The thread for people who have Green Thumbs (Gardening)

[Aslanisthebest]

I got a handful of seed catalogs this year. I agree, Jo, that while they're really fascinating (I could flip through them for hours...), they can be overwhelming when looking for something to buy.

So far, I have bought seeds from both a catalog and from the gardening department at stores. I like ordering seeds, because it's exciting to wait for them to come , but having the second option of just buying them is nice, too. Like Fantasia said, I like the variety offered by seed catalogs. My first venture into gardening began with a seed catalog, and I was really surprised by all the types of vegetables, that when I went to the store and saw the less-varied options, I was a bit disappointed.

Speaking of catalogs... I was looking over mine yesterday, and I can't wait for gardening season to come. I think I'm going to try another type of tomato. I still have some seeds left over from two years ago, so I'll use those. I'd like to try Pumpkin, Lettuce, Squash, and Peas/Beans this year. I'm not sure how much I'll be able to do, but we'll see. I'm also looking forward to having a more defined area for herbs!

[DiGoRyKiRkE]

Bella. . . to be honest, anybody with half a brain can grow peas. They're about the easiest (and most rewarding!) plant I've ever grown. So long as you have something for them to climb, you're right as rain. As far as climbing goes, I prefer to get those circular tomato cages, take some wire cutters to them, and unwind them.

I was surprised to see how many seeds Wal-Mart had set out when we visited last night. I guess that if you're going to be starting from seed, now is about the right time to do so to ensure that seedlings are strong enough to be planted by Mayish.

It's just difficult to think of gardening when our area is in the deep freeze.

[stargazer]

Ditto that last observation, Digs! Friends are receiving seed catalogs just as we're entering the coldest stretch of weather in almost 20 years. At this rate we'll be lucky if the ground thaws by May.

[fantasia]

Hey DiGs, you could do something like this.


That's so cool... I might have to make one of these so I have herbs during the winter.

[johobbit]

It's just difficult to think of gardening when our area is in the deep freeze.

No kidding, and a few inches of snow has already fallen in the past hour or so, and it's still coming down heavily. It's gorgeous outside ... and very slippery. Any perennials I cut down in the fall are buried under all the white stuff.

fantasia, I love that idea for herbs, especially for someone who doesn't have much time or garden space. How cool!

[DiGoRyKiRkE]

Oh gosh. . . I could even do that in my apartment. . . and it is so gorgeous!!!

[Aslanisthebest]

Bella. . . to be honest, anybody with half a brain can grow peas. They're about the easiest (and most rewarding!) plant I've ever grown. So long as you have something for them to climb, you're right as rain. As far as climbing goes, I prefer to get those circular tomato cages, take some wire cutters to them, and unwind them.

Oddly enough, I tried growing Peas this fall, and, while they sprouted and climbed the cages, they didn't grow. I did not really have much faith in them, so I did not care for them as much... but I'm willing to give them another go.

My enthusiasm for gardening has been slightly weighed down with all this snow...

Fantasia, that herb wall is beautiful! I've seen that a couple times. I'd love to have that one day. It being right by the kitchen is amazing, too. I only worry about my cats discovering it...

[fantasia]

I placed two out of three of my orders for seeds yesterday. So... what have I ordered so far? Heh, can't even remember. *pulls up receipts*

Totally Tomatoes (Including the item number in case you want to look them up on their website)
00630A San Marzano Tomato
00014A Abe Lincoln Original Tomato
00400A Juliet Hybrid Tomato
03145A Flavorburst Hybrid Pepper
00188A Cherokee Purple Tomato
03198A Piros Hybrid Pepper
03116A Big Bertha Hybrid Pepper

R.H. Shumway
04558X Sweet Giants Onion Plant Collection
04041A Charleston Grey Watermelon x 2
04027A Black Diamond Watermelon

I may have gone overboard on watermelon seeds. But the Charleston Grey is one I've been eyeing for a couple years now. I see it at the fair and to be honest, it's kind of ugly. I can only assume therefore, that the only reason to grow them is because they taste awesome. We'll find out.

My third order is going to be a combined order between my sister and myself and will include a landscaping project that we're paying her to work on for us, so it's gonna be huge. I'm hoping to get that order completed and sent in over the weekend.

[shastastwin]

Well, we have a small garden plot in our new back yard, so we'll probably try to grow a few things this year. I'm thinking mostly peppers and maybe a few other odds and ends. Peas or beans might be a good idea, too. There are (supposedly) herbs planted around the edges of the bed, so we should have those once it warms up again. We also have rosemary planted along our driveway, so we'll never be in want of that.

I really need to look into what we can grow around here and when to plant it. I imagine we'll be starting from plants so as to save ourselves time and worry. I haven't gardened since I was a kid with the exception of helping out one summer at out college pastor's farm.

[fantasia]

I placed my last order on Monday and two seed companies have already shipped my seeds. My last order from Territorial Seed Company (sans flowers)...

HR1152/S Dill-Long Island Mammoth
SQ837/S Hunter Squash
CU292/S Marketmore 97 Cucumbers
CU316/S Mexican Sour Gherkin Cucumbers
MS493/L Perfection Fennel
SQ812/S Piccolo Squash
BT133/S Red Ace Beet
KL359/S Redbor Kale
SQ840/S Small Wonder Squash
BR102/L Umpqua Broccoli Organic
KL358/S Winterbor Kale

This is the order I'm splitting with my sister so a lot of this stuff is hers, but perhaps she'll share some seeds with me if I want them. The Winterbor Kale is mine though. I tried it for the first time not too long ago and really liked it so I'm gonna see if I can get it to grow here and not get completely munched by bugs.

[fantasia]

All of my seeds have arrived! With the exception of the San Marzano tomatoes which were back-ordered, and the onions which won't arrive until planting time. My goal is to start my pepper seeds sometime next week.

[Aslanisthebest]

Fantasia, it looks like you have some really neat seeds!

Because of school, I'm going to have to do gardening on a lesser scale this year. However, my success last year was enough to convince me to try a couple more vegetables. I'm hoping to do peas, squash, *maybe* pumpkin, and we'll see what else strikes my fancy as I browse for seeds.

Has anyone ordered from Pinetree Seed Company? Their prices are really good, and I was looking into ordering some of their stuff.

[fantasia]

All of my seeds have arrived. Well, except for the onions which won't come until March or April. Now I have to somehow find the time to start them. I've been reading up on seed starting potting mix, and I'm finding that soil-free peat moss is the best. But then I saw that because it's clean of pretty much everything, you have to occasionally feed your seedlings. So maybe I'll get regular potting soil for the bottom part of my trays and put the seedling-loving peat moss on top. Or maybe I'll just use what I've always used and let my sister do the experimenting this time around. All I know is that I haven't been happy with Miracle grow's regular potting mix the last few years. My plants have been really yellowed for some odd reason, so I'm definitely switching it up.

[fantasia]

I got my peppers and tomatoes started last week. The tomatoes are already happily sproinging up out of the ground. It was pretty funny, I finished planting all of the seeds and soaking them with water and then I was like "Wait a minute. Why did I plant the tomatoes? I wasn't going to do that until next month!" Ah well. I've started them earlier in the past. They'll just get long and spindly before I get them put in the ground.

[Aslanisthebest]

Oops, Fantasia. For the past two years, I've been starting everything at the same time. Should I be doing that?

I bought my seeds, and I'm getting ready to start everything!!

This year, my gardening list looks like :

- Tomatoes
*Brandywine
*Alicante
*Heirloom Packet leftovers

- Peppers
*Hot Pepper Mix :ymdrool: this one looks really good.
*Cayenne
*Golden Treasure

- Spinach
-Eggplant
-Cauliflower (Not sure how this one will turn out)
-Pumpkin
-Basil
-Oregano
-Squash
-Peas
-Beets
-Radish
-Garden Beans
-Okra

That's the list off the top of my head. I'm anticipating a lot of mayhem, but I'm hoping everything goes well. For the first time, I'm growing things that require very different timelines, so I'm hoping I don't mess things up.
I have a couple questions:
Should Okra be started indoors like peppers, or is it better to plant it directly at the appropriate time? I've been seeing a lot of instructions to just plant it in the ground a few weeks before the frost date, but I had started it last year. (It didn't do too good, but that was probably my fault for inconsistent temperatures)
Also, should I start watermelons and pumpkins inside, or is it better to plant them directly outside?

I have a gardening project in mind: I want to build a little terrarium. I've been using plastic covers for the most part, but I would like a place to keep my indoor plants before I move them to the 4-tier outside. I thought that building a terrarium out of cardboard boxes, wooden poles, a couple of screws, and a plastic sheet or two shouldn't be out of my construction capabilities.

[fantasia]

Oops, Fantasia. For the past two years, I've been starting everything at the same time. Should I be doing that?

The first year I did this, I started everything in early January. Ha! By the time I planted my stuff outside, it was so long and lanky and had such poor established root system, that my tomatoes practically died off but then grew back. Now I PREFER to start my peppers in early Feb. and my tomatoes in late Feb. to early March. Technically I should wait even another week or two, but if I do that, I don't have time to see what comes up and then replant. In this instance, I recommend experimenting to see what works for you.

Should Okra be started indoors like peppers, or is it better to plant it directly at the appropriate time?
Also, should I start watermelons and pumpkins inside, or is it better to plant them directly outside?

Okra likes it hot, hot, hot. I think my mother-in-law plants the seeds outside in early June (that may be a touch late, I'm not sure) and it does really well. My dad starts his by seed much earlier and transplants it and it does decently, though he tends to lose a lot of plants in the process. For okra, I recommend outside when it's nice and toasty.
I have started watermelons both early inside, and just plopping the seeds in the ground and honestly I've seen little difference in the results. Because you're farther up north, I'd say it wouldn't hurt to start earlier inside. Pumpkins I've always started straight outside.

Best of luck on your terrarium! If you build it, I'd love to see pictures.

Today was gorgeous out. Felt like spring had finally arrived. I took my little plants out to the greenhouse to start getting them used to the outdoor temps and moving air. My tomatoes have come on well. My peppers are ok with one variety that will probably need replanting. I also need to start my kale and watermelons soon. Actually the kale should go in the ground right now...