Does Anyone Have Any Advice for Growing a Small Vegetable Garden?

I like containers. Get a "garden soil" mix from walmart, home depot...anyplace like that. It generally has the fertilizer in it already, good for 3 months, which is about all you need for veggies. If you do one plant per pot, use a pot about 10-12 inches across at minimum, and at least 18 inches deep. You will need a very large pot or trough type pot for the spreading type plants (cucumber is a ground vine, and so is squash). MAKE SURE you keep your jalepeno AWAY from your green pepper, or your green peppers may become hot (this happened to us one year).

If you decide to just put then in the ground, pick a sunny spot, clear the grass/weeds away, and rent or borrow a rototiller. Also make sure the spot you pick doesn't tend to flood or hold water when it rains. You want good drainage. If you like, you can work a time release fertilizer (osmocote is a good one) into the soil as you till. I've had good luck gardening in the past without fertilizer, location is more important.

Make sure you leave ample room for your plants to grow and spread. Get a cage for your tomato plant/s. One cage per plant. You should be able to read the label to get the grown size of the plant and spacing information for planting. Lots of gardening websites out there, too. Or a basic gardening book from the library.

Have fun, and don't forget to weed and water!

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Hey there.
Start with your basic soil and add MiracleGro (or whatever the latest fertilizer is.
Follow instructions on each packet, but basic rule of thumb is to plant seeds about an inch under the surface. Be sure to leave adequate space between each seed, otherwise the plants will "choke" each other and die. Water at night, when it is least hot. Watering in Hot weather will burn them.
Tomato Plants need more room and should be separate from the others. I would recommend something like a planters pot they use for trees. A Big one.
As for what base soil, your local Lowe's or Home Depot will know what to give you.
GOod luck...this is all i know. :)

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Hi T.,
I live in the North part of the city and am new to Texas. I have grown gardens now for several years and where I come from it is hot and dry in the summer. So, with that said, I was at a loss as to what to do myself to grow a garden. I created a raised garden in my yard, which is about 18ft long and 8 ft wide. I placed wood planks around, put the black sheets over my grass that prevents weeds, and then dumped soil. The soil I used was a combination soil called Ultra soil. I found this at a place on Cutten road just south of FM 1960W. My garden is AMAZING!!! Everything I planted is doing so well. The items I planted from seed, to my astonishment, took only 3-4 days to sprout. It really is a miracle soil. I planted Collard greens, broccoli, peas, onions, cucumbers, zuchinni, carrots, and by plants, I have 6 tomato plants, 6 jalapeno, pablano peppers, green bell peppers, yellow peppers, habanero, and anaheim. ALL DOING GREAT. The place is called the Soil Supermarket ###-###-#### and you have to have a truck to get it. It was 28.00 for 1 cubic yard, which filled up my 1/2 dodge truck. I used 2 1/2 truck loads plus some top soil and mulch I had in bags already.
Good luck with your garden.

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You have some good advice to start you off! I would just add; keep it simple. Start with as much that you have time for. You don't want to plant too much and it becomes too much work and you get frustrated. Container gardening is a great way to go. You can keep it around a patio or back door so it is convenient to water and watch it grow. Most of the plants you have selected do fairly well here in TX. When we were stationed in El Paso; (they lack soil) I found success in planting the tomatoes in the potting soil bag. (Cut the bag down the center length wide and stick in a few plants. For your first gardening experience; don't fret over too many of the details and have FUN. Water when the soil gets dry (stick your finger in the first inch) and pick off the bugs. I am a Bexar County Master Gardener and I developed a passion for growing things by keeping it a fun learning experience. You can always head to the Austin extension webpage www.austin-tx.tmu.edu or Blue Bonnet Master Gardener Association's website/office if you need more information as you go along. Also www.plantanswers.com and www.aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu is another great resource with pictures and all! You may even find your daughter will enjoy it and may try childrens programs that have field trips and events; like the 4H club. This is a great time of year to start. For the squash you'll need more space. Texas isn't known for great soil - so potting soil in a bag (use the one for containers) is a great way to start. Have fun and enjoy!

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We just planted our first organic vegetable garden in our backyard. We built an 8x4 foot raised bed in our backyard. Doing a raised bed is so much easier than trying to ammend your soil. We started some from seed and some from plantings. As you said there is tons of research online. The best information I found online was regarding companion planting...which plants help each other grow.

Even though we live in San Antonio, we bought all of our plants at the Natural Gardener in Austin while we were visiting family. They are very helpful and seem to really know what they are talking about and their plants are very healthy. If you have never been please go. It is beautiful there. Like taking a mini-vacation. Also, all of their plants, fertilizers, etc. are natural and or organic.

We bought a truck load of soil from Gardenville in San Antonio...a wonderful supplier of natural garden supplies. They have Gardenville suppliers in Austin. However, I believe you can get soil and everything else you need at the Natural Gardener.

Good luck and have fun!

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I have just planted my 1st vegetable garden since I moved to Houston, or have lived in the "city" for that matter. I grew up in the country so this is a new conquest for me. :) We built a small (4x6ft) raised bed w/ some untreated landscape timbers and filled w/ good soil f/ a landscaping place, already mixed w/ organic fertilizer. If you're looking to do a container garden, 5 gallon buckets work well for tomato plants. Containers or a raised bed will definitely cut down on weeding time!! Be sure you bury 80% or your tomato plant when putting in the ground so it develops a strong root system. If you can find a natural mixture to spray for bugs that works, great! If not, I use 7-dust. As far as I know, it does not affect your produce. I fertilize w/ Miracle Grow tomato and vegetable mix. Also, make sure your location gets at least 5-6 hours of direct sun per day. And don't forget to stick some herbs in there - so awesome to have fresh herbs when cooking! Good luck! I hope this helps and hope for some updates this summer! :)

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Plant marigolds around your vegetables to attract the bees which will pollinate your veggies and repel some unwanted insects. Plant the bell peppers near each other and the jalapenos near each other. BUT plant the bell peppers farthest away from the jalapenos. If both type pepper plants are side by side, when the bees go to a bell pepper flower then over to a jalapeno flower, the yellow pollen from each plant are mixed (crossed). That means your bell peppers will have a bit of a hot flavor from the jalapeno and the jalapeno will not be as hot as it would otherwise. One of my neighbors plants them next to each other for that purpose. Neighbor plants some tomatoes in the ground and some in a container. Both yield well. This sounds crazy but longtime gardeners agree--Plant your tomato plants Deep--80% of the whole plant--cut off the leaves that will be under the soil. The stem that is underground will grow more roots and will help the plant grow stronger and bear more fruit. Your kids will get a kick out of watching the growth. Nothing tastes better than a tomato right off the vine! Happy gardening! C.

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Container gardening is actually easier in this hot climate. Controlling the moisture level in the ground can be difficult in this area of Texas. You will need some supports for any climbing plants, because without support as soon as they get fruit on them, the plants will sag to the ground and your food will rot.

To keep the birds and bunnies away, put short wooden stakes in the ground around the garden and tie throw-away pie tins to them on a string that's about 1 foot long. The tins should band on the stake so that the noise scares the animals off. You can also add a long strip of fabric from an old ripped up t-shirt to scare birds away.

To keep some insects out of your veggies, plant marigolds around the borders of your garden. Apparently the smell is a repellant.

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Hi, T.,

I hand dug quite a large garden with a shovel and crumbled the ground up until it was really fine. I started some seeds early in seed starting trays...and bought a bunch of plants from Lowes and Home Depot. I also sent for some great heirloom tomato plants from Natural Gardening Company. One of the things that I do when planting the plants in the ground is I mix a pretty good amount of organic garden soil that I bought at Wal Mart into the soil for each plant. I also make large hills for my plants and plant each plant on the top of their own hill. You can leave a ridge around each plant...so that when you water there is a high ridge of dirt around the outside of each plant. It makes like a cup that holds water, so then the plant receives proper water. I also break up the dirt around the hill every few days so the soil can breathe properly. This really does help the plants. This really helped me last year when we had a pretty good flood. My plants were not under water. Central and Southeast Texas has a problem in the spring with massive amounts of rain short periods of time. Don't forget to put a tomato cage or stakes around each tomato plant. I had one plant reach over eight feet tall last year. I do fertilize with miracle gro. Be sure to follow the directions on any fertilizer that you use. As far as starting seeds...follow the directions on each respective packet. If you do some research on the net, there are recipes for organic pest control sprays. One has ingredients such as...garlic, ivory soap, and some even call for some vegetable oil so the formula will stick on the plants better. These recipes are also good to spray in your yard for mosquito control. Do some research on the net because there are certain things that you don't want to plant next to each other. Check out this site for advice and wonderful plants. www.naturalgardening.com. One of the best plants that I bought from them last year was the sun sugar orange cherry tomato plant. Awesome is the only way you can describe this sweet little tomato! My plants had tomatoes on them through december last year and I have about sixty little plants coming up in the same area this year from the tomatoes that fell off and dried . If you're in the Bryan area let me know and I'll share a couple of these plants with you.

Be sure to keep your garden watered properly. In other words, don't let the ground get to dry around the plants.

There is a mass amount of info. on the net for gardening.

Good luck!

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My daughter and I have a small garden on our back porch - we opted not to plant in the ground this year.

We added the plants to the medium sized pots and have some cherry tomatoes some medium tomatoes, some green onions and a strawberry plant - it depends upon the type of veggies you want to grow - but till (our turn the ground over with a shovel - dig in about 8 inches or more to give the roots somewhere to go with ease.
I water mine with some miracle grow - always water in the mornings - watering in the evenings or late at night can cause mildew if the water doesnt soak up quick enough.
Keep the weeds away and ONLY SPRAY for bugs when absolutely necessary - for the most part I spray with soap water
(a water bottle filled with dishsoap and water mixed) so that when my daughter decides she wants a tomato when I am not looking I know she isnt eating pesticide.
Good luck and I hope it works well for you.
If you plan on planting larger veggies or spreading veggies and need to treat for pests - try seven dust just make sure you wash your crops before eating...

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You gotta treat the soil with potting soil like the one from Miracle Grow that has fertilizer in it already. When you plant them use a bit of it in the hole too before putting the plant in the ground. Water them daily a little unless you have a sprinkler that comes on with a timer like we have. They need good sun so make sure you plant them with mostly sun during the day with some shade and space them apart pretty far too cuz they need space to root out. I suggest not using pots cuz you will get very small plants. Go for the ground!

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One of the best resources is the County Agriculture Extension Office. There is one in just about every county in Texas.I don't know exactly where you live but the people in Williamson county are very nice. They do everything from ananlyze your soil to make plant recommendations that are best for your area. Many of the services are FREE!! They also publish a wonderful little book and you and your daughter can complete together call the Junior Master Gardner. If you can find enough people you can create a class or club--and work thru it together (Something we did which was a blast!)

Believing,
C., mom to 3 boys: 19, 17,15

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All advice here is great.
A lil' hint from me:
Dont plant those jalapenos too close to the other veggies. They (especially tomatoes) will turn out a little spicy!!!

Its the truth!!!

M. :)

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I'm a huge fan of compost! Just break up the dirt you've already got with a shovel or hoe to get it loose and ready. Then spread some compost, then plant according to directions. There are some plant boosters (like sprinkles) that you can add to the mix as you're planting. Also, there are feeders that attach to the water hose that'll help boost the plants also. Also, make sure you plant in the right sun (see the information that came with the plant. Check for bugs and beetles (and their eggs) once the plants have good leaves - just remove.

Oh - Central Texas Gardner on KLRU is awesome! :)

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Hi T.
I am a country girl so I pride myself on Garden Knowledge.
Both of the peppers and Tomatoe can be planted in planters for that Miracle Grow is the best soil, and can feed for up 9 months. Keep in mind that the Tomatoe will need to be staked i didn't go with the traditional Stake this yr. There is those so cute little garden decorator stakes I potted my tomatoes and choose a dragonfly stake and tied the tomatoe loosely with a ribbon. (It doesn't have to be so-so but we have alot of young kids in the neighborhood and we get them involved. I'm trying to teach utilizing resources so I go outside the box.) The Cucumber and Squash will need grow room so you'll need to put those in the ground or a raised bed. If your are putting them in the ground the old way take a shovel and turn over the spot that you want to garden in if you can get it and have the time get some manure, horse and rabbit are the best('m pretty sure Home Depot had everything that you need, add that to the turned mixing with the dirt, and let sit for about a week. For store bought fertilizer Triple 13, is best, It will also have to sit for about a week though. If you put the veggies in to soon the fertilizers will burn the plants. So when going in ground you need time. I buy the black weed stoppers roll of material, lay it over the soil, and cut holes with scissors when placing the plants. This keeps your weeding down to a minimum, I've done this to a large garden and it was amazing, but it's not really a have to do. The most important thing is to water everything daily. Watch your leaves if they brown, or just don't look green there is something wrong.
I hope this is helpful. You can always email me with any questions about gardening, and I'll try my best to help.

Creating a raised garden is a good idea because you don't have to rent a tiller for your ground. Also, you can build it the size you want it. My husband and I do what is called SquareRoot Gardening. It got it's name because it is the way you measure the garden and the little areas inside the garden (one foot long by one foot wide = one square foot). By building a raised garden in the square foot method you can reach ALL of the plants easier. You can find books on this. The size we made is 1 ft high by 2 ft wide by 4 ft long. You can make this larger or smaller according to your likes and the size of your yard. For example, you can make one like we did or you can make several 1 ft by 1 ft (1 ft sq) gardens around your yard to use your plants as decoration. By making the several smaller ones, you can change them out as desired and according to season much easier without disturbing the other plants like you would if you had a multi-plant garden. Good luck with your gardening. We find it to be calming and soothing as a family activity.

Check out this site.

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Conten...?
pn=Garden_Basics&langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053&cm_sp=d
ept-_-d28-_-landing-_-tools-_-basics&locStoreNum=588&marketID=40

P.S. Do not use potting soil, You are planting a garden you have to use garden soil.

Lots of advice so far... so I'll keep it short.
1. Veggies need 10 hours of direct sunlight a day or more.
2. Roots need oxygen. Airate the soil before planting by tilling and breaking up clumps. Make sure your soil has compost and hummus (soft spongy stuff). Gently plant the veggies and cover with loose soil. Do lot compact or step on the soil.
3. Soak the ground with water for 30 min. to an hour every 2-3 days. Don't water the plant itself and don't get the leaves wet!!
4. Fertilize with organic fertilizer every week for best results.
5. Ladybugs are good!! Plant marigolds to attract beneficial insects and the roots produce a secretion that kills root-eating nematodes in the soil. The flowers are edible.

Hi, T.,
Like you, I want to have a little of my own fresh produce. So I have planted ONE tomato plant in the back yard. They're almost fool-proof. You do need some basic background and might find it at Home Depot in the books they offer, usually found around the cash register area. Basic gardening tips, if you're in the Houston area, are found on Saturdays in the Houston Chronicle. Plus, you can write the columnist and ask her your specific questions. One good rule of thumb is to plant according to the size the plants will be when mature. If, for example, you plant really close together, they're not going to be able to produce for you because they'll all be vying for nutrients and none will get enough to bear good fruit.
Good luck,
M.

Miracle Grow products are great. Miracle Grow also has books at the library.

Turn on your radio on Saturday morning to either KTSA 550 or WOAI they are both am stations an dhave gardening shows where people call in and they answer your questions. You can also call the AG Dept and they can help you with a graden, but really both radio shows are good. They usually do remotes at different nurseries around town and may be at one close by. In that case you can go and ask them questions one on one. I listen to these shows every Saturday while I'm out runnning errands.

we have had a vegetable garden in the Houston area for many years and I will share with you what we have learned. Houston soil is like clay and will hold water a long time so the earth has to be loosened to make it workable and to keep your plant roots from rotting. Any plant store in your area can tell you what will work best for your soil. We have a tiller because we plant a large garden. For a small area, you will need a shovel and hoe...lots of work! i would suggest landscape timbers or even a childs sand box to "make" a garden and fill it with soil you purchase that will be just right for growing vegetables....then, presto, you are ready to plant. There is a special "barrier" that you can put between the soil and the ground that will still allow the roots to grow downward but will keep the weeds from growing upward. We have made several trips to the mushroom plant - their cast off soil makes the best planting medium I have ever seen (if you do this, though, be sure not to fertilize for some time or you will burn the plants). Keep in mind that squash takes a lot of surface area when mature, tomatoes have to be staked to keep the fruit off the ground, bell peppers should be planted away from the jalapenos so they don't taste the same and cucumbers are a vine so they will need length to mature.
We have planted in containers. You have to be diligent about keeping them watered as they tend to dry out in the hot Summer weather here.
One year we knew we wouldn't have time to plant our usual big garden so we bought large bags of soil, poked lots of small holes on one side for drainage and laid that side against the ground on which we had spread some pea gravel. on the top side, we planted our small plants keeping in mind the amount of room the roots would need for the individual plants and set the bags in mostly sun with partial shade. That actually worked pretty well - just be careful not to over water if you use this method as the dirt will be a little slower to drain.
Hope you enjoy your first year of growing vegetables. There is a lot of satisfaction when you see them on the dinner table.

Consider planting an organic garden so you and your family will not be ingesting food that are grown with chemicals and metals and other toxins. Designate a sunny spot in your back yard, clear from weeds, trash, and further away from your neighbor's garden (if they have one) in case they use chemical fertilizers. Dig about a foot or so deep to loosen up the dirt so the roots have enough space to grow. You can purchase organic dirt (either from landscaping / dirt / garden places or Walmart, Home Depot, or Lowes) to lay down in your designated spot. Buy cottonseed meal as an organic and natural plant food so your veggies will have nutrients to grow nicely. You can purchase a bag of cottonseed meal for less than $5 from Ace Hardware which will last you for a while. You may find it at a nursery. Cottonseed meal will not overfeed or damage your plants and it is all natural. Farmers use it as animal feeds. Sprinkle the cottonseed on your prepared dirt and rake a little to spread it evenly on top of the dirt. Plant your veggies that you've bought, and then water. Everyday, except when there's a lot of rain, water your garden in the AM instead of at night. That'll prevent your plants from scorching in the hot sun during the entire day. If you water at night, it tends to not absorb a whole lot and has a higher risk of mold. Oh, I forgot about this...plant some insect deterrant plants in your garden to ward off insects/pests like lavender, parlsey, mint, rosemary. Hope this'll help!

I highly recommend organic gardening methods. No one needs the pesticides from non-organic fertilizers and bug sprays! Being in Austin, you should have plenty of retail resources from which to buy the basic products and get help. (I'm in Houston, so I don't know the Austin area nurseries.) Here in Houston, Lowes carries a nice small selection of organic products. Medina brand products should be plentiful in Austin and are quality organic products. Great resource I used was the book Texas Organic Vegetable Gardening by J. Howard Garrett and C. Malcolm Beck. Anything by J.Howard Garrett is great info, but this particular book keeps it simple and clear.
Basically, start with a great soil. The higher the organic matter (compost), the better off you are. It's best to have a raised bed (for drainage---keeps diseases away), and to rototill your new soil in with your pre-existing soil. You can then get a soil test kit at any nursery or Lowes to test the soil to see what additional nutrients it needs, if any. Plant your plants, adding a little bit of organic fertilizer in with each plant. Use a drip line hose to water so that the leaves of the plants stay dry, which helps with disease control. Place this drip hose near the base of each plant. If you then place a layer of newspaper on top of the soil, about 7 to 10 pieces thick, you will greatly reduce your future weeding. Then, place mulch on top of the newspaper. Shredded hardwood mulch is my favorite for here in Houston. Water heavily once a week, 2 to 3 times a week once it gets really hot. Best to water deeply/heavily less often than to water a little bit every day---keeps diseases down. I use a foliar plant spray, Garrett Juice, along with a little bit of garlic juice to feed my garden weekly. It fertilizes with the Garrett juice and keeps many bugs away with the garlic. I also use liquid dish soap, garlic, and water if I have a bug issue. A good quality hose-end sprayer is what I use to apply the foliar spray. Look for brass fittings instead of plastic---it'll last forever vs. plastic for a season or two, so it's well worth the price difference. Good luck and have fun!

T.;
San Antonio soil in most areas is pretty rich, since I don't
know what part of town your in, it's hard to say. Most of
the new additions are built on what used to be dairies.

First thing to do, is plow up that soil and get it very soft,
you can rent a machine at most rental places to do this. Don't by one, you'll only use it once a year.

For all the plants you named, they must be where they can
have full sun for 3 to 4 hours a day. You do not need to
make "rows" but around each plant you should have a mound.
In other words, take your hands and build a small mound of
dirt around each plant. The plants should be at least 18
inches apart. Putting them in line will make it easier to water and believe me, here in San Antonio, you will have to
water.

MiracleGro is a great fertilizer and a little of it should
be placed in the hole before placing the plant, like a handful. Then according to the directions on the box use it
a few times more during the growing process. Natual fertilizers like poop contain some things you "Don't Want"
So I'm not for using them. MiracleGro has proven to be safe.

If you have squirrels and birds, I suggest that you put poles
at each corner and cover it with a open netting, which you
can get just about anywhere. The netting will keep out the birds who believe me, they can eat most of your crop before it
is even ripe!
Good luck and have a bountiful crop!
B. C

Hello T.,
First of all, your jalepeno's should be in containers. It's easier to maintain them this way. Cucumbers and tomatos need tomato cages; since they're basicly vines, they need something to hold on to for support. Green peppers and squash do not need any support, but watch out for ants. As far as soil or fertilizer goes, you need to visit Fertil Gardens located on 1604 between Schaenfield Rd and Braun Rd. They will tell you "plain english" what to do. They've helped me out plenty of times. They will also help you if you have ant or grub problems in your yard or garden. Hope this helps. God Bless You! M.

I am jealous! I don't have room (or enough sun) for even a small garden.

My suggestion is a little mushroom mulch mixed (a natural fertilizers) into the dirt before you plant. Then just plant it. Water slow and long in the early a.m. and just let it do it's thing. When a problem arises with a particular plant, work it out and do the research. Learn what to do next year. I learned what to do over a few years of experimenting.

Hi T.,

I grow a small garden every year. But in order to help you I need more information about where you plan to plant your garden. Are you planting it in a backyard area? How much space do you have to grow your plants in, what are the dimensions? You mentioned containers, would you prefer to grow them in containers?

Liz P.
Kingsbury, Tx

you can't grow on the dry light brown sand, you need the mix with dark sand cause plants need oxyen, go to the plant store, like one over near-by, (my bank SSFCU and heb by wurzbach) over on hwy 1-10 they can help you and they tell you actully you need and penty of sunlight.(don't forget the water them, too ....every day.....) smile good luck, Cati

My kids and I have done this with very little expectation and fine results. We just tilled up the soil (pull up all the weeds and grass and get the dirt loose) in a sunny area of our back yard. Planted the tomato and pepper plants and made sure they got lots of water. You need to have something (I found out a little too late) for them to climb up on as they got pretty tall and had to be tied up gently. My kids and I had a ball picking the fruit. But, if you're wanting awesome results, the you probably should get better help than I can give.

we started our first garden this year. we first rotatilled the ground, and then we added several bags of hummus so that the soil would have plenty of nutrition. we also started a compost pile so that we could continue to replenish the soil. we planted in a spot with plenty of sun and some shelter from the wind. we water daily, and so far it is growing well. we did start from seeds, and we pick weeds every few days.

Gardening is so much fun. I've gardened in Houston for years now.
Container gardening might be easier to start--put some organic gardening soil in nice big pots, fertilize with organic stuff every 6 weeks, lots of water and sun. You would need a trellis or fence nearby for the cucumber and squash vines to grow on.
For soil, first you need to know what kind of soil you have. To do this, you can get a soil testing kit at Lowe's, take a sample in to a nursery like Tea's, or work with your county extension agent to determine. I like the kits because they're easy and include recommendations of how much of what type of fertilizer to add based on the test results.
For fertilizers, use only organic (nothing with a number over 10). Anything else can hurt the beneficial microbes and earthworms (better than any rototiller!) in your soil.
We use a combination of the crop rotation guide from Urban Harvest (4 small plots, you rotate them to maintain soil health) and square foot gardening (to maximize the user of our space). Both websites are very helpful.
Planning your first garden layout may take time, but put it in Excel or something and then each year just work with it. It gets easier each time.