First Garden

[tortoise]

Last fall, my son asked for a "birthday garden" for his April birthday. I'm determined to give him that! Plus I want to grow some of the things we use a lot of.

My SO is teasing me about the "birthday weed patch" and "birthday sandbox" so I really want to do this right!

The plot is 10 x 24 with sandy soil and full sun. It is convenient to water there. I will be a stay-at-home momma this summer, so plenty of time to weed and care for it. I have a steady supply of rabbit poop fertilizer all summer.

My SO suggested potatoes, I picked up 200 onion sets.

What else grows well in sandy soil? Any advice? Tips?

 

[savingdogs]

Well for a first garden, I'd make sure and go for a few things that really are easy and you can't miss.

Zuchinni grows excellent and you really only need one or two. I usually go with a seedling.

Tomatoes are so good fresh you should give them a try, but go for an "early" variety since you live so far north. Cherry tomatoes seem to work best for me. Again I pick seedlings.

Radishes are really easy. Come up quick too from seed so you see something happening right away. They are much better than store radishes.

All kinds of beans are easy. Give them something to climb onto, even string shaped into a tepee! They grow easy from seed.

Nasturtium is a super easy flower to grow, is edible and is a great way to make things look pretty overall, you plant the seed where you want them. Marigolds are also supposed to repel bad insects but I don't know how effective that really is, but both of these flowers are really pretty in a border along the front of your garden. I also plant a few cosmos near the back, they are lacy and pretty and make things look very professional overall, and are great for cutting and putting on the table (in a vase). I buy marigold seedlings but plant cosmos from seed.

Other than that, I'd grow what you like to eat. Our family enjoys salads alot so I grow lettuces. We also love fresh basil and cilantro and I find both of them especially easy to grow too. I buy basil starts and plant cilantro from seed.

If you can use some sort of raised bed (thousands of how-to instructions online) that usually works the best. You can also plant edible plants in between your garden plants if you think carefully about its height, width, sun and water habits and plant thoughtfully. I have been able to work sunflowers into the landscape really nicely, as well as berry plants of several varieties.

I hope my ideas helped...I am suggesting what worked for me, I've had plenty of failures, so expect that, too! Part of the learning process. But when you have a shorter summer, try to pick "early" or small varieties of anything that needs warmth to ripen.

 

[freemotion]

You can also grow your own herbs for cooking. Then make the drying of them another fun project. It is so satisfying to reach into the cupboard for an antique canning jar of parsley or oregano that you grew yourself, and they make great gifts.

I've had success with the following (understand that there are good years and bad years, so plant some variety and it will be a good year for some of your plants, and a bad year for some. It's not you!)

parsley
basil
rosemary
cayenne pepper (for powder and flakes)
stevia (for tea)
pineapple sage (for tea)


The following come back every year:
oregano
scallions
chives
sage
thyme
lemon balm (for tea)
various mints (for tea and extracts)

 

[FarmerDenise]

Plant stuff your son likes. Kids love cherry tomatoes. Snap peas are fun for kids to grow and eat too.

If you buy starts or little plants, it will be a little easier for you and faster. It is a lot more fun to go out to the garden and see some plants instead of just dirt that you know you planted something in.
Except for radishes, they grow so fast,it is fun to watch them grow. Beans and peas are also really easy to grow from seed and they come up pretty quick and grow fast.

I often buy a few starts, just because it is nice to have a few plants in the garden and I like having a few early ones. I usually buy lettuce plants and other greens.

Herbs are also much easier to grow from potted plants rather than seeds. There are exceptions, but for someone beginning to garden, it is nice to have as many successes under your belt as possible.

Carrots take forever to sprout, so you might want to stay away from them the first year. SO covers the seed with a board until they sprout. It works for him in our zone 9, california climate.

 

[Aidenbaby]

My kids LOVE cherry tomatoes and carrots. I have a bunch of "rainbow blend" seeds that are always fun to harvest. Onions are easy but I don't have a knack yet for getting them harvested or stored. OH, and don't forget sunflowers. We planted some of those last year and will definitely be doing it again. Homemade sunflower seeds are yummy.

As far as the garden, sandy or not, always remember to "feed" your soil. That is what will help your garden produce more. This winter I let my chickens free-range the back yard and also spread their spent bedding throughout it. We're going to be rototilling the yard in preparation for seeding grass. This summer, any garden or house scraps will be heading to the compost pile to get that ready for next year.

 

[tortoise]

I did a couple different garden plans, trying to squeeze as much into the space while giving everything the room it needs to grow. I ended up with 30 sq ft extra.

I put in the plan:

16 potatoes
4 tomatoes
200 onions (I use a lot of onions, so I hope they grow!)
24 lettuce (succession planting should give me more than that)
24 spinach (ditto)
40 radishes
40 carrots

What to do with the extra 30 sq ft? It is 2 patches that are 3 x 5.

 

[Aidenbaby]

What about some sugar baby watermelons on one and pumpkins or melons on the other?

 

[Dace]

Be sure that you leave plenty of room for getting around your plants.

I had a square garden that was a little bit over 100sq feet.....it was about 10x12. I have a cute little fence around it to keep the dog and bunnies out.
It was cute as could be!

Then it all started to grow and I realized how hard it was to get to everything!

I had planted rather intensely, intentionally....which made tending my garden a little tricky!

I think you have gotten some great advice on what to plant though!

One last thought....be sure to test your soil. A simple test kit can be purchased at most nurseries and will save you much frustration and many posts here saying "my blank is not doing well/ seems yellow/ looks stunted/ is not growing etc....."
Bunny poo is wonderful but your soil will very likely need more than that