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Home » Gardening » Jumpstart Your Food Garden: Affordable Resources and Tips to Ensure Summer’s Bounty
LAST UPDATED: • FIRST PUBLISHED: By Toni Dash 32 Comments
Toni Dash, is a Certified Nutrition Coach and the writer/blogger, photographer, recipe developer and creator of Boulder Locavore®. She has been developing easy to make, well-tested recipes since 2010. Her seasonal recipes bring excitement to the dining table for both gluten-free and gluten diners. Toni has been featured in numerous publications and on culinary websites for her creative, delicious recipes and travel features. For more details, check out her About page.
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Suzi says
What a great and helpful post. I already have arugula and romaine up in thier little peat pots. I try growing tomatoes and peppers each year but the peppers are small and the tomatoes dull tasting. Patio tomatoes do fabulous. What do you think is wrong with my tomatoes and peppers, I have grown both in containers and in the ground? I live in Central Florida, everything else seems to do well, oh and the spinach I have a problem with also. Those are 3 of my favorites and I would love any tips you might have. Thanks and have a wonderful Sunday.
Boulder Locavore says
Hi Suzi. Your timing is ironic in that I had almost this same conversation last night with a friend from Florida on Twitter. I think so much of the flavor and success is from the soil actually. I understand you have very sandy soil and I'd wonder about the minerals in it as well. I might speak to a local garden supply about augmenting the soil for less drainage (sand would really drain fast) as well as nutrients. There are inexpensive chemical kits you can buy which will tell you about the condition of the soil. Once you know that you can amend to make it more balanced if it isn't. Also do you fertilize? I begin dilute fertilizing almost as soon as the seedlings have sprouted.
Anything can grow in a large enough container. You might try that again but keep an eye on fertilizing (pots need regularly fertilizing). Spinach is a cold weather crop as you probably know so with your heat it might bolt early. Again getting guidance from a good local plant resource would be a good idea. Local experts should be able to guide you on options. Hope this helps!
Suzi says
I actually planted the spincach in the fall along with cauliflower and broccoli, those two were beauties. The spinach had spots on them and the leaves never matured. They were all in the same raised bed along with romaine. I will have to check with the nursery. Thanks for you help, this is a great post.
Kim Bee says
This is such great information. Our last house had a massive garden we put in. I miss it. I told hubs I want to put one in here this year. We have so little sun here due to mature trees so I am trying to figure out and where to put it in. Maybe raised beds or something. I love your lifestyle. You make this seem like an easy way to live but I know it's not and applaud you for all you do.
Boulder Locavore says
Kim thank you so much. You are constantly supportive and generous with your praise! I have lived in many different situations from apartments to shadey properties and have found a way to grow. Everything grows in containers, even corn. I know light can be an issue but I bet that would lend itself to a longer season for cool weather crops maybe? Lettuce, arugula. If you have any sun maybe containers on wheeled saucers to move them with the sun?
Chef Connie says
Thank you very much for this great info. I live in Jamestown and it is very important to start indoors. I am trying for a larger garden up here this year and hope to grown some of the food we serve to kids and adults who come up to Cal-Wood. Especially the low income schools where fresh organic produce is not something those kids get very often. I love these tips and will implement them.
Boulder Locavore says
Connie you are so welcome. It is a much more cost effectient way to get exactly what you want. At your altitude you have even less of a summer than we do. Having the plants ready to go when it's 'safe' makes a big difference.
Colleen says
I learned enough just from reading this to calm my trepidation about starting seeds. Thank you. And for those with cats in the household, the covers over the trays will help them have the discipline to “look but not touch.”
Boulder Locavore says
You should plant a pot of cat grass (oat grass) for the cats so they can graze at will!
Cooking with Michele says
Can you just come start my garden for me this year? I'm just not feelin' it for some reason…and was actually thinking yesterday that the only things I'm going to grow are tomatoes and arugula. I need a kick in the pants!
Boulder Locavore says
Well arugula you can just put seeds in the ground and if you aren't into it you can always buy tomatoe plants when the time is right. I'm sure after 2 weeks sailing in the Caribbean and coming home to snow, planting tomato seeds is the last thing on your mind!
PolaM says
I have to decide whether I want to try again this year… I only have a patio and last year the bounty was a bit scarce, but maybe I could try tomatoes again
Boulder Locavore says
You may know this Pola but you can grow anything in the right container that you would in the garden. I have grown tomatoes in containers very successfully. Maybe that would be easier for you?
ping says
I can only grow fat. Can't grow anything … my hubby says I have purple fingers and thumbs. He goes around telling people I kill cacti. Because of you and this post, I'm going to prove him wrong and go find myself some salad seeds and make him eat his words … pun intended 😀
Boulder Locavore says
Ping if you get some salad greens seeds, all you need to do is get them to sprout and clear the top soil and you can harvest them as 'micro greens'. You will have successed AND have grown a very chic salad too!
Jay @ LocalFood.me says
Excellent, excellent, excellent! I've followed your directions to a T, except I'm using an egg carton. I'm going to get a handful of the peat pellet pots to give those a shot. Just planted my tomatoes a couple days ago and have a sprout already!
Boulder Locavore says
So exciting on the sprouts! Really there is nothing more exciting than little plants exactly of your choosing you've sprouted yourself! Do try the peat pots but also you can put each egg carton cell in the ground itself. It will decompose so you don't have to replant. The peat pot is larger and supports a better root system.
The Mom Chef says
I love this. So many helpful hints. I can't afford to get a grow light this year, but I'm definitely going to put in the extra dimes for the peat thingys. My egg cartons never end up surviving. Many thanks!
Boulder Locavore says
The peat pots are great and Dudette will love to be the one to plump them from the hard, flat disk into the little slug of peat. They have a type of mesh on the outsdie to hold them in tact and an easy opening on the top to put your little seed. So easy to plop the entire thing into the ground when the time is right!
Eliotseats says
Yes, I have GOT to get my seeds going! Thanks for the reminder and I will try the peat pellets. I usually re-use old containers that originally had store-bought plants in them, but transplanting out of these pots into the garden really seems to set them back. I bet there would be less transplanting trauma with the pellets. Good luck with all your garden this year.
Boulder Locavore says
Truth be told this was a bit of a 'note to self' post! I've been thinking of it with great intention to get everything going but this forced me to commit to do it this weekend!
Eliotseats says
I am going to the greenhouse NOW to get started!