Guest guest Posted January 17, 2009 Report Share Posted January 17, 2009 Hello all! I'm Lee Anne...and have been enjoying what I'm reading and learning in this group. I do wish I lived in the country and could homestead but am in the city (Ontario, Canada) for a while yet! I don't want this to stop our family from growing food. I know it won't be as fruitful as those who urban homestead in the warmer climates and can do so year round but...I can still enjoy myself during a few months of the summer. The trouble is...I don't even know where to begin. I know zero about gardening. But the desire is there. I do make foods from scratch so am prepared to put in the effort of caring for a garden. Being that we live in an industrial city, I doubt the quality and safety of our backyard's soil. I assumed I would have to do raised bed gardening with new soil/compost. Was I correct in assuming this? I know that if I do raised bed, I will be limited with what produce I can grow due to depth. I'm hoping for some tomatoes (could always do those in containers on the deck), lettuce, cukes, green beans, carrots...not sure what else. Thoughts? I'd welcome some direction, advice, tips, comments...whatever the list can provide to get us started in the summer. If the list can't help due to the different climate, could you point me in the right direction? Thanks so much, Lee Anne who is freezing her hindquarters off in arctic temperatures Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 18, 2009 Report Share Posted January 18, 2009 The apartment farmer by Newcomb seems to be a nice book that gives great ideas on container farming (size of pots/containers for what vegies, etc)I haven't tried any of them as I have only just found the book as well, but am hoping to see what I can do for the coming spring princessOn Sat, Jan 17, 2009 at 3:35 PM, strongmind30 <strongmind30 wrote: Hello all! I'm Lee Anne...and have been enjoying what I'm reading and learning in this group. I do wish I lived in the country and could homestead but am in the city (Ontario, Canada) for a while yet! I don't want this to stop our family from growing food. I know it won't be as fruitful as those who urban homestead in the warmer climates and can do so year round but...I can still enjoy myself during a few months of the summer. The trouble is...I don't even know where to begin. I know zero about gardening. But the desire is there. I do make foods from scratch so am prepared to put in the effort of caring for a garden. Being that we live in an industrial city, I doubt the quality and safety of our backyard's soil. I assumed I would have to do raised bed gardening with new soil/compost. Was I correct in assuming this? I know that if I do raised bed, I will be limited with what produce I can grow due to depth. I'm hoping for some tomatoes (could always do those in containers on the deck), lettuce, cukes, green beans, carrots...not sure what else. Thoughts? I'd welcome some direction, advice, tips, comments...whatever the list can provide to get us started in the summer. If the list can't help due to the different climate, could you point me in the right direction? Thanks so much, Lee Anne who is freezing her hindquarters off in arctic temperatures --- The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak. — Hans Hofmann Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 18, 2009 Report Share Posted January 18, 2009 There are many plants that can be raised in raised beds. The Raised Beds tend to warm up earlier. By using plenty of compost and earth worms you can improve the soil very easily. http://tech.fiftyplusandkids/ ChampaignCountyProduceExchange/ CNYCommunityGardening fragrantherbs gramsgarden --- On Sun, 1/18/09, Princess Fermin <prinfermin wrote: Princess Fermin <prinferminRe: [RFSL] Urban Garden - Where Do I Begin? Date: Sunday, January 18, 2009, 4:47 AM The apartment farmer by Newcomb seems to be a nice book that gives great ideas on container farming (size of pots/containers for what vegies, etc) I haven't tried any of them as I have only just found the book as well, but am hoping to see what I can do for the coming spring princess On Sat, Jan 17, 2009 at 3:35 PM, strongmind30 <strongmind30@ > wrote: Hello all!I'm Lee Anne...and have been enjoying what I'm reading and learning inthis group. I do wish I lived in the country and could homestead butam in the city (Ontario, Canada) for a while yet!I don't want this to stop our family from growing food. I know itwon't be as fruitful as those who urban homestead in the warmerclimates and can do so year round but...I can still enjoy myselfduring a few months of the summer.The trouble is...I don't even know where to begin. I know zero aboutgardening. But the desire is there. I do make foods from scratch so amprepared to put in the effort of caring for a garden.Being that we live in an industrial city, I doubt the quality andsafety of our backyard's soil. I assumed I would have to do raised bedgardening with new soil/compost. Was I correct in assuming this?I know that if I do raised bed, I will be limited with what produce Ican grow due to depth. I'm hoping for some tomatoes (could always dothose in containers on the deck), lettuce, cukes, green beans,carrots...not sure what else. Thoughts?I'd welcome some direction, advice, tips, comments...whatever the listcan provide to get us started in the summer. If the list can't helpdue to the different climate, could you point me in the right direction?Thanks so much,Lee Annewho is freezing her hindquarters off in arctic temperatures------------ --------- --------- ------ The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak.— Hans Hofmann Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 18, 2009 Report Share Posted January 18, 2009 Lee Ann, It's wonderful that you want to garden in the city. I live in a large city also but manage to garden year round (although for me, we have the warmer temperatures). But I was raised in the Alaskan interior and gardened there over half my life so I know how challenging it can be. I have found the books The Square Foot Garden by Mel Bartholomew and The Postage Stamp Garden, sorry don't know the auther but they do carry it on Amazon, wonderful resources. They both cover container gardening and gardening in the city. Bartholomew lives in the Northern US so he does cover cold weather gardening. I couldn't garden without these books. Good luck!!! , " strongmind30 " <strongmind30 wrote: > > Hello all! > > I'm Lee Anne...and have been enjoying what I'm reading and learning in > this group. I do wish I lived in the country and could homestead but > am in the city (Ontario, Canada) for a while yet! > > I don't want this to stop our family from growing food. I know it > won't be as fruitful as those who urban homestead in the warmer > climates and can do so year round but...I can still enjoy myself > during a few months of the summer. > > The trouble is...I don't even know where to begin. I know zero about > gardening. But the desire is there. I do make foods from scratch so am > prepared to put in the effort of caring for a garden. > > Being that we live in an industrial city, I doubt the quality and > safety of our backyard's soil. I assumed I would have to do raised bed > gardening with new soil/compost. Was I correct in assuming this? > > I know that if I do raised bed, I will be limited with what produce I > can grow due to depth. I'm hoping for some tomatoes (could always do > those in containers on the deck), lettuce, cukes, green beans, > carrots...not sure what else. Thoughts? > > I'd welcome some direction, advice, tips, comments...whatever the list > can provide to get us started in the summer. If the list can't help > due to the different climate, could you point me in the right direction? > > Thanks so much, > > Lee Anne > who is freezing her hindquarters off in arctic temperatures > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 19, 2009 Report Share Posted January 19, 2009 Hiya Lee Anne! Welcome! Thanks so much for the introduction. I do all my gardening in raised beds. I have a small yard, and no good soil, so i don't have any choice. But last year i managed to grow a LOT of veggies, and I gave away tons of it-we just could not eat it all. I froze what i could and gave away the rest. This year, we are adding in more beds, and i will be selling my produce at the local farmers market. I am very lucky in a warm climate, but that should not stop you from growing your own food, no matter where you are. If you are in doubt about your soil, you can purchase soil for your raised beds-I did! My raised beds are built from boards that are about 12 inches high. It's not a problem at all. I'll take pics when my husband is done building the new beds. if you do grow carrots, you might want to try some of the shorter varieties, if your beds are not very deep. I grew some short carrots last year, and it worked out fine! The only things that did not do well for me were the things I started too late-broccoli, cabbage and Brussels sprouts. I got a late start last year. You can pretty much grow what ever your family likes to eat. Books by Mel Bartholomew and Ruth Stoudt will give you great ideas for intensive gardening in small spaces. If you will be raising your veggies from seed, read the packages carefully to determine when you must start them indoors, based on your last average frost date. If you want to start small, in some containers on your deck, the Earth Box is a great container to grow veggies in. You can visit www.earthbox.com to take a look at it. I have one and I love it. You'll need to plan for some drip irrigation in your beds to supplement when the weather is dry. Above all, veggies hate uneven watering. It's critical to keep their water supply even and regular. The beds must be able to drain away excess water when you do get a lot of rain. So raised beds work great for that, too. I don't want to overwhelm you with too much info right off the bat. Please let us know what other questions you might have! Cyndi In a message dated 1/17/2009 12:36:04 P.M. Pacific Standard Time, strongmind30 writes: Hello all!I'm Lee Anne...and have been enjoying what I'm reading and learning inthis group. I do wish I lived in the country and could homestead butam in the city (Ontario, Canada) for a while yet!I don't want this to stop our family from growing food. I know itwon't be as fruitful as those who urban homestead in the warmerclimates and can do so year round but...I can still enjoy myselfduring a few months of the summer.The trouble is...I don't even know where to begin. I know zero aboutgardening. But the desire is there. I do make foods from scratch so amprepared to put in the effort of caring for a garden.Being that we live in an industrial city, I doubt the quality andsafety of our backyard's soil. I assumed I would have to do raised bedgardening with new soil/compost. Was I correct in assuming this?I know that if I do raised bed, I will be limited with what produce Ican grow due to depth. I'm hoping for some tomatoes (could always dothose in containers on the deck), lettuce, cukes, green beans,carrots...not sure what else. Thoughts?I'd welcome some direction, advice, tips, comments...whatever the listcan provide to get us started in the summer. If the list can't helpdue to the different climate, could you point me in the right direction?Thanks so much,Lee Annewho is freezing her hindquarters off in arctic temperatures A Good Credit Score is 700 or Above. See yours in just 2 easy steps! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 19, 2009 Report Share Posted January 19, 2009 looked at the earthbox on the webpage and it sounds interesting. will look for it at the nearby plant shop (the site says it's a dealer) to spare me shipping costs.thanks for the link!princess On Mon, Jan 19, 2009 at 2:39 PM, <cyndikrall wrote: Hiya Lee Anne! Welcome! Thanks so much for the introduction. I do all my gardening in raised beds. I have a small yard, and no good soil, so i don't have any choice. But last year i managed to grow a LOT of veggies, and I gave away tons of it-we just could not eat it all. I froze what i could and gave away the rest. This year, we are adding in more beds, and i will be selling my produce at the local farmers market. I am very lucky in a warm climate, but that should not stop you from growing your own food, no matter where you are. If you are in doubt about your soil, you can purchase soil for your raised beds-I did! My raised beds are built from boards that are about 12 inches high. It's not a problem at all. I'll take pics when my husband is done building the new beds. if you do grow carrots, you might want to try some of the shorter varieties, if your beds are not very deep. I grew some short carrots last year, and it worked out fine! The only things that did not do well for me were the things I started too late-broccoli, cabbage and Brussels sprouts. I got a late start last year. You can pretty much grow what ever your family likes to eat. Books by Mel Bartholomew and Ruth Stoudt will give you great ideas for intensive gardening in small spaces. If you will be raising your veggies from seed, read the packages carefully to determine when you must start them indoors, based on your last average frost date. If you want to start small, in some containers on your deck, the Earth Box is a great container to grow veggies in. You can visit www.earthbox.com to take a look at it. I have one and I love it. You'll need to plan for some drip irrigation in your beds to supplement when the weather is dry. Above all, veggies hate uneven watering. It's critical to keep their water supply even and regular. The beds must be able to drain away excess water when you do get a lot of rain. So raised beds work great for that, too. I don't want to overwhelm you with too much info right off the bat. Please let us know what other questions you might have! Cyndi In a message dated 1/17/2009 12:36:04 P.M. Pacific Standard Time, strongmind30 writes: Hello all!I'm Lee Anne...and have been enjoying what I'm reading and learning inthis group. I do wish I lived in the country and could homestead butam in the city (Ontario, Canada) for a while yet!I don't want this to stop our family from growing food. I know itwon't be as fruitful as those who urban homestead in the warmerclimates and can do so year round but...I can still enjoy myselfduring a few months of the summer.The trouble is...I don't even know where to begin. I know zero aboutgardening. But the desire is there. I do make foods from scratch so amprepared to put in the effort of caring for a garden.Being that we live in an industrial city, I doubt the quality andsafety of our backyard's soil. I assumed I would have to do raised bedgardening with new soil/compost. Was I correct in assuming this?I know that if I do raised bed, I will be limited with what produce Ican grow due to depth. I'm hoping for some tomatoes (could always dothose in containers on the deck), lettuce, cukes, green beans,carrots...not sure what else. Thoughts?I'd welcome some direction, advice, tips, comments...whatever the listcan provide to get us started in the summer. If the list can't helpdue to the different climate, could you point me in the right direction?Thanks so much,Lee Annewho is freezing her hindquarters off in arctic temperatures A Good Credit Score is 700 or Above. See yours in just 2 easy steps! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 19, 2009 Report Share Posted January 19, 2009 Yes, you should be able to find one locally, I did. A really good product for patio gardeners, or beginning gardeners. Cyndi In a message dated 1/19/2009 1:19:06 P.M. Pacific Standard Time, prinfermin writes: looked at the earthbox on the webpage and it sounds interesting. will look for it at the nearby plant shop (the site says it's a dealer) to spare me shipping costs. thanks for the link! princess On Mon, Jan 19, 2009 at 2:39 PM, <cyndikrall (AT) aol (DOT) com> wrote: Hiya Lee Anne! Welcome! Thanks so much for the introduction. I do all my gardening in raised beds. I have a small yard, and no good soil, so i don't have any choice. But last year i managed to grow a LOT of veggies, and I gave away tons of it-we just could not eat it all. I froze what i could and gave away the rest. This year, we are adding in more beds, and i will be selling my produce at the local farmers market. I am very lucky in a warm climate, but that should not stop you from growing your own food, no matter where you are. If you are in doubt about your soil, you can purchase soil for your raised beds-I did! My raised beds are built from boards that are about 12 inches high. It's not a problem at all. I'll take pics when my husband is done building the new beds. if you do grow carrots, you might want to try some of the shorter varieties, if your beds are not very deep. I grew some short carrots last year, and it worked out fine! The only things that did not do well for me were the things I started too late-broccoli, cabbage and Brussels sprouts. I got a late start last year. You can pretty much grow what ever your family likes to eat. Books by Mel Bartholomew and Ruth Stoudt will give you great ideas for intensive gardening in small spaces. If you will be raising your veggies from seed, read the packages carefully to determine when you must start them indoors, based on your last average frost date. If you want to start small, in some containers on your deck, the Earth Box is a great container to grow veggies in. You can visit www.earthbox.com to take a look at it. I have one and I love it. You'll need to plan for some drip irrigation in your beds to supplement when the weather is dry. Above all, veggies hate uneven watering. It's critical to keep their water supply even and regular. The beds must be able to drain away excess water when you do get a lot of rain. So raised beds work great for that, too. I don't want to overwhelm you with too much info right off the bat. Please let us know what other questions you might have! Cyndi In a message dated 1/17/2009 12:36:04 P.M. Pacific Standard Time, strongmind30 writes: Hello all!I'm Lee Anne...and have been enjoying what I'm reading and learning inthis group. I do wish I lived in the country and could homestead butam in the city (Ontario, Canada) for a while yet!I don't want this to stop our family from growing food. I know itwon't be as fruitful as those who urban homestead in the warmerclimates and can do so year round but...I can still enjoy myselfduring a few months of the summer.The trouble is...I don't even know where to begin. I know zero aboutgardening. But the desire is there. I do make foods from scratch so amprepared to put in the effort of caring for a garden.Being that we live in an industrial city, I doubt the quality andsafety of our backyard's soil. I assumed I would have to do raised bedgardening with new soil/compost. Was I correct in assuming this?I know that if I do raised bed, I will be limited with what produce Ican grow due to depth. I'm hoping for some tomatoes (could always dothose in containers on the deck), lettuce, cukes, green beans,carrots...not sure what else. Thoughts?I'd welcome some direction, advice, tips, comments...whatever the listcan provide to get us started in the summer. If the list can't helpdue to the different climate, could you point me in the right direction?Thanks so much,Lee Annewho is freezing her hindquarters off in arctic temperatures A Good Credit Score is 700 or Above. See yours in just 2 easy steps! A Good Credit Score is 700 or Above. See yours in just 2 easy steps! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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