So I live in an apartment right now, and I've been looking to get some gardening space. I'm going to school for horticulture, so I love gardening, but I've never really had the chance to have a big garden. I found a farm a couple miles out of town that rents plots to the public. I called them up and they said they sell plots of 30X30ft, but sometimes they do larger. Long story short, I signed on for a 50X50ft.
I'm starting to realize that is a pretty decent size garden. I'm willing to put in the work and tackle it anyway. I'm thinking my friends and relatives are going to be getting a lot of free veggies this summer. I also plan on donating some and pickling/canning/freezing a decent amount too.
What do you guys think? Will a garden this size be manageable?
I'm a young, strapping lad (lol), and I work on a farm on weekends already, so I'm hoping I can handle it.
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ozark_rocks
- Senior Member
- Posts: 128
- Joined: Sun Mar 21, 2010 7:58 pm
- Location: Arkansas
You should be okay, if you have time to work it. I am a middle-aged female and my main garden is about 90 x 120. I work part time on a farm, so the garden is part time. The kids help snapping beans, and shelling peas, and DH helps haul in leaves, but I get to plant, weed, harvest and processe. 
My advice is to mulch as much of your garden as possible. It will cut down the amount of weeds, and improve the soil.
Good luck and have fun.
My advice is to mulch as much of your garden as possible. It will cut down the amount of weeds, and improve the soil.
Good luck and have fun.
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Gary350
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 7419
- Joined: Mon Mar 23, 2009 1:59 pm
- Location: TN. 50 years of gardening experience.
You will need a vehicle with a trail hitch so you can pull a 2 wheel trailer unless you already own a pickup truck. You need to be able to haul a garden tiller to your 50x50 garden along with some hand tools, seeds, plants, etc. Till your whole garden every day for a week to kill all the grass and weeds when warn sunny weather comes then plant your garden. About 15 minutes 3 times a week will be all you need to keep the weeds out. Don't plant things you do not eat. Plant things you like to eat most and plant things to save money and plant to have FUN.
I think tomatoes, green beans and corn are my favorite so I plant enough to can in mason jars for the winter. My garden in 24x35 if I had a larger garden I would plant mellons and many other things. Sometimes it is fun to set under the shade tree with a glass of ice tea and watch the birds and butterflies. Being in a garden plot zone with other gardeners it will be fun to talk to other gardeners and see what they are growing and pick up some tips how they grow their garden.
I think tomatoes, green beans and corn are my favorite so I plant enough to can in mason jars for the winter. My garden in 24x35 if I had a larger garden I would plant mellons and many other things. Sometimes it is fun to set under the shade tree with a glass of ice tea and watch the birds and butterflies. Being in a garden plot zone with other gardeners it will be fun to talk to other gardeners and see what they are growing and pick up some tips how they grow their garden.
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JZydowicz
- Full Member
- Posts: 25
- Joined: Wed Jun 02, 2010 11:25 pm
- Location: Southern Wisconsin (Zone 5a)
The land owner is going to till for me, but I think after the initial week or so, I'm on my own against the weeds. All I've got at the moment is a mid-size car, but I guess that will do for now. I can fit most of my transplants in the trunk, and I can jam some tools in somewhere.Gary350 wrote:You will need a vehicle with a trail hitch so you can pull a 2 wheel trailer unless you already own a pickup truck. You need to be able to haul a garden tiller to your 50x50 garden along with some hand tools, seeds, plants, etc. Till your whole garden every day for a week to kill all the grass and weeds when warn sunny weather comes then plant your garden. About 15 minutes 3 times a week will be all you need to keep the weeds out. Don't plant things you do not eat. Plant things you like to eat most and plant things to save money and plant to have FUN.
I think tomatoes, green beans and corn are my favorite so I plant enough to can in mason jars for the winter. My garden in 24x35 if I had a larger garden I would plant mellons and many other things. Sometimes it is fun to set under the shade tree with a glass of ice tea and watch the birds and butterflies. Being in a garden plot zone with other gardeners it will be fun to talk to other gardeners and see what they are growing and pick up some tips how they grow their garden.
Thanks for the suggestions about what to plant. That makes sense. I'm not a huge fan of tomatoes alone, so I'll only plant enough to make salsa and pasta sauce. I'm also staying away from salad greens, as I know I probably wouldn't eat them
I am excited about the large space, as I can grow lots of winter squash, cucumbers for pickling, and melons. I don't think I've ever had a melon fresh from the garden, and I hear they're so much better than from the store. That's exciting. I'm also planting a ton of potatoes, and along with the standards (yukon gold, some russets), I'm going to try to find purple skin purple flesh seed potatoes. Those look like fun. I also hope to grow some herbs for drying and some radishes, carrots, peas, and beans. Lately I've been on a frozen and pickled okra binge, so I've gotta attempt growing that.
I honestly haven't thought about corn, but maybe I will. I appreciate the help!
And hopefully I will see some other gardeners around.
Soil: I hope I can handle it! My arms are going to be like tree trunks soon. I've been pruning grapevines and apple trees for a few weekends now.
Ozark: Mulching sounds like a great idea. Thanks for the advice!
My first thought is to make sure that the tools and supplies that you will need (to effectively work in the garden) don't become an afterhtought.JZydowicz wrote:... and I can jam some tools in somewhere. ...
It can be very frustrating to get out to the garden, and then realize that you left what you need in the house (or shed) ... another wasted trip back and forth.
Since you won't even be able to walk back to the house/shed, you'll be extremely frustrated (and waste valuable time) if you leave something behind.
I would recommend keeping a Checklist for your tools and supplies, so you can "go down the list" every time you load up for a trip to the garden. And keep updating and revising your checklist, as you get new ideas for improvements or additions to your tools/supplies.
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Gary350
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 7419
- Joined: Mon Mar 23, 2009 1:59 pm
- Location: TN. 50 years of gardening experience.
If someone else is going to till the soil then all you need is a hoe, shovel, and garden rake. You might need tomato stakes some people do not stake tomatoes it only saves space and your plants produce about 2 times more tomatoes with stakes. If you hoe weeds when they are very tiny they cut down extremely easy it only takes a few minutes a day to weed the garden. If you wait until weeds get big they are much harder to cut down and it is double hard to weed the garden.JZydowicz wrote:The land owner is going to till for me, but I think after the initial week or so, I'm on my own against the weeds. All I've got at the moment is a mid-size car, but I guess that will do for now. I can fit most of my transplants in the trunk, and I can jam some tools in somewhere.Gary350 wrote:You will need a vehicle with a trail hitch so you can pull a 2 wheel trailer unless you already own a pickup truck. You need to be able to haul a garden tiller to your 50x50 garden along with some hand tools, seeds, plants, etc. Till your whole garden every day for a week to kill all the grass and weeds when warn sunny weather comes then plant your garden. About 15 minutes 3 times a week will be all you need to keep the weeds out. Don't plant things you do not eat. Plant things you like to eat most and plant things to save money and plant to have FUN.
I think tomatoes, green beans and corn are my favorite so I plant enough to can in mason jars for the winter. My garden in 24x35 if I had a larger garden I would plant mellons and many other things. Sometimes it is fun to set under the shade tree with a glass of ice tea and watch the birds and butterflies. Being in a garden plot zone with other gardeners it will be fun to talk to other gardeners and see what they are growing and pick up some tips how they grow their garden.
Thanks for the suggestions about what to plant. That makes sense. I'm not a huge fan of tomatoes alone, so I'll only plant enough to make salsa and pasta sauce. I'm also staying away from salad greens, as I know I probably wouldn't eat them
I am excited about the large space, as I can grow lots of winter squash, cucumbers for pickling, and melons. I don't think I've ever had a melon fresh from the garden, and I hear they're so much better than from the store. That's exciting. I'm also planting a ton of potatoes, and along with the standards (yukon gold, some russets), I'm going to try to find purple skin purple flesh seed potatoes. Those look like fun. I also hope to grow some herbs for drying and some radishes, carrots, peas, and beans. Lately I've been on a frozen and pickled okra binge, so I've gotta attempt growing that.
I honestly haven't thought about corn, but maybe I will. I appreciate the help!
And hopefully I will see some other gardeners around.
Soil: I hope I can handle it! My arms are going to be like tree trunks soon. I've been pruning grapevines and apple trees for a few weekends now.
Ozark: Mulching sounds like a great idea. Thanks for the advice!
I would say that you have to decide on rows, wide rows plus a square areas for the vine crops. 50 by 50 is small if you are going to grow vine crops. Plant things that keep also like yukon gold potatoes , sweet onions. Wide row like a foot wide by50 you can get alot of quick crops like lettuce radish. kolarabbi. If you are ike me garden is like sports if you like it it is not like work and you will want a bigger garden next year. I have 5 gardens and one is fifty miles away plus I wikll have 2 greenhouses. Enjoy! Also have a climbing area for beans and peas and also some of your vine crops will climb and give you more room. Put in alaskan snow peas that grow 4 feet high and will produce for months and when they ae small you can eat them like candy. My peas are up already.
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jal_ut
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 7447
- Joined: Sun Jan 18, 2009 10:20 pm
- Location: Northern Utah Zone 5
You will do fine. That size of garden is just right. Enough space to really get some good yields, yet managable.
My tools for keeping things in shape are a hoe and a butcher knife. The knife is excellent for weeding around plants and thinning. It can also be used as a garden trowell for transplanting or for harvesting some things.
Plant what you like to eat, and enjoy.
My tools for keeping things in shape are a hoe and a butcher knife. The knife is excellent for weeding around plants and thinning. It can also be used as a garden trowell for transplanting or for harvesting some things.
Plant what you like to eat, and enjoy.
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JZydowicz
- Full Member
- Posts: 25
- Joined: Wed Jun 02, 2010 11:25 pm
- Location: Southern Wisconsin (Zone 5a)
Haha!Marlingardener wrote:You won't have a problem with that size garden, being a young, strapping lad and all! Think of the great tan you'll get, too.
If you are having trouble locating a source of your purple potatoes, both Territorial and Jung carry them. They are called "All-Blue" but described as purple skin, purple flesh.
Territorial:[url]https://www.territorialseed.com[/url]
and
Jung: [url]https://www.jungseed.com[/url]
Well gee whiz, there's a Jung garden center just a few miles from here. I should have known to check there! Thanks for the info.
Jal: Good tips! I plan on having my trusty pruners with me for harvesting too, but the knife sounds like a good idea.
Thanks for the reassurance everyone. This should be a lot of work, but I'm excited to go for it. Now I just need to get as many seeds started as I can. I've got a few dozen pepper seedlings going, and I better get started on the tomatoes, onions, and leeks.
Yeah, what the others (except Gary!) said. As long as you have a hoe and one of those hand held, five prong thingies, probably called a garden cultivator - sorry about not being more specific, you can handle weeds.
Me - I would plant a huge variety of things you like to eat. You can preserve a huge amount, if you have a freezer, with little work. Blanching is simple, fast and effective. If you like soup, then things like peas, beans, carrots. I wouldn't waste space on corn - during the summer it's cheap to buy. If you have a pressure canner, then you can add a row of spuds - easy and fast to can and are a treat to eat. Don't discount greens - nothing like making a salad with cukes, maters, lettuce, chard, peppers and peas, all from your garden. Throw in a few herbs - basil and cilantro are rather easy to grow and harvest. You can grow broccoli in the spring and fall and replace it with squash in the summer.
Seriously, I would try as many veggies, and fruits such as strawberries, that you think may be good. Next year, grow what does well for you and you end up liking.
I can guarantee you that spending a year trying different plants is more than worth the effort and small cost.
Good luck!
Mike
Me - I would plant a huge variety of things you like to eat. You can preserve a huge amount, if you have a freezer, with little work. Blanching is simple, fast and effective. If you like soup, then things like peas, beans, carrots. I wouldn't waste space on corn - during the summer it's cheap to buy. If you have a pressure canner, then you can add a row of spuds - easy and fast to can and are a treat to eat. Don't discount greens - nothing like making a salad with cukes, maters, lettuce, chard, peppers and peas, all from your garden. Throw in a few herbs - basil and cilantro are rather easy to grow and harvest. You can grow broccoli in the spring and fall and replace it with squash in the summer.
Seriously, I would try as many veggies, and fruits such as strawberries, that you think may be good. Next year, grow what does well for you and you end up liking.
I can guarantee you that spending a year trying different plants is more than worth the effort and small cost.
Good luck!
Mike
Be careful if you go with strawberries because they do spread! Also, I don't know how long you will have the plot for, so perennials may not be the best choice.
Oh, and as everyone else has said, don't worry at all about not being able to handle it. In fact, after a year or two.....you may just rent more space! Gardens are seldom "big enough."
On more thing you could consider is to put some pathways in it, thus dividing into beds. Now some here like beds (DDF and Tedln) and do well with them, others (Jal) like large plots and do very well with them too.
So it's all in what you like. Look into both.
One of the aspects about beds is that you don't walk in them (that's what the paths are for) so you can plant more densely and mulch heavily to keep the weeds down. By not walking, you won't compact the soil, so you won't have to worry about tilling it each year.
However, Jal can make a good case why beds aren't all that great over a large plot.
To each his own. Look into both and maybe do a little of each.
Keep us updated on your progress
.
Oh, and as everyone else has said, don't worry at all about not being able to handle it. In fact, after a year or two.....you may just rent more space! Gardens are seldom "big enough."
On more thing you could consider is to put some pathways in it, thus dividing into beds. Now some here like beds (DDF and Tedln) and do well with them, others (Jal) like large plots and do very well with them too.
So it's all in what you like. Look into both.
One of the aspects about beds is that you don't walk in them (that's what the paths are for) so you can plant more densely and mulch heavily to keep the weeds down. By not walking, you won't compact the soil, so you won't have to worry about tilling it each year.
However, Jal can make a good case why beds aren't all that great over a large plot.
To each his own. Look into both and maybe do a little of each.
Keep us updated on your progress
.