So, if I start a garden this year, what are the most fool-proof foods I should grow in GA in the spring/summer?
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GA=Georgia?
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The state, not the country!
According to knowledgeable sources, in Georgia (the country) one should grow grapes for wine. 
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Have you grown a garden before? What do you like to eat?
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I figured 
Due to post history. But grapes, donāt count your luck. Nice plant thatās true. But ok, not the country.
Which zone? Iām a bit lazy, but know maybe a great site. (indeed depend on what you like).
Radishes can be started early, and are near fool proof. And when they are young you can use their tops similarly or in addition to collard greens.
Beets can also be started early in GA. You could start today if youāre motivated. Here is the planting guide.
Bush beans are also easy and tasty.
Anyone wanna talk soil prep!?
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Oh yeah,sure. Leem, loam? (not clay, itās kind of light brown/yellow, not dark brown clay, without prep, really sticky, used in old time walls). Over here.
Past year I put compost made of leaves, and cow dung over it. This year I left on purpose a lot of plants /weed and on bare places leaves from the forest on the opposite of the āroadā.
I imagine the garden is going to need some chalk?
And your garden?
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In my beds I laid down newspaper, then built up eight inches of loam. Every winter I cover the neds with leaves which will be chopped up and lightly tilled in. And lastly Iāve accumulated 55gallons of compost in the last year, which I will be amending with.
That and rotten fish fertilizer. Which I will hardly need, since the soil is so great here. If you take care of your soil, it takes care of you.
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There is a spray for that.
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I was referring to another thread in which we were talking about wine and someone referenced the fact that red wine from the country of Georgia is very good, if little known here in the States. Very obscure referenceā¦sorry!
You spoke of clay in another postā¦the state of Georgia is known for having a lot of red clay in the soil, which has to affect plantings, I would think.
Unlike @anon61221983 Iām up in Chicago, which thanks to climate change is now considered Zone 5, but the dirt on the south side of the city has a lot of contaminants in it so Iām always leery of eating food from our ground. I do container gardening instead, while the stuff in the actual ground is just trees, bushes, and decorative plants and flowers.
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Oh, a bit awkward. But not your problem . I read fast and a lot. But Iām a bad, very bad joke maker. I was making a reverence, to the reverence. About nice growing vines but wine, good wine, making. Wow, a craftā¦ Really difficult, and as I heard they do it.
(ok, explaining jokes, as talked about in another topic, bad idea. Even worse if itās a bad joke)ā¦ Sorry
I lived on time in anbother city, owning a small back garden. But also with highly possibly contaimned soil. I did āsquare foot gardeningā. Quite fun, but really different from āwhole soilā.
All soils have there manual. Clay maybe will be nearly the opposite from sandy soil. But have itās positive sides. But will need a bit other treatment.
I love flowers (and bees, and a lot of other flying and crawling stuff in the garden). Four years ago it was nearly bare over here, no insects no birds. (but possible, rural, next to a forest, but no feeding stuff whatever, grass) I donāt like to brag, but for the past two years. They are coming, and how. 
What kind of flowers do you like?
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Iām an old-fashioned girl: roses*, peonies, tulips, pansies. However, I grew up in the city and donāt have an innate sense of wanting to garden ā plus, thereās very little sun where I am ā so I only have bulb flowers (snowdrops, crocuses, daffodils, tulipsā¦thatās the order they come up in) and two very pale pink rose bushes that came from cuttings from my great-grandmotherās roses. Theyāve followed me wherever I move!
Are you able to grow the flowers you like?
*Weird fact: I hate red roses. Itās such an industry in the U.S. Women are supposed to love long-stemmed red roses, but theyāve been bred to have no perfume and tight buds that keel over a day after you get themā¦yuck.
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My green-thumbed mom grew lots of roses, including some beautiful Mr. Lincolns. My favorites were these light purple roses - I wish I could remember what they were called, but they smelled so nice. Her lovely, good-smelling flowers spoiled me for the crap they sell at florist shops.
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I instantly like you on this. High stemmed red roses? The ideaā¦ Why and why?
I try to grow the flowers I love. Also roses, I love them. But mostly the climbing, single leave flowers in bunches (?) smelling. Or the climbing short blooming variety, but with lovely red seeds who last nearly all winter, till the birds get hungry \o/. One exception, the low brush variant with eatable seeds.
And also bulbs, a lot of them, but thereās here a very nasty rodent who also loves bulbs. But dislikes wild tulips and daffodils. But I also like annuals, always try to seed them. And the butterfly bushes. Oh, I need to stop, bedtime.
But so, so longing to spring, I canāt stop talking.
How lovely you keep really old family roses. I have a very old plant and a flowering brush like that. Love it.
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English roses all the way, especially climbers. I am also an orchid guy, and when I had a greenhouse I had, well, a greenhouse full of them. And water lilies and lotus.
ā¦
And bearded iris. And voodoo lilies.
ā¦
Ah hell Iām a sucker for rhodies and azaelias as well.
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The number 8 one, the one across central GA.
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Sorry for the previous mixup.
According to various sites that is a nice zone to grow crops. The site I was talking about is for a bit other zone (longer cold, les hot in summer).
But upon reading about zone 8 I came upon two sites which can give you a start?
And it seems, that like previous said by Japhproaig, you can carefully start. Depending on the things you like.
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Youāre in zone 2 or 3. You can grow any damned thing you want and start seed outside pretty early. Iām in zone 5-6 (depends on the year), and I have to start tomatoes and peppers inside. Iāll be planting pepper seeds around Presidentās Day, tomatoes just after St. Pattyās.
Your soil, though, as @japhroaig mentioned, will require amending. Especially if thereās never been a garden in that spot before. Your local university ag extension probably offers soil testing for cheap. If you can get your hands on some good compost, youāll save yourself much heartache, though.
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Agreed, in terms of their lack of smell. I have neither the patience or the fortitude to grow roses, but I do love them when done nicely. Best display Iāve seen in a while was in San Diego. Couldnāt tell you if all of these were roses or not, but they smelled and looked beautiful.
EDIT: Actually, @japhroaig, you mention newspaper and loam to overwinter beds. Whatās the loam made up of? I was planning on using mulch and whatever compost I can generate in that time.
Composting is exciting, for me, in a similar way to beerāonce prepared and maintained, and then after a short wait, heaven!
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Loam is a type of soil, common from old river beds. I put down newspaper as a physical weed barrier, usually under a bed that I build. Then I never see it or touch it again.
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