Help planning my garden

[doubleatraining]

I live in Central/Eastern NC

 

[~gd]

I'm glad to hear that lettuce is so easy. It looks like I should plant lettuce end of March when I plant the potatoes.

BarredBuff, the reason I want the tomatoes on the edge is last time I had tomatoes they TOOK OVER my garden. I was picking 50-70 ripe grape tomatoes off of 2 plants DAILY. Then it started running across the yard. I couldn't even GIVE them away as fast as they were growing. If that happens again then I'll want the chickens to help. LOL I plan on putting up livestock fencing around the garden so they will only get what runs out of the garden.
Tomatoes come in two basic types Determinate and Indeterminate, Most of the old time "hertage" tomatoes really never quit growing [Indetrtminate] and should really be staked or caged as well as being trimmed or 'cutback.' These don't work well for comercial farmers as the labor costs rule them out, they also produce tomatoes over sn extended period if the season is good.
For the commercial farmer the Determinate types were bred they are smaller plants that are self supporting. They may get to 36" tops and then shift gears and put all their effort into producing fruit. The fruit all comes all at once and you may get three pickings while the other produces less at any one time over an extended period. Many claim that the new type lack in flavor and frankly many do because the smaller plsnts don't produce as much 'goodness' and spreds it over many fruit. For table use I like the old type better 1 perfect fruit today with another to be ready in 2 days works well for me. On the other hand if you want to can the second type were bred for that purpose.
A good nurseryman can point out plants to fit your needs including some tasty type 2 plants. For that reason I won't even look at the plants in Walmart or other 'big box' stores their plants are shipped in and may not be any good for your conditions plus the sales help usually know nothing about plants. I live in Sanford, Lee Co. NC and we are blessed with nurserymen. One of the local HS FFA programs have produced champions [FFA National winners] for years. If you can't find a good nursery buy from the Farmer's market at least you should get plants suitable for your location from someone who knows how to grow them.~gd

hqueen, thanks for the welcome. We always had a garden growing up and I love it. I can't wait until spring!

Herons, where do I get that mix?It is a fad plant and can be gotten msny places the original patented cultavar was named 'Bright Lights' but I think the patent has expired and copycats are out there.


In the past I've bought most of my started plants and seeds from Walmart or the local farmer's market. Is there another place I should be looking?

I now see your location is Central/Eastern NC and Denim Deb is right 3 season plantings are the way to go, it is the only way you are going to produce cool weather crops like greens, radish etc. Our springs tend to be short so get your plot ready now on sunny days. so you can plant early in the spring. I keep lightweight fabric on hand so I can do a fast cover up overnight or other times when the temperature is likly to fall to freezing. The amount of frost damage that can be avoided by even a light weight cover is amazing. Just don't forget and leave it on when the daytime temperatures start to soar. Heck I still am getting greens out of my patch because we haven't had a killer freeze yet.~gd

 

[~gd]

Lettuce is super easy. I think that greens are a must. I like to have AT LEAST Rainbow Lights Chard. It's a nice mix, needs little care, is nutritious and it will over winter most places.

Ditto. Spinach, lettuce, chard, kale are all very easy, relatively space dense, very nutritious, and good to grow organically, as their nonorganic relatives are full of chemicals.

NC is the South and collard and Mustard greens are local favorites. I don't bother anymore because there is always someone that has over planted and it makes them feel good to give them to a good home-me. The same with hot peppers, I have a allergy to uncooked peppers, but it seems some one is always leaving a bag at my back door in the summer time.~gd

 

[~gd]

One thing you can do is not be traditional in where you grow stuff. For instance, if you like asparagus and/or rhubarb, don't plant it in your vegetable garden. Instead, plant it in a flower garden in front of your house. You can also plant small fruit trees and bushes in various spots in your yard.

And, try to come up w/a 3 season garden if you can. W/where you live, you should be able to start planting in March and harvest until some time in October or November. Instead of buying plants, get the seeds, and start your own.

Actually Deb I have found that for a small plot it costs less to buy the few plants I need than buying the packages of seeds. This may be due to my location since there are lots of tobacco greenhouses that are producing other plants as the tobacco crops gradually disappear. Didn't the OP report that she is in a duplex? the landlord might object to trees. I solved that by planting drawf (sp) fruit trees in large plastic pots and stashing them in the garage when there was a chance that the roots might freeze. You just have to water them faithfully and if you sre going organic replace some of the soil with good compost, otherwise chemical fertilizer in tiny amounts disloved in the watering water. likewise both asparagus and rhubarb need to be allowed to go to full size to keep the roots strong. These are not small plants when at full size and have a tendency to spread they CAN be worked into a garden but it takes some planning remember they will be there for years. BTW don't we at SS have a sister site called the Easy Garden I don't think anyone has mentioned them.~gd

 

[Denim Deb]

I guess a lot of it depends on what seeds you're using, and the costs of them as well as for the plants themselves. I know around here, it's possible to get smaller seed packs in the dollar store around here for around 10-25 cents a pack! And, to buy a 6 pack of plants costs around $3.00! So, if you're able to start the plants yourself, it's much cheaper. And, I normally don't buy special dirt, either, just what I have in my garden.

I'm curious, how big are your pots, and have you ever tried growing things like asparagus and/or rhubarb in them? I know I've seen fruit trees that are made to grow in pots, I'm thinking in a Stark's catalog, but don't know of anyone who grows large, potted plants.

 

[~gd]

I guess a lot of it depends on what seeds you're using, and the costs of them as well as for the plants themselves. I know around here, it's possible to get smaller seed packs in the dollar store around here for around 10-25 cents a pack! Different places different customs. Here even the cheap seeds are 1$ in the dollar store[Don't remember the exact name, Everythings a Buck?] Often don't tell the variety and often LAST YEAR'S seed. At one of our nurserys 6 packs start At 59cents for common easy stuff other price points are the usual .99 1.99 2.99. Like I said [somewhere] we are blessed with well trained nurserymen and women. Greenhouses can be found free for the moving because of the decline of the tobacco crops [most of the free ones are huge and you must take the whole thing not just one end] And, to buy a 6 pack of plants costs around $3.00! So, if you're able to start the plants yourself, it's much cheaper. And, I normally don't buy special dirt, either, just what I have in my garden.

I'm curious, how big are your pots, and have you ever tried growing things like asparagus and/or rhubarb in them? I know I've seen fruit trees that are made to grow in pots, I'm thinking in a Stark's catalog, but don't know of anyone who grows large, potted plants.

I owned my place but the "soil" was red clay so I grew mostly in pots or raised beds. I lucked out one Fall and walked into a Big Lots store that was selling pots at way below cost just to get them out of the store to have room for Christmas goodies Would you beleive $1 for 30 gallon plastic pots? it Took a lot of dickering but the manager hadn't been able to sell a single one of them over the entire season and I agreed to take all he had [12] I mean he actually had a truck load of christmas out back and needed the space. I also took all his pots over 2 gallons for the same price. Heck the cheap plastic tubs/pails that they grow fruit trees cost more than that. I grew two banana plants over 30 foot tall in those pots and they bloomed and even fruited [tiny little hands with no taste] The trick was to tip them on the side and store in the garage over winter. As long as they didn't freeze they would bounce back when it warmed up,
For asparagus and rhubarb I used another trick. A neighbor came in with his post hole augar and dug a series of holes which I back filled with my home made potting soil and broken clay chunks. I bought root sets of each and started them in this drilled bed as the bed became established the roots didn't have to work to hard to spread through this well broken soil. I just love the column form of those special Starks Apples, In the spring I will move them to the front and front walk for the blooms, fruit and unique shape. Since they need chill hours to bloom and fruit. They are now out back in my Winter Park where the roots are protected with at least a foot of straw. Here potted plants have two problems roots will freeze without the inground soil to insulate and under or overwatering is the summer problem. I have a bunch of neat large plants in pots and can change the landscape all around with a day's work of moving them.~gd

 

[Denim Deb]

Sounds like you live in a much better place for good prices than I do! I've tried to get things that are broken at a discount, but the most they'd give is 10%. And, normally, it's not worth it. So, I just try to find what bargains I can. I've saved myself a ton of money over the years by NOT buying things that I want, but don't need.

 

[hqueen13]

I've saved myself a ton of money over the years by NOT buying things that I want, but don't need.

So have I, so where is all that saved money now?!

 

[Denim Deb]

We have horses, remember.

 

[hqueen13]

We have horses, remember.

Point taken...
And I don't even have a high maintenance one.... he's just BIG.