[Chad Winters]

I wish I had a garden, I would go insane. When I grew up we had everything growing, from Rhubarb to Potatos to strawberries to Cauliflower. We did it to save money as we didn't have any.

Unfortunately I have to live in apartments so I am a little limited what I can grow. Best growing medium I found are Earthboxes. I have had mine for 10 years now. I can't grow anything like squash as they get so big they take over my balconies, so I stick with Peppers of all variety, herbs and such. I don't really pay for anything other than the seedlings. If I had more space, or again a garden and a greenhouse, I would grow from seed which is cheaper. The soil in my Earthboxes is good for 4 grow seasons at least. All I have to do is replace the fertilizer strip each year. And put water in the tank .

We already have some of the peppers now.

My dream is to one day live in a house and I can grow more stuff.

I've been sticking my toe in, we have one Earthbox...I'm trying asparagus, though I'm beginning to think that wasn't the best choice for an earthbox. We have 2 of those upside down planters, one with tomatoes and one with cucumbers. We also have strawberries in a container.

I am pretty sure it would be cheaper to buy at the store, but this may actually make me eat more instead of just not buying them at the store.

 

[Alle Meine Entchen]

I grew up w/ my parents having a garden (sometimes 2 or 3).  I am 3 of 5 (I have 4 brothers) so it was way cheaper (and tastier) to grow fresh veggies and to can the excess for the wintertime.  This helped when my bros got older and more popular and my mom would end up feeding a lot more boys.  They still garden, even though all of the kids have grown up and moved out.  My dad does it for relaxation.  When he's had a really bad day, he'll go out to his garden (which is a good portion of his backyard) and "watch the garden grow".

Dad's garden has bad soil, but he has done compost, found cheap ways of getting fertilizer (one year he cleaned out a friends barn, w/ the understanding that he got all the manure) and he's bought soil occasionally.  It's not as good as the dirt I've got in my yard, but it's a lot better than it was when they moved in over 30 yrs ago. 

My mom also agrees about the tomatoes.  She can tell a difference between a store bought and a homegrown.  She also goes out to the garden w/ a saltshaker too.

 

[Shana Norris]

My husband and I grow some vegetables each year. We have VERY sandy soil, so we built a raised bed and filled it in with garden soil. Otherwise, nothing will grow in our yard (even the weeds are barely hanging on). We're hit or miss with tomatoes. Some years we get tons, other years the plants all wilt and die. They seem to be doing okay this year *crossing fingers* so hopefully I'll have some tomatoes soon. We are apparently born cucumber farmers though. We end up with tons and tons of cucumbers with no work on our part, other than planting the seeds. Last year we gave away a bunch of them, and still ended up having to eat cucumbers with every meal for the entire summer just to use them all up. This year we're hoping to pickle and can some of them.

We also grow lettuce, collards, corn, and carrots. But the bugs killed off our lettuce and collard plants just as they started coming up this year, so we need to replant those and try again. We have a few blueberry bushes in our yard, but they're all still pretty small and don't have many berries. Between the birds stealing them and the three year old that lives next door coming over to eat them right off the bushes, the husband and I don't get to enjoy very many of the blueberries!

I agree about fresh from the garden tomatoes. Store bought ones don't taste anywhere near as good.

 

[MichelleR]

Does anyone here know a truly earth-friendly bug repellent for veggies?

 

[Anita]

Does anyone here know a truly earth-friendly bug repellent for veggies?

I am by no means a gardening expert....all I have done is research on the topic but if you google on "Companion Planting" you may find some interesting information. Companion planting can draw beneficial insects that will take care of the 'pests' for you.

Here is a link to a description of companion planting: http://www.gardening.cornell.edu/factsheets/ecogardening/complant.html

An example of companion planting would be planting nasturtiums in your garden to draw aphids away from your vegetables. Aphids love nasturtiums, as do insects that eat aphids - which acts to further control the aphid problem for you.

 

[MichelleR]

I am by no means a gardening expert....all I have done is research on the topic but if you google on "Companion Planting" you may find some interesting information. Companion planting can draw beneficial insects that will take care of the 'pests' for you.

Here is a link to a description of companion planting: http://www.gardening.cornell.edu/factsheets/ecogardening/complant.html

An example of companion planting would be planting nasturtiums in your garden to draw aphids away from your vegetables. Aphids love nasturtiums, as do insects that eat aphids - which acts to further control the aphid problem for you.

This is great info and should put me on exactly the right track. Thanks!

 

[Ursula_Bauer]

Michelle, you can try a mix of castile or dish soap and water and spray. I've heard it works well. I used a non toxic veg spray I picked up at home depot. They had one for roses as well when I lived at my previous house where I had a wall of roses. This house we have a fence to move and some regrading prior to rose planting.

The year before last it was war with woodchucks. I was and still am a huge fan of container gardens, and lost just about all but my sage, which has doubled each year it stayed in the whiskey barrel (got it at the local agway). Last year I let it go, due to other stuff happening, but this year, I'm back at it. I wanted to do raised beds but we need to move a fence so I can get to the rest of my lot. Instead, I flipped a whiskey barrel over, put another on top, hung another planter off a shepard's crook and Bob's yer uncle. Planted parsley, german thyme, greek oregano, cherry tomatos, basil (lotsa basil). I'm going for another bucket and a few more shep crooks, as I want to plant a bunch of Jalepenos. We cook w/them a ton. I use a mix of humus/manure, and potting soil w/more towards the pot soil, and that always works well. I'm blessed w/ a green thumb. I also usually mix flowers near by to attract bees and buterflies. in the back it's sage. In front, salvia (a type of sage), bee balm, lavender, purple iris and yarrow. I love mixing in petunias and pansies, and most reseed and grow back each year. I grow what I'll use or what I like to smell, and what grows well in my area. This year I expect a ton of storms, so I'm going small scale.

I have pix up at my blog. Just went in the day I took it, so should fill out soon.

 

[kCopeseeley]

I just want to comment on the cost aspects of an at home garden, for those who commented on how expensive it is:

The first year IS an investment.  I spend $60 on heirloom seeds (I will explain in a second), $45 dollars to rent a tiller (because I started literally from the ground up, on unworked soil), and $60 on a timed mist sprayer sprinkler system (bought the parts from Lowes).

But, because I bought heirloom seeds, which you can harvest your own seeds from, I spent a total of $7.99 this year.  I kid you not.  So this year, I'm getting a garden full of veggies for about one tenth of a grocery visit.

I am a square foot gardener, and I practice organic gardening.

 

[kCopeseeley]

Does anyone here know a truly earth-friendly bug repellent for veggies?

My garden was decimated by earwigs last year and I tried literally every mix it up yourself spray I could find, but to my disappointment, nothing kept them away. Until I discovered diatomaceous earth. You can't buy it at any hardware store, unless you want stuff mixed with bug killer, but you can buy it in bulk online. Diatomaceous earth is a bunch of dead sea creature skeletons and does no harm to your garden or your plants. It will not make your food poisonous. It is very fine, however, so I bought a flour sifter, and I use that to apply it. If you live in a really windy area, I would advise a face mask, because the fine powder isn't great to breath in.

This year, I haven't had to replant, and thanks to the sun finally showing up, my plants are in great shape.

 

[MariaESchneider]

I'm an avid veggie gardener.  But initially it is expensive -- the dirt to get started will set you back 100 dollars alone.  The good news is you don't have to replace it every year.  The bad news is that you have to water out the ying-yang and that can be very expensive in some places.

Anyone in Texas having problems or questions about what to grow--let me know.  It's the end of our growing season here (most things are dying from the heat).  I grow tomatoes, onions (very well as an overwintering crop)  cucumbers.  In the winter, I start onions, grow snap peas, lettuce and sometimes tomatoes that have to come indoors during the cold.

I work at it.  Very, VERY hard--many hours.  Gardening is not for sissies. 

 

[swolf]

It will not make your food poisonous.

Always a good quality.

 

[Retired]

I do try, I really do. And then the bears and deer and rabbits and snails and slugs and ants and robins come. And an unknown beastie who claws the bark off my fruit trees. And never mind the molds and the blights... I spend more time fighting wildlife than seems right.

 

[swolf]

In my garden, I have a section fenced off for the spreading vine type plants, such as cucumbers, zucchini, gourds, watermelon, cantaloup, etc.

On another message board, we were discussing this, and every time I referred to these types of plants, I had to list the examples, like I did above.  Then someone informed me that these types of plants have a name - Cucurbits.

So now I have a cucurbits section in my garden. 

 

[swolf]

Speaking of cucurbits, I don't understand why people buy these types of plants.  They grow from seed so quickly, you're going to have those plants you're buying in two or three weeks anyway.  Save the money and buy the seeds.

Other plants, like tomatoes and peppers, it makes sense to buy the plant instead of the seed, at least here in the north.  Because you have to start them so early and you'd need to start them indoors or a greenhouse.

 

[MichelleR]

My garden was decimated by earwigs last year and I tried literally every mix it up yourself spray I could find, but to my disappointment, nothing kept them away. Until I discovered diatomaceous earth. You can't buy it at any hardware store, unless you want stuff mixed with bug killer, but you can buy it in bulk online. Diatomaceous earth is a bunch of dead sea creature skeletons and does no harm to your garden or your plants. It will not make your food poisonous. It is very fine, however, so I bought a flour sifter, and I use that to apply it. If you live in a really windy area, I would advise a face mask, because the fine powder isn't great to breath in.

This year, I haven't had to replant, and thanks to the sun finally showing up, my plants are in great shape.

Interesting, thanks.

 

[MamaProfCrash]

We grew about 90% of our veggies from seeds this year. The Hubby spent three months cultivating the various hot pepper plants and a few months cultivating the tomato and sweet pepper plants. The others were planted as seeds (Carrots, onions, cucumbers). we have bought a few hot pepper plans (he is nuts) and a strawberry plant.

 

[kCopeseeley]

We grew about 90% of our veggies from seeds this year. The Hubby spent three months cultivating the various hot pepper plants and a few months cultivating the tomato and sweet pepper plants. The others were planted as seeds (Carrots, onions, cucumbers). we have bought a few hot pepper plans (he is nuts) and a strawberry plant.

Man, I wish I could grow strawberries here. It's a snail's paradise. And go ahead, ask me if I've tried to keep them away. hahaha I buy my strawberries in a store. *sigh*

 

[MamaProfCrash]

We ate our first peppers from the garden last night. One Beaver Dam pepper and one Hot Banana pepper. They both went on the grow again next year list.

 

[Val2]

Fruit and veg is so cheap here in Spain, it's hardly worth it. But I did grow veg in South Africa and also in the USA which was very rewarding. Harder to grow in the Uk because of the weather but also did it there.

 

[bobavey]

I love fresh fruits and vegetables, but I, too, am not good at gardening. As fast as I grow it, the birds and insects eat it before I can.