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 Posted: Tue Jan 27, 2009 1:52 am
I really want to start growing my own food, could someone please suggest which fruit/veg are easy for starters and perhaps if anyone knows of any helpful books?
I think I've missed the boat on spring planting? So I guess this would have to be for summer planting ^_^
<3
Sorry if I've just asked some very silly questions!
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Posted: Tue Jan 27, 2009 6:05 am
Tomatoes will grow like weeds. They're even happy in containers. They just need their water and they're happy.
Lettuce is easy to grow, if you find heat resistant plants for the summer (they bolt at high temps, which means they go to seed.)
Radishes grow fast and easy, they're a root veggie so you just need some soil that's looser, but really, they'll grow almost anywhere.
Green beans are also a fool-proof vegetable. Plus beans put nitrogen INTO the soil, so they're good to have around. Get either the bush variety (don't need a trellis) or Pole (which needs a trellis because they vine).
It depends on where you live for spring vs summer planting. Typical plants that do well in the spring (colder temps) are peas and lettuces. Many plants are started in the spring and grow into the summer.
Some of my favorite books include:
Square foot gardening by mel barthol0mew
The essential garden maintenence workbook - roseymary alexander
How to Grow more vegetables - john jeavens
The gardener's a-z guide to growing organic vegetables - Tanya L.K. Denckla
Rodale's Vegetable garden problem solver - fern marshall bradley.
(any book published by rodale is generally a good buy.)
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Posted: Wed Jun 17, 2009 6:06 pm
Tomatoes are a great fruiting plant to start with but can be trouble some because they can get sick which will ruin your soil for next years crop for tomatoes or any soft fruit like strawberries. But regardless if you want to start tomatoes are a good thing to plant all together.
Another plant that I simply love to plant are strawberries, try to get the everbearing since they grow all season long and not just give fruit in June as in the June bearing strawberries. I recommend a bed all to itself in a sunny area since strawberries are happy plants and like to show off in the sun.
The thing you have to deal with strawberries is that birds , squirrels and ants love them just as much as you do. Once they start having little fruit from the flowers raise the strawberries off the ground with a stick or wire so they're not touching the ground and you can keep them in a small cage if you're worried about other mammals eatting them but generally their good and dont eat too much of it.
You also have to know that strawberries grow really fast! There's no need to replant for the next year because they grow runners like made that have ministrawberry plants. If you have more than you need pinch the runners off so your mother plant concentrates on making berries. If you have runners and you want more pinch them off of mother and plant them again.
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Posted: Wed Jun 17, 2009 9:42 pm
Don't let the date bother you. :3 I just planted my garden last week. (Budding already.)
I'd pick what food items you'd use most and go with that. Tomatoes are really easy to grow - but would be useless to me as I have an allergy to them.
What's your garden like? Are you going to be utilizing pots or do you have a plot? Eggplants like to be pot bound.
Good luck and try to take some pictures. :3
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Posted: Tue Sep 01, 2009 5:43 am
When asking for easy plants to grow you should let us know your growing zone...some things may be easier or harder depending upon your zone. If your in North America this link can help you figure out which zone you are in. http://www.usna.usda.gov/Hardzone/ushzmap.html
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