Want to start gardening; where to start?

[domestic goddess]

Now that I am living at dd's house, which has a nice-sized yard, I would like to start a garden. But I don't quite know where to start. What are easy to grow plants that would give me some encouragement, and make me think this is a worthwhile thing to do? We love fruits, vegetables, not so much. I was thinking about starting with some strawberries, because I know those will surely get eaten, and I have grown them before.
Also, dsil dug up a nice patch next to the garage, and was annoyed that I didn't use it this year. Well, first of all, it was quite late in the season before he did this, the area faces North, so there is almost no sun (shaded by the garage), and he just turned the soil over, leaving the grass, weeds, and whatever there to grow again. I can't really think of anything that will grow in so much shade, but could make a garden of shade-loving plants there, I guess. Then I'll just have to have him dig somewhere else.
My 10 year old dgd joined the garden club at school, so I'm sort of counting on her to help me out next summer. The people in this family love to eat hot peppers, so that would be somewhere to start. Just about any kind of fruit would be good, too. I'm thinking about a pepper garden, with different varieties of peppers to get started. Don't want to start doing too much, too fast, or I won't be able to keep up.
Suggestions and advice, anyone?

[Mrs-M]

Start slow. One or two things as a warm-up, then progress from there. Proper soil conditioning is key to a healthy and productive garden. Soil should be loose, nutrient rich, and free of any weeds, etc. (Exposure to all day sun is key to a workable garden that produces).

As far as fruit goes, that takes a long time, so be patient. i.e. Apple trees, strawberry/raspberry/berry bushes, grape vines, you are looking at a number of years for these to mature to a point where you will be able to reap the bounty.

Cucumbers, tomatoes, radishes, green onions, carrots, and dill, IMO, are easiest of all. They require minimal attention, and as long as you water regularly (and thoroughly), you'll reap a kings bounty! So delicious!!!

Poor quality soil that's been neglected or over-worked will need revitalization. Fresh manure works wonders! And yes, it does smell awful! But it works...

Hmmm... what else to mention. Oh yeah, if you like pole beans or peas, those too are pretty much fool-proof and reward any gardener with a bounty of mouthwatering delight! There's nothing like a feast of fresh garden grown peas or beans for supper!!!

P.S. To help get started on the right foot, don't be afraid to hit your neighbours up for hints and tips. Most established and experienced gardeners are delighted to be able to help a newcomer.

[herbgeek]

Peppers - or any fruiting crop for that matter- aren't going to work in any area with little sun. You might be able to grow salad greens, parsley, dill, mint and maybe some asian greens though. You can grow hot peppers easily in a pot though, if you have a sunny place for the pot.

[domestic goddess]

Yes, herbgeek, we have a deck with a lot of sun, so there will be pots there. I'm good with pots, but have less experience actually growing stuff in the ground. I want to start small, and have some success. I have big thoughts, though, and have to pare them down. Much of the backyard has full sun, though, but I can't make dsil understand that we need to plant there. He keeps saying that our next door neighbor has great success planting next to her garage. Yes, she does, but her garden there faces south and is in sun all day.
I've had apple trees before, and am aware that it takes a few years to establish fruits. But we like them so much it would be worth it. I remember my grandmother making grape jelly from their own grapes, and we kids used to go down and just pick and eat strawberries. Those were the days!

[fidgiegirl]

I enjoyed this book a lot when I first got into gardening. Though you didn't say you have a small space, and I don't particularly either, I still got lots of good ideas from it. http://www.amazon.com/Lasagna-Gardening-Small-Spaces-Containers/dp/0875968864/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1319426246&sr=8-1

[Marianne]

I'd suggest you talk to the neighbors to see what they're growing, too. Then you'll know what performs well in your zone, the type of soil, etc.

Also, do a search for 'no till gardening'. When I start a garden in a new spot, I don't till or weed, I ammend the soil on top and then smother the weeds/grass. To this day, I rarely have to weed. AND mulch, mulch, mulch. I use straw because it's readily available, but a lot of people use grass clippings which are high in Nitrogen.

Have fun and good luck!

[flowerseverywhere]

Yes, herbgeek, we have a deck with a lot of sun, so there will be pots there. I'm good with pots, but have less experience actually growing stuff in the ground. I want to start small, and have some success. I have big thoughts, though, and have to pare them down. Much of the backyard has full sun, though, but I can't make dsil understand that we need to plant there. He keeps saying that our next door neighbor has great success planting next to her garage. Yes, she does, but her garden there faces south and is in sun all day.
I've had apple trees before, and am aware that it takes a few years to establish fruits. But we like them so much it would be worth it. I remember my grandmother making grape jelly from their own grapes, and we kids used to go down and just pick and eat strawberries. Those were the days!


Put a tomato and pepper plant in the north facing garage side with a few cucumber seeds. Then put some in the full sun. I can predict what is going to happen and you can show sil what you mean. You don't need a huge spot -plant a few plants and seeds the first year. What I did when I expanded my garden was to put down cardboard from boxes on the ground and pile compost on top of that (i got some from my local community pile)- they were great for vines such as zucchini and pumpkins and did very well. Of course you don't know what chemicals are in the compost, it could be a lot of weed killer from people trying to get golf course lawns but I decided to use it to establish my new areas. I normally just use it on my flower beds that we won't be eating of course.
Also, only plant what you and your family like to eat. I know someone who hates tomatoes so for them my prized heirloom tomatoes are not a good idea to try to grow.

This is my second year of fruit trees. Peaches were very good and we had quite a few. A few apples and no cherries this year. I anticipate three or four more years before we get a decent crop.

[ljevtich]

I would also suggest starting out slow. Not only that, but get your learning skills going early by starting off with Sprouts. The folks at Sprout People (http://sproutpeople.org/) are the best, with lots of info and tips. You can start of the sprouting now, or use other methods of hydroponics (like you see in the stores with the light source and seeds) to get you started.

I found I liked the radish sprouts much better than growing radishes, as they took forever! But the most important help you can get with sprouts is that it helps you learn patience. Pulling a radish before it is ready, well, that is a shame, but pulling or tasting a sprout before it is ready, not a problem, it will still be tasty!