This is a public-interest archive. Personal data is pseudonymized and retained under GDPR Article 89.

Re: New gardener

Hi Molly,

Congrats!  The bare minimum I would suggest:

a couple bags of well-rotted manure, to add humus & fertility to soil
(manure tends to be the cheapest store-bought soil admendment and it
 works pretty well)
a shovel
boarder material (rocks, old bricks, old school text books :^) )
seeds (you can get many from the food you buy to eat, too!)

First, double dig your plot:
        dig out one 1 foot width X 1 shovel depth row of soil
        and put it to the side
        turn the newly exposed soi 1 shovel depth
        dig out the next row and put that soil in the row you
        dug out before
        turn the newly exposed soil
        repeat
        take the soil you first put to the side and put it in the
        last row you dug out.


then work in the manure
your soil level will now be a few to 6 inches higher than you
started so...
now put those scrounged up rocks, et cetera around the plot to keep
the dirt where you want it.


For first year gardening starting now, you can put in most warm
weather veggies now from seed, except things like tomatoes or
peppers which take longer to get started.

You can grow the following things by saving the seeds from your store bought
produce:
squash, summer or winter
melons
cucumbers
pumpkins

If you save the seeds from your tomatoes and peppers, you can
grow them next year from seed.

Otherwise, you can purchase seeds for most summer crops and start
them now.  You won't get as big a harvest as if you had started
earlier, but hey!  you're just starting anyway.

I'm not familiar with Ok to know if you can put in fall crops
of peas, spinach, lettuce, beets, et cetera.

Don't forget the French Marigolds to keep the aphids away and
make the plot cheerful.

Good Gardening,

Carol Hatcher
Fremont, CA
USDA Zone 9
Sunset Zone 16









} From owner-sqft@UMSLVMA.UMSL.EDU  Tue Jun 10 11:20:07 1997
}
} Hello all,
}
} We've just moved, and for the first time I have a little bit of land to
} garden in.  (We're talking LITTLE, exactly the size for one 4x4 square).
} The managment has to fix the gutter first so I won't have a little pond
} there when it rains).  The plot gets about 6-8 hours of full sun/ dappled
} sun every day.  I'm in Oklahoma, so it's hot and sunny.
}
} However, we're newly graduated and POOR.  Can you help me figure out the
} minimum I need to get to get started?  I know it's a little late in the
} season to start, so I'm willing to wait until next year.  I know I need
} something to turn the soil over with, but I'm not quite sure what else I
} really need.
}
} The plot is right against a wall, so I don't need to make anything for
} vines.  I figure I'll just run some string from stakes to hooks in the
} wall.  Other than that I have no idea what I need to get started.  Help,
} please!
}
} Molly
}
} ***************************************************************************
} To unsubscribe, send to: listserv@umslvma.umsl.edu
} the body message: unsubscribe sqft
} See http://www.umsl.edu/~silvest/garden/sqft.html for archive, FAQ and more.
}

***************************************************************************
To unsubscribe, send to: listserv@umslvma.umsl.edu
the body message: unsubscribe sqft
See http://www.umsl.edu/~silvest/garden/sqft.html for archive, FAQ and more.
Other Mailing lists | Author Index | Date Index | Subject Index | Thread Index