any gardeners?

“Fire-breathing rabbits?”

“I have 2 feet of snow on my garden, so it's a tad early to plow:)”

“Sounds just right for snow peas, NF.”

“A lot of our snow disappeared yesterday, but the ground is still frozen...I should start some stuff inside now, though...”

“oh my god, the strap on stool. can you imagine that thing sinking down a few inches then the ground friction not letting it go when you go to move... Oh the possibilities

hehehehe, this one slays me:

last edited: 4/04/08 6:13:21 AM”

“That one had me laughing too.
I bet it fogs up something awful.”

“I liked the long handled weeder.

Our ground is thawed but it's still raining so it'll prolly be awhile before I can til the garden and get my cool weather crops planted. Hard to be patient.”

“Well, all the big fish are now in the pond. My doitsu hariwake is particularly PO'ed at me. She had some floppy scales from banging around in the quarantine bin, so I netted her, pulled off the scaled and swabbed the wounds with a strong KMnO4 solution. A) it burns and B) pulling scales is akin to pulling nails, but it had to be done to prevent secondary infections. Now the little hariwake that's been living in my tub for 3 weeks is in the now sterilized quarantine bin, along with Runt, who is there as a canary of sorts to check for parasites and various diseases.”

“ok people. i have a question about trees. i didn't want to start a new thread so i'll just ask here. i have a pretty big front yard and have NO shade. there's nothing. i want to plant trees but really don't know what i want to plant. i love bradford pears but it seems like they fall over if there's a strong wind. i'm thinking about some white oak. anyway, please share with me what you have/like so maybe i can get some ideas. thank you very much.”

“White Oaks are very slow growing. If you are in a wet location willows are fast growers as are populars. Both of these are not deep rooted trees so they will also blow over easily. What about other fruit trees?”

“We're getting 20" of snow tonight, so screw you gardeners. j/k”

“I like redbuds. They get big enough, fast enough, to make shade and they are really nice ornamental trees. But, They don't wreak havoc with your sewer lines or mess up sidewalks and driveways.

No matter what, don't plant a cottonwood or silver maple. Both are very soft woods that fall apart in a strong breeze and the cottonwood is a huge mess maker.”

“Sass is correct. A willow tree's roots will trash a septic system. Bradford pears are not that bad if you prune them so they do not fork. Most of them I see broken seem split at a big fork. I have never been able to get a redbud to grow in my yard. I like them also so I wish I could.”

“Live Oaks are nice.
Plant them now in time for your grandkids to enjoy.”

“i really want willow trees and also want redbuds. a friend of mine dug up a redbud and gave it to me. they're blooming right now and this poor pitiful tree isn't so I'm pretty sure it's dead.

thank you for the info. i'll look into planting some fruit trees. i've thought about oak trees too. and i still might go with bradford pears.

nimblefoot, all i can tell you is...move :)”

“You sound like my ex-wife:)

I was raised Catholic and can't move. I need to be punished.”

“um..Catholics can't move?”

“It's a penance thing.”

“tenjen....be careful of Bradford Pears. Their useful life is short....after about the 10 year mark, they get weak and they loose that "stately" look. Avoid windy areas. I have one and its about 11-12 yrs old, still looks nice (will bloom soon) but i've had to make some strategic cuts so that down the road the limbs don't get overweighted and blow down. Its tap root isn't like an oak so keep away from your lawn.

Willows love water....but their root system can cause havoc on pipes....

Redbuds....jap beetles love'm...spray'em just before 4th of July....

It depends on where you're planting these things but I like Pin Oaks.....and Sycamores....their exfoliating bark is really cool....plus these guys are decent to resisting disease....also I tend to look for trees & shrubs condusive for birds...”

“My absolute favorite is the Willow Oak. It is not a willow - its an oak with narrow leaves.

It has a beautiful form and grows pretty fast, especially if you can give it extra water. They get big. I planted one at my old house 10 years ago and its big enough to throw off plenty of shade already. I've put 2 in here. The narrow leaves make fall cleanup easier.


White Ash, Green Ash and Tulip Tree are good choices too.


Bradford Pears were all the rage 20 years ago. Public Works departments planted them along streets everywhere. Now they're cutting them down all over the place because they get heavy and split.”

“Leaves of the Willow Oak:



Young:



Mature:

last edited: 4/11/08 4:03:05 AM”

“Ash might be good if you don't live anywhere near the emerald ash borer states. But, if it hasn't hit your state yet you might end up losing the tree in a few years. That bug devastates ash trees.”

“hey if there are any southern gardeners out there I was just wonderin' if marigolds will flower year round if the don't freeze?”

“Yes, if you keep them deadheaded and occasionally pruned.”

“I dug some fiddleheads yesterday to plant out back...I'd love to have my own little fiddlehead crop!”

“My garden is going to ROCK this year :)”

“mmm... fiddleheads.”

“mmmm future broccoli. Once you've had fresh you never go back to store bought!



Future Giant Cabbage. The package claims it gets up to 50 lbs!



Its time to thin the spinach :)


Chinese cabbage is starting to take off now.


I have 30 tomatoes in my greenhouse, a bunch of peppers too, and all kinds of other goodies in there :) Soon I can plant them out.

everything is organic...from start to finish in my garden so not herbicides, pesticides or fertilizers. Good ol compost is all one needs and I make that myself!
last edited: 5/01/08 9:59:42 AM”

“You poop in your garden?”

“I planted our garden today. It just looks like dirt; I only plant seeds. If I try to start them inside they die.”

“Not many seedlings I started survived. I may just put the rest of the seeds out in the garden and try it your way, Sass. One funny survivor is a teeny apple seedling. It came from a particularly tasty apple, and was already sprouting inside the fruit when I cut it open. It's pretty, at least.”

“I bought five new perenials from a neighbor man today for $5. Check out these:



I got three, blackberry lily (belamcanda), and two lilac lupines and a handful of bi-color shamrock bulbs.

Now, I just have to try and find a sunny spot that needs some pretty plants....
last edited: 5/16/08 10:18:41 AM”

“Purty!”

“Pretty! What is it?

My front yard should be completly landscaped this weekend. After this, I have some patching of the lawn to take care of, then this is done.

Few more plants in the back and a bit of cleanup and the outside is done.”

“It's called Belamcanda, or blackberry lily”

“Nice, at full bloom they'll look great.”

“Harvested our first veggies last week. Some broccoli raab. Spinich and lettuce shouldn't be far behind.

We also have our first pickup this week from the local CSA. Soon we'll be up to our ears in fresh veggies. i can't wait!”

“Sass, I know where there's a sunny spot in Wisconsin:)”

“Nimblefoot, when I split perenials this fall I'll give you a shout. A few of my favorite plants have come from TTers. A few years ago we did a nice little plant swap here. I'll pass some on to you gladly. Just have to let them get nice and sturdy before shipping.”

“Hey there, IJ! Long time no see.”

“Nimblefoot, I just split my day lilies again -- the next door neighbors got some. I split some of the iris I got a few years back from Sirpete and put some in the right of way bed out front. Stop down the road a bit and sit a spell among the flowers sometime.”

“My daughter (Conover/Eagle River) is on her way over as I type. Which mean I'll be visiting her in 4-5 weeks. When time gets closer and plans firm up, I'll email you.”

“Those SirPete Iris' are gorgeous. Mine are blooming right now. =)”

“I swear, right now I have to weed twice a day. I go out, pull all the weeds I find, then BAM the next morning there's twice as many! They're growing faster than the good plants!”

“Just came in from having morning coffee while sitting at our little bistro table in the front garden. I think I can finally accept that winter is over! (Am I jinxing things by saying that?)”

“weeds = bunny food and salad at my house...


I'm runnin' out of weeds. I keep hoping more lambs quarters will pop up but I may have to venture into the woods to get some more lol
Speaking of salad, I'm being over run by spinich from the garden. I wonder if I could dehydrate some and add it to trail pasta or ramon soup?

Tommorrow I think it's warm enough to plant out my giant pumpkin seedlings. I'm hoping to at elast get a 500 lb but getting a 1000 lb would be so awesome.
last edited: 5/17/08 8:05:25 AM”

“holy great pumpkin! wtf do you do with a 1000 lb pumpkin! lol! are you serious?”

“You'll need to baby that pumpkin vine, and grow it in mostly composted manure rather than soil. Also, only allow 1 fruit per vine to allow for maximum size.

Spinach dehydrates great for backpacking, but a little can go a very long way.”

“yogi, I bought special seed from a guy who grew a 1500 lb pumpkin LOL I have my seeds sprouted and my patch ready to plant them out tomorrow :)”

“if you get raided by the DEA I am going to read that post back to you...”