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How's your garden this year?
We had a very wet & cool late spring so couldn't even get the garden tilled until it dried out.
But it just seems like it is taking forever to get things producing. Our raspberries did produce nicely though. Cucumbers & Zucchini are finally starting to get some size on the bushes, and a few zuc blossoms are showing. Tomato plants are tallest we've ever had and look very healthy - there are plenty of blossoms on them too. Maybe it's just that it is August already and we haven't really gotten to harvest much at all yet.. maybe it will be a long fall.... |
I was just thinking today that it's only 4 more weeks until Spring begins here. That means it's time to start getting our garden prepared, so it'll be ready to plant out once this cold weather has passed.
Last year we had good crops of lettuce, tomatoes, radishes, zuccinis, squash, beans, bok choy, carrots and potatoes. Considering we have such a small plot, hubby did really well to keep us supplied in as many vegetables as he did. I removed the raspberry canes last year to prevent them spreading, but we do have a mature lemon tree that bears fruit all year around. You've no idea how many new recipes I try that use lemons!! :) |
Only have peppers and tomatoes growing this year...the pepper plants are as tall as the tomato plants!!
We have about 6 tomatoes on the vine, but only 2 peppers so far...lots of blossoms appearing now though. |
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I don't have a garden this year - wasn't sure about it .. but, I'm planning ahead to have a small container garden ....
that's funny, Tomo_Tsu - my uncle's cucumbers are growing like crazy - but the tomatoes are so-so!! must be the soil ... I've been reading up on gardening books, container gardening, composting ... I had fun at my uncle's this last week ... and picked a little everyday - couldn't handle standing for a long time ... Koala ... hmmm, I could slap your hands for removing RASPBERRY canes!! sassy sassy girl!!:p but, your garden sounds scrumptious!! so, now we can hear about your gardening ventures while we deal with the winter blahs and blues ... whatever I picked this week - I got to take home ... made 2 qts and 12 1/2 pints of dill slicers ... an easy schmeezy recipe .... now to sit on the counter until noon tomorrow (24 hrs) ... then in the frige .. and ready to eat in 2 more days!! (if I can wait that long!) going to try tomato sauce next weekend! |
My bush beans have done well
Zucchini - going like crazy now peas - scraggly but enough to snack on cukes - just got my first dozen picked- the smooth skinned low acid ones- yummy lettuces - did well but the dogs liked to rummage thru it :( kohlrabi - rutabaga - cabbage - all growing nicely corn - not very robust, may not set any ears in time and just planted a few things for fall crops- all depends on the weather & timing for those. |
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As spring hasn't yet sprung our garden is still dormant, but it won't be long. Hubby already has potatoes in the ground and I have seeds in for tomatoes, lettuce, and many herbs. Our spring garden will have many of the same veges as you Jo*Mar, except no corn for us because of space. For extra room this year I picked up a child's plastic clam (for free at the dump) and will plant both halves with leafy veges such as lettuces, cabbage, zuccini and bok choy and shallow root veges like radishes. I'll have extra room this year so will have to think of nice things to plant. Our flower garden is coming on well too. I've planted out a new rose garden and have a bed of polyanthas in flower already. I've bought a variety of seed for this year so it'll be challenging doing a new garden for our new house. |
Great idea. Thanks for the idea of the sandpit clam shell. I could manage that.
My situation here doesn't allow me to grow too much. What I did have was washed away in last summer's floods. Still have my parsley which had gone to seed but doing fine again now after attention that Koala suggested. Most of the soil here is sand so I need to be more inventive and get some soil and compost delivered I guess. It was like a summer's day here today. I felt a little guilty basking in its beauty knowing what was going on elsewhere. Lots of Bindii (prickles) in the lawn. Got rid of the lot of them by hand today. Have what looks like "dollar spot" in my tiny piece of lawn. Circular brown patches of dead grass. I think it's a fungus. Don't use chemicals so not sure how to deal with this yet. I usually have the best lawn in the town but it's only several square metres. I mow it with a push-mower. Trouble is the grubs love it because it's so lush. Need to cut back a large Hibiscus. I dread doing it, but know it'll be worth it. Maybe do that on Wednesday. Spring almost here so lots of work to do. |
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I've even seen hanging baskets for tomotoes, strawberries and a few other plants. I guess there's lots of easy ways to make a garden, even if you have a tiny space. |
I am enjoying the ideas shared here for small gardens.
For those who don't have creative access to a dump like Koala has (lucky for her)... this type of container is available at most Home Depots and Lowe's here in US. http://www.rubbermaid.com/Category/P...od_ID=RP091418 We have used these for years to shlep heavy stuff back and forth upNorth and on the boats in rainy weather. They were marketed long before the newer see thru type, and they are flexible and so we continue with them. I have seen them used for growing flowers and tomatoes in small areas, with drainage holes in the bottom. You have to punch the holes yourself, and I'd suggest 2-3 inches of gravel at the bottom before using the new Moisture control Miracle Grow Potting soil. This Miracle grow product is just fantastic and good for any container gardening. After the first season you will need to provide some long acting pelleted fertilizer once every 3 months or so. I haven't seen the totes in green much anymore like our old ones, but there are tan ones, which are easy on the eyes. Botanical interests catalog has a page in it with a book recommendation for creative container gardening. You can request this interesting catalog for free, where they sell Heirloom rare seed types here: http://www.botanicalinterests.com/ This company is fascinating and any gardener will enjoy this catalog I predict! My catalog is floating around here somewhere, but I can't scare it up quickly now. I bought some Chinese Garlic Chives from them this spring, and the seeds were very vigorous with almost 100% germination. High quality. The catalog has interesting articles and really unusual things in it. |
Great ideas. Thanks.
I know those white polystyrene boxes the fruit shops use here would be great as well. As far as I know that stuff is not biodegradable, so it would be best to keep re-using it rather than have it dumped in the earth. Only one good thing is that they're so light in weight and easy to jab a few holes in the base. Chop, chop. That's what I've been doing for a couple of days now. I finally cut back that huge Hibiscus today. Ugh. It's such a job and I wait till the last minute of our winter to do it because once the rains come again it'll flourish. I just feel awful cutting it back really hard. Also means I lose a lot of privacy for a short time. Done now! edited to add for clarification: 1st of September here in Australia which means... Spring has sprung. |
Happy Spring Lara! :yahoo:
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Happy Spring, Koala. :Wave-Hello:
They reckon we have La Nina a little longer... warning on the news tonight about another terrible flooding summer. Now why would they tell us that today? lol :Head-Spin: |
Yes... doesn't look good flood-wise again :( but I suppose we can hope they got it wrong.
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HAPPY SPRING, Koala and Lara!! :yahoo:
I bought a 'wicker' basket (w/plastic lining inside) ... for 50c on clearance at Stein's Garden Center today ... got some new ideas!! going to try a variety of small containers ... and if it gets wrecked by the end of summer next year from the weather elements - so what!! it'll be fun!! okay - don't be spreading this around .. but, I may just stay here for awhile!! I know - shocker!! but, I'm figuring out where I want stuff ... and what to do ... and reading books on small gardening ... and low-maintenance and raised beds ... and by having small raised bed sections - it will be easier to control the weeds - and starting them INSIDE in March or April ... frost is out around the middle of May ... so, girls ... please POST pix of your gardening expertise!! we are waiting!! :D |
I too have an old wicker basket (no lining on mine tho) that I've kept for plants. Not sure what to plant into it yet, but maybe stawberries because it's quite big. It used to be my laundry basket until the handles unravelled. :rolleyes:
I might punch holes down the sides and plant a strawberry runner into each hole :D Don't forget hanging pots for your small space garden Vonn. You'd be surprised what you can plant into them. If you run out of ground space for them, you can get a stand with hooks on it to hang them from, or you could get a handy friend to make one for you. It only needs to be a basic design. In your hanging pots you could try strawberries, or one of those lettuce varieties that you pick off the leaves as you want them rather than the iceberg type lettuces that take up so more space.... and herbs. Don't forget you can plant nearly all the herbs you might need into pots :) I've had tomatoes in stand alone pots, but I haven't tried them in hanging pots yet. I have however seen a variety at the nursery that grows the fruit downward from a hanging pot, so that's another good idea. I don't know what I did wrong this year with my seeds. I've had them in for well over the germination period, and not one has emerged. Because it was the end of winter here when I planted them, and still cool outdoors, I planted them into indoor seed raising containers. My house temperature is set to 68/70, so the temperature should have been suitable. I watered them every day and I kept them on the window sill, so they got enough water and plenty of light. I had lettuce, tomato and coleus seeds. Any suggestions as to why they failed? |
Some seeds require light to germinate.... and some do not.
They typically need more light than a window sill can provide. I do mine under lights. I also have a plastic cover that came with the flats to keep a "greenhouse" environment. I remove this when the seeds are up strongly. You can also use a clear plastic bag over them if you don't have a hot house type. There are special mediums now available for seeds. These deter mold and fungus that typically kill germinating seeds. The new guidelines for seeds suggest watering from below to avoid rot damage too. I've been doing this for 2 seasons now, and it works well. You just need another flat with no holes punched in to fill with the water. Put the cells in that for 15 minutes or so. and then back under the lights. Some seeds need warmth to get going. Then once up, a cooler environment. Some seeds are really tricky. But most vegetables seeds are straightforward. Park Seed has a nice catalog and a book on germination techniques you can buy. I just did a 1/2 flat of gloriosa daisies for next season this summer. Because I did not have my lights, and because it was cool they took 2 wks to come up. In my home they take about 5 days. The concept is sort of like baking. Each thing requires a little special attention because of its needs. Example for lettuce: http://gardenofeaden.blogspot.com/20...from-seed.html Tomatoes: http://www.reneesgarden.com/articles...from-seed.html If you got no germination at all? 1) seeds were not viable, 2) they got too wet or dried out once--it only takes one drying period to stop the germination process, or 3) temps were not correct for that seed. I had 5 failures this past season, and the rest were successful. I expect failures every time I do germinate, in fact. Using the special compost made for seed starting is very important. I mix mine with water in a large storage tub with a lid because I do this indoors and have to use my kitchen. This keeps the mess down. I wet the medium and let it sit over night till it is moist but not soggy. Sometimes I add extra fine vermiculite which I buy extra to provide more air in the mix. Seeds don't like soggy conditions. Some of our nurseries have sales, so I buy ahead at lower prices for the next season. I have found Park Seed to be a good resource for seed starting: http://parkseed.com/default.aspx Thompson & Morgan I think ship to all of UK. Not sure about Park's. Here is a photo of my set up: I have a small table top light and this work type one in my studio. If you work in a basement where it is cool, you might need a warmth mat for warm requiring types of seed. You'll notice how close to the lamps the seeds have to be....they need alot of light so I raise them up as close as possible. This photo is showing 3 types of black eyed susans and some ornamental grasses. |
Thank you mrsD. After seeing your beds I'm thinking light was probably my problem. Seeing spring has begun here I think I'll wait 2 weeks and plant the next lot directly into the garden outside. Our morning frosts have gone now and the day temperatures are getting warmer, so I think they should be safe outside.
I'll let you know how I get on. |
pretty cool, Mrs D ... hope the Postal Police don't arrest you for using postal boxes for table supports!! :D
Hey Koala ... what you mentioned - about making a hanging garden ... I have the tools and just need some 2x4s ... and some sort of stakes or anchor system ... and I have a great idea, now!! woooo hoooo!! I had something made for my craft shows - to use as a 'display'-type rack .. and I can take the rod out and the 2 stands ... and drill enough holes to make it sit on a corner .. or a couple different corner creations ... wow, I'm tired - so, I'm rambling ... AND excited ... too cool!! hoping to pick up some bulbs and get those planted this next week or 2 ... anything else that I need to plant before frost/winter?? I have packs of sunflower seeds - when can I start them inside?? and I have some other flower seeds ... YEEEE HAWWWW!! :yahoo: and if you're getting SPRING fever/weather already - that means that we will be cooling down here soon enough .. I LOVE fall ... and WINTER ... |
HEHEHEHEH.... I am less concerned about the "post office" than the REAL police.
I germinate in a warm room with a small table top light (one of the ones shown in my photo with the gold top). Then when the seeds have just begun to germinate, I move them to my studio table top which is also a South exposure window, because it is cooler in there. Cooler temps after germination are required by most seedlings (this approximates spring cool temps). When seedlings are kept too warm after germination they tend to get weak and leggy and not robust. But those grow lights can be seen from outside...and I wonder sometimes if people think I am growing Marajuana instead! LOL So far no one has knocked on my door yet! :p (if I have lots of seeds and less room for them, I'll run the lights 24/7. I remove 1/2 of the flats and do 1/2 at night and then rotate the other 1/2 in the day. So the grow lights which have a purplish cast/tint will be visible to the street. But so far no one has commented.) |
well, I came up with a 'different' border around the garden areas ... I have those metal brackets (used to hang on the wall, then put up shelves) ... so, I'm taking a bracket - and screwing it to the backside of some old barnboard boards ... they are different heights ... and they don't have to be right up against each other ... I have about 10 boards - came up with this idea late this afternoon ... and didn't feel like digging out the drill and screws - plus, the boards were wet from all the rain ... this may prove interesting ...
hoping to pick up some of those solar lights ($12 for 4) and get 2 or 3 sets ... and place them around the garden - I suppose, I don't need to put them out now - seeing that it's going to be snowing one of these days! trying to come up with unconventional ways to have a fun and easy garden .. .one of my friends from school (her family was the vegetable farmers that turned to flowers ... and has greenhouses where I learned to plant beds) ... she emailed me to stop by her mom's (the old neighborhood) and visit ... and get some bedding plants .... oh joy! :Dancing-Chilli: |
Your garden plans sound wonderful Vonn, and bedding plants? How exciting!
Spring has sprung here and my garden is already a mass of colour. I have camilias, rhododendrons and azaleas in bloom, as well as polyanthas and pansies, daffodils, jonquils and freesias.... to name a few. Once my spring bulbs finish my roses should be thinking about flowering. I have lots of seeds to plant.....carnations, daisies, lobelia and petunias. If I still have some bare spots after all that, then I'll be making another visit to the nursery. :D |
I hung beads and christmas lights on the boards ... looks pretty cool in the dark, dark woods!!
AND I dug up some small pine trees and planted them in the other section - I got 7 planted before I was hurting and it was getting too warm!!:D |
okay - I changed and added those white 'falling' lights .. but need 2 more sets ...
NOW - what do I need to plant NOW for spring?? and should I put down some black plastic to kill off the grass?? thx! |
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All Zones – beetroot, broccoli, cabbage, carrot, cauliflower, celery, lettuce, radish & spring onion Tropical - capsicum, cucumber, eggplant, French beans, garlic, kohl rabi, leeks, lettuce, potatoes, pumpkin, silver beet, spring onion, squash, sweet corn, sweet potato, tomato, zucchini Subtropical - Brussels sprout, capsicum, endive, French beans, garlic, kohl rabi, leeks, onions, potatoes, silver beet, spinach, sweet potato & tomato Cool Temperate –broad beans, kohl rabi, parsnip, silverbeet & turnip http://www.annettemcfarlane.com/calendar.htm Check out the seedlings in your local nursery. Any they have now will be suitable to plant. Other fall garden chores include trimming of any plants that have become rampant over summer as well as lifting, dividing, propagating and replanting of any herbaceous perennials. As for black plastic, I guess that's a personal choice. I've been busy over the years ripping it out of every garden that I've found it in but if you hate the idea of weeding, then use it. Make sure it's thick enough to prevent the stronger weeds pushing through and cover it with your choice of pine bark or white pebbles. Pine bark being the cheaper option. Happy gardening. |
awesome!! thanks, Koala!!
my friend who is an avid gardener - said to plant spinach, too ...which I LOVE raw ... the plastic is just to kill off the grass for next spring ... I hate those ground things like you do, too ... well, off I go .. see what sorta trouble I can get into today! :p |
Did I say recently that "Spring has sprung?"
Oh boy, we've had about 19 days of Spring and Summer has hit us where I am. That's 2 and 1/2 months early. Scary really. :eek: Couldn't see the ships out off the beach today it was so hazy from fires. [Layers and layers of newspaper make a really good grass/weed control.] |
caught up with a friend last weekend - and her garden is awesome! her hubby has irrigation pipes set up ...
will be getting some GARLIC to plan now ... staked out my garden area yesterday ... 4ft x 8ft or so ... now for some top soil ... the newspaper idea, Lara, is good - plus, using it to work into my composting ... going to have lots of seeds left over after planting in spring - because I'm not going to USE the whole packet ... so, I can send them your way with the extra seed ... then you can plan your winter for your spring come next september! |
Your 4x8 garden might not sound huge Vonn but that's about the size DH had at our last house for vegetables and with what he planted, he was able to produce enough to keep us in fresh veges the whole year around.
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:Oops:, Koala .. I did NOT know that ... :eek:
sure - go ahead .. scare the beejeebers outta me! :yikes: can I grow plants in the big house, tho?? will have 3 squares a day, wear orange (for MS, tho) .. get 100% medical (no copays, no premiums and NO deductible) ... and get 100% school funding to be anything I want to be?? and a roof over my head ... and police that protect me 24/7 ... and only those that care will come and viz ... LOL :D have to get some top soil (for the garden part) and some black plastic bags to kill off the grass for the 'english' garden part - and I found some small little leaf vines in the woods when I dug out a tree the other day - so, I have them in water to start rooting them for my 'living' wall ... it's been cold and rainy ... but, I'm enjoying my little plot of ground ... and being a rebel planting all the trees and cutting back the lilac bush ... I was a bit sore today ... but, I'll get over it .. take pix of your garden - so I can dream of being there!! |
Vonn, there is some type of matting that can be used instead of the black plastic and it breathes and lets in the water. I'll go look for the name of it.
OK I looked. lol I guess it's just called "weed matting". ;) This is from a gardening show here. Burke's Backyard (I edited to take out the actual link because it was filled with ads for nasty chemicals and such. eeek) Quote:
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Looking back over the photos and seeing how many different types of blooms I have makes it look like I have a huge garden, but that's not true. Some are single plants and quite a few are trees or flowering bushes. I've started naming the flowers and have done all those on the second page, but I've yet not tackled todays download. :eek: Most of those I'll have to search the internet before I can even put names to them. Feel free to name any flower that doesn't yet have one. I've not deleted the awkward photos yet, but I will. I simply dowloaded all I took. The first 4 pictures are just for Vonn. 1 & 2 are from the Net, and 3 & 4 I copied from a magazine. I wanted to show different examples of how you can use your small garden space to advantage. Here's a link to my garden photos: http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/album.php?albumid=495 |
Sorry Vonn.... I deleted the album. I'll send the 4 photos I mentioned via PM.
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thanks, Lara & Koala ... it's raining out now ... so, I'm stuck inside - CLEANING!! :eek:
planning out my garden for spring ... the bulbs that I bought the other day (purple tulips and purple hydraengeas) ... I gave to my girlfriend yesterday for her garden! now, I need to get more for me!! finally turned my furnace on!! WOW .. what a difference!! LOL what can I buy in spring to start inside plants (I need to know this now - sorry .. so I can budget for March!) .. thanks! |
Just a note about the weed matting that I mentioned...
I've just had a gate and a small area of bamboo screening put up and a retaining wall fixed that had fallen down from excessive flooding earlier in the year and to get to it all some of my plants had to be removed. I've just been out there now preparing the area for replanting. I've ripped up as much of the weed matting that I could. I've decided I don't like it at all! So I got into the earth and mulched it all out in preparation. I think the weed matting was stopping the water getting into the soil actually. hmmmnn |
I agree about the weed matting/plastic sheets that people lay down. I didn't have any in this garden thank goodness, but did in the last. I spent ages ripping it up, trying to get the soil back in a reasonable enough condition to plant anything. Not only was it rock hard because no moisture could get down, but it was really sour.
I ended up digging lots of mulch and fertiliser in, and I also mixed it with good, rich soil. If you want to do that and you can't rob Peter to feed Paul (soil-wise), once you've dug it over...mix in a large bag of good potting mix. I had to end up doing that to one area when I ran out of other options, and I got a really good result that pleased me a great deal. I'm sure that some of our other gardeners will have other ideas for you. Happy gardening. http://i827.photobucket.com/albums/z...ucket/h058.gif |
:Wave-Hello:
Exactly. After I ripped up all the matting (which coincidentally looked quite porous, but obviously not) I noticed that the dirt under it was like a totally different planet entirely from the soil on the surface. It was so dry and none of the years of mulch that I've put in over the years was in that dirt obviously. I can't physically get lots of new soil so I use the potting mix as well. In fact I even topsoil my little area of lawn with a very fine potting mix. Some have sticks and things in them, which is fine for the garden but not for topsoiling. I've found a really good cheapie that is quite fine and I can get that delivered in manageable size bags. It's a bit warm out there now so I came inside again and lay under a fan for a while . lol eeek |
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