Growing Your Own Garden

[Canuck You]

 

 I have contemplated this for a few yrs now and I would love to start growing my own fruits and veggies , Especially nowadays...Hopefully some tips and tricks to the trade from experienced users could help someone out like me and others on the site.

 

 I assume many of us live in the lower mainland and the weather is all over the place sometimes and I think it would be a good idea to have opinions of people who have knowledge and experience around these parts..

 

So for a beginner, a rough draft would be nice, I do want to start pickling/jarring (if that is an actual term) to keep foods for long term consumption.

 

Think it's the right way to go with prices these days..Grow our own!

 

Cheers

 

Edited April 13 by Canuck You

[bhoodlum]

Good thread, Canuck You.

 

I recommend starting your plants from seed. It's cheaper than buying plants from the nursery. But if you're just getting your feet wet, buying from a nursery isn't a bad idea. They can usually give advice about sun and water requirements. I buy perennials like lemon balm and mint as plants since they grow back every year. 

 

If you have limited space grow veggies that provide the most bang for the buck like tomatoes, cukes and squash. Many veggies and fruits do well in containers if you don't have a lot of space. And you can use almost anything as a planter. I recently started using plastic totes (foodsafe quality) as they are much cheaper than planters. 

 

Growing your own food is very enjoyable. It's not necessarily that cheap if you really get into it however. But then, you get to decide how much money and effort you want to expend. I have a mini greenhouse with a bunch of growlights and heating mats (recommended if starting from seed) and since I grow strictly in containers I spend a decent amount on soil every year as well. 

 

As for grow lights, I have the Feit Electric 32W 2 ft. Hydroponic Adjustable Spectrum LED Grow Light | The Home Depot Canada which I love, and a couple of the 19w models. I planted a tomato and squash in January and the tomato is flowering and the patty pan has some tiny fruits already. I also bought a pack of 4 heating mats on Amazon for $60. A single one costs $45 at the stores. 

 

For me, other than the therapeutic benefits of gardening is the fact I get to grow varieties not available in grocery stores. I'll try and remember to list some of my favourite varieties, like sungold tomatoes,, which I get from West Coast Seed, in another post. 

 

Happy gardening!

[Toni Zamboni]

youtube is a great resource for knowledge on this topic.
growing is fun, enjoy the adventure.

[Barnstorm]

Growing your own produce has a multitude of benefits.

 

I have been growing vegetables  for over 55 years and would gladly help to get anyone started. 
 

First thing I would need to know is exactly what space and materials you have to work with. Do you have a yard, balcony , community garden space, container gardening?How large is your space. 
Sun exposure and hours of sun? Does your area face south, north , east or west?

What is your soil like or do you have to fill containers? 
 

Common mistakes for new gardeners include trying to grow too much as they get started, crowding plants, overwatering , poor soil, wrong varieties and growing vegetables they don’t really eat in the first place.

 

Canning ( 50 years) is a whole different topic however the first step is to have quality , well handled jars. Without those you’re not canning anything. I can approximately 400 jars a year and just about everything you could imagine. 
 

There are many ways to grow your own produce and imo the key is to do it without spending a lot of money as that defeats a lot of the benefits. 
 

If you want to describe your space, exposure, soil and what exactly you’re interested in growing and preserving I’ll gladly help you get on the right path to success.

 

 

Edited April 13 by Barnstorm

[chris12345]

So awesome!

 

I always get excited and grow too much in a small area and don't water enough.

 

Whatever you do have fun!

[Maninthebox]

Great thread idea! I'm looking forward to reading and learning from everyone who chooses to contribute myself. 

 

I started gardening seven years ago in my limited space, and have already learned so much. I can currently grow about 40% of my family's fresh vegetables, and 100% of certain varieties, such as herbs, lettuce, spinach, kale, etc. I have a plan to be 90% self sufficient within 5 to 7 years.

 

That said, I currently live in Calgary zone 4, which can be very different from the lower mainland areas for growing. Thus, the only advice I'll offer (for now) is to learn as much as you can about soil health. 

 

 @Barnstorm  55 years! Might I also mine your experience?

[Reg]

Lots of good suggestions here. 

 

In my experience gardening is one of the most creative things you can do. Working with your hands outdoors to grow your own veggies. The added benefit is the self-satisfaction of doing something that is good for your mental and physical health, not to mention the environment. 

 

Carrots, green onions and parsley are easy to grow from seeds. They need sun light and watering at first, but relatively little attention until harvest.

 

Enjoy, its a journey.

[smithers joe]

i don't think my gardens get enough sunlight and heat to grow well.

my store bought cherry tomato plants thrive though.

mine get the morning sun but not the afternoon sun.

just a sunless brown thumb, but i love trying to grow things.

[Joe King]

I start my veggies from seeds. My space is small so I grow climbers. Cherry tomatoes,Cocktail tomatoes,Beans,Sugar snap peas. I also start a couple of Scarlet runners,I don't eat their beans but they flower like crazy. It brings tons of bee's and some humming birds.

I just buy a bag or two of triple mix and top it up with free compost from the local transfer station.

The weather is still a little on the cool side. But I'm itching to get started.

 

[Barnstorm]

Some hot peppers take about 120 days from planting out to fruit. For that reason they have to be started rally early from seed…late Feb- mid March. Seeds are pre-soaked for 48 hours in layers of soggy paper towel on trays and covered with plastic to maintain humidity. Then trays are placed on a heat pad ( old water bed heater, electric blanket  or medical therapy pad work well) for the two days. 

 

 

Seeds then planted into small cells which enable proper moisture levels ((large pots at this stage are a problem…too wet or too dry) and put back on heat pad. Bottom heat greatly encourages germination, particularly in stubborn to grow seeds.

 

Heres my tomato seed about to sprout.

 

 

—————————————————-
 

This is my hot pepper crop on its first day out from under the grow lights. 

 Setting them outside prepares them for the harsher environment , sun , wind, hot/cold ect. Thus must be done gradually over many days otherwise you can shock and scald the plants. This process is called “hardening off”.
 

I built a wheeled cold frame with a hinged lid for temp , wind and sun control. Each day you have to ensure the plants get progressively more sun, wind ect. This creates strong healthy plants that will easily move into the garden.

 

 

peppers and tomatoes require warm

soil to plant out and night temps best not drop below 10’ c min. Without warm soil and nights the plants will sit idle and refuse to grow. Roots need to develop in the warm soil and then foliage starts to take off.  Generally mid May for my zone however things seem to be getting earlier even year.

 

Clear plastic or black fabric can be used to cover soil prior to planting which allows the suns warmth to better heat the soil and soil to retain heat. 

[Barnstorm]

22 minutes ago, Joe King said:

I start my veggies from seeds. My space is small so I grow climbers. Cherry tomatoes,Cocktail tomatoes,Beans,Sugar snap peas. I also start a couple of Scarlet runners,I don't eat their beans but they flower like crazy. It brings tons of bee's and some humming birds.

I just buy a bag or two of triple mix and top it up with free compost from the local transfer station.

The weather is still a little on the cool side. But I'm itching to get started.

 

Sounds great Joe! 
 

if you can get a little scrap lumber  (never use treated) and some heavy mil plastic you could easily build a couple of cold frames which can advance your growing season and warmth by many weeks. 

Edited April 13 by Barnstorm

[Maninthebox]

How do I post pictures? argh!

 

Those pepper seedlings look great. I'm only growing a few bell varieties and some habanero this year; overstocked on chilis last season. I've only grown peppers in pots thus far, as my in ground space is limited.

 

Outdoors thus far I have seeded turnip, radish, beets, carrots, and container potatoes. My 'cool' bed received all of my salad transplants, and I've rows of carrot and onions between where I'll plant out my tomatoes in a month or so in the 'warm' bed.

 

I feel like I'm behind on everything this year. New management where I live, so I wasn't certain they'd allow me to garden as much as I like. I should have known they'd only care about rent being on time...

[Fan Abroad]

1 hour ago, Barnstorm said:

Some hot peppers take about 120 days from planting out to fruit. For that reason they have to be started rally early from seed…late Feb- mid March. Seeds are pre-soaked for 48 hours in layers of soggy paper towel on trays and covered with plastic to maintain humidity. Then trays are placed on a heat pad ( old water bed heater, electric blanket  or medical therapy pad work well) for the two days. 

 

 

Seeds then planted into small cells which enable proper moisture levels ((large pots at this stage are a problem…too wet or too dry) and put back on heat pad. Bottom heat greatly encourages germination, particularly in stubborn to grow seeds.

 

Heres my tomato seed about to sprout.

 

 

—————————————————-
 

This is my hot pepper crop on its first day out from under the grow lights. 

 Setting them outside prepares them for the harsher environment , sun , wind, hot/cold ect. Thus must be done gradually over many days otherwise you can shock and scald the plants. This process is called “hardening off”.
 

I built a wheeled cold frame with a hinged lid for temp , wind and sun control. Each day you have to ensure the plants get progressively more sun, wind ect. This creates strong healthy plants that will easily move into the garden.

 

 

peppers and tomatoes require warm

soil to plant out and night temps best not drop below 10’ c min. Without warm soil and nights the plants will sit idle and refuse to grow. Roots need to develop in the warm soil and then foliage starts to take off.  Generally mid May for my zone however things seem to be getting earlier even year.

 

Clear plastic or black fabric can be used to cover soil prior to planting which allows the suns warmth to better heat the soil and soil to retain heat. 

Love this. What peppers are you growing?

I have orange Hab, Trinidad Moruga Scorpion, Dorset Naga, KSLS, Cayenne,Jalapeno, and a few others. I will try to post some pictures but mine are significantly bigger as I started them in Feb and have been moving them from the Grow light to places under the sun depending on the temp. 

 

 

To the OP,

If you buy from the store, remember to harden them off (Get them used to being in full sun.) or they will die when you plant them. 

Depending on your space try companion planting and square-foot gardening to maximize space. Also, remember that things can grow up. 

Then, there are flowers. These can bring in bees and beneficial insects that kill the problem ones. Don't just rush to pesticides because you see a few Aphids. If you have the flowers and are companion plants, pests should be limited and their predators will have time to come to your rescue. 

Another thing to remember is plant growth times. Radishes take 30ish days to grow so they can be planted as a crop cover around things like peppers and tomatoes to suppress weeds and keep the sun from drying out your soil. They also repel nematodes. 

[Fan Abroad]

One of my Scorpion peppers, two weeks ago. 

 

[VegasCanuck]

I grew up on a 40 acre nursery, was raising my own bedding plants and selling them by the time I was in grade 4. If you have the ground to do it in, nothing better than your own crop!

 

 

[Fan Abroad]

1 minute ago, VegasCanuck said:

I grew up on a 40 acre nursery, was raising my own bedding plants and selling them by the time I was in grade 4. If you have the ground to do it in, nothing better than your own crop!

 

 

Any tips for growing carrots? I murder mine all the time. I have tried the cardboard method and a few others but had only had a few come up. 

[VegasCanuck]

8 minutes ago, Fan Abroad said:

Any tips for growing carrots? I murder mine all the time. I have tried the cardboard method and a few others but had only had a few come up. 

Depends on the ground overall. You might try a weed suppression mesh? I haven't grown carrots for a long time. Where we are now, ground is really rocky.

 

[Maninthebox]

10 minutes ago, Fan Abroad said:

Any tips for growing carrots? I murder mine all the time. I have tried the cardboard method and a few others but had only had a few come up. 

 

I know you didn't ask me, but... I've found cardboard dries out too quickly and allows the medium and seeds to dry out as well. I've had better success with a wooden plank. Beyond that, overseed and thin to ensure a good crop, very loose soil and deep watering. 

[Fan Abroad]

19 minutes ago, VegasCanuck said:

Depends on the ground overall. You might try a weed suppression mesh? I haven't grown carrots for a long time. Where we are now, ground is really rocky.

 

Was in clay. but this year I built 17 raised beds but still did not have success.

 

19 minutes ago, Maninthebox said:

 

I know you didn't ask me, but... I've found cardboard dries out too quickly and allows the medium and seeds to dry out as well. I've had better success with a wooden plank. Beyond that, overseed and thin to ensure a good crop, very loose soil and deep watering. 

Interesting. I will try that.

[Curmudgeon]

I tried starting from seeds but had no real success. Tomato plants, for example, need intense light close to the plant or else it gets "leggy", meaning to stems have to stretch to get enough light. This results in poor yields. I rely on plants I buy from a nursery and can choose the healthiest, most robust plants. I've also had good success with potatoes in 5 gallon plastic buckets. Cherry tomatoes also work well in buckets while larger tomatoes like beefsteaks, do better in the ground.

 

One more thing: If you are gardening to save money, you won't save much. I think of my gardening as being more of a meditation and a learning experience. I didn't understand corn until I grew some and found out all kinds of things I didn't know. That's what interests me the most; learning something new.

[Fan Abroad]

1 minute ago, Curmudgeon said:

I tried starting from seeds but had no real success. Tomato plants, for example, need intense light close to the plant or else it gets "leggy", meaning to stems have to stretch to get enough light. This results in poor yields. I rely on plants I buy from a nursery and can choose the healthiest, most robust plants. I've also had good success with potatoes in 5 gallon plastic buckets. Cherry tomatoes also work well in buckets while larger tomatoes like beefsteaks, do better in the ground.

 

One more thing: If you are gardening to save money, you won't save much. I think of my gardening as being more of a meditation and a learning experience. I didn't understand corn until I grew some and found out all kinds of things I didn't know. That's what interests me the most; learning something new.

When my tomatoes get leggy, I repot them deep. Tomatoes can grow roots from the stem. 

[Maninthebox]

Start up costs can certainly add up quickly. Dollar stores, specifically Dollarama if you have those, carry a surprising variety of decent gardening supplies at very reasonable prices. From seed trays to pots of all sizes, bamboo for staking, fleeces and mesh, grow bags, even simple things such as string, labels, plant clips etc.

 

Buying soils and composts can be the biggest cost. If you have to fill raised beds or build your own medium, look into free sources such as city compost programs. We have a mushroom farm north of Cowtown that gives away mushroom compost, and they have mountains of that shit (hrhr). As well, if you have even a 4'x4' area you can use to compost kitchen and garden scraps, or lawn clippings, you can generate enough compost in a year to top dress a good sized garden.

 

Many cities/towns have garden clubs where you can share seeds, seedlings, knowledge, and anything else you can imagine for gardening.

[Barnstorm]

1 hour ago, Fan Abroad said:

Any tips for growing carrots? I murder mine all the time. I have tried the cardboard method and a few others but had only had a few come up. 

Deeply cultivated soil with minimal stones. 
I take toilet paper and separate  the plies so I have long (4 foot) strips single ply. 
 

I lay the strips down over prepared soil and weigh it down with a sprinkling of clean sand. ( I always have a pile of sand next to the garden). Then I form a funnel shape with seed packet and judicially sprinkle seeds by lightly tapping the packet. I never try to form a single line but instead a swath the same width as the TP . The TP serves to make the seeds highly visible and also acts as a sponge to help hold moisture. As mentioned over seed slightly as thinning when true leaves appear ( 2-3 inches high) is required anyways. 
 

Once seed is spread I lightly sprinkle  more sand and light potting soil blended to pin the seed in place and cover it,  1/4- 5-16 max depth. Then water carefully with shower

attachment to prevent disturbing seed and cover. 
 

Then I cover each 4 foot row with a 4 foot plank and lightly press it down to secure seed and soil. Leave planks on rows to prevent evaporation. You must check rows for moisture every day. Carrot seed will fail if it is allowed to go dry. Must be moist for about 10-14 days before you will see germination. 
 

Once germinated I lay chicken wire over rows to prevent birds from eating the tender shoots. Quail and White Capped Chickadee’s are the worst. Beets also  must be protected  until well established. 
 

Carrots will not germinate above 80’ F so start them early spring and resow every 3 weeks until summer heat for a continuous supply. I always grow several varieties  because plant types are finicky and while one type may not grow well in a particular garden another may thrive. 
 

Too much nitrogen in soil results in Mis-sharpen carrots with lots of fibrous hairs growing off the carrot. 
 

Once  established at 3-4” I cover with row cover cloth to prevent Carrot Rust Fly.

 

 

[Barnstorm]

I’m amazed at the knowledge and experience showing up here! Some really knowledgable contributions. 
 

Once established , gardening costs are minimal. Re-use pots , cells, trays every year by rinsing with light bleach solution after use. I make my own labels by cutting plastic bucket lids into strips and marking with a permanent marker. 
 

Buy potting soil in the large bale from 

industrial outlets… Grower Direct ect. Potting soil is pretty much necessary for starting seeds in a sterile medium. 
 

My grow lights are simply old fluorescent fixtures and ballasts from the Re-Store  and garage sales, add plant suitable tubes and you’re  good for years and years.

 

Avoid the gimmicky grow setups. Build your own. 
 

I got all my metal stakes from metal recycling yards for pennies on the lb. 

[Maninthebox]

So, here's my first question. Corn, what the deuce?

 

I've tried corn the past two seasons. Year one it all came out white, which I guess isn't particularly unusual. I can't be certain it wasn't a 'white' corn now due to poor record keeping! My dogs loved chewing the cobs, but my kids made snotty kid faces at it.

 

Last year I got nice sized, golden cobs... that were tough and chewy and bleh. We made corn flour and called it success. I'm hesitant to try again this season, due to my limited space, but I feel like I made progress so I may have another go at it.

 

The 'corn' bed is 72" x 37" south facing, backed against the building. Kinda small, I know. Both years the stalks seemed to produce well and reached between 5' and 6' in height. The soil and compost are decent to good, though that bed is newer than my main 'warm' and 'cool' bed, only 3 years of development.

 

Oh, and I did the 'three sisters' thing and had good crops of both beans and squash. Just the corn was crap.