Starting my NEW garden for self-sufficiency!

[green-girl]

Hi Everyone!

First up, a big thanks to Nev for the latest reference books he has passed on! Great help!

Actually, they've done wonders to motivate me to get my garden up and running again (it's looking so poor [in fact dead] right now! )….

Now, I've decided that tomorrow needs to be the day that I get it all started…. It's one of the first days that I have completely free and I should get going while I've got the motivation, so I figure it's the best moment!

Can anyone help me set up a 'floor plan'? And what to plant right now (given the Aussie weather) to be as self-sufficient as possible? (Nev, you may be able to help best with this! LOL) I tried to look at the Yates calendar but it wouldn’t work for me??

Keep in mind, I can only do container gardening as I don't own the property! I would greatly appreciate your comments/ideas!!! I'm after fruit & veges where possible.

[Wombat]

G'Day Green Girl,

Great to hea that you're getting an opportunity to get stuck in! At the moment, early spring in Queensland, except for the dyed in the wool cold weather plants I think that you could plant just about anything!

Carrots are good if you get the small round ones or have deep containers. Otherwise have a thought about tomatoes, capsicums, chillies; lettuce, cabbage, broccoli; cucumber or silver beets. If you can get hold of onion sets (seedlings) they can go in now into containers.

Containers can dry out really quickly (especially in Sunny Queensland ) but if you can get hold of some trays - pet litterl trays, broccoli boxes, etc., something that can hold water, put a layer of coarse sand in it. If you then keep the sand soaked it will act as a reserve for the pots and the potting soil in the pots will pick up the water though capillary action. Also if you use terracotta pots, they will absorb a certain amount of moisture too.

Mulch on top of the pots works too.

I hope this helps, Green-Girl!

Nev

[green-girl]

Alrighty... went down to the shop today.... this is what I got

Parsley, Sweet Basil, Thyme, Chives, Marjoram

Sweet Corn, Red Onions, Tomatoes, Capsicum, Jalepenos, Spinach, Broccoli, Cucumber, Cabbage and Strawberries....

That's a start anyway....

So far, because my parents visited today, I've only managed to plant the herbs, but I'll probably plant the rest of them tomorrow afternoon...

[Wombat]

Onya mate! sounds good

[Millymollymandy]

Sounds great, Green-girl - I couldn't comment really with advice because your climate is so different to mine and I guess in Q'land you can grow many things all year round.

[SUPEwoman]

Hi Green-girl, sorry didn't welcome you on the other page, I'm new & still working this out.

You have got the buzz, but HOW confusing! It's spring where you are and when I'd asked for ideas of what to plant, it was for Autumn.

It's great that we're all world-wide. Isn't the web wonderful?

Good luck

[shiney]

Hi Green Girl,

Good to know you have made a start on your container gardening. I really must get my finger out and start planting stuff for over the winter here.

Let us know when it all starts springing up!

[gunners71uk]

green girl you seem to be more successful then aussies at cricket
ENGLAND WON THE ASHES YIPEEEEEEEEE
KEEP IT UP GREENGIRL

[Wombat]

Cheeky!

[Sue]

see you put a Sheffield lad on the case - and yippee we won!!

feeling good as I just found a bargain - don't you just love those!
garden jenga - HUGE - £3 - fantastic! so will be playing that next year as I watch my veggies grow