Easy gardening?

[RachelleDrew]

For those of us who's green thumb is nonexistent, what are some options for EASY gardening? Or for those of us who don't have much room for a "real" garden.

I've seen adverts for the topsy-turvy planters that grow tomatoes and peppers. Has anyone tried those? I have been itching to get one but i've never met anyone who could tell me if they actually worked or not.

[hankpac]

First of all, I can't believe no one has posted an answer.

HI, my name is Hank.

My wife and I have not only gardened, we have experimented iwth our gardening,and even researched with the local "master Gardener programs, and other extension services, as well as reading all of old man Rodales books back in the 70's.

Lets start with Tomatoes: since you mentioned them, consider that no early american (before it was the US) settler grew tomatoes in the colonies. They require a lot of tending, are temperamental to weather, as a member of the nightshade family, were not looked on as a viable food sometimes, and require storage methods that these women cold not achieve in those days.

So if you want to stir up your pioneer spirit, leave out the tomatoes for now. Second year, have at it.

Next, consider the "Easy": do you mean not a lot of work? or no fail reaping?

First one, no way, no matter if you grow everything in a few buckets, you are still going to bend over, and haul soil, and work up a back ache, and a sweat. It is just part of the job. Refer to Genesis (sweat of your brow, etc).

As to no fail reaping, you will still have to deal with aphids, and cutworms, and box elder bugs, etc.

Now if I haven't shocked and scared you off, here we go.

Do some reading: Study a short treatise on soils, bacteria, Nitrogen, Potassium, Phosphorus (npk), and drainage. See if you can find Rodale's "growing fruits and vegetables by the organic method". Nothing has changed. It will be in the library or a yard sale.

Prepare the soil: bucket or full acre, the soil has to be right. Tilled, grass clumps out, well broken up. Put EVERYTHING you are going to put in it NOW, becaause you are going to cover it up later.

You can use raw chicken manure, or horse or cow manure, or goat manure, or a combo of all. don't worry about weed seeds, You will cover it up later. Hang in there with me...

don't worry about too hot either, just till it in very well.

You should have a soil that is friable, nicely compactable, but easily broken up. It should only smell slightly, after tilling all the amendments in.

( I am speaking as to a large garden plot, but you can d o this in 5 gallon buckets too)

Rake the plot level, then starting along one edge, rake up a 3-4 foot wide bed, the length of the garden plot. Make the rows follow the sun, so one end isa t sunrise, and one end at sunset, so the plants don't shade the rows.

Shorter plants to the south, taller plants to the north.

Now, once you have made your wide beds, sprinkle whatever fake fertilizer you want on now. and scratch it in a bit.

Build a manifol of 3/4 or 1/2 inch pvc pipe, so you have a hose fitting and three 20-40 foot pipes coming off one pipe. these will lay on top iin the middle of each row, so your manifold will have to go from row to row, and have a hose connector (female) on one end.

take a cordless drill, and drill 1/16th inch holes olong the top side of each pipe, every foot or so, until you reach the end of each long pipe. this is your drip system. do not drill all the way through, just on the top side. Lay them all neatly along each row, and test fire the water. It should sprinkle pretty high, and not actually drip, but it will give you an idea where things are going to puddle, or not flow right, and you can correct everything. Did you remember to cap the ends? I didn't have to tell you right?

Ok, now everything is dripping right, so now we get the black plastic. this should be a sheet as wide as the entire garden. Not 4 foot widths, the entire garden. thick as possible too, so it will hold up year after year. Lay it out across all the rows, in one fell swoop, and let the sun beat it down into the rows, and walk ways. lay heavy but not sharp items in the rows, and along the edges to prevent the wind from taking your plastic next door.

take a break, and sip some ice water.

Now the plants: by now they should be up, and growing in little starter boxes, old milk cartons, flats, trays, 6 packs, whatever, and all should be hardened off tot he cold by now, from taking them in and out of where ever you started them.

Take the plants, and a few at at time, start to plant them THROUGH the plastic. Cut an X shape, into the plastic, and dig the soft soil deep enough to plant. (If you do grow tomatoes, plant them at least up to the first real stems, this makes new roots, and really allows them to take off)

Plant closer than recommended, for the most part, (Look up intensive planting) Follow your predrawn map, as to what you want where.

At this point many plants will need to have protection: sun, bugs, heat of the plastic.

Put some shredded newpaper or grass clippings or something around each plant, to protect the leaves from the hot plastic. Put a milk jug with the bottom cut out over the top of some plants like tomatoes. to keep the sun from burning them, and the cold that night from freezing them.

Now, why do i go through all this trouble?

Heres why: I hate weeding. the grass in rows grows like crazy, and you will lose the battle. After all, you are watering and feeding the soil. If you took care of your lawn like this, you would have a beautiful lawn.

Secondly, I like new gardeners to have the great garden the first year. Too many people give up the first year, because the garden failed, or the crops were puny. this way keeps them coming back. Minimal weeding (you will be amazed), far less watering (Once covered up with plasitc, the water just soaks in. You can cut the pressure down way way down, and just trickle in. Turn on when you get home, shut off when you go to bed. Or put it on a timer and let it water after you go to bed, Two hours of dripping, and shut off.

When you have been watching it closely for a couple of weeks you will know how much at a time, and how long a watering lasts. Amazing!

When you decide to feed again, just take a product of your choice, and top feed, that is spray it on.

After the plants grow sufficiently to shade themselves, none will burn on the plastic.

Of course, this does not lend itself to row crops like corn or radishes, but for every thing else, WOW

No hills for squash, no puny little rows, no compressed soil, no weeding or hoeing, no labor.

prep, plant, water and harvest.

Yes I have photos, but they are at home, and I am on a road trip. I wont be home for months, so I won't have a garden this year.

Couple of tips about containers.

-Drill holes in the bottom, put in window screen, and layer rocks, shards etc, then soil.

-leave the bails on the buckets.

-set up a flexible drips system for the buckets.

-if you live near ranchers, ask them to collect the licking tubs. These are big plastic tubs that are full of vitamins and such, that they leave around the country, for thte cows to lick. When they are empty, many don't use them for anything, so they stack up.

You can get them free most places. use them for potting your mini-gardens.

-get 5 gal buckets from the bakeries.

Good luck.

Hank

[hankpac]

First of all, I can't believe no one has posted an answer.

HI, my name is Hank.

My wife and I have not only gardened, we have experimented with our gardening,and even researched with the local "master Gardener programs, and other extension services, as well as reading all of old man Rodales books back in the 70's.

Lets start with Tomatoes: since you mentioned them, consider that no early american (before it was the US) settler grew tomatoes in the colonies. They require a lot of tending, are temperamental to weather, as a member of the nightshade family, were not looked on as a viable food sometimes, and require storage methods that these women could not achieve in those days.

So if you want to stir up your pioneer spirit, leave out the tomatoes for now. Second year, have at it.

Next, consider the "Easy": do you mean not a lot of work? or no fail reaping?

First one, no way, no matter if you grow everything in a few buckets, you are still going to bend over, and haul soil, and work up a back ache, and a sweat. It is just part of the job. Refer to Genesis (sweat of your brow, etc).

As to no fail reaping, you will still have to deal with aphids, and cutworms, and box elder bugs, etc.

Now if I haven't shocked and scared you off, here we go.

Do some reading: Study a short treatise on soils, bacteria, Nitrogen, Potassium, Phosphorus (npk), and drainage. See if you can find Rodale's "growing fruits and vegetables by the organic method". Nothing has changed. It will be in the library or a yard sale.

Prepare the soil: bucket or full acre, the soil has to be right. Tilled, grass clumps out, well broken up. Put EVERYTHING you are going to put in it NOW, because you are going to cover it up later. You'll see.

You can use raw chicken manure, or horse or cow manure, or goat manure, or a combo of all. Don't worry about weed seeds, You will cover it up later. Hang in there with me...(right now, there are choruses of No, you can't do that, what he's crazy...hang in there, I know what I am talking about.

don't worry about too hot either, just till it in very well.

You should have a soil that is friable, nicely compactable, but easily broken up. It should only smell slightly, after tilling all the amendments in.

( I am speaking as to a large garden plot, but you can do this in 5 gallon buckets too)

Rake the plot level, then starting along one edge, rake up a 3-4 foot wide bed, the length of the garden plot. Make the rows follow the sun, so one end is at sunrise, and one end at sunset, so the plants don't shade the rows. the wide beds, allow you to reach halfway across to tend and reap, and you don't walk on half your garden space. You end up with another row's worth of crop for every two row (each is three rows wide).

Shorter plants to the south, taller plants to the north.

Now, once you have made your wide beds, sprinkle whatever fake fertilizer you want on now, and scratch it in a bit.

Build a manifold of 3/4 or 1/2 inch pvc pipe, so you have a hose fitting and three 20-40 foot pipes coming off one pipe. these will lay on top iin the middle of each row, so your manifold will have to go from row to row, and have a hose connector (female) on one end.

Next take a cordless drill, and drill 1/16th inch holes along the top side of each pipe, every foot or so, until you reach the end of each long pipe. This is your drip system. Do not drill all the way through, just on the top side. Lay them all neatly along each row, and test fire the water. It should sprinkle pretty high, and not actually drip, but it will give you an idea where things are going to puddle, or not flow right, and you can correct everything. Did you remember to cap the ends? I didn't have to tell you right? Adjust the flow so it is just trickling now. As to size: 4 pipes 20 feet long or 3 pipes 40 feet long are just about right, depending on your pressure. The magic is in the fine tuning.

Ok, now everything is dripping right, so now we get the black plastic. this should be a sheet as wide as the entire garden. Not 4 foot widths, the entire garden. thick as possible too, so it will hold up year after year. Lay it out across all the rows, in one fell swoop, and let the sun beat it down into the rows, and walk ways. lay heavy but not sharp items in the rows, and along the edges to prevent the wind from taking your plastic next door.

take a break, and sip some ice water.

Now the plants: by now they should be up, and growing in little starter boxes, old milk cartons, flats, trays, 6 packs, whatever, and all should be hardened off tot he cold by now, from taking them in and out of where ever you started them.

Take the plants, and a few at at time, start to plant them THROUGH the plastic. Cut an X shape, into the plastic, and dig the soft soil deep enough to plant. (If you do grow tomatoes, plant them at least up to the first real stems, this makes new roots, and really allows them to take off)

Plant closer than recommended, for the most part, (Look up intensive planting) Follow your predrawn map, as to what you want where.

At this point many plants will need to have protection: sun, bugs, heat of the plastic.

Put some shredded newpaper or grass clippings or something around each plant, to protect the leaves from the hot plastic. Put a milk jug with the bottom cut out over the top of some plants like tomatoes. to keep the sun from burning them, and the cold that night from freezing them.

Now, why do i go through all this trouble?

Heres why: I hate weeding. the grass in rows grows like crazy, and you will lose the battle. After all, you are watering and feeding the soil. If you took care of your lawn like this, you would have a beautiful lawn.

Secondly, I like new gardeners to have the great garden the first year. Too many people give up the first year, because the garden failed, or the crops were puny. this way keeps them coming back. Minimal weeding (you will be amazed), far less watering (Once covered up with plasitc, the water just soaks in. You can cut the pressure down way way down, and just trickle in. Turn on when you get home, shut off when you go to bed. Or put it on a timer and let it water after you go to bed, Two hours of dripping, and shut off.

When you have been watching it closely for a couple of weeks you will know how much at a time, and how long a watering lasts. Amazing!

When you decide to feed again, just take a product of your choice, and top feed, that is spray it on.

After the plants grow sufficiently to shade themselves, none will burn on the plastic.

Of course, this does not lend itself to row crops like corn or radishes, but for every thing else, WOW

No hills for squash, no puny little rows, no compressed soil, no weeding or hoeing, no labor.

prep, plant, water and harvest.

Yes I have photos, but they are at home, and I am on a road trip. I wont be home for months, so I won't have a garden this year.

Couple of tips about containers.

-Drill holes in the bottom, put in window screen, and layer rocks, shards etc, then soil.

-leave the bails on the buckets.

-set up a flexible drips system for the buckets.

-if you live near ranchers, ask them to collect the licking tubs. These are big plastic tubs that are full of vitamins and such, that they leave around the country, for the cows to lick. When they are empty, many don't use them for anything, so they stack up.

You can get them free most places. use them for potting your mini-gardens.

-get 5 gal buckets from the bakeries.

Involve the kids. Involve the husband.

-one less zuchinni plant than you think you need. Next year, 4 less zuchinni plants. Grow hard squash too, they store very well, and you will love them.

Don't try asparagus, or strawberries or tomatoes until you get some experience. Although it doesn't hurt to try an upside down thingy. Just for fun.

Good luck.

Hank

Edited April 25, 2009 by hankpac

[prospectmom]

Don't try asparagus, or strawberries or tomatoes until you get some experience.

please try tomatoes my first patio plant.. try onions... cukes, tomatoes in large pot with marigolds

[gabelpa]

Look up the Square Foot Gardening technique. Fairly easy, no soil prep as you in-fill with a growing mixture, and a lot smaller space. It has it's critics and drawbacks, but it worked for us before we moved, shaved about £100 off our food bill, and that was with half our plants dying(slugs, snails and rabbits ate more than we did)

Will build one next year or towards the end of this year in our new property.

[applepansy]

Look up the Square Foot Gardening technique. Fairly easy, no soil prep as you in-fill with a growing mixture, and a lot smaller space. It has it's critics and drawbacks, but it worked for us before we moved, shaved about £100 off our food bill, and that was with half our plants dying(slugs, snails and rabbits ate more than we did)

Will build one next year or towards the end of this year in our new property.

You beat me to it.

Most of the people in our area are Square Foot Gardening. Our Ward just did another "class" on it. You can find more information at Welcome To My Garden! | Square Foot Gardening

The man who started this concept lives not far from us. The yield from this method is extraordinary. . . and its easy. Fewer weeds more veggies.

applepansy

Edited April 26, 2009 by applepansy
typo

[applepansy]

Also.. . if you have available space start a compost pile. Making your own compost is cheaper than buying expensive bags of compost or manure.

[deseretgov]

My wife and I have started are garden in millkjugs. We cut them in half and poke holes in the bottom for drainage. One of the easiest plans to grow is radishes. They grow pretty quick too.

I would also suggest looking into edible weeds. Yesterday I ate my first meal of dandelions. My wife battered and fried the yellow flowers and I cut upand boild the leaves. THe flowers only really tased like the batter. The leaves looked a bit like spinach. They had a slight bitter taste. I should have boiled them again in different water to get rid of that bitterness.

You can find tons or recipies online for dandelions. Best of all they are free. Just go out and pick them.

[blessedinarizonia]

Hi Rachelle, I would like to steer you to your county extension agency. Look it up in your area under the county headings. They can tell you what will grow best in your area and what will not. What will be easy, work wise, and what will produce a lot. I bet they can even tell you about those upside down tomatoes. Jump in and have fun.

[applepansy]

My wife and I have started are garden in millkjugs. We cut them in half and poke holes in the bottom for drainage. One of the easiest plans to grow is radishes. They grow pretty quick too.

I would also suggest looking into edible weeds. Yesterday I ate my first meal of dandelions. My wife battered and fried the yellow flowers and I cut upand boild the leaves. THe flowers only really tased like the batter. The leaves looked a bit like spinach. They had a slight bitter taste. I should have boiled them again in different water to get rid of that bitterness.

You can find tons or recipies online for dandelions. Best of all they are free. Just go out and pick them.

Dandelions are a great detoxifier. They are also found in Dole's spring green salad mix. Growing your own is cheaper. They aren't as bitter if you pick them while they are young.

[amightyfortress]

For those of us who's green thumb is nonexistent, what are some options for EASY gardening? Or for those of us who don't have much room for a "real" garden.

I've seen adverts for the topsy-turvy planters that grow tomatoes and peppers. Has anyone tried those? I have been itching to get one but i've never met anyone who could tell me if they actually worked or not.

Practice makes perfect. It's good to start trying to garden while the good times are still here (if your plants don't make it, you can still get food at a grocery store). Just keep trying and ask other gardeners lots of questions... eventually you'll have a green thumb.

Herbs are fairly easy--chives, rosemary, oregano, etc. It will give you an easy start. If you don't have alot of space, you could just put the dirt in buckets, milk jugs with the tops cut off, even a child's plastic swimming pool. Poke holes in the bottom of the container(s), add some gravel, then some soil... plant the herbs.

[Dravin]

While its not exactly space minimal zucchini has the benefit of being neigh unkillable, the stuff is a weed, and produces a ton of fruit.

I've seen adverts for the topsy-turvy planters that grow tomatoes and peppers. Has anyone tried those? I have been itching to get one but i've never met anyone who could tell me if they actually worked or not.

I'm curious as well if anyone knows, but in the mean time is there anything that prevents you from using the more traditional 5 gallon bucked (actually a 1 gallon bucket will work for quite a few plants)? We've got 3 tomatoes in buckets in the back yard, its easy, just punch some holes in the bottom with a nail (or put some gravel in the bottom, or both) fill it with potting soil and transplant (fertilize after transplanting if its not the pre-fertilized stuff), or I suppose you could go the seed route if you wanted.

We've also got some other stuff in planters, some sweet banana peppers, some jalapeno hybrids, sweet basil, Greek oregano, German thyme and some Texas tarragon, the last is actually a decent looking plant as at the moment it has a bunch of yellow flowers on it. One thing to keep in mind is to pay attention to how much sun any given plant needs.

[blake0808]

I can tell you a bit about the "easy" gardening you desire. I was in a car accident a few years ago. This left me with the need for a better way than rows that needed daily tending and massive weeding.

My husband took it upon himself this year to build me an amazing garden. I took ideas from the Square Foot Gardening method, and a few of my own ideas and have been sooooo happy with it.

If I am successful at posting a picture, this will show you what I am doing.

You don't have to start big, maybe just a box or two:)

Good Luck!!

g

[EandLDOW]

By all means do the Square Foot garden method. Plant various veggies together in planters or pots at greater density than the seed packet says. You can make planters from old tires turned inside out and put a piece of plywood in the bottom and fill it with soil. Plant cucumbers, green beans, peas, squash, etc in planters and train them up a trellis. The fruit will be better looking and it doesn't take up much space. Use metal "T" posts or wooden posts and concrete remesh or a piece of field fence that has squares at least 6x6" so you can reach through them to pick veggies without having to walk around. If squash or melons get very big, support them with old nylon stockings or some such holder tied to the trellis.

Grow what you want to eat. Tomatoes are great, as are various squash and others.

There's no such thing as "easy gardening", but some ways are easIER and more priductive in a small space than others. We're not here to have things be easy, but to learn and work. Seems the more we learn the more efficiently we work, and the more enjoyable it is.

Just some thoughts from our experience.