Newbie

[Kimberly Ingram]

I live on a very rocky hillside AND I have dogs! I experimented with a very small garden this year... only squash, zucchini, green beans, okra and corn. I guess I planted the corn and okra too late because I got nothing, but the squash and zucchini did OK. The green beans didn't do well at all but I'm not sure what all I did wrong.

Anyway, since I work 2 jobs, I have very little time to spend caring for a garden and my biggest problem is keeping the plants watered and free of weeds. Would gardening with containers be better for my situation?

[Tom Butler]

Hi Kimberly- There are couple of different ways to approach this. You could terrace your hillside thus inscreasing the depth of your soil and preventing run off and helping to control your moisture levels in your soil. It sounds like you are a busy person, so I do think that container or even raised beds would be great choice for you. They are simple and effective and provide maiximum control over your soil and moisture levels. I have had luck growing green beans on a trellis with a trailing variety of green beans. This helps get more productivity over every square foot. Containers have an added bonus in that can move them around to get maximum sunlight or bring them in during adverse weather conditions. I planted my okra in March and got a great yield. Okra stand the heat very well much like my jalapenos.

I am getting ready for my early spring garden now. I will plant on January 1, which may be a little early, but I like to push the gardening envelope...I like to call it extreme gardening. :) I will be planting red potatoes, red swiss chard and spinach. Will plant the rest of the garden on March 1.

Anyway hope you have the best of luck and please feel free to post any questions you may have! We also like to see pics of your garden.

Tom aka Your Garden Buddy