Oak Creek Backyard Gardens: Land Needed, Costs, What To Plant Now

OAK CREEK, WI — We're beginning to approach the dates where we typically see the last frost in our part of Wisconsin, meaning you'll soon be able to scratch any itches you have to begin gardening.

In Oak Creek, the last spring frost typically comes on April 29, according to The Old Farmer’s Almanac.

But hold on if you're planning on ripping out the lawn from the backyard and prepping the balcony for containers of herbs — you'll have to be realistic about how much food you will be able to grow.

Estimates on how much can be grown do vary, but not as much as people spending their first season gardening may think. Melissa K. Norris blogs about such things from her family’s 15-acre homestead in the North Cascade mountain range. She grows all the beans, potatoes, garlic, tomatoes and sweet corn her family of four can eat in a year in 1,200-square-foot garden plots.

Per person, that translates to 15 to 20 bean plants, 15 to 20 potato plants, 15 garlic bulbs, five tomato plants and 15 corn plants.

Hankering to get some equipment, seeds and plants to jump-start the garden? Stay keen of the best dates to start planting, but check out these local spots to find what you need:

• Tehan Greenhouses, Inc, 1515 East Rawson Avenue, Oak Creek.
• Plant Land, 6204 South Howell Avenue, Milwaukee
• Lowes Garden Center, 7027 South 27th Street, Franklin.
• Stein's Garden And Home, 5400 South 27th Street, Milwaukee.
• Bluemel's Garden And Landscape Center, 4930 West Loomis Road, Greenfield.

How Big Should Your Garden Be?

The average U.S. lawn is about 10,871 square feet, but yard sizes vary by geography, according to Home Advisor. In Wisconsin, yards are about 28,000 square feet, and that’s enough space to grow at least some of the same vegetables as Norris'.

Some people plant gardens because they want control over how their food is grown. Others do it for the therapeutic value of gardening. Still others plan to plant gardens as a hedge against inflation.

Regarding the latter, it’s a good strategy — if done correctly, according to Iowa State University Extension Service. It points out “The $64 Tomato” is a cautionary tale about how quickly costs for tools and equipment, hoses and water, and pesticides and insecticides can add up, even with a small garden plot.

How Much Time Do You Have?

Gardening experts say it’s important to be realistic about how much work a garden can be.

If your schedule allows for regular weeding, watering and harvesting, backyard gardening could be the ticket to your happy space. If not, you may find yourself ridden with guilt over something you started and don’t have time to finish.

How much time you’ll need to spend depends on the size of your garden, Colin McCrate and Brad Halm wrote for Storey, which publishes practical advice books on everything from homesteading to natural health.

Beginning gardeners with small, 100- or 200-square-foot gardens that produce just enough crops to enjoy at harvest time can require minimal effort of about half an hour a week.

But the bigger the plot, the greater the time commitment.

For example, for an 800-1,500-square-foot garden that can feed a family of four to eight people during the growing season — and enough produce to supplement their diets through most of the winter — requires at least four to six hours a week in maintenance.

You should plan to weed your garden at least once a week. Get them when they’re young and pull out of the ground easily, before they go to seed.

5 Things To Plant Right Now

If you’re still convinced you want a garden, here are five vegetables we can plant right now in Wisconsin, according to The Old Farmer’s Almanac:

Arugula, dates to start seeds outside, Saturday day to May 7

• Beets, seeds outdoors Saturday to May 14.
• Onions, seeds outdoors April 9 to April 30.
• Parsley, seeds outdoors April 9 to Saturday.
• Turnips, seeds outdoors April 9 to April 30.
• Corn, seeds outside May 7 to May 21.