| Ashley |
| | March 17, 2010 | Reply with quote | #1 |
|
I am new to the fruit & vegetable gardening world (I have done flowers for years) and am looking for advice and tips.
We recently purchased an acreage 20 mins south of Winnipeg (zone 3?) and inherited a wonderful garden of fruit trees, asparagus, raspberries, strawberries and a large plot that contained corn-on-the-cob, tomatoes, onions, squash and others. I wish to continue growing many of these items and add several others.
My questions are this:
1. Can someone suggest a good garden book(s) to help me?
2. Are any of the above listed fruits and veggies perennials or am I to re-plant each spring?
2. Should I test the soil to see what would grow well or to determine what needs to be added to create good growing conditions? Do home pH tests work? I would like to plant peppers, lettuce, sweet peas, beans, carrots, cucumbers, potatoes...
3. Can anyone recommend a good store in Winnipeg or area that sells garden supplies/plants/seeds at a reasonable price? I have heard of ordering "super seeds" online. Has anyone done this?
4. What are other good websites giving advice for Winnipeg and area gardeners?
Any other information that you think would be helpful to me is more than welcome!
Thank you for any and all help! I have a huge green thumb just waiting to be put to use!
Ashley
|
| Loading... | |
| Rozmund |
| | March 18, 2010 | Reply with quote | #2 |
|
Question 1 - Please visit your local library - there you will find a good assortment of books from beginners, to hobby gardener..you will find something that you can take on - my advice is, do not take on too much....
2. Your fruits are perennials, as is the asparagus..the rest need to be planted fresh each year. Think of it this way...when you harvest tomatoes, corn, onions, squash and others, you are removing the roots after the fruiting period is over...therefore it follows these are annuals..Also most seed packets say right on them...
annuals or perennials..this is for veggie as well as flowers.
3. Sounds to me like your soil is already productive and other than moving the tomato patch to another
location which should be done every year - to prevent disease - I personally would not bother - multiplier onions can be planted just after last snow hits...plant each bulb 2x its size, slightly hill up - as the green onions emerge, the resemble the ones you buy at the grocers, pull at 10 - 14 inch lengths. One onion bulb will give you 3 to 5 green salad onions...replace the onion with another one - this should keep them going
for 6 weeks or so...after that it will be too hot..as onions are happiest in cool weather planting.
4. You have the internet...simple google and you will spot something what you need...but frankly there is
nothing that compares with actually going to the nursery and speaking with the folks there in your area.
You already are an experienced gardener...so you do know that in preparation of any new garden, the
soil must be well turned over...raked fine...rows hilled up ---they are threatening a drought in Ontario for this summer...so we are placing drip irrigation in the valley of our rows so that what water we are able to get from our well with go right to the roots...you may wish to check on weather for Manitoba...for the summer and plant accordingly....if a vegetable is a water hog, forget it for this year...
Perhaps someone else can help with super seeds, but I find these are a pain unless you have a green house to get them going early - any we tried to grow for fun - did not match the advertisements...but
if you have good luck, let us know...
Happy Planting..hear you are currently experiencing -9 - we are in the high teens, and I have thoroughly raked out our perennial beds, everything is popping up..but we will get your cool front by next week.....
Just hope I am able to keep the rabbits away from our hundreds of tulips....
|
| Loading... | |
| Ashley |
| | April 30, 2010 | Reply with quote | #3 |
|
Thank you! We have started our planting now (with leaf lettuce and green onions) and things look promising! Also the strawberries are growing great and the rasberry buds are sprouting.
About the soil ph...the cucumbers I have bought (pickling and long english) recommend a ph of 6.0 - 6.8...how important is the ph level? My grandma just planted them as the soil was and away they went. I will be planting them in a garden of so many other things...how do I get the soil just right? We have worked in some sheep manure but it is still quite clumpy....I was going to work in some sand and peat to help break it up more (compost is quite expensive and our garden is very, very big). Will this help?
You mention hilling up....I have never done that before...does that mean creating a hill of soil and planting in that? Wouldn't that cause too much water run-off and the seeds/roots wouldn't get the water?
I am concerned about watering as well...most recommend watering your seedlings from the bottom....I haven't done that but all my plants seem fine...doing that concerns me about root rot.
Also, watering outside....it seems we never water enough...after a couple hours everything is dry yet I soak the soil to the point there are puddles! This concerns me with our large garden (we have a pump in our pond to water from)...will I be watering for hours each day?!?!? How do I make the most of watering to ensure everything gets what they need?
Thanks again for your replies!
Ashley
|
| Loading... | |
| Barbara Shewchuk |
| | May 10, 2010 | Reply with quote | #4 |
|
Where are you, exactly? Somewhere around Ste. Agathe? It helps to know, as conditions do vary from community to community. Try to find someone nearby who's an experienced fruit and veg grower.
As far as soil pH is concerned, I'm no expert, but in general most plants prefer an acidy or balanced soil. Very few plants like alkaline soil, but that's what we're stuck with here in the Red River Valley (and many other places). Old-time gardeners just stuck seeds and plants into the soil, watered, weeded, and took their chances. Mostly, it seems to work! People have been living off their gardens around here for 125 years and more....
However, any alkaline soil can be improved by adding peat moss, well-rotted manure and compost. These amendments also loosen up our heavy soil, making it easier for water and air to permeate the soil, easier to weed, and easier to harvest root crops. There are many reasons to improve the soil; I love raised beds with amended soil. This is a huge topic; you'll find many posts and articles related to this on this site, and elsewhere.
I've been growing organic gardens near Lowe Farm/Morris since the mid 1970s.... find a mentor, read all you can (this site is fabulous!), and just go for it!
|
| Loading... | |
| Ashley |
| | May 25, 2010 | Reply with quote | #5 |
|
Thank you Barbara!
I am near Ste. Agathe (Aubingy is actually closer) and am definitely dealing with the Red River Valley soil. We have worked in 20 bags of sheep manure and 10 - 3.8 cu ft. bags of Peat to help loosen things up and reduce the alkaline content of the soil. I do compost but my small scraps seem to be no comparison to the size of our garden and the size of the clay clumps! I am going to do my best with fertilizers to help certain plants (such as cucumbers) but I am very leery as I don't want to over-do it and ruin my whole crop!
I am taking in all the information I can...I scour the internet for hours looking for tips. I have also taken all the notes I can from this site (although most folks on here seem to have more advanced problems than my beginner worries).
I am going on a planting frenzie this week so wish me luck!
|
| Loading... | |
RSS Feeds
