Glad to see this thread going as it's that wonderful spring time of year when gardens seem to be the answer for folks with motivation and the space to garden outside or in containers... We're what ya might call "over the top" gardeners... For folks just starting, there are some definite smart play "Do's" as well as "Don'ts" to avoid...
Do's:
- Think hard about the goals of your garden. Pick things that are multi-year returns on investmnet where possible (e.g., asparagus and perennial herbs).
- Invest in watering automation. Very simple to do with battery powered hose connected timers and 1/2" DIY soaker hose and mister irrigation kits. Lowes is better than Home Depot for this. Amazon is crazy expensive for the name brand versions of these products oddly enough. Water the ground under the plant rather than spraying water on the plant as a guideline. The exception comes with big leafy greens like lettuces that you want to give baths to keep clean and knock any bugs off of regularly.
- Invest in a roll of good agricultural fabric for protecting young plants from too much sun (yes, plants get sunburn too), and to manage pests of all sorts (bugs/squirrells/birds).
- Start with quick wins like herbs (ideally perennial beds like rosemary, sage, thyme, but also dill, cilantro and basil annuals).
- Invest in GOOD seed propagation trays if you want to really be cost effective growing. Ones with reusable "flexible" bottoms from Burpee seed or check some of the better growing sites. You don't need ones with 64 or 128 cells! Ones with 32 cells that are squarish are easier to start off with... Put 2 squarish ones in a full length "flat" to catch water that soaks through and you're set.
- Potatoes are awesome... Staggered plantings starting 3 weeks before your last frost date with very simple beds of leaf litter over them to organically hold down the weeds. These are heavy to transport and inflation at the store makes these very financially wise investments! 2 3lb bags of seed potatoes can feed a family a LONG part of the year. Sweet potatoes are awesome, but also dominate the area they are planted so beware of the extra work to dig them.
- Butternut squash and similar good storing squash for fall/winter are doubly awesome! Again, inflation has hit these at grocery stores due to transportation costs. They are easy to grow (IF ya automate watering and have space to let them run in the sun)!
- Green beans are awesome.
- Find a seed company online that's good. Davesgarden.com has great references for ones that sell organic / heirloom varieties of seed that are not nearly as crazy high as Burpees or Johnny's seeds... these companies all have big operations and MMM folks don't pay for their spendypants ways.
- Buy a small roll of good quality, UV resistant clear plastic and some cheap materials to make hoop houses to add growing season in spring and fall.
- Get a calendar and think ahead on staggering your planting/harvesting dates. A reminder to put in your "fall potato patch" in late July becomes amazingly important as you get busy.
- Keep track of how much you spend and how much produce you generate each year. Use that calendar to note these details and look back year to year on notes you take along the way. Know that year 2 will be 1000% better than year one on rate of return and success!
Maybes:
- Buy a good quality heat mat for starting seeds OR just to hold steals of deals on any seedlings or other starter plants that come along in the cold months. This is best after you have a year under your belt and realize you have the gardening bug well enough to really get into propagating.
Don'ts:
- Don't think tomatoes and squash will just feed you. Also know they tend to bear heavy and then stop unless you grow tomatoes in a greenhouse overwinter which is a bigger endeavor. If humans like it, so will bugs and squirrells! Tomatoes are picky about temperatures and how they are watered. Squash is a bit easier, but also picky about watering (water from below rather than above to avoid mildew).
- Don't go crazy big the first year trying to grow everything. Master the stuff noted above. Embrace the game of making year 2 break even financially. By year 3, the paybacks financially are there but the payback on your psyche knowing you can grow your own and aren't beholden to inflation at the grocers (much of the year at least) are PRICELESS!
