Gardening

[Larry Ashcraft]

Anybody else have a vegetable garden?  We're planting most of ours today.  Two dozen tomatoes, two dozen peppers, 50 foot rows of green beans, pickling cucumbers and black-eyed peas, plus pumpkins, zucchinis, dill and a couple rows of zinnias and marigolds just for looks.  Two rows of onions and garlic were planted a month or so ago.

Looking forward to canning season.

[Brad Johnson]

I'll clear a space in the pantry. They'll be ready to pick when?  

Your list made me chuckle. I had some neighbors a few years back that were about as "cityfied" as they come. Calling someone to mow the yard was about as close to anything horticultural as they got. Well, they decided to have a garden. So they planted an even dozen each of corn, tomatoes, peppers, and... zucchini squash. Those of you who've ever had zucchini squash in your garden know exactly what happened next. Let's just say that the whole block eventually got tired of having BAGS (big brown grocery sacks) of extra squash left on their front porch every couple of days.

Brad

[Larry Ashcraft]

Brad, I just checked and I bought THREE dozen tomato plants instead of two.  If we have a good year for tomatoes I'll be begging for someone to come pick them.  I use Heartlands, which thrive in our clay soil, but they're too sweet to can.  So when they're ready, they're ready.

A dozen zucchini?  Well, we have a big garden,  and I only plant three plants.  And if two die, we're still in good shape.

[Larry Ashcraft]

Should I post pics?

Of your garden?  Please do.  I think I have a pic of last year's garden around somewhere.

[Twycross]

Those of you who've ever had zucchini squash in your garden know exactly what happened next.

Reminds me of the time my folks did that. Except they had around sixteen plants. I am soooo sick of zucchini now. There was a stretch of time wherein every single supper had a zucchini base. :barf:

[Brad Johnson]

And if two die, we're still in good shape

Zucchini don't die. Ever. The rest of the garden, maybe. But not those dang zucchini. They're like an annoying mother-in-law - no matter what you do, no matter how hard you try, you can't keep them from sticking around and irritating you.

Brad

[Larry Ashcraft]

Yep.

A good friend of mine (now passed) once asked:  "How can hunger and zucchini exist on the same planet?"

[mtnbkr]

Zucchini bread...

My wife makes a mean zucchini bread.  Send all you don't want to us.

Chris

[mtnbkr]

Oh, and back on topic, I normally grow a few veggies in Earthboxes each summer, but this year, I'm taking a break.  I have too much going on and don't feel like messing with it.

Chris

[Guest]

Gardening ? No.

Used to , also assisted with neighbors and friends and they mine.

Used to even do Tomatos in buckets when living in an Apt.

Life experiences and all - I've been  planting differnt seeds , mangaging different weeds, pests and weather conditions to reap different crops.

Then again - you knew that...*wink*


Steve

[BozemanMT]

Yeah,w e put in a big one.  The wife is big into canning and gardens (woohoo).  Last year I extended the sprinkler system out to it and it's own zone.   Stole a bunch of cow poop from the neighbor up the road and tilled it all in.   Rich doesn't begin.  :-)
It's two 5' wide patches by 30' long.  Now you might ask "why 5' wide?"
Because my tractor tiller is 5' wide.  TAkes longer to hook it up then it does to till it.  

We also put in 12 rasberrey bushes on a big patch (also another sprinkler zone).
I expect she'll be busy in two years.

OH yes, she planted a salsa garden.  15 tomatos, lots of onions, peppers, couple melons.  She asked about zuchini and I said "no, we'll just take the neighbors".   Wall of waters are cool.

[Stand_watie]

I put in a flower garden this year. First time ever. I rototilled up my (now unused) chicken coop and just scattered pounds of flower seed. I'll let you know how it works out.

A good friend of mine (now passed) once asked:  "How can hunger and zucchini exist on the same planet?"

In poor, rural parts of Maine, they still have their fair share of fat people. Cheap staples are (or were when we lived there in the 70's) Baked beans, potatos,  canned tomatos, apples and zuchinni, all of which can be had if not for free then nearly so. Throw in fish and game and you'd be hard pressed to starve to death (freezing to death is easily accomplished though). We practically lived on those one winter.

[grampster]

Heh heh.  Swmbo ordered some tomato plants from QVC.  They arrived a couple days after she fractured her ankle.  I've been pretty busy taking care of her, the house, the laundry, etc etc.

She wanted the plants in the ground.  Neighbor has a roto tiller but someone else was using it.  What to do.  Well, I found a patch of ground that is pretty well irrigated by my sprinkler systsem.  (I irrigate with lake water, lot's of nutrients in our lake water, it's shallow and weedy.)  So I dug up 8 holes about the size of  the top of a galvanized pail.
Threw some cow poop and topsoil mix in the holes and then planted the tomato plants and stuck the metal hoops in.    I really didn't have the time to do a proper dig job under the circumstances.

So far, a lot of eyerolling from swmbo along with some huffing and sighing.  I'm keeping the buggers watered and if the grass grows up between the plants, I'll weed wack 'em, though I left just enough room between 'em to push the mower.

We'll see how Grampster Greenjeans does in this little escapade.  heh.

[kudu]

Got mine ready, have potatos and peas in the ground, planted green beans a few days ago when it was 80 degrees out, now it is 45degrees and raining.  The temp went down to 37 two days ago, a near record low for us.  I have some melons and cucumbers started as well as some summer squash and pumpkins and eggplants that I will put out when it warms up a bit.

[Guest]

Raspberries, baked eggplant, salsa, 'maters, onions, corn, green beans, greens, cabbage....

[Larry Ashcraft]

Grampster, keep 'em watered until the roots take hold.  After that, tomatoes do NOT like wet feet.  A deep soaking about every 10 days will make them happy.

Kudu, I've seen the bounty from your garden, keep us posted.

[Jamisjockey]

Hijack!


I've been daydreaming over some recreational property for the future.  I was wondering what kinds of vegetables and fruits could probably be planted with the expectation of growing back every year, with little maintenence?  The area is VA or WV, so four real seasons and decent annual precip.

[BozemanMT]

Hijack!


I've been daydreaming over some recreational property for the future.  I was wondering what kinds of vegetables and fruits could probably be planted with the expectation of growing back every year, with little maintenence?  The area is VA or WV, so four real seasons and decent annual precip.

so, given that I don't know the area, so figure out what grows well in your area
But commonly
asparagus, rhubarb, fruit trees (ok, they grow, but they need care, still), berries (rasberries, blueberries, blackberries, all very aggressive)

that's all i can think of off the top of my head.  
And Kudu, what is this rain thing you refer to?
I seem to remember some of it, but it was a long time ago.  (normal for April:  1.57 inches, this april: .09 inches (not a typo), dry doesn't begin)

[grampster]

Larry,

Thanks for the tip.  I'll pass that on to swmbo who would like me to have a continuous hose pointed at her "babies".
It's been raining pretty much steadily since Wednesday.  Again tomorrow and then stop.  Been in the mid 30's, low 40's at night.  Supposed to warm up on Tuesday.

[BobR]

What I would give for some honest to goodness vine ripened tomatoes. Ever since I moved from Oklahoma to WA and MT I have been without a garden.

Maybe it is time to move back to WA and grow an honest to goodness garden.

bob

[doczinn]

I dream of planting a garden, but the soil here si so bad nothign grows well, and my postage-stamp yard gets only about an hour of sun per day.

[stevelyn]

Normally I raise a garden when I'm at home in Fairbanks. Things like peppers and tomatoes have to be kept in the greenhouse tho because early and later season temps can fluctuate too much. Cole and root crops do well up here (the Interior).

Can't get squat to grow out here in AH. 'Course the locals seem to grow recreational plants with little problem.

[Iain]

Dug a small vegetable patch in my parents place several years back, really put a lot of work into preparing the soil. Then nothing was done with it. The wisteria that grows just next to it has done some phenomenal things though.

They'll be putting runner beans in this year. It's enough trouble contending with the two small apple trees that are so prolific that they used the last of last years just the other day. And then there is the damson. Believe it yielded 30lbs of fruit last year. Mother gets sick of making jam so pounds are given away. She had to give away several bags last year to make room in the freezer for that years crop.

[Brad Johnson]

So Larry, when you need help keeping all those pesky garden-eating critters at bay do you call Whittington and have them send over a few folks with some .50's?



Brad

[Brrlgrrl]

We have a small yard, but do a garden every year.  Most is container gardening, and some in the ground like squash and corn.  My boyfriend is the one who does the veggies, while I do herbs (non recreational), strawberries, flowers and lawn.