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Old 04-04-23, 03:42 PM  
JENILU
 
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: AL
Beginner, Tiny Gardening Venture

As a sweet gift to help me get outdoors more, my husband made me a gardening table (basically a table deep enough to put whatever plants I want to grow in). Of course I want to do it all, but have no green thumb unless using miracle grow, lol.
Anyway, I am hesitant of vegies because I am worried I wouldn't use them fast enough,. One thing I want to do is herbs, because I use them a lot, but also, if I don't use them, theya re fragrant- and some would hopefully keep the bugs out (i.e. bugs hate peppermint, etc)
My real joy would be planting things (I did this a little last year) for butterflies and hummingbirds. I didn't even mean to. I got a few things I liked (one i used to call Barbie Bouquets, lol, but I think its lantana. Anyway, PLANTS ARE SO STINKING EXPENSIVE!!! Is there an affordable way to enjoy this? - and if its starting from scratch, etc, I definately need help and know how if there is a good resource. I have a large pot, a smaller pot (maybe a few others lying around, and my table)
***- oh, and a good ground cover is needed where we can't seem to get a lot of grass- i think the water runs thru there too much for things to be able to grow well, and there are a lot of trees, so light comes and goes, but we have put a lot of big rocks there. (I live in zone 8 if that means anything) - poison oak and ivy seems to grow very easily thru the whole yard no matter what. I never knew their vines could get so thick. I almost broke some big clippers i had. That may have been poison oak because it seemed to have a symbiotic relationship with the tree. I'd love to be able to get rid of those or a ground cover that takes over those, because my histamine intolerance has become insane.

Maybe I just want to hear it all, lol. I am hesitant to really invest and not be able to keep up.

Blessings!!
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Old 04-04-23, 03:57 PM  
Gams
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Hmm...I wonder if lily of the valley would work as a ground cover for you. I have a shady yard and the soil is not the best, but I’ve got lily of the valley growing everywhere. It even manages to pop up in my stone steps. It’s pretty and smells great, too.
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Old 04-04-23, 05:14 PM  
JENILU
 
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: AL
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Originally Posted by Gams View Post
Hmm...I wonder if lily of the valley would work as a ground cover for you. I have a shady yard and the soil is not the best, but I’ve got lily of the valley growing everywhere. It even manages to pop up in my stone steps. It’s pretty and smells great, too.
Thankyou so much!! I'll look into that!!
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Old 04-04-23, 05:54 PM  
Fonzie
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Join Date: Jun 2002
Herbs are beginner-friendly and the pollinators like them too

I agree that plants can be expensive! You may want to be on the lookout for local plant sales sponsored by church or community groups. They can be much cheaper. Do you have a Lowe's Home improvement store nearby? They often have racks full of clearance plants. (Some of them need a little TLC, others are fine.) If you have friends or neighbors who garden, they may have plants that need dividing and may be glad to share.

I am also in zone 8. I suggest looking into plants that are native to your area as they are likely to grow better for you. You can usually get that info from your county ag extension office, or just looking around online.
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Old 04-05-23, 03:36 AM  
JENILU
 
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: AL
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fonzie View Post
Herbs are beginner-friendly and the pollinators like them too

I agree that plants can be expensive! You may want to be on the lookout for local plant sales sponsored by church or community groups. They can be much cheaper. Do you have a Lowe's Home improvement store nearby? They often have racks full of clearance plants. (Some of them need a little TLC, others are fine.) If you have friends or neighbors who garden, they may have plants that need dividing and may be glad to share.

I am also in zone 8. I suggest looking into plants that are native to your area as they are likely to grow better for you. You can usually get that info from your county ag extension office, or just looking around online.
Thankyou so much!! We have a Lowe's, but I hate going there after an order snafu. i may have to be a buttercup and go anyway. My library has seeds. They do some kind of seed trading program, but i am just so scared to take and then not be able to do the extra work and the poor things get wasted. I love your recs tho and will try them, thankyou
(My MIL used to be notorious for stopping on the side of the road when she saw plants in a yard she liked an would take a cutting, lol, part of why I haven't asked her advice- the other being, she has no idea what a budget in. I don't know how she and my FIL have ever gotten by- i know my hubby helped a lot over the years, especially before I knew him, he even watches their account....anyways, sorry, she is a big plant lover, but not one I can ask much advice of til I already have what I need sitting here.)
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Old 04-05-23, 02:05 PM  
DBW
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
If you’re on FB, look for a gardening group for your area to join. I’ve learned a lot from reading posts.
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Old 04-05-23, 05:56 PM  
tracyb
 
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Columbia, Missouri
Here in Missouri, the state university system has extension offices throughout the state with gardening resources for all levels, as well as online articles. They are a great source of information for me.

Last edited by tracyb; 04-05-23 at 05:56 PM. Reason: typo
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Old 04-05-23, 07:15 PM  
Lori_Michigan
 
Join Date: Feb 2014
I have gardened for years and I have some suggestions:
--Lowe's/Home Depot have really good starter plants for some veggies, and they are infinitely easier than starting from seed. (I live in a cold climate so I have limited time.) Depending on the size of your garden, you'll only need a few of each variety. Take the dimensions with you and they will help you determine how many you need.
--Potting soil mixed with some Miracle Gro granules and bone meal at the start will get you great results. Don't overwater! Try to add more Miracle Gro every few weeks to enrich your soil.
--I stick with only tomatoes, peppers, squash (zucchini and yellow), and a large variety of herbs. Harvest every week and you'll have a great options to add to meals all summer into fall! I make/add to pizzas, roast the veggies, and give to friends/family if there's too many, but we try to eat seasonally and look forward to the freshness.
-- I make herb salt and herb oil with my fresh herbs and use them all year round! Very easy and rewarding!

In terms of flowers:
--My grocery store has petunias that are cheap and I buy enough to fill baskets each spring. They attract both hummingbirds and butterflies and are just lovely. The wave variety will really take off and be beautiful during the summer.
-- Geraniums are also really low maintenance and are cheaper than other flowers. Plus you can winter them over in your house if you put them near a window.
-- Hollyhocks grow well from seeds and come in a variety of colors. They really attract hummingbirds!
--Pansies are really low maintenance during the cooler spring months and help to brighten the garden until the others take off.
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Old 04-05-23, 09:12 PM  
fatkat555
 
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Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: New Orleans metro area
I’ve had great luck with vinca. Here in the Deep South they will self-seed and will act like perennials. I just have to be patient for the seedlings to come up. I also have had good luck with sweet potato vines. I’ve planted several colors together and they spread everywhere. You can root cuttings and plant in other areas, too. These will sometimes come back after winter. I have a few poking up out of the ground now. Both are fairly cheap and pest resistant.
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Old 04-06-23, 02:56 AM  
JENILU
 
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: AL
Oh my goodness!! Y'all are awesome!! So many good ideas and I will be looking into all of them (except maybe the college one because they don't seem to do anything like that here- but the library does some)

Y'all have given me some sweet memories I forget sometimes from when I was very young. When my father was alive he used to garden and would walk me thru it, but I was too young to really learn anything, sadly. here I am 48 and want to do a little more than the accidental, but fun bit I did last year.

And I definately want to my hubby's sweet table gift worth it.
(I also want to put some of those herbs and ground covers in the yard. That is a definate!

Bless y'all for your help.
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