I am planning to try to grow veggies for the first time too this spring. Walter Reeves (www.walterreeves.com) has a seasonal calendar on his website telling you week by week what needs to be done in the garden, as well as lots of other useful information. Like you, I'm going to need all the help I can get, since I've never tried veggies other than tomatoes.

I've been growing veggies for several years, suburban Atlanta. I have a tip to share that I didn't read anywhere before I started. We created raised beds, and simply tilled amendments into the soil. That left big chunks (big relative to seeds) of clay still in the mix, despite thorough churning. I'd suggest leaving the top 6-12 inches as good fine garden soil, then it's easy to plant and replant every year, no dealing with dry rock-hard hunks of clay. For foods, may I also suggest garlic (plant in fall), and lettuce and spinach? These plants have been totally pest and maintenance free for me. You can get 2 crops each year, spring and fall, lasting at least 2 months each. Spinach will even grow on through winter. Good luck.

For your supplies, I highly recommend Farmer D's Organic Garden Center at 2154 Briarcliff Road, Atlanta, 30329. They just opened and sell amazing compost/soil, beautiful cedar pre-made stackable raised beds, seeds and anything else you would need. Their compost is actually made from composted organic veggies from Whole Foods Markets. Plus, Farmer D himself is a very knowledgeable cool cat.

Here is a link that might be useful: Farmer D's Organics

travelergt4 (or really anyone)

Any idea the price for the pre-made cedar stackable raised beds @ Farmer D's? I took a look at their website but its not updated to reflect online shopping or price/item availability yet. I don't want to drive all the way there (over an hour one way for me) without having at least some idea of what I'll find.

I need raised beds this coming year for a veggie garden.....and I'm in the market now for them...in person or online and I'm open to suggestions, even if its instructions on how to make my own.

Dora

Hi Dora:
I"m going to be running up to Farmer D's later this week to check out prices. The compost is very expensive but is biodynamic and worth every penny.
Farmer D. comes to Holy Comforter and gives us compost. We have grown the most luxurious and forthcoming vegetables from his compost than we have ever grown before! Ah, the BUCKETS of tomatoes!!
I would suggest you look into growing peppers other than bell peppers if you want lots of return. Bell Peppers have a small return here, but you can grow sweet peppers that are relatives of the Sweet Banana pepper and they will be prolific for you. Danita gave me some last year and they were so sweet and I kept the seed.
My most prolific vegetables are tomatoes - Sungold cherry, chadwick cherry, green zebra. The key is to find tomatoes that will hold blossom in heat for a great crop that will continue into late summer. Yard Long Beans are my best bean planted after spring beans are done. I have so many I can freeze them all for winter from about 3 vines. The Red noodle hold color when cooked too! Malabar Spinach is an excellent hot weather leaf vegetable and looks gorgeous! You don't need to contain this one to the veggie garden! I also had the most prolific butternut squash (disease tolerant and bug resistant) which gave me more then 25 2-5 lb squash on ONE single vine! Asian veggies are also very prolific for me in summer and I look for those in specialty catalogs (and Botanical Interest carries some varieties too) that say "Heat and humidity tolerant" or are designated for sub tropical climates. Baker Creek does an excellent job of noting such little things.

If you are planning a veggie garden and have not grown one before I suggest prepping now and mulching to get some great microbial action going in the ground. Amend soil with manures and something with "bits" like ground up leaves (leaf mold is best) or nature's helper or CLM - both of which you need to add a small amount of lime to as they are acidic. I have found rock powders which I bought online from Fedco (cheapest place) or greensand in small amounts really works great the first time you amend. If the clay is really hard, a small amount of gypsom will help the compost break up the clay. To this I would add worm compost or worm tea (or compost tea) if you can get a few warm days to brew it (setting the container under a tent of plastic will help it heat up)... drench your soil in this to get the gorgeous microbes growing and feed your worms!!
You'll be so far ahead this spring with that extra dose of "tea" - once your garden begins to grow, spray it on to keep everything healthy without adding chemicals. Serenade helps too. Even one early application of Serenade makes a huge difference in a dry year.

I love to grow veggies!

GGG

For a small space and raised beds, you may want to check out square foot gardening. Someone on this forum recomended it to me last summer and I had some good success.

The full title of the square foot gardening book is "All New Square Foot Gardening: Grow More in Less Space" & it's by Mel Bartholomew. I'd also recommend the following books:

1. Carrots Love Tomatoes: Secrets of Companion Planting for Successful Gardening by Louise Riotte
2. The Complete Compost Gardening Guide: Banner Batches, Grow Heaps, Comforter Compost, and Other Amazing Techniques for Saving Time and Money, and Producing the Most Flavorful, Nutritious Vegetables Ever by Barbara Pleasant
3. Jerry Baker's Old-Time Gardening Wisdom by Jerry Baker
4. Month-By-Month Gardening in Georgia (Revised Edition): What to Do Each Month to Have a Beautiful Garden All Year by Walter Reeves and Erica Glasener
5. Guide to Georgia Vegetable Gardening by Walter Reeves & Felder Rushing
6. The Complete Herb Book by Jekka McVicar

Save money & check your local library before purchasing them, as many of them may be available there or through
interlibrary loan!

Also, if you have the sort of horrendous clay that most of us here have, I would recommend considering building raised beds. Here are a couple of links about building raised beds (no order of preference):

http://www.bhg.com/gardening/landscaping-projects/garden-structures/build-a-raised-bed/
http://www.eartheasy.com/grow_raised_beds.htm#a
http://www.planetnatural.com/site/raised-bed-gardening.html

Good luck!

Ooh, all this literary resource. Thanks!

I actually have gardened before but things are a bit different now. My FIL was always the one to prepare the area with his tractor. I know he amended the soil but it was all organic. The area was huge, probably 50 feet by 70 feet. Once he got everything prepped, I planted or instructed him in planting. The ground was incredibly fertile and wonderful. We were known to have people ride by from far away, just to look at our garden.

Now, in the house I live, except for my flower beds (which have been amended beyond belief), the soil is HORRIBLE! Most of it is shale and rocks and doesn't drain well at all. We had to bring in soil to get bermuda to grow on it and that just about grows on top of asphalt! This is why the raised gardening beds were something that I am considering. I know what to plant but my biggest challenge right now is getting the space figured and built and then getting the soil going so that I can be ready when it comes time to plant. Having the raised bed would be good for the design in the landscape and much easier to care for since I can't kneel at all.

I don't plant tomatoes though :/ I am highly allergic to the acid in fresh tomatoes and no one in my family eats them so we save our space for other things.

When we had our other garden, between me & my FIL, we grew enough to feed both families through the winter and I miss that. He's too old and fragile now to handle a garden and I haven't had the space to grow the past 4 years. I really want to get that done this year because I want my kids to experience the work and harvest. My family could eat it's weight in zuchinni, yellow crookneck squash and pole beans. I'd love some lady peas and some corn.

I keep thinking about the $$ that I spent at Fresh Market/Harry's/Farmer's Market the past 4 years and how much convenient it would have been to just go out in the backyard early in the mornings and pick lunch and dinner for the day.

Goodness, I need to get to work.
Dora

Thank you so much for all of the wonderful tips, hints, and reading suggestions. I'm bowled over by all of the great advice. I did an unofficial measurement the other day, and I think my space is roughly 8' X 30'. Give or take. My birthday is this week, and everyone is getting me gardening supplies for this bed. (My hubby is getting some stone for the raised beds! Can you tell I'm excited?)

I can't wait to get started.

Happy Birthday!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hi Pam! I did raised vegetable beds for the first time last year. Very fun! I had much more success in the raised beds than in the ground, despite good soil prep. Here are a few thoughts for you.... don't go too crazy the first year. You know that old adage about your eyes being bigger than your tummy? Your eyes can be bigger than your garden, too! Keep in mind that six nicely spaced tomato plants will quickly turn into a tomato jungle! (Speaking from personal experience!) Also, before you site your beds, be sure you have plenty of sun. Again, speaking from personal experience, you need Mr. Sun, or you will be disappointed. My beds get about 5 hours, but they really need more. Another tip, take a soil sample to your local extension office. Give them a call first, they will tell you how to get a good sample. I think it is no more than $6.00 and very well worth it. The test results will tell you what nutrients to add to your soil for good veggie production. Lastly, be sure to try a variety of tomato called Cherokee Purple. YUM, YUM, and YUUUUUUUUMMMMMM!
Good luck!