Anyone starting a garden?

[graceanne]

I might try to grow some more thyme in my window this year, but I always kill it.

Thyme killer!

[sings]This Killing thyme is killing me

Drinking myself blind thinking I won't see

Now if I cross that line they bury me

Then I just might find I'll be killing thyme for eterni-ty[/quote]

 

[JMohegan]

My dad (a federal burocrat) used to climb up onto the peak of the roof with a rifle and a case of beer and sit there all day waiting for groundhogs, rabbits and whatever.

Holy shit, are you serious?

How many miles to the nearest neighbor?

 

[CherryDelight]

I started some basil, rosemary and, sage in bottom halves of 2 liter bottles with holes punched in the bottom and set them in an old pie tin under the window. So far the basil seems to be taking the best. I also started some loose leaf lettuce in an old 1 gallon ice cream tub. I am going to start some baby carrots in my other one next week, and if I want to do more it looks like I am going to have to buy more ice cream!

 

[WriterDom]

Fucking squirrels make growing things like cherry tomatoes impossible. They'll climb a 2-story deck, take one bite out of each piece of fruit, and discard the rest.

Bunny food (parsley, lettuce, basil, etc.) has to be grown in containers where I live. Cottontails are everywhere, and they're adorable, but - damn. They do love to eat.

I've never tried corn before. Are crows the only problem with it?

You probably have red squirrels. Ours are gray and don't seem to be interested in the garden at all. They love the pecans though and bury them everywhere. Or sunflower seeds if I put them in the bird feeder. They go apeshit over them But they aren't smart enough to go for the mammoth sunflowers I like to grow.

No crows either. I don't think they like neighborhoods when they can find a forest nearby. I've seen some but they are more rare than blue birds.

 

[rosco rathbone]

Holy shit, are you serious?

How many miles to the nearest neighbor?

This is the sticks, or was then before DC metastasized.

 

[JMohegan]

You probably have red squirrels. Ours are gray and don't seem to be interested in the garden at all. They love the pecans though and bury them everywhere. Or sunflower seeds if I put them in the bird feeder. They go apeshit over them But they aren't smart enough to go for the mammoth sunflowers I like to grow.

No crows either. I don't think they like neighborhoods when they can find a forest nearby. I've seen some but they are more rare than blue birds.

Ours are gray and (very rarely) black.

I suspect the basic problem is that a close-in suburban environment lacks sufficient oak & other nut trees to feed them, or predators to reduce their numbers, so the squirrels are everywhere & scrounging for all kinds of stuff.

West Nile cut our crow population by a heck of a lot. Mostly we've now got little worm, berry, and seed eating birds - and hawks.

 

[WriterDom]

you say tomato, I say tomahto

 

[intothewoods]

Fucking squirrels make growing things like cherry tomatoes impossible. They'll climb a 2-story deck, take one bite out of each piece of fruit, and discard the rest.

Bunny food (parsley, lettuce, basil, etc.) has to be grown in containers where I live. Cottontails are everywhere, and they're adorable, but - damn. They do love to eat.

I've never tried corn before. Are crows the only problem with it?

I wrapped mine in that stuff. You know, umm. It's sort of like mesh and they sell it at garden stores.

My dad (a federal burocrat) used to climb up onto the peak of the roof with a rifle and a case of beer and sit there all day waiting for groundhogs, rabbits and whatever.

Or there's that.


Btw, I gave up on my fall lettuce, but after the snow finally melted I discovered a full pot of mache! Hurrah.

 

[ihavehope444]

Yes!

It's been years since my dad made me work in his garden--lots of years! But I've always wanted to get back to it (won't tell him that since I complained so much then). Now, I'm renting a house on the water in Puget Sound and whoever had the house made raised mound beds similar to the ones in your picture.

Got a LOT of weeding to do, but it should be fun. I think around here you really have to start seeds off inside. It snowed here just a few days ago. It was gone right away, but still...

 

[WriterDom]

The lettuce has been really really slow.

 

[intothewoods]

The lettuce has been really really slow.

Lettuce should be planted in the late summer or fall, unless the South has markedly different rules on this.

 

[WriterDom]

Lettuce should be planted in the late summer or fall, unless the South has markedly different rules on this.

It grows great in the spring. Plant you some around April first. As long as it doesn't freeze you'll be fine.

I'll try the summer/fall thing this year. You can get a lot of seeds for what you pay for one head of lettuce. I don't do iceberg here. The leafy kinds work better. I bet I must have 10 different kinds planted. One pack at Walmart comes with six different kinds in the pack.

 

[intothewoods]

It grows great in the spring. Plant you some around April first. As long as it doesn't freeze you'll be fine.

I'll try the summer/fall thing this year. You can get a lot of seeds for what you pay for one head of lettuce. I don't do iceberg here. The leafy kinds work better. I bet I must have 10 different kinds planted. One pack at Walmart comes with six different kinds in the pack.

I don't eat icebeg lettuce as it has no nutritional value and is basically tasteless, so I don't grow it either.

 

[JustaNobody]

I completely agree about iceberg lettuce. I tend to eat my lettuce one or two leaves at a time on sandwiches and things, so it works so much better to grow leaf lettuce than to buy a head and watch half of it go bad in my fridge.

 

[MasterPhoenix]

Just planted some tomatoes and peppers... I hope I don't kill them... LOL

 

[JustaNobody]

I envy you. Nothing's going in the ground in my climate for another month or more.

 

[FurryFury]

I've been trained by the wild things around here that gardening is a useless exercise.

Something(s) are not content to simply eat some of what I planted. OH NO! They DIG IT UP!



I gave that stuff up years and years ago.

 

[Sir_Winston54]

I've been trained by the wild things around here that gardening is a useless exercise.

Something(s) are not content to simply eat some of what I planted. OH NO! They DIG IT UP!

Yeah, it is hard to control one's children sometimes.




JUST KIDDING, FF! Just makin' a joke, cuz I'm feelin' sardonic/cynical/sarcastic this morning.

 

[WriterDom]

Ms. Obama is having a garden at the White House. Might save us a few dollars.

 

[graceanne]

I've been trained by the wild things around here that gardening is a useless exercise.

Something(s) are not content to simply eat some of what I planted. OH NO! They DIG IT UP!



I gave that stuff up years and years ago.

You could build, with wire, a fence around and over it. To keep the wild thing out.

Reminds me of that kids book 'Where the Wild Things Are'.

 

[AngelicAssassin]

Yeah, it is hard to control one's children sometimes.




JUST KIDDING, FF! Just makin' a joke, cuz I'm feelin' sardonic/cynical/sarcastic this morning.

ROFL!!! When she thwaps the hell out of you, don't look at the rest of us for back up.

On a tangent, considering the earlier discussion, i managed to run over a squirrel yesterday. i've never seen a squirrel do "deer in the headlights" before. Oncoming traffic on one side and a ditch with no breakdown lane on the other while doing 35 prevented any thought of swerving. That the little shit ran out in the road and froze 20 feet before impact didn't salve the sick to my stomach wave after the slight bump and carcass in the rear view mirror. Don't get me started on the stupid Mommy bunny story.

 

[WriterDom]

ROFL!!! When she thwaps the hell out of you, don't look at the rest of us for back up.

On a tangent, considering the earlier discussion, i managed to run over a squirrel yesterday. i've never seen a squirrel do "deer in the headlights" before. Oncoming traffic on one side and a ditch with no breakdown lane on the other while doing 35 prevented any thought of swerving. That the little shit ran out in the road and froze 20 feet before impact didn't salve the sick to my stomach wave after the slight bump and carcass in the rear view mirror. Don't get me started on the stupid Mommy bunny story.

I just crushed a squirrel a few days ago. He made a dash for it and my back tire got him.

 

[FurryFury]

You could build, with wire, a fence around and over it. To keep the wild thing out.

Reminds me of that kids book 'Where the Wild Things Are'.

These things tunnel!

 

[FurryFury]

Yeah, it is hard to control one's children sometimes.




JUST KIDDING, FF! Just makin' a joke, cuz I'm feelin' sardonic/cynical/sarcastic this morning.

:caning:

Yanno what? I've never ever tried to control my kids. I think that's the error and expectation of most Moms. I've only attempted to have them control themselves. My kids are typically the best behaved kids in any bunch.

 

[bitchee62]

Yes!

It's been years since my dad made me work in his garden--lots of years! But I've always wanted to get back to it (won't tell him that since I complained so much then). Now, I'm renting a house on the water in Puget Sound and whoever had the house made raised mound beds similar to the ones in your picture.

Got a LOT of weeding to do, but it should be fun. I think around here you really have to start seeds off inside. It snowed here just a few days ago. It was gone right away, but still...

Ha so it's not just me, My kids are always telling me no one else has to help in the garden. Funny they like to eat most of it though they lost any interest in the lettuce when it got slug infested.
Start small enough that you don't get burnt out. That way it stays fun. Or make your kids help.
Reg