250 replies to this topic

[fire_rocket]

Looks good! What are the milk jugs for?

I got some cucumbers, beets, peas, and more salad greens in the ground last night. Should get the blueberries planted tonight or tomorrow and focus on the rest next weekend.

[MeOmYo]

What are the milk jugs for?

I think they're like little individual greenhouses

[Shake Yer Bones]

Yes. That and it's helping to keep the critters off the plants until we get a fence up.

Frustrated on that part. We wanted to build a horse-fence kinda thing and I went to dig holes for the posts, only to run into pipes for the leech bed. So it looks like we're going to have to go with a standard wire-cage fence around the plot. Oh well.

[MeOmYo]

Yes. That and it's helping to keep the critters off the plants until we get a fence up.

Frustrated on that part. We wanted to build a horse-fence kinda thing and I went to dig holes for the posts, only to run into pipes for the leech bed. So it looks like we're going to have to go with a standard wire-cage fence around the plot. Oh well.

I had about a 5 ft wire fence around my garden for a couple years and then took it down. Funny thing, the day after I put it up a friend drove by the house to see 2 deer standing inside the fence. It was a PITA bacause you can't mow beneath the fence and **** wacking through a fence sucks. If it was left, the grass would grow up, seed out and blow seeds into the garden. IMHO, they're not worth it but I guess it depends on what you're trying to prevent from getting in. To stop deer, you need at least a 7 ft fence. I got an owl decoy from Cabelas that I sit next to the garden that keeps the crows, rabbits and woodchucks, etc out. If you have livestock nearby that frequents your yard, then yeah, you need a fence.

http://www.cabelas.c...ch-All Products

[DF]

no, i didn't red through the whoel thread, and may have found it if I did, BUT.... do any of you care for roses?

I've got 5 rose bushes that inherited with my house. they are blooming like mad, I've deadheaded and kept up with watering as much it looks like I need to. but I'm SO unsure if i'm doing the right thing.

If anyone has any protips to pass along that would be SUPER. I've been meaning to take pictures but have been too busy cutting, picking ,and cleaning and by the time i'm done I forget to snap a photo.

I've got WAY more going on than the roses, but these are the ones that are going to require the most attention and I really want to keep them thriving.

It's best to cut them back in the Spring, to allow new growth. Dead heading is also key, so you are on the right path. Also, watch for aphids..spray the rose leafs with 20% vinegar if you see the critters.

[Shake Yer Bones]

I had about a 5 ft wire fence around my garden for a couple years and then took it down. Funny thing, the day after I put it up a friend drove by the house to see 2 deer standing inside the fence. It was a PITA bacause you can't mow beneath the fence and **** wacking through a fence sucks. If it was left, the grass would grow up, seed out and blow seeds into the garden. IMHO, they're not worth it but I guess it depends on what you're trying to prevent from getting in. To stop deer, you need at least a 7 ft fence. I got an owl decoy from Cabelas that I sit next to the garden that keeps the crows, rabbits and woodchucks, etc out. If you have livestock nearby that frequents your yard, then yeah, you need a fence.

http://www.cabelas.c...ch-All Products

I am NOT looking forward to the weeds around this fencing. But I really have no other choice. I have to get something up quickly, so we'll just do our best to stay on top of the **** situation.

The livestock situation is fine. They have their own fence across the road.

Gonna have the boy design a scarecrow for the garden and I have a couple of owl decoys already set up. It's kinda nice 'cause I got them for hunting crow, but now I get to use them for something else.

[Baidarka]

I switched to raised beds this year.
Here's everything from spinach to collards to purple tomatillos, a basil and tomato bed with marigolds. There is an assortment of lettuces, a mix of beets lots of garlic, jalapenos, scallions, lemongrass, rhubarb, asparagus, watermelon, zucchini and some other stuff all told.

Oh yeah...and the hops
sorry i can't get this one right side up.




and here is the aerated Microbin for compost I am trying out.



I should be able to get the pile up above 135

[Baidarka]

Yes. That and it's helping to keep the critters off the plants until we get a fence up.

Frustrated on that part. We wanted to build a horse-fence kinda thing and I went to dig holes for the posts, only to run into pipes for the leech bed. So it looks like we're going to have to go with a standard wire-cage fence around the plot. Oh well.

I took lengths of 4' fence and constructed arches using additional fencing for the ends. You can cover the raised beds of whatever will be eaten. I took down our fence this year and planted the perimeter with scallions and garlic with some marigolds and other resistant plants on the perimeter.

[Lazy Lightning]

Lookin' good everyone!

I am going to be building raised beds when we find our place to land in the SW. I'm excited to see how stuff grows down there with all the extra sunshine and longer growing season. I am also going to miss the gardens I have built here, altho I hope to find a tenant who will enjoy gardening and take care of them.

Here are some photos from this year, altho I need to snap some more up-to-date images as these are kind of old by now...


The first tulip pushing it's way up thru the earth:




Which resulted in tulip blooms a-plenty!




Some pansies surprised us by re-seeding themselves from last year:






I had to prune the Japanese maple as some of the branches didn't survive the winter, but it is doing really well with fresh thick foliage now:




We planted a salad garden this year which includes four varieties of tomatoes (including a Brandywine heirloom that I intend to collect seeds from) romaine lettuce, boston/butterhead lettuce, green leaf lettuce, celery, and a fancy lettuce assortment. You can also see basil here, and some lavender which has since been tidied-up:




Strawberries, hot peppers and some mint in containers:




Lilacs in full-bloom, and some "pink neon stars" that are about to be planted in the perennial garden:




Rain drops caught in a curvy tulip leaf:

]

[fire_rocket]

Lola- can you bring all your beautiful containers with you to the SW?

[MeOmYo]

So after all that crap I said about a fence not being worth it, my beans (no big deal, just plant more), broccoli, brussel sprouts and an eggplant are gone. There is a deer lurking in the shadows that I suspect is the culprit. There was a rabbit around, that I removed from suspicion, so all eyes are on this deer. There are a lot of animals around but these are hangin on the lawn.

Wait 'til fall you f'n theives. Veggie vitamins in the freezer will be replaced with protein.

bummed, my broccoli and brussel sprouts were BOOMIN too.

[fire_rocket]

What a bummer! I guess a fence is in order for you.

My garden is coming along OK. My first round of kale, spinach, and lettuce barely made it through the May rains although I have a few lettuce heads up now. My second round of planting is much better. Peas are coming up like crazy and need some support. Many of my beets seem to have been eaten by something though- birds??

I've gotten quite a few strawberries out of my patch this year but something keeps coming along and munching the big beautiful red ones. I'm not quite sure what's doing that.

We planted corn, pumpkins, and squash in our side garden. So far everything's coming up nicely over there!

[MeOmYo]

but fences are such a pain in the ass

[LisaMarie]

but fences are such a pain in the ass

I don't like fences either but since there are loads of deer lurking about my property I use Bobbex. When this stuff is applied the critters make a wide girth. BUT DON't apply directly to the fruit part of veggie plants or on leaf veggies you will eat. You won't be able to wash the nasty taste off.
Works great on flowers.

[MeOmYo]

I'm thinking about using a .308

[Lazy Lightning]

Lola- can you bring all your beautiful containers with you to the SW?

Unfortunately, no. But I will be able to build new ones, and I love building things, so it will be a project that I enjoy!

Finding a tenant that enjoys gardening is big on my list, I would really like for the perennials to continue growing, they are all doing so well!

One of the bummers about deck gardening is the lack of space, but one of the bonuses is that I don't lose any of my plants to hungry visitors - it'll be a whole new ballgame once I am planting on the ground!!!

[vinandtonic]

we transplanted our tomatoes that were in the square foot garden to p0ts today. they just weren't doing well in the square foot garden (last year they didn't do well either). We had tried an experiment with one plant in a *** and 2 in the garden, the one in the *** is growing like mad and has tons of tomatoes on it.

the sugar peas are doing well..ready for harvest. the romaine lettuce is also doing really well. we've been eating off of one plant and some more are ready to go. I planted more of both today. we'll see how the lettuce does since it doesn't do well in extreme heat.

I'm disappointed in my strawberry plants though. we got a lot more strawberries this year but they weren't that good. the plants themselves are looking great though. not sure what I'm doing wrong.

[vinandtonic]

no, i didn't red through the whoel thread, and may have found it if I did, BUT.... do any of you care for roses?

I've got 5 rose bushes that inherited with my house. they are blooming like mad, I've deadheaded and kept up with watering as much it looks like I need to. but I'm SO unsure if i'm doing the right thing.

If anyone has any protips to pass along that would be SUPER. I've been meaning to take pictures but have been too busy cutting, picking ,and cleaning and by the time i'm done I forget to snap a photo.

I've got WAY more going on than the roses, but these are the ones that are going to require the most attention and I really want to keep them thriving.

deadheading and watering are good. you can also work some bone meal into the soil around the plants. the local nursery guy recommended that to me and our roses are doing well. I usually try to put some down after they bloom.
you should also cut back heavily in the spring.

a few weeks ago we planted a knock out rose in our front flower bed and it's doing really well. very low maintenance and it smells heavenly. it's already bloomed like 4 times.

[Lazy Lightning]

we transplanted our tomatoes that were in the square foot garden to p0ts today. they just weren't doing well in the square foot garden (last year they didn't do well either). We had tried an experiment with one plant in a *** and 2 in the garden, the one in the *** is growing like mad and has tons of tomatoes on it.

Some plants actually do better if their root systems are constrained - they put more energy into fruit that way. I know peppers benefit from being potted, and seeing how they are in the same family as 'matoes, I wouldn't be surprised if the tomato plants did better with constrained root systems as well.

PS - I love all the sharing of information that goes on in this thread, I have learned so much from reading about other people's experiences!

[harpualuvsnugs]

Garden center up and running. Open for 2 weeks now. Great response by the local residents...picts up soon!

Sorry, all I have is a facebook link. Its called the greenwood lake garden center.

Greenwood Lake Garden Center

[vinandtonic]

Some plants actually do better if their root systems are constrained - they put more energy into fruit that way. I know peppers benefit from being potted, and seeing how they are in the same family as 'matoes, I wouldn't be surprised if the tomato plants did better with constrained root systems as well.

PS - I love all the sharing of information that goes on in this thread, I have learned so much from reading about other people's experiences!

good idea..never thought of that. but:
the square foot garden constrains the roots much more than a ***. it's 1' x 1' for each plant. I just don't think it was big enough for a tomato plant. not deep enough and not enough nutrients. I hope the transplants perk up. one of them already has a few very small tomatoes on it but it should be much bigger and be bearing a lot more at this point.

[ricksvw]

Here is my walk around the house this AM.
http://images2.snapf...89449332:nu0mrj
http://images2.snapf...89565232:nu0mrj
http://images2.snapf...89565332:nu0mrj
http://images2.snapf...8944:532:nu0mrj
http://images2.snapf...89565932:nu0mrj
http://images2.snapf...89565:32:nu0mrj
http://images2.snapf...8944:932:nu0mrj
http://images2.snapf...89565;32:nu0mrj
http://images2.snapf...89566332:nu0mrj
http://images2.snapf...8944;332:nu0mrj
http://images2.snapf...89566632:nu0mrj
http://images2.snapf...8944;832:nu0mrj
http://images2.snapf...89566932:nu0mrj
http://images2.snapf...899:;;32:nu0mrj

Sorry I got carried away...

[Lazy Lightning]

Wow, these are beautiful, Rick! I love the colours!

I see you have some borage - I love that stuff! I grew some a few years back, but it's too sunny on my deck for it to do well right now.

The devil's trumpet looks great, too... Really great images, it's a grey day here so this brightness really perks me up - thanks for posting!

[LisaMarie]

Ricksvw the pics are beautiful, thanks for sharing. My daylilies and daisies are blooming too but I'm still waiting for my echinacea to open.

Jim and I got to enjoy some fresh picked red leaf lettuce from our garden.

[vinandtonic]

love your yard, rick!

[ricksvw]

Thanks! I think everyone here that has posted pics has awsome gardens. It is great to see the different variety of setups. There is nothing like homegrown. We have been eating lettuce and cukes for a couple weeks now, zukes and summer squash are just about there. Toms are still green.

[Shake Yer Bones]

Progress so far is good. Finally got that fence installed and we've still had to chase a couple of rabbits out. Told the wife that a .22 would be far more effective, plus provide us with some dinner, and she's keen to the idea, so we shall see.




Potatoes



Early June



Radishes



Squash plot



Late June, with beans and peppers

[LisaMarie]

Very nice garden Shake yer Bones!
Those rabbits must be hungry and they are capable of squeezing into tight areas.

[vinandtonic]

looks great Bob!

[mountain mama]

such beautiful places!

we just finished cleaning our garlic, heading off to braid the softnecks. harvesting some broccoli later

[Baidarka]

good idea..never thought of that. but:
the square foot garden constrains the roots much more than a ***. it's 1' x 1' for each plant. I just don't think it was big enough for a tomato plant. not deep enough and not enough nutrients. I hope the transplants perk up. one of them already has a few very small tomatoes on it but it should be much bigger and be bearing a lot more at this point.

I used 4 sq ft per tomato (2x2 with a tomato in the middle)

I have 6 Roma tomatoes, 6 basil (1 sq ft each) and two marigolds in a 4'x8' bed.

Here is the guide I used http://www.mysquaref.../plant-spacing/


The deer came through the other night and finished off most of my beets. They have had a couple big heads leaf lettuce and have trimmed my tomatoes quite a bit.

I had a fence the last few years but took it down this year. I've found that I can arch 6' or so length of fence over across the beds. This has kept some of my crops safe. I will take some pics this afternoon.

[Angelique]

wow Shake Yer Bones NICE GARDEN!!!

[vinandtonic]

we have so much lettuce and peas right now we gave our neighbors some. I just replanted them all in unused portions of the garden and they're coming up so I hope we get lucky all summer. the peas are growing like crazy. the tomatoes that we relocated are perking up and the other tomato plant has tons of tomatoes on it, but none ready for harvest.

[motti]

a youtube tour of my garden!!!

[Lazy Lightning]

Awesome video, Motti!

My garden is slow this year... No mato's ready to pick yet, altho ONE is finally turning red... Lots of greenies on the wine, mind. Been eating sweet strawberries, the hot peppers are getting BIG and the herbs are doing great - dill is about done now, and I am trying to keep the cilantro from bolting. Been picking at the lettuce but no real heads to cut down yet. Waiting on the celery.

I'll take some pics to post soon.

[motti]

yea, my dill is bolting,

[LisaMarie]

The plants I have in containers are not doing as well as the ones in the raised bed. The tomatoes in the topsy turvy containers look like they have not even grown since they were planted back in May. Peppers are getting to much rain, their leaves are turning yellow. One of my eggplants is flowering. Tomatoes are almost up to the top ring of the cage.

[Karen]

a youtube tour of my garden!!!

[pixiebug]

great video Motti!

Our raised beds are...meh...this year. We planted cucumbers and string beans that aren't doing anything. butter lettuce is ok, but not thriving. the eggplant seems to be doing alright. we planted 5 plants and have some yummy looking eggyplants already that just need to get a bit bigger before we can harvest. the spinach hasn't moved and the carrots? well, i'm not sure about the carrots. I think the soil we used is too dense and the carrots may not be growing. the tops look ok, but... i've also got 1 broccoli plant. I have never grown broccoli before, so I don't know how it's doing, but it doesn't look like it's doing much.

on the other hand, this is our first year doing the raised beds and they're not where the garden plot has been. this year, we turned that into a squash patch and we planted 18 butternut squash plants (6 mounds with 3 plants each.) 17 survived and my god...we've got squash coming out the proverbial wazoo.

then, on the deck, we have the container garden. we've got jalepeno peppers, kung pao peppers, thai peppers and habenero. also, tomatos. and our herbs; basil, dill, parsley, cilantro, oregano, green onions and chives. everything on the deck is NUTS and doing amazing.

last year we had planted the strawberries in a strawberry *** on the deck but this year we made a patch for them, just plopped the *** down and let the runners run...so, since it hadn't quite matured, we didn't get many berries. Next year, i hope!

[cj]

the saddest broccoli in the world:


a whole mess of tomato plants:


bell peppers, beets, potatoes:


basil and sugar snap peas in a planter, waiting to be returned to the porch after our landlord finished painting the railings:


i also have some corn and green onions in the garden, not doing so great but still growing, slowly but surely. another *** on our step has dill, thyme and chives. the dill and chives are doing very well but the f'n squirrels keep raiding my thyme just as it starts to flourish again. jerks!

i had much higher hopes for our garden this year, had a ton of seedlings thriving in the windowsill at work. the turnips and most of the broccoli and corn ended up dying, i couldn't get them into the ground soon enough due to almost daily downpours for about six weeks running. it was crappy weather, and instead of drowning in the garden they ended up failing to thrive in the window.

[Lazy Lightning]

Just picked our first hot peppers of the season... I seem to be locked out of my Flickr account altho I am working on that with their tech support, hopefully we may rectify the situation ((fingers crossed)) so I can't share any photos right now, boooo!

Tomatoes and strawberries have been going great, and I harvested a whole bunch of lemon thyme to dry out just the other day.

[Lazy Lightning]

I *finally* got access to my Flickr account again and can post some pictures, yahoo!


Pretty neon pink dianthus (thanks TieDieSky for reminding me what they are called! ):




The first of many strawberries:




Lilies waiting to bloom...




... And in full bloom!




We got *a lot* of lilies this year!




Sweet, sweet strawberries!




Pretty purple petunias:




Some salad greens, dill, and strawberries just picked from the garden:




Cherry tomatoes ready to be picked - we also have some gold ones that have been ripening:




The hot peppers have since turned red and been enjoyed... The plant is flowering again, so with any luck, we will get some more before it turns cold:




Our lettuce didn't do as well as I expected, it may have been getting too much sun. The celery is super-slow to grow, but then again, the tomatoes have been way behind this year as well. I thought a hot sunny summer would have sped things up, but everything is behind schedule compared to last year's crops. Who'da thunk?

[Shake Yer Bones]

Awesome gardens. I love this thread. Seeing pictures and getting advice for my own plot. Speaking of, it's absolutely crazy. Didn't plant until late because of the rain. Then we endured a very dry spell that had me worried for a bit. And this past 2 weeks, we've received about 5 inches of rain and the garden is blowing up. We've already frozen a ton of green peppers, broccoli, cauliflower and beans. The tomato plants are as tall as I am, and the corn is coming on strong. Sooooo exciting!

[Shake Yer Bones]

And this isn't exactly a shot from the garden, but I was pretty pleased with this dusk photo from my front yard a couple of weeks ago.

[Lazy Lightning]

Wow, your garden looks prolific! What region are you living in?

I am excited to have a spot where we can have more room and plant directly into the ground, of course, then we will have to fence the plot as you have if we intend to eat any of the veggies )))marauding animals(((

What are the paper bags hanging along the fence for?

[Shake Yer Bones]

In the paper bags, I have basil and parsely and was trying an experiment to dry them. But it rained too much while we were away, so it was an epic fail with mold on the herbs.

We're in the Finger Lakes region of New York. Hemlock, to be exact.

[In A Silent Way]

Banana peppers





Basil

[Shake Yer Bones]

It just keeps rolling in! Did a second planting of lettuce and spinach. Freezer's filling fast!

[Shake Yer Bones]

45 quarts of tomatoes preserved so far, either sauced or stewed.

[Lazy Lightning]

Sweet! I'm gonna oven-dry our remaining 'maters... Prolly get on that tomorrow.