Anonymous wrote:I think this is a tough area for bell peppers. Try sweet Italian peppers instead. "Jimmy Nardello" does well for me.

Good tip, thanks. We have had phenomenal luck with jalapenos (to the point where we only have 1 plant ever other year) but zero luck with bell peppers.
We have a very small raised bed so I plan 3-season growing with lettuce, radishes etc early, then tomatoes, and so forth.

Keep some space between your snow peas and regular peas, and mark them, otherwise you forget which is which which maybe only matters if your DD doesn't eat all the peas standing in the garden anyway. I don't think a single pea made it into the house.

Any other suggestions for kid-eats-them-in-the-garden veggies besides cherry tomatoes, would be great...

Thyme and oregano have done great and I just let them run wild. At the end of the season I pull up by the roots, clean, and hang upside down under the stairs (cool and dry). Pull off the stems and voila, fabulous dried herbs all winter.

I am thinking of sneaking some pretty looking lettuces in the front yard, but DH will complain that it looks trashy.

You rock, pp. Great information.

When you roast the tomatoes, what temp, and just on a cookie sheet? Do you then freeze them in plastic freezer bags or do you vacuum seal?

Sorry for all the questions!

PP, to preserve cherry tomatoes (any tomato) I roast them with garlic and olive oil for an hour and a half or so, then freeze them. All winter long I can pull out a package of them and turn it into sauce, use it in chili, puree it into soup...you name it.

We have great luck with asparagus (long-term investment, as it takes a couple of years before harvest), peas, raspberries, and figs. We have a small yard so I focus on those things I can't easily get at the farm stand or CSA.

Op here. I used burped Kentucky wonder green beans last year, and they were out of control. I bought the seeds from the grocery. I used both a teepee trellis and a rope trellis, both were productive. They grow fast and get tough when too long, so pick them once they look like an average size greenbean.

Those PPs with the productive kale and cucumbers, can you tell me the seed you used? Where the cucumbers bush variety or trellis?

Also, anyone have any luck freezing the veges? If so, how? Any innovative ideas on how to preserve and store cherry tomatoes?

My bell peppers did great last year. Squash, zucchini and grape tomatoes too. My corn and regular tomatoes did very well this past year. My blueberry bushes died.

I think this is a tough area for bell peppers. Try sweet Italian peppers instead. "Jimmy Nardello" does well for me.

Had enough kale and chard last year to feed an army. Tons of cucumbers, basil, parsley, tomatoes. My zucchini didn't do well and the eggplant failed. Peppers were ok -- they never got as big as a bell pepper should, but they were tasty enough. Rosemary did very well too. OP, if you want to grow rosemary, make sure you give it plenty of room and sun, and pick a variety that is cold-hardy down to zone 6. Many rosemarys are not cold-hardy and won't survive a tough winter. My rosemary did much better in the ground than in the pot, so that could be another consideration.

http://www.growit.umd.edu/ClassesAndEvents/Montgomery%20County%20Classes.cfm

Anonymous wrote:I'm just starting a garden this year. Planning to till a bit of the yard and put up a short fence. Any advice on where to get good compost/manure to till into the soil? Also, is there a "gardening for dummies" book or website someone would recommend? specifically for those starting from scratch on what was once lawn.

Thanks!

Op here. I use organic miracle grow for vege gardens cut with regular top soil. Amazing results.

We've had great success with tomatoes, lettuce, eggplant and zucchini. Middling success with pole beans, and little to no success with bell peppers.

Agree that you need to pick lettuce regularly.

Our rosemary bushes are very hardy. Basil does great, but like lettuce needs to be picked often to prevent it from bolting.

Blueberry bushes require an investment of time, they produce almost nothing the first two or three years, but given time can thrive and be abundant.

Make sure you have good soil. Check your growing zones for when to plant. Have fun with experimenting!

I'm just starting a garden this year. Planning to till a bit of the yard and put up a short fence. Any advice on where to get good compost/manure to till into the soil? Also, is there a "gardening for dummies" book or website someone would recommend? specifically for those starting from scratch on what was once lawn.

Thanks!

Early spring crops: snap peas, lettuce, radishes, carrots
Later: eggplant
Perenial herbs: chives, oregano, sage
I've had good luck with cucumbers and Green Machine cantelopes on a fence.

Rosemary needs sun, good drainage, and a spot that's not too cold in the winter (i.e., see where your snow tends to melt first in the winter). Ours is going crazy in its spot with a southern exposure.

Lettuce and radishes are pretty easy and good to plant earlier in the season before it gets too hot. Just be sure to keep an eye on them and pick the lettuce regularly. Radishes only require a couple weeks until they're ready to eat, plus they're so pretty!

Our strawberries were a fail. Read that they don't start tasting good till year 2, which was this past year, and they were still really tart. The dogs loved munching on them every chance they got, so we just let them have them.

Do you have pots or a dedicated space in a yard? I've grown cucumbers, spinach, lettuce, kale, cantaloupes (didn't do so well), tomatoes, and lots of different herbs in pots on the deck, plus a raised bed arrangement in the yard with tomatoes, peppers, more cukes, zucchini, more cantaloupes (much happier in the bed), beans, and strawberries. Zucchini is great- just need one plant for a regular family, but it gets enormous and can take up all the space. I ran a nylon trellis net up the fence and trained the beans, cucumbers, and cantaloupes onto it- kept everything dry and still got plenty of sun. Made things a lot easier to pick, too.

I love cooking with fresh veges from my yard! I had great luck with cherry tomatoes, green beans, peppers and basi. Not so good with rosemary and squash. I underestimated the space the squash would need and it got all moldy.

Any lessons learned from last year? What do you have luck growing? I'm also happy to share my lessons learned.