More About Getting Started

I used a calendar to chart when I planted everything, counted the days until germination, made a post on the calendar, and also marked the date when harvest was to be expected according to the yield date on the seed package.  I thought this would help me determine planting dates for 2013 as well as when to know when my vegetables are fully grown and ready to pick.
 

On another page here on the site I will eventually be showing a chart which will include the calendar and specific variety of each seed and plant.  Eventually I will comment on the selection, yield and if I recommend it and if I will use that variety again.

One thing I did not do that Richard Smith suggested was to use all self watering pots or prepare the pots better for growing especially in the warmer climates like South Carolina.  In South Carolina things tend to dry out rapidily, especially with the warm year we have been having so far.  He warned that since container gardening pots dry out sooner than ground gardens that we would find we have to water more frequently.  This is very true!  And now I find I should have prepared my pots/soil better to include self watering techniques.  ***Next year I will prepare my pots better.***  

There are ways to provide your plants with proper drainage. 

1.  Use any pot, then place about 3 to 4 inches of styrofoam shipping peanuts in the bottom of each pot, then put the soil on top of it. It allows a basin of water for the roots to reach when they begin to dry out, yet doesnt leave your plants soggy.  Each pot needs to have proper drainage with holes just above the "styro-peanut" line.  
Or    
2.  Use self watering pots. (which are more expensive)  I am sure there are other "methods" or "tricks" to create "self watering" pots.



Easter Dinner
with Mixed Green Salad from Garden


Filling my pots with soil and planting all the seeds and plants was a lot of fun. I started them in mid March on my screened porch, put the pots in large black garbage bags to germinate and protect from frost and put them outside on nice sunny days. This worked well even with the frosty nights still occuring. People cautioned me about planting too early, but I just smiled, was stubborn and thought...."watch me, I will have an early garden" ....and basically, I got lucky and am harvesting in April. (Lettuce & Spinach)  We actually had lettuce and spinach for a salad out of my garden for our Easter dinner!

Getting Started March 2012

I got this idea back a year ago from my son. He was always talking about having a garden and being able to grow our own food. He has since moved away and tried to have gardens where he lived, but it never worked out for him since he was too busy, and moving around. So I decided to give it a try.

I searched online for how to go about this since I didn’t want to be on my hands and knees and digging up the back yard. I started with a college extension program that is close by. I visited their website and decided that I should use information for a growing season similar to our area, which is Southeastern USA. I began surfing and collecting information rapidly. I printed out information and started a notebook and read all that I could.

In early March of 2012 I stumbled on "container gardening". That really interested me. We have a patio that seemed like it would do for a garden full of "pots". Next I went to Amazon and looked for a book or two on container gardening. I found Edward C. Smith's book and I ordered it:  "The Vegetable Gardener's Container Bible:How to Grow a Bounty of Food in Pots, Tubs & Other Containers".

As soon as the book came, I started planning my patio garden, gathering up all my unused pots and getting ideas. My husband went under our house and found anything that could be used for my garden, along with old tomato stakes and such. Then we made a trip to Wal-Mart & Lowes.

I told my son what I was planning, and he reminded me that he had purchased heirloom seeds and were in his room somewhere. I found them and thought I would give them a try even though they were a year out of date. 

One important idea in Richard Smith's book was to use purchased garden soil with fertilizer in it. So on our trips to Wal-Mart & Lowes, we bought soil, more inexpensive containers and seeds. In addition to those, I also purchased online 2 raised bed frames and the neatest 50 ft. coil hose and nozzle. It was a great find! It was cheap, and probably won't last long, but I love it. I ordered it from The Lakeside Collection.

Now I considered myself fairly knowledgeable and ready to start preparing my pots. I gathered up a few of the old pots with the new pots I purchased, then I listed all the pots and made a chart with what vegetables I wanted to plant in the pots.  About half of my plants were to be started from seed and the other half would be from small established plants.

Plants:

2 Red Better Boy Tomatos

1 Red Pepper

3 Yellow Pear Tomatos

9 Brussel Sprouts

5 Raspberrys 

Plants from seed:

Spinach

Lettuce

Pole Beans

Yellow Corn

Zucchini

Yellow Squash