A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion New Members Preggers with toddler & starting garden!

Hi, I'm 30, married, preggers with baby #2, and have a 2-1/2 year old son. I'm also a member of Ovusoft. DH recently lost his job due to permanent shut-down and is now attending college via state funding. Things are TIGHT.
About 4 or 5 years ago I turned part of our back yard into a flower bed (so my DH wouldn't have to mow it ) by shoveling out the grass/sod by hand and putting it elsewhere in the yard that needed built up. I ended up throwing my neck/back out and had to go to a massage therapist & a chiropractor.
I planted perennials as I'm not a lover of upkeep: irises, a flowering bush, a beautiful flowering vine, hostas, red-leaved flowering plants, lilacs. (I need to re-find the names of some. ) Some I bought, others I got free from family/friends or transplanted from other areas of the yard. They've all continued to grow beautifully without me doing anythings but weeding what weeds come up through the ground cover. Some have also spread and multiplied.

After having our outer sewer line replaced last year, I let part of the garden go as the sewer people destroyed part of it. Thankfully I had dug up most of the plants from that area.

As I said, things are super tight, so this year I have decided to reclaim the remaining garden portion and grow fruits/veggies. I rented a Mantis tiller for $17 yesterday and tilled the clover out - after attempting to do it by hand, not so easy at 5-mo-preg. It went great. Then I planted 4 tomato plants ($.99/4), 4 bell pepper plants ($.99/4), 2 lavendar plants from last year, and another nameless herb from last year. DH thought it was a useless waste of money when he got home, but I'm optimistic about the result.

I also bought some Sugar Baby Watermelon, Giant Noble Spinach, and Grand Bell Mix Pepper seeds ($1/3pks). I'm thinking of starting the seeds indoors in a cheap starter kit from Dollar General.
I just read here about using newspaper for weed control and am ecstatic to try it!
If anyone has any suggestions for me, that would be great as I have little time/energy for upkeep.
Also, what veggies/fruits are perennial and easy, so I don't have to replant next year? I still have some room left to plant more.

Hi and welcome.

Sorry about the job loss but congrats on the new little one.

Well I'm not in your planting zone for veggie suggestions but strawberry plants are great perennial fruits. They multiply like crazy...as well as rhubarb.
Blueberry, gooseberry and other fruit shrubs are nice to have also. Keep an eye for end of season sales on shrubs...you can get them 75% off.

Welcome to gh

YOu can use newspaper , I am also using cardboard, An some use black plastic between the rows.

One neighbor lays black plastic sheets , an cuts holes for the peppers an tomatoes. No hoe method.

Yes I plant tomatoes an peppers in side now or earlier. Do your own to save oodles....Dollar store find is as good as any place.

good luck , home we can help you . You sound like a great person .

ask any questions here.
Tamara and I (dodge ) are farmers .. I am in your zone 5 or 6.

welcome
GOod luck

dodge

Thanks for the thoughts and tips, ladies.
I LOVE strawberries, and blueberries are so expensive to buy, so those would be great to add! Aldi has some berry bushes for sale cheap right now, too! I hope they have some left; I knew I should've grabbed one last week.

We don't get a paper except for the weekly sample (which someone stole mine this week before I brought it in). I'll ask friends to save theirs for me, though. How eco-friendly and cheap. :ding:

I'm anxious to start my tiny greenhouse, too. I grew up on a classic farm complete with a giant garden, but I was really bad about listening when Dad would try to teach us farming/gardening things. I just wanted to ride my horses through the timber and explore. Now I wish I'd listened more.

How about keeping rabbits from eating my plants? We have several wild rabbits running around here. I'm a part-time dog/cat groomer and can get fur to use. I've heard it's good for keeping deer away. Do I need cages for my plants?

Do I need supports for my tomato plants?

Top is flowers seeds on top of the soil.
Started on the porch 2 weeks ago


Number 2 is Plants I started inside n I am harding off on the porch.
Notice the one tomato by the pole.


Last one is my Beets on the left
Carrots on right.

I will plant them in the garden when they enlarge .

I already had onions started from seed , in the garden..

No need for tomato cages
Use any ole sticks laying around. Put notches in smooth one s to keep the string on to stake .

Hope this is helpful..
dodge

Something else you might consider trying is Asparagus. It is a perennial vegetable you plant as crowns purchased from a reputable crown grower. You can start it from seed but it is very time consuming and labor intensive.

I would recommend trying one of the newer all-male hybrids such as Jersey Giant, Jersey Knight or Jersey Prince. One does not harvest asparagus the first year but after that it will keep producing.

Other things you could probably do easily enough are.... sweet leeks, Chinese yams, artichokes, shallots, spinach, many bamboos, sweet potatoes, eggplant, etc., etc.

Thank you ladies! This is really helping. I'm keeping & organizing info in a Microsoftworks file for easy access.

One of my co-workers was collecting dog hair yesterday at work to keep rabbits out of her garden, and I'll be doing likewise. Being a groomer has its perks.

FYI - Feel free to ask any groomer to save fur for your garden, and they'll save it for you and make sure that trash doesn't get mixed in. We do this frequently for people and don't charge for it as it would just be thrown out anyway.

You can also plant radish and leaf lettuce, they take up little room and mature fast..just plant 1/2 your seeds two weeks apart for continuous supply.

I also know gardeners who place black hoses on the ground stretched out into curves around the garden. The rabbits and other critters think they are snakes and avoid the garden. And some people hang rectangles/strips of aluminum off of stakes. Those are also supposed to be a deterrent to nibbling animals.

Thanks for the continued ideas! I'm soaking it all up and getting optimistic.
I just found out/remembered my flowering bush is Weigela. I love it. :ding:

They are pretty, I have a few varieties...the variagated one is my favorite.

I just pm-ed you too.

I buy my strawberry plants at Wal-mart, they come as bare roots, 12 in a box for $3. You soak them overnight in water then plant them the next day.

Your clematis looks like mine...I have a Bees Jubilee and a Ramona...both purplish.

Thanks! I'd probably think they were dead and pass by them. I'm anxious to get some strawberries started. Thanks for the soaking tip, too.

Bees Jubilee sounds familiar. Maybe that's what clematis I have. I need to get a bigger trellis for it. It's amazing how it looks like dead, dried out twigs in winter and by the end of April, it's a lush, climbing bunch of vines. I can't wait for it to bloom; they're one of my favorite flowers and look so exotic to me.

I came across PlantSense Inc White EasyBloom+ Plant Sensor. How crazy is that or do you think it actually works? Either way, I can't afford $50 for a garden gadget.

OMG...what won't they come up with..yup, that's just crazy.

Today, as I lay down newspaper and put up sticks with strips of foil in my little garden, I noticed that my mystery "herb" that I thought was Cilantro had odd looking blossoms. I took a pic & texted it to a friend I'd gotten it from last year. Turns out it's actually Columbine! She said it spreads well and attracts hummingbirds. It's like I've found treasure!
But now I'd like to get some cilantro as I like making salsa. Lol.

LOL

That is funny .....I have those an didnt know they were columbines.
I call them DISTRIBUTOR CAPS.....LOL

Good suprise either way.. Think mine died out .
But I have lots of others.

very nice looking.

dodge

I have lots of columbine and they seem to grow and spread quicker if you plant your seed before winter...another cold stratification seed I guess.

I have lots of seed Dodge..if i could only sneak them to you in the mail somehow. My seed packets never cross the border

I planted seeds in my Dollar General Peat Pellet greenhouse box on 4/25 Sunday. (Watermelon, Bell peppers, Spinach) Today is 5/3 Monday, a week later, and my watermelon seeds have sprouted! Another one even emerged since this morning! We'll see if the others sprout, but I'm just happy some, especially since they're the watermelons, have sprouted.

The tomato & pepper plants I planted are still standing tall, too. I've started laying down newspaper and need to get some mulch to keep it in place. Aldi has big bags of mulch for $2.29. I assume that's a good price?

I put skewers with strips of aluminum foil by each plant and they stayed put through the weekend's big storms. I also brought home a bag of dog hair to spread for critter control.

DH is sounding more supportive as he hears friends be excited about my garden. He said he'll be happy if it ends up producing any food. Me, too.

aW

YOUR WILL GET THE HANG OF IT IN NO TIME.
jUST ASK IF YOU NEED HELP..

WILD WILLY IS A PRO .

DODGE

Thanks Dodge. Your encouragement is very, well, encouraging. My belly is getting bigger (I get really big) and the baby is suddenly a LOT more active (20-wks/5-mo now), so I really want and need to get the final big touches done with the garden before summer heat rolls in. Iowa summers are very hot and very humid - miserable when preggers.

I think I may have identified the red-leaved flowering perennials in my garden. I lost the marker from when I planted them. I only planted a few originally, but they have spread like mad.
I found some images in google search and think it may be beardstongue. It gets pretty tall - some are already taller than my 2 1/2-yr-old son. It gets a pink/white flower in the summer. I LOVE the green/deep-red leaves.

This image I found online is what they look like currently in May:


They haven't yet bloomed this year, but I found a good image online of what they'll soon look like:


Here are mine on April 21, 2010. I pointed some out with arrows. They're among my irises, hostas, weigela shrub, and Clamatis vine (and a gnomb) by our garage. Many are now (on May 13) up to the bottom of the window sill!


I'll take some actual closeup pics of mine as soon as I can, but it's been pouring cats & dogs here the past week. I just can't believe how much they spread, but I LOVE it. Apparently I made some good choices that summer I bought my perennial flowers.

Anyway, can anyone confirm or deny what these are?

Also, it's been 18 days since I planted my bell pepper seeds and spinach seeds in my peat pellet greenhouse, and they still haven't sprouted at all. On the other hand, my watermelon seeds I planted alongside them in the same greenhouse have all sprouted and are doing great. Do you think my peppers and spinach are done for?

I always have a hard time getting pepper seeds to germinate. I believe it's because they need much warmer soil than most other seeds. also, for me at least, the smaller the seed the harder they are to germinate since they are only to be 1/4" below the surface. Its real easy to get them too deep or too shallow. If you have more seed try another batch?

Thanks for the tip. I have more seeds, so I think I'll just have to replant and try again.

I got a thornless Blackberry plant and a Blueberry plant at Wal-Mart today for $5 each! They're $15/ea at Hy-Vee. I also got some rhubarb from my parents' farm this weekend.
If anyone has any tips on helping any of these flourish and produce well, please share!

Good buy there.
Blueberrys , need acid added to the earth to grow well. I put 2 tablespoons vinegar to a gallon of water .(acid) couple times a year.

Blackberrys I think survive pretty good on any ground.

Welcome to the forum, an good luck.
I planted bearded tongue seeds so far not growing.LOL
Not good.

dodge

yOUR ON THE RIGHT TRACK GIRL, KEEP GOING.
SOME DAY YOU CAN ADD GRAPES AN APPLE TREES AN PEARS.

I FREEZE AN CAN LIKE NO 2MARO AN LOVE THE FLAVORS AN PRICE.
OH
RED CURRANTS MAKES SUCH A TANGY JELLY. I FREEZE THAT ALSO.

GOOD LUCK

DODGE

Thanks!
Oh, any idea how much room I should allow for growth for my blackberry bush? Are they more of a vine? Could I guide it up a trellis to save ground space? I don't have much room left. I have yet to plant my watermellon, too! I do have a small area right next to the house I can also use, but it doesn't get as much sun as it's against the house on the north side of the house and west side of the deck.

I also forgot that we have some sort of grape vines growing on the other side of our garage. It has these frog-foot like things that it grabs onto things with. The birds always eat the "grape" clusters before they get very big. I'd like to figure out just what it is. My dad actually asked if it ws poison ivy. He should know better as he's a farmer.

Here's my garden viewed from the south. The fruit/veg part is in the red mulch/dirt area.

This is my garden viewed from the west with our 2 1/2-yr-old son. The yellow circles are the space left for planting. Suggestions?

OMG, a watermelon plant is gonna take up alot of your space there.

Depending on the variety of Blackberry you are gonna need a couple of ft of space at least for it..it grows like a cane..I have an extremely heavy duty tomato cage around mine.

Your planting are very nice..cute boy you have also.

Oh, drat.
How much space would one watermelon plant need?

Regarding the Blackberry, how does a cane grow? Is it like a vine - could I guide it upward?(Is my ignorance showing yet?)

Pregnancy brain apparantly kept me from understanding the sizes stated on the tags. Could I control the width some with the Blackberry or Blueberry? How would a tomato cage work for that?

My Blackberry tag:
"Apache Thornless Blackberry (Rubus x 'Apache')
8+ hours of daily sun; Water regularly as needed; 6' tall x 4' wide; Cold hardy to -20*F; Enjoy fresh.
Prune out canes which produced berries as fruit is only borne on year-old growth."

My Blueberry tag:
"Chippewa Blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum 'Chippewa')
8+ hours of daily sun; Water regularly as needed; 8' tall x 6-8' wide; Cold hardy to -40*F; Enjoy fresh.
Plant near another blueberry variety to ensure good fruit production."

A blackberry can and will grow up and then fall over..like your variegated weigela but not as strong, so I use a 'big' tomato cage for mine. It keeps it all in a compact space.

My blueberries were smaller plants so I have no advice on trying it for those.

A watermelon plant will run many feet, many many feet I planted Sugar baby(I think thats the name) many years ago..those are the tiniest ones you can get and the two plants took over my whole garden, the vines ran about 8ft or more each.

Thanks! I didn't realize tomato cages came in different sizes. What size is a "big" one? I think I'll try that with both berries.

I planted just one of the watermellons yesterday along the edge to give it roaming room.