Vegetable Garden??

[oherin]

I am curious as to who has a vegetable garden.
- What are you growing this year?
- Do you can / put up your own food?

I'll start: I grew up gardening and have continued in married life. I am planning a large garden this year: peas, carrots, beets, lettuce, cauliflower, squash (winter and summer), pumpkins, tomatoes, zucchini, gords, turnips, broccoli, onions, garlic, potatoes, various herbs...and fruit: apples, raspberries, wineberries, elderberries, gooseberries, blackberries, blueberries, and strawberries. I am planning on adding artichokes and celeriac to the mix this year. Maybe corn and sweet potatoes.

I also can, freeze and dehydrate our harvest. It reminds me of my childhood and doing these things with my grandmother.

I would love to raise some chickens to help with pest control and eat veggie scraps...plus the eggs... I just haven't managed to fit that in to the schedule. Anyone else?

[ShamroxGirl]

At our old place I grew peppers, tomatos, garlic and ginger.

I guess we'll be gardening inside here and IDK what I want to grow!

I really want to get a dehydrator and dehydrate apples and other fruit. I LOVE dried fruit!

[cokelush]

I totally need to start thinking about this. Last summer I tried to grow artichokes (no go.) and green peppers (I got a few), and zucchini (again, got a few)... I heard it was a really strange summer for growing tho' and hopefully this year will be better.
I'm not sure what I want to grow tho'... some greens (for us and my daughter's bearded dragons), squash, maybe tomatoes (my mil also grows them), zucchini, green peppers, I'd love to grow cilantro but mine almost immediately went to seed after I got a plant of it... I also have to make planter boxes b/c our ground is so rocky there is no way a tiller will work!
Thanks for the push - I need to get to work! lol

[dogmom327]

I'm starting to buy seeds. I have more space this year but I'm also due with a baby in June/July and I have a son who will be turning two at the same time. I really just want to grow enough for us to eat and share. I belong to an awesome organic produce co-op so I have a good source the rest of the year. Long term I am hoping to buy a house on some land and grow all our own produce for the year so I'll need to learn more about canning, etc. Right now I don't do too much.

[lizabird]

I have had a veggie garden for about 10 years now.

I have asparagus, Rosemary, and chives as permanent plants.

This year I already have cabbage and broccoli in the ground from the fall (I'm in NC, and the cabbage seems to be doing okay, but the broccoli is not happy with the recent bunch of snow we had).

In Feb I will plant peas and Chinese cabbage.

In April I will plant tomatoes, peppers, and basil.

My DH is planning his first year of veggies, and he's going crazy with popcorn, pumpkins, and watermelons. He seems to think we have a lot of space in our front yard. LOL

We would love to have chickens, but cannot commit the time to them yet.

We don't can or preserve anything, just grow and eat as it comes in. Not enough space to grow much extra. Mostly I call my garden my "snacking garden" so ds can go out and pick stuff and eat it right out of the ground. Last year he loved the asparagus and cherry tomatoes best.

[baby_number_2]

I have a 20x10 garden in it I grow Tomatoes, Peppers, Sugar snap peas, green beans, lettuce, and the carrot box is in there too. Beside that garden I have strawberry patch, raspberry bush, catnip, basil, thyme, sage, peppermint and rosemary in pots. I am going to make a potato bin out of an old wheelbarrow this year and also enclose my compost heep in a big garbage bin so its not just a mound against my fence. All the neiborhood kids snack out of my garden but I still end up with enough to freeze loads of tomatoes, carrots and peppers for winter.

[mollyscottage]

I love gardening! I have carrots, parsnips, and beets that have overwintered and will probably be ready to harvest soon! I have artichokes, asparagus, herbs, blueberries, strawberries and rhubarb permanently planted. This year I'll grow tomatoes, salad greens, zucchini, green beans, add more asparagus, put in raspberries, and I want to build a strawberry bed and add more strawberries! We love berries big time! I love to can and dehydrate too. Dried peaches and strawberries are so good. It's so nice knowing where your food comes from, ykwim?

[oherin]

Originally Posted by mollyscottage It's so nice knowing where your food comes from, ykwim?

I so agree. I just read Animal Vegetable Miracle and have been so inspired.

[mommy_3]

This post caught my eye. My dh and I really want to start a garden this year. We want to grow alot of our own food and possibly have chickens and a milking goat too. Neither of us knows anything about gardening though ...It is overwhelming to start.
Any advice would be wonderful...books or info that could help??

I am impressed by you mamas who grow your own food and put up for the winter. I would also like to learn to can and dry the food to keep.
How and where do I start???

Thanks so much!!

[ShamroxGirl]

Does anyone here can their produce? I'd LOVE to do that!! We're moving into our new apartment on... Monday!! I know I won't be canning what I grow (mostly herbs I think for the time being) but I'd love to can the in-season produce!