# Square foot gardening



## mdprepper

I am planning my garden and would like some suggestions.

I have a very small yard and 1/2 of it is a steep hill. That leaves me with very few options. My husband and I finally made it out to the yard to measure for garden space. I will have 4 sectrions to grow in. They are oddly shaped (we live in a townhouse) :

8'X2'
5'X2'
12'X2'
8'X3' 

for a total of 62 square feet. I know, it is small.

The 8X3 is in the front of the house so I plan to use that for herbs for cooking and medicinal uses (I'll start a different thread on that for suggestions).

How do you suggest I use the left over 38 sq ft to get the most out of such a small space.

We would like to grow (the number after the food is the number of plants of each you can grow in 1 sq ft of space-according to the book):

tomatoes-1
lettuce-4
spinach-9
carrots-16
peppers (bell type)-1
greenbeans (bush)-9
peas-8
summer squash-1
eggplant-1
cabbage-1
cucumber (for pickling)-1

We do NOT expect to feed our family on the space we have, but would like to have some things we can eat in season and maybe enough to dehyrdrate some things for later use.

I need to get my seeds started this week on somethings, so any suggestions would be helpful.


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## sailaway

mdprepper, how do your garden plots face? Are they on the south side of your property? If they are on the north side of your property and obstructed by your home they may not get enough sun. As a kid I once put a garden in on the north side of the house and had nothing the end of summer.


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## UncleJoe

If the steep area is facing south, don't write it off as unusable. Last year I helped a friend turn part of a steep bank into a productive garden area. It has a SW exposure. We cut tiers into the bank about 2' wide and shored it up with old RR ties that he got off craigslist for $5 each. One thing we did wrong. My tiller is 26" wide and the final width of the garden area was 22"  
When the entire bank is finished, there will be 3 rows that are about 200' long. That's a lot of space for planting. 
But to help answer your question, trellis some of your plants. Beans, peas, and cukes do very well growing up instead of out. Put a few wooden poles in the ground with some heavy twine strung between them. Run your first string about 8"-10" off the ground and then every 12"-15" to the top. Makes it a lot easier to harvest as well. 
Here's a pic of mine from '08 before it was finished. It's about 20' long and 3' wide. It's more of an arbor but you get the idea.


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## mdprepper

My yards face east/west. Back yard gets morning sun. Front yard gets the afternoon sun.

The way the beds will sit, they back onto the split rail fence that has chicken wire along it (to keep the dog in). I figured we could put the tall /viney things along the back to grow on the fence.

Assuming anything will grow, I have managed to kill most green things I come in contact with , what veggies are good producers? Which types of veggies should I devote the most space to?


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## *Andi

Hmmm ... thinking ....:scratch

Do you ave a place where you could put a few hanging baskets? Cherry tomatoes do very well in them...

You could put out a few more cool weather crops that would be ready to harvest by the time you need to plant your warm weather crops.


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## UncleJoe

Boston pickling cucumbers are prolific producers. The more you pick, the more they produce. The same goes for most types of pole beans.


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## Woody

What you should devote the most space to depends on what you and your family like to eat. Just remember to get heirloom seeds, which will seed true to type, not hybrids. Although my hybrid green summer squash, forget the original name, has done well for 5 years now.

Example: if you like green beans, make them a good portion of your garden. If you like eggplant but not the favorite vegetable (or fruit?), only have 3 or 4 plants. If you love them put in maybe 8 or 10 plants. I like cherry tomatoes and find one plant will fulfill my summer needs, so I start out with 2 plants.

When I plant I use the rule of planning on harvesting only half of what I actually planted. So I plant twice what I think I will actually need. This takes into account, seeds that do not germinate, a sudden hail storm, pests, a brutally hot streak, the puppy sneaking in and enjoying the smorgasbord … If I can harvest more than half I’m a happy guy and will have some to share. Also remember to plant enough for a portion to go to seed for next years crop! 

You will be able to double crop sections, carrots early them tomatoes after the carrots are harvested. As well as carrots around the tomatoes late summer for a fall harvest, things like that.

I will also second the pole varieties over bush types. I find they are not only more productive over a longer window but easier to harvest as I’m not crawling around on my knees. If kept picked, my pole beans produce until the mid-summer heat kills them. Actually some years it even stops tomatoes from growing! 

I use a variation of square foot gardening. I do have rows for beans but plant a double row with seeds 6” apart either side of the trellis in a staggered pattern. For spinach, radishes, carrots, lettuces, I make a ‘row’ 12” to 16” wide and 15’ long. For the radishes, I’ll plant seeds every 2” in an offset checkerboard (so every seed is 2” from the other) pattern for say 1’ of the row. Two weeks later I’ll plant another foot, then another foot… This gives me an extended harvest and usually no overabundance at any one time. Lettuce and spinach are thinned as they grow so I have fresh while giving the stronger plants more room to grow. So you might try planting beans on the North side of one bed and something in front of them, not a whole planter of beans

One word of warning if this is your first garden. It can be discouraging if something goes wrong and you have a ton of vegetables ruined. It sounds good you have 62 sp ft to start, not ¼ acre. If there is anyone else gardening in your complex, talk to them, they will be your biggest help on what grows well and how you might need to amend the soil.


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## sailaway

Could you plant an apple or pear tree. Some trees have several types of fruit grafted to them and will grow as a vine type plant. What ever you decide to grow, do grow what you enjoy eating.


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## mdprepper

Well, this is what we came up with...

tomato-- 5 sqs--3 early, 2 late, 2 hanging baskets of cherry tomato
lettuce-- 4 sqs--4 leaf per sq-planted in stages 
carrot--- 3sqs--16 per sq
eggplant--- 2sqs--1 per sq
greenbeans---3sqs--pole 9 per sq (if I do it right, I can plant 8 bush per sq when the poles are done)
peas--- 3sqs--8 per sq
spinach---2sqs--9 per sq-2 rotations
cabbage---4sqs--1 per sq-2 rotations
peppers---3sqs--1 per sq
cucumbers---3sqs--2 per sq-2 rotations
onions---3sqs--16 per sq-start from sets
squash(summer)---2sqs--1 per sq

I have laid everything out on paper, with the tall or climbers in the back to grow on the fence. The only ones that will not go on the fence are the eggplant and summer squash, I planned those for the corners so they can trail out of the boxes.

That leaves one sq empty, in case something catches my eye. Maybe beets? But I am the only one that eats them here at home.

We talked about putting in 2 apple trees, but have not made a decision yet. I am thinking of blackberry bushes for the bottom of the yard. just letting them take over the whole bottom fence.

I thought I would put strawberries on the hill, but decided to do them in containers. I've had 2 back surgeries and just do not want to have to get that low to the ground! So I still have to find something for that spot.

So what do you think? If I do not kill everything, will those amounts give a pretty decent yield? 

Thank you all for your help!!:flower:


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## bunkerbob

*heirloom vs hybrids*

I had a discussion not too long ago with someone concerning seed storage for :shtf:, he said he has many heirloom seeds in long term storage for just an event. Then the discussion then went to his regular garden which is very impressive, well tendered and full of every kind of vegetable. What I noticed was that he uses hybrid plants and seeds to accomplish this. He relies on these vegetables as a nutritious way to feed his family, whom I believe are possibly vegetarians.
My question to him was why not grow heirloom plants now rather than storing them just for that event, how will you know which ones are viable and will work in your area, and then wouldn't it be prudent to find out ahead of time which are best, then save those seeds for future gardens. 
I seemed to hit a dead end, he argued that the hybrids produce so much more and are much more disease resistant than the heirloom variety.
As a note, he is very well prepared in other areas with food storage and other 'equipment'!!!

What are your thoughts on this.


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## *Andi

Looks good Mdpepper:congrat::congrat::woohoo: (You know have to keep us up to date on how it's going ... right...

heirloom vs hybrids - heirloom, hands down.  I will take my heirloom over hybrids anyday.


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## Woody

For me the big issue is whether the plants will seed true to type. Hybrid or heirloom I would hate to be relying on seed stock that might be sterile or lose its hybrid qualities in a few generations. Can you imagine planting green peppers from home saved hybrid seeds one year and having no fruit, or flowers that fall off before they set fruit? That would really suck.

I hear corn is the big one. Hybrids cross easily and seed from a hybrid is nothing like the hybrid parent. They lose their qualities and you could end up with dent corn when you expect sweet corn. I’m happy knowing that next years crop will be exactly like this years… in plant quality I mean.

If you believe troubled times are shortly to arrive, I’d stick with proven heirloom varieties. If you think we all have time, try hybrids and see if they maintain their qualities for generation after generation of seed saving. Heck, even try crossing your own to come up with something new and different!


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## mdprepper

I can honestly say, I had never realised that there was a difference in seeds before I came to this site. Sorry! I was "city" raised, by a "city" Mom that only grew roses. Dad is from WV and very "country" wise, but as a kid, I did not pay attention.

Now, after all I have read, I will be looking to get heirloom seeds for my garden.

Is there a big difference in price of heirloom vs hybrid seeds?


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## *Andi

You will be a master in the garden before you know it. 

No price difference in my area and the seed packet should have on it heirloom or hybrid.


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## mdprepper

Saturday was "Meyer Seed Day" here at my house:flower:! It is a seed company that has been in business in Baltimore for 100yrs. They have a terrible website and a little tiny store front, but they had an excellent selection of seeds.

I ended up with: 

tomato 3 types
lettuce 2 types
greenbeans 2 types
broccoli
cabbage
cucumbers
peas 
summer squash
carrots
eggplant
greenpepper
spinach
yellow and red onion sets

I will go out tonight and get some soil for starting the cold weather veggie seeds tonight (in the house in a sunny window--it is much to wet to start them outside, plus we have to get the boxes ready). I am so excited. 

My loving husband even bought me a straw hat to wear while 'farming':kiss:.


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## sailaway

Don't forget a red farmers bandana! You will probably need a scarecrow by mid summer!


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## bunkerbob

Well on my way for a spring garden. :flower:
And yes that is Sally with a bucket on her head, she learned this on her own, what can I say.
If you look closely, you can see I grow artichokes, very popular here.


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## Woody

Very nice plot Bob! Quite a bit larger than mine but I do see we both like nice wide rows. Mine are 4’ to 8’, depending on the crop. I don’t have a tractor to get between them, just me and the tiller. I direct seed here and have yet to even do any digging this spring, it has been way too cold and wet. Tried again on Sunday but I would have ruined the tilth had I done anything. Maybe this weekend I can get out and plant some cool weather crops.


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## HozayBuck

BunkerBob 
You sir are an inspiration to us all, but of course we hate you because you make the rest of us feel bad!! .. you are one of the few people on all the sites I've looked at that does , not talk... I admire and envy your ability's and your go gettem "tude"... :beercheer:

concerning what you said about growing with Heirloom seeds now, I agree and the main reason is it seems to me ( and I don't know squat) that if you grow with heirloom seeds and harvest you seeds and plant them year after year, wouldn't it seem that over time those seeds would adapt to your area, your gardening style ( maybe that;s not the word?) I guess I mean they would be at "HOME" in your dirt more then say my dirt...make sense? adapt? is that the word? I don't know but I'm sure you get my drift...

I guess I mean like hunting deer in MT and then hunting them in TX... they are both deer but you have to go about it differently..

As for the OP, watch where you plant your squash, or you will have a wonderful lot of squash...and not much else, I'm good at growing squash, toss the seeds out and forget em... well they will not bother your corn that I know...

I knew a guy in MT that wanted a garden, he had a steep hill , more like the edge of a long gully, he did the switchback thing, had the nicest garden, 2 ft wide and 1/4 mile long, really cool!...

If I would quit reading all day and go out and work I'd be like BunkerBOB..lol...ok!! tomorrow I'm going to get a tiller and get the plot going... !!! also have to get a spliter to make fire wood out of a big Oak that had to come down......was a beautiful tree...


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## bunkerbob

HozayBuck said:


> BunkerBob
> You sir are an inspiration to us all, but of course we hate you because you make the rest of us feel bad!! .. you are one of the few people on all the sites I've looked at that does , not talk... I admire and envy your ability's and your go gettem "tude"... :beercheer:
> 
> concerning what you said about growing with Heirloom seeds now, I agree and the main reason is it seems to me ( and I don't know squat) that if you grow with heirloom seeds and harvest you seeds and plant them year after year, wouldn't it seem that over time those seeds would adapt to your area, your gardening style ( maybe that;s not the word?) I guess I mean they would be at "HOME" in your dirt more then say my dirt...make sense? adapt? is that the word? I don't know but I'm sure you get my drift...
> 
> I guess I mean like hunting deer in MT and then hunting them in TX... they are both deer but you have to go about it differently..
> 
> As for the OP, watch where you plant your squash, or you will have a wonderful lot of squash...and not much else, I'm good at growing squash, toss the seeds out and forget em... well they will not bother your corn that I know...
> 
> I knew a guy in MT that wanted a garden, he had a steep hill , more like the edge of a long gully, he did the switchback thing, had the nicest garden, 2 ft wide and 1/4 mile long, really cool!...
> 
> If I would quit reading all day and go out and work I'd be like BunkerBOB..lol...ok!! tomorrow I'm going to get a tiller and get the plot going... !!! also have to get a spliter to make fire wood out of a big Oak that had to come down......was a beautiful tree...


I'm not sure about the Heirloom plants adapting to my area, its possible, but I would imagine it would take a long time to see a change.
Planted cool weather seeds, lettuce, cabbage, radish and carrots.

I need to get going on the 'pit' also. Just made a new elevator for it, works pretty good and I can take a lot more material up at a time. You can see the orange 25gal steel barrel that it can handle instead of the 5gal buckets.
The plan is to go deeper about 20 ft at that point, thus the elevator, the mrs says it is easier than the ladder.


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## mdprepper

So, life has gotten in the way (I will start a thread on that later). 

It may be another week or so before I can get my plants in the ground. I have carrots, peas, cabbage, broccoli, lettuce, spinach and onion started in the house. Should I put the starters outside now (in the peatpots) or just wait until I can get them in the ground?


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## UncleJoe

My potatoes are going in the ground today.  
I'll also be putting in seed for beets, broccoli, brussel sprouts, peas and carrots.


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## bunkerbob

UncleJoe said:


> My potatoes are going in the ground today.
> I'll also be putting in seed for beets, broccoli, brussel sprouts, peas and carrots.


Potatoes are about 2" high, Kennebec, Yukon Gold and Reds. Bean and pickling cucs up and attem. Planting zucs, green melon, cantaloupe, butternut, and hubbard seedling today.


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## GreyWolf

Hello everyone,

I noticed some of you will have summer squash in your gardens this year. Has anyone had any success with long term storage of squash? In the past I have canned some and last year I did finally learn how to freeze whole or sliced squash without it turning to mush. This year I hope can/freeze a portion of what I harvest from the garden but want to do more long term storage.


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## bunkerbob

I have a few hubbards still sitting in the garden, firm and ok to eat. If you take acorn, butternut, hubbard or most "winter squash" and put them in a cool dark spot they will keep for months. I just par-boil the pieces of squash still slightly firm, freeze them on a cookie sheet, then once frozen vacuum bag them and store in freezer. You can't tell they have been frozen when heated up in oven.


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## GreyWolf

That's how I froze my squash last year. I did both slices and whole squash, both turned out very well baked in the oven and fried. I'll keep in mind storing the other varieties in the garden. Have not been able to plant anything so far. The ground has been too wet and woke up this morning to snow again.


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## Homestead Gal

*Raised Beds, Berries, Vertical gardens and such*

I love growing veggies in raised beds. Can't beat them for getting a lot of produce in a little space. They also save my old knees from too much bending. I use the Square Foot method and love the results!

A large part of my garden is set up for vertical growing. "If it vines, it climbs" is my growing motto! I also make fence sections with T-posts and wire them up to hang pots of strawberries on. You can grow a LOT of strawberries in a little space this way. I started doing this when I only had a postage stamp size plot to grow on. It worked great and still do it with plants that are happy to produce in a gallon sized container.

5 gallon buckets are great too grow veggies also. Drill a few holes in the bottom, add a couple inches of small rocks or packing peanuts, dirt and you've got yourself a pot that will grow most anything you put in it. I once saw someone do this on the patio behind their apartment. I was amazed at how well the plants produced and how easy it was to maintain. No weeds or mud and the plants were elevated for easier tending/picking. When garden season was over she pulled the plants, put the lids on the buckets and stacked them up along the dividing wall for the following year. Oh, the buckets were FREE too! She asked friends that worked at restaurants to save them for her. I do this myself and have a nice selection of them. All it cost me was asking for them and going to pick them up.

Heirloom seed is the only seed I use. No "FrankenSeed" at our homestead! Natural seed is the ONLY type of seed that the plants adapt to YOUR soil. That right...they adapt and do it quickly too! Save the seed from your best plants and you will see it for yourself. For example: Tomatoes are known to be tropical plants...they also grow in the Ukraine! Survival of the species always prevails. Try a variety of seed and see what works for you. Make sure you keep similar heirlooms in separate areas of your garden or they can cross pollinate into something unlike the parent plants. Also consider that using nonhybrid seed keeps those types of produce from extinction. You are contributing to keeping our food supply varied and natural plant genetics intact in the food chain.

We have fruit trees but, are focusing our fruit production on berries. We made this decision for several reasons: Berry bushes are easier to manage, take less space, produce within the second year after planting and have a higher nutritional value for their size. They also attract wildlife and we enjoy a steady supply of venison in the freezer.

We also eat weeds. Yep, I personally love Dandylion greens and wouldn't think of spraying them with anything but a little vinegar and salt on my plate. Poke and Cress are pretty good too. I've discovered a host of goodies while walking our property and many of them are edible and medicinal.

Considering what this country will be facing and possible food shortages, everyone needs to grow food regardless of the size of their yard. If you have any spot that gets 6 hours of sunlight you can grow something edible. Home sown, home grown, helps you take care of your own!


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## mmszbi

> I figured we could put the tall /viney things along the back to grow on the fence.


I am really liking your garden plans. One thing I found out in my garden, that may have an effect on yours....I planted my peas about a foot and a half from a fence, with trellis for climbing, not taking account of the heat here and the amount of direct sunlight. The heat reflecting off of the fence pretty much cooked my pea plants, they did not produce well, most of the plant, even with consistent watering, browned up and pretty much died. You may have better luck with a cooler climate, but just a word to the wise. Don't place your plants too close to a fence.


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## mdprepper

I have been busy with my Dad the last few weeks and aside from watering my seeds they have been very neglected. I put them outside today but I will not get them in the ground for a few more days. I fear my early crops will be a bust. The only things that still look healthy are the peas and onions.

I'll update when I can.


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## *Andi

mdprepper said:


> I have been busy with my Dad the last few weeks and aside from watering my seeds they have been very neglected. I put them outside today but I will not get them in the ground for a few more days. I fear my early crops will be a bust. The only things that still look healthy are the peas and onions.
> 
> I'll update when I can.


That is just 'life' ... do what you can, when you can. Look forward to your up dates. <hugs>


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## mdprepper

My husband finally finished the raised beds. I am sad to say that nothing was viable to go in the ground. I started everything over again from seed. If any of the early crops actually comes up, great. If not we still have the summer and fall. I am getting the next batch of seeds (for the summer) started now.


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## tamvp

My husband and I are very limited on space. We choose hanging baskets for our tomatoes and then made an archway into the garden/planter area and on that archway, planted Blue Lake and Kentucky Wonder green beans on each side which worked wonderfully! Try this for saving space! 



mdprepper said:


> I am planning my garden and would like some suggestions.
> 
> I have a very small yard and 1/2 of it is a steep hill. That leaves me with very few options. My husband and I finally made it out to the yard to measure for garden space. I will have 4 sectrions to grow in. They are oddly shaped (we live in a townhouse) :
> 
> 8'X2'
> 5'X2'
> 12'X2'
> 8'X3'
> 
> for a total of 62 square feet. I know, it is small.
> 
> The 8X3 is in the front of the house so I plan to use that for herbs for cooking and medicinal uses (I'll start a different thread on that for suggestions).
> 
> How do you suggest I use the left over 38 sq ft to get the most out of such a small space.
> 
> We would like to grow (the number after the food is the number of plants of each you can grow in 1 sq ft of space-according to the book):
> 
> tomatoes-1
> lettuce-4
> spinach-9
> carrots-16
> peppers (bell type)-1
> greenbeans (bush)-9
> peas-8
> summer squash-1
> eggplant-1
> cabbage-1
> cucumber (for pickling)-1
> 
> We do NOT expect to feed our family on the space we have, but would like to have some things we can eat in season and maybe enough to dehyrdrate some things for later use.
> 
> I need to get my seeds started this week on somethings, so any suggestions would be helpful.


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## gypsysue

Greywolf, you asked about storing summer squash, here's what we did. We grew yellow summer squash and spaghetti squash, and when we harvested them we wrapped them individually in old towels (regular towels, not huge bath towels) and stored them on the bottom two shelves in a cool far-from-the-woodstove bedroom. (Our root cellar is too cool and damp for squash). That was last Fall, and now in Mid-May we still have a few left and they are in good shape. I cooked one up a few days ago and made a "pumpkin" pie. 

I've also dehydrated squash with great success. I cut up the squash, boil it, let it drain a while in a strainer basket, then "squash" it up with my fingers as I spread it on the dryer racks. I have a Nesco electric dehydrator, and I fun it through on 135 degrees. It takes about 3 or 4 hours. Then I store it in jars. The nice thing about dehydrating food is that you can use non-canning jars, like glass juice jars, mayo or pickle jars, or any (preferably glass) jar with a lid, and you can re-use lids you've already used once for canning. Another plus is that you don't have to worry about storing them where they won't freeze. 

When you go to use the squash, let it sit in a bowl of luke-warm water for half an hour or so, drain off excess water, and use like fresh squash.


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## mdprepper

Lessons learned from this years garden:

I have a brown thumb 

As you may remember ALL of my plants that I started died before I could get them in the ground (I neglected them while taking care of my Dad before he died). So, out of sheer frustration I took my seed packets out to the yard sprinkled them in the raised beds, watered and hoped for the best.

Tomatoes went crazy. They are huge, lots of flowers, but sadly just a few actual tomatoes.

Cabbages were eaten by some bug. Never got to eat any of it myself.

Cucumber vines have traveled EVERYWHERE!!! They strangled my hot peppers and eggplant. It has been a constant fight to keep them off of the neighbors heat pump. Again, lots of flowers but few actual cucumbers.

Yellow summer squash. They took over a corner of the yard. They were great producers. I had so many that I could give some away. 

Green beans, I am sad to report I only got about 4 beans off of the plants. The neighbor had some kind of vining plant that overtook the beans and killed it.

Lettuce was doing beautifully, until the dog decided that was his new favorite pee spot. We may eat him next year!

Nothing else "took". But that is okay. I did not expect to be a farmer after reading a few books and websites. I intend to spend the winter planning for next year. My husband and I are already planning on where to move the vining plants and such. And we have started composting to help with next years crop.

So even though we did not produce much food, we certainly learned what NOT to do next time.


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## Murph

*Some suggestions md...*

Look for dwarf or bush varieties of the some of the plants you are looking for and grow them on homemade trellises. This year I grew snow peas, cucumbers, pie pumpkins and pole beans on the cages that I made from small saplings growing in the woods near my home. It worked great. When you do not have a lot of space to grow out, you can always grow up! 

Also, maybe you should try to buy plants from your local garden club of some of the more difficult varieties. Not ideal, and a bit more expensive, but starting out, it makes the care much easier. Tomatos, peppers, squash, eggplant, tomatillos, broccoli, cabbage, brussel sprouts, cauliflower and cucumbers should all be easily had for about $1 or $2 per 4 pack if you look hard enough. Just make sure you plant the warm weather crops after your last frost date. When in doubt ask whoever you are buying off of. Last tip: avoid the big box stores like the plague for plants and seeds. Not only are they grossly overpriced, I got 10x the diseases from those plants as local sourced plants.

Last last tip: Every garden has successes and failures every year. Accepting this going in will make you sleep easier. Revel in your successes and learn from your failures, but don't quit. There is nothing as satisfying to me as that first sun-ripened tomato, the sweetness of a fall cabbage that has been hit with a mild frost, or the crispness of some homegrown lettuce.


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## gypsysue

My garden is different every year. Some of it is affected by that year's weather, some by how much I watered, mulched, or weeded, sometimes affected by the type and quality of the seeds and plants I used. Some times there's no explanation for why something does really good one year and not the next. 

But it's always interesting and it's good practice in case our lives ever depend on what we can grow.

Kinda scary to think of all the people who flippantly say "oh, if things get bad I'll just plant a garden"! Riiigggghhhhtttttt....

Congratulations, mdprepper, on all that you learned this year in your garden, and for already planning for next year's, and just for DOING IT!


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## NaeKid

Murph said:


> Last last tip: *Every garden has successes and failures every year.* Accepting this going in will make you sleep easier. Revel in your successes and learn from your failures, but don't quit. There is nothing as satisfying to me as that first sun-ripened tomato, the sweetness of a fall cabbage that has been hit with a mild frost, or the crispness of some homegrown lettuce.


Great bit of advice. A friend of mine who is an amazing gardener told me that if she had to rely on her 1-acre garden for food for the year, she would probably starve. Some years it does well and she can do her canning and freezing. Other years, no matter what she tries, she can't get anything to produce food - only leaves and flowers.

I was really excited to have fresh rhubarb from my backyard this year. I kept watching and tending my plant - it was growing beautifully, better than any of the 5 years previously and then one day there was nothing but saggy-stalks and leaves turning brown.

I haven't figured out why it didn't grow to harvest ... I trimmed off the three flowers as I was told to and it grew better and stronger, but, the stalks never turned red .. stayed green right till the last day with very small hints of red at the base of the stalks ..


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## Woody

Part of the fun in gardening is never knowing what you will have an abundance of, or lack of. I plant a good variety of seasonal crops and some years, well... some years seasons are better than others. This spring began early, hot and wet. Not so good for cool weather crops but the beans, squash, cukes and all did fantastic! Heck, I’m still having them for dinner a couple times a week.

I also plant a plot really early, just in case. For example, in late February/early March we can put radishes, carrots, peas, lettuce and spinach in. I always start a few plots of them in late January/early February. If it gets too cold for them it’s all good as I have only lost a few seeds, if they make it I am blessed with an early crop. I also plant late crops for the same reason. I might be able to get away with a late harvest and only need to cover them one or two nights.

By plot I mean kind of a square foot thing. I designate ‘rows’ in my garden, some 2’ wide some 1’ wide. In the 2’ wide ones I plant radishes, spinach and such using a checkerboard spacing. For a first early planting I will do 1 running foot of radishes (so a 2’ x 1’ plot), the next foot of carrots, then spinach… On the next planting I repeat from where I left off going down the row. If an early one does not make it, or even does and I harvest it, I can re-plant it again for a second late crop. Just hand till the spot and add a dash of compost before seeding.

For the narrow rows (which are 15’ long) I’ll plant maybe 5’ of pole peas really early double spacing them. Meaning 6” apart on either side of the support. A week later I’ll plant another 5’ and so on. This also helps me to have an extended harvest as I do not have 30’ of anything needing harvesting at once.


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## BuggingIn

Naekid, some rhubarb is naturally very red, others are green clear through. As long as you have a good stalk, go ahead and harvest it, regardless of its color. What happened is that your rhubarb was ready to harvest, didn't get harvested, and eventually just died back. Not all bad, though, as it had that much more time to put energy into the root system for next year. Give it a good heavy layer of manure or compost now and next year you should have big, healthy rhubarb, even if it is green instead of red. If it really bothers you, there's always red food coloring. 

I made the switch to raised beds this year, and even though it was a horrid garden season in our area (PNW), I am very pleased with how well the raised beds worked. I'll continue to build more of them over the winter in prep for next year. I also plan to add lightweight frames with curtain sheers, tulle, or row cover stapled to them to set over the berries (bird protection) and cole crops (cabbage moth barrier), as well as hoops over the tomatoes and other hot weather crops (protection against both cold and rain, which brings on late blight). This year I lost nearly my whole tomato crop to late blight in Sept when the rains hit. I don't want that to happen again.

My raised beds are all different sizes, depending on what building supplies I had available at the time. Construction sites and businesses that put out their used pallets for free firewood are great sources for raised bed building supplies. You not only get a lot of lumber, but if you are careful pulling the nails out and straightening them, you even have the means to fasten your boxes together! I even got some of my lumber from the mark down racks at Lowes - got a couple of 2x10x12 boards that had a split down most of the board for a a total of $5. Put a little wood glue in the split, clamped it until dry, and added ends on the boards for a very nice raised bed. Have my Egyption walking onions and garlic in that bed. 

I dig down to the subsoil between beds, throwing the top soil into the beds, then put down heavy layers of cardboard or feedsacks on the pathways for weed suppression. There are chip trucks that dump their extra chips in piles near here, so I go down there with my pickup and a scoop shovel and bring home all I want for the paths. I use soaker hoses throughout the beds and mulch with straw to keep down weeds and water evaporation. 

Even though I had lousy fruit set on the cucurbits and tomatoes (too cold at night), the plants were lush and healthy, with lots of blossoms - they were happy with the beds, just not the weather. Green beans, both bush and pole, were very late, a lot of the seeds never germinated, and they didn't start setting beans until Sept. Corn was not in raised beds, plants were stunted and yield was almost nil. Potatoes were also not in raised beds and something burrowed under the roots (most likely moles looking for earthworms and grubs), killing the plants before I realized what happened. Next year they will be in a raised bed with hardware cloth on the bottom! Really, the only plants that really produced well were strawberries, raspberries, onions, garlic, peas and broccoli. However, I do believe we gardeners are the consummate optimists - as "next year" will always be better! 

Right now I have a garden and orchard space fenced in that is about 78'x100', and have completed the raised beds in about 1/3 of it, if that, so it's going to be an ongoing project for quite a while. Gives me great exercise to do all the digging involved with getting the beds in shape, while saving me a ton of work weeding and watering the finished beds.


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## survivalseed

New survival seed bank for survival gardening, lets you grow a permanent, full acre crisis garden with non-hybrid survival seeds.


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