How's your garden?

[Madness]

I know lots of folks have to be growing stuff on this forum! Whether its an herb in a pot on the window sill or acres of farmland, let's see what you are up to!

We just redid our garden after a 2 (or was it 3?) year hiatus. I'd been working on the family farm too much to pay attention to anything at my house. But now the farm actually needs me to grow things since my soil is drastically different! We have ten 50 foot rows planted with corn, tomatoes, peppers, beans, tomatillos, okra, summer squash, winter squash and cucumbers.



We are only getting cucumbers and squash at the moment but tomatoes are coming in close behind!

[Tylluan Penry]

Re: How's your garden?

Our garden is just recovering from very late frosts, gales and heavy rains. The potatoes are finally getting their act together. The tomatoes germinated, grew an inch, said sod it and refused to grow any taller... the beans are so far okay.

Love the size of your garden by the way, Madness. In my part of the world that would be an allotment. Do you have them in the US?

[LiadanWillows]

Re: How's your garden?

My flowers are also attempting to recover from the late frosts. However they seem to be surviving thus far.

[thalassa]

Re: How's your garden?

I have green onions in a jar on the window, and I'm trying to root a celery to grow in a pot. Other than that, just a few houseplants. Apartment by the beach in a nice neighborhood has a no balcony or patio (or dishwasher) trade off...

[Madness]

Re: How's your garden?

Love the size of your garden by the way, Madness. In my part of the world that would be an allotment. Do you have them in the US?

I think they are quite similar to what we call "community gardens". A plot of land owned by someone (usually an organization or governmental body - city, county, etc) that has been subdivided into large sections for individual people to rent and grow what they want. There are quite a few in my city. I'm just lucky enough to have an acre of land as a backyard!

The green (and purple!) beans and other types of squash are coming on!



I've grabbed two tomatoes so far...and my toddler has grabbed a few unripe ones. But we make do with fried green tomatoes. I just wish she would leave them alone - she is an overzealous harvester!

[thalassa]

Re: How's your garden?

What are those purple beans?

[Madness]

Re: How's your garden?

They are Royalty Purple beans from Seed Savers exchange. Same species as green beans, just different color. This is the very first batch but if they are anything like other purple beans I've grown, they will turn an unpleasant gray when cooked! But we'll see...

[thalassa]

Re: How's your garden?

They are [url=http://www.seedsavers.org/Details.aspx?itemNo=343] This is the very first batch but if they are anything like other purple beans I've grown, they will turn an unpleasant gray when cooked! But we'll see...

Maybe steaming them would keep the color...

[dressagegirl]

Re: How's your garden?

I have a mango tree and I share a tomato plant and a passionfruit vine with my neighbours. I'm planning on making a veggie patch and some really nice garden beds out the front. I do want to leave the back corner near the stables all wild looking (without getting overgrown) though. I love how big your garden is, Madness!

[Madness]

Re: How's your garden?

Ooo, a mango tree! I've heard of people growing them here and protecting from frost so they can produce fruit. I've yet to give it a try, but boy that would be awesome!

Big gardens can be a blessing and a curse. Right now we are overrun with the first glut of squash. And of course the extra care of such a big plot. But then when I realize that I haven't bought a vegetable from the grocery store in nearly 3 years (or eggs!), I remember that it's all worth it.

[dressagegirl]

Re: How's your garden?

Ooo, a mango tree! I've heard of people growing them here and protecting from frost so they can produce fruit. I've yet to give it a try, but boy that would be awesome!

Big gardens can be a blessing and a curse. Right now we are overrun with the first glut of squash. And of course the extra care of such a big plot. But then when I realize that I haven't bought a vegetable from the grocery store in nearly 3 years (or eggs!), I remember that it's all worth it.

In my area, every second house has a mango tree but most people don't look after them properly with all of the nets and stuff. I'm considering chopping mine down once we get a few other shade trees - Hendra virus (deadly for horses, humans and dogs) has popped back up in my city, and being a horse rider with the racing stables behind my house, I'll do anything to keep fruit bats away.

It'd be so good to not have to buy vegetables and fruit and eggs! They take up most of my grocery bill at the moment. Which vegetables do you find are the easiest to grow, or rather, which vegetables would be the hardest for me to stuff up?

[Larix]

Re: How's your garden?

My garden is fine.

Right now the clematis is in flower.

[msbraid]

Re: How's your garden?

For assembling, I'd used coated deck screws. Nails will pull out, and anything other than a hot dipped galvanized nail would react with the PT chemicals and corrode. The other advantage of screws is that you can remove them to disassemble the box in the future, especially if you need to replace one or more boards.

[Tylluan Penry]

Re: How's your garden?

My garden is wet. Again. But this year we have had excellent garlic, rosemary, chives, lavender and oregano. Some lollo rosso and various exotic salad leaves. Plus good potatoes and broad beans.

My tomatoes, the cowards, barely even flowered. They poked their heads above ground, took one look, said 'Sod this for a game of soldiers,' and just stayed where they were. Stroppy lot, the tomatoes!

[SCoyote]

Re: How's your garden?

I'be been shelling popcorn all day yesterday and today....my hands are practically bleeding. I had no idea I grew that much hahaha. But my garden is still doing great, just looking a bit jungly out there now as the tomatoes have grown far bigger then the cages this year (and they are big cages, not little ones) peppers are about chest hight now and my freezer and pantry is just about full now.