Starting Seeds Indoors

Last year my husband and I tried a vegetable garden for the first time and didn't have a lot of luck. Our plants grew, but didn't produce many vegetables. Even our zucchinis ended up rotting before they were big enough to pick. I'm wondering if maybe our yard doesn't get enough sun. Does this sound like the problem? We don't really have any other places for a garden, so does anyone think it would work if we start the seeds indoors now? Are there any vegetables that would grow well in some shade?

Thanks, Dana

Hi Dana, welcome to Dave's Garden!!! This past summer I tried my zukes in a new place. They started out fine but soon got mildew and ended up rotting too. Zukes need a LOT of sun and soil that drains well -not my clay :( I've found that green beans (string and pole) and lettuce grow well in some shade and my beets did well too. I'm sure others will be able to help you more.

Danak, you should have a soil test done to see if your soil is lacking something or has too much of something else. Your county extension agent can give you the test kit and send it off and then will give you recommendations. I think it is $5 per sample, at least that's what it is in KY. That's always the best place to start before moving around your garden and doing other things :) Good luck. Kathy

Yep, a good soil test never hurts. You can often get the results back in a short time this time of year also.

I'm wondering what you fed your plants, Dana. Underfed plants will grow but grow poorly. The rotting zukes could've happened for a myriad of reasons, incomplete pollination, too cold, bugs, worms, etc.

As for starting seeds now, find out when your last frost date is and count backwards...you can start tomatoes about 6 weeks before the frost date, pepper you can start 8 wks (even ten wks!) before the frost date. Fast growing plants like cukes and zukes can be start 3-4 wks b4 that frost date. Hope this helps.

If you care to give more details that will also help us out with more answers (how much sun, type of soil, high and low temps, etc).

Danak, I wanted to let you know of one more thing. If you have a soil test and get recommendations from you ext. agent, be aware that his/her recommendations may be for chemical applications. If you are an organic farmer, be sure to ask what you can apply that will not conflict with how you garden. :)

Okay, I guess there's a lot to learn! I've recently had great luck with house plants, but moving on to the outdoors is another story... I don't have a clue what our soil type is, so I guess I should get that tested. We do want to garden organically. Maybe there's a good book about this? Our front yard gets sun, but our neighbors have told us that when people plant veges in front, the neighbor kids eat them! But in the back yard we don't get much sun. So maybe for now we can try lettuce, and last year we did have some luck with our beans. Thanks for the help so far! I'll sure take more advice, and I'll let you know how it goes...

If the neighbor kids eat veggies...feed em! Catch them in that act of harvesting and you could reel in some helpers!

Danak, Here's a good book to start with: Rodale's Garden Problem Solver...Vegetables, Fruits, and Herbs by Jeff Ball. Your local library may have it, I know they are offered sometimes on Ebay and you can probably get it from Barnes & Noble, or Amazon. Com or any bookstore, but I think the price now is around $30. Worth every penny of it. It is a great source to learn how to test your soil, how to apply amendments to your soil and best of all is based on organic practices.

It also has sections about most vegetables, listed individually; most herbs, same way; and another section about insects and whether they are good, bad, or indifferent :)

It may even be listed here at DG in the Garden Bookworm.

Also, if you come across any book or magazine from Rodale Press, it is undoubtedly written on organic concepts.

Good luck to you....We have been growing for market for 15 years and have always been chemical free/organic, so if you have any questions feel free to ask. There are many others here that would love to toot the organic horn also. :)

Kathy @ Misty Meadows Farm

P.S. I have another favorite book: Carrots Love Tomatoes by Louise Riotte. It is all about companion planting, for instance planting sweet basil in amongst your tomatoes for pest control as well as flavor enhancement for your maters and your basil. :)

This message was edited Apr 7, 2004 11:39 PM

Oh! I learned about companion planting-- using corn as poles for green beans, because the beans have nitrogen-fixing bacteria, which act as fertilizer for the corn. These joint crops are common in the Andes. My mom tried it last year and found that you need to plant the corn first, though. :) It is very interesting learning about that kind of thing. I would like that book. Thanks for the advice!

I found my copy of the Rodale's Garden Probelm Solver on half.com (another ebay company) for under $3.00. That is a really good place to find books on a gardener's budget!

Isn't it a wonderful book Daisy? We keep ours out like a dictionary, it's a bible....:)

MmHmm!
That and Pat Welch's Southern California book. It goes month by month - an instruction manual for my garden!!