Gardeners: how's it looking?

[evil_physics_witchcraft]

Hmm....sorry to hear that.

I always liked the dark green, veined English Ivy leaves...

M.

It's therapeutic for me. Yep, it looked nice, but that stuff really takes over the yard. Plus, it climbs trees and can kill them over time.

It can also play hell with your house if planted close enough to crawl up--under the siding, into the mortar between bricks, etc.

Yep. Initially, we had a little that was close to the house, but it has been removed.

[lightning]

I'm putting down fertilizer this week--looking forward to that.

[clean]

I bought 3 tomato plants (one cherry, two larger ones) and 2 squash plants.  Essentially, I spent enough on plants to supply me with probably what I could have bought in the grocery store for 3 or 4 months! 

But I suppose that we really dont garden to 'cut costs'! 

[Puget]

I bought 3 tomato plants (one cherry, two larger ones) and 2 squash plants.  Essentially, I spent enough on plants to supply me with probably what I could have bought in the grocery store for 3 or 4 months! 

But I suppose that we really dont garden to 'cut costs'!

How much are you paying for those plants?? I think I usually pay $4-6, which doesn't buy much produce.

[alto_stratus]

My indoor garden is growing. I have two ribbon dracaena planters (8 stems each) that are just going bonkers - so big and green. I bought a philodendron rojo congo, which as it turns out is a monster plant, and it is already trying to take over after just a month. It was sold as a hydroponic plant for some reason, which I can already tell is not going to work out long term. It's going to need a sturdy anchor. And new to the bunch, a variegated brake fern. Last year, I had great luck with a Lowe's fern on the porch, but this one might be more sensitive. Hopefully I can get it going.

Can't wait for herb season!

[clean]

How much are you paying for those plants?? I think I usually pay $4-6, which doesn't buy much produce.

about $5 each.
But that means that I paid $10 for squash, which was $1.19 a pound last week.
3 tomato plants total $15... tomato costs about 99 cents a pound last week

[Puget]

How much are you paying for those plants?? I think I usually pay $4-6, which doesn't buy much produce.

about $5 each.
But that means that I paid $10 for squash, which was $1.19 a pound last week.
3 tomato plants total $15... tomato costs about 99 cents a pound last week

I guess your produce costs are a lot lower than mine, but even so I'm pretty sure I harvest way more than 5 lbs of tomatoes per plant over the course of the growing season. Nonetheless you are right that it isn't primarily for the cost savings. Home grown tomatoes are priceless!

[mamselle]

If the squirrels don't get 'em!!!!....

I had to give up, thought I had a great little space on my deck at a previous place, and even had guard fence around the sides....and the top.

But they clawed up there and reached through the chicken wire, took one bite of each of the little green cherry tomatoes, and tossed 'em.

Within a week all the budded fruit had been attacked and destroyed.

Color me glum...

M.

[clean]

I guess your produce costs are a lot lower than mine, but even so I'm pretty sure I harvest way more than 5 lbs of tomatoes per plant over the course of the growing season. Nonetheless you are right that it isn't primarily for the cost savings. Home grown tomatoes are priceless!

Weather is a huge factor.  My local conditions are such that in only a few months the heat will be such that big tomatoes wont set.  The cherry tomatoes are the only ones that will likely make it to maturity.

My real 'gardening coworker' noted that he has already harvested his last set of turnips, collards and mustard greens.  Tomatoes wont really be harvested much by July.

In contrast, my phd school office mate has not even started to garden.  The snow is gone, but the temperatures are not really good enough to plant seeds.  But he will have tomatoes all the way to September, maybe October (where he will pull whatever is left and fry the green ones) 
on the other hand, he can never grow Okra as it never really gets hot enough for that to produce.  (while we will go out every 2 to 3 days for another harvest... because you dont really want to eat a 6 inch okra pod!)


I do agree, though, that there are few things as nice as a vine ripe tomato!  ... IF you can protect them from the bugs, birds, wind, rain (before they split).... They are nice, but perhaps what makes them so nice is that only the few survive to make it to the plate (or palate!) 

[Puget]

I guess your produce costs are a lot lower than mine, but even so I'm pretty sure I harvest way more than 5 lbs of tomatoes per plant over the course of the growing season. Nonetheless you are right that it isn't primarily for the cost savings. Home grown tomatoes are priceless!

Weather is a huge factor.  My local conditions are such that in only a few months the heat will be such that big tomatoes wont set.  The cherry tomatoes are the only ones that will likely make it to maturity.

My real 'gardening coworker' noted that he has already harvested his last set of turnips, collards and mustard greens.  Tomatoes wont really be harvested much by July.

In contrast, my phd school office mate has not even started to garden.  The snow is gone, but the temperatures are not really good enough to plant seeds.  But he will have tomatoes all the way to September, maybe October (where he will pull whatever is left and fry the green ones) 
on the other hand, he can never grow Okra as it never really gets hot enough for that to produce.  (while we will go out every 2 to 3 days for another harvest... because you dont really want to eat a 6 inch okra pod!)


I do agree, though, that there are few things as nice as a vine ripe tomato!  ... IF you can protect them from the bugs, birds, wind, rain (before they split).... They are nice, but perhaps what makes them so nice is that only the few survive to make it to the plate (or palate!)

Yes, location makes. big difference. Frost free date here isn't until late May, so things must be started indoors. BUT, then they produce all the way until frost in October or even early November depending on the year. Last summer I had tomatoes continuously from late June until early November, even though it was unusually wet and the plants had some early blight.

The Sungold cherries are always champions, but I also like to grow some bigger ones. One of my beefsteak tomatoes last year grew to 2 lbs!

One of my favorite summer meals, which we had a lot when I was a kid, is fresh garden tomatoes and cumbers with mayo (which I normally don't like, but for this I do), corn on the cob, and maybe some stir fried or fast-pickled green beens, maybe some good bread and cheese. Fruit something for dessert. Can't wait till summer!

[mamselle]

Since I can't garden where I am, I just follow along from home, both here and online.

Just recently found this site: they're in AZ, and have a really interesting combination of planning, working hard, and taking things easy...

   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ziwsyz5m5QM

M.

[evil_physics_witchcraft]

My heart is heavy with loss (from months ago), so I plan to do some more vine pulling in the back yard and eventually put in some raised veggie beds. My muscles may be sore after it, but it helps me process.

[mamselle]

Consolation for your loss.

M.

[clean]

5 days into spring... The high temperature today was 89!  I went out for a while to water the sod I put in in the very small section I am trying to deal with.  I took a weedeater and scraped off another section of weeds in the back yard. The clay is so try, you can not use a hoe and the weedeater takes them down as if they were on concrete!  . I  have the weed barrier cloth  already (in the car), and I have the composite raised material (boards and garden soil), but I will wait until tomorrow to put the barrier down, build the box, and put the soil down.  Then I will measure how much space I have left and decide how much top soil to get and whether I want more sod to attempt to replace the nasty weed that is in the back, or if I will try something else.

As I already purchased 5 plants I need to get them in the bed tomorrow. 

jobs that I think will take 20 minutes generally take six times as long... so 20 minutes = 2 hours!  And the reality is that I am not able to work 2 hours in 89 degree weather.... (and I have been staying up til 2 and sleeping in til 10, when it is already at the limit of heat.  (So by some accounts, the ideal way to avoid work!) 

But I see the end of the garden part of the project in sight! 

The sod busting problem (and hauling 40/50 pound bags of dirt/soil) has just begun. 

And I thought that my bride would be more helpful at the watering part...  Unfortunately, the spray nozzle leaks a bit, so once she gets sufficiently wet, she figures that the plants must also be wet enough!   (the dangers of marrying a City Girl).    (I appreciate all the help that she does provide, and certainly the entertainment value from it!) 

Soon I will need to sit on the ground in the front yard with a bunch of Walmart bags and pull some short vine like weed.  It has little purple flowers, that I must not have seen, because today I saw the fully formed seed heads!  IF I put off pulling them too much longer, then NEXT year I will be buried in them (again!!). 

[Parasaurolophus]

I accidentally uprooted a tiny raspberry shoot. I transplanted it to the front garden, where it will soon be joined by all of the others while they await transplantation to our patch of land.