Your Questions About Gardening

What’s “greener”: Growing your own vegetables or buying locally farmed seasonal vegetables?

I’m keen on reducing the impact I have on the world. Yet it’s hard to know what’s best. I mean, you could look at growing your own vegetables… Say runner beans, or you could go to the local shop and buy locally farmed runner beans which could in theory be greener.

Say you grow enough runner beans to last a whole winters worth of roast dinners*.
Also you buy enough runner beans to last a whole winters worth of roast dinners*.

*a roast, every sunday where runner beans make up a portion.

In my heart I believed growing my own would be greenest, but my head says buying would… since if you produce something en masse in theory it could be more efficient. (i.e. you water a couple of square meters of runner beans compared to a couple of hectares of runner beans you’ll probably use more water per bean on the former)
Hi, Please exclude my single example of the different amounts of water used. I wish to include machinery emissions involved in harvesting, transportation emmisions, assuming loose runner beans not the evil plastic wrapped crap, and so on. Any factor that contributes towards it being less green. ‘Green’ is not carbon, it is not water, it is not chemicals, it is many things:)
Hi, Thanks for all the answers. I have been trying to grow some of my own herbs and vegetables with varying success. It is also on my list of things to do to plant native plants, trees and so on. I want to try to reduce my negative affects of the earth and it’s inhabitants (yet, I do want to live!) and I want to do more positive things for other nature (like encourage insects to native plants encouraging birds!)

How often should I water my vegetable seeds?

I’ve just bought a starter kit to grow my own vegetable patch and I’m unsure as to how often I should water the seeds. In the kit there are 5 small pots with compost and 5 packets of seeds (pumpkin, tomato, spring onion, cucumber and carrot). The instruction booklet tells me how to plant the seeds but has no instructions on how often they need watering or feeding.

I’m a complete novice at this sort of thing and any advice would be much appreciated. It would be great to be able to eat fresh vegetables that I have grown myself!!

I want to start a vegetable garden in my yard. Any suggestions?

I live in Maryland. I was wondering what vegetables would be ideal to grow in my area? I guess, to be more specific, are there any vegetables that I can plant in August and will be ready to harvest in the fall?

I am not sure how green my thumb is but I certainly would love to at least try to grow my own vegetables. I am just unsure of what vegetables are ideal for each particular season.