Anybody gardening this year?

kathryn

kathryn

Cathlete
I've just finished getting my garden bed ready ("CLAWing," adding compost and kelp meal over the course of several days when it wasn't raining) and will be planting tomorrow.

I ordered some seeds and seedlings from some organic companies, and will be having beans, peas, kohlrabi (a favorite from my childhood, but something I've only rarely seen in stores), basil and tomatoes (the tomatoes aren't here yet, as they are the seedlings, and evidently it's still a bit too early for them to be safe). I'm also planting marigolds to help keep insects at bay, and maybe to eat (the flowers are edible!) Haven't tried them, but I have tried nasturtiums and they are pretty tasty: rather peppery, especially the leaves).
 
I don't think I could grow a weed, seriously ;) So, can I come over and you'll make me a salad?


Live with sincerity, love with passion, and dance like you mean it.

Debbie
 
Hey Kathryn. My husband and I have planted tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, cayenne peppers, and tabasco peppers in our "regular garden." In our herb garden we've planted thyme, oregano, dill, cilantro, parsley, basil, rosemary, mint, and lavender. Thanks for reminding me about the marigolds deterring bugs. Do you know of any other organic ways of getting rid of them (bugs)?

Teresa
 
Yep! I started 2 years ago and I love it I am helping my sister the beginning of next week and then she is helping me the end of next week. We do strawbrries, tomatoes, cukes, green& red peppers lettuce, cauliflower, squash, might try pumpkins this time and I tried corn last year with no luck I may give it another try. And might attempt a few other goodies.

beth6395
 
My gardening will consist of 4 tomato plants in 4 whiskey barrels.:p

My tomatoes are already about a foot tall, and ready to be planted (my dad started them is his green house from seed). I'll have to put water wells around them for a week or two, since it's still alittle to cold here.
 
Don't forget that planting radishes near your eggplants will act as a trap crop for flea beetles.
 
Yep, starting here too. Got my plants and seeds, pulled weeds and will til this weekend.

Was raining so much here lately (CA) that I covered my raised bed with a tarp a couple of weeks ago so it could dry out. Last year I didn't get to tilling until the end of May and still ended up with 12" of mud on the bottom of my shoes! :D

I can't wait - think this year will be better than last year. I didn't get tomoatos until August ! And that is in beautiful "sunny" (ha ha ha) CA.

My favorite part is deciding which veggies to have from my garden and not having to shop !
 
I've had my snap peas in since the week after St Patty's day. They actually got snowed on once! Since then I've added grape, plum, and regular tomatoes, eggplant, cucumbers, squash, basil, mint, cilantro, oregano, chives, and parsley. The garlic I planted last fall is almost ready for harvest as is the lettuce I started in March.

So far I've had a bit of a battle with the local cats (you can imagination what they were doing - yuck). Also the squirrels or birds were eating my squash, tomatoes and cuke seedlings so in addition to the fence I had to put netting over most everything too. The netting has worked well. No more invaders!
 
Treebaby...Guinea hens are my natural defense against bugs in my garden.

It's too cold here yet to plant a garden but I've been busy ripping out a row of my raspberries. Crimony, what a job that is. x(
 
My garden is small this year......tomatoes, cucumbers, strawberries, thyme, basil, oregano and mint. It's just enough to get my hands a little dirty without too much hard work. The cumcumbers and tomatoes are doing well so far...I think it will be a good season.:)

Robin
 
Yes, I've prepared the soil and plan to plant soon. Not a huge one this year. Pretty much doing what you mentioned Kathryn, except the Kohlarabi's. I planted them a few years ago and they grew beautifully, but I hated them and we all just set them out and looked at them. I'm pretty good with "different" foods, but just couldn't get into that one. The brussel sprouts were good.

The dandelions are out in full force in our yard, more than a million easily. Our kids suck the pollen out of them - weird I know - but they say it's sweet. They come in with their mouths all yellow. I'm sure this is making them incredibly healthy!!!! One can only hope.

Briee
 
I gave it up.
The deer eat it.
I even tried tomatoes and peppers in pots. They ate them. Came right up on my deck and had lunch....
I love having a garden. It just isn't possible living in the woods. I even tried hair fence coyote urine marigolds. Nothing helped.
3 yrs afo i had some awesome brocoli and cauliflour almost ready to harvest and they ate it.
I was soooo upset,so it is grocery store for me.
Anne
http://www.picturetrail.com/acatalina
 
We are having problems with deer as well. My husband has strategically put those tomato cages throughout the garden, so that they can't easily get to the plants. They especially like the pepper plants here.
 
Oh, fellow gardeners!!!!

I used to be a big-time gardener, but it was just wearing me out, so for the past few years I've taken a break. This year I have six tomato plants and two sweet peppers planted in the flower beds. I always have herbs there too - rosemary, basil, thyme, oregano, lemon balm, mint, lavender.

Next year, watch out! I've already thought out what I want to grow and will start preparing the garden area this fall. I can't wait!
 
Yes, hubby and I will be getting the garden ready this weekend...well, I hope so. Planting the usual....
pumpkins,
tons of green beans
tomatoes
spinach
corn
cucumbers

Gosh, I wish I could grow watermelon, but never had any luck with it.

Charlotte~~
 
I'm jealous. I live in a condo with a postage stamp yard that only gets shade. I grow sprouts in the window and go to the farmer's market. I hope some day I can have a garden again, with ducks to eat the bugs, lay eggs, and be adorable.
 
I do not have a green thumb - I could kill plastic plants - so I don't garden. I DO mow, but that's the extent of my outdoor dealings with greenery.

"It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt." Mark Twain ;-)
 
One thing I refuse to grow anymore is anything in the squash family, and that includes muskmelons and cucumbers. The bugs absolutely destroy them, and I cannot find anything short of major chemical warfare to keep them away.
 
>The dandelions are out in full force in our yard, more than a
>million easily. Our kids suck the pollen out of them - weird
>I know - but they say it's sweet. They come in with their
>mouths all yellow. I'm sure this is making them incredibly
>healthy!!!! One can only hope.

The roots, leaves and even flowers of dandelions are edible, and have healthy benefits, I suppose the pollen would, too!

One of the organic seed places I got some things at were even selling dandelion seeds in their medicinal herb section (imagine having to plant dandelions? There are enough volunteers for me!).
 
I got most of my garden in this morning (except for the tomatoes, which haven't come yet).

I added hydrophilic crystals to the soil to hold water, 'fenced off' an area for lettuces and Egyptian spinach (supposedly a type of cabbage) using some wooden spikes and hemp string (couldn't find my mallet, so I used a rock to pound the spikes in a bit farther than I could push...felt like a real primitive gardener! But that's a good thing, IMO), added earthworm castings (worm poo!) to the bean/pea/kohlrabi rows, set up areas for the 6 tomato plants that will eventually show up (with some tomato planter bases that hold water and serve as mulch, and putting cages around the area where the plants will be), planted my pre-soaked beans and peas after adding inoculant to them, planted lettuce mix, the Egyptian spinach, kohlrabi, basil, and marigolds, and gave it all a good watering from my chlorine-filtered water hose.

I'm a bit skeptical about the plants with small seeds: I'm too impatient to start them inside and then transplant them as seedlings, so I'm not sure how they'll do. But the beans and peas should do well (don't they always, in the grade-school growing experiment? ;) ).

I even set up a little 'kitty' garden with cat grass mixture (because I don't have any actual grass out in front, and that's where the cats hang out with me when they go out on their leashes.
 
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