Comments on: Gardening for Health, Wealth, and Independence

By: Liz

Liz — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 00:16:35 +0000

Your garden is beautiful!

I don’t know if you’ve read it or not but “Square Foot Gardening” can give you some great ideas for how to get the most out of your raised beds.

What a sad state of affairs we are in when having a vegetable garden is looked down upon by the neighbors.

By: D

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 14:21:18 +0000

Hey Matt,
Sure your garden looks great but living in surburbia doesn’t mean people don’t like gardens. It’s your property so do what you want with it and if the neighbors don’t like it, tell them to close their eyes when they pass by, even if driving.

By: fern

fern — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 17:05:10 +0000

If the deck near which you plan to put an herb garden is made of weather-treated wood, again, you should avoid gardening in that area entirely, or at LEAST do a soil test that tests for heavy metals.

Many studies have shown that the soil in and around children’s playgrounds using pressure-treated wood contains arsenic and other stuff you don’t want to ingest. Anything constructed after 2004 (see attached article) would be ok.

http://www.healthybuilding.net/arsenic/index.html

By: Jo

Jo — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 14:33:55 +0000

Interesting on the timing of this topic. My SO and I are in the process of purchasing a home. The one we made an offer on is in pristine (read that “move-in”) condition. This includes the 1.2 acres the house is on.

Right between the ground floor covered [by the deck] porch and garage is a small garden designed much like yours. However, my plan is to convert that strictly into an herb garden and relocate the veggie garden itself to the back or side of the lot. Unfortunately, the countryside of northwest PA is replete with deer, so I would have to surround the garden with a fence high enough to keep them out. There’s also blood meal that works until the rains come and wash that out. That would be an ongoing purchase. A one-time purchase of perhaps a chain link fence would probably be the ticket.

Thoughts here on other means will certainly be taken into consideration. Excellent garden, BTW!! I will be saving this for added ideas. ; -)

By: Rosa

Rosa — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 22:58:49 +0000

Fern, county extension offices will test a soil sample for you. Ours was free because we live in a neighborhood with known lead, but the most they should cost is $10-$15.

We have a, I don’t know, 1/10 acre lot? So my garden is in little beds plus containers -t his year I’ve expanded to have some containers in the driveway. Our peas are doing great there, in an old recycling container w/a trellis.

This is the first year my son is interested in the garden other than to destroy things, so it’s been a lot of fun. We’re growing tomatos, tomatillos, corn, squash, zucchini, cucumbers, asian greens, peas, borage, basil, lavender, sage, and flowers.

I don’t count my time, since this is a hobby, but we spend about $50/year on the garden including seeds, starts, compost, fertilizer and random other supplies (this year: wood for a new raised bed. Last year: trellises.) Even in a bad year we get $50 of basil from terracotta pots on the back deck, easy – a year’s worth of homemade pesto.

By: Matt Jabs

Matt Jabs — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 19:29:21 +0000

@Everyone: Thanks for your encouragement & for sharing your experiences.

@Lysle: Cost is only one of the reasons to have your own garden…there are many other great reasons. Regarding cost, I do not have a statistical breakdown of my savings, but I do know it saves me a boat-load on store bought produce…especially organic which is what I buy.

By: bas

bas — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 19:14:04 +0000

We put in a raised bed garden in this year for the first time on our little uban lot, 5 x12 – very much like yours, nothing overly fancy. In prior years, I just planted everything in pots – a few tomatoes, a few peppers, lettuce, and a bunch of herbs. Raised beds are great – very little weeding to be done, and once the plants are in, it’s only about an hour a week in work. This year there are 8 varieties of tomatoes, 3 varieties of peppers, zucchini, summer squash, lettuce, swiss chard, green beans, cucumbers and sugar snap peas – looking forward to lots of veggies!

By: Corporate Barbarian

Corporate Barbarian — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 18:47:02 +0000

Growing up, we always had a garden. Marigolds, too. It was great to be able to pull a carrot out of the ground, rinse it off, and eat it fresh. I had one a few years ago, but a swimming pool now occupies its place. Someday. Maybe I can try container gardening. You have a nice, neat setup there, Matt.

By: Ladybug

Ladybug — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 17:32:59 +0000

I love the Elizabeth Murray quote! I too have started a vegetable garden, although not as large as yours. Our salad last night consisted of the lettuce and herbs from the garden. It was really rewarding to eat what I have grown.

By: fern

fern — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 17:18:23 +0000

I have an acre and a half but didn’t have a full-blown vegetable garden until this year. I’ve lived here 14 years.) Mainly due to the nuisance of deer and woodchucks who deccimate anythingin their path. But with rising food costs and the desire to eat organic, i invested in fencing and now have a 11 x 18′ foot fenced plot . .. in my front yard. I have much more land in the front, which also gets a lot more sun, than my smaller backyard, and my front yard is shielded from view anyway, so doesn’t matter what neighbors think.

I woldn’t advise most of your readers to till a garden so close to the house. Even if you have vinyl or aluminum siding, if the house was once wood siding, every time the house was scraped before repainting, you could easily have gotten paint chips/flakes full of lead settle into the soil.

By: Mike the Gardener

Mike the Gardener — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 14:24:43 +0000

Nice raised bed gardens! Everything looks great!

Regards,
Mike the Gardener

By: Lysle

Lysle — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 14:15:33 +0000

I’ve always wondered if planting a garden makes sense on a cost basis especially when you factor in your time. I’m a pretty busy person, so I can only do so much. How much time per week do you expect to put into tending the garden and then afterward handling of the final fruit of your labor? How much total expense (including cost of your time) does it add up to be compared to store bought?

By: Alan @ Saving For Serenity

Alan @ Saving For Serenity — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 13:57:16 +0000

Nice work!

My fiancee and I just planted our “garden”. We have even less space – we’re renting!

By: Susan from LI

Susan from LI — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 13:54:28 +0000

I love my little garden. I’d love to expand it – maybe next year. I have some tomatoes, lettuce, basil, oregano, thyme, sage and mint (in a container).

It’s my tiny little corner of peace in my crazy world.

By: DDFD at DivorcedDadFrugalDad

DDFD at DivorcedDadFrugalDad — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 12:26:34 +0000

Matt– Nice post and pictures.

You may want to add containers to your garden as well. They can be moved and argued as temporary to pesky neighbors . . .

By: Nicki at Domestic Cents

Nicki at Domestic Cents — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 12:23:49 +0000

Your raised beds look great! Way to keep the peace in the neighborhood