I hate gardening!

[awesomefowl]

Seriously. I hate gardening! I never can get anything but healthy, gloriously healthy, weeds to grow even in the SFG box.

But I'd really like to learn how to grow vegetables. Does anyone here have any tips on gardening? I'd really like to grow some food. We have great soil, plenty of compost and chicken, sheep and goat manure, but no luck.

Any help/advice would be appreciated!

 

[urbanfarmer101]

Are you planting at the proper time? I really do follow the farmers almanac for planting guides. Is your soil light and fluffy? If you have too much manure, you might be over enriched. (I know

)
Sometimes it is best to start with established plants from the garden center.
You can do it. It just takes some time to figure out what your soil needs, what type of plants grow in your area and some serious weed strategy.

 

[Ridgerunner]

You might try posting here. It is a sister site to BYC so Nifty won't mind.

http://www.theeasygarden.com/

 

[ChikeeMomma]

I think it takes time to become good at it. It's taken me a few years to get it right. And even then, I'm still at the mercy of the weather. It also depends where you get your seeds. I usually buy seeds from my local grain elevator. This year I bought them from another place and I cannot believe how soon they germinated! Like in five (even four) days time everything -- cukes, green beans, corn, watermelon, pumpkins, squash is up! I do buy peppers, tomatoes, and cabbage as plants, though.

You can always make yourself feel better by planting a couple zucchini seeds.

Those puppies always come up and prolifically produce.

 

[ams4776]

Test your soil too and pull out weeds quick. I also put weed barrier down around my starters. I stop adding manure about a week before i rotitile and none while growing

 

[ChikeeMomma]

Quote:
Agreed! You may be able to take in a soil sample and have it tested for free at your local grain elevator or 4-H extension office.

 

[awesomefowl]

Even my zucchini wouldn't come up. The soil is rocky but very rich and nice; not too heavy either. Has anyone used weed cloth with success? Maybe that would help with the weeds.

 

[NanaKat]

Quote:
If your seed isn't sprouting you need to get a soil sample or your seed may have been old. I would think if the weeds are growing, there must be something good in the soil but maybe the ph levels are off. The soil test will tell you what you might need to add to the soil. Certain trace minerasl are essential to healthy plant growth. Until that is fixed, even weed cloth won't help the veggies grow.

If the seed is old, try putting seed in a damp paper towel inside a zippee bag on top of the fridge. If it sprouts there slip the seeds into a grow mix soil in little pots and then plant out in your garden.

Weed cloth does have it's purpose. I've used it before in a garden bed to compare the difference in plant growth. I found that wheat straw or compost as mulch did comparably well. I use Preen for vegetables after weeding a bed and setting in transplants . It is corn gluten and works for about 3 months to keep down weeds from sprouting. I like it in the strawberry bed (one of my pet peeves is weeds in the strawberry bed.)

 

[darkmatter]

Quote:
Take an old truck tire, cut the sidewall out of one side. Set the cut out side down, fill with compost/soil. Make a cylinder cage out of concrete remesh, plant tomatoes, vine crops, etc.

 

[halo]

Mulch mulch mulch mulch. And then mulch a little more.

Will keep the soil cool and damp, and will add organics to the soil.