RE: Who's gardening this year? (Full Version)

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LadyConstanze -> RE: Who's gardening this year? (2/22/2014 11:34:23 AM)

I'll certainly won't be, my so hopeful attempt was ruined by a cat conspiracy who saw my planting and gardening effort as "opening a public cat toilet" - farmer's market all the way, thank you very much!



AmoraMora -> RE: Who's gardening this year? (2/22/2014 11:55:47 AM)

Ugh!

The temptation to pave over everything is strong within me. Gardening is not my forté, and to boot uncovers all sorts of horrid creatures.

On the plus side, it is muscle building. (What, no bicep symbol?)



jlf1961 -> RE: Who's gardening this year? (2/22/2014 11:57:37 AM)

Part of the garden varmint barrier is down awaiting the two truck loads of surface scrapings from a feed lot (90% manure, 10% dirt) and the two truck loads of soil from the salt fork flood plain. I am gonna use a bobcat to spread it, and then turn it into the garden plot with a friends small tractor.

I would like to add some grape vines this year, but the drought will make it difficult. As it is I have to supplement the well water, since it has a low mineral content.



TNDommeK -> RE: Who's gardening this year? (2/22/2014 12:16:53 PM)

We have already started. Inside stuff but eventually will be growing more veggies outside.



kalikshama -> RE: Who's gardening this year? (2/22/2014 12:25:45 PM)

quote:

On the plus side, it is muscle building. (What, no bicep symbol?)


Yup, I gave up my gym membership last April or May when garden season heated up. (I was also unhappy with the air quality and cleanliness of that gym.)

Since the gardening beds were in disrepair when I moved in, I managed to keep going with weeding, raking leaves, and mulching until fairly late in the year - November or so. After that, I turned my attentions to working on the trails behind my house, and am hoping the snow finishes melting this weekend so I can get back out there.

Welcome to the discussion boards!



DaddySatyr -> RE: Who's gardening this year? (2/22/2014 12:43:31 PM)

When I lived in NJ, I grew corn and tomatoes. Jersey is pretty well regarded for both.

If you want really sweet tomatoes (I can't handle the acidity), use a very generous portion of lime. It works like a charm.






SylvereApLeanan -> RE: Who's gardening this year? (2/22/2014 12:57:15 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: DarkSteven

Helpful hint - I've seen that the best plants for pollinators tend to be members of the mint and pea family, and of course fruiting plants.


Good to know, thanks! I was already planning on getting mint because it's supposed to help deter squirrels...of which I have a bumper crop. [>:]

Some of the neighbors have bee-friendly plants, like a lilac bush, and I have white clover in the front yard that I want to take plugs from to transfer to the back. I'm hoping it will help choke out the weeds on top of improving my soil and being bee-friendly. I also have lavender (thanks, Oside!) and some other bee-friendly flowers. I'm trying to talk Hubby into letting me build a bee hotel for the native solitary species, but since bee allergies run in his family, I'm not sure how well that will go over. I may have to settle for planting lots of butterfly-attracting plants instead. Oh, what hardship! [:D]



DarkSteven -> RE: Who's gardening this year? (2/22/2014 1:39:28 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: OsideGirl


quote:

ORIGINAL: DarkSteven


quote:

ORIGINAL: SylvereApLeanan

My long-term goal is to turn every available inch of yard, both front and back, into edible or otherwise useful landscaping. I'm defining "otherwise useful" as plants that have no food value, but will attract pollinators and natural pest controllers.



Helpful hint - I've seen that the best plants for pollinators tend to be members of the mint and pea family, and of course fruiting plants.


Lavender works really well to attract pollinators too.


Yep. Lavender is a member of the mint family.



DomKen -> RE: Who's gardening this year? (2/22/2014 3:31:02 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: DarkSteven


quote:

ORIGINAL: SylvereApLeanan

My long-term goal is to turn every available inch of yard, both front and back, into edible or otherwise useful landscaping. I'm defining "otherwise useful" as plants that have no food value, but will attract pollinators and natural pest controllers.



Helpful hint - I've seen that the best plants for pollinators tend to be members of the mint and pea family, and of course fruiting plants.
 
I've had good luck with blackberry, although it is a 2 year project. It can be trained up a fence so it takes up relatively little space and it flowers early. Mint takes over a garden if you're not careful.

BTW how did your hives do over winter?



humptiedumptie -> RE: Who's gardening this year? (2/23/2014 2:39:46 AM)

Flowers will encourage bees and other insects which will help to pollinate any veg that produces flowers French/Runner beans.
Also some plants when planted together grow better giving you a bigger crop or bring in insects like Ladybirds that will eat Aphids



humptiedumptie -> RE: Who's gardening this year? (2/23/2014 2:44:03 AM)

Some links I forgot to add http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Companion_planting http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/basics/techniques/organic_companionplanting1.shtml



AmoraMora -> RE: Who's gardening this year? (2/23/2014 4:42:41 AM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: kalikshama

Yup, I gave up my gym membership last April or May when garden season heated up. (I was also unhappy with the air quality and cleanliness of that gym.)

Since the gardening beds were in disrepair when I moved in, I managed to keep going with weeding, raking leaves, and mulching until fairly late in the year - November or so. After that, I turned my attentions to working on the trails behind my house, and am hoping the snow finishes melting this weekend so I can get back out there.

Welcome to the discussion boards!


Thanks for the welcome Kalikshama.

Perhaps when the rain finally stops I will get down to doing some actual gardening that does not involve hacking everything away. It has been a learning process to have a garden after living in a flat for years - some plants grow at the rate of knots!

Flowers would be nice, but the problem is finding something that will not be eaten by the slugs and snails, which are in abundance in England. (Slug pellets are a no because of the neighbour's cats, and even the pesky birds which seem to love my roof).



ChatteParfaitt -> RE: Who's gardening this year? (2/23/2014 4:50:17 AM)

Thank you for the links Humptied.

And welcome to the discussion side of CM. I look forward to you joining in on our discussions.



FluidFlame -> RE: Who's gardening this year? (2/23/2014 8:26:22 AM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: AmoraMora


quote:

ORIGINAL: kalikshama

Yup, I gave up my gym membership last April or May when garden season heated up. (I was also unhappy with the air quality and cleanliness of that gym.)

Since the gardening beds were in disrepair when I moved in, I managed to keep going with weeding, raking leaves, and mulching until fairly late in the year - November or so. After that, I turned my attentions to working on the trails behind my house, and am hoping the snow finishes melting this weekend so I can get back out there.

Welcome to the discussion boards!


Thanks for the welcome Kalikshama.

Perhaps when the rain finally stops I will get down to doing some actual gardening that does not involve hacking everything away. It has been a learning process to have a garden after living in a flat for years - some plants grow at the rate of knots!

Flowers would be nice, but the problem is finding something that will not be eaten by the slugs and snails, which are in abundance in England. (Slug pellets are a no because of the neighbour's cats, and even the pesky birds which seem to love my roof).



Depending on you plants both beer traps and caffee mulch should help with slugs. cut the tops off water or pop bottles and burry until only about a cm is above ground, fill 1/4 - 1/3 with cheap beer. The slugs and a few other harmful insects will be attracted to the beer and drown in a drunken stupor.
Spread used coffee grounds over the soil or even a fine sand. the sharp grinds of coffee or shards of sand will tear the slugs soft underside and probably kill it if it has to cross enough.
or circle you beds with copper wire (about 1/2 inch diameter), slugs hate copper wire, they have enough liquid and static in their bodies that when they cross the wire they get a shock. No battery needed because they are their own battery.

Use all, some or one and there'll be a reductio in slugs but those crafty things always find a way to get some through.



PyrotheClown -> RE: Who's gardening this year? (2/23/2014 12:30:34 PM)

coffee grounds also got a bit of caffeine left in em
caffeine is a natural insecticide



SorceressJ -> RE: Who's gardening this year? (2/23/2014 12:36:54 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: PyrotheClown

coffee grounds also got a bit of caffeine left in em
caffeine is a natural insecticide


Yes, what pyro said. Also, if anyone is doing roses, they seem to like masticated banana peels. I've tried it; it made my roses grow tall and viney.

I found this chart on Facecrack awhile back and am planning the vegetable and herb portions of my gardens accordingly as best I can. This will be the first year I've done it by this plan, so we'll see..


[image]local://upfiles/1044097/164DC18D0DB74680AEC7A5E692234805.jpg[/image]



SorceressJ -> RE: Who's gardening this year? (2/23/2014 12:41:59 PM)

Oh, and if anyone would like to help attract bees in particular, a goodly action which 1. helps the endangered bee nation by offering sanctuary and nourishment, 2. makes your yard pretty, and 3. gives you flowering herbs which may be used for cooking and medicine, please see the following chart which I will also be using:

[image]local://upfiles/1044097/4016013352B04591A58A483E59ADDB19.jpg[/image]



PyrotheClown -> RE: Who's gardening this year? (2/23/2014 12:44:20 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: SorceressJ

Oh, and if anyone would like to help attract bees in particular, a goodly action which 1. helps the endangered bee nation by offering sanctuary and nourishment, 2. makes your yard pretty, and 3. gives you flowering herbs which may be used for cooking and medicine, please see the following chart which I will also be using:

[image]local://upfiles/1044097/4016013352B04591A58A483E59ADDB19.jpg[/image]

I wonder why buckwheat's not on there



PyrotheClown -> RE: Who's gardening this year? (2/23/2014 1:07:09 PM)

nother good insecticide is cigarette butts boiled in water with a bit of dove bar soap added.
nicotine is toxic as hell to the lil buggers,and the other shit they put in cigarettes isn't exactly ideal bug food.The soap is just helps it stick to the plant and not get absorbed as much by the plants and the secondary consumers(critters that eat the dead and dying pests).
this annihilates ,aphids,mites,and most other small living things with out persisting in yer local food chain.
Why hurt a cat or bird,ect.for eating a dying pest in yer garden when all they are doing is trying to eat a pest out of yer garden.I don't know if it works on slugs,as I've never seen a wild mollusk out here in the desert,but it's worth a shot.
I wouldn't recommend using it too close to harvest thou



SylvereApLeanan -> RE: Who's gardening this year? (2/23/2014 5:02:45 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: AmoraMora

Flowers would be nice, but the problem is finding something that will not be eaten by the slugs and snails, which are in abundance in England. (Slug pellets are a no because of the neighbour's cats, and even the pesky birds which seem to love my roof).



I'll second the copper wire suggestion. I've used copper tubing to keep slugs out of pet food and water bowls and it works like a charm.



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