It's started - all new garden

I finally read the SFG book. I didn't bother trying to order Mel's, as I wanted to get the garden in as quick as possible.
So I priced all the "stuff" to get it started, and WOW!!!... it was going to cost a small fortune to get this thing going.
So I had to skimp on a few things, but for the most part I think I'm going to have fun growing stuff with my little Princess.

We dropped in cucumber, lettuce, kentucky wonders, pumpkin, watermelon, cantelope, tomatoes, hot peppers and few other things that I already forgot.
She wasn't too interested in helping me build the box, but when it came to dumping and mixing the ingredients, and planting the seeds, she was having fun.

Here's the photo:

Lovely box spanky. Does the pink trowel below to your little princess? Kids love being in the garden, though sometimes when growth is slow, they lose a bit of interest, but once things are popping she will be right at your side.

You know, it really is worth it to make the Mel's Mix correctly. It truly is the backbone of SFG and it is what enables us to have gorgeous gardens, healthy veggies and no weeds.

Enjoy, and please keep us posted.

spanky22 wrote:... it was going to cost a small fortune to get this thing going. So I had to skimp on a few things...

...which totally defeats the SFG method.

Mel urges us to start small, and more importantly, urges us to make our own compost, which can be free, and is the most important part.

Hi Spanky! Welcome to the forum and to SFG! You'll that this forum is a great source of information and ideas, so ask away and keep sharing pictures. There are a number of folks on here from the Greater Cincinnati-area, so if you need any help on how to address any issues or questions the come up from a local perspective, just give a shout out! I'm a first time SFG'er myself, so we can learn together. Good luck with your box. You are off to a great start.

Welcome aboard, if we haven't already.

If you don't mind me asking, in what areas did you skimp? I'd be grateful to understand where people are "cutting back."

Depending on where you cut back, it may/may not be fixable down the road. Try and think of your SFG as an investment. The one-time expense up front is one you always have my sympathies for, but it's also one that kind of must be made to adhere to the principles. That's why we recommend building small in the beginning.

You've likely heard that before. Either way, you will have great enjoyment from your garden. And, you have a great community here in which to bounce questions and achievements.

spanky.....Welcome.
I understand and agree that there are times when one must cut corners and make amendments later.
The idea is to get started with your SFG and enjoy the experience.

Good luck and enjoy the harvests.

Okay, so it's been a week now.

It looks like a have a few things to address and answer.
I really started this for my Little Princess and myself to have fun doing together.
The end result of the SFG is more of a side effect for me, but I still want to succeed at growing this "stuff".

I basically mixed
Garden Soil
Peat Moss
Cow Compost
Mushroom Compost

I cut corners on the vermiculite, as it cost soooooo much money.
I'll just have to add this into the mix later down the road.
I still haven't started my own compost pile either, but I will soon.

... So the little princess poked all the seeds into the grid and I must say, I forgot to keep track of what went where. Oh boy!
We have some kentucky wonders, cucumbers, lettuce, tomato, hot peppers, watermelon, cantelope, pumpkins, and i think a few stalks of corn.
I think there's a few things I might have forgotten, but there is a lot of stuff in there.

Here's week 1 progress....

PS. The very first night of this garden I had an animal digging into the soil.
So I chose to sprinkle garlic powder around the boundaries of the box.
Nothing has came back to play in it yet.