Here is week one of my gardening experience.
My seeds that I ordered arrived yesterday. I need to purchase some potting soil so I can plant some of the seeds indoors to get a jump on things.
I picked up a few plants last week that are ready to go in the ground now. I am debating on whether or not to use the black plastic in my garden to help with weed control. Does anyone have an opinion on this?
I also purchased some tomato plants, although I am hardening them now so that they can go in the ground in a few weeks. I left the plants outside the other night by mistake, but was fortunate that it didn’t freeze.
On the advice of a friend, I bought 50 pounds of seed potatoes. She informed me that anyone can grow a potato and that it would help take up space in my garden. We love potatoes around here so I hope they grow!
I am getting excited about the garden, but also nervous because I am realizing what a huge undertaking this is for me.
Here is a picture of my little plant babies…
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Potatoes ARE easy!!!!!!!!
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Hey there,
Just wanted to encourage you…we were blessed with our potatoes last season even with the drought and us not watering. Our tomatoes also did well. I think those were the only two things that produced something nice for us without the watering. So…I think potatoes are fairly easy…if you can keep the potato beetles away from them (we didn’t use spray so I was forever picking the little buggers off).
As for the black plastic, I’ve stayed away from it because I assumed that some chemicals from the plastic would leach into the soil. Also, I didn’t like what I’ve seen when it is left in the soil season after season…it starts to break down a lot and you get little pieces of plastic all over the place. Anyway, to sum it up, it just seems unnatural to me, and we’re trying to do things more naturally. I know that black plastic with heat up the soil and affect the moisture…some plants like that a lot (watermelon) while others may not.
We’re going to use some rotting hay to mulch ours since I won’t be able to see the weeds mid-summer–lol. I was also told that grass clippings work well. Mom Teter said that they used newspapers for years…cheaper than black plastic if you’re already getting the paper. My only concern with that is the lead that they use in the ink and other chemicals from the paper leaching into the soil.
Well, those are things that I’ve taken into consideration…I’m sure there are many others…I’ve heard of people using old clothes, cardboard, etc.
Hope this helps! Enjoy!
Warmly,
Elizabeth
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How exciting!! Have you seen those tomato plants that hang upside down?
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The black plastic works good, but remember if you have anything perennial that spreads, it may not be able to do so if the plastic is too heavy duty. The mistake we made was not getting mulch [for the flowerbeds] onto the plastic within a few weeks and the weeds just grew underneath and raised the plastic up!! =) So now we have to start over. =)
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I can’t wait to hear how the potatoes go. I am thinking about doing the same thing with my tomatoes, I just purchased more strawberry plants and can’t wait to get them into the ground.
I like Elizabeth’s thoughts on black plastic. I’m sure it’s effective, but there are trade-offs. Just mulch heavily and get one of those hula hoes to keep the weeds knocked down.
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I like to use newspaper instead of the black plastic. I use a layer about 5-7 pages thick. I weigh mine down with bricks. This makes it easier for me to till it all back into the soil. It’s a great recycling tool as well as a great thing for your soil.
It is a little more time consuming but well worth it to me!!
Daisy
http://withagreenthumb.blogspot.com
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So exciting. I posted about starting our garden, too!
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LOL You should see my kitchen window sills…I have over 50 little “pods” sproutin’ seed for DaHubby’s garden dreams this summer. He’s spent several evenings standing, walking, pacing off the backyard thinking up his grand scheme for this summer. Glad to see we’re not the only ones the gardening bug has bit so early! LOL
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It’s still winter around here! I wonder if sawdust would work for mulch in the garden. We get it free at a woodshop and use it in our chicken pen.
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Yes, I agree with the newspaper. It can eventually be turned under.
And home grown potatoes are delicious!
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That looks like quite an undertaking. Good luck!!
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I’m ok with the plastic because I’ve read about some of the plastic the Israelis use in the desert that biodegrades into water and natural stuff without nasy chemicals. I’d like to get some of that. Not sure about the newspaper because of the heavy metals in the ink. I don’t want to eat that. I’ll Have to think about it and talk to my wife.
The Happier Husband of the Happy Housewife
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