Vegetables Gardening - Growing Organic Vegetables

Thanks for the recommendations, Jeff. I will be sure to check them out. I ought to stop by the library and pick up some books to browse through, too.

Rose, its funny you mention animals because right after discovering this group, I followed one link, to another, and another and so on, and eventually found myself learning about raising your own chickens for eggs and fertilizer for your garden, and also for meat. The husband and I have talked it over, I'm doing as much research and learning as possible, and we're hoping that by this time next month we'll have our own homemade chicken coop and a small flock for a healthier alternative to the grocery store bought eggs and meats. I know its off topic for this group so I won't go all into why I feel its the right move for us to make. Just thought it was interesting you brought it up. We must be very like minded. :)

Last year I went and purchased two young trees from Home Depot. A Red Delicious Apple tree and a butterfly tree (forget the name of it now). I'm sorry to say that I killed the butterfly tree in a few months flat, because I planted it where the sun pretty much cooked it. I'm happy to say that the apple tree is budding this spring. Still very small, and I'm not sure how fast its meant to grow, but as long as its budding I'm happy. haha

As far as soil quality goes.... If you just go dig in my yard, you won't find much good soil. Its all clay under that grass. But there are bed of good rich soil by the corner of the house and in the garden way out back. Even without any TLC there are some flowers that have survived and are blooming now, even though its still so chilly here.

-Mallory from Ohio
--- In Organic_Gardening@yahoogroups.com, Rose Garceau <sbdgowl01@...> wrote:
>
> Hi Mallory,
>     I am right there with you. I just bought some raised beds and some plants to
> put in it. I have never grown a garden but I did try doing flowers a couple
> years ago. I cut out an area and dug down about six inches put in new soil and
> the flowers I bought along with some vines to grow up the trellis, well after
> all that I am out there constantly pulling grass and weeds that don't seem to
> die and the vines don't stay on the trellis they always come off and now it's a
> mess.
>    I am still trying as I was out there Thursday cleaning it up and noticed a
> lot of flower buds coming up. I will probably mulch it soon as I don't want to
> cover the buds.
>    I am excited to do the vegetable garden. I also bought a couple blueberry
> bushes, raspberry bushes and blackberry bushes to plant also. The rose bushes
> didn't make it. I know I will find something that wont die as all my houseplants
> do well.
>    I am in agreement that it'll be much cheaper to grow our own food as I
> noticed a huge increase in food. I wish we had more land as I would also like to
> get some animals but we have cranky neighbors and I can't even keep my dog
> outside as he barks whenever someone walks through the yard or he sees an animal
> on the property.
>
>    I have started making my own breads as I love to cook and bake. I am waiting
> for the day that I can stay home and do what I enjoy but right now I work 60
> hours a week with a 2 hour commute a day. Doesn't give me a lot of time for
> anything with the cleaning, cooking and the kids, they are teens but completely
> useless to do anything. We have tried everything.
>    We are also trying to redo our home as we bought an old victorian that needs
> a ton of work. We have realized we took on more than we should of but we will
> fight to keep it. I think we have 11 years left on our mortagage but have come
> up with a plan to reduce everything quickly.
>
>     Good luck learning about gardening. I have been doing a lot of research and
> looking into companion gardening.
>
>
>
>
> Rose
>  <font style="BACKGROUND-COLOR:#ffffff;" face="arial black" size="4"><em>Rose
> Garceau</em></font>
>
>
>
>
>
> ________________________________
> From: M <malloryoneal04@...>
> To: Organic_Gardening@yahoogroups.com
> Sent: Sat, April 16, 2011 4:14:44 PM
> Subject: [Organic_Gardening] New to group from Northwest Ohio
>
>  
> Hello everyone.
>
> I'm timidly introducing myself *wave* as a gardening newbie. My mother has
> always had lovely gardens and water gardens as well. I enjoyed them but never
> liked working in them, and never learned to identify anything.
>
>
> Grown up now, have a husband and two small children, living in the home that my
> husband grew up in and that his parents actually built. I believe there's an
> acre and a half of land we're on, so not huge but plenty of room for us all and
> the family dog.
>
>
> Far in the back of the yard is my mother-in-law's garden bed. Its severely
> neglected from years of overgrowth of weeds and the fencing to keep rabbits out
> has since been knocked over. I'm pretty sure the watering system is shot and
> that most everything has died off. (Except something my MIL calls walking
> onions... Apparently they're everywhere back there. Not that I could point them
> out or anything.)
>
> Well as I'm maturing and opening my eyes to the ill effects that genetically
> modified food has on us, plus the fact that this is economy is well, crap... it
> will be healthier and more affordable to grow our own food. But I have to admit,
> this seems pretty daunting. I have only had a few plants of my own, all which I
> killed with the black-thumb-of-death. lol I'm hoping that I will have some luck
> and that come sometime this year, we will be enjoying home grown vegetables like
> carrots, corn, lettuce, cabbage, beans, peppers, etc... among a few other
> things.
>
>
> Bear with me please, if I have a lot of (stupid) questions, where I'm sure a lot
> of you will be thinking, "DUH!" Glad I found this group, though!
>
> -Mallory
>
>
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>

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