GardenersCardiff answers:

Why not grow them for your own use and just sell any extras to friends and co-workers? Or set up a farm stand in your yard.

Market farming, if you want to make any money takes a lot of time to do it right. You need to learn how to both grow for market (very different than growing a home garden) and how to market because just because you grew produce does not mean anyone will buy it. You have to make sure you have enough produce to make it worth going to market and that means having on hand at least $200 worth of stuff to sell (and never expect to sell out, that happens rarely) so you can cover the costs of market fees, fuel to get to market and your time at around $5 an hour (not to mention all the time it took to grow and maintain those crops)

If you have never grown a large garden (say 1/4 acre or better) than perhaps you need to work on that first.

GardenersCardiff answers:

Check out the grow systems at Spray-N-Grow Hydroponics – perfect for starting a few vegetables indoors

GardenersCardiff answers:

A good place for recycling magazines is a nursing home or possibly a clinic. Of course you would ask if they could use them. A kinder-garden or day care may want the cards.

GardenersCardiff answers:

From a purely economic perspective, depending on the type of things you grow and their cost in your area, one probably saves some money. Here in the midwest, I grow tomatoes and peppers, which can be pretty expensive, but not corn as it takes a lot of room and is very cheap in the late summer. Our garden is relatively small, I don’t own a rototiller, and only apply fertilizer once or twice a season, so my costs are low compared to my neighbor who has an elaborate watering system, fencing to keep rabbits out, a complicated trellis for beans, and fancy tomato cages.

From a time and labor perspective, it depends on the person, the size of the garden, the amount of detail you want to put into it, the amount of preparation in the spring, and the fastidiousness you exhibit during the growing season. My neighbor takes a more detailed, fanatic approach than I do. I simply hand till the soil, plant, and fertilize in late May. Then it’s a matter of watering and keeping the weeds down during the summer. So for me, it really isn’t much work. For others, it’s a lot of effort, for what seems, on the surface, as not much payoff.

But there’s obviously a lot more to it than that. I take a commuter train to work in Chicago every day, so when I get home, I find it very relaxing to putter around in the garden, and really enjoy being outside without the stress and noise of the city. I don’t get all philosophical and feel I’m closer to the earth, or communing with Mother Nature, I just like the peaceful setting, watching things grow, and the challenge of keeping the pests and weeds at bay.

Things taste a lot better when you’ve grown them yourself, especially compared to tomatoes that are grown on corporate farms to have a longer shelf life and be resistant to bruising, not for flavor. You also know the things you’ve grown don’t have any harmful chemicals or toxic substances in or on them. Friends and family are highly appreciative when you can give them fresh produce that you raised yourself as it is a very personal gift, and better tasting than that from the grocer. When I take tomatoes and peppers in for my coworkers, the folks that live in apartments really seem to enjoy them. It beats buying a box of donuts (mmm, donuts).

So it kind of depends on the person. I don’t spend any money on gardening books, magazines, and home videos. I don’t own any fancy equipment or elaborate systems, but a lot of people do, because they like the challenge of getting the most out of their garden and making it as efficient as possible. It doesn’t have to be a labor intensive activity unless you want it to. You’re probably right, in that some folks expend so much energy in their gardens, that it may seem too much for not enough payoff, but I bet they would have a different opinion. In February, when I can take some green pepper out of the freezer to cook with, I’ll know that it’s $3 a pound at the supermarket and mine will even taste better. It’s like any activity, there’s those are way into it and seem to take it to the extreme, and that may be the kind of people you’re referring to. But I think most folks take a more pragmatic approach and do the work that’s necessary while deriving a great deal of joy from the effort and the results.

GardenersCardiff answers:

Take the grapes off your list, for starters. If you’re a newbie, start small, with a few plants, and expand your garden as you gain experience. A common mistake for first-timers is that they put in too big a garden, with too much, and then are overwhelmed, and give up in frustration.

Strawberries I recommend growing in containers where you see them every day, and can keep an eye on them. A small vegetable garden with a couple tomatoes or peppers, or 1 or 2 other things is a good start. Pick your spot – a 3 foot by 10 or 12 foot is plenty big for your first year – in a sunny place, that isn’t too far from water or a hose. Till or just turn the soil with a shovel, and work in a lot of compost a couple weeks before your last frost date, and you’ll be ready to plant.

Grapes are a whole learning curve in themselves, and I recommend them NOT being the first thing your plant.

Blueberries, if your soil ph is below 6.5, are do-able, as they’re fairly simple to plant. If your soil ph is close to 7.0, though, they will never be very happy.

Tomatoes will want about 9 square feet of space per plant (I often see them planted about a foot apart – easy to do when they’re so small when you plant). Watermelon will sprawl – the vines traveling 10 to 20 feet…but if you have the space, you can kind of “direct” where the vine goes as it grows.

GardenersCardiff answers:

Plant something like squash that makes a lot and give it to your neighbors. Share what you have even if its not much at all. Talk to people who walk by while you are gardening. Give it a year or so. People don’t steal from their friends so be their friend.

Friendship and talk brings a sense of community instead of distrust and bickering.

I get more pleasure from sharing my produce with friends than actully eatting it all myself. Nobody in my area would steal becasue all they have to a do is ask.

Downtown in summer you must lock your car doors. If you don’t somebody will fill it with squash!