The Grass Doctor

Wanting to grow a garden this year. I do not have a green thumb help!!!!?

So i am wanting to start growing a small garden this year. Maybe just some watermelon, cucumbers, tomatoes, strawberries, im not sure what else. I am from indiana. When do i plow? When do i plant and how do i give them the best advantage to grow without fertilizer. Any tips, tricks, or ideas to put into the garden. I have no green thumb what so ever so, how often would i water?

Public Comments

1. it would be cheaper for u to go to the store and buy ur produce
2. When you go to buy the seeds talk to the people at the store and read the packages. They will tell you very important information. Depending on the temperature and the amount of sunlight your garden will get, it changes what you can grow. The store workers or the packages should also tell you how often to water each specific plant. Good luck! I hope this helped!!! :-D
3. Start when your soil is not freezing and add some nutrients. You can buy organic compost from a local Home Depot. Work it into your soil. You may want to do a test to see what your ph level is. Kits are available at your nursery or Home Depot and they are pretty cheap. I just started a garden about 3 summers ago. Some success and some failures. Lettuce tends to attract pests, melons take a lot of space and were a disappointment. Carrots and radishes are considered cold weather crops. Read your packages when you buy seeds. They offer a lot of information. I can't eat a store bought tomato any more, because mine taste so much better. Do Research on the internet, lots of information out there.
4. The easiest method is Square Foot Gardening - http://www.squarefootgardening.com - also check out the book All-New Square Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew I have used this method for years and it saves time and money. I have never tilled or plowed and there is no reason to do so. Compost is the best fertilizer, no need to have your soil tested or worry about the condition of your soil. The book will also help you with when to plant.
5. when you buy the seed it has the time to plant and how on it. I work my soil up( i am in ohio) early spring. I made my own compost using grass cuttings, leaves, vegetables( no meat scraps) before I till I put this on about a week before and till it in. Weird but true story. The ground where I put my corn wasn't very good my first season. I fish a lot so I brought the fish home I didn't eat like carp, sheep head etc. and buried it in the soil. The next season I planted corn and where I buried the fish, the corn was 2 ft higher.those indians had knowledge! get a book, it's fun!
6. If you've never had a garden I recommend starting a raised bed or two and the rest as container plants. If you've never gardened before this is a manageable idea. Melons are really a giant pain if your learning to garden, they take up SO much room. But there are nice cucumbers and tomatoes that grow very bushy instead of vine-like that make nice container plants. You can also do bell peppers, banana peppers, and herbs. When you look at seeds and seed websites you will now find a lot of these container or "patio" plants. They're much more manageable and should give good results. I suggest going to your library and checking out a few books about gardening and start talking to anyone you know that gardens!