best plants for beginning gardener

[lorihadams]

I am trying to decide what to plant this year...we have never had our own garden before. I have grown several things in containers and such before, herbs and tomatoes. I am trying to figure out what to plant and what to just buy in bulk at the farmer's market. I figure it will be easier to buy green beans and corn. I would love to plant spinach and lettuces for salads...probably would be easier to buy tomatoes in bulk for canning cause we just don't eat fresh tomatoes much. I have to figure out where I'm going to plant everything too cause i usually let the chickens free range during the day so I will have to put some sort of fencing around it.

I would like to do heirloom seeds but I guess I am just trying to get a feel for what would be a basic easy garden for first timers like us. I am in central Va so I think I am in zone 7.

Thanks

Lori

 

[patandchickens]

Do you have a garden area already prepared, or would you have to start fresh ground for whatever you plant?

If you have the ground sittin' there, beans are a good thing to grow IMO -- very high yield for the little work you put into 'em Plant several successions of them, a few weeks apart, and y0u can get away with not picking them overly thoroughly (as one batch quits, another will be coming into peak yeild).

Lettuce is another good thing to grow. I highly recommend Pinetree Seed Co's lettuce mix; otherwise, pick several different varieties, including at least one that's good for summer (holds well without bolting or getting bitter).

Personally I would nominate tomatoes as the other 'must grow', because of ease and because they are so much better off your own plants, but if you eat very few fresh ones and mostly just can, then yes, buying a bushel at the farmers market makes more sense.

Other than that, what do you mostly eat? Cukes and squashes are pretty easy to grow, you can trellis 'em if you have room. Eggplant and peppers (sweet or hot) pretty easy too, esp. if you buy started transplants. Okra isn't hard and has purty flowers! Peas (snow, snap or shelling) are easy enough if you like them, as an early crop. If you like pesto, grow a buncha basil, it's waaaaay cheaper than buying it.

Things that're really easier to buy than grow (at least in small quantity) include broccoli, corn, celery.

I'd suggest planning the garden smaller than you think you can handle, to reduce the chances of it getting out of hand in terms of weeding, staking, harvesting, etc. Next year you can always make it bigger.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[FarmerChick]

hey lori
you are right above me.

first time garden.

make it simple. Cause it is so simple to catch the fever and make it bigger and better next year!

no root crops. Keep everything above ground. first time gardens need alot of soil amendments, weed control and you are experimenting what will grow and do well and what gives you trouble. So keep it easy and on top of the earth.

keep a few mater plants for personal use but buy bulk from the market to can so many. that way you can use your area for a few diverse things.

It all depends on size Lori. Alot of plants require room. Squash plants can get HUGE! Cukes can run through the whole area if you don't trellis them.

If you are feeding your family, make a list of what you love to eat. Then truly think about the SIZE of the garden. Some plants get monster size, some stay very uniform and smaller, like the smaller type cabbage head varities.

So size matters...HA HA
Workload matters. Keep it easy first time. Stay above ground with little digging and such.

First time gardeners can be overwhelmed very easy. Those weeds are the fastest growing part of your garden...I know...LOL-LOL...and it takes time to tend a garden to a good producing area.

And there is nothing wrong with continuing wtih some container garden things also right now. You did it before, you can do it again along with your garden.


Hope some of that helps you.

When you know what you love to eat, let us know the list and we can suggest varities and such that are delish!

here is a link to an heirloom seed catalog......pop in and browse and request a catalog be mailed to your home now. that way you can see what might interest you!




http://rareseeds.com/

 

[Zenbirder]

In addition to what has already been said:

I would caution any inexperienced gardener against heirloom seeds for the most part. When people speak about heirloom varieties, they can literally come from all over the world, and have adapted over time to a vast array of differing local conditions. A beginning gardener is not as likely to be aware of your regions gardening hazards of bugs and disease, and soil conditions. The modern varieties have a lot of disease resistance built in and general hardiness, and your chances of real failures are reduced, at least for the disease part. I am speaking of seed varieties made the time honored cross pollination way, not GMOs.

The best bet is to find a local gardener whom you admire and let them tutor you. If they have some heirloom seed varieties that they recommend, then go for it. Personally, I have had wonderful success with certain heirloom varieties, and great disasters with others.

 

[DrakeMaiden]

I would try potatoes. They are fairly fool proof, IMO. Plus they are so much tastier when they are home-grown. Potatoes are also one of those crops that can absorb a lot of pesticide residue in conventional farm fields.

I would think spinach and/or salad greens would be easy enough, but not quite as easy as potatoes, in my opinion.

Carrots are pretty easy too.

I think squash are fun and fairly easy.

Mostly, grow what you like to eat and what you think you will enjoy watching grow. I love watching pumpkins grow so I couldn't have a garden without them!

 

[2dream]

Lori - Even though we have a rather large garden I keep my leaf lettuce growing in containers on my porch rail. I usually just buy several different mixtures to plant. I also grow one Sweet One Thousand cherry tomato plant from my front porch. We eat a lot of salads in the summer and it is so easy to just walk out on the porch with the scissors and snip enough lettuce for us and grab some of those tomatos. Green beans - Blue Lake worked well for me - and are super easy. Squash will run all over your garden but we always plant them on the back row where the sun pulls them away from the garden. If you plan on planting squash and not doing the trellis watch your sun patterns and plant your squash on the sun side. Where my garden is there is no direct overhead sunlight. Zukes are easy too.
Shoot, just plant what you like to eat and see how it works. Sometimes it booms and sometimes not.
Lots of things are just personal preference. I personally like bush beans, some people like running beans. Plant, play and have fun.

 

[onebuggirl]

I would plant tomatoes too, it will be a lot cheaper for you to grow a few plants that have high yeild than to buy tomatoes grown already just to can. One plant can yeild a lot.

 

[keljonma]

I suggest picking the things you like best. If you love fresh tomatoes on your salads, grow cherry or grape tomatoes instead of slicers.

It seems every home we've lived in, we have planted asparagus, rhubarb and blueberries first. These are all plants that will last for decades.

Second we always concentrate on a small herb garden - parsley, thyme, rosemary, garlic, lemon grass, sage, basil, and a variety of mints. The mints and lemon grass were in containers, so they didn't overtake the garden.

Third, we focus on the true veggie garden. We plant a variety of sweet and hot peppers, tomatoes (slicers & paste), potatoes, lettuces and greens, Swiss chard (Bright Lights is my favorite), zucchini, cucumbers, spinach, English peas and snow peas.

Each year we make changes, so we've grown quite a variety of crops: red and green cabbage, onions, leeks, radishes, sweet corn, kohlrabi, broccoli, fennel, lavender, borage, and beets, pie pumpkins, butternut squash. Again, pick your favorites.

We always try to go for the heirloom varieties, but I think this is a personal preference. You can check with your county ag agent for a list of crops that do well in your area. Some years the garden does better or worse because of the weather. Test your soil to see if it needs any amendments. Nothing tastes as good as something fresh from your garden.

 

[enjoy the ride]

Always leaf lettuce- green onions- summer squash-sugar snaps and all herbs that I regularly use. Leaf lettuce is cut and keeps growing for more harvests.
Tomatos are a must because they always taste so much better.
And they are really pretty easy unless you never get enough sun to ripen them.
Artichokes are a must too as they have become so expensive.
All berries possible- strawberries and blueberries for sure.
Depends on the location as well as the zone.
Have fun- it's a real addiction. Once you have vegies that taste better the box in which the supermarket packs them, you'll have a hard time going back.

 

[Beekissed]

If space is an issue, the book Square Foot Gardening can guide you with what types of plants to plant, how many for X amount of family members, and what plants are feasible for a first timer to grow. It also directs you towards species that are space savers and can be planted as companions to other veggies. Love that book!

I agree with beans, potatoes, onions and tomatoes as being easy veggies to try for a first time. Squash also is quite proliferant and a satisfying thing to grow for a newbie~makes you feel like you actually CAN grow something!