Should I transplant seedlings, or just plant seeds outside?
Lettuce is another vegetable that loves to bolt. However, I’ve found a few ways to help deal with this: instead of planting head lettuce, I opt for a loose-leaf lettuce blend, or mesclun mix. I have several of my own reasons for this, so this may not be right for you depending on your needs. First, lettuce is less likely to bolt if you harvest the outer/older leaves often, so once those leaves get big enough to be worth eating, I just harvest them every day or two for use in salads and sandwiches (just snipping them off with scissors). This will keep the plants producing and help deter bolting. For me, mesclun mix seems to suit our lifestyle better. We tend to eat salads often in the summer, and by planting a leaf mix we can harvest daily, instead of having to time our head lettuce plantings, so they aren’t all ready at the same time, it keeps us from having ten heads of lettuce to eat the same week. Another benefit of mesclun mix is its ease of planting. Just scatter the seeds around relatively evenly in a patch of soil, water it, and walk away. Because the plants will grow throughout the patch, as opposed to in separate heads, they will usually crowd out most weeds, making the upkeep very manageable.
harvest window), but there are also a few special ultra-compact varieties that are perfect for container gardening as well if you like having tomatoes nearby for easy picking. Some common examples of compact types are “Tiny Tim” and “Patio,” both cherry varieties. Tiny Tim tomatoes also tend to have a thicker, sturdy stalk, great for small kids and pets who may be lurking around nearby. As a rule, if you plan on using cages for your tomatoes, buy a determinate variety, and if you plan to trellis or string up your tomato plants, an indeterminate variety is a better choice. Having said that, I often grow indeterminate tomatoes using cages. They do a number on the cages and they sure aren’t pretty, but it works well enough if you don’t mind the mess.
There are some plants worth starting indoors, growing into a seedling, and then transplanting outside once the risk of frost has passed (in recent years here on the Island, this has been mid-to-late June). Some people enjoy attempting to grow their own seedlings, but it isn’t totally necessary. Growing seedlings successfully requires a lot of key elements: steady temperature, a south-facing window with tons of shelf space, soil and seedling containers, and potentially even grow lights. Unless you enjoy the process, or are planting an absolutely MASSIVE garden, I would consider foregoing this step. All of the local greenhouses here on the Island will do this job for you, and do it very well, and a six-pack of seedlings costs about the same as an envelope of seeds. So, unless you’re planting a large garden or adventuring in obscure varieties of vegetables, the option of buying transplants is definitely worth considering, especially for your first year.
So, what IS easy to grow?
For a simple list, here goes:
Start off with things like radishes, beets, mesclun mix, kale, collards, swiss chard (or other greens), and snap and/or shell peas in early spring. Once the risk of frost has passed (mid to late June), direct seed vegetables such as string beans, and plant transplants for things like cucumbers, zucchini and other squashes, and tomatoes. To have a steady supply of greens all summer, plant at least one more sowing in two to four weeks’ time. Hopefully someday we will all have more time to work in our gardens, tend to weeds and water daily, but until then I hope you find some helpful information here. While I’ve tried my best to troubleshoot some of the basic issues when Island gardening, I (quite happily) do not know everything. I would suggest you try growing what vegetables you like to eat best and see what works for you! You will eventually find your own balance and decide what’s right for you and your garden.
Bush or trellis? That depends on your woodworking skills.
Which brings us to our next topic: growing space. Many vegetables, like beans and cucumbers, come in both trellis and bush varieties. If you have ample space, opt for the bush varieties as a new gardener. Building trellises can be overwhelming for a first timer, and they aren’t always totally successful in their purpose. A bush variety will produce a similar amount of fruit but will do so along the ground. The bush varieties also tend to shade out weeds from growing in your garden bed. An added bonus if you aren’t a fan of weeding! Tomatoes also come in several growth types. There are determinate and indeterminate for starters (determinate have a set growth height and duration, and indeterminate will continue to grow indefinitely, often producing a larger yield and offering a longer
Carrots? Hmm.
Speaking of which: do you hate weeding? I know I do! If you don’t have time to do tons of early spring weeding, then perhaps carrots aren’t the best choice for you. Carrots MUST be weeded early and often until they are well established, as the weeds will often take over the carrot plants and crowd them out. For many people, it’s worth the extra time, but let me tell you it’s a “fiddly” job, as they say. Carrot seedlings are fine and fragile, so weeding can be difficult; so can planting carrots, for that matter. Their seeds are very small, so if your eyesight isn’t great but your heart’s set on growing carrots, I’d recommend buying carrot seed “tape” as opposed to loose seeds. This will make planting a breeze.
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