Gardening Anyone?

[Alisa]

Shall we chat about our gardens? Last night I ate the first asparagus from my garden and it was amazing. As always, this time of the year I become obsessed with gardening and I'm sure a lot of you do too. I was a good girl and read all of the old threads before I posted this but I want MORE......

[sneezles]

This year I had to container-garden. Since we're building a new house and I thought we would be in by May 1, I didn't want to make a plot and then move (although I am only moving across the driveway but I want to see my garden as it grows!
Anyway, I planted one tomato, a jalapeño pepper, cilantro (which didn't make it-again) and some other herbs. All are doing well and some I have no idea what to do with! Like Lemon balm and a purple basil, any suggestions?

[SandyM]

Obsessed??? Me????? The deer have destroyed my fenced-in garden for the last two years, and I told my DH that this year I would get a tomato out of my garden if I had to rip it out of the deer's mouth!!!!

I'm not obsessed. Nope. Uh uh.

I put my salsa garden in last weekend (in Michigan it's only considered safe to plant after mid-May). Eight different types of tomatoes (including the awesome grape tomato), five different types of peppers, purple and yellow onions, cucumbers, and my two new things (I try at least one new thing each year) - garlic, and swiss chard.

My sister-in-law told me about a product called Deer Off. It's an organic spray (made from putrified egg whites - mmmmm smells goooooooood) which turns the deer off of your beautiful plants. I have noticed no deer tracks jumping the fence. She had a problem with most of her perennials last year; no problems this year.

It was either this, or an electric fence. I chose the least expensive option.

[Kelli Kerrigan]

I have been gardening up a storm! It's so nice to have extra free time now that I graduated. Balancing just a full time job is now easy with school work out of the way.
I have planted four different types of tomatoes, 3 types of peppers, a cucumber plant, flowers, hostas, lavender plants, and 15 different herbs plus herbal teas! The newest addition is a bay tree.
All my hard work takes some soaking in a hot tub, but is well worth it. (The grass removal was the hardest!)
A GREAT cookbook is The Herb Farm. Check it out at the library. It not only has fabulous recipes, but tells you how to plant, maintain etc.
Try purple basil or cinnamon basil in Indian
lentil dishes. YUM!!!!!
I still need to pick up Thai basil and some hot peppers.
If there is anything you want me to look up for you, just let me know.

[KathrynY]

It's been such a cold spring here I just put my plants in last weekend - tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, squash, zucchini, jalapenos, thai hot peppers, catnip, basil, rosemary, and mint. Thyme and lavender came back from last year. We're getting plenty of rain now and they're already growing like mad!

I put most of my perennial herbs in pots on the deck to keep them near the kitchen (also to keep the neighborhood cats away from my own dear kitty's supply of the green stuff http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/wink.gif), but they don't seem to come back the next year... not sure why? Sneezles, I've had no luck with cilantro either - have given up and just buy it at the market.

[Hoosier65]

You can use lemon balm leaves in any recipe calling for lemon juice or lemon jest for more lemon flavor. I have been using my herbs for about a month now and love the freshness. The asparagus is done for this year. We have tomotoes and sweet paotatoes and green beans planted, those are my DH project.

[browneye]

I Love to Garden!

All of my gardening must be done in containers, now, since I have such a shady lot. You'd be amazed how much you can grow in giant terra cotta pots, however. I got my tomatoes out last weekend, sweet million, Early Cascade, and a yellow tomato I forgot the name. Also thyme, basil, marjoram, sage, and crookneck squash, butternut squash, and a Yellow Bell Pepper! that's it so far!

Kelli-I second the recommendation for the Herb Farm Cookbook-it is also a great guide on growing herbs. The Herb Farm is actually just a few minutes away from me, and the new restaurant is opening up the road in June! Can't wait to go! We visit the Herb-Growing part every year, it is fun to see all of the different kinds of really interesting flavorful herbs they have. Chocolate Mint, Cinnamon Basil..

KathrynY: Are your potted herbs in a place where temps dip pretty low in the winter? That could be killing them, even the hardier varities. In pots, the roots can freeze easier than they would in the ground. My experience in colder climates is that you need to protect them during the winter, i.e. bring them inside if possible.

[A R Price]

Our spring on the Oregon coast was pretty mild so I got things planted a little earlier than last year. We are building too so our garden is small but fun nevertheless.

We have deer in the area but no problem yet because there is so much natural feed around for them. We've heard that pouring blood (drippings from the butcher shop?) or scattering shavings of a strongly scented soap (Irish Spring) around the garden perimeter keeps them away. Anyone tried either of those ideas?

We are doing cilantro, parsley, italian basil, (all from seed - we'll see if they make it) lavender, chives and rosemary for herbs. Last year we tried lemon thyme but one of our dogs took to using that plant as a latrine so we didn't try it again. I don't know what got into her head!

What were your problems growing cilantro? Plants just died? Did you start from seed? So far mine are OK but they are very small yet.

[browneye]

Originally posted by sneezles:
All are doing well and some I have no idea what to do with! Like Lemon balm and a purple basil, any suggestions?

Sneezles- I love purple basil, it is great in any recipe calling for basil, I use it in salads, too. But especially great in Thai, Indonesian, etc. dishes. Very sweet and a potent basil flavor! YUM! I need to find me some!

[lindrusso]

I had a marathon week of gardening this past weekend! I was just supposed to be planting the veggies and flowers, but it turned into a re-landscaping of the front garden. I had been trying to turn the garden near our front door into an annual/perennial garden, but the perennials get so large that they just are not suited to small spaces. If you want something that grows like crazy and takes over the entire garden, try coreopsis!
Anyway, we ended up with ornamental shrubs mixed in with a few well-contained perennials (like campanulas which form nice, neat mounds) and some annuals. We'll see...

As for veggies/herbs - I have a very small plot, so I don't plant too much - just my favorites. LOTS of basil, some parsley, thyme, chives and oregano. Plus tomatoes, green beans and maybe some peppers.

It's been unusually warm here in IN, but now that I have the plants in it's turned chilly - lows in the 40's! Oh well, at least it's raining. And, actually, the little seedlings will probably establish better in the cooler weather - won't be so hard on them.

[sneezles]

Thanks, browneye for the tip!

AR, I usually planted seeds for cilantro but every time it grew tall enough to start thinning then what was left just died. So this year I bought a plant (in a 6" pot) and two days after I planted it, it shriveled up and died!

[SandyM]

Originally posted by lindrusso:
If you want something that grows like crazy and takes over the entire garden, try coreopsis!

Hi Alysha,

I noticed my coreopsis going a little wild, so I just pulled some of the extra "wayward" spikes out. It's such a pretty plant, but it does like to spread its wings!! It's pretty containable, though - at least so far.

It in no way compares with ground cover, which is tormenting me, and has since we moved in 5 years ago. You name it, I can't get rid of it. I start twitching when I walk by the ground cover section in any landscaping supply store........

[lindrusso]

SandyM -

I too, loved the plant - I had the pink variety. Maybe I planted too much - 3 plants - or maybe it REALLY liked the spot where I planted it. I estimate that when I took it out of the garden (I took all of it out - just didn't look good where I had it) its tendrils were reaching into a 10 x 5 foot area! I believe the magazines said it had a 2 ft high, 2-3 ft. wide habit (???), but I think those tendrils would have kept going until they covered everything. Boy was it a pain to rip out!

I hope to try a perennail garden in the back yard, so I'll probably try it again. I just decided that the front garden looked nicer with an uncluttered appearance.

[gobluem82]

I harvested my first bunch of mesclun lettuce over the weekend--the salad was so good, and pretty too! I also have planted snap peas, green beans, carrots, and of course, tomatoes. It's been pretty cool since I planted everything, though, so it's been slow going.

[Susann]

I would love to join in the gardening discussion, but I am still suffering from my battle with poison ivy. Arrrrggghhh!

Any ideas as to why one of my peonies bloomed beautifully, while the rest turned brown and did not open?

[Wendy w]

I also am a container gardener. I have a large planter on the front porch that has green onions and gourmet lettuce mixture. The greens still have a way to go yet and the onions are going crazy! I gave them a "haircut" last week and they need another!

I put 2 tomato plants in the ground (a small yard) and transplanted my jalapeno plant that I have had for 5 years with very few into the ground hoping that it will do better.

I have started basil and dill from seed and have parsley, rosemary, sage, rose geranium, lavender and lemon grass so far.

My sister, who lives in MI and has a battle every year with the rabbits in her garden, told me about the hair thing. Apparantly, it works against squirrels, rabbits, etc. as they don't like other "fuzzy" creatures.

[KathrynY]

browneye - I'm in CT so I'm sure it's the cold temperatures that are killing my potted herbs. I never thought about bringing them inside, though. Somehow I was under the impression that perennials needed to be dormant during the winter - will they do that if I bring them in?

[This message has been edited by KathrynY (edited 05-24-2001).]

[gobluem82]

Kathryn,
Most of your herbs will survive the winter fine, even in Connecticut. The only perennial herb which won't make it is rosemary. I've tried bringing mine in for the winter and have had major bug infestations. My advice is just get a new one each year, or keep them inside all the time. BTW, I'm in New York, and my herbs are doing fine! In fact, my sage is doing too well and is shading over some of my other plants. Does anyone know if it is okay to divide it now?

[lindrusso]

TheresaM - FYI - Parsley is biannual, so it grows every other year. Instead of waiting (or having two patches going - I can't afford the space), I just plant it every year like an annual.

[mandarin2j]

We have a huge lot (6500 sq feet with only a 927 sq foot house on it), but we're still battling all the overgrowth that's been allowed for the past several years. We just moved in last year, so it's chop, chop, chop, until we get a handle on everything.

We do have raspberries along one wall of the terraced part of the back yard, and those are doing nicely. Unfortunately, we chopped down a sumac tree right by them and now little sumac runners are coming up constantly. Seems like there's a new, big one every day. Very frustrating.

There's also a weird weed growing all over the compost area (which has been sorely neglected) and spreading to the raspberries. Fortunately, whatever it is has weak roots and comes up really easily. It's actually kind of pretty, but it clearly wants to take over, so it's gotta go!

Apart from all the stuff that we're killing, we're growing a basic assortment of herbs in containers. We're keeping our three varieties of tomato to containers also, & have one "space miser" zucchini plant.

We have to keep it simple until we have more of a blank canvas of a garden. It's too hard to have any kind of vision about what we want to achieve when our yard is filled with volunteers run wild & ugly shrubs planted with no apparent scheme in mind.

But it our's, so that's cool. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif

[TheresaM]

lindrusso - I thought that biannual meant that it would bloom for 2 years, then disappear. Is this incorrect ? I did replant,but this is about the only thing I do not see, yet.

[Anne]

Gardening is definitely a passion in our house. It has been a cold, wet spring so everything is a little behind schedule but I hope to get the rest planted this weekend. Most salad greens, members of the cabbage family, different types of peas, and a lot of root vegetables do well here. Its almost impossible to grow tomatoes , corn, or peppers without a very good greenhouse.
Susan - I remember my mom telling me that peonies need ants in order to open up and bloom - check and see if you have ants on the bush that bloomed and not the others. Good luck, I love peonies but can't grow them here.

[lindrusso]

Theresa,

Hmmm...looks like I mispoke - partly. I should have said biennial, not biannual. I couldn't decide between the two and didn't look it up - that's what I get! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

I could have sworn that I read it produces every other year, but maybe I dreamt it...

Anyway, biennials (I DID look this up!) supposedly produce greenery the first year, bloom the second year and then many die off. Some biennials reseed themselves.

The only other info I could find is that parsley is treated as an annual and does have to be planted every year.

I take it from what you said that you are growing from seed? I haven't tried that yet - I always go to the nursery. Some day I'll try it from seed....

[sneezles]

My herb book says that parsley is in fact biennial but it also says to plant two crops a year...confusing!

As for the sage, the book says that cuttings can be taken at any time during the growing season.

[KristaMB]

I just planted my first ever herb garden a few weeks ago. My basil has been growing like crazy! I even had enough to make homemade pesto for dinner tonight. I don't really have room for a more elaborate garden, but I'm excited that I haven't killed my herbs yet. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[Vanessa]

We just got a call that our garden plot was tilled today! That means.....I get to plant this Memorial Weekend...
I can't wait. I have some plants in the deck, but rains and cool temperatures did not help.We are doing Roma tomatoes, lemon boy (yellow), jalapeños, varieties, squashes (winter and summer), basil, flowers etc. Just got myself some gardening gloves and in Sears this round thing you can kneel or sit without getting dirty.
One word of advice to gardeners beware of ticks buy some good repelent & check for ticks after returning from the garden.

[Beth]

Sneezles, cilantro is a cool weather herb and will bolt and die in the heat here. Not fair, but it and those tomatoes and peppers just won't grow at the same time. When I learned this last year, I gave up growing cilantro and decided just to buy it. It may be possible to grow it indoors during the summer, but I have not tried it yet. Let me know if you try it.

I have the first tomato ripening on the vine! Saw the first signs of blush yesterday. We are also growing various peppers, green beans, cucumbers, yellow squash and zucchini, several basils, parsley, chives, dill, mint, rosemary, oregano, thyme and whatever else is out there. I bought a tiny little bay tree this year and am deciding where to plant that. We have 2 different types of strawberries, one being wild, but I don't know if we'll ever get fruit. We are treating them as ground cover and letting the birds have most of them so far.

Anyone else with fruit trees? When I moved to CA, I decided I had to have fruit trees, and I've planted them everywhere I've been since. Currently have 2 apples, a pear, an asian pear, 2 lemons and a lime and 2 grapevines. We tried to plant blueberries, but they didn't take in the heat we had last summer.

[marshalynne]

I was told by my great grandmother once that human hair laid around the garden will keep deer away. She used to clump it with a rubberband and hang it from the fence also. Wondering where she got the hair...no not from us kids..from a local hair dresser. Just asked her in advance to save a days worth. It really works. The deer stay away.

[SandyM]

I've heard that too, Marsha. I just had an icky feeling about putting hair around my vegetable plants. Especially the hair of strangers. Even clean hair.

Sick, isn't it, that I'd prefer to spray them with putrified egg whites............

[This message has been edited by SandyM (edited 05-24-2001).]

[TheresaM]

I am obsessed, once the weather gets nice, I forget about cleaning, exercising and just start planting ! Since last weekend, I swear I have spend every spare moment in my yard. Don't get me wrong, I love doing this. I wouldn't be happy, unless I did this. I rearranged perennials, planted more herbs, put in the veggies. I have seven different types of Pepper plants. I am trying cilantro from seeds and it just sprouted. I had great parsley, last year and I am surprized it did not come back, this year. I was very happy when we finally got rain this week, I live for my flowers and veggies. Now for this weekend. I have seven trays of marigolds I started from seed. Where will they all go !

[This message has been edited by TheresaM (edited 05-24-2001).]

[Alisa]

I have two apple trees and am planning to plant some pears this summer. Do you spray your apples?

[Angela]

I'm so excited to have my first garden this year!!! I've always wanted to have one, but have lived in apartments the past five years, so I only ever had a few herbs on my balcony. This year we've planted tomatoes, 5 different peppers, carrots, broccoli, cucumber, corn, radishes, and watermelon. We planted both seeds and plants.

I had a difficult time with my cilantro (from a plant) last year as well. I started basil and cilantro seeds inside and they are both going crazy. I am planning on moving them into a container outside and keeping 1 or 2 of each plant inside. I'll be anxious to see how the cilantro (both inside and outside) does this year. I am most anxious to make salsa, so I hope the cilantro does well.

[Vanessa]

Angela:
The cilantro is fussy but the basil you can sprinkle seeds right into the grown. They will pop up in no time. What I do is do a row then carefully "transplant" them between my tomatoes (kind of thin out the seedlings giving them space to grow). If you keep your basil from flowering you will have a steady supply for soups, pesto, sauces etc.
The cilantro once it gets too hot it does not grow as well. I kept mine with mulch around and in semi shade.
Your cilantro will reappear in the spring surprising you also dill.

[Beth]

We haven't stayed in one place long enough to have a serious apple harvest, so we are still learning. We have sprayed them with insecticidal soap this year to get rid of aphids. That's been all we've had to do so far.

Oh, I forgot the nectarine tree in the front yard. I am beginning to think we have some sort of plum trees there too. The leaves are a little different from what I'd expect, but they flower beautifully in early spring and produce a very small fruit that looks much like a plum.

Vanessa, I've forgotten what part of the country you are in, but along the Gulf Coast, cilantro won't even take the heat if you put it in a fairly shady spot. Tried that one year, then swore off it last year. I'm using more in Thai and things other than slasa, so I might give it a try indoors.

[This message has been edited by Beth (edited 05-25-2001).]

[lindrusso]

Beth - I forget, are you in Texas? Anyway, I'm so jealous that you have tomatoes!!! Here in IN, we have to wait until August! Maybe you could overnight some.... http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/wink.gif ....

[Susann]

Anne-Thanks for the peony tip. The plant did have ants this year, so I am wondering if I did something wrong with watering!

Beth-We have a pear tree also. Last year, we didn't get to enjoy any pears because of the lack of rain. I am so excited for pears this year. We also have a quince tree (bush??), but so far I have seen only two itty bitty quince.

[Beth]

Lindrusso, yes I am in Texas. You'd think cilantro should grow like a weed here since it's used in all the salsas and spicy dishes. I'm beginning to wonder about squash here. I don't remember growing it in my early gardens (also TX), but when I moved to CA, we had killer squash plants. Back in TX now, they aren't looking all that great so far.

I had to brag about the one blushing tomato, but hope the birds won't spot it before it ripens. We haven't had very good luck with them the last 2 years, so it would be really nice if these keep going well. The first year in this house, DH built raised beds and filled them with freash composted soil. It turned out to be too rich and we had gorgeous 6-8 ft tall tomatoes and basil with no fruit on the tomatoes. Last year it was the weird weather. I bet you can grow or get raspberries though.

I'm not sure if this will be a good pear tree we just planted. I'm not that familiar with the varieties that grow here. We needed another one to help pollinate the asian pear, so we'll see what happens. The citrus look like they may bear fruit this year, but I'm thinking we have a year or two on all the others.

[maizeyoats]

I guess it's time I checked in on this subject. I wouldn't have the time if it hadn't been raining here in Massachusetts all week.
First we prayed for rain and now its' enough already.
I have about a billion weeds to contend with after all this rain. This morning it stopped long enough for me to plant impatiens around my trees.
I have lots of flower beds mainly perennials but I have to have annuals too. Lots of pots on the patio filled with annuals.
My Story....about 5 years ago I went to a yard sale and someone was selling daylilies I had never seen daylilies in such beautiful colors before and that was the beginning of my addiction.
I put in many garden beds to my husbands regret (he's a grass man). and I started ordering from catalogues. Did I make mistakes...you bet I did. I ended up with over 500 different kinds of daylilies and they were pretty expensive. One I even paid $175 for my husband still doesn't know about that one.
My intention was that when the daylilies started multiplying I would sell them. Unfortunately it is not in my nature to sell. It's embarrassing to me. One day a very wealthy lady came to my yard begging me to sell some of my daylilies and I didn't do it. Am I stupid? You bet!
I have lots of other perennials too. EVERYTHING. Despite all my plants I must admit I really am definitely a long way from being a knowledgable gardener.
That's the end of my story.
P.S. The deer ate all my tulips this year. I knew about the human hair remedy but I didn't even know I had deer until it was too late. Anyway I am such an animal lover I probably would have let them eat anyway even if I had known but they betterSTAY OUT OF MY DAYLILIES!

[Susann]

Maizeyoats, your gardening story made me smile. Isn't it amazing what growing beautiful flowers can do??? I also love daylillies. They are blooming in my yard now and I was so excited when I saw the first one!!

[SusanT]

Beth (and everyone else)

A tip for keeping birds off your tomatoes. Get some rubber snakes - yes, the kind that little boys like to scare little girls with- and drape them across your plants. Birds won't come near them. My father's done this for years and it works very well.

I live in Tennesee and don't have much luck with cilantro. After just a few warm days, they quickly bolt and go to seed. Oh well, guess I'll have coriander instead.

I have tomatoes that are slowly forming and should ripen in the next few weeks. My eggplant, cucumber and peppers are blooming. So far so good!

[Beth]

SusanT, thanks for the snake tip. I'll share that with DH, but my two boys will probably have the most fun with it. Now if we could just firgure out how to get raspberries to grow in the heat!