Comments on: Mother Earth News Article – Trial Garden At Home

By: Owldancer

Owldancer — Mon, 23 May 2011 05:00:42 +0000

I really liked this article and thought it was very thurough. My only other question would be the garden layout; for the pole beans and other verticle rows… plant the rows North/South or East/West?

By: Roy Gibson

Roy Gibson — Tue, 17 May 2011 21:57:17 +0000

I have a garden in my back yard, a 4 foot by 20 foot along one fence and a 3 foot by 20 foot along another. I also have a 16X32 spot in the middle of my yard. I grow many veggies and along the fence I have thornless blackberries. Strawberries in containers and watermelons along the other fence. I love it.
I buy the seeds and use half of them then save the rest for next year. I plant orange and red meat watermelons and save the seeds.The plants I buy from Walmart and plant early. If it freezes I buy more. If it don’t, I have veggies before anyone else and can preserve twice during the year.
It is a lot of work but I am retired and the savings are great. I also give veggies to the neighbors. At the end of the season I give the green tomatoes to a neighbor that makes us several jars of green tomato salsa.
I enjoy Mother Earth News and have read it for 20 years.
Keep up the good work. Roy

By: Lucy Dunn

Lucy Dunn — Sat, 23 Oct 2010 23:03:06 +0000

Love the ideas Rosalind & Cathy. I live on 9 acres of rental property and I have wanted to put out a garden for years. Now I know I can put one out and it doesn’t have to be the size of my Grandfathers old garden. He and Grandma had a very big garden when I was growing up, my Dad and step Mother did too. I never thought back then that I would miss gardening. The sense of accomplishment; as well as what it’s like to go out and dig potatoes up or pick green beans and peas. After picking those I remember sitting under the shade tree with Grandma snapping beans and opening pea pods just for supper. Thank You Both for the idea of a smaller easier managed garden. I think I will ready the soil and start shopping for seeds and supplies for next years small garden. So glad I ran across your article. I hope to learn more as I plan for my new project. Thanks again.

By: im covin-gordon

im covin-gordon — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 00:59:02 +0000

Planning a small garden is no easy task. This sample for an urban backyard garden is really good news. The motivation to stay focus can send you surfing for information, all over the internet.

By: Regan

Regan — Sat, 15 May 2010 03:15:52 +0000

I have a 18 square foot raised bed that I started last year. I grew 5 Purple Russian heirloom indeterminate tomatoes, 18 Soleil bush beans crammed WAY too close together, 6 bell peppers, one jalapeno, a few carrots, basil, chives, stevia and 5 Fairy Tale eggplants. I wish I had kept production records now because we’re STILL eating those delicious beans and I had so many tomatoes I didn’t know what to do with them all. This year I have strawberries, radishes & carrots inter-planted & cilantro in that bed plus one volunteer tomato & my chives that came back. I have to make another raised bed too this year for all the other peppers & tomatoes I’m going to put out plus four blueberry bushes and some sweet potatoes! This gardening stuff is pretty fun but the best part is eating all the goodies you’ve grown yourself. And this year I’m definitely going to keep a spreadsheet so I can crow about how much precious $$$ we’ve saved!

By: Dayna Greene

Dayna Greene — Fri, 14 May 2010 15:30:05 +0000

This is awesome, thank you for sharing your wisdom. I live in the Ozarks, we’ve got a rain forest going on here right now. My garden is full, but I hate to go into it as it is so muddy. Where & how do you put your stepping stones in, down the middle? Duh, probably! Something I’ve learned is don’t make your small gardens to wide that you can’t reach over them to the middle. When you get older &/or handicapped like my husband is, you need to be able to reach the middle from a wheel chair or on your knees. I’ve started raised beds & are trying to make them a little higher each year so I don’t have to bend so much.

By: Terri Rogers

Terri Rogers — Wed, 12 May 2010 18:56:31 +0000

I’m tackling this project in Knik River, Alaska. Peppers and tomatoes have to be greenhouse-grown where I live, but the rest will be okay with a good summer, and we’re still hoping for that this year. Temps in the 50′s now but the last 18 inches of snow melted a couple of weeks ago. I’m using chicken and horse manure but cannot plant outside until the first of June to avoid late frosts. My sneaky black Bantam hen, Betty, just brought three tiny chicks out from under the shed yesterday. We’re brooding them inside in the bathroom under a light while she hatches the rest on a nest I cannot reach. I’ll keep you posted. Reach me at nielsenranch@hotmail.com

By: Lisa

Lisa — Wed, 12 May 2010 16:59:43 +0000

Thanks for such great ideas and encouragement. I am doing the raised beds in such rocky soil, but was hit with bad fungus last 2 years. I am trying to rotate the veggies to avoid this. I will never quit! but I sure hope I get something this year. We are Canada/NY state border and having a very cold spring this year.

By: Kelly

Kelly — Wed, 12 May 2010 16:33:27 +0000

We are in Oregon.

By: Kelly

Kelly — Wed, 12 May 2010 16:32:55 +0000

I use my front yard the past 3 years to garden as well as the back but I get the longest amount of sun in the front. I will try to keep track of costs this year. Already have eaten a ton of spinach. Through seeds out there in Feb when we had 2 weeks of pretty nice weather!