Think Spring! First Garden questions

[Gus]

I've lived in my house now for 2 years and the old owners had a neglected garden spot. There was never anything planted there recently according to the neighbors, but the spot is there. Currently it's run over with grasses and weeds.

My question is, what is going to be the best way to turn this weed patch into a garden come spring?

Do I need to kill the weeds with something and then till? Can I just till?

I'm planning on just some basics for doing my own salsa at first. I have never had a garden so I don't really know what to expect.

Thanks for any insight!

[Tom7227]

Right now you should be studying the seed catalogs so you can figure out what you want to try and grow and get an idea of what the various varieties do. You'll be stunned at how many different types of tomaotes there are. If you really want to be thrifty you can even order some of the seeds and start the plants indoors in late March or so.

Maybe the best thing you could do would be to collect all the leafs you can find and till them into the area. If you have a county compost site nearby get truckloads of the stuff and work it into the soil. If there's a horse operation nearby see if you can get a bunch of their straw and rotted manure. A lot of the ground up there is pretty sandy and anything you can do to put organic material into it will help in the long run.

Get some fencing cause the critters are going to munch on stuff. If you have moles or gophers you're going to have a problem dealing with them. Some suggest putting a fine mesh fencing 12 inches or so under ground to try and block them out. If you're starting the fence from scratch do it right and get good solid posts and decent fencing material.

When you're ready to plant plan things out so the various items don't get crowded. A common mistake is to plant way more than you need and you end up with a mess. Less is probably better. If you're planting things that need support put the fencing or trellis' in right away. Make a diagram before you plant so you know what is where. Then label the stuff out in the garden so you know what row is the radishes and what row is the lettuce.

As soon as possble mulch the areas between the rows. This will provide you with something to walk on without getting all muddy as well as keeping the weeds in check. There's all sorts of options for this - straw, newspaper, grass clippings etc.

Learn a bit about the various diseases and bugs that can screw things up. Fusarium wilt, aphids, stuff like that. Most of the time you have to take action to prevent the stuff from getting started because once you see it you're not going to be able to control it. When do you water, what do you do to clean up in the fall, all sorts of things to learn.

Or, you could say the heck with it, plant grass seed in the plot and buy the stuff at the grocery store. Lot less work.

[KEN W]

First thing you will have to do is roundup the existing weeds and grass as soon as possible.DO NOT TILL it w/o doing that.You probably have quack grass and tilling it w/o spraying will just spread it and make it worse.Wait 2 weeks after spraying to till it.

Have you grown a garden before?

The best seeds are from catalogs.Tell me what you want to grow and I can suggest some varieties.Also.....how big are you talking about.

[Gus]

Thanks for the comments.

"You probably have quack grass and tilling it w/o spraying will just spread it and make it worse." This is an affirmative. Pretty rural yard and there is a decent amount of quack around.

"Have you grown a garden before?" Nope. Have never even tried before.

"how big are you talking about" Probably 8 by 15.

As it sits now it's just where I've been dumping excess leaves and sticks. I plan to clean it up and do whatever prep is needed come spring and just give growing a go.

I'll go do some research on tomato plants. In addition to them I'd like to do some peppers and maybe some cukes. Are we able to grow onions in MN? That right there shows how much I know about gardening.

[eurolarva]

Onions grow real good in Mn but it will depend on how good your soil is and you must grow long day onions. Up north the days are longer then in the south cause the sun is in the northern hemisphere When spring gets here you can buy onion sets. This is the cheapest and easiest way to plant onions. You will probably be able to plant them in early april but you are going to have to do something about your weed issue first. If the area is small enough I would just cut the top sod and roll it off the dirt getting as many roots as possible then fill the area with compost from a compost site. I did not see where you were from but Anoka county you could get screened compost for six bucks a yard loaded on your truck. Tomatoes should not be planted till probably around memorial day same with peppers. If it is a small garden just buy starter plants from a nursery. You can sometimes find a six pack for as low as two bucks for tomatoes. If you start from seed you will need to put the seeds in peat pots probably about third week in March and once they break the surface get fluorescent bulbs on them and use a timer for about 16 hrs a day with the lights within 3 inches of the plants.

For you cause it is first year work on getting the soil ready and good and use starter plants. I bought onion sets at walmart for 2 bucks for 75 onion plants. Do raddishes cause they are cheap and come up fast and you cant start eating your harvest. Carrots from seeds should be started early but take forever to germinate so weeds around them can be a problem.

Have fun and if you are stuck google the garden web.

[kstruck]

I run a garden center down here in St. Peter and the best advice I always give new vegetable gardners is: Don't be afraid to wait. As in waiting until the ground warms up. Tomatoes and peppers will sit dormant in the soil until it warms. Don't be afraid to wait until Memorial Day to plant, in some years I haven't gotten my garden in until the 4th of July and still had plenty of harvest.

While there are cool season vegetables such as leafy lettuces, many of our favorites such as tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers don't do well until the soil has warmed in the spring.

You'll always want to see what the tag or seed packet says in regard to maturity to make sure you have enough growing season. It is safe to say that our growing season runs conservatively from May 20 to Sept 15. That is give or take about 125 days.

It sounds as if you are interested in doing a "salsa garden". This is great way to start. All you need is a few tomato plants, some peppers, and it sounds like you would be interested in onions as well. For tomato's as you gain experience it is fun to try different heirloom varities, exotic looking strains, and whatnot, but they can be somewhat susceptible to blights and other diseases. For the beginner gardener it can sometimes be easier to use the tried and true varieties, you can't go wrong with Roma's, Big Beef's, and Brandywine's, they are just a few of the varieties that do well in our climate and make a good salsa. As for peppers, Jalapeno's, Cayenne's, and Chile's all are easy to grow. As for onions I agree with Eurolarva, onion sets are easy and cheap, they like a soil that is free of large clumps.

Just a few tips on making the garden area useable again, I do this quite often and is IMO the most efficient way to get rid of the weeds, is to rent a manual sod cutter from your local rental store (usually about $15), you use the force of your foot to shave of two or three inches of soil from your area. Then bring in enough topsoil or compost and till that into the ground. There will be some roots from the quack and regular grass left, but nothing that can't be handled from weeding. It is always a good idea to put mulch on top to limit weeding later in the year. Just don't put the mulch down too early as you want that dark ground to absorb solar energy and warm up. I could get into constructing a raised bed with a couple of 2 by 6's, that might be the most surefire way to eliminate the weeds right away, but I can expound on that at a later time.

One last point I'll make, and some seasoned gardeners might not agree, but the easiest way to start a garden is to get the plants already started. There is something to be said about personally raising a plant from seed till harvest, but much hassle is saved, especially with a smaller garden by just buying the plants already started in a 4- or 6-pack.

The most important part is to have fun!

[KEN W]

Good advice.....Since this is your first garden.....I also would suggest buying plants.I would suggest Early Girl for the first tomatoes.Also Celebrity for later,and Romas for making salsa.

As stated above onion sets are easy.But only for cooking onions.They are pretty fierce to eat raw.If you can find onion plants....I would go with those.I put in Candy.You can eat them like an apple.The trick to onions is to get them in the ground as soon as possible.The larger the plant when they start to bulb....the larger the onion will be.

Buy pepper plants.I try to find the earliest variety of bells I can.Plus some early jalapenos.

One other trick.....plant in wide rows.Wide enough so you can reach the middle from either side.Most gardeners waste to much space in the walk ways.Plant your onions in rows 6 inches apart 6-8 feet long and 4 feet wide.Put in plants of cauliflower,broccoli,cabbage etc in a 3-2 pattern 4 feet wide.Scatter beans and pea seed 4 feet wide.4 Rows of radishes 4 feet wide.Same with carrots and beets,and lettuce.

And finally don't be afraid to thin anything grown from seed.Pull out plants so the remaining ones have room to grow.

[Juneau4]

Onions: For mature onion bulbs put the plants only about 1" deep. For green table onions buy some bulbs and plant them aout 3" deep-they won't develope into large onions then.

Carrots and beets: When you plant these I plant radishes with them. The radishes will come up first and act as a mother crop for the other. When you pull the radishes it will thin the car. and beets. I usually take my hoe and make a row the width of the blade-6".Don't plant over 1/2" deep or they will just go to tops.

The above can all be planted as soon as the ground can be worked, the earlier the better.

Tomatoes: Plant May 15-June 15

Peppers: End of May-early June, If you plant when the weather is to cool they won't produce as well.

[Gus]

Great advice! I really appreciate it!

I think the biggest chore is going to be prepping this soil and moles! We have pretty sandy soil and I always seem to have a few moles around the yard.

[kstruck]

The onions will do great in the sandy soil! But with sandier soil you might have to water more often as this type of soil tends to dry out much faster than a loam soil. Not a bad thing, as many of the aforementioned vegetables love a sandier soil.

[pushbutton]

advice so far has been great and wont steer you wrong.....here is my suggestion though: if it is only 8 x 15, cover the entire garden with the best land scape fabric you can find, belton green stripe would be preferable, use sod staples to secure it, and simply cut out a slit or 5 ich round hole where you are planting. the up side is very little weeding, moisture retention, and earlier soil temp. warm up. the down side soil compaction and too much warmth for cool season crops( does not seem with your list should be too much of a problem). if you know a landscape contractor see if they could hook you up with the green stripe and staples, dont bother trying to use a lesser quality or plastic. while this may seem a little unconventional, i have a 1/2 acre garden and spend my summers fishing and not weeding. if you do go ahead with this, more detailed info can be had.

[croixflats]

The landscape fabric is an awsome tip Ive doe it and it works great. Also a good tip in the spring after the snow melts throw 6 or 8 mill plastic over the bed. This will heat the ground up faster so you get a jump start. When your ready to plant fold up and store for next year. Black or green and Ive seen red plastic used.Dark green would be best if you can find it, green absorbs heat the best over all of the color spectrum.

[eurolarva]

Now is the best time to start them onions from seed. Fleetfarm has very small peet pot type containers made of plastic. Get some Miracle grow and put four seeds per pot. Once sprouted put them under florescent lights for 15 hours a day till they go in the ground.

[deerminator]

Here's an alternative - several raised garden beds. Buy the cheapest grade 2x12s (non-treated) you can and creat some 4 foot by 8 foot frames. Line the bottom with lanscaping fabric and fill with black dirt and mulch mixture. Viola. Ready to go. You can dig up the dirt if its on your property, which I've done before, buy bags from the garden center or have a load dumped right by your spot to make things easier. All of this won't cost you more, maybe less than the chemicals to kill the grass/weeds there now and renting or buying a tiller. And its easier I think.