Interested in starting my first garden - need some tips

[Brandon Alford]

Hello Everyone! I'm interested in starting a small fruit/vegetable garden in my backyard next year, and am wondering what kinds of fruits/vegetables are good to plant near the Austin, TX area (Cedar Park, specifically)? 

The area I'm looking at clearing off for gardening space is about 10X10 and has direct sunlight for most of the day. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated, I'm a newbie when it comes to gardening, but would love to start since my sons are old enough to help out and learn about growing our own food.

Some things I'd like pointers on:

-what types of fruits/vegetables are good to grow in my area and type of setup (I'm either going to till the soil or put in a border and fill it with soil, not sure which is better)?

-what are some of the do's & don'ts in setting up the soil/gardening space, etc.

My initial plan is to find some good recommendations for fruits and vegetables to grow, and then see which ones my boys want to try out. Once we've settled on the types of things we're growing, I'd like to delve more into the nitty-gritty on building the space, choosing the right type of soil, watering system, etc.

Any help or suggestions are greatly appreciated!

[Super Karen]

Hello There,

My best piece of advice is go slowly and start small. Only tackle a handful of plants when you first start gardening. Next season tackle more.

I have found I have picked up the most hints through volunteering with the Green Corn Project they create organic raised beds for low income families. You can bring your boys, too. There were kids as young as 4 years old helping out. They were actually the most fun to watch as the ooohed and aaahhed over various details. http://www.greencornproject.org/gc/volunteer/digins

Texas A&M has some of the best online resources for growing in Central Texas. The site will tell you which specific plants to grow. http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/lawn_garden/

Going to the Natural Gardener is also a good. The staff are very knowledgeable and helpful and the seed lady only orders seeds that are viable for Central Texas. http://www.naturalgardeneraustin.com/

Lastly the Travis County Master Gardeners Association give free lectures to educate the public.
http://tcmastergardeners.org/index.html

I hope this helps!

[Brandon Alford]

Thanks so much Karen! Those resources look really good, so I'll be checking them out over the next couple of weeks as I'm planning the garden. I think I am going to start smaller and then try to add fruits and vegetables in the coming years. The Green Corn Project looks pretty promising. I think it will allow us to get our hands dirty and see if this is something my kids would like to do in our yard. Much appreciated!

Brandon

[Rachel Butler]

Hi Brandon!

This is really exciting. I love new gardens, especially when kids are involved! I have been planning the gardens with Whole Kids Adventure the last couple of weeks. Great fun!.

Couple of tips/considerations -
1. I typically build raised bed gardens. In the Austin area, it is very difficult to dig down a couple of inches and find anything but bed rock. I love the natural gardener for soil- I think it is their hill country blend. I usually build a planter box with some lumber. After I have chosen my sunny spot, I lay down some cardboard, moistened with water. This provides a nice weed barrier. Fill in with soil. And you are ready to plant!

Super Karen is exactly right- go to the aggie horticulture site http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/lawn_garden/veg.html

I just used their calendar last night to plan the educational garden! very fun!

I recommend volunteering when you can. Urban Patchwork and Whole Kids Adventure here in Austin need some help and have planned work/education days. You will get to talk to real urban gardeners, pest experts and the heart and soul of gardening in Austin.

Take pictures, videos and keep us posted! maybe even write a blog and share on FOOGS.org. Let us know if you need help :)