Hello from Biloxi, MS!

Hi y'all! I'm just getting started with SFG down here and so glad to have found this forum! My husband started building our boxes in late March and it is an ongoing process. We have four boxes planted and two waiting to get MM. The garden site is on a slope, so it has been a challenge to get the boxes and paths leveled up, but it is coming along nicely. He is the box builder and I am to be the farmer! I am new to veggie gardening in general and think the SFG is the way to go! We have tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, yellow squash, zuchinni, bush beans, Italian beans, radishes, lettuce, basil and oregano planted so far. Will also have okra and hopefully cantelope and some other herbs as soon as the wind dies down and I can get that MM in the other two boxes. I also want to plant some purple hull or crowder peas, but not sure yet about poles or trellises, etc. Any other suggestions for a first timer? I'd love to hear them!
Soooo much to learn and I can't WAIT!!! I've already learned to sneak out after dark with my flashlight and do cutworm patrol.... and I'm WINNING! Thank goodness they went for the marigolds first to tip me off to the problem. (Is that why we are supposed to plant marigolds around the veggies? Cutworms love mine! How do they even find their way into a raised box within a week of building/planting it?) I have a jillion questions about everything, but will try to search them out before I start asking!
I'm glad to meet you all and look forward to gardening with you!

marandalla

Nice to have you here. Sounds like you are on a roll with your builder husband and your farmer self.

Sneaking around at nite as a new skill ?, well, it sounds like you are doing a good job on your cutworm patrol.

Sounds like you are having fun. Keep us posted on your progress, and when you have a specific question, just ask, we will try our best to help.

What a beautiful place you are, I was there a couple of years ago, I was visiting my son near there before he left for Irak. Please let us know how we can help you!!!

Welcome!

I was stationed at Keesler back in 1977.

Kim

Furbalsmom- Thanks! It is so much fun, and I know it will get better and better!

Thank you FarmerValerie for appreciating our beautiful Gulf Coast and thanks to your son for his service. We've been here 6 years and really love it.

Kim, thanks! I don't know what it was like then or if you've been back since '77, but Keesler is amazing! The facilities there are awesome!

marandalla! I'm just a few miles away in Moss Point in Jackson County! This is my first year for sfgs, too. My attempts at conventional gardening were disappointing to say the least. Then I found Mel's book and it just made so much sense to me that I wanted to try it before giving up on gardening altogether. I'm loving it. The weeding is going to be a breeze, I think.

I still dread the bugs that are still to come, though. It really hasn't gotten too bad for bugs here yet. But the stink bugs, leaf-footed bugs, army worms and other gangster bugs that wreaked havoc on my garden last year will probably show up before long. I don't want to put chemicals on my food, so will try to fight them organically and with barrier type treatments.

I think you'll love the forum. Everyone's so warm and helpful. They're always willing to share their experiences and knowledge to help us "newbies" out. Post often whenever you have comments or problems you'd like help with. And post pics of your gardens when you can! It does help to have a good sense of humor here on the forum - some of these folks are just flat out funny!

Again, welcome! I'm so glad to have somebody else from the Mississippi coast join us

Welcome, Marandalla!! I'm next door in Gulfport. Great to have another from Harrison County on board. Let me know if you need any info on where to find stuff down here. I'll be glad to help if I can.

Welcome! I am nowhere near you, I am up in SD, but I am also a first-time SFG newbie going out on the daily patrols! So far they are just to see how much my MM has settled in the rain as I can't plant too much yet (got my square of carrots for carrot week and got potatoes and salad stuff in 2 days ago). I can't wait to see what the season brings for everyone. POST PICS!

TC

Welcome aboard! Everyone has said anything I would say. I just wanted to pop in and greet you, too.

I will add that if you are to be the "farmer," you may have drawn the easier job with SFG.

Happy to have you here. Hope to see you around and active.

So glad to have ya!

If you have any questions please feel free to ask them. We are always eager to help out fellow SFGers if we can. There are lots of great topics on trellis options all you need to do is type "trellis" into the search box. I use the trellis Mel put in the book except I used wood instead of EMT conduit.

Don't forget to stop by your regional forum. Regional forums are a great place to get region specific information, ask regional questions, and generally get to know folks from your area.

Take care and happy gardening.

Sherry and Wapner: "howdy neighbors!" Glad to "meet you"and learn there are other SFG on the MS coast and here in the forum! If either of you know of good local sources for compost, please let me know, as I have not been able to locate any. I had hoped the city was composting leaves and grass they pick up curbside, but haven't been able to find that out. I used Black Kow cow manure and Mushroom Compost from Lowes and composted chicken manure from Fraisier's in my MM. I am a little worried that my soil nutrients may not be the best since I did not have 5 sources of compost, though the texture and moisture holding seems fine. This brutal wind we've had this spring has been my biggest challenge so far! It has battered my plants and made it difficult to mix the MM, but on the flip side it is keeping the bugs away! I live on the Tchoutacabouffa River marsh which can get pretty buggy at times! My garden site is on a slope and very exposed, not protected from the wind at all. I may have to plant something for windscreening that will help in future years. See y'all around!

GG, BYBG, and DizzyG thanks to all for the warm welcome! You are all so friendly and helpful, I look forward to visiting with and learning from you all! It will be so interesting to see how gardens grow in different places. I am having so much fun, I don't want to do my "chores" or anything else but garden and read my garden books and the forum!

Have a great day in the garden everyone!

I have Black Kow, mushroom compost, and another Lowes compost plus Black Hen and I've got a bumper crop growing. I swear by Black Kow because it is composted manure, not a blend, same with the Black Hen. FYI the Black Kow company makes a mushroom compost and Black Hen but they are not as readily avaiable as the the Black Kow


Kay

Thanks for the info, Kay. That is encouraging! I used the BK cow and BK mushroom, but my Lowes did not have the BK hen or any other composts... wish they did! I used another composted chicken manure from a local nursery, and it had some bark in it. I read on the BK website about growing tomatoes right in the bag of pure cow manure! It must be good stuff! I'm hoping it will be OK, just wish I could find some rabbit manure and something else to add to my mix. I have a double bin compost tumbler, just haven't gotten going with it yet. It takes a lot of stuff to make a batch of compost in that thing!

Marandalla,
Wouldn't worry too much about bugs out there at the river. You have mosquitoes as large as humming birds and they'll eat any bugs which try to attack your garden!! Insofar as other places to get compost, I don't think any of our cities have compost available. You might try Coastline on the east end of Dedeaux Road just north of the intersection of I-10 and Cowan-Lorraine Road. They might have some different bagged composts. Good luck.

What??? Mosquitos??? here??!! LOL! No, seriously, you would be surprised... we are only occasionally bothered by mosquitos here. I guess the constant breeze keeps them away. NoSeeUms are our worst biting insect, especially in the spring. They can be terrible and will send us running for the house! We live across from Grasshopper Island, and I guess it came by the name honestly because we have hundreds of little black and red striped grasshoppers in the spring that quickly grow into large green, yellow and red striped monsters. Are you familiar with those? They are definitely not garden friendly!
I bought my vermiculite at Coastline. I didn't see compost there, but will check back with them. Thanks!

I do know about those monster grasshoppers. And those gnats are worse than mosquitoes!! Coastline is a good place to buy seeds in addition to the vermiculite.