Spring Is Gardening Time Who has time to do some Gardening?

[jlhaslip 4]

Well I certainly do. It is a pleasure to be out there digging and planting and watering and just plain enjoying the time I spend outside in the Garden. Just dug a new, small plot for veggies last Fall, so I expect that this first crop won't be "fantastic", but I would rather have Home Grown Veggies rather than the stuff that is a chemicalled up and over-priced to boot. Nothing like garden-fresh foods.

[Watermonkey 0]

Did you say "boot"? Does that rhyme with "about"? Sorry, couldn't resist!

 

Good, no great to hear you've started a garden. Now put in some thought and plan it out, then get an auger or whatever you call those things, and dig some holes and fill them with 10 or 12 food poles. Next wrap those poles with fencing so those darn deer don't go in and much away at your precious veggies! Take my word, you'll regret it if you don't. Stoopid deer have even munched a couple Cedars I planted and now I don't think they'll make it. They didn't leave much greenery on them. I'll take some pics of our garden when there's something other than snow over the beds, but just to describe the garden, one side has herbs growing, all sorts from lemon balm, to catnip to rosemary. We have to dig up the rosemary every year and take it inside because it won't survive the winters here. On an adjacent side there is a moderate sized compost bin next to raspberry bushes (that are taking over the entire side) and up the hill I've got a variety of hops going. On the side opposite the herbs is another variety of hops, Cascade I think. On the corner, working around, is the third variety of hops, Centennial. Coming back down the hill opposite the compost bin are a few herbs, a bird bath, and a rhubarb plant that's out of control in the corner. Around the entire fence line I've installed a waterline that carries irrigation around the entire three tiered garden. On the bottom tier we plant tomatoes and peppers with swiss chard and lettuce mixed in there somewhere. Peas too. Middle tier is reserved for cucumbers and garlic and squash. On the top tier, which isn't really finished yet, I think we're going to plant some potatoes this year to see how that goes. Should be all right, but I've got to get the tiller up there once more just to loosen things up after the winter. The cats, strangely, like to hang out in the bird bath for some reason... All together I think there's about 750 square feet of gardening space, all there when we bought the house, but we had to hire a guy and his backhoe to come in and dig out three tiers, it was just a sloppy slope when we moved in. Now if we could just keep the slugs at bay this year, I'd be happier...

Edited March 14, 2007 by Watermonkey (see edit history)

[Misanthrope 0]

Well, if you don't have time to garden, I'd say you better start making time. It's all a matter or priorities, isn't it? I don't particularly enjoy wallowing around in dirt and filth, but hey - I'm cheap. I suspect that many of you getting free hosting at the Trap feel the same way. You make posting here a priority so you don't have to pay $10 a month (or whatever it is) somewhere else. So why not carry that frugal mindset over to one of the most important factors in your life.....eating. This is the time of year I start thinking about what plants I need to start indoors. There's still a blanket of white death covering my garden, and it might not melt for awhile. Even when it does, a last "kitten" frost could hit as late as June 15. So tender annuals, tomatoes and eggplants and such, must be started indoors so they have time to mature. I usually grow at least two varieties of tomatoes; a roma for making tomato sauce, an "Early Girl" for all around slicing, and a cherry tomato for salads. Last year I was lucky, as I wasn't home at Spring and missed all the "fun" of starting the plants indoors. Instead, I took the lazy way out and bought the seedlings at Walmart. I noticed a huge difference between starting them myself and buying them from the store. You can probably guess which plants were healthier and produced a better harvest. Yup, if you anything done right, you gotta do it yourself....

[FolkRockFan 0]

Like I said in the other, related thread: I'm not much of a gardener. I actually almost killed an aloe vera plant a couple of years ago *hangs head in shame* Oh, well.But...as far as food goes: nothing beats fresh, home-grown vegetables. I live at home with my parents and sibs, most of whom enjoy gardening, so we all get a bunch of fresh stuff at least part of the year. Mom's got the onions and garlic started (works out well this time of year, at least down here in Texas). She's got most of the seeds that she wants for this season. I don't remember exactly what all she picked up - even though I was standing right there with her - but if all goes well we'll have sweet peas, watermelons, tomatoes, some squash, maybe a little broccoli, etc.My family plants flowers around the garden. It looks pretty and some of the flowers (like the magnolias) are great insect repellents. They're about eight billion times better than pesticides Mom picked up a ton and a half of flower seeds this year...everything from morning glories to mixed wildflowers to...yeah. Tons of 'em.

[Misanthrope 0]

Like I said in the other, related thread: I'm not much of a gardener. I actually almost killed an aloe vera plant a couple of years ago *hangs head in shame* Oh, well.
But...as far as food goes: nothing beats fresh, home-grown vegetables. I live at home with my parents and sibs, most of whom enjoy gardening, so we all get a bunch of fresh stuff at least part of the year. Mom's got the onions and garlic started (works out well this time of year, at least down here in Texas). She's got most of the seeds that she wants for this season. I don't remember exactly what all she picked up - even though I was standing right there with her - but if all goes well we'll have sweet peas, watermelons, tomatoes, some squash, maybe a little broccoli, etc.

My family plants flowers around the garden. It looks pretty and some of the flowers (like the magnolias) are great insect repellents. They're about eight billion times better than pesticides Mom picked up a ton and a half of flower seeds this year...everything from morning glories to mixed wildflowers to...yeah. Tons of 'em.

I've never been much of a green thumb either; in fact, I somehow managed to kill an aloe vera plant in my gardening youth. I figure with a little practice I can move on to killing higher life forms (for you products of the public school system - that's supposed to be a joke; get it?). But I guess gardening is like most things, in as much as practice makes perfect. In the next week or so I'll be starting some pepper plants (Jalapeńo and Bell) inside. I'll probably start some brocolli and cabbage too, though I'm a bit leery after my last run in with cabbage flies and their ghastly offspring.

The starts will "gestate" over a warm, electric blanket until they sprout. The electric blanket is a little trick of the trade that warms the soil and makes the seed sprout sooner. It also prevents the seed from giving in to disease or rot. After the little guys sprout, the heat is removed and/or turned down, and they are put under fluorescent lights for about 18 hours a day. After a while, it's a good idea to direct some air from a gentle fan on to them, to toughen up their stems in preparation for the inevitable. A few days before transplanting, they'll be placed outside on a deck for the "hardening off" process, which acclimatizes them, little by little, to the harsh outdoors. Then, when the last chance of kitten frost is gone, they can be transplanted outside. Now, you can always just buy your vegetable starts from the nursery, but it will cost you. Its much cheaper to start them on your own, and youre also guaranteed a stronger, healthier plant from a seed of your choice.

You folks in Texas may as well be on a different planet when it comes to gardening. I wont be able to put anything into the ground for another month or so, as we still have some lingering snow, and it will be frosting up overnight until at least May. And up here, garlic is planted late summer/early fall and harvested around July. Ah, what would life be without garlic? Ive never planted onions but I think I might start this year. I heard the Sweet Sandwich variety is especially nice for our challenging soil and growing climate. Oddly enough, quite a few mountain folks in these parts grow grapes for wine as well.

[jlhaslip 4]

I have always planted Marigolds around Cabbage plantings and that keeps most of the bugs off of them. The two plants compliment each other somehow. Don't know the science, but I do know the results.And lots of onions and Garlic, indeed.

[Misanthrope 0]

It seems like I tried Marigold and Nasturtium but they didn't flower in time to do any good. I might have to start those indoors too so they can go out the same time as the cabbage plants. Do you direct seed your marigold or do you start them indoors? For some reason I never have much luck with Basil either, even though they tell you to start them outdoors. It can be more of a challenge when you're trying to grow organically, that's for sure. But I figure if you want veggies that are sprayed with poison, may as well save yourself the time and just buy them from the store.

[Yratorm, LightMage 0]

I have this tree in our garden that was blown down in a storm, and we pushed it upright again (just put our backs to it, as there are no winches, etc. available in the Himalayas) and then we piled a lot of heavy stones around the base of it so it wouldn't fall down again. Anyway, the tree survived and it's putting out the most beautiful pink blossoms, it feels good to look at it. Reward enough, I would say.

[Misanthrope 0]

I started on my "starts" today. It's still pretty early, so I only started the slow growers, which for now are the pepper variety. In the northern climes, they need about ten weeks to mature before they're ready to set out in the garden. This year I'm growing Jalepeno and Bell peppers. Not sure if the Jalepeno is any particular varitey, other than HOT, and the Bell pepper is called, "Cal Wonder," whatever that means. Probably has something to do with California.

[Watermonkey 0]

I have this tree in our garden that was blown down in a storm, and we pushed it upright again (just put our backs to it, as there are no winches, etc. available in the Himalayas) and then we piled a lot of heavy stones around the base of it so it wouldn't fall down again. Anyway, the tree survived and it's putting out the most beautiful pink blossoms, it feels good to look at it. Reward enough, I would say.

Litemage: I'm happy you saved a tree from certain death and I'm glad you appreciate its blossoms, but I fail to see what that has to do with the discussion at hand. Please try and remain on topic and refrain from trivializing perfectly good discussion. Thank you.

[Zlash 0]

I have never enjoyed gardening - maybe because I'm a teenager, but I can't really imagine why it is so fun anyway. Gardening seems more like something you do to kill time.

[Misanthrope 0]

I have never enjoyed gardening - maybe because I'm a teenager

Whoever coined the term, "youth is wasted on the young" certainly knew a thing or two about human nature! Why, in my day, folks would take smart talkin' little whipper snappers and give 'em a good whip off old Betsy, then see what they prefer: Betsy or playing in dirt...
Oh, never mind the rantings of crazy ol' Misanthrope. Fact is, I never much cared for gardening either when I was young and stupid. Back then, I was more interested in the man-made, artificial trappings of this world. But then something amazing happened: I grew up and realized that by taking part in the growing of things, I was participating in something much bigger than myself; something magic and beautiful. And I dare say....something holy.