Ask:
I am looking to begin a garden this summer. We live in a cool but not too cold climate similar to NY, IL, or MN.
What are some hardy veggies that I could start with that are pretty resiliant? I am generally not very good with plants so I need something that won't die easily but won't necessarily take over the garden either.
Any suggestions?
Answer:
I wasn't sure where to start either so I asked my parents, My dad grew up on a farm and even though we didn't we still had a large garden growing up and lots of different veggies and things to can. So his advice was to start with maybe 2-3 different veggies. Mine are going to be tomatoes, cucumbers and I am still stuck on the 3rd. He said with cucumbers you can get ones that do not grow on a vine outward but upward and that would open the space for more veggies in the garden. I still have to look into it. We are moving to there house in May when they move out (My dad must retired) So I am planning some things out for all of this. I will see what else I come up with.
Answer:
Tomatoes and peppers are super easy.
Answer:
Zucchini and melon (watermelon, cantalope and honedew) are very easy also.
Answer:
squash is so simple and plentiful.
Answer:
We do tomatoes, green beans and yellow squash.
Answer:
Tomatoes and zucchini or squash are ones that I always have luck with. Some depends on how much room you have. Herbs are great too, but plant carefully as they can go crazy (I can't kill my mint or oregano!! Thankfully I buried them in a pot so not too out of control)
Answer:
Do you like beets, carrots or onions? They don't take up much space. Just plant your seeds and thin them out as they come up. It's important to thin out everything you start from seed! If you don't there isn't enough room for the veggie (or whatever) to grow.
We love to grow our own lettuce and spinach. It takes up very little space too. I start mine from seed in the garden. I do the same with herbs. Last year, I grew dill so I didn't have to buy it when I canned dill pickles.
Answer:
If you do lettuce, do a SHORT row....it's yummy, but otherwise you'll have more than you can keep up with. Same with tomatoes....one or two plants will give you tons of tomatoes....plant more if you are able to can them as they ripen. I like to plant green beans and sugar snap peas and I haven't had any trouble with sweet corn, either.
Answer:
I have a terrible brown thumb with indoor plants and flowers but there are a few veggies that I've always had luck with. Tomatoes, cucumbers and green/wax beans are all super easy to grow. I use tomato cages for the cucumber vines so they grow some vertically to not take up so much space across the garden. I've not had much luck with broccoli, lettuce or melons - but that's just me! Good luck & happy gardening!