Anyone starting a garden?

[JMohegan]

Quite welcome.

i'm using a systemic fertilizer/anti-bug/anti-fungal made by Bayer every 4 weeks like clock work. The bugs have taken a few nips, but no ravaging as of yet. i also have a budding entomologist, or vet depending on the day of the week. If the midget doesn't get them, i do. i contemplated diatomaceous earth, nematodes, and mantis eggs, but waited too long and had concerns the nems and mantii would bite the dust with the pests.

They don't stay perfect. i'm rolling between a mini drought and the Second Flood right now. Firefighter has Rust. None of them have picked up Blackspot as of yet.

Cocoa shells. The same volume of hardwood mulch weighs 40% more at a rough guess. To counter the tendency of CS blowing around with the slightest gust, you need to soak it after putting it down. Within a day or so, it sets up like dried out cornflakes that have been previously soaked. You get a crunchy top layer that keeps the stuff from moving around. The drawback is you can't walk/kneel on it like you can with h/w mulch. In addition (someone hold Grace back) you get the scent of chocolate for about two weeks before the CS finally turns black.

My mother had roses, when I was a kid. Japanese beetles were the only living thing that I was ever encouraged to kill. I used to squish them between my thumb and forefinger, which accomplished the twofer of assisting mom in the Beetle Battle, and freaking my sister out.

Praying mantises are, hands down, the coolest bugs on earth. But you're probably right about them being as vulnerable to anti-bug stuff as anything else.

I've seen cocoa shells for sale, but never used them. It's great that they're given a useful purpose, rather then ending up as Hershey's trash.

I save my used coffee grounds, and toss them under acid loving plants. They serve as a nice light mulch/slow fertilizer of sorts.

 

[JMohegan]

JM,
Did you ever see the book called the $64 Tomato? Your comment about Japanese Beetles reminded me of the read. About how the author finally concluded that each tomato brought into the kitchen cost $64 to make it that far. An entertaining read...

~LB

No, but it does sound entertaining.

The birds and small mammals in my yard discouraged me from cultivating human food plants, long ago.

 

[ShyVixen]

I grow a variety of roses - shapes and colours. Must get out and take some photos.

I have a pretty well established garden, but am looking to move one of my conifer trees. I'm worried about replanting...it's already established.

 

[WriterDom]

In a few days I'll be picking peas and green beans. We'll see anyway. They say if you pick them when they are small they'll produce more.

I think I found a source for hog wire. I can make my own tomato cages. I need about 80 more. The good thing is that I have small, average, and big tomato plants so they all will not come in at once.

 

[Sir_Winston54]

I'm actually rather proud of myself. I usually have had a black thumb when it came to growing anything other than roses in the past, so I'm really happy with the way these two lil 'mater plants are growing.

A recap: Planting day, 2 weeks, 4 weeks, and 6 weeks (today):

http://i183.photobucket.com/albums/x95/Sir_Winston54/T1-051009.jpg

http://i183.photobucket.com/albums/x95/Sir_Winston54/t5-052409.jpg

http://i183.photobucket.com/albums/x95/Sir_Winston54/07-060709.jpg

http://i183.photobucket.com/albums/x95/Sir_Winston54/t9-062109a.jpg

AND!!!

The first baby 'maters popping out!

http://i183.photobucket.com/albums/x95/Sir_Winston54/t9-062109b.jpg

 

[Sharon_]

In a few days I'll be picking peas and green beans. We'll see anyway. They say if you pick them when they are small they'll produce more.

I think I found a source for hog wire. I can make my own tomato cages. I need about 80 more. The good thing is that I have small, average, and big tomato plants so they all will not come in at once.

On the beans: it's more not letting the beans inside the pod mature; when they do it signals the plant to stop producing (also true of bell peppers, once you let them mature to red the plant will stop producing). That said, the most I've ever got was three good pickin's...then it beomes more time consumed than is worth for what you harvest. Also, you can increase the second picking if you side dress the row with triple ten after your first picking.

On the tomatoes: it's rare that I've had a tomato cage stay upright all on it's own. I've always had to drive a secondary stake thru the cage or, if I've let the plant get too big to run a stake thru, installing some kind of support adjacent to the cage and tying the cage to it. Also, the tomatoes will produce until the nights get cool so there will come a time when your tomatoes *are* all coming on at once.

HTH

Sun is shining, for a change, so now that I finally have 24 hours rain free I'm out to spray Killzall on stuff I don't want to mow and any accursed Japanese honeysuckle that crosses my path. Bane of my existence, it is....that and wild grape and wild rose.

I think y'all have kudzu that would be similar in nuisance factor to the Japanese honeysuckle...I swear, you can sit and watch that stuff grow (and smother everything around/under it).

 

[Sharon_]

I'm actually rather proud of myself. I usually have had a black thumb when it came to growing anything other than roses in the past, so I'm really happy with the way these two lil 'mater plants are growing.

<grin>
ruh roh....you've now caught the growing bug. You'll be turning your hand to all kinds of stuff now. It's a contagion. This year, roses and tomatoes....next year............

Things that I just harvest but don't tend: wild raspberries, wild blackberries, black walnuts, shagbark hickory nuts.

Things that I tend:
lilac bushes, roses, moss rose, coleus, celosia, marigolds, cosmos, morning glories, lavendar, snap dragons, fuschia, daffodils, Easter lillies, daylillies, Japanese iris, bleeding heart, mums, vining honeysuckle, peonies, hosta.

dill, chives, rosemary, basil, cilantro, mint, parsley, catnip, tarragon, thyme

strawberries, grapes, apples, watermelons, sugar pumpkins, giant pumpkins, cantaloupe

sugar snap peas, bush beans, pole beans, sweet corn, tomatoes, hot peppers, bell peppers, lettuce, swiss chard, spinach, beets, carrots, brussel sprouts, cabbage, broccoli, pickling cucumbers, slicing cucumbers, red potatoes

 

[Sir_Winston54]

<grin>
ruh roh....you've now caught the growing bug. You'll be turning your hand to all kinds of stuff now. It's a contagion. This year, roses and tomatoes....next year............

Things that I just harvest but don't tend: wild raspberries, wild blackberries, black walnuts, shagbark hickory nuts.

Things that I tend:
lilac bushes, roses, moss rose, coleus, celosia, marigolds, cosmos, morning glories, lavendar, snap dragons, fuschia, daffodils, Easter lillies, daylillies, Japanese iris, bleeding heart, mums, vining honeysuckle, peonies, hosta.

dill, chives, rosemary, basil, cilantro, mint, parsley, catnip, tarragon, thyme

strawberries, grapes, apples, watermelons, sugar pumpkins, giant pumpkins, cantaloupe

sugar snap peas, bush beans, pole beans, sweet corn, tomatoes, hot peppers, bell peppers, lettuce, swiss chard, spinach, beets, carrots, brussel sprouts, cabbage, broccoli, pickling cucumbers, slicing cucumbers, red potatoes

Am I gonna have to buy a farm?

 

[WriterDom]

Picked 2 to 3 servings of green beans. And I have one zucchini for my sister tomorrow if she wants it. Only had two rows of beans but I'm planting another 8 or so between the corn. Let the neighbor plant a yellow watermelon and it's taking over the entire yard almost. Only one little watermelon but it's growing fast.

Guess I'll cook the beans in chicken broth.

Peas are almost ready to pick. I'll barely have one serving. Not much yield with peas.

Almost didn't bother with the corn but I like watching it grow. It was 33 cents an ear at Walmart.

 

[Sharon_]

Am I gonna have to buy a farm?

Yes. Yes, you are.

 

[WriterDom]

I let my neighbor plant a yellow watermelon in the corner and it's taking over everything. I expect to be strangled in my sleep by it any day now. It only has one watermelon but it gets bigger every day. I planted a couple red ones and they aren't doing anything.

I noticed one skinny red pepper last night that needs picking.

 

[WriterDom]

96 degrees today with no rain in the forecast. I'm running the Walmart sprinkler this morning while the eggs are cooking. It covers about 85%. Some peas died because they didn't get enough water. Most of the tomatoes are golf ball sized. My sister's huge plant has some getting color now. The last batch I got have none at all yet.

 

[Sex & Diamonds]

Pictures as promised....

[URL=http://img246.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img1703.jpg][IMG]http://img246.imageshack.us/img246/4338/img1703.th.jpg[/URL][/IMG]

argh. Stupid imageshack. Won't let me share on a porn board. There's 20 minutes of my life I'll never get back.

Ah, well. I'll have to find a better host and try again later.

Where are all the pictures from everyone else?

 

[Sir_Winston54]

Pictures as promised....

[URL=http://img246.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img1703.jpg][IMG]http://img246.imageshack.us/img246/4338/img1703.th.jpg[/URL][/IMG]

argh. Stupid imageshack. Won't let me share on a porn board. There's 20 minutes of my life I'll never get back.

Ah, well. I'll have to find a better host and try again later.

Where are all the pictures from everyone else?

Non-pornish pics, I put on photobucket. It doesn't care where you post them, as long as the pics themselves don't break their policy. They did ban a pic of a piece of ceramics that showed a little girl's knickers, though.

 

[Sex & Diamonds]

Non-pornish pics, I put on photobucket. It doesn't care where you post them, as long as the pics themselves don't break their policy. They did ban a pic of a piece of ceramics that showed a little girl's knickers, though.

It was just pictures of my garden! No porn, I swear it.

I'll try photobucket.

 

[Sex & Diamonds]

The Momma Tomato.

http://i968.photobucket.com/albums/ae161/RainfromLit/IMG_1693-1.jpg

 

[JMohegan]

The Momma Tomato.

Very nice.

What kind of irises are those?

 

[Sex & Diamonds]

Smaller Tomato Plants

http://i968.photobucket.com/albums/ae161/RainfromLit/IMG_1703.jpg

 

[Sex & Diamonds]

Very nice.

What kind of irises are those?

Um...white to the left and yellowish on the right.

Did I mention I'm a very very new gardener? The Irises were a gift from an old neighbour who was thinning out their flower garden.

 

[Sex & Diamonds]

Now, for the big garden...

Starting at the end with the Rubarb...


http://i968.photobucket.com/albums/ae161/RainfromLit/IMG_1694.jpg

 

[Sex & Diamonds]

Moving north bound we have...


A lone gigantic pumpkin, then watermelons (that are far too small, I doubt they will produce) and another row of pumpkins, just normal size. Along the back near the fence is cucumbers. Slicing and pickling. I'm hoping to try my hand at pickling this fall. Keep your fingers crossed!


http://i968.photobucket.com/albums/ae161/RainfromLit/IMG_1695.jpg

 

[Sex & Diamonds]

Moving along...


From right to left...

Cabbage (I think, I'll have to check on that) Peppers, carrots, broccoli (already had some of that it was yummy) then lettuce....marigolds line the front to keep the rabbits away.


http://i968.photobucket.com/albums/ae161/RainfromLit/IMG_1696.jpg

 

[Sex & Diamonds]

Then we have beside the lettuce ...more peppers, different colours. Green, red and yellow, and then there's my giant green onions. Chives live in the front. The kids love to eat these at will.


http://i968.photobucket.com/albums/ae161/RainfromLit/IMG_1697.jpg

 

[Sex & Diamonds]

To the left of the onions/chives I have some corn, a few beets (long story as to why) parsnips, more broccoli, red cabbage and then celery...




http://i968.photobucket.com/albums/ae161/RainfromLit/IMG_1698.jpg

 

[Sex & Diamonds]

There are a few zucchini plants below the ladder along the back. to the left of the celery are more corn stalks..then my strawberry patch begins...

http://i968.photobucket.com/albums/ae161/RainfromLit/IMG_1699.jpg