One goal I want to make into a reality is to have a garden. For right now I don’t have a lot of space, so nothing too big, just enough for my husband and I. I don’t want to be overwhelmed and I want to make sure I can do it, I have beginners doubt. Not knowing where to start, I just knew I had to get organized, but what does it mean to get organized in gardening?
When I was growing up in Southeastern North Carolina, my grandpa had a garden next to our house. He grew cucumbers every year to take to the market and us kids would pick them for extra money. He also grew massive sunflowers, and corn. My mom had a garden behind our house with 2 peach trees, okra (gross), peas, tomatoes, potatoes and peppers. When I was a kid we hated vegetables. My mom, being raised on a farm, ate just about anything that grew from the earth. I always helped my mom in the kitchen and although she usually tended the garden, sometimes she would send me out to get vegetables for dinner. I always hated it, mainly because the vegetable she had me pick was the okra. They were prickly, they hurt and they were slimy when you cook them, so of course I hated them, and couldn’t eat them because they triggered my gag reflux. It wasn’t until my mom had me digging up potatoes for dinner one evening that I realized she wanted me to pick them so we could eat them, and not to punish me. I guess I associated getting pricked by okra, with being punished because I didn’t eat any of the vegetables I picked until it was time for potatoes. I did eat potatoes. So remember to plant what you like, not what everyone else is growing.
If you are thinking about growing your own food like I am, here is how to get organized and assess your situation.
1. How Much Room Do You Need?
This is important because you may eat lots of vegetables but you live in a small apartment without a balcony and get very little sun. This will limit you but not if you are determined. Whether you are planning on a sidewalk garden like mine, or just growing a few pots of herbs in a window sill, or if you are planning on a larger garden because you have a good space to grow, this post can get you started. You can start small with 1 vegetable you really like. Not having adequate sun means you can start with vegetables that do well in shade. You don’t have to go out and buy pots most vegetables that do well in the shade don’t have a very long root system so you can start the seeds in yogurt cups, or paper pots, or even toilet paper rolls. Just make sure there is adequate drainage like a few holes in the bottom. As the plants get bigger you can transplant them into larger containers like a clean, small bathroom trash can, and old cloth grocery bag, 8-10 inch pots, there are lots of things you can use. Make a list of the small food containers you have or make a note to save a few. A rotisserie container is great as well for starting seeds and aiding in germination.
2. What vegetables do you eat most often?
For my husband and I we eat lots of tomatoes. It has become a tradition for us to have pizza on Friday’s. Every Friday I work up some dough, shred some cheese and cook a 28 ounce can of San Marzano tomatoes for the sauce. I don’t use the entire can on the pizza, we use the rest as a dipping sauce for the crust. That is at least 40-52 cans of tomatoes per year. We also eat green beans, bell peppers, long hots, jalapenos, collards, onions and garlic every week. I ferment cabbage to make sauerkraut, we eat cucumbers every week in salads and I make pickles. Occasional vegetables are squash, zucchini, and pumpkin and lots of herbs. Make a list of the vegetables or fruits you eat most often.
3. How Much Sun Can You Provide?
Some people start seedlings in a window sill or on a table next to a window. Most vegetables need full sun, this means at least 6-8 hours of the sun shining on the seedling or vegetable every day. Check your window or exterior doors and any outside areas you have access to. Some people notice the sun shining on the floor at some part of the day either through a window or an open glass door. Check the time when the sun starts shining through and just keep an eye on it. This will let you know how much sun you can provide. The basil in the window below gets exactly 6 hours. If you don’t get any sun you can use grow lights. If you only get a few hours decide whether you would consider using grow lights. Research the cost. They don’t have to be the expensive “grow lights” . If you don’t want to use grow lights, list the vegetables that will grow in the amount of sun your situation can provide. If you are open to grow lights, list the vegetables you are interested in growing.
You can also use a background with aluminum foil to reflect light.
4. How Much Room Will The Vegetable Need To Grow and Ripen?
The small containers you choose to germinate, or transplant seedlings to give a bit more room are all fine, but what do you do when they outgrow the yogurt container or rotisserie container? That is why it is important to consider how much room you need. Collards can get very big. Here are 4 heads of collards I got from the garden when I lived in North Carolina. They really need some cooler weather because they are more tender after the first frost so outdoors would be best but can be grown in 5 gallon buckets.
Tomatoes are great and can also be grown in doors, but they will also need space. There are thousands of varieties out there just choose the right variety if you have limited space. If you only want tomatoes for salads you could grow cherry tomatoes. Chose a tomato that is “determinate” this means it has a determinate height and will only grow within a certain height. Indeterminate tomatoes will grow very tall. Some people set up a sturdy trellis so the tomato vine will have adequate support. Indeterminate tomatoes will continue to produce tomatoes and will continue to grow longer/taller until it gets too cold or is killed by disease. Some grow up to 22 feet. If you are determined to grow a certain variety and they are a vine that will grow up to 22 feet, you can cut the tops when they reach the top of the trellis. This will make the plant focus on ripening the fruit that is already there instead of growing longer to produce more fruit.
Now that you have an idea of what you would like to grow look over your list. Do you have a window sill to start? Will you be using grow lights or buckets outdoors? How much space can you provide for your plant to mature? It is great if you have a balcony or even a small corner of a sunny room. Vertical gardening is a thing.
Figure out how much fruit one plant will produce and decide if this is enough for you, if not think about caring for 2 plants. Or maybe you just want enough fruit for sometimes. It really is up to you. If you produce too much you can always offer some to friends, or look up some recipes you haven’t tried before or try preserving them in a brine.
I want to grow so many things, but since I don’t have a balcony or a yard yet I do have a window sill that I can utilize and a sidewalk with a hand rail to support veggies. I already have basil growing and have had it for several months now but I want to grow tomatoes.
Do you have a list ready? Or maybe just one or two items to make sure you can grow something?
If you know the variety of the plant you want there are lots of places that sell seeds. Walmart being one. Walmart sells lots of seeds from Burpee and also True Leaf Market and they may sell others these are just 2 that I know of. There are lots of seed websites out there like Johnny Seeds and Southern Exposure Seed Exchange Organic Heirloom Seeds but also Amazon and Walmart.com so do your research.
If you have chosen the variety of your vegetables, light source and where you will grow them, Congratulations! You have assessed your situation and you are getting organized!
Are you thinking about what you can grow? What do you want to grow? Food? Flowers? Herbs? Let me know in the comments below.
Stepping Into The Life 