In Michigan and new to gardening

[kritterkeeper]

I live in the middle about in Michigan...

I have a garden that my hubby made for me last year that just grew weeds.. this year I want it to grow plants that we can actually use..

Veggies lots of them..

Carrots, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, pumpkins, and watermelon

so what do I do and when?

Thank you

Donna B

 

[HunkieDorie23]

Wow, MI is cold so you should probably start your tomatoes indoors or you can buy plants. Do you know what zone you are in? Looking at my map... middle of MI zone 5?

Do you know your date of last frost? This thread has a link for you to follow.

http://www.theeasygarden.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=27867



Can't help you with carrots or lettuce. I am growing lettuce this year for the first time so ask me next year. Everything else you have the option to start indoor or plant direct. I normally do my indoor any then transplant. It just the way I like to do it. It up to you.

If you want to grow tomatoes from seed you will need to start them now. You're not late this is actually prefect timing. You can spend as much or as little as you want. Do you know if you want to start from seed?

 

[HunkieDorie23]

Here is a site for starting your own tomatoes.

http://www.growyourtomatoes.com/seed.html

It is very good except for the part about potting your tomatoes. Do not grab them as they are showing, I use a spoon and scoup under the tomato, if you need to touch or hold the tomato only do so with the cotyledon leaves which are the first once that appear. If you hold the seedling by the stem you can damage it and it will most likely die. Everything else is really good.

 

[vfem]

Nows a great time to turn your soil and get out them weeds for when you are ready to plant!

Do you know your Zone? I'm supposing you are Zone 5.

Here's a nice little planting schedule to get you an idea of what can be planted when. BUT, always wait until all threat of frost is past. Then I add a week!

http://www.thevegetablegarden.info/resources/planting-schedules/zones-5-6-planting-schedule

If you feel good about starting your seeds inside you sure can try it, but it may be easier to find seed that starts well right out (carrots, radish, lettuce, watermelon and cucumbers) and then buy or start things like peppers, tomatoes and squash/pumpkins.

Don't overwhelm yourself, if you do, you'll just want to quit...

Also weeds can be a pain, so to help 'cut down' on weeds and save your sanity over watering too... try to mulch around your plants. Inexpensive straw is fine, you don't have to buy expensive stuff. That will help control disease, weeds and keep moisture in for less watering over the season. A definite stress reducer.

Gardening is about loving what you are doing!

Now I will

 

[digitS']

Donna, your tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, pumpkins, and watermelon will be large plants and set out or sown fairly late. You have a chance to cultivate the soil a few times to kill weed seedlings. Even a light raking the last couple of times will tear tiny weeds up and lower the competition for your veggies.

It should be easy to get mulch around these 5. Newspaper or cardboard covered with grass clippings, for example, is very a effective mulch.

Lettuce can be started indoors and set out but it is probably easier to direct-sow the seed in the garden. Lettuce seed will germinate at just about the lowest soil temperature of any veggie - so, you can start it very early. You may want to sow some radish seed and plant onion sets about the same time so that you've got garden salad fixin's!

You should find your most weed-free ground to plant lettuce and make plans now on how you will get in there to pull out weeds. Don't "cram" the rows together. Mulch may not be the best thing for lettuce. Earwigs and slugs like mulch . . . they love lettuce.

Carrots, you may have the most trouble with. The seed seems to germinate slowly, even in the best of circumstances. Weeds can really crowd skinny, little carrot plants and pulling out weeds without pulling up carrot seedlings is difficult. Don't let the carrots grow too closely together, anyway. If you get a good "stand" of carrots, they will probably need to be thinned.

Here's wishing you the Best of Luck and a Good Garden!

Steve

 

[kritterkeeper]

Thank you So much-


I hope I can do this right..

Donna B