A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2006 A few general questions regarding vegetable gardens

I've planted a few potatoes and peas, and have my tomatoes and peppers and brocolli in flats. I never get to plant everything I'd like to, but I still intend to get some radishes and lettuce out, at least. I have onion starts I need to plant first, though.
Part of my problem is that bending over for any length of time is murder on my back.

I don't bend over to plant stuff like onions, I get down on my hands and knees, and use short broom handle to poke the hole in the ground.

For stuff peas, I use a planter.

Pat...I'm not sure but I think that was a typo...stuff peas...stuff "like" peas?
I always soak peas, beans, and such. I plant them after they sprout a lot of times...maybe I'm being too cautious, but my soil drains VERY quickly...it's sand.
What sort of planter do you use? The wheeled type?

Yep it was a typo. I use one of those little 2 wheel planters.



It works good for most things.

Pat, could I ask where you bought that nifty, little gadget? I didn't know there was such a thing, but I think I would like to have one now that I know...

Dianna

Dianna, I believe Johnny's sells those.

I got mine from my Father in Law, but I have seen them for sell at Farm and Home type stores.

They run about $80, and there is an extra set of plates that you can buy for it. I have almost a complete set of plates, but I don't have a corn plate. I use the pea plate but it is not quite right.

The plate is the round disc that goes inside that picks up the seed, they are sized according to the size and spacing of the seed.

I think I saw them at HD almost any place that sells garden tools has them. I have never used one as I wasn't sure how good they work, but have known alot of people that have them and use them every year. Park seed also has them, Also if you do ebay you might find a bargin on one there.

For some things it works good, like peas, corn, orka, and beans. But for the small seeds I like to do them by hand.

I did plant lettuce and carrots with it last year and had good luck.

If you have really long rows, it works the best.

I bought all my seeds yesturday..Besides the seeds, what else do I need? Some type of fertilizer or soil or something? What about plant food? Can anyone reccomend anything??? THanks

Hey nOOb!
You should go to Walmart and buy one of those seed starting trays. They're very cheap. They're divided into individual sections to plant your seeds. It comes with the starting soil mix you need and has easy to read instructions. You don't have to worry about plant food or fertilizer yet. I don't know about others but I only fertilize maybe once before I put them out in my garden. plants will let you know when they need a feeding. That won't be for awhile.
Good luck!
BTW..what seeds did you get?
Christina

Wow, fast response...Thanks
When you say
"I don't know about others but I only fertilize maybe once before I put them out in my garden."
is that meaning you put them in this tray you speak of and start growing them inside and then plant them in the garden? Forgive me, I've never grown a thing in my life so I don't know anything...lol.. I've always wanted a little garden so im pretty excited..
As for the seeds I bought tomato, onion, jalapeno, cilantro, green pepper, cauliflower, lettuce, cucumber, radish, zuchini, carrot, brocoli and mini bell peppers.. I know some of those I can plant right away, others Im not too sure about.. *can't wait*

I start my seeds in the tray in the house. As they grow, I transplant them into larger pots until the weather is ready for them outside. Here in Southern Ontario, it's usually the end of May when the temps are warm enough for them.

I keep my plants under fluorescent lights, some just use a sunny window.

I'll PM you an extremely useful link. I'm a little confused of what links I can and can't post here.

Christina

Hmmmmm, Im gonna have to try to find a spot to see if I can do that.. We don't have a basement and with 2 small kids it would be pretty hard for me to start them inside w/o ending up with dirt all over my house...lol.. Maybe I can put them in them in the garage, it's a little warmer than outside..

Raised beds ! My dream ! I'm drooling with envy !
nOOb, with your interest and enthusiasm, you'll do great ! Keep us posted on everything you plant !

Oh yes, Im moving in this weekend... Im unpacking the necessaties then Im out digging in that garden.. Any last minute tips for me??? Thanks for all the help!

I think most of this has been covered, but Here's a few tips. When you say "digging in that garden," I wouldn't worry about digging all the soil, unless it has become compacted. Just pull a how or similar tool through the soil to make your row, or dig individual holes for each plant, and add a little bone meal and blood meal or whatever you plan to use in the bottom of the holes or trenches and dig that in slightly before planting. Chemical fertilizers need to be worked in a bit better so they won't burn.
You'd be surprised at how creative you an get with locating indoor seed trays. They'll need to be nice and warm until the seed germinates, 70 degrees at least, but you can put them on top of the fridge...they'll stay warm there...or on a high shelf where the kiddos won't get to them. Then out to the garage once they've sprouted, with some cheap flourescent shoplights right down almost touching them. You could buy a few things this year and then invest in a heat mat next year, or just go the cheapie route like most of us and improvise...you're going to love gardening!
Keep in mind that even this nice bed arrangement may not be weed free...pull or hoe any weeds the come up as early as possible, but don't get too discouraged if you can't stay on top of weeding...by midsummer every year, my weeds are out of hand, because I never have much time for gardening, although I try to plant a large garden every year. I just look at the weeds and sigh, and pick tomatoes, okra, peppers and whatever else I managed to plant.

n00bGardener....All the suggestions everyone has given are all good advice. I would like to offer you another method for starting you seeds. Get some of those pellet pots and a cheap foil cake pan that has a plastic lid, when starting your seeds( before they germinate) they need to be covered, a plastic bag will work also. And they do need heat(around 70 degrees) to germinate, other places besides the frig, is on top of a hot water tank, In the bathroom where most people keep it warmer, or even in a closet with a small space heater. Once the seeds start to show through the soil, be sure to remove the plastic covering and place under lights...do not allow the plants to be lower then 2 inches below the lights.

n00bGardener, I think I'm really behind the times here! :rolleyes: I saw your post in The Welcome Wagon, then ran across this thread, AFTER I posted a reply there! ...And I didn't even pay attention to the posting dates, & I see now that you've already been around here for a while! (How silly do I feel?!)

Anyway, I left you a couple hints there, that you might want to take a look at.

Happy gardening!