Several weeks ago Robin from Vegetable Matter approached me. Robin is a blogger from Houston, Texas. She and her husband own a restaurant and a florist. Can you guess that at home, gardening takes center stage? Her blog is a wonderful vegetarian foodie blog with the starring roles played by fresh picked vegetables from her garden. Her followers love their food and often lament about not having a garden of their own to cook from. She would like to encourage them to start their own vegetable garden.
Her issue was that she gardens in Texas and her followers are from all over the world. Some live in the in warm areas and some like me live in colder climes. So we have teamed up. Robin in her zone 9 garden (USDA zones) will talk about gardening there (hot and dry) and I will talk about gardening here in my zone 6 garden (cool and wet).
On the first of each month we will discuss what a new gardener should be thinking about for the next month. The series will run from December 1st, 2009 - November 1st, 2010. So we will continue to do this for a year and hit every month.
On December 1st, Robin will talk about planting peas. Usually my ground is frozen in December, so I'll be talking about what to think about when planning a garden for the first time. Now I know my readers are mostly seasoned gardeners already. So what I would like from you, if you are willing, is to leave comments about how you would do it. Gardening is not set in stone. We all garden differently and have a different take. Also if I leave something out on the subject that you consider important, add it.
Great idea! I'm always asked how to start. Where to put the garden, how big, what to plant, how to start seeds, what can be easily direct seeded, why heirloom. You are going to be awesome at this!
ReplyDeleteGreat idea and excellent timing for those of us just trying veggie beds for the first time this year.
ReplyDeleteOh, good idea. Maybe if there are good local books -- there are a couple for my San Francisco area -- that would be a good thing to mention in comments also.
ReplyDeleteThat will be a useful and fun adventure to participate in. I will do my best to add to the discussion.
ReplyDeleteDaphne,
ReplyDeleteYou are a wealth of information, and I am really looking forward to your posts. This will be my fourth season with a vegetable garden, and I am always looking for ways I can improve on things.
What a great idea....I can take advantage of both zones. Maybe I'll learn how to grow something in this blasted desert environment!
ReplyDeleteWhat a fantastic idea! You will do fabulously Daphne and I look forward to both sets of advice =)
ReplyDeleteWe garden i Medford, MA and I always appreciate gardening tips.
ReplyDeleteWhen advising a new gardener in this area I would give the following advice:
- find the sunniest space you're willing to use
- determine which fruit, vegetables & herbs you would like to eat fresh and whether they will row well in New England.
- Some that traditionally grow well include: tomatoes, beans, snap peas, lettuce, cucumbers, squash & summer squash.
- determine how many plants of each ad therefore how much space you'll need.
- consider setting up a compost bin to make your own fertilizer.
There's a lot more planning than doing at this time of year in New England!
Alicia
The Mom, well the first post answers the first three questions you get. The rest will have to come later.
ReplyDeletesorrygardener, I'm hoping this coming year even more try. I can only hope.
Stefaneener, local books from your area would be a great addition.
kitsapFG, thanks!
Liisa, well the series will be written with the idea that you haven't done any of it before, but maybe there will be something for you. I'm guessing after four years you might want to add your two cents in about what worked and didn't for you when you started. I was never a total beginner since my mom had a large garden. Somethings she didn't do (like growing her own transplants), but the basics of growing I saw when I as young. You have it fresh in your mind about what you struggled with at the start.
Annie's Granny, lol maybe Robin will have some good tips for you. I think here I have less animal troubles because the weeds growing around me are as tasty as my garden, but in the desert your garden is an oasis. You probably have the tastiest things around.
Dot, thanks!
Green Lifestyle Consulting, A Medford gardener! I always love hearing about close gardeners. It makes me feel like I'm not alone out there doing this. I have most of your points in my first post. The last two will be in different posts. I'm thinking January will be a primer on starting your own transplants inside. I might break it up into two segments though and have it be January and February (will include things like spacing to know how many you need to start and which crops are best). Compost will come when I write about soil.
What a great idea! It will be really interesting to get different gardening perspectives from two areas of the country!
ReplyDeleteGreat idea! I look forward to reading about it.