Discussions

I am looking for someone who can mentor me through my first gardening experience. I have a piece of my yard that was all weeds that I had cleaned up and tilled. Now I'm starting to have questions about spacing, the types of veg I want and how to plant them, where I should do flowers vs veg and if I should remove some of the old roots that have been tilled or leave them. Anyone willing to help me?

You are over thinking it. Put seeds in dirt, apply water, plants grow. As for spacing, that depends on what you are planting. All seed packages will have the correct spacing for that plant labeled on them.

The packages will tell you how to space them when planting and as for how far between each row, do what you need, take into account will you be roto tilling between the rows, or just walking inbetween hand weeding. But if its anything like my garden existing roots are going to cause alot of weeds but you may luck out.  
 
When i plant my garden i take info account which vegetables are going to be done producing first and then can be tilled under.  
Therefore i plant beans and peas closely together. Because peas are usually done first.  
 
Carrots and potatoes are going to be the latest unless you want mini vegetables  
 
And another thing to look at is if the packages tell you how many days until they produce thay will help you with placement as well.  
 
If your growing any vines like cukes, pumpkins,watermelons they spred out alot and tangle in with other veggies if they arent given lots of room  
 
Also it depends on your soil type..i never ever water my garden because it holds water well

Some good advice on this website..Good luck!  
http://www.gettystewart.com/when-to-plant-your-garden-in-manitoba/

Any advice on ants in/near the garden? I can't seem to get rid of them and they are affecting the quality of my soil!

scandal said "I am looking for someone who can mentor me through my first gardening experience. I have a piece of my yard that was all weeds that I had cleaned up and tilled. Now I'm starting to have questions about spacing, the types of veg I want and how to plant them, where I should do flowers vs veg and if I should remove some of the old roots that have been tilled or leave them. Anyone willing to help me? "

Here are some answers that directly answer your questions:  
 
Spacing and how to plant the seeds: You can either follow the instructions on the packet and plant conventional long rows, do square foot gardening, vertical gardening, or wide row/block planting. If you want more produce in less space, the latter three work well. I am currently experimenting with wide row & block methods, because I hope to cut down on excessive weeding. There are a lot of suggestions in books and online about how each of these methods work. Read up on the gardening methods. Try one method, then another another year. See what you like best.  
 
The types of veg I want: What do you eat most of? What are your favorites? Choose short season plants and go from there. Once you get a feel, you can expand your selections (experiment further) in future years.  
 
Where I should do flowers vs veg: Mix it up! Do some flowers in between different types of plants. Using flowers attracts bees which improves your harvest. Some flowers will benefit certain veggies by attracting or repelling certain insects.  
 
Should (I) remove some of the old roots that have been tilled: Yes! Especially thistle, quack grass, and any very difficult to control weeds. Picking the largest roots is best.  
 
For the fun of it, put something unique/odd/strange in as well. I like to grow the unusual. It keeps things interesting.  
 
Have fun!

Is an awesome Canadian gardener http://markcullen.com/...  
 
carrots love tomatoes, it's a good idea to plant marigolds near your veggie garden to encourage bees to come to your garden and help pollinate your vegetables. Are just a few helpful hints in my basketful of gardening know-how.

scandal said "I am looking for someone who can mentor me through my first gardening experience. I have a piece of my yard that was all weeds that I had cleaned up and tilled. Now I'm starting to have questions about spacing, the types of veg I want and how to plant them, where I should do flowers vs veg and if I should remove some of the old roots that have been tilled or leave them. Anyone willing to help me? "

...trial and error is the best teacher. May your endeavour be fruitful.

Me a message I would be glad to mentor you. I spent many years gardening and miss it a lot and in spite of what people say there are lots of little tricks and things to learn please send me a message