Gardening (come in CLLDLL and anyone else)

unaveragejane

I'm probably breaking Bump etiquette by posting a NCD related question, but I'm bad like that. (haha...I'm so not! But even the quiet nerdy ones need to break a rule now and then.)

Anyway, I really want to start a garden this year. I grew up helping Mom in the garden (boo hiss...hated it! but really that was ALL we did all summer long, and it was like 3 acres huge). I remember how to take care of the plants, but I'm not sure about how to get started. I think a raised bed might be good for us since we have a boatload of neighborhood rabbits that are not at all deterred by my lazy yard dogs. (Dang rabbits kept my 6 little okra plants chewed off at ground level a few years ago. Argh!) Will the raised bed help? (Please say yes!) Also, I am going to try to start seedlings indoors this year since that seems far less expensive than buying plants. How early should I start? (I live in northern AL, so the last frost is usually sometime in March or April.)

MrsPteranodon

We love gardening. Raised beds will definitely deter rabbits and gofers.  

 I always buy starts because I'm lazy like that. DH starts all of his starts though which is super awesome of him. LOL. 

I want to make window boxes for my back windows this year.  On top of our normal gardening.  

CLLDLL

Good news & bad news.  Bad news - we have a raised bed, and it did nothing at all to deter the rabbits in my neighborhood. 

Good news - I have two solutions you could try.  1.) Lowes/Home Depot sell something called Deer and Rabbit spray, that stinks something awful that you can spray around the garden.  It sort of worked for us.  But I didn't like it being sprayed even close to the plants bearing fruit we'd eventually eat.  So DH came up with solution 2.) Buy some cheap yard stakes (or use leftover wood or whatever you have) that are about 2-3 feet tall.  Place them at regular intervals around the entire garden.  (I put them about 3.5 feet apart.) Then put chicken wire around the stakes.  Then use zip ties attach the chicken wire to the yard stakes.  Finally make sure the chicken wire is almost buried in the dirt so no little varmits can get under it.  I've actually used little metal stakes that look like a U shape to stake it to the ground before.  Then you just step over the chicken wire when you do your gardening.  You could get fancy and use 2x4s to build something more permanent.  Otherwise you have to take the whole thing down every winter to aviod rust. 

As far as planting your own seedlings. Definitely do it!! I think you get better plants that way than using the ones at the store.  Read the back of the seed packages to determine when to start what. I usually aim to start most things about 1.5 to 2 months before the last frost.  And btw if you plant, water, and then cover with saran wrap it holds the moisture in more and your plants will sprout sooner.  Then remove the saran wrap when they sprout!  

Good luck!!

freezorburn

Square Foot Gardening -- has some great ideas for planning garden layouts.

 

Local gardening clubs and plant nurseries might be a good place to start regarding some of the climate questions you have. Do a search to see if there is a master gardeners organization. Find out if there are workshops or classes in your area. Also your state land grand university should have and agricultural extension, they often have a lot of good info for gardening.

unaveragejane

Thanks, all! Excited to get started!

Where do you find chicken wire? I have looked for it at Lowe's but haven't seen it. Maybe Tractor Supply?

Into+the+Kitty

margaretkaye1:

This is neither the time nor the place for such questions. I refuse to answer. Really, I just don't know. I am determined to have a garden one day, but I'm terrified Ill suck at it. I figure it'll be part of Ss schooling.

I swear, MK, sometimes I think that you and I are secret twins. I was going to post the same thing nearly word for word until I scrolled down and saw you beat me to the punch. Even down to the determination to having a garden but thinking I'm going to kill everything I plant.

CLLDLL

unaveragejane:

Thanks, all! Excited to get started!

Where do you find chicken wire? I have looked for it at Lowe's but haven't seen it. Maybe Tractor Supply?

Tractor Supply would be a good bet.  I think I got mine at Home Depot.  It was near the landscaping stuff like pavers and that black net you put down to prevent weeds. 

Into+the+Kitty

Mandmeesh

Into+the+Kitty said:

I Kevin hart

Into+the+Kitty

Mandmeesh said:

I Kevin hart </div>

Me too. It's breaks my heart that he's a cheater, because it made me love him decidedly less.

Mandmeesh

I assume every famous, rich person cheats. Lol

countrycotton

Raised bed is the only way to go! I don't know about rabbits and deer, our dogs keep every thing that moves set bay.. The brave generally get eaten. Raised beds are the easiest to keep weeded. Also add worms to your soil, they are the best fertilizer ever! We start most everything from seed in the house about a month before we plant. It's much cheeper than starter plants. We tend to start way too many and end up giving starters to friends, but we also have back up if the transplant doesn't go well.

countrycotton

Raised bed is the only way to go! I don't know about rabbits and deer, our dogs keep every thing that moves set bay.. The brave generally get eaten. Raised beds are the easiest to keep weeded. Also add worms to your soil, they are the best fertilizer ever! We start most everything from seed in the house about a month before we plant. It's much cheeper than starter plants. We tend to start way too many and end up giving starters to friends, but we also have back up if the transplant doesn't go well.

countrycotton

Edited... Because well I don't read dates well.