Another newbie in Delaware

clho 5/7/2012, 10:10 pm

Hi all,
I inherited a wonderfully rich garden plot in a sunny spot when I bought my house, but I've never had much of a green thumb. Much to my surprise, I successfully nurtured a few tomato and cucumber plants, but then the never-ending battle with the weeds and groundhogs began. I was about ready to convert the garden into a lawn this year, when a clerk in a local garden shop showed me the new SFG book. It looks like the perfect solution for me. My container garden of herbs has always thrived and as soon as I saw those chicken wire covers to keep pests out, I was sold! I built my first 4X4 last weekend and I've gathered almost all the ingredients for my MM. Hoping to start with a square of strawberries soon.

cheyannarach 5/7/2012, 11:05 pm

Yay

to the forum! Way to go on the box and if you have any questions there are some very awesomely experience gardeners here to help! I hate weeds, you will love square foot gardening! Did you buy the All New Square Foot Gardening book? Another newbie in Delaware 601593

clho 5/8/2012, 8:59 am

Yes, I got the new SFG book and I've read almost all of it. But as Mel recommends, I'm going to start small, with just one square. After buying all that compost, I want to start making my own to cut my costs. Also, I"m a little hesitant to plant tomatoes now that I have a dog. Any advice on an easy barrier for a taller plant? The groundhogs seem to leave the tomatoes alone.

littlesapphire 5/8/2012, 9:22 am

Welcome Clho! So glad you decided to try SFG. It's positively the BEST way to garden, in my humble opinion. You'll certainly be hooked by the end of this growing season, and next year I bet you'll be building three new boxes Smile

As for a barrier, I have to be honest here. The only thing that's helped me with pests is a fence:

Another newbie in Delaware Dsc_7838

It's a simple design using U-bars and deer fencing, and keeps rabbits, deer, cats, kids, and tons of other pests out of my garden. The U-bars were an investment for me ($5.50 a piece for 12 bars), but last year I used conduit cut into 5 ft lengths and that was MUCH cheaper (conduit is $2 for 10ft). It wasn't as sturdy, but it did its job.

clho 5/8/2012, 4:36 pm

Thanks for tip Little Sapphire. I had a similar, shorter wire fence around my old garden. Probably good enough to keep the dog out, but the groundhog would climb it. The wire gauge was just too wide. I've never tried deer fence. That might do the trick.

kristinz 5/8/2012, 5:48 pm

$glad you\'re here$ ! it's good to see someone local on here...and with the size of our state - everyone is local rofl

! I am new to this too! Everyone on here is so helpful...I've only asked a couple of questions so far, but have gotten some good feedback. I've also gotten a lot of information from reading other posts. There are a lot of creative ideas people have come up with, some really good solutions to problems! Hope to see some pics from you and see what you are planting - I will definitely upload some once we get everything together!
Good Luck and Happy Planting!
I will look for updates from you!
Oh, and our Regional Host seems to have good info and not too far away either...so she knows what's going on with the weather and all that great stuff!

clho 5/8/2012, 8:50 pm

Good luck to you, too! I'll put up some photos once things shape up ... hoping to make it to the Flower Market this week for plants.

**sfg4uKim** 5/8/2012, 10:03 pm

Hi and welcome to the Forum.

moswell 5/9/2012, 9:08 am

Welcome! I'm a native Delawarean, but I'm living in NJ.

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	Hello Guest! Welcome to the official Square Foot Gardening Forum. There's lots to learn here by reading as a guest. However, if you become a member (it's free, ad free and spam-free) you'll have access to our large vermiculite databases, our seed exchange spreadsheets, Mel's Mix calculator, and many more members' pictures in the Gallery. Enjoy.