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What is a good grow medium?

I'm a beginner gardener :) I have a medium sized area to work with. want to grow vegetables and fruits, but..?

  • I'm not sure how to start. I want to go organic and grow all of my favorite fruits and vegies.. like blueberries, strawberries, spinach, squash,tomatoes, etc. but I'm not sure what is okay or not for the space and time I have. I want to be able to plant it now, in this weather. I have 2 big dogs that like to go in the dirt, so I think I need a fence right? They wont mess with it if there's something, even plastic, blocking the way. Anyway, I only really have small beds, along the side of the house and fence. The soil is terrible, so should I get completely new organic soil and change it out? or add something to the already bad soil? It's February 14th, and it's pretty cold at night but around mid 60's during the day.. what can I plant now that will can be harvested in the summer or fall? What do I need to do to get started? I have no idea?? I live near Rockin, CA.. for the chill hours and all that .. that I have no idea about. I also want a few colorful flowers to give the yard a pretty look. What are some pretty and easy flowers I can bunch together.? lol, thanks in advance!!

  • Answer:

    Concentrate on growing only those vegetables that benefit the most from being picked fresh and take up a small space. Don’t grow plants that take up lots of space. Small is definitely beautiful in a tiny vegetable garden. Vegetables suitable for small spaces are baby cauliflower, finger carrots, cherry tomatoes and spring onions. Beets are easy to grow and do not take up much room. Keep in mind that while most vegetables do best in, at least, 6 hours of sunlight, there are a few that can tolerate some shade (spinach, lettuce), so don’t discount a potential garden spot that slumbers in late afternoon. Raised beds and large containers make excellent homes for small gardens. To establish a bed, you can either purchase a pre-constructed frame made from wood or composite material, or build one with untreated boards, decorative bricks or stones. The ground should be leveled and weeded before you set in the frame, then covered with planting cloth, unless the natural soil is to be included in your garden. If you are planting a number of plants in a small space, try to stake or cage them early so they grow upright without too much sprawl. ‘Patio’, ‘Tiny Tim’, ‘Small Fry’, ‘Pixie’ and ‘Patio’ are good varieties to look for. Herbs, such as parsley and chives, make excellent growing companions alongside vegetables, especially lettuce. The key is to keep them well-manicured and on their best behavior, so your small-space garden remains productive and healthy all season long.

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reynwater

First of all, the dogs can learn not to mess around your garden, it really depends what are your dogs alike if they will know by themselves or have to be learned. Then, as you live in Canada and have poor soil, I would recommend you a small greenhouse + pot planting. You can (as you wanted) plant things earlier, and have better control over it (less effort, better control over water and weeds, no hail, no insects). I don't know how much are you thinking to spend, but you really have a great selection of small glasshouses which we in Croatia haven't (just browsed in meanwhile). I think every cent spent on my greenhouse is worth it (winter salad, many other crops 1-2 months earlier, less effort).

Marko

Go here for all kinds of gardening help.Be sure and introduce yourself. http://www.helpfulgardener.com/phpBB2/

Hello Lovesssittt, My name is Gardengail and I work for the Home Depot in the garden center. To answer your questions, first, you may not have enough sun for the blueberries and squash, so try to find a sunnier locations and just mulch really well to improve your soil, the other plants may do well if the fence is chain link, but if the fence is high and shading the area along with the house, try leaf vegetables to start with, then try tomatoes, mint also will work in part sun.. Second, don't change your soil completely out add good compost and bone meal for organic gardening. Blood meal is a good partner to this , but as you have dogs this may be attractive to them, so you may want to stay away from it. For flowers that can be planted in a shady or semi-shady area try azaleas, impatiens, calla lillies, ferns, hostas, and astilibe. You should still be able to find the astilibe and hostas in your garden center bulb section, ready to plant now. Hope this helps, Gardengail

Gardengail1

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