any gardeners?

“The one I got is more shrub-like with multiple stems too.”

“I will take a pic this weekend and post it to be sure. If I don't put the id tag by a flower or plant I won't have a clue as to what it is.

I did plant 3 mums and some peonies (sp) last weekend. I buried the mums up to their face”

“if i had a real house, i'd get a Japanese Maple! those things are hot. i first saw one in a gardening shop near my parents' house over the summer...boy are they expensive though! like $200. hmm, maybe i could dig a small one out of someone's yard in the night...”

“the house I bought has one. It isn't real big but one of their conditions was that they could come back this fall and dig it up. I said ok, can't complain since they left the Ford tractor and a huge gas grill”

“We had one at our old place but the one we got with the new place is nicer. Its gotta be about 30 years old. You'd need heavy equipment to steal that one Princess.”

“The reason they are so expensive is that they grow really slowly, Your Highness.

That $200 bush may have taken 10 years or more to get to that size.”

“well i guess that's a pretty good tradeoff, Ewker!
last edited: 9/23/05 1:52:20 PM”

“what's your address again? i have magic sparkly powers, i think i could get that big one out of the ground.
:-D

i'm jealous!!”

“If I can get my gravy knee to work this weekend perhaps I will plant some daffodils.”

“How about:

Picking 20 pounds of Blue Lake bush beans (planted about August 3)

in less than an hour

from only 45' of row

my new record this evening, must have been the heavy rain all summer except the last 3 very dry and warm weeks.”

“I have a Japanese Maple in my yard but it didn't grow tall, it just spreads out along the ground like a huge shield. Not sure what to do with it.”

“Planted bulbs today! I didnt realize how many bulbs I had bought..... goodness...trying to figure where to put the rest lol!”

“Some varietites of Japanese maples stay small. Other varieties grow taller like other types of maples. You just need to talk to someone at your local nursery and have them order the shape/type you want.”

“

”

“Oh cool! Parasitizing wasps on the bad carterpillar! Cool!”

“great parasite shot.”

“I love my organic garden :D the pests have pests and everything equils out! :D”

“To prove the awesomeness of my garden goddessism hereare lemons growing in indiana!

”

“And feel free to check out my dahlia :)

”

“Wow, nice pics Spirit!

I it's getting to be in the 50s here at night, so I don't know how much more ripe or growing is going on here where I am in WA.

I still have cherry tomatoes rippening on the vine and some zucchini growing. I made the grown ones into fried zucchini, breaded and fried, then topped with lemon. I love them, but only that way.

Still haven't got around to picking my basil since my husband bought two bunches and picking the leaves and preserving them in oil was more important since the ones that are in the dirt are doing fine.

I need some dahlias. They are great fall flowers when everything else is starting to die away. I have warm temps where I am so my roses bloom right through October most years.”

“Nice SC! Woo Hoo for gardening!”

“http://henryfields.com/search.asp?t=addis&dt=11&sid=601742&EID=100505hf&eicioi=51430

this site is selling seeds for next yr with free shipping.

Who all starts their garden from seeds or do you just use plants”

“50/50 of seeds and purchased plants. I got seeds from Henry Fields once. They started and grew just fine but I didn't care for that variety (tomato.)”

“I start mine from seeds. My dad starts his seeds indoors (he has a sunroom), in March and gives me pepper and tomatoe plants. Often the tomatoe and pepper seeds I plant do as well, they just produce a bit later.”

“Next year, sweet potatoes may be the only plants I buy. Possibly cabbage. Seeds for everything else. There is a good local supplier but mail ordering is a good way.”

“I start just about everything from seeds. Bulbs are about the only exceptions.”

“seeds from organic suppliers or saved seeds”

“BOTH. I also trade seeds on line which can get very addicting.

I like pinetree seeds cataloge as I have a small garden the packs are smaller and the prices are way better then most others. They have a lot of heirlooms and unusual kinds of veggies.”

“Who here has raised vegetable gardens. I have been reading up on it. It seems there is a lot of opinions on how deep it should be.
The Square Foot Gardening guy says 6" is perfect for growing anything including carrots while others say you need it to be 12"-18" deep to allow room for it to grow.

That is a big difference in the amount of soil/compost you have to bring it and fill up the bed.”

“As I have sand I don't have to worry too much about tilling, unless I'm working in alot of supplemental stuff. Then I just use a garden weasel since the actual growing area is so small.”

“tree, I don't have a tiller and don't want to buy one which is why I am doing the raised garden.

I hope to start working on it within the next fews weeks so I can plant some cool weather crops early next spring”

“You can rent tillers Ewker.

Six inches of soil would make for awfully shallow roots. I'd go with twelve to eighteen, or til the soil underneath the beds first so the roots can go deeper.”

“Sass, according to Square Foot Gardening http://www.squarefootgardening.com/you don't have to till down into your ground to grow veggies. They tell you to put a weed/grass cloth over the area where you are going to put your garden. This keeps weeds and grass from growing back up through it.

I guess I could use 2x8, that will give me 8" of soil
last edited: 10/13/05 11:47:49 AM”

“I don't know, they're the experts but it seems like you'd have some pretty fraglie conditions with taller plants like brussel sprouts and cauliflower, etc. Also seems like you'd end up watering more often.
last edited: 10/13/05 11:51:25 AM”

“Actually tilling causes the need for more irrigation. Since the soil is now fluffed up air and water pass through it more quickly. As long as there isn't a hard crust on the soil surface or is overly rocky you should be okay. Adding in organic material is always a good thing though.”

“I always thought deeper roots required less water?”

“going back to that website it says you use 20% less water and can plant earlier due to the soil warming up faster..guess I will find out”

“Yeah Ewker it depends on where you are too.
There isB a lot written about no-till gardening and farming. We use minimum till at the organic farm I work at.
But we also have raised beds for some of our crops, like herbs.

Eliot Coleman is a good source for this kind of gardening.And this field(no pun intended) is one where experience is the best teacher.
www.americanprofile.com/ issues/20000910/20000910ne_311.asp

http://www.ppplants.com/magazine/articles/articles_ne/contrary.html”

“I have been waiting for the first frost to try the mustard greens

hasn't been below 49 degrees yet and that is uncommon

had some anyhow 'wilted' with a mixture of hot olive oil, a little soy sauce, vinegar and spices and fall leaf lettuce.

My wife even liked it and she is traditional in that oil means grease, like streaked pork meat.
last edited: 10/15/05 7:47:31 PM”

“gotta love fresh greens, had some wonderful collards the other day.”

“our turnip greens look happier now than they did all season.”

“I have started growing veggies in containers.
I have six varieties of greens growing in containers
now. I cut and cooked my first mess today.
Adding cilantro and mushrooms sure made 'em
good.”

“Anyone ever order from Burgess Plant & Seed Co.?

I got a catalog from them and the prices seem pretty good.

Are they any good?”

“Haven't ordered from them, but I may check into it. I get a lot of seeds from a cooperative in Arkansas.”

“Never heard of them. I order from Johnny's when I order.”

“I have heard of them but never ordered.”

“for you early season gardeners. which type of lettuce, snow peas, any other cool weather crops do you plant.
Time for me to be thinking about this and getting the seeds on order
last edited: 10/27/05 11:57:27 AM”

“Oregon Sugar pods are excellent as a pea. Love em. Never fails for me and they get only 4 feet tall.”

“This year I planted the 'early frosty' variety of garden peas on Feb. 21 and had great produce by mid-May.

I planted some in late August that are now blooming (even though it was 30 degrees this morning) and its been terribly dry since August so I will be surprised if they produce anything this fall.

Picked my last fresh sweet corn this evening.”

“I have three semi-red tomatoes still. We've had several nice frosts.”