Wasn't really sure where to to put this...but
I want's pics.
It's our time of year.
and anyone higher than than Zone 4a sucks....
ok I also could use a thousand pounds of old horse shiner bock too.
I know your busy...but your story?
How is your garden please?
If it grows, I waters it.
If it don't, I mulches it.
Zone 9 Cholla farm
Ummm...I have no idea what zone western CO is in.
This is our first summer in this house, so it's entertaining to see what's coming up around the yard. I figured I'll give it a season, then pull out anything I decide I don't like. Since I'm not a green thumb, I'm just striving to maintain right now.
So far I have irises, lemon balm, columbines, sea grass, tulips, lilac, lots of rose bushes, and many unidentifiable things. The roses are actually starting to bloom! :) A lady at the local nursery showed me how to prune them, and they appear to be happy with what I did. Have to say, I never understood the whole "thorns & brambles" thing in fairy tales as a child...dealing with out-of-control rose bushes, I get it now, and have the marks to prove it! :P
I spent all afternoon mowing the lawns, trimming, raking...yard work is tiring ::)
I suck at gardening but I'm awesome at growing weeds! ;)
So Baron, how is the garden? I love your backyard. Picnic? When?
I'm avoiding doing anything. There doesn't seem much point when sometime in the next couple years they are going to replace the entire top foot of soil in my yard as part of the arsenic abatement work due to a pesticide plant that used to be a few blocks north of us.
So I can't do much in an apartment ... but I have several containers with 3 types of basil (although I think one will die thanks to frost) ... edible blooms (nasturtiums are sprouting from seed) ... baby cilantro, an asian leafy green (adopted from a local plant fair) and apple mint. I have a pot of thyme, for the herb and the lovely blooms. I'm also trying a tomato bush. I'm still lugging some of the containers in every night since it can get cold (I'm on the Front Range in Colorado) ... and later on I'll have to take into account hail storms, but I'm optimistic!
Planted my garden Sunday here in the Minneapolis area. Bought the plants Sat. but saw that we had rain predicted and held off. Glad I did the hail storm that hit would have killed everything. Almost golfball sized hail. There were and still are leaves everywhere. The hail ripped leaves off the trees.
Planted everything Sunday. 12 tomato plants. A mix of Celebity, Big Boy, Brandywine and Sweet 100 cherry tomatos. A few beans, sugar snap peas, broccoli, Ichiban eggplant, scallions and from seed carrots, Romain lettuce.
Have had a composter for a few years and always shovel out a few scoops from the bottom of it into the garden.
I have always used a little Miracle grow throughout the growing year but have wanted to try something more natural. I have always had good luck and get a great harvest, the tomato plants get huge.
Well I've been working on mine for a while now...about 12 years or so.
Pat's Backyard (http://www.patsporch.com/backyard/backyard.html)
I tried doing the veg thing...just didn't work out.
Really would like to try doing some herb stuff.
GP I've been following that story for a couple of years now. Has it run it's course as to the health risks?
Gardener eye candy...Crabapple 'Robinson
(http://www.patsporch.com/backyard/crab02.jpg)
Quote from: Baron Doune on June 03, 2008, 05:19:38 AM
GP I've been following that story for a couple of years now. Has it run it's course as to the health risks?
I understand they've replaced the top foot of soil on pretty much all the high risk yards (90 parts per million of arsenic and above) but a neighborhood flier says they'll be re-testing the highest yards to be sure they've done enough. They should be starting on those over 25 ppm this year. We're at about 82 ppm in part of our yard so we'll probably be sooner rather than later. It seems really spotty depending on how the dust from the pesticide plant fell in the neighborhood.
Apparently most fruits and veggies don't absorb arsenic from the soil, so as long as you rinse them off well, or the kid's outside toys, the risk is low. But arsenic can be carcinogenic in low doses, so I can't help wonder about two cats we had who developed jaw tumors (They used to go out on leashes in the back yard.)
They do pay you something for plants that get destroyed, but it's pennies on the dollar so it really sucks for people who have done a lot of planting/landscaping. I get some water in my new garage from my patio so I'm hoping if I remove the patio bricks if I can get them to lower it an inch or two to relieve the problem
Winterland do you can em?
Lilac bush...
(http://www.patsporch.com/backyard/lilac02.jpg)
I thought I would add my little project in here....
I have a small patio garden here in Southern California that is all fruits and veggies. It is my first experiment into container gardening, and so far everything seems to be doing well. We have 3 different tomato plants going, about 5 different pepper plants, zuchinni, yellow squash, okra, strawberries, and a wide variety of different herbs. To add to the fruits, we just planted a dwarf Tangelo tree in a large container as well. So far we have harvested a few peppers, cilantro, spearment, and a little basil. The squash plants all have really pretty flowers on them currently, as do the pepper plants.
I have a few pictures up on my myspace page, and will be taking more as the project progresses. All of my stuff is in either a hanging type basket or in planter boxes with the exception of the fruit tree. The tree is in a huge pot, and seems to be doing well. This garden is an experiment to see what all will grow in the limited space, and I have tried several of the different techniques found on the internet. One of the most interesting being the upside down tomato plant.
I am always looking for suggestions or comments. I am really enjoying the garden thus far just for the calming effect it has, but I am hoping to reap some the edible rewards.
We don't have a lot of room in our yard for gardening, but milord built a nice raised veggie bed, I have a small area for my herbs, and there are flowers here and there, mostly native plants. There are a handful of photos here http://s243.photobucket.com/albums/ff24/Tipsy_Gypsy66/garden/ (http://s243.photobucket.com/albums/ff24/Tipsy_Gypsy66/garden/) .
We're in zone 8b, so we're lucky to have two growing seasons. Already plotting the fall garden and trying to figure out where we can squeeze in a small compost area. We're going to try to go a little "greener", or at least as much as is practical. Kruzar, you're so right- there's something very calming about gardening. A little dirt under the nails is good for the soul. :)
I'm really enjoying everyone's posts and photos!
Quote from: Tipsy Gypsy on June 05, 2008, 06:34:56 PM
We don't have a lot of room in our yard for gardening, but milord built a nice raised veggie bed, I have a small area for my herbs, and there are flowers here and there, mostly native plants. There are a handful of photos here http://s243.photobucket.com/albums/ff24/Tipsy_Gypsy66/garden/ (http://s243.photobucket.com/albums/ff24/Tipsy_Gypsy66/garden/) .
I was hoping to take a look at the pictures, but it seems it is a private password protected area. Mayhaps you can make it public?
I definetly enjoy my little project. I am going to try and take some new pictures this weekend, since things are blooming. I never knew that squash plants had big yellow flowers.
Has anybody tried to plants for tea?
Good or bad?
Big time zone envy going on here.
My brother always sends me lemons in January...ya fresh lemons when it's 20 below here.
Baron, lilac and crab apple are two additions I'd like to make to my yard some day. Not sure lilac will really go down here though. Zone 9/10, northern AL. I certainly don't see them in other gardens.
My gardening is almost entirely a plan in my head at this point, having bought a 1/3 acre lot last Dec. It's going to be an uphill battle. I'm hoping to put bulbs in this fall. I've got a colorful little strip of hastily thrown together flower garden composed mainly of pansies and petunias. I'll post pictures at some point (need to take them first and then turn them into image files). I'm fairly happy with how the hodge podge of colors has turned out considering I was buying cheap from poor selection.
Anybody else out there a grass/lawn-hater? My goal is to completely eliminate grass from my property. Hate mowing--and down here it needs to be done at least once a week or the growth is out of control.
Quote from: Baron Doune on June 05, 2008, 07:20:40 PM
Has anybody tried to plants for tea?
Good or bad?
Not actual tea plants, but last week I made tea from a handful of fresh lemon balm leaves straight out of the garden. Just ripped/crushed them, and boiled. The resulting tea wasn't bad, just a bit weak.
Speaking of bulbs (thanks for the reminder, Tremayne!), can anyone explain to me how bulbs work?? Silly question, yes! But I honestly don't know. We have a ton of irises and tulips in our yard, but are going to have to relocate them in the fall. Can I just dig up the bulbs this fall and plant them where I want them in the spring? Our neighbor also gave me a bunch of bulbs he dug up...I never planted them, didn't have time...but am hoping I can use them next year.
Btw, my rose bushes and peonies (I think they are peonies?) are going crazy with blooms!!
I'm not the best person to answer the bulb question, so anyone feel free to add to or correct the following:
It's best to plant them in the fall. plant them shallowly with the very top of the bulb above the earth--it needs sun in the spring. Cover them with mulch or leaves for insulation over the winter months. Or maybe that's just iris specifically that enjoy that treatment?
I'd always heard it was important to follow that planting ritual with bulbs yet this spring my mother (from whom I get any gardening wisdom I possess) gave me a pot with daffodils in it for my porch. I put it on the steps and the rain kept the pot soil too moist. So I committed gardening sin and replanted the bulbs in a newly created garden patch. And then two weeks later when a ditch needed to be dug on that same spot, moved them, along with 1/3 of the bed, yet again. They still bloomed. :)
Other plants in my wee flower garden have shown resilience. The snapdragons were frostbit early on but are coming back nicely. Some salvia was frosted right down to the ground the same week I put them in, yet new foliage has come up at the roots. :)
Quote
I was hoping to take a look at the pictures, but it seems it is a private password protected area. Mayhaps you can make it public?
I definetly enjoy my little project. I am going to try and take some new pictures this weekend, since things are blooming. I never knew that squash plants had big yellow flowers.
Ooh, sorry...I didn't password it, so I'm not sure what happened there. Hopefully this'll work; I just didn't want to take up a lot of space on the thread. Photobucket says the thumbnails are supposed to be clickable, if you want a closer look. Hope it works :-[ .
(http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff24/Tipsy_Gypsy66/garden/th_maters.jpg) (http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff24/Tipsy_Gypsy66/garden/maters.jpg)
(http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff24/Tipsy_Gypsy66/garden/th_cayennepepper.jpg) (http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff24/Tipsy_Gypsy66/garden/cayennepepper.jpg)
(http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff24/Tipsy_Gypsy66/garden/th_lantana.jpg) (http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff24/Tipsy_Gypsy66/garden/lantana.jpg)
(http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff24/Tipsy_Gypsy66/garden/th_mimosablooms.jpg) (http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff24/Tipsy_Gypsy66/garden/mimosablooms.jpg)
(http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff24/Tipsy_Gypsy66/garden/th_nicotiana.jpg) (http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff24/Tipsy_Gypsy66/garden/nicotiana.jpg)
(http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff24/Tipsy_Gypsy66/garden/th_theveggiesarethriving.jpg) (http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff24/Tipsy_Gypsy66/garden/theveggiesarethriving.jpg)
I din't realize how big squash blossoms are either, but a coworker showed me hers, and a recipe that she got from Rachel Ray's show (I think...) to deep fry them. Interesting!
Very cool pictures there....
I am so surprised at the blossoms, and then this morning I saw some baby squashes on there. I can't wait, I love to grill up squash. I also have done it in a casserole, but I really like to grill them.
My dad said that supposedly you can eat the blossoms as well, but I am not that adventurous...will just wait for the full veggies...
White Nicotania Gypsy! (2nd from the bottom)
Grown as an annual here in zone 4a. I just love this plant.
Just as the sun is gowning down they produce the most wonderful fragrance.
Will be getting some pics of the Dogwood soon, in full flower.
Need to get some pics of the ferns too.
We have several Blue Angel hostas. Six foot across.
More weeding this weekend...take care.
Not sure on the bulb division....I just take a hunk of them in the fall and replant them.
And roses! My fav is the Oklahoma Tea Rose. Dark to Black Rose. Impossible to overwinter here.
Hoping to maybe attract a master gardener here.
Plants, flowers and I know we got a few in the forums.
Yup Baron, that variety is called "Only the Lonely". I'm not sure if it's perennial here, but if it's not, it's s'posed to self-seed anyway. I didn't know until after I planted them that they could get up to 5' tall- wow! They're almost 3' already. I dashed outside as soon as I read your post to sniff the blooms. How nice; I'm glad you mentioned that!
Most of my ornamental plants are Turk's Cap, native pink Lantana, several varieties of perennial mallow hibiscus, a few St. Joseph's Lily, and a couple of mimosas. I use dwarf Mexican Petunia (Ruellia) as a great dense groundcover under the taller plants. They've almost eliminated weeding, and the lizards dig it.
I tried hostas, they're lovely plants, but they don't like it here or they don't like me...
Do dogwoods propagate from seeds, rooth growth, or how? I know they'll grow in this climate, and I'd love to have one in our own yard, they're so charming.
(I really need a bigger yard! ;D)
The funny thing about the nic Tipsy...they only really smell at dusk or near dusk...temp change maybe.
Have no idea why.
Quote from: Baron Doune on June 03, 2008, 05:59:34 PM
Winterland do you can em?
No just eat a lot of tomatoes during the season. My 2 year old loves them. Pics the cherry tomatoes and eats them off the vine.
Give to friends also. The wife did talk about maybe trying to can some.
Nice pictures everyone.
Quote from: Mischka on June 06, 2008, 09:50:26 AM
Quote from: Baron Doune on June 05, 2008, 07:20:40 PM
Has anybody tried to plants for tea?
Good or bad?
Not actual tea plants, but last week I made tea from a handful of fresh lemon balm leaves straight out of the garden. Just ripped/crushed them, and boiled. The resulting tea wasn't bad, just a bit weak.
Speaking of bulbs (thanks for the reminder, Tremayne!), can anyone explain to me how bulbs work?? Silly question, yes! But I honestly don't know. We have a ton of irises and tulips in our yard, but are going to have to relocate them in the fall. Can I just dig up the bulbs this fall and plant them where I want them in the spring? Our neighbor also gave me a bunch of bulbs he dug up...I never planted them, didn't have time...but am hoping I can use them next year.
Btw, my rose bushes and peonies (I think they are peonies?) are going crazy with blooms!!
How lucky are you to have a yard full of iris and tulips Mischka! When you move them look for a well drained spot with plenty of sun. Some afternoon shade will help the flower to last longer. Tulips should be relocated in the fall for a spring bloom and iris can be planted either spring or fall. Note there are two types of iris: bulb and rhizomatus. I don't know what the other bulbs are and it's a bit tricky to say when best to plant them off the cuff. Some bulbs are hardy and once planted can be left alone to propagate, some need to be pulled and stored in a cool dry place until time for the fall planting.
When you see the first shoot come up in the spring, give them a dose of fertilizer so they'll have plenty of nutrients to make a new flower once the current one is spent. Cut off the dead flower so the plant won't waste energy on seeding, but leave the greenery until it has withered and turned brown. That's a huge source of nutrient for the bulb to make a new flower next year. Just braid the leaves neatly and tuck them under other existing foliage.
Tremayne, I had an Ammaryllis like your daffodil. It bloomed and then was left in it's pot on the patio. Did absolutely nothing to it. The only water it got was if it rained. I really thought it was a goner, then in the fall out burst a stem and soon thereafter a flower. Did that for three years. Who knows with bulbs?
Okay, can you tell I am a fan of bulbs? Now if I only had a yard to putter about in.
Here's a good site that will give some more of the basics:
http://www.plantingflowerbulbs.com/
My grandfather was a master gardner and president of the men's gardening club of america in the 80's....I learned a lot from him as well as my father, but I'm far from being a master gardner.
I've never had much luck with bulbs, but I did transplant some iris this year. All I did was dig them up, pull apart the roots that had branched and planted them in a large bed more spread apart. They are thriving now.
Quick question....has anyone tried their hand at grapes? I was thinking of planting a few vines this year. My biggest challenge is we live inside the DC beltway and our lot is the size of a postage stamp but we get great sun and I have a fence line that might be perfect to line with grape vines.
Thought I'd share a pic of my indoor gardening that I took this AM. The average age of the orchid collection is about 5 years old and they flower annually.
(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y293/jmkhalfmoon/100_0480.jpg)
Grapes yes!
White ones in zone4a...that's kind of a shock. But they grow well. Hybrid made for this zone.
Main root is facing south and I let them vine out on a west face. About 30' long now. I mostly leave the grapes for the birds but I do get quite a few of them. Care is almost non-existent after the first couple of years.
Just a 50/50 mix with peat when I planted them to add a little acid to the soil and retain the water. Very firm believer in peat.
And I've always been scared to death of orchids. Does a lot of care has to into them?
Would that be a south facing window in the pic? Full sun?
Anna Iram and Tremayne...thank you for the bulb info!! Anna, the website looks great and I am looking forward to getting educated :) Btw, you are welcome to putter in my yard any time! ;)
We decided today that next year we're going to do a vegetable/fruit garden. A friend's wife offered to teach me canning, and I'm trying to learn about composting, too. Thus I shall hopefully be prepared!
We built a pond in our backyard in 1995. My son and I hauled all the rocks up there in a wheelbarrow. I bought six cheap goldfish then and now I have about 3 dozen. They have a lifespan of about 10 years. The plants in the pond are just getting started, but the ferns have really grown. I took these photos today. :)
(http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s216/Lady_L_MN/mypondsouthend08sm.jpg)
(http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s216/Lady_L_MN/mypondnorthend08sm.jpg)
(http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s216/Lady_L_MN/mypondJune08sm.jpg)
This is a purple columbine in our garden.
(http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s216/Lady_L_MN/purplecolumbines08sm.jpg)
This trillium is in our woodland garden, on the north side of the house.
(http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s216/Lady_L_MN/trillium08sm.jpg)
Lovely pond!!
Baron, I've found orchids to be pretty easy. They like indirect sun. The window in the photo is actually a west window, just looks bright. Putting them in direct sun with actually "sunburn" them. They don't like to sit in water so you need pots with holes. I just put them in the sink, give them a good soaking making sure all the roots are wet and leave them alone until the next week. I think mine also do so well because our dryer actually vents into the basement (pre WWII house) and that warm moist air rises up the stairs right where the orchids sit. I feed them with orchid food maybe every other month.
Love the ferns, Lady L!
Thanks for clues as to orchid maintenance, jmk. I've also toyed with the idea of bringing orchids into my home but have hesitated because I know their care isn't the same as other plants.
Thanks! I had the ferns planted on the north side of the house, where they refused to do anything, so we moved them to the south side a few years ago and now they are huge!
Took a photo of some of my hostas in the backyard today. They really like it back there. :)
(http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s216/Lady_L_MN/hostas08sm.jpg)
Indeed, the gryphon/gargoyle is going to have to make a mighty leap to clear them :D
I love hasta! When we moved two years ago I was able to split my hasta and bring half to the new house whilst still leaving the sold house with enough landscaping. The transplanted hasta loves its new home and is thriving....I was able to split a few of them this year to fill in more spaces that needed plants.
I didn't expect them to get THAT big! I might have to plant more of my yard with those, because nothing else will grow, except creeping charlie.
I do have wildflowers taking up most of the space in the back and they were doing really well for a few years. The purple coneflowers are still coming back, but the oxeye daisies and tickseed have not. We did plant more annuals for birds and butterflies in the back too. The morning glories are getting bigger, finally. Hummingbirds love them. :)
Picked the first 'maters today.
(http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q42/MikeWithTheEvilBlackHat/cap_024.jpg)
Also found a Jacaranda tree at Home Despot. Theres several huge ones in Tucson. We get a little colder in the next valley over. Hope it makes it. :-\
106 today. Gave the shredder a good workout with prickly pear and cholla. Turns into gooey green slime and keeps the moisture in the pile from getting out. ;D
Mmmm, homegrown 'maters rock. Ours are producing too, especially the cherry types. I'm hoping we can grow enough to store for winter use.
Right now, the new deydrator is getting broken in drying loads of herbs. The sweet basil is growing like crazy.
(http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff24/Tipsy_Gypsy66/garden/DSCF3181.jpg)
Does anyone have experience with Dominican Oregano? Just like me to buy one on a whim; now I have to figure out what it likes. Oh well, part of the fun of gardening, isn't it? There doesn't seem to be much info on the internet about it, unfortunately, but it looks like a hardy sort, so I'm willing to take a chance.
The wife has found 5 four leaf clovers in the yard this week. We figure it's the arsenic in the soil causing mutations. We're not going to mow that little section of the yard in hope of encouraging more. Wonder if we can seal them in plastic and sell them, I've got a small laminator I found in a second hand store we could use.
My tomato bush might be the only thing that really produces this year ... a recent hail storm FLATTENED or shredded all my herbs and nasturtiums in my little porch garden. I'm hoping they come back.
Quote from: groomporter on June 23, 2008, 09:38:55 PM
The wife has found 5 four leaf clovers in the yard this week. We figure it's the arsenic in the soil causing mutations. We're not going to mow that little section of the yard in hope of encouraging more. Wonder if we can seal them in plastic and sell them, I've got a small laminator I found in a second hand store we could use.
You might inquire of Lady Nicolette how she has preserved the ones her son finds. He has a talent for finding them and I've got one in good condition. I believe she presses them--but best to go to the source. ;)
Indeed, Aeron has found hundreds of them, all over Nashville, including in our own yard. We thought of the same idea, perhaps making jewelry with them. At this point, we press them in a flower press and then I wrap plastic wrap around them. They do lose their color eventually, though. I'd thought of laminating, as well, but we never found any good sources to let us know how this would work (and if it would preserve the color better). Perhaps you might experiment and let us know, since you have a laminator at hand.
My son found a 4 leaf clover by the joust at a faire, quite a few years ago. We pressed it flat and then framed it on a gold mat. It did fade, but it is still looking good, well, it was, the last time I saw it.
A couple of shots from 06.07.08
White Nancy. Is finally taking off and spreading.
(http://patsporch.com/backyard/060708%20042s.jpg)
Pagoda Dogwood in full flower.
(http://patsporch.com/backyard/060708%20063s.jpg)
Today's harvest of basil, from only two plants:
(http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff24/Tipsy_Gypsy66/DSCF3545.jpg)
Man, I love this stuff! Good thing, too, I've got a metric boatload of it, this year :D.
Has anyone tried growing/cooking with lemon basil? I've got one of those, too. Baked some chicken with the lemon basil and some garlic last week. Even milord, who's no fan of "yardbird", thought it quite tasty. (Score!) I'd love to hear a few other ideas for it. Pork loin, maybe?
Wow, I'm so happy to find a gardening section! :D
I'll post pics in a bit, I suddenly want a pond in my yard!
I have a few small gardens throughout the yard, it's a very small piece of property. I also do container gardening for most of my veggies, since it's where I get best sun and least slugs.
I grow from seeds in milk jugs sown in the winter.
Very warm up here right now and dry. Water restrictions and all that. Even/Odd thing. I've got it down to about 1" a week on just the perennials. To heck with the grass.
Putting down water from the drip line thing I set up a couple of years ago.
88 degrees in Zone 4a is not a good thing. It only hits 90 up here about a dozen times a year.
Last night's wind took out the 'mater cages, the shade cloth over the chicken coop somewheres out in the national park an half a mature Saguaro is lyin' horizontal like in the front yard. Got a 3" layer 'o mesquite beans EVERWHERE. Bring it on Muther N ;D
Quote from: groomporter on June 23, 2008, 09:38:55 PM
The wife has found 5 four leaf clovers in the yard this week. We figure it's the arsenic in the soil causing mutations. We're not going to mow that little section of the yard in hope of encouraging more. Wonder if we can seal them in plastic and sell them, I've got a small laminator I found in a second hand store we could use.
You know I have actually sealed the first little dandelion flower my son picked me in resin and it looks lovely after 5 years. I used a metal jewelry finding intended for setting cameos, and then I simply set the pressed and dried flower in the bottom and filled it with 2 part resin from the craft store. I put a little glitter in mine, because as you know, thats how I roll.. But you could make a bunch and I know people would love them.
Any of you guys ever do cold crock pickles?
Small cucumbers in a brine solution?
Oh and tomatoes can be frozen.
Great for sauces later. Just wash em and freeze them.
My tomatoes are growing like crazy with this hot weather we're having.
Our tomtoes have done well too, but it's actually gotten a little too hot for them here now, and they've slowed production. The peppers, however, are just getting up to speed. Tomatoes do freeze quite well. We use a dehydrator to save the tomatoes we don't eat, so we can store them in the pantry.
I never thought of that-tomatoes in the dehydrator! I do alot of apples and other fruit but not tomatoes. How long does it take? Anything special I should know on doing them? Thanks .
I don't know if we actually should or not, but we don't do anything special to them. We're drying mostly cherry-type tomatoes; we slice them in halves or thirds (about 1/4"-1/3" I guess), and they're done in a couple of evenings. They do drip a little, but the dehydrator racks are plastic, so they clean pretty easily, and we store them in a plastic container in the pantry when they're done. I've dried a lot of basil and a few hot peppers too; no special treatment there either, except that I leave the herbs on the stems so they don't shrink up and fall through the racks.
We haven't tried fruit much yet, except for a few strawberries and bananas. Any tips on those?
QuoteLast night's wind took out the 'mater cages
You got em tied back up yet Mogan? It's on my list of todos for today.
I feel the need to weed, and thin, and mulch.
TG- all i do is just slice and put them on the racks, and about 24hrs. later they are done. Apples are my favorite.I will definetly try the tomatoes. Thanks.
This thread sure went dormant for a while, shall we stimulate some new growth? :D
Time for fall garden planning down here, and one thing high on my list of wants is a compost tumbler. I'm thinking that it might take a while for the two of us to generate enough kitchen scraps for a decent load of compost, so I want to start now for spring. We don't have a big yard so I don't want anything huge, and I'm thinking that a couple of tumblers might be just the thing- easy to keep mixed, and good for keeping the critters out.
My questions- have any of you purchased this type, what did you think about it, where did you get it, and what did it cost?
Thanks!
Always wanted one of those too Tipsy.
I've just been using some of those really big garbage cans with three 2" holes drilled into the bottom. Left open the weeds and stuff breaks down in about four months. No stirring...too lazy.
Also have put together some stackable bins (4' high, 2'wide, 4' long) made of wood but it seems to take about a year for the stuff to break down.
With cooler temps here in MN I'm doing up some Tomato juice/sauce today. This summer is one of the coolest on record but with very little rain.
I've thought about the 55 gal. garbage cans; it'd be a really economical way to go. I need to be able to stir 'em up & aereate them so they'll compost faster, though, and that's a lot of reachover for a 5'4" person :D. I do want something self-contained, whichever way I go, or I'll wind up with rodents, and two big mutts with a perpetual case of "garbage gut".
Quote from: Baron Doune on July 06, 2008, 06:40:28 AM
QuoteLast night's wind took out the 'mater cages
You got em tied back up yet Mogan? It's on my list of todos for today.
Did but twas of no avail. The hot dry winds burn off the leaves even though the dirt be soakin' wet. They'll leaf out again and possibly produce before the first freeze. Bugs is the biggest problem now. Leaf cutter ants are strippin' the smaller trees, rose bushes an all the ornamentals. Such is life in the desert :-\
Crocket (sp...Victory Garden guy) used to recommend spraying everything with a healthy dose of Dioazone. (sp for sure)
Died of cancer....stop using the stuff soon thereafter.
Now a days I just use a liquid soap thing with water.
Waiting to see how the Brussels Sprouts will do this year. Up here we harvest till there's a foot of snow.
End of November and its still warm enough fer the ratler snakes ta be out. Scored a goldmine of african mahogany falloff strips from a bar/grill/nightclub job. Theys goin' on top 'o the chicken coop fer shade. Planted a peach tree, transplanted a bunch 'o night bloomin' cereus, and lookin' fer the right spot to bury a deformed fig tree. Life gets better when it ain't 100+ every day ;)
'Maters didn't make it, ants stripped em clean.
Winter be well over down here. No grapes or apples this year, never got cold enough. Corn, onions, an maters is up. Tryin' ta figger out if ornamental sweet potato vines is edible (the tuber, not the vine).The wildlife is out early too-
(http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q42/MikeWithTheEvilBlackHat/100_0688.jpg)
My gardening is limited here (it not being my house and all), but I still have my potted plants and am tending a few random flowers in the yard (soon to be more, hopefully, the in-laws are planning some landscaping). I've been taking pictures of flowers all around the neighborhood for my stock photo account, though, since I like looking at more flowers than what I personally have available. If you feel like checking them all out, the site is fully-stocked.deviantart.com (go to the "gallery" tab to see all the photo groups)... all the photos are mine, and I upload more as often as I get a chance to.
Here are a few from the site which ARE from our own yard (although not from this month):
(http://th04.deviantart.com/fs38/300W/i/2008/346/a/a/Frozen_Aloe_by_Fully_Stocked.jpg) (http://th08.deviantart.com/fs34/300W/i/2008/295/3/c/Orange_Hibiscus_by_Fully_Stocked.jpg)(http://th09.deviantart.com/fs34/300W/i/2008/295/0/e/pinkish_flower_by_Fully_Stocked.jpg)
We have lots of red amaryllis blooming in our front yard. We bought our house at the end of August so have no idea what's around the yard. The amaryllis were a wonderful surprise!!!
the Purple, Gold & Cream Crocusus are up & looking lovely.
Sunday it was a balmy 50 in the sun so I went round & pulled out/broke off all the old stems from the annuals I put in last year. raked off leaves, pulled dead grass. Then I mulched all the Perennials.
I need to get more perennials, or find some reliable re seeders in the annuals...
Trillium, do they look like this? http://www.olivebarn.com/southern-bulb-hardy-amaryllis.html
If so, are you ever in luck, they'r nearly indestructible!
Quote from: Morgan Dreadlocke on March 22, 2009, 09:24:40 PMTryin' ta figger out if ornamental sweet potato vines is edible (the tuber, not the vine).
If your county has an extension office or a Master Gardener program, they should be able totell you quiet easily if you show them a cutting. =)
I was all ready to get my garden together, planting seeds and everything, but we have snow in the forecast for the next three days - yep, it's spring in the Rockies!
Quote from: Tipsy Gypsy on March 24, 2009, 02:17:09 PM
Trillium, do they look like this? http://www.olivebarn.com/southern-bulb-hardy-amaryllis.html
If so, are you ever in luck, they'r nearly indestructible!
Pretty close to it! It's a good thing they are hardy, 'cause I'm not the greatest gardener! Who knows how long they had been in the overgrown flowerbed without any care. They seem to have multiplied on their own. That flowerbed got trampled by all the kids staying with us after Ike, so I keep finding new leaves popping up and I'm perfectly happy leaving them there!
Quote from: Trillium on March 24, 2009, 03:22:10 PM
They seem to have multiplied on their own.
Bulb plants will. Every few years, when they start to form big clumps of plants, you can dig them up, separate them, and poke 'em back in the dirt. Give them a good watering afterward, and you're good for a while. Post a pic for us! If they're like mine, they're a.k.a. St. Joseph's Lily, because they bloom around St. Joseph's Day. They're hard to find from plant suppliers for some reason; easier to find them planted around older homes.
I figured at some point I'll split them and move them around in the bed, but not likely this year... The house is over 50 years old and was only owned by one family. I'm sure the wife planted them long ago.
There are some rose bushes in the flower bed (no clue what type yet) and I also planted some yellow lilies that my sister gave me, we'll see how they do. I love the idea of flowers popping up that I don't have to do much with! Low maintenance is a good thing for me!
I have a large patch of spearmint that's just starting to come up, and I'd like to figure out some creative uses for it. I use it for making herbal tea, iced tea, and in some recipes, but I'd like to figure out some other uses. I'd be particularly interested in making homemade bath oils or salts, infusing it in unscented lotion-stuff like that. Got any other ideas, or "recipes" for making these things? Every year I hate seeing such a fragrant, pretty patch of mint go to waste.
A patch of mint!! I got two words: MOJITO PARTY!!!
Ok, so I like my rum, what can I say :)
On the up-and-up though.. there's all sorts of things you can do with fresh mint (although I'd shy away from trying to make your own toothpaste unless you're REALLY talented- I did, and it was HORRID). My favorite is too freeze leaves of it in icecube trays so that it melts into tea & lemonade (which is yummy with a hint of mint).
Another neat trick is to stuff a bottle with mint and then pour a clean oil (like canola or safflower) over it. Seal it tight (so the oil doesn't spoil) and let the mint infuse the oil, and then you can use it like an essential oil in homeade potpourri, or (my favorite) pour a bit on some cotton balls and chuck them in the canister of the vacuum cleaner (works with any scented oil, btw.. I also like lavender). BTW- you can do the oil trick with all sorts of things.. the absolute best one is garlic oil, which we go through here by the pint!
On a side note, you gotta watch that mint... that stuff can spread like crazy! I had a window box herb garden that collapsed when I was 14, and some of the herbs actually sprouted up in the ground below (where I, as a lazy teenager, left the broken mess for a while). By the time I graduated high school, my parents had an ACRE of mint!
Now why didn't I think of Mojitos? Silly me! It'll be up and growing nice by Kentucky Derby time- mint juleps! Those are some pretty good ideas, especially about the vacuum cleaner. Yeah, I know the mint will take over if you're not careful. I sometimes have to resort to mowing part of it down to keep in contained. Oh, but what a wonderful smell after the mowing!
I am really looking forward to spring. We still have snow cover on half of the backyard. However, husband raked the front yard and there are tulips coming up! ;D
I do love spring! From this year's photos, "How does my garden grow?"
(http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff24/Tipsy_Gypsy66/how%20does%20my%20garden%20grow/DSCF4720.jpg)
More here. Most are veggies; we're getting more into edible gardening and less into the purely ornamental:
http://s243.photobucket.com/albums/ff24/Tipsy_Gypsy66/how%20does%20my%20garden%20grow/
Grrr. Looks like the arsenic abatement won't get to me until next year, no food crops until next year.
We are officially done with all our planting. We now only wait for a few things yet to sprout. I have added some specialty crops this year including the worlds smallest tomatoes, white cotton, sweet habanero's, fooled ya jalapeños and some peter peppers. We patiently await for them to emerge!
We grew one of the fooled ya jalapenos last year. Pretty neat! All the jalapeno taste, none of the heat. It was every bit as mild as a bell pepper.
If you liked the fool ya jalapeños Tipsy Ive heard you gotta try the sweet habenero's. Sweet with no heat too!
Nice, thanks for the tip! I love pepper flavor, but I'm a wuss when it comes to the heat. Gotta look for one of those to add to milord's pepper garden :).
Artichoke bloom the size of a cantaloupe. I bought the plant last year with the sole intent of just watching the darn thing grow, and hopefully bloom at least once. Anything after that was fair game for the table. Homegrown artichokes are delish! They're quite easy to grow too, it seems. The artichoke is basically a big thistle, and we know how hardy and tenacious thistles can be!
(http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff24/Tipsy_Gypsy66/DSCF4874.jpg)
Anyone know of a good way to preserve them, should we not want to eat all of them fresh? Drying doesn't sound appetizing, but I doubt the plant will yield enough to can them. I've thought of steaming them and strippping the yummy stuff from inside the leaves to freeze for cooking with later, but I don't know how practical that would be. Ideas, anbody?
I've only done one thing with artichokes myself: sott'olio
Sott'olio is the Italian way of preserving them in oil. First, cook in vinegar (3 parts) and water (1 part) till just tender. Drain and dry (pat with a paper towel works fine). Then, put them in a sealable as air-tight as possible jar with spices of choice (cloves of garlic, bay, capers, sundried tomatoes, rosemary, etc). Fill the jar with olive oil to cover the artichokes. Close tightly. The artichokes will last for quite a while as long as the bottle is resealed every time it's used. They are great for tossing in salads or in pasta or on an antipasto tray with various olives.
Broccoli question? The plants did fine this spring. They's now producing mulitiple thumbnail size heads that are bitter (its over 100 degrees already). Do I yank 'em out? or will they produce good stuff after it cools off in oct?
I do know that broccoli is more of a cold weather crop (as in, you want the final maturation stage of the edible part to fall withing cooler times of year). Usual recommendation for planting broccoli in the South is to count backwards from your area's first frost (count back the number of days your seeds indicate as growth time) and use the date you arrive at (probably early summer) as your planting date.
Unfortunately, I've know idea how to salvage already existing plants. You might try eating the peeled stems more than the florets, as the flowers are the first to go bitter.
I have a question about my veggie garden. My next door neighbor told me that he was getting root magots in his garden and several of his tomato plants were ruined. He said he used diatamaceous earth sprinkled around the plants to control the pests, and things seem to be getting better. He recommended I put some on my garden as a preventative since the two gardens are fairly close together. I haven't noticed any problems with my stuff, but took his advice and used it anyway as a preventative. Then I read somewhere that you should only use it if you have an infestation, as it will kill beneficial bugs too. My question is - Did I just screw up my garden?
You should be fine. By no means did you ruin your garden. Diatomaceous earth is a good natural/organic choice to control pest to your garden and will wash away with rain.
Unfortunately, it will destroy beneficial insects like ladybird beetles & ladybugs just to name a few. However the non-beneficial insects numbers are far greater than the beneficial ones and you can always cover specific plants when treating especially when dusting. We do this with a small part of our garden that we use to attract butterfly's and have been able to control the pest without destroying the good bugs!
Thanks, that's a relief! All of my plants are doing great so far. I hated the thought that I may have damaged them.
I think I bought a dud packet of seeds. Not one of my lemon basil seeds sprouted, so I planted again, late as it is.
All my lettuces are happy though!
Lemon basil is fantabulous. I grew some for the first time last year from a plant bought on a whim, and I'm hooked. Hope yours comes up :)
Any zucchini growers, here? This is my first year to grow zukes. I'm losing fruits to blossom end rot, and according to the searches I've done, it's most likely the same cause as with tomatoes- low calcium. I have quite a few eggshell fragments in our compost heap, and I'm wondering if composting around the plants or digging a few small holes (perhaps with a bulb planter?) and filling them with compost would provide enough calcium to correct the problem? If I just need to use a commercial calcium supplement, does anyone have any recomendations?
Quote from: Tipsy Gypsy on June 20, 2009, 07:06:49 PM
Any zucchini growers, here? This is my first year to grow zukes. I'm losing fruits to blossom end rot, and according to the searches I've done, it's most likely the same cause as with tomatoes- low calcium. I have quite a few eggshell fragments in our compost heap, and I'm wondering if composting around the plants or digging a few small holes (perhaps with a bulb planter?) and filling them with compost would provide enough calcium to correct the problem? If I just need to use a commercial calcium supplement, does anyone have any recomendations?
I would think that a calcium supplement would do the trick. You would assume that the supplement would be more concentrated and perhaps have better absorption although I'm not real sure.
I wish I could be of better help Tipsy. Your going to have to let us know what you decide and what the outcome is. I have quite few zuke plants myself.
(http://i41.tinypic.com/52bb5l.jpg)
Thanks, Sir William. A friend suggested that agricultural lime would do the trick. At 2 bucks a bag, I'm game, so we bought some yesterday. No idea how long it will take to show results, but I guess (hope!) the next fruits to set will tell the tale... we also put down some bone meal supplement for a longer-term solution. Now If I can just keep my nosy dog outta the bone meal! ::)
They finally emerged, Can you guess the sproutling?
(http://i40.tinypic.com/2s1nhft.jpg)
Hint: If your from the south it should be an easy one.
Watermelon :9
Well this is embarassing. It seems that what I thought were cucumber plants were actually zuchini! I've never grown either before so I don't know what the plants look like. I bought them as established plants which were mislabeled. Now I gotta figure out what to do with all this zuchini! Guess I'll be making a lot of zuchini bread! Anyone have any good recipes for the bread, or other good uses for it?
Quote from: Tipsy Gypsy on July 01, 2009, 09:55:25 PM
Watermelon :9
Nope, its not a melon!
Quote from: Lady Neysa on July 01, 2009, 10:13:31 PM
Guess I'll be making a lot of zuchini bread! Anyone have any good recipes for the bread, or other good uses for it?
Fried! with Panko japanese bread crumbs!
Fried Panko Recipe (http://southernfood.about.com/od/zucchinirecipes/r/r80910c.htm)
You can also do a little google search till you find something that catches your eye too!
When making bread you can always make a few loaves for friends & family. Don't know many people to turn down a good loaf of zucchini bread ;)
ARGH Ants got to my big, luscious maters before I did! I knew ants weren't good, but I didn't even THINK why until I went to pick the two first ripe tomatoes of the season... *sigh* So in all my containers I am putting down a mix of cinnamon and diatomaceous earth, but how do I kill the ants that are all over the plants?
I understand they are attracted by the water, but GEEZE!!!
I haven't made the fried zucchini yet, but I may give it a try tomorrow. My mom and dad reminded my that they love fried zucchini so now I have someone to share it with. We had some grilled at our weekend picnic. Dizzled with olive oil and coarse salt, it was pretty good. Another recipe I found that I'd like to try is zucchini cakes. You shred the zucchini and add the same ingredients you would use to make MD style crab cakes. Shape them into cakes and fry.
We use zukes in shish kebabs and veggie soups a lot.
My wife made these Zucchini Cakes last night, and they were mighty tasty! (http://i41.tinypic.com/10zvfnk.jpg)
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2008/07/cooking-with-ryan-zucchini-cakes/
Are the gardeners still here? I have a mystery plant that I need help identifying!! If you're still here folks, please let me know and I'll post pictures!!
Quote from: Sir William Marcus on June 30, 2009, 02:49:52 PM
They finally emerged, Can you guess the sproutling?
(http://i40.tinypic.com/2s1nhft.jpg)
Hint: If your from the south it should be an easy one.
'Tis a peanut plant?
Quote from: Lady Neysa on July 01, 2009, 10:13:31 PM
Well this is embarassing. It seems that what I thought were cucumber plants were actually zuchini! I've never grown either before so I don't know what the plants look like. I bought them as established plants which were mislabeled. Now I gotta figure out what to do with all this zuchini! Guess I'll be making a lot of zuchini bread! Anyone have any good recipes for the bread, or other good uses for it?
If you pick them before they get humongous (say about 6 to 8 inches) you can cut them in 1/2 length wise. score the insides of both halves then smear some butter on them (the insides). cover them with Italian seasoned bread crumbs and parmesan cheese. bake in the oven for about 20 minutes at 350*.... very tasty.
Quote from: Lady Neysa on July 05, 2009, 09:57:44 PM
I haven't made the fried zucchini yet, but I may give it a try tomorrow. My mom and dad reminded my that they love fried zucchini so now I have someone to share it with. We had some grilled at our weekend picnic. Dizzled with olive oil and coarse salt, it was pretty good. Another recipe I found that I'd like to try is zucchini cakes. You shred the zucchini and add the same ingredients you would use to make MD style crab cakes. Shape them into cakes and fry.
You can also cut up small ones and eat them raw with some veggie dip... good healthy snack.
Here is the mystery plant!
(http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc94/CaraGreenleaf/MysteryFruit.jpg)
These are just over an inch across at the widest point
(http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc94/CaraGreenleaf/MysteryLeaves-1.jpg)
(http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc94/CaraGreenleaf/MysteryThorns.jpg)
That's my thumbnail (about 1/2 inch across) for comparison on the size of the thorns.
Any ideas?
That's Japonica, I believe. Reddish blossoms?
More specifically, Chaenomeles japonica a.k.a. Japanese Quince...
No blossoms that I've seen, but all of my research has led to quince or kumquat, so I think you may be right, Merlin! Many thanks!!
If it's bearing fruit, which it appears to be doing, I don't know of anything that has fruit that doesn't start from a blossom. We had japonica in the yard when I was growing up. At it's largest, before my dad chopped it down (and it came back), it was probably 7 ft tall, and maybe had a diameter of 6-8 feet. When it blossomed in the Spring, it was pretty spectacular. The fruit on the mature specimen were between 2-3 inches diameter, as I recall, and could be used as weapons if you had a good arm and aim! That was a lot of years ago.
The plant itself is buried in a yew bush...and has actually been killing it. I only just noticed it about a week ago, so it may have bloomed and i just didn't see. the fruit cluster has about 7 fruits on it right now. My husband actually said he tried to kill it last year, but obviously failed, so who knows how long its actually been there.
Hehe! They are rather hard to kill! Pappy cut it off flush with the ground, and it just made it come back bigger!