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My big black thumb

So I’ve finally convinced my mother to let me put a garden in our back yard. Something that’s been an ongoing battle since we have very little space. But I’m hoping to save a little $$$ by growing my own _. One problem. I’ve never grown anything (successfully) before. My last attempt at gardening was a bean plant in the second grade that was the first in our class to die. I have no experience with this and although I’m excited I don’t know where to start. I live in a climate where we have three seasons: winter, almost winter, and construction. (central alberta, canada) and I have no idea what I could plant here that would give me the biggest bang for my effort buck. What kinds of vegetables are hard to kill? And does anyone have experience growing a veg garden in a similar location? I’d love some advice. What about fertilizer? I was thinking I should start composting although that will take some more work on my mother ( I can here it know… “NOOOOOO”) I have no idea how to compost though. I was thinking so far some carrots tomatoes cucumber and a few different kinds of green leafy goodness. But like I said I have limited space.

Comments

  • bittbitt Raw Newbie

    Go to the library and check out some gardening books on cold weather gardening. You could build a cold frame or hoophouse for greens. You will need to perhaps either buy starts (more chance of success) or start some plants inside. Chard and kale are pretty cold-hearty. Composting take a LOT of work to do it right. YOu might want to try having a worm bin instead. Go to your nearest farm/garden supply store and they will help you too. They ought to know what grows best in the soils in your region and the times to start planting things. I have read lots about growing greens in the dead of winter in maine.

    Read “Living the Good Life” by Helen and Scott Nearing

  • You should also check out “Square foot gardening” its a great book for people w/ small spaces.

  • Ohhhh! Composting isn’t hard or time consuming if you don’t want it to be. Just get some wire mesh/landscape fabric and make it into a cylinder shape. Throw all your stuff in there, making sure to add plenty of browns (shredded paper, leaves, and shredded corn husks in fall or straw) to the green (food and yard waste) materials. Whenever you get a chance, move the cylinder and use a pitchfork to turn the materials back into it, or don’t, it will eventually compost down if you do nothing to it. I LOVE composting.

    As far as what to plant, most salad type stuff grows better in cooler weather. They start to bolt and wilt when temps get too warm. Broccoli, cauliflower, cukes and carrots should all do fine, I would think – although I offer no personal experience, as I’ve never lived farther north than southern Missouri. Snow peas really love cool temps, don’t forget to plant some of those. Just go for it. Good luck!!!

    ginger

  • greeniegreenie Raw Newbie

    Your local gardening centers are the best places for local advice. See if you can find a good organic gardening group. Your local HFS/Whole Foods may also have contacts on their bulletin boards. You can also ask them for the names of local growers, call them and ask for their advice or if they know of groups in the area.

  • There was an excellent gardening book called ‘The ten week garden’. I can’t remember who wrote it but they lived in a cold climate too. I’ll find out who wrote it and if it is still available. One bit of advice is, when it is still cold, put sheets of black plastic over the soil and it will warm the soil up sooner than later. or, you could use strips of hay.

  • Peas, lettuce, and smaller root veggies would be good planting choices. Tomatoes and melons would be more challenging.

  • Here it is. The Ten Week Garden by Cary Scher. Something Else Press. You can get it on Amazon.com for about $1.85 ish. plus postage. A bit of advice…If you can get hold of grass cuttings, put them inbetween your plants as the slugs and snails find it very difficult to ‘walk’ on the loose grass cuttings. They also hate copper. If you grow cabbages, cover the young plants with a cloche and allow enough space for it to grow. No cabbage white butterflies. Then, if you grow pointed cabbages like greyhound or tenderheart, just cut of the cabbage and leave the stalks in the ground and by the spring, you will have young cabbages growing out of the stumps. Saves space. Get yourself a book about rotation in your kitchen garden and don’t forget to lime the cabbage family and heel them in firmly. Then they will grow beautifully. Beans and peas provide nitrogen to the soil through little nodules in their roots, so the following year, you would grow cabbage family plants where you last grew beans or peas.

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