Gardening time

[dogfoster]

It has taken me two years to dog proof one small area for a garden, though it is sort of shady. Last year I finally had some lovely dahlias, lots of bird house gourds, insanely hot little peppers, marigolds, zinnias, cucumbers, lemon balm,mint, moon vines, cucumbers, peonies, gardenias, and some wonderful basil. Some of those are perennials. I only eat summer time tomatoes,they did not do well and neither did green beans. It was just too hot for many other things I planted, especially for tiny seeds directly sown. We had a hurricane and lost power for eight days. There was so much devastation, but the two fig bushes were full of ripe figs, so plenty to eat! If I cannot find one of my dogs, during that time of year, I know where to look, they love them too. This year I plan to plant some luffah gourds instead of birdhouse gourds after my pot/scrubber crochet fiasco. And plan to be more diligent about harvesting the herbs and marigolds throughout the season. Our last frost date is 4/15. It is usually nice up until May or June, then unbearably hot. Anyway, time to turn the compost under this weekend.

Wondering if you have a garden, what do you like to grow?

[K1P1quebec]

Hi, Fellow Gardener! I don't know what your zone is, but it's a bit warmer than mine. I'm in 5A for Canada, which isn't too bad. Our snow is about gone, and I have crocus blooming. I just discovered them today, as we had a snowstorm about 10 days ago! I can see buds on just about everything....I love fruit and flowers and perennials the best. I don't have figs - that's just limit for my zone, even with the supposedly newer hardier variety. I have an Apple and 2 cherry trees, raspberry bushes in black, red and gold, 3 grape vines, a kiwi vine, an everbearing strawberry bed and a currant bush with a couple of rhubarb plants. Oh, and blueberries too! I like herbs too, especially if they can get through the winter. I have several kinds of mint, sage, parsley and thyme. Camomille and licorice too.

For flowering shrubs I love my forsythia, mock orange, wiegela and a type 1 clematis called My Angel. I have loads of bulbs that bloom throughout the season, of course tulips, daffodils and lilies, but also monarda, crocosmia, iris, daylilies, tree lilies and crocus. Last year we made 4 raised beds for gardening vegetables. I love to grow tomatoes from seed. Every year I have a surprise that grows out of my compost. I have had potatoes and honeydew melon grow out of there, and last year there was a beautiful yellow pear tomato plant that was my very best tomato plant so far! And I did absolutely nothing to care for it! I love surprises like that! Oh, and I Forgot to mention my favourites - perennial geraniums and lavender in purple, pink and white varieties. I harvest the flowers and dry them, then make a fragrant bath salt mixture to die for.

[dogfoster]

I got the biggest kick out of reading about your garden. It sounds wonderful! Some kind of little varmints destroy bulbs around here, so I just gave up planting lillies though I love them,and the squirrels are destructive too. My kitchen window overlooks my neighbor's yard and he has many types of flowers, clematis, butterfly bush, some newer kind of rose called knock out that blooms all season, I feel so fortunate I can enjoy his garden without all the work too! But the best part of your descriptive fun to me was the part about the volunteers that you find in your compost heap. Every year I say I am going to ruthlessly pull them out because I spend more time weeding around them, stepping over them, etc. But I never do!
I love the surprise. Especially with gourd/melon type of plants that I cannot really tell what they are when they are little. And since they get spread around with the compost, they can be just anywhere. So they keep growing, and growing, and I am always wonderfully surprised. It is zone 7 I think here. All the "pollen makers" are open, and camellias, forsythia, fruit trees now, lovely.

[K1P1quebec]

Oh boy! It's 26 here today and I got through my entire yard with the pruners. Here are a couple things I found.....





I also found about 5 of those horrible but beautiful red Lily-eating bugs that cannot be killed by any other means than crushing them. I happily did that but enjoyed the lady bugs I found. Filled two big bins for the city compost with branches that I pruned. Have got some lovely red welts on the arms from the raspberry thorns. My hubby raked the front lawn and we are ready to go for the season! We went to the Dairy Queen for a break; it just opened this week for the season. It was hilarious to see people in shorts and T-shirts on benches eating ice cream, surrounded by snow piles at the edge of the parking lot. They had to climb over the snow to get to the benches!

[Kaleigh]

For the past couple of years I've had a little vegetable garden in my (parents') backyard. I grew lettuce, bell peppers, climbing beans (those were my favorite! I loved making trellises out of bamboo and string for them to grow along), tomatoes, radishes (faaailure), carrots, two zucchini, and a few herbs. It was always nice getting home from work and stopping in the garden to get rid of a couple little weeds.

Making lettuce with only things from my garden was the best! Now that I've moved and don't have a balcony, I'm pretty sad I can't have a garden this year

[K1P1quebec]

For the past couple of years I've had a little vegetable garden in my (parents') backyard. I grew lettuce, bell peppers, climbing beans (those were my favorite! I loved making trellises out of bamboo and string for them to grow along), tomatoes, radishes (faaailure), carrots, two zucchini, and a few herbs. It was always nice getting home from work and stopping in the garden to get rid of a couple little weeds.

Making lettuce with only things from my garden was the best! Now that I've moved and don't have a balcony, I'm pretty sad I can't have a garden this year

I love things that climb too. I don't know what it is about radishes, but mine usually stay long and thin and don't get nice and fat either - even with thinning. Hmmmm. Kaleigh, you'll have to investigate rooftop gardening in Toronto! I keep seeing more and more urban gardening books on this theme. Or try one of those topsy-turvy planters that you could hang in front of a window. Haha! Wouldn't you just love to have some tomatoes growing upside down in your living room window? I bought one of those last year but was too chicken to try it. This will definitely be the year!

[Leejoyce62]

Or try one of those topsy-turvy planters that you could hang in front of a window. Haha! Wouldn't you just love to have some tomatoes growing upside down in your living room window? I bought one of those last year but was too chicken to try it. This will definitely be the year![/color][/b]

I tried the upside down tomatoes and it was GREAT! Read up alittle on pruning your vine so it isn't crazy, and you'll have LOTS of tomatoes with very little trouble. Best if done outside as watering will leak when full. Give it a try.

[Kaleigh]

Or try one of those topsy-turvy planters that you could hang in front of a window. Haha! Wouldn't you just love to have some tomatoes growing upside down in your living room window? I bought one of those last year but was too chicken to try it. This will definitely be the year![/color][/b]

I tried the upside down tomatoes and it was GREAT! Read up alittle on pruning your vine so it isn't crazy, and you'll have LOTS of tomatoes with very little trouble. Best if done outside as watering will leak when full. Give it a try.

What if... I hang the tomatoes... above another plant? Then they'll water the plant beneath it! If I remember to water the tomatoes, of course

[dcrozier]

It has taken me two years to dog proof one small area for a garden, though it is sort of shady. Last year I finally had some lovely dahlias, lots of bird house gourds, insanely hot little peppers, marigolds, zinnias, cucumbers, lemon balm,mint, moon vines, cucumbers, peonies, gardenias, and some wonderful basil. Some of those are perennials. I only eat summer time tomatoes,they did not do well and neither did green beans. It was just too hot for many other things I planted, especially for tiny seeds directly sown. We had a hurricane and lost power for eight days. There was so much devastation, but the two fig bushes were full of ripe figs, so plenty to eat! If I cannot find one of my dogs, during that time of year, I know where to look, they love them too. This year I plan to plant some luffah gourds instead of birdhouse gourds after my pot/scrubber crochet fiasco. And plan to be more diligent about harvesting the herbs and marigolds throughout the season. Our last frost date is 4/15. It is usually nice up until May or June, then unbearably hot. Anyway, time to turn the compost under this weekend.

Wondering if you have a garden, what do you like to grow?

I spent today planting wave petunias along one end of the pool and just got some monarda to plant at the other end. We have six raised beds for veggies that I plant and my DH maintains during the summer. We usually stick to the simple stuff--peppers, beans, tomatoes, etc. I just got the lettuce in and am working on the peas but I think I am a little late for them--it is already getting hot here. Since my dog is female, she doesn't destroy bushes and fortunately, she doesn't dig!!!! We have lots of hanging plants around the deck and plant things that attract butterflies and hummingbirds. I am getting ready to try a new vine--cardinal climber that attracts hummers, I hope!!! I prefer to work outside and really hate cleaning house!!!!!! With gardening, you can really appreciate your efforts. Your garden space sounds beautiful!!! I was cautioned about planting luffah gourds anywhere near squash plants because of cross pollination so I never tried them. Hope you have lots of success!!!

[Shandeh]

I'm just grateful that my parents still have a garden. I can go there all summer long to get tomatoes, squash, okra, and cucumbers.