The greenhorn and the green thumb: Spring planting

Novice gardener: Jamaica DelMar, Minneapolis

The back story: DelMar bought her first house last August and is undertaking her first garden, which she's creating from scratch. "My back yard was just a patch of dirt and weeds," she said. "I've always had house plants, and my mom had a garden when I was a kid. But I have not gardened in my adult life. I don't know what I'm doing at all."

Garden goals: DelMar wants to provide a fun learning experience for herself and daughter Keiani DelMar-Esters, 12, as well as grow her own food and make her yard look nicer.

Current garden: So far, DelMar has planted raspberries and strawberries; perennials, including daylilies, phlox, irises and peonies; and veggies including spinach, Brussels sprouts, asparagus, peas and three kinds of tomatoes. "I'm a tomato freak," she said. She also has bought, but not yet planted, squash, cucumbers, watermelons and cantaloupes, the latter two for her daughter. "Now I'm running out of room," she said. She's found that she enjoys gardening. "I love playing in the dirt. That's my relaxation."

Challenges: Budget. DelMar uses Craigslist to find free and inexpensive plants and other garden materials. And she says she has a lot to learn about when to plant and harvest certain crops. "I'm confused about the peas," she said. "Someone told me, 'Don't plant yet,' then someone said the peas should have been in a month ago. What the heck? These cold-crop veggies, I really don't get. And spinach -- I don't know when to pick it."

Experienced gardener: Catrina Mujwid-Cole, Minneapolis

The back story: "I've always gardened; it's in my blood," said Mujwid-Cole, who grew up on a farm learning organic methods. "That's how I always did it, but we never called it 'organic' -- we just never used chemicals." In addition to tending her home garden, she also operates Tinka's Gardening (www.tinkasgardening. com). This is her eighth growing season in her home. There wasn't much of a garden when she moved in, just a tiny patch in front. The back yard, where she

grows veggies, had been used as a parking area. The first year, she started 180 tomato plants from seed. "My daughter was 5 that year, and instead of a Kool-Aid stand, we had a tomato plant stand."

Current garden: Flowering perennials in front and vegetables in back, including tomatoes, peppers, carrots, leeks, chard, radishes, beets, peas, beans, onions, squash and eggplant. "I generally plant the same vegetables every year; I plant things I want to eat," she said. She also plants flowers among her vegetables. "They attract beneficial insects, plus they look pretty," she said. She hasn't planted everything yet. "The soil is still really cold."

New this year: Corn, which she's planting on a section of her next-door neighbor's lot. "And I am trying something new with my heirloom tomatoes," she said. "I always start them from seed, but instead of using cages, I'm going to stake and tie them. I want more control to get between plants. We'll see if it affects the yields."

Challenge: Limited space. Mujwid-Cole used to have a compost pile, but it took up too much room on her small urban lot. "And it didn't look that great," she said. (She now bags waste material for the city to pick up and compost, or brings it to her mother's or sister's compost piles.)

Best garden tip: "Add as much organic matter as you possibly can. Till it in. A lot of city lots have heavy clay soil. It [organic matter] helps plants deal with different [soil] pH levels, even if it's just a half-inch of compost on top."

Kim Palmer • 612-673-4784