So far I’ve planted fruit-bearing trees and other perennials over the past 12 years living in rural Maine. I have zero experience with annual vegetable gardening. My, initial, plan is to start with one vegetable next spring/summer. I’ve chosen cucumbers since it is the most popular amongst my immediate family members (wife and two boys).
The motivation behind this is NOT for sustenance. It is to add an enjoyable hobby for my self. In the off chance that it is NOT enjoyable, then I haven’t invested too much time, effort and money. If I end up enjoying it (which I believe I will), then starting small would be less overwhelming and conducive to a gradual learning experience. Henceforth, since this is not for personal sustenance, we have a local food bank that I could contribute to.
My initial idea is to start growing the cucumbers in a large plastic pot located in my back yard.
And that is how far I’ve gotten in the planning process.
Any and all advice is very welcome.
It may be a little late for this year (depends where you are I guess) but runner beans require little space as you run them up some kind of DIY tripod and give you loads of beans later in the year.
They are meant to be perennials (unreliable in my experience!) but I normally grow from seed every year
Thanks.
- if you can handle fruit trees and perennials, then annuals won’t pose too much of a challenge – same rules apply, pick plants that like your climate – USDA hardiness, humid continental climate
- most plants and seed packets will come with relatively basic instructions (how often to water, how much sun, etc.) to give you a starting point
- cucumbers (pretty much the whole squash family) can be pretty prolific growers (there’s running jokes about planting too much zucchini and ending up having to leave bags of extra zucchini on neighbors’ doorsteps)
- if you go a large pot (or a raised bed), take a look at companion planting (plants that traditionally grow well together)
- the classic is “four sisters” (“three sisters” + pollinator) – tall corn in the center, something out of the bean family that will climb up the support of the corn, something out of the squash family that will act as ground cover, and something flowering (like sunflower) that will attract the pollinators (bees and birds)
- if you’re dealing with early winters
- something out of the cabbage family (cabbages, kale, broccoli, cauliflower) and a tuber (carrots, radishes, daikon) – one grows up, one grows down
- potatoes will do pretty well on their own
Wow! Thanks so much for the knowledge and insights.
didn’t even think of this earlier – you can also look into the next step beyond growing and eating: preserving – pickling for the cucumbers (tsukemono or quick pickles, dill pickles, bread-and-butter pickles) – fermentation for the cabbage (sauerkraut, kimchi)
Yes. I do plan on pickling!
Holy wow, another Köppen enthusiast in the wild! The rest of this comment is great too
Cucumbers need a lot of direct sun and a lot of space, either vertical (trellised) or horizontal (along the ground). Put them in a wide open sunny part of your yard. They’re also fairly susceptible to powdery mildew so keep an eye on them if the weather is rainy.
You mentioned you’re in Maine, which means you have a relatively short growing season. You might want to start your cucumber seeds inside to get a jump start on the season in the spring. Otherwise just make sure you get them started right away once it’s okay to plant outdoors so that you don’t run out of room at the end of the season.
Good luck and let us know how it goes! Cucumbers are a very rewarding plant, right up there with tomatoes for me as far as bang for your buck. Homegrown cucumbers have a crunch that totally knocks store bought ones out of the park.
Other vegetables I like growing that grow well in my corner of New England: Basil (grow enough to make several batches of pesto and freeze it) Tomatoes Sugar snap peas Leafy greens, especially collards and Swiss Chard Potatoes in 5-gallon buckets Hot peppers
Thanks a ton for all of that!
Even as a fun hobby, try to grow half a dozen things suited to the season. A fresh lettuce patch hasn’t been suggested. Parsley is tough. I’ve yet to have any luck with carrots. Potato will sustain you if it comes to that, easy calorie to grow.
Thanks.
Great resource! Thanks.
