Can I start my own mini-vegetable garden in a 12' X 5' space in front of my house? If so how should I start?
Wednesday, February 24th, 2010 at
4:51 am
I have a nice space in front of my house that I would like to start planting vegetables and herbs in that I can use for cooking. I have never worked in or grown a garden before so I was wondering if some experienced gardeners can help me by giving me some tips on how to start….Thanx!
Filed under: Vegetable Gardening
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I have a 8′ by 4′ little garden My brother helped me build it with landscape timbers. Then I bought soil to fill it since ours around here isn’t that great and it’s rocky. Plus you can buy all types of soil. I’m not a real experienced gardener but I like trying to grow a few things and hoping I get something fresh to eat out of it. I usually plant Yellow Squash (I put one beside my garden plot and one in it),Tomatoes,Spacesaver Cucumbers and some Peas I grow up the fence right next to my garden. I buy seeds for the squash,cucumbers and Peas. The Tomatoes, I buy the plants. Each year I usually buy a bag of soil with manure and 1 with humus or just regular top soil and add to my garden. I use some miracle grow too. I love fresh veggies! My peas I just ate raw. They are so good! Good Luck!
yes u can plant them and then provide them urea means urin litttle once in a 4 days urea provides them nutrients which help them to grow well
I have an 8′x4′ garden box. Went to hardware store and got 2 12′ boards and had them cut 4′ off of each. Filled with top soil and compost. There is so much info on internet and library books on how to plant in small spaces. Depending where you live and how cold it gets, you might be able to start some seeds indoors right now. I like box gardens better so that I know what is in the dirt and less digging in clay type soils in this area. If you don’t want to put the expense in boards and L shaped brackets to hold into a box, you might call a couple of your local nurseries to see if they do a free soil test to see what you need to add to the ground. Pick some seeds and then read when to plant and how much space they need. Draw it out on a sheet of paper how you can fit the most in. If you use a book to help, try to find one specifically for your state / location. Keep some notes so that you don’t get overwhelmed and can refer back to them. Use popsicle sticks and write on them w/ permanent marker what was planted in each seed spot so you don’t get mixed up with weeds.
I agree with Chelle a raise bed looks nice any place you put it in your yard plant low growing plants and you can have fun and get some food good luck
How much sun does the area get? Are there trees? What type of soil? Where do you live?
Any questions you have could be easily answered at your local garden center or greenhouse. NOT HOME DEPOT OR LOWE’S. They have professionals there for just this purpose. Getting started is probably the hardest thing, next to deciding what to plant.
Start asking now.
Hello,
Some first time tips that I learned the hard way are:
Remember the sun rises in the East and sets in the West. So having your garden positioned to reign in the sunniest part of the day around noon to 2pm allows it to take in the most sun.
After finding the right spot you need to clear the area. This is the most labor intensive part of making and maintaining a Vegetable Garden. You will need only a spade shovel, wheel barrel, garden shovel, and some elbow grease. To make it easier you can purchase or rent a tiller.
Using a shovel, start making your boundaries by jamming the shovel into the ground going around the area for the size of garden you want.
Make sure you go all the way down to the grass roots. For beginners a garden about 6 feet x 12 feet is a good size. As you get more experienced the sky is the limit on size assuming you have the room for it.
Bit by bit shovel, tear, and rip off of the surface the grass and all it’s roots. You will want to make sure you get everything out because you do not want grass sprouting again when you have your prized vegetables growing in the garden. Leaving grass roots will make weeding a weekly chore throughout the growing season if not totally removed.
After all the grass is removed you will need to buy some manure for fertilizer. Mix this in with the 2-3 inches of loose soil and dirt that you created to give your garden a kick start and keep it well fertilized throughout the season.
Now to the fun part! Time to pick some vegetables. Tomatoes, peppers, and squash are good starter vegetables but there are dozens of fruits and vegetables you can add.
Keep it fun the first year and try to plant at least 3 different kinds of Vegetables. Most vegetables can be planted in May and June.
After running to the garden center and picking out your Vegetable Plants it’s time to plant.
Dig about a 3 inch hole with a garden shovel and lay the vegetable roots in the ground and push down on the sides making the soil somewhat rigid.
You want to space tomato plants at least 2 feet from each other because they grow pretty large. The rest of the vegetables only need about 1.5 feet. Don’t forget to buy Tomato cages. These go over top of the tomato plants to keep them upright when those heavy juicy tomatoes start growing.
A great Vegetable Gardening Tip for making each watering session more effective is to make an earthen ring around the circumference of the vegetable plant.
See source below for more tips. Good Luck!