Gardening

[Imagebuffet]

Now that I own a home with a yard, I'm fulfilling a life-long dream; I'm planting a garden! Throughout my childhood, I planted gardens, but they always failed. Now, though, I have the means and materials to do it right, and I'm pulling out the stops!

Today, I rented a sod cutter and a 5 hp tiller (and a rental truck to transport them). I've never used a sod cutter or tiller, before. I've now cut up a big patch of my back yard using the sod cutter, and I've pulled up some of the sod. I'm tempted just to till under the rest, though a friend advised me that the grass would be my worst weed problem.

I have to return everything tomorrow. I also have to attend class and go to work. That doesn't leave me much time!

[boldimagery]

'maters!!!! I luv 'maters! LOL! Seriously, what ya going to plant? We tried our first garden last year. It was a good learning experience. We had the hardest time with birds and our veggies.

[Imagebuffet]

I intend to plant the usual things, such as peas, corn, watermelon, bell peppers, hot peppers, carrots and such. I also recently found out that I can grow blueberries, so I'm going to attempt them, besides raspberries, blackberries and seedless grapes.

I have garlic bulbs, too, but I hear they can take over a garden, so they need to be containerized to control them.

I might plant some potatoes, too.

[boldimagery]

Wow! Your brave! We went with beans, tomatoes, peppers, and zucchini. We did ok. They were nothing like the seasoned pros that can churn out 3 million pound out of two plants.

[Dobick]

Keep your hot peppers a few rows over from your bell peppers, or you might be in for a rude awakening when you go to eat your bell peppers. My grandmother found this out the hard way (or should I say I found out the hard way with my grandmother's bell peppers)

A sage plant makes a very hearty plant that stays green and fragrant, and helps keep some bugs out of that section of the garden as well. Sage and mint make a very nice refreshing leaf to chew on while in the garden during the late summer evenings as it cools off as well. I love the taste of a fresh sage leaf...

[texkam]

My school of thought.
Patience. It's a gradual process. Expect little the first year with increased success each season as the soil, your techniques and knowledge matures. I would till under the sod along with as much organic matter as possible to the point of increasing the height of the garden area. That will create good drainage. Decomposition will consume nitrogen so add that along with some sugar or molasses, non-diet soda, even a little beer (I know, it can be the really old stuff that you can't even get your friends to drink). This will increase the microorganism activity in the soil. You want healthy soil full of worms. Oh you'll have plenty of grass and weed invasion the first season. Hoe, and mulch. Keep at it. You'll have less the second season and so on until it's not that bad. Keep out the varmints (rabbits, birds, neighbors, etc). Try to stay as organic as possible. That goes for the fertilizer too (see above). FYI tomatoes shut down in the summer heat and the birds always got mine anyway. The virtues of a fall garden are many. It's the best kept secret. Drip irrigation is your friend (soaker hose). Good luck and once again have patience. YMMV.

I guess we're also likely to see some gardening shots in the Human Form section this summer.

[texkam]

I intend to plant the usual things, such as peas, corn, watermelon, bell peppers, hot peppers, carrots and such. I also recently found out that I can grow blueberries, so I'm going to attempt them, besides raspberries, blackberries and seedless grapes.

I have garlic bulbs, too, but I hear they can take over a garden, so they need to be containerized to control them.

I might plant some potatoes, too.

Like me and many others at one time, you're a train wreck waiting to happen. You'll need a half acre to grow that stuff. Research, research, research. Grow your peas and carrots in the fall.

[Imagebuffet]

Thanks for the advice, everyone! I appreciate it. I'm reading everything I can on organic gardening, not that I care so much for organic gardening, as I could charge more for the produce.

Originally Posted by texkam

I guess we're also likely to see some gardening shots in the Human Form section this summer.

How you know? :D

Actually, I need to reshoot one of my photos (of a lovely, young female model) out in a tomato patch, if I could ever find one that would allow a nude woman to pose.

[Imagebuffet]

Originally Posted by texkam

Like me and many others at one time, you're a train wreck waiting to happen. You'll need a half acre to grow that stuff. Research, research, research.

It's all a great experiment. I would love to pull a lot out the first year, but I just enjoy playing around with it. I've never gotten much in the past, anyway, and I've been trying since I was 5 or 6 years old.

I used the sod cutter to chop up about 500 square feet of my back yard. I managed to pull sod out of about 75 s.f., so far. I might just till it all under. I have to return the equipment tomorrow before I go to work, and I have school in the morning.

[texkam]

It's all a great experiment. I would love to pull a lot out the first year, but I just enjoy playing around with it. I've never gotten much in the past, anyway, and I've been trying since I was 5 or 6 years old.

Um, are we still talking about gardening?

[venchka]

Berries are a long term proposition. They need more room than you think. Find a U-pick-it blueberry patch for ideas on space, irrigation, etc.

A backyard garden produces more than you think. My dad's garden shrank over time because it produced more than he and mom could eat. A little space goes a long way. As I recall, his garden was about 10'x20'. Buy a freezer. Feed the neighbors. Investigate drip irrigation to save on water & keep your water bill down.

Good luck.

[picman]

Check out the book "Square Foot Gardening". The concept has a lot of loyal followers. I'm putting in my first box this spring. Also a web site Welcome To My Garden! | Square Foot Gardening

[venchka]

Blueberries for Texas

It's too late. You may be buying sod soon. Start small.

[jerrykr]

Give it all a try, that's the way you will learn what grows well in your soil or not.

Not too sure what the soil is like in Plano, but if it's black soil, not sandy, you can forget the watermelons. The plants will grow well, take over everything, shade out your other plants, and the melons will not mature. Cantalopes will do well in black soil.

When I grew up Mom and Dad always had gardens, chickens, and such. I give it a try every year myself, but the soil at my house is very poor.

We save every organic trimming, banana peels, coffee grounds, tea bags, etc. and every day throw it out onto the garden plot. Keeps a tiny amount out of the landfills, and does improve the soil.

[venchka]

A rectangle formed by old rail ties on top of your existing dirt and filled with decent garden soil makes a perfect garden plot.

The sod cutter and tiller were very premature.