Need more cheapo veg gardening ideas...

OK. A few of you might remember the ridiculously long thread I had going for a long time a few months ago, about starting my first eer veggie garden on a very low budget!

Many of my plans did not work out. In the early season I did get lots of radish, lettuce, and snap peas. Currently I have some corn and tomatoes that both seem to be coming along well. (Not sure about the corn though - most of the silks seem brown and dead but the ears inside don't seem mature yet?) And I had a small but yummy yeild of yukon gold potatoes. Most of the seedlings I started didn't survive and then I got distracted at a very inoportune time when we decided to get married on 5 weeks notice.

SO... now I'm finally, at long last, getting a chance to straighten up out there - eat some weeds, hoe the corn rows (around the edges the weeds are starting to take over) Turn the soil where other stuff was growing but has gone to the weeds again, etc. And I had a few questions to fill in some blanks that have formed in my head.

--- Like, getting back to turning the soil - Since I already double-dug these wide rows just a few months ago, I can probably cut the weeds down and just turn the top soil and loosen everything up to get ready for planting, right?

--- The way my rows are set up, I have two 20 foot wide rows (48 inches), and at the north end where the corn is I dug the space between rows also, for the corn. So it's a 20-foot long "U" shape. So far, I've mostly just been weed-eating this garden area because I have it fenced with chicken-wire so the dogs can't get in it. But the grass really does want to get in there! Is there something cheap or free that would help me, by bordering the beds? That way they'd be much better defined in where they are, and I wouldn't have to run the weed-eater quite so close to plants I WANT to do well. If I can find something, I might even dig the grass layer out of the area between rows and put in stepping stones because that's a hassle to cut. But like I said, I'm broke, and to line that whole "U" I figure would take nearly 100 feet of something!

---Once I do get this whole thing back to working and planting standards, what can I plant this late in the year? Apparently I don't do very well with startingfrom seed, so I'm not sure if I should even try that again... But right now might be perfect timing to start for the late summer/early fall season, right?

 

Mulch is your friend. See if your library has any Ruth Stout gardening books. And don't give up with starting things from seed, but concentrate on plants that can be direct seeded, like melons, squash, cucumbers, beans even kale type plants can be direct seeded. For things like peppers, eggplant and tomatos buy the plants.

Corn is not a real reliable crop for beginners and it can really deplete your garden soil.

 

we dont plant corn anymore.. its a pain in the ass,, an here we can find it for about 2 dollars to a buck 50 a dozen when everyone starts harvesting it.. we can usually get like 15 dozen for 20 bucks,, an thats plenty to freeze for a year for us...

 

Yeah, it (corn) is pretty cheap at our farmers market, and some of the ranches around here have pick it your self deals. It's a lot easier to get it that way than raise it yourself.

 

I'll second Gardener's recommendation on the Ruth Stout book, there's a lot to learn there and her ideas really work. Very few weeds get through, and you can either pull them by hand or just dump an armful of mulch on them and smother them out. That way, the weeds become compost, too.

 

So, all I ended up getting done today (besides the mowing) was the weed-eating in the garden area. the grass and weeds were pretty tall in there. I had planned to rake up what I cut down, first thing in the morning when it's dried out a little, and dump it in the compost. But it sounds like I'd be better off spreading it out under the corn instead?

Like I said before, I don't really have any $$ to invest in this right now, so I'm stuck figuring out what I can do for free. To make matters worse, my mower is just the kind that spits it out the side instead of bagging it so no mulch there (To make matters EVEN worse, my mower handle just broke right down where it bolts in to the body - the metal snapped. Not sure how I'm gonna fix that one!)

What about bordering the beds? Is that a bad idea for some reason? It seems like things would be a little easier if the were better defined, and I had a couple/few inches buffer between what I had growing there and what I need to cut down. Still haven't quite figured out what to order them *with*, though....

Thanks for the advice guys!

 

Well, you could dump it in the compost, then turn the compost a few times, then shovel up the compost and wheel it over to the corn and spread it. Or, you could just spread the clippings around the corn now and save all that extra work. The end result is pretty much the same.

 

.. this be dilli not hhb ,,,,, but ...... knowing you are on a fairly tight budget and it is pretty late in year to plant seeds..i personally would recommend starting a few fall crops,,, ,, radishes n lettuces n other greens, broccoli, cabbage..possibly a squash or three n potatoes still have time... broccoli n such can be bought as small plantlings for a couple bucks for 6 or 9 plants as well as cauliflower n cabbage n even squash,,, however squash n taters could still be planted from seed for another week or two and still do ok... can also buy squash plants in some places...

as far as mulch n such ,, possibly wee if they ben clearin power lines in your area or call municipality n sometimes they have mulch piles for the taking if you load,,,, if not,,,, maybe find some black plastic n cover ground except for where you are planting to block out some the weeds,,,, have also seen people takin news paper print n laying it down on ground around plants n then watering it well to keep weeds n such out too... of course ya can always raise your gardening beds thr fall n winter as well,,, stops alot of the weeds n there are lots of things to make the borders out of that way too although is lots of work finding the soil to raise them with etc in the beginning....or try containers... they seem to do okay so long as they have drainage...

 

oops that was me not hhb in last post,,,, its monday ... cut me some slack

 

I'm having great success with leaf-lettuce... it's super quick growing, and so far it would seem that every single seed my daughter spreads into our lettuce pots has sprouted. A buck for some seeds could have you eating fresh greens in about 6 weeks. Spread new seed once a week, and you'll have a constant supply.

Winter squash & pumpkins still have time to grow too - and grow readily from seed. And herbs - never too late to start them, though I'm having one heck of a time keeping my cilantro (started from seed) alive while everything started from transplants & seedlings is doing splendidly.

Since you're on a budget, try getting ahold of your local DNR... they'll know where your local compost site is. You can pick up all the free wood chips you can carry home, (some places even separate them out by wood-type) and you can use that to mulch around the base of your plants & between the rows. It cuts down on weeds & helps hold moisture in. And check your local Craigslist & health-food-store bulletin board for people that might have seedlings & transplants for free

Corn - we have problems with smut up here... it's far too cheap to buy, and way too much work to try to keep alive. If you pull part of the husk back, can you see greyish furry stuff in the ears?
love,
mom

 

Right on... Thanks for all the helpful suggestions! I've decided to keep it simple and small. I have seeds for zucchini and another summer squash, and cucumber, lettuce and radish. The tomato plants I have going so far are doing so well and healthy I think I'll try and start a couple/few cuttings from them. And I'll start the rest by seeding it directly in the ground. I was thinking since the squashes say they need 36" space, and the tomatoes need 24", I'll just plant it all in a row in the middle of the wide rows, and use the space to either side of the big plants for the lettuce and radish.

I was thinking of giving potatoes another shot, but I only have 3 seed taters left. Maybe I'll cut them up and try again anyway, but it's hard to motivate since last time I did so poorly. I know they'd be easier to grow above ground in straw or something, but I just don't have the $$ to invest in setting that up. Maybe I'll just wait...

 

My cilantro/coriander didn't grow this year. I started seeds indoors that died, two plantings in the garden didn't come up at all, and in desperation planted some in a big flowerpot - only a few came up, then died. No idea why, maybe it's just a bad year for cilantro. Guess my salsa's going to be a bit bland.

 

my cilantro all died as well,, even the ones i let reseed each year n usually do very well... the seeds also just grew a bit n croaked too

 

Huh! Well... maybe the cilantro isn't my fault then?!?

Honestly, I think the squirrels didn't help mine any, but it never did get very tall even BEFORE it became a playground!
love,
mom

 

I need to pick back up on my reading & double check this... but I seem to remember that onion and garlic should be planted in the late fall, to be harvested in the spring? I was thinking of putting those where the corn is growing now at the end of my "U". Is this a good or bad idea, considering the nutrients the corn has sucked up?

Anyway, I'm not sure it'll be an option... I don't think anyone is selling seed anymore this year and I don't have any onion or garlic for planting... But it sure would be nice to have them homegrown if I could!

 

Sets small bulbs for onions are the preferrred method around here and we plant ours in very early spring. Garlic, hell, you can try buying a bulb at your local market and splitting it into cloves and planting it. We don't usually plant it in the fall, too much risk of an early frost setting it back. I have some garlic that has to be three years old, because I just don't get to it. I just let it bloom every year and enjoy the flowers.

 

im having problems with my cilantro too i wonder whats up a fungus or somthing ive got a few still alive im gona watch them real close and see if i can figure it out!

 

I didn't plant any this year, cilantro/corriander isn't one of my favorite seasonings. But from past cultivation I know that it prefers hot dry weather. Is that what you are all experiencing.

 

I've got hot weather, but it's been humid. No real rain or anything, just unseasonably muggy.
love,
mom

 

You've probably got two and 1/2 more months of growing season, try planting some now and see how it does. That should be enough time to get some for your salsa. Perhaps your springs were just too wet for it.