New to Gardening with Questions

[Raene]

Is anyone else in NY who gardens? This is my first year doing a vegetable garden on my own (last year I had a garden helper who did most of the garden herself) and I know close to nothing. I've been looking online and I think I'm going to do square foot gardening, but is it possible to do this with top soil and compost? I really don't want to use vermiculite and peat moss as suggested on the website. Or is there any other natural options?
Also, I'm hoping to do vegan gardening. Does anyone know of what I should use on the soil, ie seaweed, etc, for added nutrients? Is this necessary?
And I'm in New York (upstate) and am unsure when to start the seeds (indoors). I'm hoping to do tomatoes, lettuces, snap peas, okra, chard, collards, squash, and possibly garlic and red peppers. Sounds like a lot...I do have a helper but he's also new to gardening. When do I start these seeds and am I too late to start the tomatoes and bell peppers? Thank you for any advice you might have. :) I can't wait to eat...

[rawstrength]

You should be starting seeds indoors RIGHT NOW. I'm in MA, and I started mine two weeks ago. Ideally you should start them 6-8 eight weeks before the last predicted frost. This website tells when your last predicted frost is http://www.thegardenhelper.com/hardiness.htm .

I don't know anything about square foot gardening. Sorry!

[jacsam]

I usually buy my tomatoes and pepper plants from a local nursery. There is a tomatoe called a pear tomatoes (you can get red or yellow), they are so good...just bite size. My friend shared them with me and now I plant them every year. I use the pear tomatoes for salads and eating and then dehydrate most of my regular sized tomates. Sometimes I'll even get my squash at the nursery, especially when I get my garden planted late. The rest of the things your going to plant, I do from seed. Have Fun!!!

[carolg]

Raw,
Late in starting seeds indoors and sure hope I get a great jump start. I have seeds in sunroom, but at night cold, so need to get thick clear plastic to cover my 'babies." Are you keeping your seedlings in dark till you see "faces" pop through. I never did but my friend said I should.

I grow heirloom tomatoes too. I also buy plenty of plants too.

I love gardening. I use my ground but also earthboxes. I love both.

CO frostfree around Memorial Day........

Raene,
Peppers are super hard to start from seed. I always end up buying. Your list looks very doable and ask away here. Also rareseeds.com has great gardening forum very gardeniing focused. I have bought some seeds from them.

I started as clueless gardener from NY here who never knew anything about "apartment house" planting, but now I'm faithfully blessed yearly to get the garden going plus support the local farmers too (as if I didn't have enough around here too) here in Denver, CO.

Post away here with your questions as others can learn too. We're here to help you learn and grow. It's so much fun. Just have fun with it. Try spring greens too. I don't like hot, but mild kind.

carolg

[Raene]

I usually buy my tomatoes and pepper plants from a local nursery. There is a tomatoe called a pear tomatoes (you can get red or yellow), they are so good...just bite size. My friend shared them with me and now I plant them every year. I use the pear tomatoes for salads and eating and then dehydrate most of my regular sized tomates. Sometimes I'll even get my squash at the nursery, especially when I get my garden planted late. The rest of the things your going to plant, I do from seed. Have Fun!!!

I love pear tomatoes! I wanted to buy some but noticed Burpee ran out of the seeds, but I seem to be too late for that anyway. I'll buy seeds tonight locally and just hope that they grew in time :) What kind of soil do I buy for the seed trays?

[carolg]

Buy the seeds, but also get to nursery or hardware stores where they also sell plants, not just seeds. If you are starting from seeds here's some suggestions:

Eko "Potting" Mix (hope spelling right).
Put some in a pot, then water it down immediately as sometimes they put extra stuff in it that is now compacted where the water flows down quickly. So try doing that a few times till you see the water no longer sitting on the top of the soil.

Then add a few seeds to these pots. Can always remove plants when all grow, but hard to keep starting over. You can use containers, paper ones, from Whole Foods, like borrowing one or two nicely or buying a few others frm a nursery with their help. Later on you may need to transplant but right now let's get you going.

Also rareseeds.com is great gardening forum besides here.

I water several times a day these new seeds that I am trying to get to grow and then cut back to maybe 2 times a day, then daily. Key: keep seeds wet. I have spray bottle to mist, but also water using cup gently.

I did buy a grow light, but now I have shop lights you may not want to get into which is about $10 they say at Walmart. Try Freecyle first as I got 4 of which 2 1/2 bulbs in them are working. No biggie.

Some say keep seeds in dark, warm place before you bring them into light. I ask others to comment.

Others say cover with thick plastic. Not sure if they are referring to clear or dark during the period before the seeds poke their faces through.

Hope this at least gets you started.

Oh, go for Heirloom tomatoes whenever possible and may have in pear tomatoes too....try Roma and a beefsteak llike orange, maybe a Zebra tomatoe which may or not be heirloom, but great.

Best to you.

Come back with questions.

Praying for sunshine here as we had some snow and it covered up my plexiglass where the light would hit the plants well and now nothing is coming through....

carolg

[rawstrength]

If you're looking for heirloom tomato seeds, www.tomatobob.com is fabulous. I bought my tomato seeds from them this year and they are doing great. I had a really high germination rate with these seeds. Soon we'll see how they do in the garden . . .
Right now they're just sprouts.

[Raene]

Okay, I got everything this evening...flats, seed starter soil, seeds...soooo very exciting! I hope I'm not aiming too high.
BTW, is spinach hard to grow? I didn't buy any but that's one of the few veggies my partner will eat, so I'd be willing to try it if it's not impossible for a newbie. I'm mostly excited about growing the things we can't buy at the HFS like okra, snap peas (well, occasionally you can buy them but not often), and pear tomatoes. I found some pear tomato seeds and I can't wait!! I'm just crossing my fingers that I'm not too late to start them. I did decide not to do red peppers; I'll either buy a plant later or forgo the idea...it's just that organic red peppers are costing me sooo much lately. Thanks for the advice, everyone...I'll keep updating with probably many more questions than anyone really wants. :)

[Suz58]

Spinach is really easy. If you buy perpetual spinach it just keeps growing for the whole year. You cut it and it grows again.
Have fun!

[Raene]

Just an update...I kind of went crazy and am planting tons of different things. I'm in way over my head, lol, but so far so good. Only have everything still growing inside. We bought everything yesterday for a sq ft garden and we're also doing an in-ground garden around the box. Hopefully we'll be building it today and getting the little ones in the dirt soon. We weeded the plot a few days ago and happily discovered chives, strawberries, and beets still growing from last year's gardener. And unfortunately discovered mint everywhere...I know it never goes away...I'll just pretend to enjoy it. :) I'll have more updates shortly...

[Raene]

I don't understand...my partner bought squash seeds called "Mammoth Table Queen/Royal Acorn". Do you need a trellis for squash or can it just grow horizontally? I'm running out of space, lol. Hoping not to need a trellis b/c we already have snap peas and runner beans going.
Also, spicy peppers...do they need a tomato cage? Do pear tomatoes need cages too? So confusing...

[FloridaPatty]

I don't understand...my partner bought squash seeds called "Mammoth Table Queen/Royal Acorn". Do you need a trellis for squash or can it just grow horizontally? I'm running out of space, lol. Hoping not to need a trellis b/c we already have snap peas and runner beans going.
Also, spicy peppers...do they need a tomato cage? Do pear tomatoes need cages too? So confusing...

You don't need a trellis for squash. They just wander around on the ground with vines.

Peppers don't need a tomato cage.

Pear tomatoes may need a cage. I don't know what that is, but if it's a tomato it will need a cage.

[Raene]

Thanks, FP!

[rawmonger]

You're pretty ambitious for a first-timer! Our first year we just planted herbs, peppers and tomatoes.

We live in upstate NY (Hudson Valley) and are doing square foot gardening too. It's our first time trying it. I haven't decided exactly what we're planting yet (I know, we're late!). I'm thinking basically lots of greens and tomatoes. I also bought 4 mint plants today which will go right outside my kitchen window.

My husband planted 4 rows of garlic last fall too and they are coming up nicely now. He eventually wants to grow everything he needs to make kimchee, as his kimchee recipe won a prize two years ago at a local pickle festival.:D

[Raene]

Wow, I'm so impressed with people winning food awards.
Yes, we're super ambitious...or is it completely nuts??? Lol.
It's good to know someone else doing a sq ft garden. I am the only one at the community garden here with one and after pouring the vermiculite I had a slight panic attack thinking the other gardeners are going to be really upset b/c quite honestly, what is in that stuff? Hopefully not asbestos anymore, but it definitely doesn't look organic. I wish I'd stuck with all-organic materials but I didn't think about the vermiculite being iffy until I poured it in. Whoops.