Vegetable garden

Godslayer Jillian · 03-03-2009, 09:08 PM

Now that spring is almost here, I'm currently digging out my yard to replace the dead and dried up grass. But instead of just trying to have a high-maintenance manicured lawn (which isn't even realistic for my region) I convinced my father to lend me a big corner to plant more practical stuff.
Anyone has had a vegetable garden that might offer some tips? What plants would be best to grow?

jack_the_knife · 03-03-2009, 11:13 PM

I used to grow carrots and potatoes as a kid.
Strawberries too. You could try stuff like tomatoes too. You can use ground used coffee as fertilizer for the tomatoes. Sweetcorn is well worth the effort as well.

Cicero · 03-03-2009, 11:21 PM

Look up the best plants for your region and climate, I doubt most temperate stuff would work too around where you are.

Herbs are easy as fuck. Basil, parsley, oregano, lemongrass, etc. It's best to buy the whole plants from markets then transfer them into your own garden, rather than starting from scratch with seeds.

Tomatoes aren't too hard either, and fresh homegrown tomatoes taste bloody amazing.

It's probably worthwhile starting a compost bin or worm farm as well. Throw all your organic waste in there and use the resulting mush as fertilizer. If for any reason you start cleaning bones through maceration (you never know) the putrid water also makes for happy plantlife.

HumanePain · 03-04-2009, 03:38 AM

For vegetables (and strawberries) frame a small area with timber, and fill it with the surrounding soil to make a raised bed. This will allow for better drainage, and besides will keep the strawberries out of mud and puddles. Good drainage is important to keep the water to soil ratio good for the plant's uptake mechanism.

You will need some sort of light transparent cover once the strawberries begin to fruit to keep rodents from nibbling your efforts.

Watering twice a week for your geography is advisable, and during August even once every morning. Do not water in the evening as this will promote soil fungus. Morning watering allows the water to soak into the soil before the sun evaporates it, and yet allows the sun to dry out the soil by evening so fungus has no topsoil moisture to thrive.

Good luck!

Solumina · 03-04-2009, 10:14 AM

Zucchini grows fairly easily in various climates and yields yummy results with very little care needed (I'm especially fond of zucchini bread and fried zucchini blossoms). Squashes in general are good for beginner gardeners and do well in loads of climates. If you want something leafy there are some lettuces called summer lettuce which is more heat resistant and require less water than other varieties. For tomatoes you should stick to smaller types such as cherry or grape tomatoes as the larger varieties can dry out a bit in warmer climates. Peppers are a pretty good choice for your area and fresh peppers are seriously delicious (just remember to wash your hands after you tend to your peppers). Last but not least fresh corn is amazing, I'm an especially fond of White Magic and Indian Summer, both of which do very well in warmer temperatures.

Good luck with the garden!

honeythorn · 03-04-2009, 11:27 AM

Try this

I've had a quick look and it seems to give basic tips for starting.

Strawberries can be grown in hanging baskets. So you could try that if you want to keep groundspace for other fruit and veg ( strawberry plants send out runners and can be very invasive so hanging baskets and raised pots keep them in check )

You can grow potatoes from the roots that sprout off the skins when they've been kept for a while. They like depth, and can also be grown rather well in cleaned oil drums filled with decent soil. This method also works excellently for Rhubarb.

Most herbs will do well where you are, as many of the most common herbs like bay for example, come from hot climates originally anyway.

Melons and various members of the squash family should grow well, Try Kale, broccoli, tomatoes too.

A compost bin is a good idea. They are pretty cheap to buy a small one, or you could Make one

I've found that adding earthworms to the bin helps a great deal. They should breed in there and keep the compost in good order. Also, if you end up with an ants nest in there, don't worry and don't use any pesticide on them. They will eat the waste you throw in and help to break it all down.

Raptor · 03-04-2009, 12:40 PM

I'd grow potatoes, again.

I love mash potato a huge amount, they were even more awesome with fresh stuff.

I have a feeling that the potato plant (above ground part) is supposed to grow straight up, mine all seemed to lie on the ground. But they tasted good, so it doesn't seem to be a problem.

If Melons grow then that would be awesome too.

honeythorn · 03-04-2009, 01:24 PM

Right, I've called my brother. He spent a year in prison in Jamaica a few years ago , and the prisoners grow a lot of their own veg ect as prison food is so bad it isn't worth bothering with ( we sent him loads of seeds and so on ) I figured that since Jamaica is pretty hot and so is Texas, you should be able to grow most of the same things as long as you water them well ( which is a given really )

He grew the following:

Tomatoes
Cucumbers
Peppers
Calalou
Onions
Sweetcorn
Yam
Cassava
Plantain
Okra
Carrots

Seeds for some of the more unusual veg can be found on ebay. You can even get purple carrots!!!!

PortraitOfSanity · 03-04-2009, 01:51 PM

I'm trying to imagine what a Jamaican prison would be like.....

What was he there for, if you don't mind me asking?

honeythorn · 03-04-2009, 01:58 PM

He said it was the worst prison he'd ever been in ( and he's been in many ) . He tried to bring Cannabis out on the way back. In some ways he's quite brilliant, but in others he's as thick as shit. And that was one of his dimmer moments. He got a year's hard labour. And it IS hard labour out there.You literally get what they sentence you to ( unlike here where you're out in a few months for "good behaviour" <_< )

PortraitOfSanity · 03-04-2009, 07:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by honeythorn

"good behaviour")

Yea... I was in prison for a couple months. "Good behavior" means you didn't stab anyone, or if you did, you didn't get caught.

Corpsey · 03-06-2009, 12:18 AM

Lemon Grass would be perfect for making a meal a nice bit of seasoning, as you can use it to spice up any sort of meal.

Just to be odd, I'm going to suggest Kumara (Sweet Potatoe). Its funky seeing as it's called Kumar in Peru and Kumara here. Methinks the Maoris came from South America.

Cicero · 03-06-2009, 01:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Corpsey

Lemon Grass would be perfect for making a meal a nice bit of seasoning, as you can use it to spice up any sort of meal.

Just to be odd, I'm going to suggest Kumara (Sweet Potatoe). Its funky seeing as it's called Kumar in Peru and Kumara here. Methinks the Maoris came from South America.

Lemongrass is awesome. I've got pots of it in my garden but my cats chew on most of it for their digestion, so I end up having to buy it anyway.

And you're almost right there about the Maoris, but the migration was in the other direction - Polynesians went to Peru. At least that's what a few centuries-old chicken bones have suggested.

CptSternn · 03-06-2009, 01:38 AM

Grow yerself some white widow.

Corpsey · 03-06-2009, 01:40 AM

Ah, that's correct. I remember having a discussion with James Waerea (A somewhat famous New Zealand Author) and over a few wines he started going on about how the Maoris came from South America because of both Kumara and one of the Maori words for their ancient homeland meaning "the land to the east".

So I assumed they went from Polynesia to South America to New Zealand.

What's this this reference about chicken bones? I don't get it as a historical reference.

*Edit*

I'm moving into my new flat in a weeks time and when I do I intend to grow some Lemon Grass of my own as well, minus the cats devouring the lemon grass part. >_>

Vivi · 03-06-2009, 05:29 AM

Pretty much all herbs are really easy to grow. Most thrive on neglect. Tomotoes, potatoes, chillies, aubergine, corn, and capsicum are really easy. Make sure you dont overwater them though. Every three or 4 days should be plenty once established.
Manure is essential. Pile it on and dig it in. Compost is also good to have. I reccomend luscerne straw as a mulch as it breaks down and adds nutrients to the soil. The plants i recommended seem to like a bit of potash and chicken manure in the soil too. A good idea would be to buy some marigolds and sweet alice as they ward away pests and attract beneficial insects like bees whilsts adding colour and making it look pretty.

Cicero · 03-06-2009, 05:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Corpsey

Ah, that's correct. I remember having a discussion with James Waerea (A somewhat famous New Zealand Author) and over a few wines he started going on about how the Maoris came from South America because of both Kumara and one of the Maori words for their ancient homeland meaning "the land to the east".

So I assumed they went from Polynesia to South America to New Zealand.

What's this this reference about chicken bones? I don't get it as a historical reference.

Here's the story about the chicken bones...
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn11987

It also mentions there are no likely DNA links between South Americans and Polynesians. The Maori's 'land to the East' is likely just the Eastern Polynesian islands. New Zealand was the last to be colonised and they would likely have come from Tonga and the Cook islands, which lie to the East.

PortraitOfSanity · 03-06-2009, 07:15 AM

Ahh yes, Polynesia.

"We settled a bunch of utopian islands so that when the British came, we had a really pretty setting for our own extermination and subsequent enslavement."

Corpsey · 03-07-2009, 01:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cicerp

Here's the story about the chicken bones...
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn11987

It also mentions there are no likely DNA links between South Americans and Polynesians. The Maori's 'land to the East' is likely just the Eastern Polynesian islands. New Zealand was the last to be colonised and they would likely have come from Tonga and the Cook islands, which lie to the East.

Fantastic, I'll save this link away in my memory.

Cheers for that.

Breathless Horror · 03-07-2009, 10:48 AM

Chilis man, grow chili peppers. They grow great and are potentially the best way to make boring food better in the world.

I second Sternn's motion for some white widow XD

Unimatrix 00 · 03-07-2009, 03:49 PM

I can't eat vegetables. But I like carrots. Thats it.

Opteron_Man · 03-08-2009, 03:24 PM

I used to grow a bunch of little herb plants in a plastic "green house" tray that sat at the front of out house near the main window on the seat part. In the back yard, I had a real garden and we ( my mom, dad and I) grew little strawberries and other little things. I was lazy with the grooming, so there were alot of prickly weeds to deal with.
That was back when I was a kid, around 1995.

Opteron_Man · 03-08-2009, 03:30 PM

I saw a clever instructable where this fellow who lived in a neighborhood with a water rationing thing going on.
He kept his lawn green and healthy by rigging up this interesting grey water recycling system. He filtered the water coming out of his shower and presumably his sinks and clothes washer and reused it to feed his lawn and probably a garden.

I think this was the page I saw.
http://www.instructables.com/id/Wate...er-Grey-Water/