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If today an organic cucumber cost $2.00, green pepper $2.00 etc. etc. how much do you think you will have to spend on them for your family 2 or 3 years from now? Planning ahead is a good idea don’t you agree? After getting teed off every time I went to the grocery story, I decided to create a garden and grow it myself.
I am new to gardening and I have followed the sq ft gardening method in attempting to establish a perfect vegetable garden. However I have taken it to a couple of levels higher when I built a 28" high 5 ft wide by 16 ft long raised cinder block bed filled with 10” of pea gravel and 18” of compost, Dakota peat and vermiculite. I am presently building a 15x24 hoop house with 6mil clear plastic over it to protect my investment from hail, wind, rain, sun, deer, rabbits and weeds.
I have posted “how to” videos on YouTube about how I did what I did if it helps anyone else. You may watch the videos at the following YouTube links. This is ongoing until I am completely finished with my project. Please share it with others that might be interested in finding some help in order to beat the fruit and vegetable prices that are going through the roof in the next couple of years.
Great idea and pics My HOA requires written permission for a vegtable garden and anything on that scale would be rejected so that's something other readers need to check out before investing in their garden.
Dang, with the expense you are incurring to get your garden "off the ground" so-to-speak, your veggies are gonna be really expensive. I just till mine up 120' X 60', put in lime, fertilizer, plants on some items, seeds on others, mulch with grass clippings (2.5 acre yard, the other 9 acres are woods) and end up with more produce than 5 families could eat. I share with neighbors, my bank, and the Southern States co-op where I get most of my items. My top three items, by popularity are 1. Tomatos 2. Sugar Baby Watermelons 3. Cantalopes. The Corn, Squash, Cucumbers, 5 varieties of pepper, garlic, onion, potatos, broccoli, cauliflour, brussel sprouts and cabbage are pretty much tied for fourth.
LOL yep your garden does sound expensive... But I feel your pain! I also only buy organic, and my food is like "GOLD." I swear I have some organic ketchup that was probably more expensive than gold or silver per ounce.
I'm also planning my garden for the coming year, but I just put down leaves, scraps and cardboard. And I'm planting seeds. IMO, if I have to spend a bunch of money and time, I might as well go to the supermarket. This year I plan to plant stuff in the actual "Sun" so I might get more than 5 okras and some late cherry tomatoes. LOL
I did okay tomato-wise at least last year simply putting tomatoes among my "foundation" plantings next to the house. My only problem is that I planted them late after all my "started" seeds got fried in their little "greenhouse" Betwixt the marigolds, daylilies and cosmos the tomatoes did great. And better yet...no tilling, hoeing etc for me. I didn't even have to weed, really because the mulch and stuff was already there.
I love regular gardening, but I seem to not have fun with vegetable gardens. I'd rather waste my time on the ornamental gardening.
I also wasted a lot of money on "seed starting supplies" I will NEVER do that again, this year I'm concentrating on getting plants that will work in my climate, and not plants I have to work to get food out of. Lazy? Yes, IMO MORE money and time is not the point of my vegetable garden.
I buy a lot of my produce at the farmer's markets and their prices are maybe 30 to 40% higher than supermarkets on average. However, I'm not feeding a dozen ppl so it's reasonable for the quality & variety. Even if i did have space to garden, I don't think I would sow enough seeds of different greens & herbs to make it worthwhile. Plus I'm not sure how you would go about timing, so that you have crops maturing at staggered intervals and not all at one time.
I admire your effort & handiwork though! Great job!
Thanks for the video! I would love to have my own garden, but can't for three reasons. I live in a sucky climate. I don't have a greenhouse. And I don't have the time for growing anything more high-maintenance than cactus, which I have several of. Oh well, maybe someday...
Thank you so much for taking the time to share these videos and information. We are in Zone 6, in southeast KS and I can see how this would greatly benefit us. We have tried just the raised beds but with limited success. I also appreciate the recommendation on books and especially of the square foot gardening. We are in the process of converting to a raw diet and the cost of the fresh vegetables is about equal to the best steak! Many of vegetables are just not available here in the sticks either. This would just address so many of our issues: wind with pesticides curling up my plants, the feral cats and rabbits biting pieces from my tomatoes, our hopelessly compacted soil and weeds that will not stop! We live in town and our dream of moving to the country is disappearing because the real estate market is dead so the thought of this is our backyard, priceless. Thank you again for taking the time to share. Cathy
Where i lve there are so mnay agrens that you can get local produce and vegtables at local markets fairly cheap. I do grow a small garden that supplies the qualties wife and I need. But we have friends that are seriously ito it that give us what they can;t store.That does look like a expensive garden to start and really not necessary here,
The average gardner, (note I said average, you may not be average) spends more time & money buying the product, preparing the soil,, fertilizing, insect and animal control, weeding, sun/cold protection in order to get 2 or 3 tomatoes or such, than it costs to just go to the store and buy the item.
BTW, many places claim to sell organic grown, but actually they're not, including farmers markets. Recent investigations here have exposed many claiming organically grown, but were proved they were not.
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My HOA requires written permission for a vegtable garden and anything on that scale would be rejected so that's something other readers need to check out before investing in their garden.
Impressive!
Many of vegetables are just not available here in the sticks either. This would just address so many of our issues: wind with pesticides curling up my plants, the feral cats and rabbits biting pieces from my tomatoes, our hopelessly compacted soil and weeds that will not stop! We live in town and our dream of moving to the country is disappearing because the real estate market is dead so the thought of this is our backyard, priceless.
