Any new gardeners on here?

[mom-from-missouri]

Wondering if the economy is affecting those who have been former nongardeners into becoming gardeners??

Our local extension office had a record attendance for this years master gardener classes.

With raisted garden beds becoming so popular, many are trying this method as it seems easier (and I think it is, having done both) and is easier to weed and take care of.

I am doubling the size of our garden this year--we now have around 20 beds. I usually run out of canned, frozen and dehydrated produce before the new garden is ready to harvest, so am increasing it for this year to help fill that gap.

Also restockin one of our ponds, to help lower our meat bill. Our meat bill is normally low anyway, as we butcher our own pork, beef and hunt deer,

[NetSkyBlue]

I desperately *want* to be a gardener, but there's only so much I can grow on my apartment's balcony. It's south-facing, but is mostly blocked by trees. I succeeded with a cherry tomato plant in a basket mounted on the southwest railing of the balcony (where the sun is least blocked).

I can't wait to have a house and a nice, big garden. I grew up on a farm with a massive 1/4 acre garden.

[riverwed070707]

Not a newbie but we're expanding also. This is our 3rd year gardening and we're jumping from 3 raised beds and 3 tomato cages to an in ground that will hold about 2.5x the produce plus 6 tomato cages and *squee* a blueberry and raspberry bush.

When people hear you garden they always assume you have more than you can eat and ask for some but last year we ate every bit we produced and didn't even get to can anything. This year I'm hoping to have enough to share and still have some left to can. A little intimidated by the size but overall just excited. My tomatoes and peppers have all sprouted and should be ready to go in teh ground in early april. Everything else I'm going to direct sow.

[mom-from-missouri]

I desperately *want* to be a gardener, but there's only so much I can grow on my apartment's balcony. It's south-facing, but is mostly blocked by trees. I succeeded with a cherry tomato plant in a basket mounted on the southwest railing of the balcony (where the sun is least blocked).

I can't wait to have a house and a nice, big garden. I grew up on a farm with a massive 1/4 acre garden.

are you anywhere near someone who can "loan" you ground? We have some friends who live in town in an apartment who have 2 beds here.

Several churches in the area also have space for community gardening that people can sign up for a plot. They just pay a few dollars a month towards the watering, except at the Baptist church who has the garden hydrant coming off a free well.

[NetSkyBlue]

are you anywhere near someone who can "loan" you ground? We have some friends who live in town in an apartment who have 2 beds here.

Several churches in the area also have space for community gardening that people can sign up for a plot. They just pay a few dollars a month towards the watering, except at the Baptist church who has the garden hydrant coming off a free well.

I don't know anyone personally that is close. My sister is about half an hour away in a farmhouse she rents, but it's too far to drive, and I work two jobs, so I don't have the time to go that far.

We have *a* community garden with 20 plots for lease, a massive waiting list, and iirc, it's on the spendy side. The metro area here is around 500k people, I think. So yeah, tough to get in on that one.

Come to think of it, maybe I could get creative and put an ad on craigslist or something to see if someone with a yard nearby would let me garden for a % of the produce?

[disneysteve]

DW keeps saying she wants to start a container garden. Not for economic reasons but just to do it ourselves and have good fresh stuff instead of the commercial stuff they deliver to the grocery stores. Our problem is figuring out how to keep out all of the animals. Our yard is home to squirrels, chipmunks, groundhogs, possums, fox, turkeys, deer, rabbits, and a wide assortment of birds including hawks. They are more than happy to attack and destroy any living thing out there.

[GREENBACK]

Our problem is figuring out how to keep out all of the animals. Our yard is home to squirrels, chipmunks, groundhogs, possums, fox, turkeys, deer, rabbits, and a wide assortment of birds including hawks.

I live next to 100 acres of woods with all of the above creatures. I only have occasional issues with rabbits going after my peas and green beans( easy fix with a little fencing). Containers close to your house shouldn't be a big problem.

[disneysteve]

Containers close to your house shouldn't be a big problem.

That's what we were thinking. Elevated off the ground will help with some of the little critters and some tight weave chicken wire will hopefully help with the bigger guys. When we tried planting in the ground years ago, it didn't last long. They ate spices. They ate veggies. They ate sunflowers. They even ate the marigolds that everybody said would keep them away.

[kork13]

I'm interested in starting a small garden, mostly just to supplement with extra veggies that I use all the time, like carrots, potatoes, peppers, onions, and garlic, and also to have fresh herbs on hand. But I've yet to have an opportunity. Perhaps once I move to the states and get established in an apartment, it'll work out better for me to try starting, even if just a windowbox for some basic herbs.

[riverwed070707]

I LOVE looking at all the container gardens on pinterest. There are some really neat ones made from cinder blocks and another one I've seen made from and old wooden pallet. Might be perfect for those with small space (because they stack the garden vertically) or for those needing to get them up off the ground

[mom-from-missouri]

I LOVE looking at all the container gardens on pinterest. There are some really neat ones made from cinder blocks and another one I've seen made from and old wooden pallet. Might be perfect for those with small space (because they stack the garden vertically) or for those needing to get them up off the ground

Justy remember some of the container gardens are not meant for food growing, but work ok for flowers.
Containers for food growing should not be treated with wood perserative, paint, or contain lead or pba's. Veggie beds are best made out of untreated wood, concrete blocks that contain no lye (often used to clean the blocks), or straw bales. One of the worse offenders is the railroad tie, tires, or landscaping boards. They are treated with nasty stuff that will work its way into your food.