Planning question

[undergroundnomore]

This year we are on the learning curve of doing a kitchen garden. So much to learn.

When you plant your garden to you say to yourself, "This is how many people I'm feeding so I only grow X number of tomato plants? X Number of beans?"

If so what is the magic number for tomato plants for three people? What is the best web resource for planning a garden?

Also, if we produce too many tomatoes this year, do you know if soup kitchens or food pantries generally accept fresh produce?

Next year we want to be a lot more organized. I think this year hubby got a wild hair and finally went along with my wishes to try to plant a vegetable garden.

[Kolesar]

1. A cherry tomato plant, and one more

Somebody will offer you additional tomatoes in late August if you run out.

Stagger your plantings of bush beans every two weeks.

[NEOhiodemocrat]

2. You do need to not seriously over plant

However tomatoes are one of the items that you can always give away to non-gardeners in my experience. Plus here in Ohio food banks and church pantries will take the excess off your hands. If you just have a few extra and some freezer space you can freeze whole tomatoes in freezer bag and plop one on top of a roast in the winter for amazing gravy, and of course if you can you will be able to utilize all the spare ones that way.

[dgibby]

3. Here are some sites you may find helpful.

http://search.aol.com/aol/search?query=planning+a+kitchen+garden&s_it=keyword_rollover&c.userid=4132198435494441665&c.userid=49b55f37-001fc-03886-6b89bccd

There are many sites in addition to these. Just google "gardening, veggie gardening, square foot gardening, or kitchen gardening".

Good luck!

[undergroundnomore]

4. thanks

we've planted about 12 plants and then someone told me a few weeks later that each plant would produce about $100 worth of tomatoes. That sounds like a lot of tomatoes for three people to eat. Growing up in the city I had never grown a vegetable in my life so I had no earthly clue. We seem to be going this whole garden experiment butt backwards.

Normally we use coupons to get free or inexpensive can goods, etc. to donate to our local food pantry but they dont' take things that need to be frozen or refrigerated. So I wasn't sure if most food pantries have policies against fresh veggies. That would keep me from calling around if it's some kind of accepted standard.

We are going to be growing three kinds of beans, black beans, wax beans, and green beans. So after planting a package of each kind of bean I wonder if we over planted and we don't want excess food to be wasted. Too many people send their children to bed hungry. I guess I will make some calls this weekend to see if I can find a pantry willing to take the veggies in if we wind up with too much.

Even when things are going badly for yourself I think it's important to always realize someone has it worse so thanks again for the advice. I think I feel better about actually possibly having too much for us to eat when it all grows in.

[Kolesar]

5. Your charity sounds wonderful...eom

[REACTIVATED IN CT]

6. Is there a ommunity dining room or a homeless shelter in your area ?

They would be happy to get the extra produce if the food banks doesn't want it.

[REACTIVATED IN CT]

7. You also might want to learn how to can some of your projected

bumper crop.

[ginnyinWI]

8. got some freezer space?

You can always take leftover tomatoes and cook them up into a nice spaghetti sauce, then freeze it in meal-sized quantities. You can tell the difference between this and canned sauce--still retains that fresh tomato taste.

When planning my garden I just look at how much space I have for everything I want to plant and then plant accordingly. You never know--you might get blossom end rot on your tomatoes, or the weather turns cold, or something eats them out of your garden and you'll have less. Always plant a little more to cover these possibilities.

Before we knew we had a deer problem here, I had a little two ft. fence around the garden to keep out rabbits. One night they came--deer came and ate every green tomato off my vines! Was I mad. Next year the deer fencing went up and we've had no problem with them since. I knew it was deer because they bend some of the fencing over with their hooves as they charged through.

[madeline_con]

10. Learn as you go.

Get gradening books from the library, read online content. You'll be a pretty knowledgable gardener before you know it! Good luck. :hi:

[Blue Gardener]

9. My neighbors love my extra tomatoes

And they have two little boys who love the cherry tomatoes.

[bearfan454]

11. You can always can some tomatoes for wintertime.

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