Greetings from Beankeeper!

[Beankeeper]

Hi Everyone!

I'm a novice right now but very excited to become a full-fledged, stock-my-pantry, can-my-goods gardener! My best friend is one of the most inspiring gardeners I know. She is really gifted. She just seems to know when to do this or how to avoid that. She has encouraged me and inspired me to make it not just a if-I-have-the-time hobby, but a serious, pantry-stocking, vase-filling lifestyle. I really believe that this gardening forum can help me grow (pun intended)! So, I apologize in advance if I only have the basics of gardening to share and if I will mostly be learning from all of you, but I am really excited to get started and share ideas.

Sincerely,

Beankeeper

 

[Pat]

Welcome to the group BeanKeeper. I am sure you will learn a lot here and meet some interesting people. What types of plants are you interested in vegetables or flowers or both. Do you have a favorite plant?

 

[Beankeeper]

Thank you, Pat! I hope you're right about learning a lot and meeting interesting people! I'm a stay-at-home mother but I also help run our online business and that keeps me too busy to adequately maintain friendships, but at least I have the internet and forums like this one!

I'm mostly interested in growing vegetables because that's basically all we eat. We try to stay organic and fresh but we're having a hard time going shopping lately, having the best choices, keeping it all fresh, and alas, money is always an issue. I would give anything to live the way I used to. If I wanted a salad, I marched myself outside and picked it from my garden! I want that lifestyle back but I had a lot of help back then and I'm afraid I let someone else do most of the planning and calendar-marking. I didn't retain a lot of the information they'd taught me (it was my grandmother). So, here I am, hoping to reclaim it again and learn from you all.

I love flowers. I have only worked with greenery or roses. I'd love to grow my own Gerbera daisies. Those are my absolute favorite! What about you?

 

[Tommyotommy]

Hi Everyone!

I'm a novice right now but very excited to become a full-fledged, stock-my-pantry, can-my-goods gardener! My best friend is one of the most inspiring gardeners I know. She is really gifted. She just seems to know when to do this or how to avoid that. She has encouraged me and inspired me to make it not just a if-I-have-the-time hobby, but a serious, pantry-stocking, vase-filling lifestyle. I really believe that this gardening forum can help me grow (pun intended)! So, I apologize in advance if I only have the basics of gardening to share and if I will mostly be learning from all of you, but I am really excited to get started and share ideas.

Sincerely,

Beankeeper

Hi! As a beginning gardener with free time at a minimum, I would start off small this year. Get a few transplants from your garden center like tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumbers and a pack of Bush snap beans. That should take you through the fall with garden salads for your table. You can think about planting more next year so you be able to can some. Good luck and welcome.

 

[Beankeeper]

Tommyotommy - Thank you so much for your suggestions. I need all the advice I can get. I agree with you. I'm not sure that I have the time I need in order to get everything in the ground before their specific deadlines. Plus, Michigan may be exceptional for growing things but we often get overwhelming rains and awful heat here (if you live in an area with no shade for specific plants) so although the potential is there, it could easily be ruined by my bad timing. So, I will head to the local shop! Thanks, again!

 

[Becky]

Hello and welcome aboard!

 

[Tommyotommy]

Tommyotommy - Thank you so much for your suggestions. I need all the advice I can get. I agree with you. I'm not sure that I have the time I need in order to get everything in the ground before their specific deadlines. Plus, Michigan may be exceptional for growing things but we often get overwhelming rains and awful heat here (if you live in an area with no shade for specific plants) so although the potential is there, it could easily be ruined by my bad timing. So, I will head to the local shop! Thanks, again!

Your vegetables like all the sun they can get so don't worry about no shade for them. I'm in south Louisiana and we do have more humidity, rain and heat than we want sometimes too. Like now, thunderstorms are rolling in and the wind is doing a number on some of my tomatoes. I see one big branch down loaded with green tomatoes. If it's broken I may be harvesting some big green ones a little early. Haha. The challenge of dealing with weather always keeps us on our toes.