I'm thinking of starting a garden, tips?

[K3nnedy]

I'm a teen so everything I do has to been monitored/allowed if I want to do it, so does anyone know how to convince my parents to let me start gardening?

If they say yes, I'll get at most 1 acre to garden. I want to get some herbs, basil, oregano, ones like that. Maybe some vegetables. We already have blackberries, carrots and blueberries.

What's the best way to water plants while not making snake hideouts?

How can I protect my vegetables and what-nots from birds and rabbits (our land is infested with rabbits)?

I rake up chicken poo from my run all the time, so would that be a good fertilzer if treated right?

What's some things you all on the gardening threads know to do to help get a healthy harvest and a sustainable crop to get fresher, non-processed foods?

Thank you for reading!

 

[Duckpip]

I'm a teen so everything I do has to been monitored/allowed if I want to do it, so does anyone know how to convince my parents to let me start gardening?

You'll be getting fresh food from the garden that would save money, so maybe you could use that? Hopefully you can make a great garden!

If they say yes, I'll get at most 1 acre to garden. I want to get some herbs, basil, oregano, ones like that. Maybe some vegetables. We already have blackberries, carrots and blueberries.

Fresh basil is always great- I just made some eggs today and added some fresh basil- delicious. I don't have oregano in my garden but I believe it is a good plant for beginners. 1 acre should be plenty. Some other great crops to grow are beans (very prolific), tomatoes, romaine lettuce, parsley, rosemary, radishes, and many others.

How can I protect my vegetables and what-nots from birds and rabbits (our land is infested with rabbits)?

For my strawberry plants I covered them with a garden mesh because they kept being eaten by squirrels. Before that I used a spray that I made with cayenne pepper, but the mesh seems to be working pretty well. For rabbits it may also help to plant on raised garden beds.

I rake up chicken poo from my run all the time, so would that be a good fertilzer if treated right?

I think so, but hopefully someone with more knowledge on fertilizer can help with this one, as I'm not 100% sure.

Sorry I couldn't answer all of your questions, but hopefully this helps! Good luck with a wonderful garden!

 

[rosemarythyme]

An acre? That's a lot to try and start with. For my household we have five 4x8 beds and one 4x4 beds, plus a few pots, and that easily generates a good mix of vegetables and herbs for 2 people.

Maybe scale back your expectations, and start with a small plot, or a couple of raised beds, or even pots (most herbs do great in pots). If things go well and you enjoy it, you can always ramp up a bit more year by year.

I'd recommend starting with seed due to cost. Some plants are very easy to grow from seed, such as lettuce, kale, turnips, beans, squash.

I deal with rabbits by doing raised beds, mine are 16" high. It's either that or fencing them out. Birds do cause a bit of destruction (my local crows think it's funny to pull up seedlings) but I can usually out-plant the destruction they cause.

Soil is key. Probably the biggest source of frustration is starting with poor soil. if the ground soil at your location isn't great, you'll need to either work it and amend it over years to improve it, or you'll need to bring in better quality soil. You mention having chicken poop... do you or your family currently compost it? If not, you'd want to look into composting it first before you amend your soil with it.

 

[K3nnedy]

You'll be getting fresh food from the garden that would save money, so maybe you could use that? Hopefully you can make a great garden!


Fresh basil is always great- I just made some eggs today and added some fresh basil- delicious. I don't have oregano in my garden but I believe it is a good plant for beginners. 1 acre should be plenty. Some other great crops to grow are beans (very prolific), tomatoes, romaine lettuce, parsley, rosemary, radishes, and many others.


For my strawberry plants I covered them with a garden mesh because they kept being eaten by squirrels. Before that I used a spray that I made with cayenne pepper, but the mesh seems to be working pretty well. For rabbits it may also help to plant on raised garden beds.


I think so, but hopefully someone with more knowledge on fertilizer can help with this one, as I'm not 100% sure.

Sorry I couldn't answer all of your questions, but hopefully this helps! Good luck with a wonderful garden!

You'll be getting fresh food from the garden that would save money, so maybe you could use that? Hopefully you can make a great garden!


Fresh basil is always great- I just made some eggs today and added some fresh basil- delicious. I don't have oregano in my garden but I believe it is a good plant for beginners. 1 acre should be plenty. Some other great crops to grow are beans (very prolific), tomatoes, romaine lettuce, parsley, rosemary, radishes, and many others.


For my strawberry plants I covered them with a garden mesh because they kept being eaten by squirrels. Before that I used a spray that I made with cayenne pepper, but the mesh seems to be working pretty well. For rabbits it may also help to plant on raised garden beds.


I think so, but hopefully someone with more knowledge on fertilizer can help with this one, as I'm not 100% sure.

Sorry I couldn't answer all of your questions, but hopefully this helps! Good luck with a wonderful garden!

Thank you so much! This helped a bunch.

 

[K3nnedy]

An acre? That's a lot to try and start with. For my household we have five 4x8 beds and one 4x4 beds, plus a few pots, and that easily generates a good mix of vegetables and herbs for 2 people.

Maybe scale back your expectations, and start with a small plot, or a couple of raised beds, or even pots (most herbs do great in pots). If things go well and you enjoy it, you can always ramp up a bit more year by year.

I'd recommend starting with seed due to cost. Some plants are very easy to grow from seed, such as lettuce, kale, turnips, beans, squash.

I deal with rabbits by doing raised beds, mine are 16" high. It's either that or fencing them out. Birds do cause a bit of destruction (my local crows think it's funny to pull up seedlings) but I can usually out-plant the destruction they cause.

Soil is key. Probably the biggest source of frustration is starting with poor soil. if the ground soil at your location isn't great, you'll need to either work it and amend it over years to improve it, or you'll need to bring in better quality soil. You mention having chicken poop... do you or your family currently compost it? If not, you'd want to look into composting it first before you amend your soil with it.

Thank you for the help! I’ll be sure to keep this in mind.

 

[Alagirl]

I'm a teen so everything I do has to been monitored/allowed if I want to do it, so does anyone know how to convince my parents to let me start gardening?

If they say yes, I'll get at most 1 acre to garden. I want to get some herbs, basil, oregano, ones like that. Maybe some vegetables. We already have blackberries, carrots and blueberries.

What's the best way to water plants while not making snake hideouts?

How can I protect my vegetables and what-nots from birds and rabbits (our land is infested with rabbits)?

I rake up chicken poo from my run all the time, so would that be a good fertilzer if treated right?

What's some things you all on the gardening threads know to do to help get a healthy harvest and a sustainable crop to get fresher, non-processed foods?

Thank you for reading!

Start small
Very small
One acre is a LOT of garden to deal with. it is enough to feed a family for a while if managed properly.

Go to the library and check out books.
There are a lot of good ones. I think Squarefoot gardening is probably the most helpful at this point for you.
There might be a 4H club in your area you can join.
The county should have an extension agent who can advise you, perhaps a master gardener.

You will likely need to start digging your first beds (start small - did I mention that?) You can build portable chicken pens to let them do some of the work of killing the vegetation, and leaving fertilizers.
then you will likely need to fence it to keep rabbits and stray chicks out.

Plant stuff your family will eat.
Depending on where you are located your garden year is at its zenith right now Icolder climates with strong winters) or near the end of the first season (the hot southern states) and not quite ready to gear for part 2, the fall and winter crops.

See how you like it, and slowly expand in the future.
There is crop rotation to consider, soil treatments, season extending measures, partnership among plants (some do well together, some can't stand each other)
pest control - naturally.

https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/home/gardening/a20706747/square-foot-gardening/

 

[K3nnedy]

Start small
Very small
One acre is a LOT of garden to deal with. it is enough to feed a family for a while if managed properly.

Go to the library and check out books.
There are a lot of good ones. I think Squarefoot gardening is probably the most helpful at this point for you.
There might be a 4H club in your area you can join.
The county should have an extension agent who can advise you, perhaps a master gardener.

You will likely need to start digging your first beds (start small - did I mention that?) You can build portable chicken pens to let them do some of the work of killing the vegetation, and leaving fertilizers.
then you will likely need to fence it to keep rabbits and stray chicks out.

Plant stuff your family will eat.
Depending on where you are located your garden year is at its zenith right now Icolder climates with strong winters) or near the end of the first season (the hot southern states) and not quite ready to gear for part 2, the fall and winter crops.

See how you like it, and slowly expand in the future.
There is crop rotation to consider, soil treatments, season extending measures, partnership among plants (some do well together, some can't stand each other)
pest control - naturally.

https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/home/gardening/a20706747/square-foot-gardening/

Thank you for telling me this! I just happen to be going to a 4H event tomorrow, so I’ll ask the agent.

 

[Alagirl]

PS start (try) to keep a journal: how warm is it, how cold, how much rain. Start watching the weather forecast: This year I lost my fruit harvest due to a freak snowstorm when my trees were in bloom. Since they are small and in containers I could have put them up.
Where is the sun at what time of the day......and such things.
Sketch a layout, but consider that things do not always work out in practice as we have them written down: where is the water, where the compost*, how wide are the walks (at least every other bed should be able to let a wheelbarrow pass)

* It depends on how you want to manage compost: feed it though the chickens first, and then compost the manure, or put it all straight up. That pile will be your biggest friend!
The Victory Garden is one of my favorite gardening book:
https://www.amazon.com/Victory-Gard...t=&hvlocphy=9012839&hvtargid=pla-571228289675

 

[rosemarythyme]

Depending on where you are located your garden year is at its zenith right now Icolder climates with strong winters) or near the end of the first season (the hot southern states) and not quite ready to gear for part 2, the fall and winter crops.

Good point. Realistically if you start working on it now, at best you'd be looking at fall plantings (depending on your planting zone) but possibly it would all be prep work for next spring. Gardening is rewarding for sure, but unfortunately it starts with set up work and time before you can get things going. Like making compost (depending on how you do it) can take a full year.

 

[gtaus]

I'm a teen so everything I do has to been monitored/allowed if I want to do it, so does anyone know how to convince my parents to let me start gardening?

I suggest starting out small, showing your parents that you are responsible for what you planted, and then increase your gardening space next year(s) until you get to the point where you have enough.

If they say yes, I'll get at most 1 acre to garden. I want to get some herbs, basil, oregano, ones like that. Maybe some vegetables. We already have blackberries, carrots and blueberries.

1 acre is a lot to garden. You could plant your herbs in pots and containers. We have our herbs growing in planters out on our deck. Love the smell of basil. Just picked some fresh basil yesterday for our spaghetti sauce. Best ever.

I have "evolved" my gardening to raised hügelkultur beds. I use the Square Foot Gardening method to get more productivity from less space. It also reduces the amount of weeding I have to do. It works better for me, but in ground planting is still the least expensive way to get into gardening.

What's the best way to water plants while not making snake hideouts?

I use a sprinkler out by my raised beds. I have a water timer that I set for about 30 minutes on a hot day with no rain. I don't have a problem with snakes where I live, but you might want to add your geographical location to your member icon so people in your area can advise you better.

How can I protect my vegetables and what-nots from birds and rabbits (our land is infested with rabbits)?

Rabbits don't get into my raised beds. For in ground planting, I might put up a chicken wire fence around the plants. I use bird netting to cover berries. We had a squirrel problem - the squirrels were eating Dear Wife's eggplants - so I made chicken wire cages around the plants and wired the tops shut. Keep trying something until you find what works for you.

I rake up chicken poo from my run all the time, so would that be a good fertilzer if treated right?

There are many threads on the BYC forums related to chicken run composting systems. Chicken compost is one of the best fertilizers, but it has to be aged for a number of months or it will be too "hot" and burn the roots of your plants. I like to dump lots of chicken run compost on my gardens in the fall, after harvest, and let it age over winter. Then it's ready for planting in the spring.

What's some things you all on the gardening threads know to do to help get a healthy harvest and a sustainable crop to get fresher, non-processed foods?

If you have chickens, then it makes great sense to have your gardens close to the chicken coop and run. Your chicken compost can feed the gardens, and you can feed garden weeds and such to the chickens. I have moved most of my gardening out by my chicken coop and run. BONUS: I get to enjoy watching my chickens while I garden.

Learn as much as you can about gardening and preserving food. When we were younger, Dear Wife and I would can lots of food for winter eating. Now, we pretty much grow food for eating in season only. But I sure do miss all those years when we had the energy to can and preserve food for the winter months. Take advantage of your youth and learn as much as you can, and put it into action.

There are many, many, YouTube channels on gardening, homesteading, food preservation, etc... There is just no end to great things to learn online. Take advantage of that and fill your head with knowledge.