Need tips on starting an inexpensive garden.?
Question:I've never had a garden before. I've moved into a house in a small town with a decent sized yard and I'd like to start a small garden. I'm in NW Indiana.
What are some inexpensive ways to do so? I need some ideas of what to plant. I want tomatoes but not sure about the rest.
Any suggestions?
And also, how do you care for the garden?
Answers:
if you are thinking of a veg garden it can be really inexpensive every thing you eat veg wise amost always has seeds in iti have hardly boought a packet of seeds for three years you can get the seeds from tomatoes that you have bought from the supermarket courgetts ithink you call them zukini,pumpkins marrow,cucumbers aubergines peppers chili and sweet and several others send me an email and when i,ve got more time i,ll tell you how to do it
Concrete and green paint, works every time.
Go to the library or purchase a few books on gardening/landscaping. Because its already July, for this season use those roll out pre-planted flower mats. Do your homework and plan for some fall planting.
Hi, 1. I am in Britain so I am not up on your climate but you should go to the local mayor or town office and ask for a Gardening club or association of people in your area. if you are lucky to have one your made you will have access to everything you need, if not hear are a list of some of the things you can do.
1. Look to see what is growing in you neigbours garden and knock on the door and ask for its name , how they got it and when it flowers. Get them to write it down for you.If you are confident ask for cutting of a particular plant, just one. You may get a rooted one ready to grow. This is a great way to get to speak to your neigbours.They are usually full of good advice especially if they have been living in the area for a few years.
2. Remove all the weeds from the soil and then lay out the paths in the garden. Do you want any where to sit? put it where you get the most sun in the winter/ Summer. Just a mark of paint will do, The spray on kind.
3. Do you have any young children using the area? A water feature is not a good idea as they may get hurt in it so make a sand pit instead. Again mark it out. Water reminded Me how are you going to water the plants?
4. What sort of beds do you want, 5 is best number. 1 flowers and the remaineder for veg.
Again lay them out
5. Repair the boundary fences and check the walls are sound. Falling fence will hurt just as much as a falling brick.
6.A pH kit will tell you if you have an acid or alkaline soil. It will also tell you how much fertilizer you need to add.
7. Catalogues from Hardware store and garden centres will tell you what you can use for the paths and walls if you decide to raise the beds up for ease of access. It will also suggest long term projects such as gazebos and paving.
8. Draw up the garden onto paper so that everyone who comes to work on it will know what you want. Perants make mistakes somtime especially when you are not there to watch them.
9. The best part for me anyway, Plant catalogues from the garden centre or out of the papers. Deside what colour you want the garden to be, Oranges and red in the shaded parts and greys and blues in the bright areas. To be realy modern and british the veg should go in with the flowers. Remember all those loverly cuttings you should have description and colours to give you a good start.
10. Some where to protect you seedling when they are growing before you plant them into the garden. A cold frame or a green house if you can afford it.
11. Find a supplier of well rotted horse manure in the area. That is good stuff if it has been rotting down for a year or more and No there should not be a smell with it, if there is it is not rotted enough.
12. Get stared. Compact the path ready for their surface and start digging the beds.Plant potatoes to clean the soil in the bed. This is not a false crop but will help to reduce the pest and disease in the next year. Grow you tomatoes in Growbags on the soil in the sun. Your crops such as lettuce can also be grown like this for the first year.
I agree with liberty's answer, just wanted to add some ideas...
Gardening doesn't have to be expensive. Start going to garage sales and buying hoes, rakes, hand tools, hoses, etc. They are usually priced to sell and cheaper than at the stores.
Don't make your first garden too big. You can be overwhelmed in the spring and get discuraged. You can always expand your garden the following year when you know what you can handle timewise. The first year your soil will be harder to work with, it gets better the second year.
I would figgure out exactly where you want your garden. Lay out a hose around the edge of an area you are thinking about and step back and see if it looks ok. Does it get enough sun? Is water easily accessable? Then you can lay a plastic tablecloth or tarp over the area to kill the grass. I would till it this fall and again this spring.
If you just want fresh tomatoes, one plant will produce plenty, but plant a couple in case something happens to one of them. Buy live plants when your local greenhouses have them in your area. My boyfriend loves cherry tomatoes, so I always plant a couple for him to munch on. I can salsa so I put in Roma tomatoes along with Early Girls and Beefeaters. Romas aren't as good fresh, but they keep their texture after canning. We always take a posthole digger and dig down about 2 feet when we plant tomatoes so the roots can go deep easier. We are in a drought here and I still only water my garden once a week (I soak it though). Soaker hoses work great, you use less water and it goes where you want it. Tomato cages, don't get those cheap ones at the stores. You can buy wolven wire and make your own. Make about a 3 foot circle. cut the bottom ring off and stick those wires in the ground to support your tomatoes. My cages are about 4 feet tall and you can hardly see them after the tomato plants have grown.
If you have just moved into a small town, take a walk in the morning or evening and you will probably see someone working in their garden or flowerbeds. Most gardeners love to talk about the gardens, and would give you the best advice in your area. It's also a great way to meet people. If they are weeding, offer to help and you can learn so much as far as thinning carrots, mulching, etc. You might even walk away with some fresh produce!
I know this only touches the surface of gardening, feel free to e-mail me with your questions, I will try to help.
my granmother lives in churbusco,i can tell you indiana is great gardening territory for sure,sincerely you should be able to grow anything you want to eat there,peas grow great there,strawberries,just about everything,what do you like,seeds aren't exspensive,some things like peppers and tomatoes you should buy at a nursery,have fun,i live in ohio,you land is better there,i'm jealous
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