Any vegetable gardeners out there?

[SRanney]

Just curious.

Even though we're supposed to be getting 3-6" of snow over the next few days, I'm still in the midst of planning my first garden. I've already got several varieties of tomatoes and peppers (can you say salsa?) sprouting in peat pots indoors and will be starting some other veggies in the near future. This will be my first ever attempt at keeping a garden and I'm looking for tips, strategies, personal experience/information on gardening.

I've already done quite a bit of searching online for gardening tips and have even visited my local extension office to find out prevalent diseases, recommended varieties, and so on, so please, no tips on how to search the internet. I'm really just asking for personal experiences with gardening: marigolds/extra leaf lettuce as rabbit control, favorite veggies, is 3 zucchini plants too many for two people, favorite tomato cages, should I cage bush beans, stake/cage squash and zucchini, starting lettuce/corn/cucumbers from seed in the garden...

The plot is 20'x25' and will be tilled and fertilized in the next few weeks. The plot gets full sun and the short axes run north/south. The garden will be in Brookings, SD; high probability that last frost date will be on or near mid-May. No soil analyses tests have been run nor do I expect any to be run.

Thanks for the help,

SR

[Chuck(G)]

You're asking a bunch of tuba players about growing vegetables?

I'm on west-facing property with a lot of trees, so potatoes and carrots are about as good as it gets for me. Tomatoes are marginal and late because of the lack of sun. Every time I've grown zucchini, I wind up with entirely too much. We leave the lettuce growing to those locals who like to do it and get it from them.

Around here, the big critters are deer, which can destroy a garden in short order. Good 7' fencing is the trick. We've got great big green slugs too--best thing for those is to set up a slug trap (a board raised slightly above the ground) and drown the buggers first thing in the morning.

Seriously, you may want to try some of the very many gardening lists... And give your local county extension service a call--they usually have someone who specializes in small vegetable growers and they'd love to talk your ear off. They've also got lots of tips about how to cook and preserve your harvest.

[SRanney]

Seriously, you may want to try some of the very many gardening lists...

Yeah, but that would require a whole 'nother list that I'd have to check.

Besides, I'm a tuba player - inherently lazy.

To paraphrase from someone a while ago,

[paraphrase] I'm amazed at the wide ranging expertise of TubeNet. [/paraphrase]

...have even visited my local extension office to find out prevalent diseases, recommended varieties, and so on...

SR

[tbn.al]

The garden will be in Brookings, SD; high probability that last frost date will be on or near mid-May.
SR

Although I used to be a vegatable gardener I switched to flowers. The early warm Spring did us in down here. All my flowers were frozen, ruined in our normal Easter cold snap. Very sad. A tip from my vegetable days. Container potatos. High yield from a small space. I used the stacked tire method. Check out this link. It might help you get a head start on the frost.

http://pubs.caes.uga.edu/caespubs/pubcd/C849.htm

[RyanSchultz]

I start tomatoes and peppers inside. You can buy or make little greenhouses.

My slug trap is a dish full of beer (they die happy).

[MaryAnn]

Personally I'd replace one of those zucchini plants with a cucumber plant, and another one with something else you like. Melons?

But then I'm somebody who grows beets for the greens, and lettuce for the greens, and chard for the greens...never found much use for zuchhini.

MA

[Chuck(G)]

But then I'm somebody who grows beets for the greens, and lettuce for the greens, and chard for the greens...never found much use for zuchhini.

Other than using it for the usual stuffed- and fried recipes, the curious thing about zucchini is that it's almost tasteless.

So, combine sliced (and seeded) zucchini with cinnamon, cloves and sugar as a fake-apple pie filling (you really can't tell the difference).

Or boil it with sliced leek and a good stock, puree and chill to get "Vichysquash" (to my taste buds, it's better than using potatoes).

I've grated it and added it to a chocolate cake batter--it makes for a very moist cake.

And you can pickle it.

All of which doesn't make up for friends dropping off Louisville Slugger-sized zucchini as "gifts".

[DonShirer]

Sounds like you are starting off fine. My tips would be: Don't stint on the watering and Don't overdo on fertilizer. Try adding a little dolomite or lime if you have acid soil. Start a compost pile. Don't give up if some plants don't do well, you'll know a lot more next year.

Now I know you didn't solicit any internet tips, but I can't resist this one. Go to http://davesgarden.com/ and browse the forums for tomatos, peppers, veggies, etc. There is an unbelieveable amount of expertise there, and the folks are very supportive of new gardeners. They also have a huge amount of information on all kinds of plants as well as garden suppliers. (Hint that a subscription to that site would make a lovely birthday present.)