Living healthy, prepping * Grow Your Own Food * Shared Tips and Advice

This video is too general. It leaves many questions unanswered like when to plant which vegetables? Which vegetables to plant together? How to water seeds in the beginning? Should you look for organic seeds?
Do you need to space plants? How?
Do lemons grow on the east coast?

Vertical Gardening

Now that the entire economy is in a slump, people are responding by tightening up and reducing consumption in general—not just at the pump. The cost of everything seems to be higher these days, especially at the grocery store, a trip you can't skip. Maybe you can skip it, or at least drastically slash your bill, by growing your own food.

Growing fruits and vegetables seems overwhelming to most people, but it’s actually much simpler than it sounds. (Plus you don’t have to trade in your suburban or urban lifestyle for a life in the sticks in the name of self-sufficiency or savings.) All you need is a few square feet of the great outdoors, a water source, and a little time. Your grandparents did it, and so can you.

If you still aren't convinced, consider these benefits of backyard gardening:
1. Improve your family's health. American Dietetic Association found that preschool children who were almost always served homegrown produce were more than twice as likely to eat five servings of fruits and vegetables a day.

2. Save money on groceries. Your grocery bill will shrink as you begin to stock your pantry with fresh produce from your backyard. A packet of seeds can cost less than a dollar.

3. Reduce your environmental impact. Backyard gardening helps the planet in many ways. If you grow your food organically, without pesticides and herbicides, you’ll spare the earth the burden of unnecessary air and water pollution.

4. Get outdoor exercise. Planting, weeding, watering, and harvesting add purposeful physical activity to your day. If you have kids, they can join in, too.

5. Enjoy better-tasting food. Fresh food is the best food!

6. Build a sense of pride. Watching a seed blossom under your care to become food on your and your family’s plates is gratifying. Growing your own food is one of the most purposeful and important things a human can do—it's work that directly helps you thrive, nourish your family, and maintain your health. Caring for your plants and waiting as they blossom and "fruit" before your eyes is an amazing sense of accomplishment!

7. Stop worrying about food safety. When you responsibly grow your own food, you don't have to worry about contamination, GMO's and pesticides.

[link to www.sparkpeople.com]

I'm ready, never grew food before. it feels overwhelming like the article says. HOW TO BEGIN?

Lots of info here...

[link to www.reneesgarden.com]

To protect a low vulnerable non fenced garden from rodents or deer, use vinegar and or lemon juice on the perimeter of your plants. Spray bottle and light it up. Good luck

Which veggie plants are most disease resistant. What do you do to keep the plant healthy instead of pesticides?

Deciding What to Grow?

What's easiest to grow for beginners: tomatoes, lettuce, radishes, peppers, snap peas, green onions, summer squash, and green beans?
Where is it best to buy the seeds? Online? Garden store?
Can you buy organic seeds? How do you know they are not GMO?

Should you put mesh fence around?

When do you plant them on the east coast?

Thanks, but will that keep rats away? We live in the city. Have a garden in the back of the house.

Great site. Thanks.

OP,

Slow down a little. Give people time to read your comments and answer your questions.

I know a great deal about herbs, vegetables, flowers.

Ask two or three questions and wait for the answers.

I would be very happy to answer your questions, as I'm sure many other posters would as well.


M

The season becomes shorter, the plant shall not produce the seed nor make the meat.

OK I'll slow down. I'm just excited about starting to grow veggies. Can't wait.

Next month I will plant lettuce, peas and onions in my garden. They are easy to grow, just add a tomato and have a nice salad.

Buy the seeds at a garden center. Buy the loose lettuce, it has a sweeter taste. The peas are snow peas. They produce over a longer time, and you can use them in salads and stir fry. The onions - buy the little onion sets and plant them now.

Here's some good advice. The back of the seed packet has a lot of information about starting seeds, sun, light requirements, spacing, days to maturity. Always check the back of each packet of seed. Follow directions.

Here are some basic questions on how to begin:

Living in a city on the east coast, have a small back yard. The soil is good and untempered with. The baby trees I planted are growing.
Probably no need for building planter boxes.
It's mostly sunny. It has one sunny side and one side with little sun most of the day.

What veggies and herbs are good to plant and when? Which ones need a lot of sun and which ones are ok in partial shade?

How do you combine them best?

How to begin, where to best get seeds/seedlings to make sure they're organic?

Full sun: tomatoes, peppers, squash, cucumbers, beans, okra, onions, corn.

These do well with 3 to 5 hours of sunlight. Cabbage, lettuce, kale, broccoli, carrots, swiss chard, peas.

Most herbs require 5 to 7 hours of sun for the essential oils to develop.

Easy to grow herbs, basil, dill, chives, parley, mint, thyme, cilantro. Just till the soil, rake it smooth and plant the seeds after April 15th. The soil needs to be warm for the seeds to germinate.

Organic seeds: You'll need to order these from a company that offers heirloon seeds. I'll find some links and post them for you.

Garden centers are the best place to buy seedlings and small vegetable plants.

Don't try to plant too much at first. Start off with five different vegetables and five herbs. Add more in June or July.

Positive Post, OP. Just received Jerusalem artichokes (sunchokes) from John Kohler (youtube him).

Starches and greens and fruits are my emphasis this year. The main challenge is bringing in decent soil without spending a mint.

Thanks.

tomatoes, peppers, squash, cucumbers, beans, okra, onions, corn.

Do they all come as seeds?

Easy to grow herbs, basil, dill, chives, parley, mint, thyme, cilantro.

Can you also buy them as little plants and plant them in your garden?

Which ones can I plant now. I think you said onions? Anything else? What about in March or April?

just planted strawberries, collard greens and bell peppers

Aquaponics is the way to go! It's easy! No worries about bugs either.

Do you suggest building shelves for the herbs and growing them in small planter boxes? I'm thinking about being sure the cats don't eat them or pee on them.

How about some kind of mesh fence for the vegetables to protect them from animal intruders? Or something else?

What about a building a small greenhouse or what you call them to grow vegetables?

These guys are awesome!

in what climate? It's still very cold on the east coast.

Tomatoes and peppers are usually purchased as 3 inch small plants. Check Lowes or any garden center. Wait until late April to buy them.

Squash, melons, cucumbers, beans, okra, corn are grown from seed. You can plant them anytime AFTER the 15th of April.

Herbs do better when purchased as small plants. Wait until late April to plant them.

You can plant turnip greens this month, also onions,lettuce, snow peas, kale, mustard greens. These can be planted as soon as the grounf thaws.

Very inspiring and looks like fun, too!! People should get together and start projects like that.

Great. That helps.
Maybe a silly beginner's question but I have no idea...Do you plant lettuce as a seed as well?

Does it make sense to plant corn in a small garden? The corn plants get very big.

my garden wouldn't stand a chance without pesticides.

Lettuce is planted from seed. Very easy to grow. If you don't have room in the garden, you can plant the seeds in 8 inch planters. Fill the planters full of potting soil, sprinkle 20 or 30 seeds evenly over the soil, place the planter in a warm and sunny area. The seeds sprout quickly, and produce well. Leaf lettuce is delicious on sandwiches and in salads.

My favorites are : Green Ice, Black Seeded Simpson.

Pick up several packets and sow the seeds 2 weeks apart for an "ongoing" harvest. You can plant lettuce anywhere.

Even a caveman can do it. ha ha

So true, My lettuce is growing like a tree, I peel the bottom leaves and the stalk is shooting straight up. It's an heirloom Lettuce.

i am a master gardener.

Evening B&G,

Nice to "see" you. Looking forward to reading your garden and prep tips.

I'm sure you have much to share.

M