New gardeners need help!

I like the Garden Planner tool that Mother Earth has. Yes it is a yearly fee... But I think you can try it for a month at no charge.

It tells you when to plant what... How deep, how far apart, what the likely pests are, etc. How to rotate your crops from one year to the next, etc, how to do succession planting to get more use out of your limited space. You can print out a plan in color that is pretty cool.

I agree with the comment re how big your bed is...a bit of a problem. I thought of laying down boards from one wall to the next, but I guess stepping stones would be easier and look better.

I also would improve the soil! Always improve the soil unless you are growing a crop that likes it a bit "thin"; carrots.

Some of the gardeners here have great postings complete with photos of techniques they are using in their garden (check out Sjoerd)..Worth reading.

Good luck! Looks like a fun project!

 

Thank you very much @Cayuga Morning !
We will have to look into that planner tool.
We just cut some "tree cookies" off an old log yesterday, to use as the "stepping stones" in the garden

Thanks as well for the other recommendations!
If you are interested we'd love to have you subscribe to the channel and help us with advice all season long! Thanks for considering

 

And (in my opinion) no vegetable patch in the garden is complete without these!

They are Joe E. Parker's, which is the highest yielding and fastest growing chilli pepper plant in the world - Producing chillies anywhere between 5 to 9 inches long! They are not hot when green, (one can eat them raw, like bell peppers). But if you let them turn red on the plant, they become hot also. So you get to decide what level of heat in these peppers is right for you.



And of course cherry tomatoes, (alongside regular tomatoes also).



So this is what I often grow, as I can't live without Pizza, (with my own organically grown vegetables).



Yeah, in times like these, (era of the global lockdown) - It really pays off very well being a crazy doomsday prepper!

 

Willowisp,, try cooking the radishes ! They are really good grated in a stir fry or cooked or steamed in a small amount of liquid with a bit of sugar and salt as a vegetable !

 

This can prove to be very useful - It's the gardener's cheat sheet!

https://www.thegardenglove.com/gardening-cheat-sheets/

 

Eric and Fendi's 3rd video is up!



Watering depends on your climate, (heat and humidity). Which is why I suggested the soil moisture and pH meters, (to take the guesswork out). But without it, to get the seeds started, I'd say make it look like it rained once every 2 days.

When in any doubt, always remember what happens in nature... When do seeds germinate in the wild? When it rains. So replicate the same conditions - And you will be successful, (really no mystery in this).

Planting marigolds in those blocks is the perfect place! Which too I had suggested before. Plant them with Dwarf Sunflowers, (to attract bees).



How to remember where you planted what? Simple, I use any sticks or twig, and turn the empty seed packet over it, (like a road sign). This way even if it blows away later or gets destroyed in the rain. Your pictures and videos will still have a record of it. Or just put the packet of the seeds on the ground, then place a small rock over it.



And congratulations on that lettuce surviving!

How to identify weeds from seedings? That depends on the type of weeds in your area. I can instantly identify my weeds when they are sprouting. But my locality is on the other side of the world. So I have no knowledge of North America weeds... Therefore you may need to wait and see until the plants start to show their characteristics

Pea and bean supports are very easy. You can make them out of sticks and string. Or use PVC pipes, (if you want something which you can use year after year).



And as far as I know. Onion bulbs don't multiply underground. They get bigger, yes, but the only way to get more onions is to wait until they start to produce a seedpod.

Sometimes the onion can split in 2 or 3 different onions, but the overall volume of them combined will be the same as a big onion. So no real gain in the real sense.



Plant the seeds next year, and you will get more onions.

Planting bulbs will just give you bigger onions at the end of the season, (with a seedpod). So it's actually a 2 year cycle for onions, (from seed to harvest).

 

Great info! Thanks as always @S-H !

 

The only thing that I disagree with @S-H is with the marigolds as pest control is that the effect marigolds has on certain pests is that the marigold secretes chemicals from its roots that repulse some insects. Planting them in the breeze blocks would defeat the object of pest control. You do not need to water your seeds too much. Just when the surface starts to dry out, will you need to water them.

 

That is definitely good information!
Thank you @Odif !

 

Then let's plant Dwarf Sunflowers in the blocks, (to attract the bees). And a few marigolds between each row of crops.

 

use a few bamboo sticks or tree branches to support the peas, they don't get very heavy or very tall so they don't need much more than that for support.

 

I use "pea brush".... Just tree or shrub prunings.

 

Hi, the thing with peas is that they need a fine trellis or branches to attach to, otherwise they won’t be able to hold on. What height are they, a dwarf variety you could plant along the edge and let them drape over the side. Do you have clay or sandy soil or something else?

 

Good point Odif! The tall varieties really need a fence.

 

all over the board here with pea advice. you need to know what height your variety will get to to determine what you need for a trellis... ours grow more than 6' and we have them on a plastic pea fence with 7' fence stakes so they have something to attach to so we aren't wasting our crop looking for them all over a jumble of plant on the ground nor competing with wildlife for them.