just finished prepping my soil. i am planting radish, habanero peppers, tomatoes, squash, turnip greens, okra, green onions in about a 15x5 foot space in a desert climate. just following the directions on the back of the seed packets. non toxic bug control? any plants that don't like being near each other? need more space? any random comments?
starting first veggie garden, any advice?
If the squash isn't a bush variety you planted the plant will easily take over the whole 5 by 15 plot.
Welcome, skooltchr. Enjoy you're gardening. But remember - can be habit forming!
My big challenge when I started growing a few tomatoes here in the desert was keeping soil moisture at a reasonable level. With the high sun load and low humidity, it dried out super quickly. I alternated between real dry soil and real wet,.leading to a lot of tomato blossom end rot. At the suggestion of someone on the forum here I began to mulch heavily, which dramatically slowed loss of moisture into the air. More better!
Frank
Random thoughts. Yes Mulch! Keep a garden journal. Peppers and tomatoes belong to the same family-plan to plant them somewhere else next year. Radishes are a quick matruring crop that like cool weather - doesnt sound like they will grow in your climate. Maybe plant them where a taller plant will give them some afternoon shade. Plant basil near your tomatoes, makes them both taste better. scatter marigolds around too.
What kind of tomatoes? Are you starting seeds or buying plants? Most indeterminate types need pretty strong supports of some kind.
On the Gardeners Supply website there is a garden planner that helps you see what will fit.
will a trellis help tame the wild squash growth? i will also trellis the tomatoes. mulch, will do. thanx for the advice.
I have never trellised squash, but I have read that it can be done. The book "Square Foot Gardening" by Mel Bartholomew has a lot of information in it that is very helpful. Just be sure to get the new edition, it is very different than the first. A friend just bought it at our local dollar store for $5, and I'm sure the library would have it.
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