I was disappointed last year due to a VERY late start (late June) and a getting-to-know-my-poor-soil learning curve.

This spring, I will utilize 2 south-facing picture windows for seed-sprouting to get a jump on a short growing season. And I’ve got compost brewing.

This year I believe I spent $100 including a new shelf, lights, some seeds (still had quite a few left over from the first year), and flowers.

I did a LOT of reading before starting. I decided to plant in wide rows (3-4′ wide). There’s some weeding to do at first but once the veggies start growing they choke out the weeds.

Then for the pathways I put down cardboard with straw/mulch on top. That keeps out the weeds, especially crab grass and switch grass with is hard to get rid of. By fall/the next spring most of it has been broken down which improves the soil and can be raked into the beds.

Also look at companion planting both with veggies and flowers. Marigolds are supposed to be great throughout the garden to keep bad bugs away, same with onions and radishes. Some flowers are used to attract pollinators. Google it for more info.

And I use seaweed fertilizer. It’s diluted with water so while it’s a bit pricey it lasts ‘forever’.

For stripping sod I use a linoleum cutter.
I’d be interested in tips on onions- mine get soft when they get a little bigger than scallion size.

http://javafoto.com/wp/2011/06/garden-update-june-2011/

We got a late start on our garden too, very cool wet spring here in the Northwest. I’ve been collecting heirloom seeds from friends/family/and have purchased some as well. My biggest expenditures were like yours, gardening tools and soil amendments. UGH. We started our seeds indoors in a sunny window and had sprouts within a few days.

I chose a layering method for gardening. I spread 4 inches of chicken manure (25 lb bag = $3.99) over soil, then added 8 inches of straw (I purchased a full bale and still have half of it), and then covered all of that with 2 inches of compost (big 50 lb bags were $7.99 each). I also had to purchase potting soil for the container garden, etc. But, this involves no tilling or turning soil, and in time the soil will require very little except extra compost and a bit of chicken manure.

Good luck this year and enjoy yourself!

Waiting til it warms up is smart – I live in a pretty extreme climate (Minnesota, zone 5) and I’ve given up the grow lights in favor of the 3 season porch. Seedlings start sooner & seem to do better under the artificial lights and stable temperatures, but the passive-heated (barely above freezing when I first start seeds) natural day length seedlings always outperform the babied ones once they’re transplanted.

I also put a lot of start up costs into my garden last year, and then unexpectedly had to move across the country this year. Now I’m living in a NYC 5th floor walkup and the best I can do is a few pots on the fire escape (which is actually illegal). I really miss my garden.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sarahkincheloe/5833960227/in/photostream

Good luck with yours!

We are currently in Mongolia and also got a very late start with our gardening this year. We garden in an approximately 5′x7′ plot contained in a plastic covered quonset shaped greenhouse with 14 plots.

We’re unable to start much indoors due to limited space and a very pesky and determined Maine Coon/Persian mix aptly named “Hunter”!

The inside temperatures range from a humid, breath sucking +100F during the day to around 50F at night. The weather can and does change in a heartbeat. Last year just as everyone’s crops were looking their best, an overnight blast of arctic air wiped out just about everything. It was heartbreaking to see the devastation the next day. This year, a door and window were put on either end of the greenhouse and we are hoping for the best.

So far radish, basil and various varieties of salad greens are doing well. Fellow gardeners are growing squash and pumpkin and some determined souls are trying to see if they will be the first to see a fully vine-ripened tomato…so far tomatoes bear green fruits but before they can ripen, a blast of cold takes them out.

I checked out the Eliot Coleman site and am sharing the link with my fellow gardeners!

Thanks to all for great advice Happy Harvests!

But yeah, I’ll run this past my husband. At this point, I will try anything.

Thanks!!!