When to start...

Just heard about SFG about a week ago..........never gardened in my life, but I would love to start. I live in Indiana - when is the ideal time to plant a garden? And is it best to use seeds or starter plants now that it is mid-May?

I would recommend getting the All New Square Foot Gardening book....there is a wealth of information in there, especially if you are new to gardening! Next, find out what zone you are in...maybe someone on the regional board could help with that. My guess is that for a lot of the stuff, you will need to plant actual plants, not seeds, but that will depend on your zone and weather!

Happy Gardening!

Like stated, I would first buy the book. I would read up on the fundamentals of the concept. I would start planning where to put my SFG and how much it will cost to set up one large enough for my family to use, but small enough that I won't get in over my head in my first year. Then, I would likely jump right in....

There is no bad time to start a garden...except the dead of winter. We, generally, have 3 seasons of planting. Spring, summer, and fall. They overlap and you can participate in one, two, or all three. It's up to you and how much you want to take on.

Once you are past your frost date (look that up, too, if you are brand new), you can plant just about anything. Some things do better than others. I'm getting ahead of myself....

What do you envision for your garden? Edibles? Cost cutting the grocery store? Just seeing what you can grow for fun? That would help us direct you better....knowing what you want to get out of things.

Happy Gardening. Hope to see more of you.

Good to have ya.

Do you know what your last frost date is? Here is a good website where you can find out: http://davesgarden.com/guides/freeze-frost-dates/ I'd bet you are pretty close to it if not past it already.

Once you are past your last frost date you are pretty much clear to plant what you want of the warm season crops (cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash, etc.)

So, go grab the book, get you materials and mel's mix, and start growing!

Just would like to say if you have the means, be prepared for a frost after your last frost date anyway, because they do happen, it isn't a guarantee. There are a lot of ways to be prepared..it can be as simple as mentally prepared that if you lose somehting to a late frost you don't let it discourage you to as elaborate as a hoop house built into your box that you can throw cover over on short notice.

Jump in! The water is fine!

Jennie

Thanks for the quick and informative responses!!

We had our last frost back in April (the end of April). I would LOVE to cost grocery costs but I also don't want to go overboard on the gardening thing due to it being my first time. I would love to grow green beans, lettuce, spinach, cucumbers, tomatoes, broccoli, zucchini, squash, and peppers and anything else that would be "easy" to grow....

Most of what you mentioned are easy to grow; check out the Midwest forum for area specifics. Welcome to SFG! If you haven't gardened before, maybe just start with one box this year. You can plant some things by seed this year; especially beans and squashes. Tomatoes and peppers should probably be plants.