Last week AT readers weighed in on their opinions of fake plants versus real ones inside the home. While some people are okay with fake flowers if they don't have a green thumb, what's a homeowner to do if they want to grow their own vegetable garden? For Austin residents, there's now help! More after the jump...
[Top garden photo: Nuttnhoney's Garden]
Much like you might hire someone to help with large and complicated home projects you can't tackle yourself, you might consider hiring someone to help start a backyard vegetable garden (especially if you don't have a green thumb).
Here in Austin, we have Resolution Gardens. It's easy to get started with them: you first choose from one of their vegetable packages, schedule an installation and then choose a payment plan. Soon, you'll have a raised bed vegetable garden planted using organic soil and plants. If you're thinking that even if you got a garden professionally planted you could never keep it up, don't worry. The price includes regular maintenance and harvesting. The Resolution gardeners can even install fencing to protect against deer or dogs. To read more about Resolution Gardens and their services, check out their website.
Would you ever hire someone to help you plant your own vegetable garden? Let us know!
or you could participate in Sharing Backyards which links people with unused yard space with those looking for a place to grow food. From what I've heard of the program, it really helps the clueless with space get the help they need with setting up a garden.
http://www.sharingbackyards.com/
view grinNtonic's profile
my friend mentioned something like this to me last week. we were talking about it, though - if you really don't have much of a green thumb...down to the point where you need to hire somebody to harvest your veggies...why not just go to the farmers market or grocery store? (i mean getting some help/coaching on growing veggies is one thing...but paying somebody to harvest the veggies??)
view gretchenalexis's profile
...'cause it's local and tastes better?
view whytephoenix's profile
@whytephoenix : I could see your argument when applied to gretchenalexis' suggestion of a regular grocery store but seriously if you're paying someone to plant, grow, and harvest vegetables from your own garden, a farmer's market (where local and organic vegetables can be found) seems like remarkably less hassle.
view Centelleo's profile
I am lucky that my neighbor and I share a garden, so the costs and time are cut in half and we get more veggies out in the end.
I wonder if people who think they do not have a 'green thumb' just don't have enough experience. It took us several years to figure out what can and cannot grow in our climate, what the birds will destroy, and how much lettuce we really need. It is still trial and error most of the time.
view Hollie's profile
centelleo - thanks! that's my point exactly (and some regular grocery stores feature local produce, too).
view gretchenalexis's profile
I agree with Hollie. Successful gardening is learned through trial and error. It doesn't take a green thumb, just a bit of effort on the part of the gardener.
view HillE's profile