20% of the land must be made, but no more than that or to over-fertilize your garden. When it seems like a good place to relax and take a nap then you are ready for planting. You may also need lime or gypsum in your garden to correct the Ph. If you live in an area with high rainfall, add lime every year , about 1 pound per 100 square meters. If you have low rainfall amounts every year, you may need to add some new gardens gypsum to remove some of the salt content. Check with your local nursery for the correct amount. Before you plant, you have to do some planning to allow enough space for plants that want to grow. Plants generally get very large and you have to leave enough space for each one of them, or that the plant is stressed and can not produce good fruit. When you buy most plants will have information on the amount of space needed when fully grown. A good rule of thumb is to allow 18-24 "space for most plants. I recommend using a paper and pencil to draw the garden plan. Always keep in mind that the sun will be important for all plants in order to bring the highest that are on the back so do not shade the shorter ones. Some of the plants you may want to grow your first garden for the summer harvest: Tomatoes, peppers, squash, beans, eggplants and cucumbers (If you have a lot of space, then you should also grow corn.) The spring and autumn crops are: Lettuce, broccoli, spinach and peas Plant at least 2.3 in each type of plant, depending on how many vegetables you want, but do not worry about using all six plants in 6 packs or you will have so much fruit that can not eat another cucumber. You should carefully watered after planting until the soil is moist to 1 "below the surface. Water again when the soil appears dry on top. This can happen every day in the hot summers. I recommend putting newspaper strips or pine needles as mulch around plants to protect the soil from drying out so fast and to keep the soil cool when temperatures rise. Keep an eye out for signs of insect damage on leaves, most of the holes chewed by caterpillars. If you see this then you can use an organic insecticide, as Bacillius thuringiensis (BT or the murderer of the worm), according to package directions. Do not spray insecticides stronger every time you see an ant. You will poison the vegetables and the stress of your plants will reduce their crop and can destroy your garden. Most insects are actually supposed to be there for pollination and eat worms, so only spray when you see something you are eating a leaf and causing serious damage, then check the labels carefully to ensure that insecticides are environmentally friendly and safe for vehicles. Weeds are a fact of gardening life, but to be thrown away, not sprayed. Once more, the weeds poison is poison to us. If you check for weeds every 2-3 days and use a weeding tool, the work goes fast and easy. The use of fertilizer will keep many weeds from the start. I recommend organic fertilizers like worm castings or Osmocote pellets which can be purchased in our catalog. These are mixed at the time of planting and lasts almost the entire season. To use a fertilizer spray (such as Miracle Gro), then approximately every 3-4 weeks, spray the leaves of the plants according to package directions for vegetables. You can use any type of "complete" fertilizer that is recommended for vegetables, since they are all basically the same ingredients, but remember, more is not better, so follow the instructions carefully to avoid over fertilization . If you follow the above instructions, you will succeed in collecting large amounts of vegetables. It really is easy and you will learn more each year. Experiment and do not get discouraged if something does not work the first time. People have been gardening for 30 years and are still learning new things every year. Good luck! artificial flower arrangements
Good suggestions! Depending on what you are growing and how established your vegetables are, you can bring farm ducks or geese to your garden to help control weeds. Guineas are great for insect pests and will not harm your vegetables. I don't trust chickens with my vegetables except for older corn and okra patches.
