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Re: Advice on setting up first square foot garden

Also, keep in mind the foods you wish to grow won't all be ready to
plant at the same time.  You can trellis peas across the back of an
area, and yank it out when they're done. tomatoes are big and sprawley
and take up a lot of room for a long time, but the rewards justify it
even for a few plants.  Garlic isn't something I'd fool with simply
because the long season they need to be in the ground vs the actual
quality vs what you can buy isn't worth it. (Garlic isn't something the
imports/commercials will waste money on chemicals, so it and jalapenos
are normally 'safe'.)However, garlic CHIVES have a good garlicky taste
and take up almost no room, and can be harvested almost all season.
Here, lettuce rarely makes when the tomatoes are ready, but in NY, you
probably actually CAN have a 'real' lettuce and tomato salad out of your
own garden. Forget Corn!  Let someone with a large garden and good soil
trade you some for something you grow that they don't. Corn is a heavy
feeder, towers over the rest of the patch, and unless you grow the
exotics, only produces 2 ears per stalk.
For flowers, I stick nasturtiums in all my bare spots.  The flowers are
edible and pretty. Until your soil is better, deeper, richer, you
probably will be diappointed in carrots as they get gnarley when the
roots meet obstructions 'down under'.  If you must have carrots, try the
little ball or mini fingers first.
To me, celery is one of those 'why bother' crops.  Takes a ton of water
and a real talent to produce those great looking stalks.
You can divide your plantings into several time frames, the broccoli,
carrots, peas, lettuce can go in pretty early, while peppers, tomatoes,
cucumbers and melons have to wait for warmer temps anyhow.
martha, a newbie in Zone ? 8'ish' Tx.

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