RedStone Posted March 2, 2016 Report Share Posted March 2, 2016 I'm so excited for an early spring! Starting to think about what I should do in the garden this year. What do you guys grow? Last year I had some great carrots, beets, radishes, and staple peppers, tomatoes, cucumber and lots of herbs. Not so successful were the zucchini and broccoli (both got buggy and only one broccoli survived.) Also the little sweetie watermelons didn't yield much actual flesh inside their adorable littleness. I put garlic bulbs in last fall, but it was too early and they sprouted. I'm kind of hoping they just went into dormancy and am tempted to leave the bed alone to see if they start going again. (Does anyone know if this is even possible?) SO. This year, I'm getting excited about a few ideas. I have to dig into my seed stash to see if there's anything I'm forgetting, but here are a few things I'm considering: -More broccoli (I eat so much lol)-Blue corn-squash-carrots-beets-Stevia (loved this last year!)-Tomatoes-Peppers-English cucumbers-sunflowers-ornamental gourds (!) 1 Quote ~Peace Be The Journey~ one - two - three - four - five - six - seven- eight - nine - ten - eleven - twelve - thirteen - fourteen - fifteen - sixteen - seventeen - eighteen - nineteen - twenty - twenty one - twenty two - twenty three - twenty four - twenty five - twenty six - twenty seven - twenty eight - twenty nine - thirty - thirty one - thirty two - thirty three - thirty four - thirty five - thirty six Link to comment
Toshimi Posted March 2, 2016 Report Share Posted March 2, 2016 Not so successful were the zucchini and broccoli (both got buggy and only one broccoli survived.) Also the little sweetie watermelons didn't yield much actual flesh inside their adorable littleness. You might look into companion planting, might help with some of the buggy issues. http://www.hobbyfarms.com/crops-and-gardening/companion-planting-decoy-crops.aspxhttp://organicgardening.about.com/od/vegetablesherbs/p/broccolicompanions.htm sadly i wont be planting a garden this year. Since i'll be moving in june. Might give a few potted plants a try, but will be late getting them in the ground. Quote Try not, do or do not- Yoda Link to comment
oldnews Posted March 2, 2016 Report Share Posted March 2, 2016 Last year was my first garden (see userpic!!) Last year I had carrot, beets, lettuce, tomatoes, basil, peppers, parsley, rosemary, sunflowers, cosmos, calendula, and baby pumpkins. The new additions this year will be cucumbers, chard, kale, strawberries, and zinnias. I'm not sure about the bulbs... I planted daffodils and tulips last fall, and they started popping up mid-January. I haven't checked on them recently (it's a community garden plot across the street) but I'm hoping they weren't too early and still bloom this spring. I loved my baby pumpkins (I imagine it's a lot like your ornamental gourds) but they were a PAIN to keep out of my neighbors' plots and kind of just went everywhere. Quote Battle Log: [auntdinosaur] unstuck in time Link to comment
RedStone Posted March 4, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 4, 2016 Last year was my first garden (see userpic!!) Last year I had carrot, beets, lettuce, tomatoes, basil, peppers, parsley, rosemary, sunflowers, cosmos, calendula, and baby pumpkins. The new additions this year will be cucumbers, chard, kale, strawberries, and zinnias. I'm not sure about the bulbs... I planted daffodils and tulips last fall, and they started popping up mid-January. I haven't checked on them recently (it's a community garden plot across the street) but I'm hoping they weren't too early and still bloom this spring. I loved my baby pumpkins (I imagine it's a lot like your ornamental gourds) but they were a PAIN to keep out of my neighbors' plots and kind of just went everywhere. Yay!! So pretty!! Wow, sounds like you have a ton of space! I do have one big stretch between the property lines I would love to NOT mow this summer! Was kinda thinking it would be a good place for a mess of gourds lol. Pumpkins would be so cool! May have to wait for our next place though, the space we have fenced in is definitely not big enough for trailers like that. Maybe that's why the watermelons failed last year? Hmm... You might look into companion planting, might help with some of the buggy issues. http://www.hobbyfarms.com/crops-and-gardening/companion-planting-decoy-crops.aspxhttp://organicgardening.about.com/od/vegetablesherbs/p/broccolicompanions.htm sadly i wont be planting a garden this year. Since i'll be moving in june. Might give a few potted plants a try, but will be late getting them in the ground. Yes! I've heard about that. I should really try to get my head around it. For some readon it feels very daunting to plan ahead so much, but really, isn't that what garden planning is for? Are you going to be in an area with a warm autumn? Last year was so warm we had stuff going till November... and we live on a mountain in upstate NY! Crazy. Quote ~Peace Be The Journey~ one - two - three - four - five - six - seven- eight - nine - ten - eleven - twelve - thirteen - fourteen - fifteen - sixteen - seventeen - eighteen - nineteen - twenty - twenty one - twenty two - twenty three - twenty four - twenty five - twenty six - twenty seven - twenty eight - twenty nine - thirty - thirty one - thirty two - thirty three - thirty four - thirty five - thirty six Link to comment
Nater Posted March 6, 2016 Report Share Posted March 6, 2016 I have a mature Maple in my small backyard. I even have a hard time getting the grass to grow thick with all the shade. I would like to be able to grow tomatoes, rhubarb, spinach, peppers and a few herbs.Building some raised beds with a little fence to keep my dog and the rabbits out is on my project list, but not real high up. I have a few things I want to to in my garage and I want to replace the carpet in my family room with wood laminate first. Quote "Without risk, there is no adventure." Link to comment
RedStone Posted March 6, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 6, 2016 I have a mature Maple in my small backyard. I even have a hard time getting the grass to grow thick with all the shade. I would like to be able to grow tomatoes, rhubarb, spinach, peppers and a few herbs.Building some raised beds with a little fence to keep my dog and the rabbits out is on my project list, but not real high up. I have a few things I want to to in my garage and I want to replace the carpet in my family room with wood laminate first. Neat! Can you get syrup? There are a bunch of maple syrup farms near me, it's so crazy seeing all the tubes running through the woods! Elven futuristic. We set up the first of our inside seeds this morning: Container cherry tomatosBasilArtichokesSunflower snackergourdsPattypan squashWatermelon grapes (gherkin sours)Pickling cucumbers Later on in the season we're doing blue container corn (!), carrots, salad greens, zucchini and plenty of herbs including stevia which I did last year and was super awesome! I think Adam would love to have rhubarb, but we don't have room in the fenced in area... I don't know, do critters like rhubarb? We have everything from squirrels to deer, groundhogs and bears. Quote ~Peace Be The Journey~ one - two - three - four - five - six - seven- eight - nine - ten - eleven - twelve - thirteen - fourteen - fifteen - sixteen - seventeen - eighteen - nineteen - twenty - twenty one - twenty two - twenty three - twenty four - twenty five - twenty six - twenty seven - twenty eight - twenty nine - thirty - thirty one - thirty two - thirty three - thirty four - thirty five - thirty six Link to comment
girljen Posted March 7, 2016 Report Share Posted March 7, 2016 Last year:4'x6' patio container garden. Tomatoes and strawberries (success!) along with bell peppers and basil (fail!). This year:¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Shruggiest of shruggy guys. I don't know where we're moving. (Partner and I are buying a home. Yay!) I don't know if we'll have a yard, and if so, how big it will be. I don't know what I'll have time to grow, if we don't move until the end of May! But. I have good luck with tomatoes. I have a strawberry plant that survived the winter outside. So...those two will definitely be involved. 1 Quote Filled with DETERMINATIONhttps://www.nerdfitness.com/character/64217 Link to comment
RedStone Posted March 8, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 8, 2016 Epic update!! For my birthday last year we went to the Hudson Valley Seed Library Farm for a seed saving event. Good times were had by all. Unfortunately, they were out of the epic super sweet Bridge To Paris Pepper But, hey yo!!! Spotted a few packs at my local grocery/nursery! Guess I have to get a few more seed trays going... 1 Quote ~Peace Be The Journey~ one - two - three - four - five - six - seven- eight - nine - ten - eleven - twelve - thirteen - fourteen - fifteen - sixteen - seventeen - eighteen - nineteen - twenty - twenty one - twenty two - twenty three - twenty four - twenty five - twenty six - twenty seven - twenty eight - twenty nine - thirty - thirty one - thirty two - thirty three - thirty four - thirty five - thirty six Link to comment
RedStone Posted March 8, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 8, 2016 Last year:4'x6' patio container garden. Tomatoes and strawberries (success!) along with bell peppers and basil (fail!). This year:¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Shruggiest of shruggy guys. I don't know where we're moving. (Partner and I are buying a home. Yay!) I don't know if we'll have a yard, and if so, how big it will be. I don't know what I'll have time to grow, if we don't move until the end of May! But. I have good luck with tomatoes. I have a strawberry plant that survived the winter outside. So...those two will definitely be involved. Ah tomatos. I've never had a huge fail with them, other than maybe a blah variety! I kind of like just pulling em off the vine for snacks, so I'm avoiding big ones this year... unless I impulse buy an awesome variety somewhere down the road hahaha, which will probably happen! I also like putting them near basil so I snack on the leaves at the same time. sooooo good. I think Adam would like it if we could do strawberries, but I've never had great luck with them. Good luck with your move! We're in a similar situation, but for now I don't think we'll be moving until the Fall, so we're going to go for the garden, which may have to be abandoned if something changes.... we'll see! 1 Quote ~Peace Be The Journey~ one - two - three - four - five - six - seven- eight - nine - ten - eleven - twelve - thirteen - fourteen - fifteen - sixteen - seventeen - eighteen - nineteen - twenty - twenty one - twenty two - twenty three - twenty four - twenty five - twenty six - twenty seven - twenty eight - twenty nine - thirty - thirty one - thirty two - thirty three - thirty four - thirty five - thirty six Link to comment
RedStone Posted March 10, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 10, 2016 Wow, that was fast! Looks like we've got some super eager cucumbers! Sown just this past Sunday, wow! 1 Quote ~Peace Be The Journey~ one - two - three - four - five - six - seven- eight - nine - ten - eleven - twelve - thirteen - fourteen - fifteen - sixteen - seventeen - eighteen - nineteen - twenty - twenty one - twenty two - twenty three - twenty four - twenty five - twenty six - twenty seven - twenty eight - twenty nine - thirty - thirty one - thirty two - thirty three - thirty four - thirty five - thirty six Link to comment
Raincloak Posted March 10, 2016 Report Share Posted March 10, 2016 I want to grow ALL THE THINGS, but I haven't got a yard (and my ultra-primitive landlord refuses to grant access to our excellent flat roof Soooo tempted to break the padlock on the access hatch.) .And my terrific eensy-weensy balcony faces northwest, so I'm not at all sure I can get veggies to grow on it. But I'm going to try this year. Probably will start with salad greens (too bad about the car exhaust from the street, but I'm 3 stories up, so it'll have to do). I'm planning to mooch some of my mom's leftover seeds, she always buys too many seeds. So if I can convince her to start planting next week, we'll be in business. 1 Quote Every saint has a past, and every sinner has a future. Hylian Assassin 5'5", 143 lbs. Half-marathon: 3:02It is pitch dark. You are likely to be eaten by a grue. Link to comment
RedStone Posted March 11, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 11, 2016 I want to grow ALL THE THINGS, but I haven't got a yard (and my ultra-primitive landlord refuses to grant access to our excellent flat roof Soooo tempted to break the padlock on the access hatch.) .And my terrific eensy-weensy balcony faces northwest, so I'm not at all sure I can get veggies to grow on it. But I'm going to try this year. Probably will start with salad greens (too bad about the car exhaust from the street, but I'm 3 stories up, so it'll have to do). I'm planning to mooch some of my mom's leftover seeds, she always buys too many seeds. So if I can convince her to start planting next week, we'll be in business. Oooo, I know where you're coming from! This will be our second summer with an actual garden, we've been in a bunch of small Brooklyn and Manhattan apartments prior. I never had a ton of luck in the city until we had some a space over a garage, but a friend of mine managed to turn her fire escape into an epic veggie garden! She even did eggplants. For the life of me, I have no idea how she pulled it off, and this was in the East Village... tons of exhaust and pollution! Amazing. Lettuce greens are super easy, especially if you harvest the leaves young. We did lettuce one year outside and they got huge! Even after I cut off the full head, shoots came out of the base and made more. Good luck! I'd love to see photos! Quote ~Peace Be The Journey~ one - two - three - four - five - six - seven- eight - nine - ten - eleven - twelve - thirteen - fourteen - fifteen - sixteen - seventeen - eighteen - nineteen - twenty - twenty one - twenty two - twenty three - twenty four - twenty five - twenty six - twenty seven - twenty eight - twenty nine - thirty - thirty one - thirty two - thirty three - thirty four - thirty five - thirty six Link to comment
RedStone Posted March 26, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 26, 2016 Does anyone have experience with hay bale gardening? It seems like it would be a great way to circumvent my rocky soil/space issue inside the small deer proof area we have. Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated! Quote ~Peace Be The Journey~ one - two - three - four - five - six - seven- eight - nine - ten - eleven - twelve - thirteen - fourteen - fifteen - sixteen - seventeen - eighteen - nineteen - twenty - twenty one - twenty two - twenty three - twenty four - twenty five - twenty six - twenty seven - twenty eight - twenty nine - thirty - thirty one - thirty two - thirty three - thirty four - thirty five - thirty six Link to comment
Rebe_J Posted March 27, 2016 Report Share Posted March 27, 2016 I'm not familiar with hay bale gardening, but we have a very small space, too. We are in the high desert and the soil is like cement; plus water is very dear. I'm setting up some Square Foot Gardening plots in my back yard. I have some areas that get sun all day, so this summer will will have tomatoes! Maybe some cucumbers and bell peppers. Last year I had a very small plot and this year I'm adding to it, but it will be just big enough for our household. http://www.squarefootgardening.com/ Quote Rebe_J Daily Battle Log: http://rebellion.nerdfitness.com/index.php?/topic/84884-rebe_j-joins-the-academy/ Link to comment
RedStone Posted March 28, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 28, 2016 13 hours ago, Rebe_J said: I'm not familiar with hay bale gardening, but we have a very small space, too. We are in the high desert and the soil is like cement; plus water is very dear. I'm setting up some Square Foot Gardening plots in my back yard. I have some areas that get sun all day, so this summer will will have tomatoes! Maybe some cucumbers and bell peppers. Last year I had a very small plot and this year I'm adding to it, but it will be just big enough for our household. http://www.squarefootgardening.com/ Neat! I wish I had put landscape fabric below our beds. I think I can probably use some of those ideas, I think the 3 boxes we have are 4'X4' each. I also have a big walkway surrounding them within the deer fence, so we're probably going to either do big containers or the hay bales if we can find them/pull them off! Sounds like this is a good solution for you. We have good ground soil, but it's all bank run so to plant directly into the ground we're talking about prying up hug rocks. When we move to a permanent place I'll be more inclined to really dig up a patch! Quote ~Peace Be The Journey~ one - two - three - four - five - six - seven- eight - nine - ten - eleven - twelve - thirteen - fourteen - fifteen - sixteen - seventeen - eighteen - nineteen - twenty - twenty one - twenty two - twenty three - twenty four - twenty five - twenty six - twenty seven - twenty eight - twenty nine - thirty - thirty one - thirty two - thirty three - thirty four - thirty five - thirty six Link to comment
Elennare Posted March 29, 2016 Report Share Posted March 29, 2016 I've been doing container gardening for the last couple years, with mixed results. I would really like to get a "real" garden going this year. I'm thinking I'll start with a 4' square raised bed. As for what to put in it, definitely tomatoes, probably some sort of lettuce/leafy green, maybe peppers and/or zucchini, and possibly blue berries. I'll have to see, when I actually get the space cleared out and the bed put in, what I can find at the store. Not likely going to be able to start anything from seeds this year. 1 Quote Wood Elf Waywatcher Mandalorian (Assassin/Ranger hybrid) Link to comment
UnquietBones Posted March 29, 2016 Report Share Posted March 29, 2016 I used to have a massive squarefoot raised garden (covered the entire front yard), but then we moved last year and I haven't gotten around to setting any new boxes up yet. I'm going way smaller this time though! Virginia has been pretty kind to our garden in the past, we've had lovely luck with cantaloupes, cucumbers, squashes-- the okra and kholrabi were both new-to-me things that also did well. The bush beans were even kind enough to replant themselves! We were bad and just let the broccoli go to flower before we could eat it all. And the squash bugs never seemed to fall for my gardening tricks, so it was 'eat squash as fast as you can 'cause it'll If I can pull it off, I'd love to get a small herb garden growing in the sunroom and then maybe a box with a couple of late planting veggies. Not sure what would be in season by the time I get them done, but I really miss being able to just walk outside and pick lunch! (I ate cherry tomatoes and cucumber salad allll summer one year. So yummy!) 1 Quote Learning the art of Failing Upwards... (or: Moving Mountains with Teaspoons!) www.Martha.net - Model Horses, Stories, Webcomics, Plaster Casting, Treadmill Gaming, etc... because you can never have too many hobbies! Link to comment
UnquietBones Posted March 30, 2016 Report Share Posted March 30, 2016 On a non-vegetable note, my husband is literally in the midst of putting up the posts to support the wires that the arctic kiwi will grow on. In theory they will grow well here and may even give us fruit this year if we're lucky. They are a long term vine, so plant it and forget it (I hope!). He's also planted a metric ton (not literally) of fruit trees that will take 3-5 years to pay off. The apples need a really cold winter and the peaches need a really mild one, so those trees will just trade fruiting years methinks. There are also cherry, pear, apricot, and he threatens to get a hazelnut tree too boot. We already had a fig (does pretty welll actually) and a mulberry (that one was CRAZY big!) here when we bought the house, so in a half-decade we'll be feeding half the neighborhood. Thanks to this thread I am really getting the itch to plant veggies thou! I wonder how many things I can get to grow in the sunroom... *ponders* Pics once I have them, because I love seeing other folks gardens! 1 Quote Learning the art of Failing Upwards... (or: Moving Mountains with Teaspoons!) www.Martha.net - Model Horses, Stories, Webcomics, Plaster Casting, Treadmill Gaming, etc... because you can never have too many hobbies! Link to comment
RedStone Posted March 30, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 30, 2016 36 minutes ago, UnquietBones said: On a non-vegetable note, my husband is literally in the midst of putting up the posts to support the wires that the arctic kiwi will grow on. In theory they will grow well here and may even give us fruit this year if we're lucky. They are a long term vine, so plant it and forget it (I hope!). He's also planted a metric ton (not literally) of fruit trees that will take 3-5 years to pay off. The apples need a really cold winter and the peaches need a really mild one, so those trees will just trade fruiting years methinks. There are also cherry, pear, apricot, and he threatens to get a hazelnut tree too boot. We already had a fig (does pretty welll actually) and a mulberry (that one was CRAZY big!) here when we bought the house, so in a half-decade we'll be feeding half the neighborhood. Thanks to this thread I am really getting the itch to plant veggies thou! I wonder how many things I can get to grow in the sunroom... *ponders* Pics once I have them, because I love seeing other folks gardens! Sounds like a whole orchard!!! We were tossing around ideas like that if we decide to go the - further out of town by more property route - but to be honet, I have no idea what we would do with all the fruit from a single tree let alone many!! I have been keeping my eye on those amazing tree grafts with one tree bearing multiple types of fruits, but I have to wonder if it isn't a prohibitive amount of work to make. Would be awesome to have a lemon lime tree! Our seedlings went a little nuts with a warm snap, and now it's chilled down quite a bit again, so I don't think anyone is going in the ground for a while yet. Sorry guys! At least the trees are itching to open up here, I'm so ready for Spring! (She says... as a huge gust of cold wind blows outside...) 1 Quote ~Peace Be The Journey~ one - two - three - four - five - six - seven- eight - nine - ten - eleven - twelve - thirteen - fourteen - fifteen - sixteen - seventeen - eighteen - nineteen - twenty - twenty one - twenty two - twenty three - twenty four - twenty five - twenty six - twenty seven - twenty eight - twenty nine - thirty - thirty one - thirty two - thirty three - thirty four - thirty five - thirty six Link to comment
Raincloak Posted March 31, 2016 Report Share Posted March 31, 2016 So far I've collected several potted herbs (chive, mint, scallion, basil, rosemary) from people who had extras. Mostly using them to mix drinks and season salad but it's a start. 2 Quote Every saint has a past, and every sinner has a future. Hylian Assassin 5'5", 143 lbs. Half-marathon: 3:02It is pitch dark. You are likely to be eaten by a grue. Link to comment
Falcon Lovejoy Posted April 3, 2016 Report Share Posted April 3, 2016 I just purchased my first house on Good Friday and will be starting my new garden soon. I have made a few aquaponic systems for friends and a school. Now I finally have my own space to have a system of my own! I'm super excited! 1 Quote Link to comment
RedStone Posted April 3, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 3, 2016 9 hours ago, Falcon Lovejoy said: I just purchased my first house on Good Friday and will be starting my new garden soon. I have made a few aquaponic systems for friends and a school. Now I finally have my own space to have a system of my own! I'm super excited! That's so exciting! Would love to hear more about your aquaponics systems, my husband is SUPER into and dying to do a big system. Congrats on your house! We're just starting to look for our first place, I'm touring a handful of builder's show houses tomorrow morning! 1 Quote ~Peace Be The Journey~ one - two - three - four - five - six - seven- eight - nine - ten - eleven - twelve - thirteen - fourteen - fifteen - sixteen - seventeen - eighteen - nineteen - twenty - twenty one - twenty two - twenty three - twenty four - twenty five - twenty six - twenty seven - twenty eight - twenty nine - thirty - thirty one - thirty two - thirty three - thirty four - thirty five - thirty six Link to comment
RedStone Posted April 3, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 3, 2016 On 3/31/2016 at 11:36 PM, Raincloak said: So far I've collected several potted herbs (chive, mint, scallion, basil, rosemary) from people who had extras. Mostly using them to mix drinks and season salad but it's a start. The only herb I got early (not including the absurd amount of basil seedlings) is strawberry mint. I've used it in some smoothies so far, and it's going to be fantastic in summer cocktails! Assuming it doesn't take over the world first... lousy mint and it's plans for world domination! Sadly, our seedlings are going to have to wait for awhile, we woke up to 3" of snow this morning! WTF April?? Quote ~Peace Be The Journey~ one - two - three - four - five - six - seven- eight - nine - ten - eleven - twelve - thirteen - fourteen - fifteen - sixteen - seventeen - eighteen - nineteen - twenty - twenty one - twenty two - twenty three - twenty four - twenty five - twenty six - twenty seven - twenty eight - twenty nine - thirty - thirty one - thirty two - thirty three - thirty four - thirty five - thirty six Link to comment
Elennare Posted April 4, 2016 Report Share Posted April 4, 2016 After 5 years of wanting to start a garden, I'm almost there! Bought the raised bed, the dirt to fill it up, and the plants to go in the garden. I spent about 3 hours yesterday afternoon getting the spot ready. I removed several small trees and several large bushes. The garden will go in later this week! 1 Quote Wood Elf Waywatcher Mandalorian (Assassin/Ranger hybrid) Link to comment
Jord Posted April 8, 2016 Report Share Posted April 8, 2016 I'm here! Following for garden inspiration. I'm late to my garden game this year, I'm going to start planning it tomorrow and put in the garden bed (read: dig up some damn grass) at the end of the month. Plan is to just by pre-started plants this year. (moved in the fall, so not really up to speed for this season.) 1 Quote Jǫrð, Delvian Nomad - Level 12 { Battle Log } Link to comment
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