Calling all gardeners...post here!

[chefker]

Since I'm the one who suggested a gardening thread, I'll try and kick this off. :) First, a little about me and my garden and stuff.

OK--so I'm a gardening MANIAC. So I guess it's a good thing we have a pretty big yard. :) We bought our house last June, so this is the first spring-going-into-summer for us--so cool to see what's been planted previously just springing up.

This year, my big project was putting in a vegetable garden (my first attempt to EVER plant vegetables--I've only dealt with flowers up until now!). So far, so good. I have planted corn, carrots, tomatoes, lettuce, brussel sprouts, cabbage, Swiss chard, celery, peppers, cucumbers, squash, eggplant, onions, blueberries and strawberries. Whew! Oh, and herbs too of course. I think I went a little crazy, but I wanted a little bit of everything.

Everything is looking nice--but a little weedy. :( Not too long after planting my garden, I found out I was pregnant! And some days just feeling too darn sick to weed every single day. I have discovered Preen n Green, the stuff is a godsend. You pull out your weeds, sprinkle on the Preen, and it prevents new weeds from germinating. Sweet!

Well enough about me, let's hear from some other gardeners--flower, vegetable, or whatever! Hopefully we can exchange tips, hints where to buy plants, etc.

[jo&sean]

Count me in :) I posted this over in the home section but I will expand a little bit here. Basically, my DH tells me I am an addict when it comes to gardening. I love playing in the dirt and with plants. I too am pg this summer so I am not up to doing as much as usual but I am already making notes on what projects I want to do next year including a vegetable garden :) I am going to have check out that Preen N Green stuff you mentioned!

This is one of our beds this year - we just planted it last year and it has been going crazy this year:

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5d804b3127cce922af4f5100200000016108AbMmrdizaM8

I love playing with containers too....

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5d804b3127cce922af4ed101a00000016108AbMmrdizaM8

[QPDoll]

*raising hand* I wanna join in!

I love gardening, well, I love to see all the plants in bloom - I don't necessarily love weeding and such. LOL

We bought our house and it had been somewhat landscaped with flowerbeds...but after being here a full year and a half, we wonder sometimes what the heck the previous owner was thinking with her plant selection.

DH put a raised garden bed in for me this year, for veggies, but - well, Im pregnant too and on bedrest, so everything has gone to seed. I had NO idea that radishes could get so out of control! LOL The plants are now almost three feet high!

Maybe next year I will get a real crop.

Everything else in my yard is overrun with weeds; its daunting, knowing how much work its going to be next year to get it back under control.

[QPDoll]

Oh, and for next year, I want to learn more about composting and something to recycle rainwater for watering in the summer.
Also interesting in planting a full garden and berry bushes, and canning.

We already have a couple of blueberry bushes (year 2, still don't have them in the ground!) and of course, being Washington, were always fighting blackberry bushes. We also have a huge apple tree and several plum trees that I want to harvest.

[oceaneast]

Does anyone have any ideas for container gardens? What plants work well in this environment.

[chefker]

Does anyone have any ideas for container gardens? What plants work well in this environment.

Hmm...when we lived in our condo, the plants I grew in containers were mostly herbs, strawberries. and annuals (petunias, marigolds, etc.). Oh, I used to have a really nice heather plant in a container too, but it unfortunately didn't survive our move.

[fuzzy]

Just checking in.

Fuzzyhubby usually does the veggie gardening while I tend to our plants. Unfortunately, with the lack of rain this year, neither is doing well!

[QPDoll]

Does anyone have any ideas for container gardens? What plants work well in this environment.

Are you looking for veggie/herb gardens, or flower baskets?

For flower pots,

Petinuas, generaniums, and trailing labelia are great container plants.
The labelia trails down - I have it in blue and white, lots of flowers and color.

Petunias and minu petunias also can trail, or they can be upright plants. They come in lots of colors and variety.

Other trailers are creeping charlie, locus (?) ivy, verbilium.

for height and a variety of color, I also like to add lambs ear. Its a thin silvery plant - great for an accent.

[Lizard]

Subscribing! I did 3 containers this year (outside)... I have a Redwing crock with begonias in it, a deck box with coleus and some hanging vines (I forget the name offhand... they're green and get small yellow flowers, very cute). I also did a deck box to try out one of those generic boxes of "Wildflowers", just to see what comes up. So far I have lots of green but no flowers. :(

My south side garden is comprised of daylilies, catmint, hardy mums, some yellow loosestrife that is doing terribly, sedum, some bulbs that haven't come up (I planted them quite late), and a new rose bush. Probably a couple others I've forgotten too. The north side is all hostas, and I also planted some Lily of the Valley this year (2 out of 12 popped up, but again I planted them quite late).

Indoors I have some herb pots... basil, oregano, chives, parsley, and rosemary. My chives and parsley are doing horribly though - the chives never did grow very well, and I think the parsley got too hot in the window they were sitting in and burned up a bit. :(

I posted this question on the WC, but I didn't get a response. I planted 4 Hardy Mums last year, thinking they wouldn't survive our cold winters, but they did. This year, 2 out of the 4 have gotten HUGE and bushy, with no sign of flowers. The other 2 are smaller, and are starting to bloom!! Why would this happen? All 4 plants are very close to each other. I don't know much about mums at all, hopefully someone else does. :) I did take a pic and will post it tonight if I can... it's on the camera at home.

[chefker]

Hm...not sure about the mum question, as all the ones I planted last fall died!

Have a question of my own though: my basil plants are getting ATTACKED by some leaf-eating insects (ants maybe?) I've never seen my basil getting chewed up like that. I wonder if there's any natural remedy to this. It's weird, all my other herbs & veggies seem fine!

jo&sean--beautiful pic! Hopefully I'll get some photos of my garden uploaded later on.

[meganth]

It has been so hot and humid and no rain here this summer! I had planned on spending all weekend out working in the garden but it was just too hot. I've got some serious weeding to take care of!

So far other than the lettuce i've been harvesting, i've already had a green pepper and a zuchinni!

[kemaji]

We haven't had much rain either. Our tomato plants are doing amazingly well, as are our green beans, lettuce and carrots. I have pictures that I took from this weekend at home and will post tonight if I have time.

[JillyBean]

My "garden" probably doesn't count, as it's only stuff in containers. Four are indoors, and the rest are outside on the balcony (mainly just hanging baskets). I've been thinking of getting a flower box that hangs from the balcony for some impatiens or something like that. It's been incredibly hot here, though, so I haven't decided.

Does anyone have any ideas for container gardens?
What type of environment are you in? What type of sun does the area get?

[BeakersTrio]

This is my first year really putting effort into gardening, but unfortuately it has been too darn hot and my flowers are looking great when I go to work but when I come home they are withered and dying. It's so depressing. Needless to say, I spend most of my night watering! :)

[cat_loverpq]

I attempt to maintain the facade of "gardening" but I really just try to keep up with what was planted here when we bought the house. :D So far 2 rose bushes have bit the dust, but they weren't all that healthy to begin with, and roses need LOTS of attention. Something I didn't have time to give them last summer after the wedding. ;) One lone rose bush has survived, but it has brown spots on it and is not doing so well. Any idea what the spots are from and how to treat it?

Besides the rose bush, I have 5 other 'garden' areas. One in the front of the house (which DH turned into a rock garden with bushes b/c we never had time to maintain/weed it), one on the east side of the house that is doing perfectly fine on its own, and one on the west side that used to be an herb garden but I pulled the stuff (I have no idea what I would do with basil and oregano as I'm not much of a cook to begin with) and planted a couple hydrangea plants that aren't doing too well. I have one bed on the backside of the house that is my pride and joy (bleeding hearts, sedum, several hostas, lilies, and some other things I don't know the name of but they're pretty ;) ), and finally one in the back corner of our yard that will be the death of me. It has pompus grass (2 plants), daisies of some sort, irises, sedum (the stuff grows like wildfire), and a few more things I don't know what they are. It grows weeds like crazy. But tonight we bought some mulch for the beds, so hopefully that will help. I had tulips come up last year back there, but not this year. Not sure why...

Ok, I've rambled enough. If anyone could answer my rose bush question I would appreciate it!

[chefker]

Rose bushes: Black spot disease is what that sounds like. I use two things for my roses: one is slow release Miracle-Gro food for roses (it comes in a plastic jug and has a shaker thing). You just shake the food around the base of the plant, once every two weeks or so.

I also have some Orkin rose spray (it's specifically to get rid of rose pests such as aphids, and combats different diseases). I forget the actual name, but it's by Orkin and I bought it at Walmart. I'll check the package tomorrow. :)

[fuzzy]

Who grows spinach?

We threw in some seeds and they've come up. But they are SMALL. THe leaves are probably two inches long and its already gone to seed. So I'm wondering...

Do I pick off the flowers/seed and let the rest of the plant mature? Or, do I just pick the leaves and enjoy what I have, assuming that we did something wrong (or that its been too hot or too dry or whatever)?

[meganth]

Fuzzy i think if you pick off the bud the spinich will still taste extra bitter because it's bolted. I could be wrong though. If lettuce does that, it means the plant is bitter. If herbs do it, it means you can pick off the bud and continue on. Who knows!!!

I do grow spinich and mine is small. I did unfortunately burn the leaves with some organic pesticide so i had to start all over. With my spinich i pick the larger leaves and it keeps reproducing like lettuce. That's why i guessed that if it's already bolted, it'll be bitter.

[fuzzy]

Fuzzy i think if you pick off the bud the spinich will still taste extra bitter because it's bolted.

Bummer. Yeah, that's what fuzzyhubby said. Oh well. I'll just pick it and enjoy what little we got!

On another note, we were able to harvet our peas last night and they were GOOD. And, the strawberries are slowly but surely coming. This has been a hard summer, with no rain. But, we are getting a little bit out of the garden!

[chefker]

Not much rain for us either fuzzy! Today it is pouring though--first time in weeks, really--and I'm actually grateful for the rain. My dog is po'd about it though, lol.

[greenbunny]

I'm here, checking in. Not much new since my last WC gardening post. Everything is dying. We're in a severe drought. We had pouring rain last night for a half hour and it didn't even make a dent. I spend an hour every night watering and it does no good. It's so bad even our mature trees are wilting.

All the free stuff I got from the Breck's offer vwinkel posted are dying. The freesia bulbs never came up, I think I waited too long to plant. They got squishy. But I was really busy. My lilly of the valley are barely out of the ground and the one that was tall I accidentally ripped out last night, thinking it was a weed. They're spring flowering plants, I think, and I doubt they'll be big enough to bloom by August. I have the butterfly bush in a pot on the deck, and that's barely hanging on.

What few plants I have are being killed by the animals biting the stems off to suck out the water. I have about three cucumbers left. They're so desperate they're even biting off the tomatoes.

Oh well, next year I'll be ready. We'll have conditioned the soil and gotten our "seed room" ready in the basement.

[tlew12778]

Hi! I'm here!

Someone asked about container gardens - that's all I have bc I live in the city. This year I am growing tomatos (in 2 big pots, I have 8 plants... not recommended but mine are doing ok), basil, parsley, coriander, sage, lobelia and wildflowers. I also have geraniums. Last year I also grew surfinia (cascading kind not the climbing kind) but I got a nasty bug that ransacked the plant.

Someone else asked about natural remedies for herbs. There are tons. Some that come to mind are water and soap, cayenne pepper (sprinkled on the leaves), tomato leaf spray, tobacco spray... here's a good link about different types of natural insecticides: http://www.growitgold.com/resources/bugrecipes.shtml

I have tomatos already! They still green but there are at least 10 of them so far and I see more flowers coming up. I'm so excited!

[chefker]

The rain just let up, so I went outside to see if anything 'new' has popped up....and we have bush beans! I swear, I didn't see these over the weekend. :) They're a little small now but I'll wait a bit and pick them when they're a little plumper. Also tons of blossoms on my squash & zucchini plants, and one blossom on the eggplant.

Some of my tomato plants have several tomatoes on them, and others have none at all. :confused:

couple of pics ~ Need to do SERIOUS weeding, so please ignore crabgrass!

Long view of the veg. garden - approx. 15' x 30'

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5d809b3127cce922078b1ef5f00000026138AZtWbNk0ctO

3 kinds of corn:

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5d809b3127cce922078aa6e7400000016108AZtWbNk0ctO

the herb corner:

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5d809b3127cce92207e6d6eb000000016108AZtWbNk0ctO

[fuzzy]

chefker -- wow! It looks great!

And if you wanna see a garden in need of serious weeding, you should stop my place!

[meganth]

And if you wanna see a garden in need of serious weeding, you should stop my place!

Me too!!!!! But i'm not going to be out there weeding in 100 degree 100% humidity!

[chefker]

Me too!!!!! But i'm not going to be out there weeding in 100 degree 100% humidity!

I hear you ladies! I'm having morning sickness, so my weeding has fallen by the wayside. A valid excuse, IMO. :)

fuzzy, thanks for the compls. Really don't know what I'm doing at ALL, this is my first attempt growing veggies! I had the tomatoes too close together initially--my uncle came by and scolded me for that. So I had to move them apart more. :rolleyes: Ah well.

Tonight we ate salad out of the garden, which was yummy. I threw in some fresh dill, nasturtium, and borage flowers (which taste like cucumber, oddly enough). DH was skeeved about eating flowers, but oh well!

[Nigellas]

Fuzzy Spinach likes the cold better- It probably bolted because it's too hot. Maybe try again in September?

[jlp]

Add me to the avid gardener list! Flowers, and veggies!

lizard
I planted 4 Hardy Mums last year, thinking they wouldn't survive our cold winters, but they did. This year, 2 out of the 4 have gotten HUGE and bushy, with no sign of flowers. The other 2 are smaller, and are starting to bloom!! Why would this happen? All 4 plants are very close to each other
I live in NW Ohio, and I have hardy mums. Mine come back every year, bigger and fuller each time.

The two of yours that are huge is a good thing. You just wait until they bloom - you'll have to tie them up because the flowers get so heavy, that they tend to split down the center of the plant. The other two that are starting to bloom already are fine too. Mine do that sometimes as well. If you pinch the flowers off, it'll make the planter get bigger, and hopefully it won't bloom until the Fall when it's supposed to.

Right now mine are pretty small. But, I'm glad that they will bloom when they are supposed to.

Good luck!

[young lioness]

I need to take some new pictures of our garden. The things that aren't doing well (lettuce, peas, green onions) look pretty bad, but the things that are doing well are going crazy!

We had our first "harvest" this past weekend...two zucchini and two green peppers. We have tons of tomatoes on all of the plants, but they haven't started to ripen yet. The zucchini, summer squash, and cucumbers are all producing. We will be out of town this weekend, and told the people who are checking in on the cat to just take anything and everything that looks like it's ready to be picked. If they don't, there will be more zucchini than we could ever figure out what to do with.

Our corn is chest high, which is funny to Brian and I. We're both originally from Ohio, where they have a saying about corn..."knee high by the 4th of July". I guess that's how big the difference in climates is between Ohio and Maryland.

[fuzzy]

Fuzzy next stupid question of the day...

About garlic...is it kinda like corn, where they stalks (or the end of the stalks) dry out, more of less, over the growing process? Or is my garlic thristy. I've been watering it like mad, but the garlic stalks are turnign brown and look dry. But, we've been watering like mad.

We put the cloves in last fall, so I'm trying to figure out if this is just what garlic does...or if I'm killing it.

TIA!

[meganth]

Yep, your garlic is ready to come out of the ground. The whole process is just like onions - when the greens start to yellow and fall over it's ready. Now you need pull it out and let it sit out in the sun for a few days to dry out.

[Photobug]

ooh, fresh garlic! I can't wait until next year when I will have some of my very own. We moved here in spring, so garlic from the farmer's market for me this summer. I did manage to dig up a (very) small area for veggies this year, so if all goes well, I should have plenty of tomatoes and cucumbers and peppers. That's about all I had time for, seeing as how I live in New England and had to harvest the rock crop before I could plant my stuff. :rolleyes:
I'm so jealous of all of you who are harvesting already! That'll teach me to put in some peas and some early lettuce next year!

[Nigellas]

Where'd you get your garlic Fuzzy? I haven't seen it around and I want some too!

[fuzzy]

Great, guys! Thanks! I had no idea garlic would mature this early. I was thinking I had to pull it out in the fall.

I got some of it from a friend, actually. :) The other half (we planted 86 heads. ;) My husband says I'm Monica (Friends Monica, that is) when it comes to cooking. I'm really good at it...and everything I cook is really garlic-y) came from my most favoritest seeds seller, Johnny's Seeds (http://www.johnnyseeds.com).

[Janey]

Subscribing!

We have a teeny tiny yard, with a big huge amount of work to do. We've done a lot already (here's the Yard & Garden Flickr Set (http://www.flickr.com/photos/seahills/sets/369603/)). Over memorial day weekend we removed 45 bags of yard waste. Yeeowza! In any case, I don't plan on planting anything new until next year. The wedding & interior remodel are big enough projects for now... plus I feel like "Mole Man" out there with the Round-Up ... spraying, spraying, spraying the CRAP out of the horsetails coming up.

I love seeing what everybody else is up to. Everybody's gardens look great!

[Nigellas]

kjh- Wow-I LOVE your yard! Beautiful! :)

[Janey]

Nigellas - Thanks! It's a lot of dirt-n-weeds so far, but it has good structure to work in. We're pretty excited about the project. :)

[Twylla]

Ooh, this is the thread I've been needing! lol.

We bought our house last summer, and the seller's had basically tucked whatever looked nice into the ground and left it. We *thought* it looked liek a well maintained yard until this spring... it's awful! I've got a million weeds, the lawn has weeds, and I kill almost everything. We've got 2 mature trees in front and 2 in back, and they provide lovely shade, but that of course means we don't have a LOT of sunshine for growing.

Plus, the sellers tried zero-scaping and did an awful job of it. They didn't lay down that black stuff first, so now weeds and grass is growing in through the very light layer of white rocks. Sigh.

In the front, we've got 2 gardens by the house, and a small area for flowers around one of the trees. In the back, there are 3 areas we could potentially plant in. None of them have great sunlight, but one is showing a great talent at producing MANY weeds. The other two could be great rock gardens with a few planters I guess... Sigh.

Has anyone else dealt with nasty zero-scaping? I think I may have to pick up all the rocks, trim the evergreen bushes and plant something else to cover the ground. TIA!

[greenbunny]

Want to see what's been plowing through my garden like Vikings pillaging a town?

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5d927b3127cce92f5d0b8451e00000016108AcOWLJuzctN


Any ideas? It's awfully small for a groundhog, which is what we'd thought was doing all the damage. The claws are really insane. Maybe a vole?

Whatever it is, there's a bazillion around here. The hawks are definitely slacking on the job. Thus is my new life away from the mall district. It seems all that traffic I used to complain about was helping keep my garden safe from these varmints. :rolleyes:


DH and I decided we're not dead yet, so I weeded out the old dog pen (hadn't been used for a dog since the original owners of the house) and he tilled peat moss into it. Let me tell you how fun it was to weed for three hours in a little cage. My back may never be the same. He is planting the leafless cucumbers and melons in there right now, hopefully they can recover. Plus some seeds, but it's really late to start from scratch.

Anyway, we're hoping the fencing will keep the critters out. It isn't dug into the ground, but my dad told us we can buy a little battery-operated kit to electrify the fence. I'm thinking that will be a really good idea. Not strong enough to maim them, just enough to scare them off.

[Pineknot]

Greenbunny,

You're singing my sad, rodent song! I have been plagued with gophers for years. I finally threw in the towel and decided to permanently keep them out of my veggie garden.

My DH built raised boxes (12" high) and we filled them with soil mix/manure/vermiculite we got from the nursery. Before I put the soil in, I laid hard 1" wire at the bottom and halfway up the box. I stapled it onto the box. I then filled with dirt and planted my veggies in them. I think I have about 7.

NO MORE GOPHERS! I never could use any poisons because I was afraid my cat and dog would get ahold of a dead rodent and die themselves.

The one thing I have done is made 'containers' out of the wire to plant my new trees and bushes in. Rodent types love the new roots of young trees.

Good luck with whatever the heck that is... :eek:

[Lizard]

Add me to the avid gardener list! Flowers, and veggies!

lizard

I live in NW Ohio, and I have hardy mums. Mine come back every year, bigger and fuller each time.

The two of yours that are huge is a good thing. You just wait until they bloom - you'll have to tie them up because the flowers get so heavy, that they tend to split down the center of the plant. The other two that are starting to bloom already are fine too. Mine do that sometimes as well. If you pinch the flowers off, it'll make the planter get bigger, and hopefully it won't bloom until the Fall when it's supposed to.

Right now mine are pretty small. But, I'm glad that they will bloom when they are supposed to.

Good luck!

Thanks jlp!! I may try the pinching thing then... those 2 plants have lots of buds, and have for a couple weeks, but only a couple flowers have actually opened. Might as well give it a try. It's nice to see how big they're getting, my mums last year did not get nearly this big. :)

Anyone have Russian Sage planted? I saw some at the greenhouse last night and fell in love with it. :) I really want to buy some, I just need to find a spot to put it.

[fuzzy]

greenbunny -- that looks like a rat on steriods. :p Would you like to borrow my dog for a day or two, since, ya know, she's an expert rodent hutner? We have fences up around our smaller garden and, yeah, weeding in a small pen is about as much fun as a pelvic exam. You have my sympathies.

kjh924 -- your yard looks fabulous!

Anyone have Russian Sage planted?

Not yet, but I'm considering picking one up (they are on sale at the nursery). My MIL tells me that 1) they have a very strong (but pleasant) scent; and 2) they grow like mad.

[meganth]

I don't know what he is greenbunny but i think he's adorable!! About how big is he?

[greenbunny]

Hi all,

this is the first I could get into this forum with the http:/// troubles.

Anyway, fuzzy, can you mail me your dog? ;) He's welcome to take care of these critters, I provide quality food and good belly rubs.

meganth, he's about the size of a large wild rabbit. I'd say less than a foot long, nose to tail, and probably less than 8 pounds. I didn't pick him up, just opened the cage with a shovel handle, so that's my best guesstimate.


As far as Russian sage, I was hoping to get some eventually. My mom bought me a gardening book and it said that stuff is incredibly drought-hardy and spreads a lot. I'm looking to get stuff that spreads fast so I can spend less.

Well, we were in a drought, now they're calling for flash flooding tonight and tomorrow. God, I love this place! :rolleyes: Should I plant cacti, or a rice paddy?

DH hasn't been able to move or plant anything in the cage with the pouring rain, but hopefully the water everywhere is stopping the buggers from biting off any more plants.

[vwinkel]

I received a free Oak tree from the Arbor Day website, but was wondering how long it will take to grow. It's about 2 ft high right now with a pencil thin trunk. Any ideas? I planted it in a pot so that it could "thicken" up, but since our backyard has zero trees right now, will it be another three years before it is worth planting in the ground?

I'm thinking I should go and spend the couple hundred for a large tree. However, I really like the thought of planting this tree and watching it grow at our first house. You know?

[greenbunny]

Do you know what kind of oak? I think the different types have really different growth rates.

My in-laws live in what used to be a white oak forest. The trees are hundreds of feet tall, several tons each, and hundreds of years old. They're all at the point where the rot/bugs/lightning is bringing them down. They planted a seedling seven years ago and it is still only about five feet tall.

DH wants to plan some white oak seedlings in our yard, but by the time we die they probably will only be about 15-20 feet tall.

In general I think the slower they grow, the longer they last. We'll probably plant some fast growing "junk" trees for the shade and the long-lasting ones in between.

[vwinkel]

Yep, it's a White Oak. Sounds like it will take quite some time. Thanks!

[meganth]

My garden is going NUTS! About 2-3 weeks earlier than normal!

Here's some things i've harvested tonight:

Summer Squash (straight and crooked neck):
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5d932b3127cce92986aca962100000016108IYt27Ro2Zm

Beans (green and burgundy):
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5d932b3127cce92986abf176400000016108IYt27Ro2Zm

Zucchini - all these came from the same seed pack - notice the albino one? Anybody seen that happen before?
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5d932b3127cce92986ad4963f00000016108IYt27Ro2Zm

And of course, lettuce:
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5d932b3127cce92986ab5176e00000016108IYt27Ro2Zm

I've got lettuce and zucchini coming out of my ears!!!!!!

I'll take some garden pictures maybe tomorrow. I can't believe how things are growing this year. I've got some red tomatoes already!!

[Twylla]

The harvest looks great megan! My incredible gardener neighbour gave me some of his lettuce on the weekend, sooo yummy!

[greenbunny]

*jealousy*

My stuff is still struggling along, not even close to getting flowers yet. I hope it's a late frost this year or I may end up with nothing.

*shakes fist at the rodents under the shed*

[Noniitis]

http://www.shutterfly.com/jsp/proceserv.jsp?uid=8AcsmbVu5Ytr&rostate=67b0de21b9ddb03fa483&co=-1&js=1121354000456&ps=1&rs=6 http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5d935b3127cce929b465ebd7b00000036108AcsmbVu5Ytr


Hello all! I have a fairly small garden at my house. I think it is 3' x 8' currently. My husband tore down and is replacing our garage on our property so next year we will have a much bigger garden.

I bought an heirloom transplant package for a gormet cooking shop here in the cities. It included 13 tomato plants, carrots, 3 types of basil, 2 eggplants, 3 types of peppers,and cilantro . At the farmers market we picked up 2 butternut squash, oregano, and mint.

The tomatoes have been growning like crazy and have 60+ tomatoes right now... all they need to do ripen. I have been using tons of basil and mint and oregano.

Next year we are doing a major landscape remodel.

[young lioness]

I think I just did a potentially damaging thing to our pumpkins.

We planted them at the back of our lot, on one side of our detached garage. There are four vines now, and they stretch all the way to the front of the garage. I was mowing the lawn tonight, and the grass was tall all around the vines. So I moved two of them to the side, up to the point where the pumpkins have started to grow, and mowed there. Then I shifted them all over to the other side and mowed the other side. Then I tried to get them back in place.

That's when I noticed that they have little roots coming out of the vines where each leaf is. And that was what was supporting them. Now the leaves are all flopped over rather than standing up like they were.

So did I just do them in? Will the roots take hold again or will this be the end of them? I'm kind of worried that the leaves will get wet and moldy from laying against the ground, now that they aren't standing up anymore.

********************

The rest of our garden is doing pretty well. The sunflowers just started to bloom this week, and our grape tomatoes are ripening. We are still getting lots of zucchini and the summer squash look like there will be a bunch to harvest this weekend.

[tlew12778]

I have a question about tomato plants -- The leaves towards the bottom of my plants have started turning yellow and falling off. Is this normal? The rest of the plant is doing fine... I have lots of tomatos that just need to ripen. Thanks!

[alienhost]

I love gardening but haven't done much this year due to the birth of my daughter in April. I have several flower beds and a good sized veggie garden.

My veggie garden has the following struggling plants this year:

4 kinds of tomato plants (12 plants or so and a few volunteers from last year)
cucumbers
butternut squash
jack-be-little pumpkins (for the little one at halloween, but I don't think they are doing well at all)
zuccini
eggplant (these look terrible)
lettuce
snow peas
basil
rosemary
thyme

I also have strawberries, blueberries (which the birds are eating) and raspberry plants.

I just haven't had time to weed, feed and take care of these in general.

[alienhost]

I have a question about tomato plants -- The leaves towards the bottom of my plants have started turning yellow and falling off. Is this normal? The rest of the plant is doing fine... I have lots of tomatos that just need to ripen. Thanks!

I just clip or pinch off the yellowing leaves, it's never really been a problem for me. If the plants are producing you should be fine.

[Noniitis]

Deos anyone know how to tell if green zebra tomatoes are ripe?

[kemaji]

I have a couple tomato questions.

First, the bottoms of the tomatoes on one of my plants are turning brown. The rest of the fruit is ripening normally. Does anyone know why this might be happening?

Second, my brandywine tomato plant has about 18 massive tomatoes on it right now that are ripe or almost ripe and I was wondering if anyone had attempted to dry this particular variety and if so, how were they? I've read that you are supposed to use smaller tomatoes when drying so I wanted to check first.

[fuzzy]

First, the bottoms of the tomatoes on one of my plants are turning brown. The rest of the fruit is ripening normally. Does anyone know why this might be happening?

There's a lack of calcium in your soil. Its called bottom rot or blossom rot. We use this (http://www.gardensalive.com/product.asp?pn=8324) with a lot of success.

****

We came home last night to find our bush beans totally destroyed. Despite a 7 foot fence, someone got in (likely underneath the fence). I suspect a groundhog. If I see him, he's is BIG trouble.

[greenbunny]

It's lunch time and I'm having my first home-grown salad! The mesclun mix and zucchini are our first crop. The tomatos and peppers are my mom's, so that doesn't count. But I'm so thrilled that after all the back-breaking work and the varmint troubles, that I actually have something to show for it!

[chefker]

Isn't it awesome having pick-your-own salad? :) I love it!

I really think the growing season is delayed where I am--my bell peppers have not started doing ANYTHING yet, while my uncle (40 miles away from me), just harvested his.

My corn has developed tiny little cobs, but nothing major. I started all my seeds/plantings at the end of April, which was the earliest frost-free time to do so. Maybe next year I should start my seeds indoors. I'm at a loss here....my bell pepper were actual PLANTS that I set out in May, I should have fruit on them by now I think? :confused:

Incidentally, my jalapeno peppers DID come up--but not the bells. Everything else is looking good except for that!

[greenbunny]

chefker, I totally know what you mean. My bell peppers and tomatoes have tiny little buds, and my mom's plants are going full-blast. We're only about six miles north of her. I think it's partly the elevation (the cooler air, plus the mountain blocks the rain) and plus our soil is poor. And I did start seeds in winter, and put out plants in April/May.

[chefker]

It's weird--I'm in Zone 6, and my uncle is in Zone 5. So I figured it'd stand to reason that my crops would have a yield before his! But the opposite has happened.

Then again, I live near a mountain, so maybe my elevation is higher than my uncle's is. One of thos micro-climate things!

[fuzzy]

The veggies are coming like mad lately.

Here's what we picked last night:

http://pics.livejournal.com/joplin1975/pic/0002qhyy/s320x320

:D

[Mindy3094]

I just found this thread and am very happy. I love gardening - veggie and flower. Hubby is a landscaper so that helps!

My veggie garden this year is about 10' X 20'. Last year, a groundhog pretty much decimated my plants, so this year, I installed a hefty little fence and he has left it alone.

Here is my veggie garden in May right after I planted it:
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5db06b3127cce91815f01a41900000016109AYuWbVu4aO

I definitely need to take a picture now that I have plants growing. There is a big difference between May and August!

I just planted cucumbers, beans, romaine lettuce, jalapeno peppers, bell peppers and tomatoes. I harvested the romaine lettuce in the end of June. My cucumbers are about done producing, but the peppers and beans are still going. I have tomatoes but none are ripe yet. I am in NE Ohio.

We have also spent about 1.5 years working on our backyard. Here is what it looked like when we moved in:
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5db06b3127cce91814741a45500000016109AYuWbVu4aO

In process, it was such a mess:
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5db05b3127cce91934a2f8de500000016109AYuWbVu4aO

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5db05b3127cce91933bc44c9e00000016109AYuWbVu4aO

And here is what it looks like now:
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5d838b3127cce92115ad24edc00000016109AYuWbVu4aO

aerial view from roof:
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5d936b3127cce928e5165757600000016109AYuWbVu4aO

Next up is a new set of stairs in the backyard and then the front yard. When we do the stairs in the backyard, we are going to make a special perennial garden area for me which I cannot wait for. We tend to butt heads a bit when it comes to plants so it will be nice to have my own space to do with what I wish.

So I am glad to have found you ladies!

[vwinkel]

Mindy9034 - GORGEOUS!!!

[greenbunny]

Despite starting everything over again in the cage, something ate every single leaf off all my cucumbers last night. I give up. I can't keep busting butt to get stuff to grow, only to have it razed to the ground right before it produces any food. I just freaking give up.

I begged DH to build a real garden with a fence dug under the ground, chicken wire instead of this wide crap around the dog pen. He says it's too much work and it'll be cheaper to buy the produce anyway. :mad:

It took me about three months to get my pictures uploaded due to a corrupted flash card, so they no longer look anything like my garden's current state, but oh well. Here's the old dog pen where I reseeded/replanted everything after the rabbits/groundhogs/various other rodents destroyed it all:

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a354/agreenbunny/a.jpg

Here was my pathetic seed staging area:

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a354/agreenbunny/b.jpg

[Lizard]

I have a stupid question about tulips and crocus... once they bloom and the flowers die off, do they leave any greenery behind? I'm thinking of putting some of both around our pathetic looking tree in the front yard, for some early spring color. However, I don't really want to tend to greenery in that area all summer. That side of the house gets a LOT of direct sun and it takes all our efforts to keep the grass decent looking, so I know anything planted there would burn off quickly.

I got a Brecks catalog and coupon in the mail yesterday, so I'm itching to use it. :D

[fuzzy]

MIndy -- holy cow, that's a total change. What a beautiful yard!

gb -- they ate everything? Oh no... :(

Lizard -- nope, there's not a lot of greenery. It'll stay for a while, but by about mid-summer (at least around here) the green portions of the plant die and become dormant. I cut them down at that point.

The veggies keep on coming at our house. Mostly eggplants and zuchinni. But The tomatoes are finally starting to ripen too. :)

[meganth]

Look at what i dug up yesterday!!!!
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5d630b3127cce9335a23bd0cb00000015108IYt27Ro2Zm
Yukon golds! Next year i'm planting more potatoes! I wasn't sure i'd be able to grow them but they were maintenance free.

Here's my harvest basket from yesterday:
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5d630b3127cce9335ad8a90e500000016108IYt27Ro2Zm

I've got tons of carrots too. This weekend i'm going to plant my second crop of carrots:
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5d630b3127cce9335ad8d11d200000016108IYt27Ro2Zm
I can't believe how yummy they are! I've been snacking on carrots all week.

I also had to pull up almost all of my onions because the tops have already dried off. I've never had that happen so soon. Now i've got a ton of small onions:
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5d630b3127cce9335a241d0b100000016108IYt27Ro2Zm

[fuzzy]

I also had to pull up almost all of my onions because the tops have already dried off. I've never had that happen so soon. Now i've got a ton of small onions

We do too! So tell me, are your mini-onions as strong as ours? I swear we need a mask of some sort when chopping them up!

[Sarah051504]

Add me to the list of gardeners although this year I'm pathetic. We are in the process of building a house and we sold our current house a few months ago so I have a mini garden in pots at my ILs house were we are living untill the house is done. Nothing is really doing good, my huge tomatoe plant only produced two small tomatoes but now has some new flowers so not sure if I'm going to get more. My bush cucumbers are a joke, the ends are round and fat but the part near the plant is skinny and curved. I finially harvested them the other day casue they just weren't growing anymore. I have some yellow pwppers which are just slowly starting to turn yellow and a bunch of herbs that look awful. :( I can't wait untill next year when we are in the new house and i can have a real garden.

[meganth]

We do too! So tell me, are your mini-onions as strong as ours? I swear we need a mask of some sort when chopping them up!
I haven't tried one yet because i still have them out in the sun drying, but they did smell stronger than normal! I'm going to guess that yes, they'll be really really strong! :eek:

[fuzzy]

Yup, if I have a recipe that calls for onions, I cut the amount in half if I'm using one of these mini-onions. They are seriously pungent! (But very good!)

[vwinkel]

How often do you water? Do you use some sort of irrigation system?

I am about to throw in the towel on my potted herbs. I have to water them every day since it's so hot and that doesn't even seem like enough. How often do you water your pots?

[meganth]

How often do you water? Do you use some sort of irrigation system?

I am about to throw in the towel on my potted herbs. I have to water them every day since it's so hot and that doesn't even seem like enough. How often do you water your pots?

My potted herbs i do have to water almost every day when it's dry like it has been. I try to get every other day but by the second day they're looking REALLY sad.

My garden i water every other day with a nice good soak from the sprinkler.

[Sarah051504]

My pots get watered almost every day.

[fuzzy]

My garden is watered daily -- we have a system of soaker hoses hooked up to a timer...and I have my husband too. ;)

Anything potted gets watered daily when its this hot and dry. If its cooler, I try and go every other day.

Those silicone (I think they are silicone...) water granules that you can add to your soil do work well for potted plants. Use sparingly, as they expand tremendously and, if its a wet summer, can lead to root rot. But, they do work!

[Mindy3094]

I water my garden maybe once a week. I water my pots/containers about every other day. I know what you mean though. I bought a lobelia hanging basket in the spring and it was gorgeous. Despite being watered regularly, it just couldn't seem to take the heat and looks awful now.

I think I have that tomato end rot talked about in another thread. I had to throw about 4 of them in the field because they were rotted on the bottom. They looked fine until I picked them and them vavoom, you find the rot with your fingers.

I'm still getting some green bell peppers and a handful of green beans, but my cucumbers are done.

ETA--- Oh, and thank you to fuzzy and vwinkel. That yard was SO much work!

[chefker]

Meganth - Any secret to growing those nice plump carrots? We grew some from seed this year, but sadly they're on the thin side. Maybe not enough sun.....

Did you start your seeds early/indoors? I REALLY want some nice carrots next year, when we re-plant the garden.

[meganth]

Meganth - Any secret to growing those nice plump carrots? We grew some from seed this year, but sadly they're on the thin side. Maybe not enough sun.....

Did you start your seeds early/indoors? I REALLY want some nice carrots next year, when we re-plant the garden.
Nope, i started them directly in the soil. I think the key was to thin them out so they're not so close. Other than that, i don't know! This is the first year i grew carrots. I do have them in direct sun.

[Smillow]

kemaji
my brandywine tomato plant has about 18 massive tomatoes on it right now that are ripe or almost ripe and I was wondering if anyone had attempted to dry this particular variety and if so, how were they?

We have 5 Brandywine plants that are producing like crazy & I am going to try drying some next week. Have you attempted this yet?

Ours have been extreemly tasty!

[meganth]

kemaji


We have 5 Brandywine plants that are producing like crazy & I am going to try drying some next week. Have you attempted this yet?

Ours have been extreemly tasty!

Drying as in making sun dried tomatoes? I do this with Romas by quartering them and putting them in the oven at the lowest temperature (i think 150-200 degrees) for about 3-4 hours. I cool them off on a baking rack then can them with olive oil and garlic. They were so yummy last year!

[greenbunny]

Our development is back-to-back properties with the next street over, with huge trees along the property lines. I stupidly planted some veggies in the back along the fence and even in the driving rain they don't get a drop. I'd have to spend hours watering every day. It turned out not to matter since the animals ate everything.

In the dog pen I try to water at least every two days...we are right next to a mountain and it blocks the rain. My parents have lush grass 6 miles away, and ours is totally dead. I admit I've been so frustrated with the rabbits and groundhogs and voles that I haven't watered in about a week. I figured F it, they're going to eat the healthy stuff, may as well let it all shrivel up.

[la_bride_2004]

although I am about as novice as they come! We bought our first house two years ago in October. It had a landscaped front yard, a prolific lemon tree on the side and a very small patch of dirt in the back.

I'm proud of our efforts so far, since I know zero about gardening! We managed to somewhat level the backyard and grow grass, which looked 1,000 times better than just dirt. Then I created a small flower bed with 3 bare root rose plants in January. It's taken me a while to get the hang of the roses- first they got mildew, then some kind of caterpillar that ate the leaves. I had the mistaken idea that pesticides and fungicides were for other people! I've since gotten a wire fence (to keep the dog out), used rose food and fungicide/pesticide and the plants are doing well. I also planted calla lillies, and have a Tahitian lime tree and a Mandarin orange tree in big pots- both are flourishing.

I plan to create another flower bed with more roses. I also purchased 50 tulip bulbs and 50 narcissi bulbs today, and am studying up on those! I popped the tulip bulbs in the refrigerator- it looks like I will plant them in 6 weeks.

Unfortunately I don't have the land (we live in an expensive urban metropolis) for vegetables (unless I can get a skinny strip by the garage to grow something) but I love ogling all your pictures!

I never realized how exciting it is to grow your own flowers. I've loved having the roses.

[ignutzz]

I haven't had a chance to read through this thread, so please pardon me if this question has already been asked. I'm hoping you more adept gardeners can help me out here.

I ordered late this year because we had a warm fall last year and the bulbs all sprouted in Nov., then it snowed like crazy, melted and EVERYTHING rotted! We had a warm fall/early winter here this year and last, and I ordered tulip (green and white super parrot and double angelique), daffodil (Replete) and crocus (giant mix) bulbs in early november (trying to avoid what happened last year). The next day, we hit a cold snap and the ground froze before I could do ANY planting.

Is there any way for me to salvage the garden? Can I plant them in late Feb./early Mar. once the ground thaws out? I'm assuming the crocuses are a no go at all, but both the daffodils and tulips are later blooming varieties.

The bulbs were purchased from Dutch Gardens and are kept in a cool, dark closet with a normal moisture level.

Help! I don't want to have wasted $100 because old man winter showed up before I was ready.

[dana b]

i haven't read the whole thread either, i'm wondering if someone could recommend a gardening book? a regular gardening book would be great, but i'm mainly looking for a how-to book for creating a veggie/fruit garden. thanks.

[happy1nuv]

dana ~ My mom got me a book for christmas ... The Vegetable Gardners Bible by Edward Smith... I'm really liking it. He as a word system - wide rows, organic methods, raised soil, deep beds. I'm a total novice (reading this thread as inspiration cause I'm trying to plan a nice veggie garden this year) so I don't know how well it will work ... but it all sounds good (and, I've been reading the book from beginning, and its totally holding my attention.. tried reading the victory garden's guys book ... he didnt keep me as interested (but, to be honest, I wasn't really into it when I tried to read him)...

:)

So, anyone have any words of advice for a beginner veggie gardner?

And, anyone try artichokes? I ADORE artichokes, and really want to grow them, but don't know if its worth it (I'm in zone 6.)...

:)

[Pineknot]

Ignu,

I have planted bulbs a bit after the season has passed and sometimes I get flowers and others, I get just the foliage. Sometimes, when I buy bulbs on the clearance aisles and it's far too late to ground plant, I will put them in pots. I get better luck this way. I say you try the pot thing now...it's better than just throwing the bulbs away, right? :(

In so far as veggie gardening, I have been doing that for several years. Recently, I went to raised bed gardening and have had the best luck ever. I have grown things I could never get to grow before. In fact, all this week I have been eating peas and broccoli from my garden. Next week, all the cauliflower will be ready.

The best gardening book I have ever gotten (and I have plenty) was a book designed specifically for my area. It's called *Pat Welsh's Southern California Gardening- A month by month guide.

The book has a chapter devoted to each month and it tells you what to be doing and planting in that month. It not only covers veggies, it also guides you through flowers and lawns. There must be books like this written for the area you are in.

Also, the internet is a wonderful source for getting good information.

My favorite place for seeds is John Scheeper's www.kitchengardenseeds.com. I have such great luck with him. I have bought parks and burpee, but sometimes I don't get high germination with them. John Scheeper's are near 100% productive. He has good prices and most seeds will last for several years, so don't worry you'll have leftover. Also, there are gardening boards that swap seeds, so that's another great way to share.

Start off with the easy crops such as green beans, squash, cucumbers, tomatoes, and radishes. These are all warm weather crops. That's the easiest season to grow. Winter and early spring crops would include peas, cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli, kales.

Just remember, you aren't out a lot of money if things don't come up. Seeds and compost aren't that much. ;)

Good luck!

[dana b]

thanks happy1nuv and pineknot, i'll get both of those (i'm in calif). i'm in the process of designating that area of our backyard right now and i'm glad you mentioned the raised beds. i wanted to do them b/c they would look better, so hearing that they're better for growth finalizes that decision.

[young lioness]

I have some questions for those of you who start your gardens from seed indoors before the growing season starts.

What are the benefits of doing this, vs. buying seedlings from a garden center? Last year was our first year having a garden, and we bought seedlings from a local garden center (herbs, tomatoes, peppers, squash, cucumbers), and then planted everything else (beans, peas, swiss chard, carrots, broccoli, romain lettuce) from seed, directly into the ground.

Is it less expensive to do it this way?
Any good books or resources you would recommend to get started?
When do you start your seeds, relative to planting them outside? (Mother's day weekend is typical for planting in our area)
Any other tips?

Thanks!

[KarenS]

It's definitely less expensive to start your own seedlings than to buy them from a garden center. A packet of seeds will cost you $2 at the most (depending on teh brand and variety) for usually 20+ seeds. An established seedling - a single plant - can cost you $2 per seedling.

Starting the seeds indoors can allow you to get a jump on the growing season. For example, if your frost date is in April, you can start your seedlings in February, thin them out, get about 5 or 6 good solid, healthy plants going, and then plant them in the ground in April. If, for example you do this with tomato plants that start to bear in 120 days, then you're already 45 days into that when you plant them. If you waited to seed diretly into the ground, then you're still at the 120 days until you get any fruit.

If that makes any sense.

Karen

[Pineknot]

Dana,

I didn't realize what state you were in. We're neighbors!

If you need any help on the how-to's of planting or building the boxes for your raised garden, just let me know. I'd be glad to share.

Now would be such a good time to start building your boxes and getting your soil. A drip system is the absolute best for watering and inexpensive as well. If you don't have the resources for automating your watering, the hose works fine too. :p

My husband built our boxes. I then watersealed them. The redwood was so pretty, I tried to keep it looking that way. I put chicken wire at the bottom of the box and then newspapers and/or old tax forms from our offices. I didn't want any gopher problems and the paper will rot away, providing a compost of sorts. Many nurseries sell planter mix loose and that is by far, the cheapest way to buy it. The bags get really expensive.

Good luck and please pm if I can be of help. March is going to be about the first time you can get anything in the ground and that will be more transplants than seeds. April is seed time.

[NotDesperate]

We just bought a house and there is so much I want to do- gardening wise!

First off, there is almost no landscaping. There are a couple tiny plants out front but they are weird looking.

I planted some bulbs but I think I may have to move them. I was a little excited to begin and being a novice at gardening, just put them along my front walk. But there is zero sun there so they probably won't grow. :(

I want a vegetable garden but I haven't figured out what yet. I asked DH to build me a raised bed but I don't know where to put it. I really want to start some seedlings indoors so I will have to research that. Can you start other kinds of plants from seeds as well?

I want some container plants for the patio but again don't know what.

I want sunflowers but no nothing about them.

I want some bushed and landscaping but don't know what!

There is just so much we need and so much I want that I don't even know where to begin.

Does anyone have any good books or websites to suggest for starting a garden? Or for doing any of the things I mentioned above?

[NotDesperate]

P.S. What are some alternative ground covers if grass will not grow? We have a tree in the back yard and no grass will grow under it.

What could we do?

[meganth]

dana ~ My mom got me a book for christmas ... The Vegetable Gardners Bible by Edward Smith...
This is my absolute garden bible, and i've been doing it for a while. Even if you don't follow this guys methods, the book is really handy for a ton of other facts.

young lioness If you've never done vegetables from seed, then i'd recommend buying plants from the garden center. As you get more confident then start doing your own seeds. Don't start off right away with tomatoes and peppers, because that takes a little more know how such as repotting and making sure the plants don't get leggy or start dampening off. Winter Squash i'd sow directly into the ground. Zucs and cucs i sow inside 4 weeks before last frost.

Herbs i start inside about 8-10 weeks before last frost.

Like i said, i've been doing vegetable gardening for a long time and have been studying it for a while. So if anybodys got questions let me know! Flower gardening, i can't help with - i kill anything that's not a vegetable!!! :o

[Pineknot]

Not desperate,

Don't despair on the bulbs. Many bulbs grow in shade AND sun. My daffodils are almost always shaded and come up every year. :p

Sunflowers are typically warm weather flowers and grow like weeds from seeds.

I don't know much about your area, but maybe I could give you some universal advice.

When picking bushes and plants to group together, always be aware how big they are going to grow and plant accordingly. Additionally, be mindful of how much water they will need and whether you are planting similar watering needs together.

The very best thing you can do is find a small nursery in your area. These will be much better for you in your quest of knowledge than say, Home Depot. Home Depot can be a great source for more inexpensive plants, though.

Find plants you like, try to take a small cutting and run to the nursery and ask them all about it. Most small nurseries have Master Gardeners that are knowledgeable for your area and can really guide you in your purchases. If you get a piece of grid paper and draw out your property to scale, most of these nurseries are more than happy to help you design your flowerbeds.

And, to get started...just pick one small area of your yard and work that to completion. That will help you build your confidence and learn from your mistakes.

The most important thing you can do is ready your soil. Make sure it has all the necessary nutrients for what you are planting. Your flowers and bushes will really do well in proper soil.

Veggie garden - put that raised box in an area that will get the most sun. Most veggies are sun lovers and the ones that don't, you can put a small beach umbrella over. The nice thing about the boxes are if you want to eventually move it, just pick it up. The soil can just be spread out over the grass or relocated into the flower beds.

It would probably help for you to google your area and then the word gardening and see what comes up. There are so many regional gardening boards and they LOVE to help newbies.

Good luck :p

[NotDesperate]

Thanks so much Pineknot!!!

[magrat]

I like the gardenweb (http://www.gardenweb.com) forums, there are lots of local boards, very helpful!

I started things from seed last year and I would highly recommend it! I think it's the most fun part of gardening - once they're planted outside I start to ignore them :rolleyes: It's fun watching them grow and picking out rare and heirloom varieties that you just can't get at garden centers. Just make sure you get a florescent light! Don't buy it from a garden center though, they're outrageously expensive. Just get a shop light from a hardware store, put one cool and one warm spectrum buld in it, and hang it from chains. Mine is in the basement, and because it's so cold, I have a little electric oil-filled radiator in the room next to my shop table (also from hardware store). The whole set up, seeds, potting soil etc cost less than $100, and this year will be much cheaper because I only need some more soil and new seeds.

[happy1nuv]

magrat ~ You started your seeds in the basement? I don't have a basement but I was wondering if I could put them in the garage... we do open the door daily... I just don't have room to put them anywhere in the house. Alternately, we do have wide window sills. If I just put them out on the windowsill, would that work? (Ive never tried growing any plants on the windows, so not sure if they get enough sun)

[Lizard]

I would also recommend going to a local bookstore and finding a book on gardening in your specific area. We live in Nebraska, and I found an awesome book last year on gardening in the Great Plains. It covers all the challenges that people in this area have, and also recommends plants that work well in drought conditions (which we're in 90% of the time).

I'm kinda ticked.... the weather has gotten better so I went out and perused our gardens.... a rabbit chewed my miniature rose bush right down to the ground. :( There is literally nothing left of it. I planted tulips, crocus and daffodils in the fall, and only 1 of those bulbs was dug up and chewed, thank goodness. I guess I'll have to invest in some chicken wire next year.

Herbs from seed are pretty easy. I haven't done veggies from seed because it stays so cold here for so long, and I don't really have a good place inside the house to grow them properly.

I'm starting to get the planting bug already, sigh... but I did receive a really nice indoor planter stand for Christmas. :D So I may have to take a trip to the greenhouse and see what I can fill it with.....

[greenbunny]

I'm really frustrated. DH swore he'd build shelves for starting seeds over the winter and prep for a raised garden this year (our fenced-in version was a disaster, the animals dug underneath and ate everything). Now he's saying he's too busy with school, and maybe by the following year. It should not take three years to start a freaking garden!

[meganth]

I'd like to see pictures of your guys seed growing setups. Hubby and i are making one this year in the basement too. Last year i did it in my sunroom but the nighttime temps get too cold and i'm too scared to run the space heater out there over night!

greenbunny, a dummy way i was going to set up my seed growing area (before hubby got invovled) was with a few tables and lights hanging from the rafters. That would have been a set up i could have made on my own. Also, raised beds aren't too hard to do by yourself. I made mine last year on my own also. I dug a small trench and put the wood in and then screwed it together. I feel your pain, i stopped relying on my hubby for these things long ago or it'd never get done!!!



So i think i've got my list of tomatoes for this year finished. I'm going with all heirloom and rare varieties so i can't wait to get started! Here's my tomato list if anybody's interested:

Aunt Gertie’s Gold
Brandywine Sudduth
Cherokee Purple
Heidi
Kellogg's Breakfast
Kosovo
Marianna's Peace
Omar's Lebanese
Opalka
Principal Borghese
Purple Russian
San Maranzo Redorta

[greenbunny]

meganth, last year I had a folding table in the kitchen with grow lights just sitting around shining on them. I might be able to replicate it in the laundry room, but this year it definitely needs to be closed off due to the cats.

That is so cool that you dug your own garden. I'm such a weakling. Plus, I know with the tiller and stuff, DH could do it in a third of the time and that makes me even more annoyed!

That's a lot of tomatoes! Where do you buy seeds?

[meganth]

I'll probably grow about 20-25 tomato plants this year. I do a lot of canning and sauces and drying, so it doesn't go to waste. Not to mention all the friends/neighbors who expect fresh tomatoes from me!!

I get my seeds from Seed Saver Exchange, Baker Creek and Johnny Seeds. I'll post a list of heirloom/organic companies in a second.

[meganth]

1. Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds
2278 Baker Creek Road
Mansfield, MO 65704
(866) 653-7333
www.rareseeds.com

2. Bountiful Gardens
18001 Shafer Ranch Road
Willits, CA 95490
(707) 459-6410
www.bountifulgardens.org

3. Cook’s Garden
P.O. Box 5030
Warminster, PA 18974
(800) 457-9703
www.cooksgarden.com

4. FEDCO Seeds
P.O. Box 520
Waterville, ME 04903
(207) 873-7333
www.fedcoseeds.com

5. Heirloom Seeds
P.O. Box 245
W. Elizabeth, PA 15085
(412) 384-0852
www.heirloomseeds.com

6. High Mowing Organic Seeds
813 Brook Road
Wolcott, VT 05680
(802) 888-1800
www.highmowingseeds.com

7. Johnny’s Selected Seeds
955 Benton Ave.
Winslow, ME 04901
(800) 854-2580
www.johnnyseeds.com

8. Natural Gardening Co.
P.O. Box 750776
Petaluma, CA 94975
(707) 766-9303
www.naturalgardening.com

9. Nichols Garden Nursery
1190 Old Salem Road NE
Albany, OR 97321
(800) 422-3985
www.nicholsgardennursery.com

10. Peaceful Valley
Farm Supply
P.O. Box 2209
Grass Valley, CA 95945
(888) 784-1722
www.groworganic.com

12. Seeds of Change
P.O. Box 15700
Santa Fe, NM 87592
(888) 762-7333
www.seedsofchange.com

13. Seed Savers Exchange
3076 North Winn Road
Decorah, IA 52101
(563) 382-5990
www.seedsavers.org

14. Seeds for the South
410 Whaley Pond Road
Graniteville, SC 29829
Fax: (803) 232-1119
www.seedsforthesouth.com

15. Seeds Trust
4150 B Black Oak Drive
Hailey, ID 83333
(208) 788-4363
www.seedstrust.com

16. Southern Exposure
Seed Exchange
P.O. Box 460
Mineral, VA 23117
(540) 894-9480
www.southernexposure.com

17. Sow Organic Seed Co.
P.O. Box 527
Williams, OR 97544
(888) 709-7333
www.organicseed.com

18. Terra Viva Organics
8480 Dayton Court
Richmond, BC V6Y 3H6
(866) 599-2847


19. Territorial Seed Co.
P.O. Box 158
Cottage Grove, OR 97424
(800) 626-0866
www.territorial-seed.com

20. Underwood Gardens
1414 Zimmerman Road
Woodstock, IL 60098
(815) 338-6279
www.underwoodgardens.com

21. Victory Seeds
P.O. Box 192
Molalla, OR 97038
(503) 829-3126
www.victoryseeds.com

[greenbunny]

Wow, thanks! I've only ever used Parks and Burpee.

[magrat]

Here's a bad pic of my initial seed starting set up last year:

http://www.britculture.co.uk/wedding/planttable.jpg

I later got regular black plastic seed starters, and that worked really well. The light hung from a little hook that just happened to be in the ceiling rafter already, very handy :) I have the light plugged into a little device with a remote, so I kept it at the top of the steps and didn't have to go downstairs every time I turned it off and on.

I did have a problem with moss at first but once I got the space heater it was fine.

http://www.britculture.co.uk/wedding/seedlings2.jpg

I buy my seeds from Pinetree Seeds (http://www.superseeds.com/home.htm) and Sandhill Preservation (http://www.sandhillpreservation.com/). Pinetree has a huge variety and are really cheap, but come in really small packets - not a problem because I have a really small garden, but like to have lots of different varieties.

Unfortunately I don't have much luck with tomatoes because I have a huge black walnut tree which puts off a growth suppressant that strongly effects tomatoes so I don't get to try all the unique heirloom tomatoes, but I do use mostly heirloom and unusual varieties of everything else.

[meganth]

That's right magrat i remember your set up from our WC thread! I'll probably be doing something like that but on a larger scale, or if my hubby actually stays true to his word, i'll have a 3 shelf system.

I love Sandhills selection, but i'm seriously lazy and need to be able to buy over the 'net! I don't like having to fill out an order form and mail out a check!


Unfortunately I don't have much luck with tomatoes because I have a huge black walnut tree which puts off a growth suppressant that strongly effects tomatoes so I don't get to try all the unique heirloom tomatoes, but I do use mostly heirloom and unusual varieties of everything else. Have you tried container growing your tomatoes?

[tlew12778]

Have you tried container growing your tomatoes? I did this last year and only recommend it for small varieties. The big ones don't get big in a container (although if you're cool with having small tomatoes than that's fine). I had a huge problem trying to regulate the soil dampness and I kept getting rings and lines on my tomatoes until I bought this automatic watering cone thing that you stick in the dirt and it sucks up as much water as it needs from a separate container.

[meganth]

If anybody's interested, here's a simple solution i read off of gardenweb for setting up growing lights:

I also agree with Alison and Wendey. Cool white fluorescent lights work just fine. I recommend the T8 cool white bulbs at $2 each if you buy them in boxes of 10 bulbs at Home Depot. The T8 bulbs are only 1-inch in diameter and use only 32 watts and they actually put out a little more light than the old fashioned 40-watt T12 bulbs which are 1½" in diameter. I tried Gro-Lights and didn't see any noticeable advantage and they had a big disadvantage of costing as much as several T8s.

I use inexpensive Commercial Electric Shoplight fixtures from Home Depot which cost about $8 for a two-bulb fixture (bulbs not included) which can accept either T8 bulbs or T12 bulbs.

You can buy elaborate and expensive plant stands like this "best seller" 16 Tray, 4 Tier Light Stand, w/ Timer from Harris Seeds,
http://gardeners.harrisseeds.com/data/sfproducts/4441.jpg


or you can make a better one yourself for much less money. There are plenty of plans and instructions available for making the light stand itself from white PVC pipe, but I noticed that many of those became "sway-backed" under load. So two years ago I made my first stand from a much more rigid chrome wire shelving that cost about $70 at Sam's Club. The price is $76.88 now. I think Costco has similar, if not identical shelving.

http://graphics.samsclub.com/images/products/0001764199497_L4.jpg

The shelves are 48 inches wide by 18 inches deep and the shelving unit is 72 inches high without the castors or 76 inches high with the 3-inch commercial castors. Two of the wheels lock for safety. You can hang two or three of the Commercial Electric shoplights over each shelf, using the hanging chains that come with the shoplight. You may want to remove a shelf or two if you need more space over your plants. I removed two shelves and had them unequally spaced with the taller plants (my onions) at the bottom and the shorter seedlings at the top.

I decided I wanted to expand to 24" x 48" shelves, so I bought a second chrome wire unit from another online source and it cost about $130. It had only three usable shelves because the fourth shelf was the top of the unit, but the taller shelf spacing and the bigger shelves allowed me to grow much bigger plants.

Last year I added a second 48x24 unit and my wife wanted the original chrome wire unit for her kitchen, so she got it. If I can find space for one, I will add a third 48x24 unit this year.

Incidentally, if you want to grow bigger plants, you can "overdrive" the fluorescent fixtures to get 50% more light from each bulb. That makes the lights very bright. As my plants grow larger I transfer them to overdriven shelves. Last year we set out pepper plants that had pickable peppers on them and zinnias in full bloom and many other similarly advanced plants. My wife commented that our seed starting operation had evolved very close to indoor hydroponic gardening. Our short Maine growing season makes it very desirable to set out plants that are as far along as possible. For extra root volume I make "1-liter pots" from the bottom 5¼" of 2-liter soft drink bottles. They work surprisingly well and I figure they cost me 5¢ each because I didn't recycle them. If you want more details, I can try to answer your questions.

You can save a lot of money by making your own plant stand from chrome wire shelves and shoplights, and have a better unit (or units) in the bargain.

MM

[happy1nuv]

ok, i have 3 options for starting seeds indoors. garage, closet in the hall bathroom (bathroom is only used to bathe an 8 mos old) - this closet is empty ... is long and narrow, closet in upstairs hall above washer/dryer (i plan to get those lights ... live in zone 6)

what's my best bet, ya think?

[dana b]

does anyone have a pic of their garden they can share. my handyman is willing to build raised beds for me and put in the drip irrigation system, i just need to be really specific about what i want. i'll come back and post a pic of the area we're planning to use.

[Pineknot]

dana,

The boxes hubby built are pretty simple. Even though he has a working knowledge of building, I could have built them myself after watching him do the first one.

We made them in different sizes, depending on where we put them in the garden. They can become quite costly, and we have railroad ties against one part of the garden, so I put boxes along that area and used the railroad ties to abut them to. Those were long boxes, about 3X6. I also made boxes 3X3 and 4X4. The thing you have to know ahead of time is the types of veggies you might be planting and how much room the veggies you want to grow will take. I made one box 4X8 and that is my tomato box. Each tomato takes a 2X2 ft area. Normally, I would NOT make a box 4ft wide as it is hard to garden in it. But, for my bell pepper plants and my tomatoes, it works perfectly.

First, figure out the kinds of veggies you will normally grow. You don't have to be SOOO specific, but know if you will be doing mostly tomatoes, for instance, as opposed to beans or something else. Will you grow things that require trellising, such as peas or cucumbers?

Check out squarefootgardening.com. This site is run by the guy who put raised bed gardening on the map. His book is invaluable. It's what I started using years and years ago...even when I wasn't using raised beds. Bet you could find it super cheap on half.com.

Can you put a pic of the area and the dimensions? How many boxes did you plan on building?

[QueenofCA]

Oohhh...I am so happy that I found this thread! DH and I have a townhouse, and we're in L.A., so we're blessed with great weather but limited in terms of how much dirt we actually can use. I planted lots of stuff last year in pots, and I was really happy with the yield. We had so many cherry tomatoes that we couldn't even give them to our neighbors because we had already foisted so many off on them!

This year I really want to work on an herb garden, which is window-box friendly. I haven't decided what else I'm going to plant...maybe green beans, bell peppers, chili peppers, and tomatoes again.

I'm off to check out all those links. Happy gardening to all! :)

[fuzzy]

Just stating for the record that Johnny's Select Seeds is my most favorite seed distributor. We buy most of our seeds from them.

[NotDesperate]

If starting from seed, how neccessary is a florescent light? I am keeping mine (the few I have) in the spare bathroom that gets lots of sun and stays very warm. At night I could put a small desk lamp over them I suppose. Do you think they would still grow? I have no where to hang a big florescent lamp!

[NotDesperate]

Oh I thought of another question. Do squirrels bother vegetable gardens? I want to put up a sqiurrel feeder because they are cuuuute but DH says they may eat the veges. Or another question is, will rabbits be doubly attracted by a vege garden AND squirrel feeder?

[Pineknot]

Katie,

Rabbits are going to be a BIG problem for a veggie garden...BIG! Also, there can be no good that comes of attracting squirrels. :(

In so far as your germination questions for seeds, your seedlings are going to need a minimum of 12 hours of direct light for growing. For optimum results with your seeds, fluorescent bulbs are going to be best. I don't think you have to get one of those big shop lights for germination. I'm pretty sure that lowes/home depot sell very small fixtures that actually will attach under cabinetry. I think they start out at 18". If you have no place to attach that too, how bout something like this? http://www.diynetwork.com/diy/gt_seeds_bulbs/article/0,2029,DIY_13866_2653426,00.html Couldn't you build a small version of this and put it on the floor of that extra bathroom? PVC pipe is SOO easy to work with. You could absolutely do this by yourself...no DH needed! :p
You can't use regular light bulbs for germination. Plants need two types of light waves for growth and flowering - red waves induce flowering and blue waves induce growth. Regular lights bulbs don't mimic sun rays. You have to use fluorescent for that. :)

It might be a little bit of work to get you going, but it's so worth it when you see those seeds breaking dirt. :D

[NotDesperate]

Thanks Pineknot, that is super cool! I am going to make one of those and put it in the spare bathroom like you said! Plus it will keep DH from using that bathroom causing me to clean yet another toilet! ;)

[young lioness]

Just bumping this up...my Burpee catalog came in the mail yesterday and now I'm all excited about growing things! :D

[meganth]

I've already bought all my seeds. Now i'm just twiddling my thumbs till late March!!

[Lizard]

I planted a bunch of bulbs in the fall, and we've had unseasonably warm temps this winter so I've been worried they're going to come up early. Nothing so far, but I've been checking my beds every day. On one hand I love the warmer temps, but I don't want everything to bloom early and get frost damage!! Such a conundrum. :)

[wine_o_girlie]

I grew some flowers last year from seed and I loved it. Such excitement when you go outside and see these little green sprouts coming up! My husband thinks I am on crack. ;)

My grandparents always had a massive vegetable garden every year and although I don't have even close to the land they did, I would still like to try to grow some vegetables this year. I have an empty bed on the side of my house that gets a lot of sun. Thanks to this thread, I just ordered a bunch of seeds from Pinetree and I am so excited to get them. I stuck with "easy" stuff like peppers and tomatoes so I really hope I can make a go of it.

I'm in Zone 5 - when should I start my veggie seedlings? I need to investigate getting a flourescent bulb set-up going in my basement but I need to know when to start it. Thanks so much!

[magrat]

I just ordered a bunch of seeds from Pinetree and I have my order form ready to send off to Sandhill. I am ordering way too many! :) Still, I learned a few things I can't grow after last year's failures, so I'll be cutting back in those areas. Eggplants did really badly last year (didn't get very big and the squirrels kept eating them), which is a shame because they're so fun to grow and eat. Tomatoes weren't too bad, but not the greatest. Carrots and onions did nothing. Peppers and brussels sprouts were unexpected successes. I need to try harder with the peas this year (ie plant them at the right time, water them) and I think I'll have more luck. New for 2006 will be broccoli (since the sprouts did so well last year), melon (expecting this to be a failure), acorn squash, tomatillos, and cucumbers. I'm giving okra one more try (last year I got two leaves on the plant and it stopped growing at about 3 inches high and just stayed that way). I'm very excited to start my seeds, it's my favorite part of gardening!

We have had such unseasonably warm weather this winter I really don't know what to expect in the spring. It was the warmest January in 150 years. I saw some irises starting to sprout already, not good. On the other hand, maybe it will allow some other things to overwinter that normally wouldn't in our zone. Have to wait and see.

[meganth]

magrat The things that did bad for you last year, have they always done bad? I ask because, at least here in MI z5b, we had a really harsh hot summer. My onions cooked in the ground, lousy yield for tomatoes, bolting broccoli. Hopefully this summer will be better and not so hot!

As for the eggplant, i've discovered i need to grow a variety for short summers. I think my eggplant seeds come from Johnny's. (that's terrible, i order so many seeds i can't remember where i get them from!)

[fuzzy]

I ask because, at least here in MI z5b, we had a really harsh hot summer. My onions cooked in the ground, lousy yield for tomatoes, bolting broccoli.

Yup, same here.

That said, we have a bumper crop of eggplant! I read that while they need water, they can tolerate insanely high temps and actually do better when it's warmer. To combat the bugs, deer, and squirrels, we used row covers over our eggplant and it worked FABULOUSLY. I'm still eating the eggplant we canned/froze. YUM!

[QPDoll]

I have terrible spring fever here, its just starting to warm up (and here, that means dumping rain every day). But I like to look out the window and see all my spring bulbs starting to pop up. We have so many bluebells everywhere its like an invasive weed. They are pretty when in bloom, but they leave a mess to clean up.

I got my Michigan Bulb Co catalog the other day, and Ive been browsing through it, dreaming of re-doing one of my flower beds.

Anyone garden with a one-year old? My boys will be one in July, and I wonder how much time I will actually have to work in the yard. Just when they nap? What do one year olds do when they are outside? Play, or just get into everything?

Here are my bluebells from last year:
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b4da03b3127cce9c1263dbe48100000016108IaM2TJw1aA

And the section of flower beds I want to re-do (the previous owners of the house liked jam-packed flower beds and little leafed bushes...I don't like it quite this messy looking - and the wall of leaves are clematis)
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b4d823b3127cce9c1263b66d4e00000036108IaM2TJw1aA

[magrat]

The things that did bad for you last year, have they always done bad?

It was my first year gardening at our new house. I think the eggplants did badly because it's too shady in our yard, and they may be more sensitive to the black walnut tree than the tomatoes. They really love the heat too, and I don't remember the summer being unusually hot. Lots of my tomatoes had those brown spots on the bottom, and towards the end of the season were really wilty (that part possibly due to the black walnut). My raised bed is a mix of organic hummus and our own soil which is very heavy clay, so I don't think the root veggies like that. Oddly enough I put in onion sets and they got nice and green and flowered and when I pulled them up the bulbs hadn't grown at all, not a millimeter.

I grew some bok choi last year and it did well and smelled so wonderful when I picked it, but it was badly chewed up by some insect or other, too bad to actually eat it myself. That was the only thing that had any insect problem, any ideas? This year I'll buy the seed from a regular store so I end up with a really sturdy hybrid, but it was really disappointing.

[happy1nuv]

you can try a hot pepper spray. i havent tried it yet but am planning to this yr.... will post ingredients later...

[tlew12778]

I did the hot pepper spray last year. It reaked to high heaven bc you also use onions and garlic in the mix. You can also try tobacco leaves (either crushed or make a spray).

Here's a link (http://www.canadiancountrywoman.com/garden/bugrecipes.php)for some stuff you can use as insect repellents.

[magrat]

tlew I can't comment on the sprays recommended on that website, but I love this!


http://www.canadiancountrywoman.com/images/toadtrailer.jpg
Toad Trailer
A toad can be a gardener’s best friend, eating up to 15,000 slugs, cutworms and other destructive pests in a season. Tempt toads to stay in your garden with this shelter modeled after a vintage camper. Made of glazed ceramic, it keeps toads cool and safe from predators. Toad not included.

[Lizard]

I love that Toad Trailer!!! :D

[NotDesperate]

That toad trailer is cuuuute! I want one!

[NotDesperate]

I am having a hard time deciding where I want my gardens. My yard is a blank slate so I can start anywhere.

I want a vege garden, in raised beds. And I have 2 locations I am considering. One is in a front corner of my backyard. It gets tons of sun, all day long.

The other location is on the west side of my house, in my side yard. It gets almost just as much sun as the backyard corner. Basically this location is just on the other side of the fence of the front/side backyard corner I first mentioned. But it would be against the side of the house (with walking room).

I am considering this location because it will be utilizing otherwise un-utilized space. I am thinking it will be less in the way than if it was in my backyard. My backyard (and front and side yards too for that matter) is pretty small, we live in "the city."

My side yard has a lot of space that I would probably never use otherwise. If the vege garden was in my backyard, I wouldn't want it to get in the way of the kids playing (not that we will have any any time soon!- I just don't want to move the boxes when we do).

I could still see the vege garden from my family room windows, which look out the side yard. And it would still be close to the faucet to water it but my mom says I might "forget" it if it wasn't right in my back yard. She also said people might steal my produce...?!

One pro of the backyard is that it is fenced in and on the fence is chicken wire to keep our small dog from walking through the slats of the fence. So this *might* keep out unwanted critters, although they can get to anything they set their mind to probably!

Where do you think you would put the vege garden if this was your space? If I can figure it out, maybe I can post pics if that will help you decide.


TIA! :D

[NotDesperate]

P.S. my bulbs are starting to come up now!! I just noticed yesterday! Oh no! What do I do? It's going to get cold again!

[NotDesperate]

Okay, I know I'm posting a lot today so sorry if it is bugging you but I have a lot to say today!

I have another question.

For all of you who have raised garden beds...

What do you think of this bed:

(found at this site) http://www.gardeners.com/Raised-Garden-Bed/default/StandardCatalog.OutdoorPlanters_RaisedBeds.34-381.cpd

http://www.gardeners.com/on/demandware.static/Sites-Gardeners-Site/Sites

This is the description from the site:

Nothing beats a raised bed for growing vegetables. They keep the soil warm for improved root growth, retain moisture and practically eliminate weeding. Our revolutionary Grow Bed raises soil temperatures even more with energy-absorbing black plastic sides and it costs less than other raised beds too. In our test gardens, five Grow Beds yielded over 50 pounds of sweet, juicy melons, over 100 bell peppers, 54 eggplants, 53 pounds of potatoes and 216 pounds of tomatoes—in just 45 square feet!

Is this better, same or worse than the homemade kind?

[meganth]

Is this better, same or worse than the homemade kind?

$36 is kind of pricey for 3 ft x 3 ft. It is conveinet though. I guess if i were you i'd go to Lowes or Home Depot and price out wood. You want to buy non treated wood because treated wood can contain arsenic or you could by recycled lumber, (i can't think of the real word for that right now) and that can get pricey also.

[fuzzy]

You want to buy non treated wood because treated wood can contain arsenic or you could by recycled lumber, (i can't think of the real word for that right now) and that can get pricey also.

It's not a horrible price. And it's convenient. Like meganth suggested, we used cedar and hemlock (because it takes a bazillion years to rot) to build our raised beds, as we weren't down with the whole arsenic in our soil issue. The hemlock was incredibly hard to find -- we had to go to a speciality lumber mill. The cedar was easy to find, but uber expensive. Last time we priced out Trek wood, it was on par with cedar. So...this GS bed might not be bad.

[Pineknot]

Katie,

I think that is a terrific price for that square box. I made mine out of 2x6 (for the sides) and 14" 4x4 on each corner that I nailed the 2x 6es into. Each side had a 2x6 on top of each other. I think each box to make, was about 40.00. I used redwood and then, once they were completed, I painted them on the outside with watersealer.

That black will be really good to heat up the soil, especially for your tomatoes. Just a sidenote, I see coupon codes for Gardeners all the time. I have ordered several things from them. The latest were the tomato ladders. They work great.

Just a couple of points about the box placement. I would NEVER want to move mine now. They were work! I love the idea of using an area that you wouldn't normally use, but make sure you can run a watering system to it. You just THINK you'll hand water every day. ;)

Another pointer, I have started taking advantage of the Starbucks free coffee grounds from their stores. They are great to add to compost piles or in your boxes for nitrogen.

I'm enjoying seeing you get bit by the gardening bug. :p

[NotDesperate]

Haha, thanks Pineknot! And thanks for everyone's responses. Do you think that square box is tall enough? They are 10 inches high. Is that enough?

I will look into the Starbucks coffee grounds thing, it is a good idea. However I don't know anything about composte but I plan on researching it.

Where can I find a coupon code for Gardeners? Do a search?

Thanks :)

[Pineknot]

Katie,

Try currentcodes.com and naughtycodes.com. (hope it's okay to post websites on the board) I always use these two sites before I order.

The height will be fine. My boxes are 12" high, but they are usually sitting at about 8-9" of dirt. Katie, you'll see the dirt settles with every gardening season. When you first start out, fill it to the brim, cause it will settle at least 2" when you start planting and watering.

After you have your first season, your boxes will need nitrogen replenishment. Some crops take more nitrogen than others. That's where the coffee grounds come in. :) I'll take you through it after your first season if you want.

did you go to squarefootgardening.com? That is invaluable for getting started. Mel Bartholomew has a GREAT book for square foot gardening, but I don't think it is printed anymore. I have one I bought probably 20 yrs ago. Bet you could find a copy on half.com. Even though there are resources on the internet, I can't find everything. Yet, Mel's book is totally complete. You have to know how to space the plants. The book gives you that. If you can't find it, I have one and will look up for you what you want to plant.

Keep going!!:p

[young lioness]

did you go to squarefootgardening.com? That is invaluable for getting started. Mel Bartholomew has a GREAT book for square foot gardening, but I don't think it is printed anymore. I have one I bought probably 20 yrs ago. Bet you could find a copy on half.com. Even though there are resources on the internet, I can't find everything. Yet, Mel's book is totally complete. You have to know how to space the plants. The book gives you that.

FYI -

I just visited the site, and it looks like he is releasing a new edition of his book on Feb 14th.

[NotDesperate]

Thank you so much Pineknot!!! DH and I are going to the bookstore today to look at gardening books, maybe we can preorder Mel's.

As usual, I have another question! DH and I are looking for plants for privacy use. We live in the "city" and our backyard looks out another backyard, behind us and next to us. I'm more concerned with the people behind us because I feel so on display. Especially since they love my dog and always stare at us out the window or come out and talk. I like having nice neighbors but like I said, I feel on display... and sometimes I am trying to train and they come out.

So anyway, we have a small backyard so I don't want anything that gets too tall. Really 6-8 feet would be good, give or take... I don't know if any evergreens stay that small. A deciduos tree would be fine because even though privacy would be less in winter, I wouldn't be out as much.

So I would like something that has leaves for as long as possible (spring-fall). Also, it can't have too many flowers (or flower for too long) because DH is a girl when it comes to bees and I am only allowed a limited number of flowers in the backyard!

So does anyone know of any plants/bushes I could use as a privacy screen that wouldn't require pruning or too much maintenance? I was thinking about this one:

http://springhillnursery.com/images/prodimage_250/19182.jpg
http://springhillnursery.com/product.asp_Q_pn_E_19182
The Purple Leaf Plum Hedge
Seems like the best one so far

http://springhillnursery.com/images/prodimage_250/65016.jpg
http://springhillnursery.com/product.asp_Q_pn_E_65016
Forsythia Hedge...
lots of flowers tho...

http://springhillnursery.com/images/prodimage_250/66518.jpg
http://springhillnursery.com/product.asp_Q_pn_E_66518
Chinese Elm
will it get messy or out of control?

Is it safe to order plants from the net?

TIA for anyone's assistance!

[Lizard]

Boxwood is another one that's often used for hedges. I believe it's fairly slow-growing, but there are a lot of varieties so maybe some are quicker than others. We have some in front of our house and I just prune them once a year to keep their shape.

[fuzzy]

We had a forsythia at our last house. I really liked it and it added a ton of color in the spring. But, it was BIG shrub and had to be trimmed regularly (disclaimer: it was probably about 10 years old).

[KarenS]

Forsythia gets REALLY BIG and bushy. I wouldn't consdier it a good privacy hedge.

Here's a good article for you that talks about privacy hedges:
http://faq.gardenweb.com/faq/lists/calif/2004025555000681.html

Karen

[Pineknot]

I don't know a lot about hedges, but I know some roses are designed for that and they sure are beautiful.

Also, as Lizard suggested, boxwoods are really common here in California. They look great, don't ever seem to look beaten with our heat in the summer, and I LOVE them for cutting during the holidays and making topiaries. I'm not sure how quickly they will fill in for you , though.

[NotDesperate]

Well thanks for everyone's help, re: hedges. I think maybe we will find more out about Emeral Green Arborivate. They are suppossed to stay small, no more than 15 feet and I think that would be good. I am just worried about blocking too much sun from my yard since it is so small... hmm..

Guess what Pineknot- I got the new copy of Square Foot Gardening, I found it at our book store, last copy! Yay!

[Pineknot]

Guess what Pineknot- I got the new copy of Square Foot Gardening, I found it at our book store, last copy! Yay!


Okay Katie, if you truly have gardening running through your system, you will have least opened it up and looked at it by this evening. :D

Mel gives the desired blend of compost, dirt, and such in his book. Also, have you even thought of what you are going to plant?

FYI -Last season, I put my squash in the boxes and they took up near a WHOLE box. I won't do that again. I'm going to just plant the squash in the ground, by my boxes. You'll see that even Mel tells you to give them plenty of room. Just didn't want you to lose a whole box with zucchini or yellow squash.

[NotDesperate]

Pineknot-I'm already half way through reading it! I have been highlighting and post-it stickering like crazy!

Thanks for the tip about the squash. I think I was going to plant some of those.

I don't know what else to plant. I was thinking my favorite veggies of course. This is what I thought of that I am going to research more- broccoli, lettuce (some kind of darker leaf, not iceburg), carrots, onions, beans, peas, corn, strawberries....

I'de also like to try pumpkins, even smaller ones, just for decoration in the fall.

And DH wants me to try watermelon since he is obsessed with it.

I do want to buy that Vegetable Gardener's Bible but it wasn't in at my bookstore

[meganth]

And DH wants me to try watermelon since he is obsessed with it.

If you get the Baby Sugar Bush variety it takes up a very small amount of room. The melons were surprisingly large for the size of the vine. You can find cantaloupe bush varieties as well as different squash. They're the best for small amounts of space.

Vegetable Gardener's Bible is the handiest gardening book ever!

[NotDesperate]

Okay, now I finished the book!

Thanks Megan, I will look for those melons!

[Pineknot]

Katie,

I'm not quite sure what your weather in Delaware dictates, but here's the rundown on spring planting in California;

Next month, I will begin to plant tomatoes, green beans(I only do bush plants in the boxes) cucumbers, basil, broccoli raab (but NOT broccoli) zucchini, yellow squash, bell peppers, carrots, and radishes. I might be able to squeeze out some lettuce before the heat comes, but that's questionable.

Broccoli, Cauliflower, cabbage, brussels sprouts,and onions are cold weather crops that take quite a long time to grow. We don't plant these in California till October.

Don't be shy to buy seeds though. Most seeds last at least 3 seasons. www.superseeds.com has great prices and a good selection.

ETA: a change in the link.

[young lioness]

Most seeds last at least 3 seasons.

This may be a dumb question, but do you mean three seasons as in "spring, summer, fall" or as in planting seasons, which for us would be year to year? I was just wondering this because DH decided that he wanted 6 different types of peppers, so we have way more pepper seeds than we will need for a single year. I was hoping we could save them and use more next year.

[fuzzy]

*Usually* (assuming they are stored properly) the seeds will last three growing seasons (as in, if you bought them in 2000, you could use them for the summer of 2000, 2001, and 2002). You'll lose some, but certainly not all.

I think the Vegetable Gardener's Bible recommends that if you are using left over seeds from the previous year, try laying some of the seeds in a wet paper towel before you plant them. You can see how many of the seeds germinated and it'll give you a good estimate as to