I'm single and have never had a food garden

Any advice on ways to have very small and easily
maintainable gardens?

And what could I grow? I'm in north Missouri.

Dear ME: Its rather late to start a vegatable garden. I suggest that
you go to your local nursery or garden store and see what they have to
offer in containers. If you'd like to slave away, you can dig up your
little plot and plant some string bean seeds. and some new zealand
spinach. and try some pumpkin seeds just for the heck of it. Why do
you want to go to so much trouble anyhow? XXO Doro


wrote:
I'm single and have never had a food garden

Any advice on ways to have very small and easily
maintainable gardens?

And what could I grow? I'm in north Missouri.

"cardarch" wrote:

Dear ME: Its rather late to start a vegatable garden. I suggest that
you go to your local nursery or garden store and see what they have to
offer in containers. If you'd like to slave away, you can dig up your
little plot and plant some string bean seeds. and some new zealand
spinach. and try some pumpkin seeds just for the heck of it. Why do
you want to go to so much trouble anyhow? XXO Doro

Yep I know its late now

Thinking of something for next year

Wanting to do it to save money and provide better
quality food. Kind of an experiment in "drop-out"
lifestyle.

I'm thinking containers are bets for me as I have no
way of plowing up a spot. Plus..... I live alone so
don't want too much produce....just to throw away.

wrote in message
...
I'm single and have never had a food garden

Any advice on ways to have very small and easily
maintainable gardens?

And what could I grow? I'm in north Missouri.

have a look at
http://www.fbga.net/Lasagna%20gardening%202004.htm
http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/joom...agne_Gardening
http://journeytoforever.org/garden_sqft.html#size-shape
http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/joom...foot_gardening
you needent build as big and deep as the first article suggests, I haven't,
however the step by step guide is very useful. You also needent buy
anything, can use any good readily biodegradable items. Get what you can
free such as used coffee grounds from a cafe, waste veges from a local
greengrocer, dried leaves, shredded paper from offices etc. This type of
garden can be made and fertilised very cheaply. If you can get hold of free
animal poop use that as well. If you leave it for a few months ready for
next spring you will have a garden ready to plant in to. People who say you
have to have peat moss to make a garden, or you need to buy compost, or you
must have xyz fertiliser to grow abc type plants are either lying or trying
to sell you something you can often get free or cheap elsewhere.

or container gardens
http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/joom...iner_gardening
http://journeytoforever.org/garden_con.html

rob

"George.com" wrote in message
...

wrote in message
...
I'm single and have never had a food garden

Any advice on ways to have very small and easily
maintainable gardens?

And what could I grow? I'm in north Missouri.

have a look at
http://www.fbga.net/Lasagna%20gardening%202004.htm

http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/joom...agne_Gardening
http://journeytoforever.org/garden_sqft.html#size-shape

http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/joom...foot_gardening
you needent build as big and deep as the first article suggests, I
haven't,
however the step by step guide is very useful. You also needent buy
anything, can use any good readily biodegradable items. Get what you can
free such as used coffee grounds from a cafe, waste veges from a local
greengrocer, dried leaves, shredded paper from offices etc. This type of
garden can be made and fertilised very cheaply. If you can get hold of
free
animal poop use that as well. If you leave it for a few months ready for
next spring you will have a garden ready to plant in to. People who say
you
have to have peat moss to make a garden, or you need to buy compost, or
you
must have xyz fertiliser to grow abc type plants are either lying or
trying
to sell you something you can often get free or cheap elsewhere.

if you source enough free waste by products you likely don't need to buy any
fertilisers at all to grow vegetables. Your yield may be down a little if
you fail to add specific fertilisers to specific crops however they will
still grow without micro management. Animal poop contains Nitrogen,
Posphorous and Potassium (N-P-K). If you add enough the volume will make up
for low levels. Wood ash (untreated wood and no coal) and saw dust
(untreated) is high in K. Local fish mongers may have left over fish guts
and off cuts that are nicely balanced in N-P-K. Coffee grounds have a 3-1-2
mix of n-p-k. If you source it right and mix it right in a raised garden you
can get it all free. You can use the garden as a ready composter, throw it
all in and let nature break it down over months. This will occur either by
hot composting or cold composting. If using fish off cuts bury them to stop
animals and flys.

rob

wrote:
"cardarch" wrote:


Dear ME: Its rather late to start a vegatable garden. I suggest that
you go to your local nursery or garden store and see what they have to
offer in containers. If you'd like to slave away, you can dig up your
little plot and plant some string bean seeds. and some new zealand
spinach. and try some pumpkin seeds just for the heck of it. Why do
you want to go to so much trouble anyhow? XXO Doro


Yep I know its late now

Thinking of something for next year

Wanting to do it to save money and provide better
quality food. Kind of an experiment in "drop-out"
lifestyle.

I'm thinking containers are bets for me as I have no
way of plowing up a spot. Plus..... I live alone so
don't want too much produce....just to throw away.


Containers are a great way to start. One thing to remember is that you
have to use potting soil in the containers. Regular soil would be too
compact and would not hold a lot of water. I often cut the potting soil
with a shovel full or two of peat. I also add a handful of composted
manure and bone meal (depending on what you're planting).

I grow tomatoes, potatoes, cauliflower, celery, cucumbers and corn in
containers this year. Nothing would stop you from planting carrots,
onions, strawberries, even peas in a container. I use containers like 30
litre (5-6 gallon?) white buckets, the pots you get when you buy a tree
and cedar pots or half barrels you can buy at the store.

Your best bet is to buy a good gardening book that you can refer back to
when needed. One of my first was Lois Hole's Vegetable Favorites.

..

Zone 5a in Canada's Far East.

"cardarch" wrote in news:1152315630.165607.68920
@m79g2000cwm.googlegroups.com:

Dear ME: Its rather late to start a vegatable garden. I suggest that
you go to your local nursery or garden store and see what they have to
offer in containers. If you'd like to slave away, you can dig up your
little plot and plant some string bean seeds. and some new zealand
spinach. and try some pumpkin seeds just for the heck of it. Why do
you want to go to so much trouble anyhow? XXO Doro


Now may be a good time to start if you're going for an in-ground garden.
Start removing the grass that's in the area you've got and consider
edging it out. (So the grass doesn't creap back in.)

You may want to put down some black plastic and "solarize" the soil. The
main point here is to kill off the grass that will want to grow back up
when you start next spring. (Someone else will have to tell you the best
time to do this--I never have and have grass problems.)

If you want something to get your feet wet with, plant some green beans.
Garden Bean Providers are what I grow around here, and they'll give you a
useful crop this year. Peas could be the same way, but this is my first
year growing them.

Keep your eye out for good deals on tools as stores change over. You'll
probably want a hoe, pitch fork (a poor man's tiller among other things),
and trowel.

Puckdropper
--
Wise is the man who attempts to answer his question before asking it.

To email me directly, send a message to puckdropper (at) fastmail.fm

wrote in message
...
I'm single and have never had a food garden

Any advice on ways to have very small and easily
maintainable gardens?

And what could I grow? I'm in north Missouri.

I highly recommend you got to Amazon.com and for about 10 or 20 bucks buy
the book "Square Foot Gardening"


--
J.C.

OR ...

Go to the local library - that books has been around long enough that is
probably there



BG
"J.C." wrote in message
m...

wrote in message
...
I'm single and have never had a food garden

Any advice on ways to have very small and easily
maintainable gardens?

And what could I grow? I'm in north Missouri.

I highly recommend you got to Amazon.com and for about 10 or 20 bucks buy
the book "Square Foot Gardening"


--
J.C.

OR ...

Go to the local library - that books has been around long enough that is
probably there



BG
"J.C." wrote in message
m...

wrote in message
...
I'm single and have never had a food garden

Any advice on ways to have very small and easily
maintainable gardens?

And what could I grow? I'm in north Missouri.

I highly recommend you got to Amazon.com and for about 10 or 20 bucks buy
the book "Square Foot Gardening"


--
J.C.