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The thread for people who have Green Thumbs (Gardening)

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Re: The thread for people who have Green Thumbs (Gardening)

Postby DiGoRyKiRkE » May 27, 2014 7:36 pm

Yes, Jo. . . but it will be ever so much fun landscaping the new house, won't it :D

I am so excited for y'all!
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Re: The thread for people who have Green Thumbs (Gardening)

Postby shastastwin » May 31, 2014 3:08 pm

As DiGs and ramagut know, our beans are growing almost faster than I can guide the farther out ones to the poles and wires we have for them. They are booming and I hope to have beans within another week or two. I also spotted buds on our tomatoes, pepper plant, and squash this afternoon. :D

We picked up two more pepper plants, a hybrid yellow/green/orange(?) and a red, both sweet, while at the hardware store today. Both have buds or even baby peppers just post-bud on them, so I'm excited that in a few more weeks we'll have fresh veggies. :D

Our basil and cilantro, which we bought around the same time as the tomato plants and first pepper plant, seemed to be struggling for a bit, but now both are blooming, so I take that to mean they are going to make it.
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Re: The thread for people who have Green Thumbs (Gardening)

Postby fantasia » Jun 01, 2014 8:26 pm

I am officially done planting stuff in my garden this spring (with one possible tiny exception, I'll get to that in a minute). My husband and I got my chocolate mint in a big pot yesterday and tonight he ran out and planted four rows of green beans. :D I opted for bush beans instead of pole beans. ;) Our tomato fence has been put up which freed up all of the 'tomato' cages for the peppers, watermelon, and sweet potatoes (so my kiddo won't stomp on them ;)) :P ).

The only thing I'm watching is my jalapeno pepper. I noticed yesterday it was wilting so I thought perhaps I might have just missed watering it. I watered it really well yesterday and today and haven't seen any improvement. Don't know if it got snagged by a cut worm, got stepped on, if we hoed too close to it when we were taking out the rest of the weeds... :-?? But we're getting a ton of rain tonight so if it hasn't perked up tomorrow, I'm going to assume it's a lost cause and will replace it.

Now I'm in maintaining mode: watering and weeding. :)

Oh! I almost forgot to mention that I got my first blueberries this week (yummy!) and I picked my first tart cherries off my cherry tree tonight. :D
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Re: The thread for people who have Green Thumbs (Gardening)

Postby Shadowlander » Jun 02, 2014 5:20 am

I've had an item on my "Honey do" list for some time. Wifester had purchased a sign which displays the numerics on your home address and you place it near the road, and the idea is that emergency workers, firemen, police, etc. see the sign and it helps them locate your house easier. At any rate I didn't want to just tap the thing in the ground so I went to the store and procured some marigolds, which is the only flower I feel halfway qualified to dabble with because my Maternal Unit planted thousands of them (this is not an exaggeration) over the years, though I never personally have. So I put the flowers all around the base of the sign. Believe it or not I can't recall ever having planted flowers before, so this was my first time.

Yay me. B-) Hey, it looks good!
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Re: The thread for people who have Green Thumbs (Gardening)

Postby johobbit » Jun 06, 2014 11:34 am

So, now that the danger of frost is over here (for a couple of weeks now), I have been going crazy with planting. I put in some more perennials and annuals, and we are turning over the vegetable garden plot this evening in the cool of the day in preparation for sowing the seeds tomorrow. Yes, we decided to still plant the veggie garden as it looks much nicer when selling a house to see lush produce, rather than a whole bunch of dry, boring earth. :p However, I am keeping it simpler this year because of our upcoming move: so, beans, cucs, peppers, corn. I have patio tomatoes in containers that we can take with us. But I sure will miss my usual tomato-abundance this year. There's always next year in the new place! :D

Now, to keep all the squirrels and rabbits from chowing down on certain seeds they particularly enjoy *coughsunflowers-and-snapdragonscough*. ;)) (I use bloodmeal to repel them, but this has to applied after every rain, so I must be diligent. :p)
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Re: The thread for people who have Green Thumbs (Gardening)

Postby fantasia » Jun 09, 2014 10:37 am

"And the rain came down, down, down
and the weeds came up, up, upper..."
...or something like that. ;)

Seriously. My garden is a tar pit. By the time I'll be able to walk in it again, the weeds will probably be taller than me. It has been quite a rainy June so far. The good news is that my plants that are supposed to be there also look really good. The green beans are already up and going. :)
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Re: The thread for people who have Green Thumbs (Gardening)

Postby johobbit » Jun 09, 2014 11:08 am

;)) fantasia

Yep, who invented weeds anyway? :p

I got the veggie garden planted completely on Saturday evening, hip-hip-hooray! So, now any new perennials I added this year are done, as well as some annuals, and all the vegetable seeds and plants. The latter are a cuc plant, two pepper plants, two tomatoes and one parsley in patio pots (so we can bring them with us when we move). The former are beans, peas, and corn.

Now, to plant marigolds in amongst the veggie rows to try to repel all the small critters that live in our area. :p

Ahhh, how I love the look of a freshly sown garden ... and can hardly wait for the first shoots to push their way above the earth. ♥ Actually, my calendulas, whose seeds I planted just last week, are already peeking above the surface. So cute! I have never planted these from seed before, so I hope they make it. Looking good so far.
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Re: The thread for people who have Green Thumbs (Gardening)

Postby Aslanisthebest » Jun 09, 2014 8:39 pm

It's been great to read about this. With school and a busy schedule, I was almost tempted to give up on my garden, but this thread kept me encouraged to continue.
So, despite all that y'all say about the ease of growing spinach and beans, neither ever work for me. :P I sowed them at the right time and waited, but for the beans I got slow-growing plants that were still so short when the time came for me to put my summer plants in the ground, and for the spinach I got shrimpy leaves that did not grow. *sighs* Maybe next year.

Because of being so busy, I was not able to keep a close eye on my seedlings, and a lot of them fared badly. They were wilted, leggy, etc. I eventually gave up on the worst, transplanted the better ones, and bought myself some plants from the farmer's market. I was able to get Brandwine tomatoes, Habanero peppers, and some butternut squash and zucchini. A few peppers from my Hot Pepper Seed mix survived, so I'm hoping to get more peppers than habaneros and cayennes. Unlike I hoped, I won't be graduating beyond eggplants, tomatoes, and peppers this year. I'm crossing my fingers for zucchini, but I don't have a whole lot of hope for it. :(

I also decided to expand my herb garden. The mint from all these years did not come back this year, so I replanted some mint seeds, as well as basil, oregano, rosemary, dill, and cilantro. I'm really hoping that they come up and thrive.
I decided to deviate from my unfortunate Utilitarian-Gardener mindset and plant some flowers. :P I planted marigolds (which are for a utilitarian purpose), zinnias, and sunflowers.
I've been so exhausted with school that I haven't been able to commit my time and energy to gardening, but it seems like working with the soil and planting things helps me calm down, so I'm trying to find a way to balance the two. I have not been able to get too many pictures, but I'll try to this or next week.

One of my tomato plants actually got baby tomatoes this week, which I was really surprised at--I've never, in my 3 years of gardening :P, seen tomatoes that early. That hazelnut-sized tomato gave me hope. :p
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Re: The thread for people who have Green Thumbs (Gardening)

Postby fantasia » Jun 14, 2014 7:26 pm

I'm glad you're getting some stuff to grow for you Bella. :D And if you have a chance, I'd love to see pictures! /pot calling the kettle black

And Jo, I've thoroughly enjoyed seeing your FB pics as well though I haven't had time to really look through them/comment on them yet. I did take a glance and your freshly turned soil looks great. :ymapplause: :)) ;)

Tonight I went out and got after my tomatoes. The PLAN was to simply tie them up against the fence I put in, but when I got out there I realized to my great unhappiness that I never pruned the sappers off of the base of the plants. :-s So I had a bunch of giant bushes out there putting all their energy into plant growth instead of producing tomatoes. Needless to say, I got four of them pruned up nicely. ;) I won't do it again because once they're well established, I'm too lazy. :P ;)) I noticed my Juliets have some nice sized tomatoes on them already, so that made me happy. I also weeded around my two watermelon and the four tomatoes I pruned. I need to weed around the other four tomatoes, the peppers, my sweet potatoes, and my green beans. Never ending that weeding stuff. :P
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Re: The thread for people who have Green Thumbs (Gardening)

Postby fantasia » Jun 30, 2014 5:17 am

My garden is a mucky mess right now. It's been raining and raining and raining and I haven't been able to get in and hoe the garden. I occasionally go out and pull weeds around a plant or two at a time, but it is a muddy, wet business, and usually involves lots of mosquitoes.

But the actual plants themselves look great. They're definitely enjoying this wet weather. ;)) I have lots of tomatoes coming on. I've seen a few bitty peppers. At least one watermelon plant is blooming. Still waiting on my green beans to start blooming, but I planted them so late, they may still have a few weeks (my parents already canned six quarts out of their garden ;)) ).

I just need it to dry out for a few days so I can get the weeds under control. :)) Never thought I'd say that about Kansas in June, almost July!
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Re: The thread for people who have Green Thumbs (Gardening)

Postby johobbit » Jul 11, 2014 12:29 pm

Good to read the gardening updates. Bella, I also planted zinnias and sunflowers too. And marigolds. :) Along with calendulas and poppies. And hurrah for your baby tomatoes! :D All the best with your expanded herb garden. Ahh, how I love reading about the gardening ventures on here. :)

fk wrote:but when I got out there I realized to my great unhappiness that I never pruned the sappers off of the base of the plants. :-s So I had a bunch of giant bushes out there putting all their energy into plant growth instead of producing tomatoes.

Ugh, been there; done that. So frustrating. Anyway, at least you have remedied it. And :D for your growing produce too. Love that!

Weeds. Yes, weeds. A never-ending task. /:) :p I spent 3 hours weeding at our new home the other morning ... very profitable! And I was up and at it this morning weeding at our current place before the sun rose too high. Because we have had a fair bit of rain, those weeds have grown like, um, weeds. ;))

I have seen some teensy-tiny peppers also, yay! And a few very small green tomatoes. The beans, peas, and corn are coming along well, but are still adolescents, as I got planting the seeds late this year. They're all looking nice 'n healthy. The cucumber plants seem to be taking their sweet time, but they're green and growing (slooowwwwly), so they should be okay in time. (I wonder if it's been a bit too rainy for them.)

My daisies are blooming beautifully, and there are so many buds on the black-eyed Susan, it's going to be gorgeous again. The peony is of course done for this year. The hostas are coming along, as are the sedum/stonecrop (love those!). The first of the clematis is in striking bloom: I really like how they flower at varied times throughout the summer.

What else, hmmm? Ah, the geraniums seems extra beautiful this season ... maybe because of all the rain. They're so easy to grow and don't require 'constant' watering. Dusty millers and snapdragons are pretty, as always. For the first time ever, I think, I did not purchase impatiens this year. They are just so fiddly when it comes to heat that I'm taking a break from them. I could have bought the sunshine variety, but they're a fair bit more pricey.

One perennial I tried a couple of years ago is the heucherella. I thought I had the correct placement for it in the yard, but it just kinda wilted. :p So, I put another one in, and it did the same. Gave up on that one. ;))

The million bells hanging baskets at the front look stunning; the blooms on my roses are amazing, although the one plant is growing way out of proportion, so I will be cutting it back. My two hydrangea are looking great, albeit still quite small: they are known for not being in a hurry to grow. ;))

I have been planning the gardens at our new home. Because 3/4 of the 1/2 acre is in the front, that is where my veggie garden will be. Lots of room there, plus that spot is much better for sun than at the back or either of the sides. And thinking on where to have the flower gardens. 'Tis so much fun designing all this in my mind!
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Re: The thread for people who have Green Thumbs (Gardening)

Postby aileth » Jul 13, 2014 9:17 pm

johobbit wrote:I have been planning the gardens at our new home. Because 3/4 of the 1/2 acre is in the front, that is where my veggie garden will be. Lots of room there, plus that spot is much better for sun than at the back or either of the sides. And thinking on where to have the flower gardens. 'Tis so much fun designing all this in my mind!


Why, isn't that the best part, planning it all out? Of course, since you like gardening, you must be itching to set to work. Will you take cuttings and roots with you to your new place, or will you just start afresh?

Roses are the only thing I really do--they seem to grow on their own without too much need for interference. That, and trimming ungainly bushes before they overtake the yard. We try to have a few annuals in pots near the door, but as soon as the ultra-free-range chickens see a millimeter of fresh dirt, they assume that it has been placed for their benefit. *makes savage neck-wringing motions*

I am easily discouraged as a gardener, you see, and things have to go just right in order for me to be happy. Self-tending perennials rule!

My brother, on the other hand, loves to garden. He plants the vegetable garden every year, planning out where everything should go, and ensuring that the automatic watering system is working as it should. We have been eating broccoli for several weeks now, and cauliflower in scads. At first it was too cold for "friends," but now I have to go through them verry, verry carefully. Friendsy vegetables put me into a frenzy.
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Re: The thread for people who have Green Thumbs (Gardening)

Postby johobbit » Jul 24, 2014 9:44 am

Of course, since you like gardening, you must be itching to set to work.

Yep. ;)) But in the meantime, I am thoroughly enjoying the gardens at our current home. They are burgeoning with the wonderful mixture of sun and rain and not-too-humid temperatures that we have had this July. In fact, this morning when I was weeding, I caught a glimpse of many baby beans, woohoo! And the corn is around 4' tall - beautiful!

I may just start afresh there, aileth, although I plan to transport some of the smaller perennials there.

*chuckles sympathetically at the chickens who assume any clump of dirt is theirs* ;)) Ahhh, roses, beautifully intricate. Ours have done well this year so far, but the blooms are gone for the time being: in another couple of weeks there should be another flourish of colour and beauty.

Kudos to your vegetable-garden-loving brother! Does he have a fair-size plot?


Friendsy vegetables put me into a frenzy.

*shudders* Dare I ask what kind of, erm, friends? :p
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Re: The thread for people who have Green Thumbs (Gardening)

Postby aileth » Jul 24, 2014 8:50 pm

Small friends. Grey aphids for the broccoli and green caterpillars for the cauliflower. Colour coordinated, you see :)

I'm not sure exactly how much land the garden covers, as there are several different pieces. Good-sized though, I'd say, with three tilled sections. If you counted the raspberry bushes, and grapes, and various fruit trees...well, it would be considerably more.

We must be ahead of you, because our beans are producing like crazy--every day there are two meals worth, and after a few days... We have a nice recipe for canning them which does not require pressure canning. So much better--when I was young, I was terrified of the cooker exploding, and there is a residual fear that lingers. Takes less time as well.

Last year we were given cast off peaches and nectarines--by the binful (400 lbs per bin) So we were feeding them to our sheep. Then our friends from Alberta came, and saw what we were doing. They found it hard to forgive us. Yes, we did give them some, as much as they could take. The stuff of legends....
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Re: The thread for people who have Green Thumbs (Gardening)

Postby fantasia » Jul 28, 2014 9:01 am

A few quick updates for my garden... :D

~Starting to get lots of tomatoes coming on. My Juliets and Cherokee Purples are ripening and both are soooo tasty. :D :D :D (I have converted my parents to the awesomeness of Cherokee Purple tomatoes so they've been eating a lot of them too.)

~I picked my first Black Diamond watermelon. Haven't cut into it yet but it's sure pretty. I hope it tastes as good as it looks. :)

~The weeds are out of control again, but since my watermelon and sweet potato vines have really taken over, it's hard to get in there and actually weed. Need to mulch better next year.

~We've been picking grapes. I didn't get to eat very many of the ones at my house (Reliance variety) because my almost-2-year-old pilfered them. :P But the ones from the farm (Mars variety) have been turned into juice and jelly by various family members. :D Super tasty stuff!
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Re: The thread for people who have Green Thumbs (Gardening)

Postby johobbit » Jul 28, 2014 9:16 am

Nice, aileth! And, well, I sure hope the sheep enjoyed that succulent fruit. ;))

I am not sure if we have Cherokee Purples up here, fantasia, but have made a note of them and will check in our new location. Brandywines are my favourite, but I so enjoy trying new varieties too.

Very cool about your premiere watermelon! And about the grapes (especially for a certain 2-year old, lol).

We had abundant rain last night, so I can't do any gardening today as it's far too wet out there. All the gardens are looking so green and healthy. Oh, except the english cucumber plant, which simply refuses to grow any further, after sprouting a few tendrils, which even have small cucs on them, but by now it should be spread over a fairly large area. Puzzling ...

We decided over the weekend where we will be putting our vegetable garden at our new home. A good-sized outdoor shed has to be moved a few yards, but once that's done (next year), we can dig up the ground. :D It has similar light in the summer to ours here: the area is in the shade until about 10:30/11 a.m., then sunshine all afternoon until early evening. :)
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