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Melonie
05-04-2015, 03:01 PM
Yeah, I'm in the nude to plant a few seeds.

^^^ sounds like you and my hybrid self-pollinating cucumbers have quite a bit in common !!!

carmen_b
05-04-2015, 03:45 PM
This stuff sounds like common crops near where I am !
OMG I love this thread! I love gardening it's so relaxing and a bit of a workout!
I don't have a garden, but I go to my mum's whenever I can and garden in hers. Last time I planted belgian endives as I really want them to grow. She's got banana, mango, lemon, lemongrass, hugeee aloe veras, literally every common herb, eggplants, sweet potato, a few tomato types, bok choy, onions, zucchini, kale… i think that's it but it's always changing.

Do you guys do permaculture?

Eric Stoner
05-05-2015, 07:58 AM
One reason I started to grow my own veggies - to get a tomato with some FLAVOR ! All the supermarkets near me are supplied with these flavorless hybrids designed to bruise less easily and have a longer shelf life. Now I grow my own fat , juicy beefsteak and cherry tomatoes that taste like Tomatoes and not cardboard. Plus I enjoy it. Except for the continual weeding lol.

slowpoke
05-05-2015, 09:19 AM
There is nothing better than a Homegrown Tomato

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TWwyhCVBDg

threlayer
05-07-2015, 11:18 AM
When you tend to the soil properly, the weeds love it too.

threlayer
05-07-2015, 11:20 AM
Yeah, I'm in the nude to plant a few seeds.^^^ sounds like you and my hybrid self-pollinating cucumbers have quite a bit in common !!!

Depends on what you're doing with those cucumbers.

Aurora14
05-08-2015, 01:51 PM
I found an easy gardening activity to do with my daughter! Planting flowers to repel mosquitoes! We have some nice stone planters lining our patio that I put Dusty Miller in the center (Doesn't repel mosquitoes, but occasionally will regrow multiple seasons) and surrounded it with orange and yellow Marigolds. I have a low hanging planter that we put blue Fossflower (Ageratum) surrounded by white Allysum (doesn't repel but it is cute). I have a couple of catnip plants that I want to put in the center of my raised vegetable beds because the look super nice when they flower, are perennial, and I can split them up for transplant. I am on the search for citronella grass too.

Here are some other mosquito repelling plants that are either pretty or can be eaten:
Basil
Lemon Thyme
Sage
Rosemary
Geraniums
Lavender

There are tons more plants and natural repellants you can make too. http://bestplants.com/plants-that-repel-mosquitoes/

MissJu
05-08-2015, 02:21 PM
One reason I started to grow my own veggies - to get a tomato with some FLAVOR ! All the supermarkets near me are supplied with these flavorless hybrids designed to bruise less easily and have a longer shelf life. Now I grow my own fat , juicy beefsteak and cherry tomatoes that taste like Tomatoes and not cardboard. Plus I enjoy it. Except for the continual weeding lol.
Yes, yes and yes!i picked like 100 lbs of tomato and caned them. I had my own tomato's sause whole winter! It was good to drink and cook.

Melonie
05-09-2015, 05:13 PM
^^^ Same with my family, for generations. Growing your own tomatoes, and making / canning your own tomato sauce, is arrguably the only way to get 'real' flavor anymore. For me, that 'real' flavor actually starts with the varieties of tomatoes grown for sauce. My personal favorite sauce varieties are San Marzano and Opalka.



Planting flowers to repel mosquitoes

This absolutely works !!! And different flowers can accomplish a lot more than just repelling mosquitoes. In fact, this is part of a large body of 'traditional' pseudo-science - companion planting. See and

Jay12
05-09-2015, 06:46 PM
I'm trying to get my husband on board with gardening. Subscribing to this thread to get ideas for a garden.

Eric Stoner
05-11-2015, 09:11 AM
When you tend to the soil properly, the weeds love it too.

Yep. They sure do. Weeding is the only part I don't like but it has to be done. Once a week usually does the trick.

MissJu
05-11-2015, 09:16 AM
^^^ Same with my family, for generations. Growing your own tomatoes, and making / canning your own tomato sauce, is arrguably the only way to get 'real' flavor anymore. For me, that 'real' flavor actually starts with the varieties of tomatoes grown for sauce. My personal favorite sauce varieties are San Marzano and Opalka.




This absolutely works !!! And different flowers can accomplish a lot more than just repelling mosquitoes. In fact, this is part of a large body of 'traditional' pseudo-science - companion planting. See http://www.moongrow.com/organic_gardening_guide/companion_planting/companion_planting_chart.html and http://www.heirloom-organics.com/guide/companionplanting.html

I used Polish tomato, they are sweet and shaped like pepper. This is so far my fav tomato!
Under sause i mean, that i just blended them and boiled a little, in some i put salt in some not, cleaned mason jars after steamed them with water.
I made also jams from black berries, blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, i will try to make also from rhubarb.
And i marinated/pickled watermelons yumm.

Melonie
05-11-2015, 10:51 AM
I used Polish tomato, they are sweet and shaped like pepper. This is so far my fav tomato!

Yup, that was the Opalka variety I was talking about ...

http://www.tomatogrowers.com/images/5045.jpg



And i marinated/pickled watermelons yumm

Speaking of pickling, I finally had my grandmother's Harsch crocks shipped down to my 'way south of the border' address. These use a pickling process using yogurt bacteria ( instead of vinegar ), and produce fantastically tasty ( as well as healthy ) pickled 'anything'. This year I'm planning on pickling cucumbers, peppers, and also red + green cabbage sauerkraut ( which is impossible to find down here ).

http://www.wisementrading.com/foodpreserving/fermentation_crock.jpg

I also found the perfect way to 'sanitize' the crocks before putting in the vegetables ... 190 proof Polish vodka

kaninchen
05-11-2015, 12:13 PM
41627

I planted Grandpa Ott and Heavenly Blue morning glories all around the perimeter of my yard. These are some of the Heavenly Blues. This section was so showy this morning! For reference, the blossoms are about as big as my fist. They stay open late into the night, sometimes into the next day. So beautiful!

MissJu
05-11-2015, 02:19 PM
Ty Melonie, i like word Opalka. I bought seeds but non of 100 seeds sprouted. none!
I have been trying to make sauerkraut but it does not come up as my mother's sauerkraut. Maybe i should get that crock..

Melonie
05-11-2015, 03:06 PM
Ty Melonie, i like word Opalka. I bought seeds but non of 100 seeds sprouted. none!

Like many 'heirloom' plant species, Opalka tomato seeds are fairly hard to germinate. Personally speaking, I use a clear cover seed starter tray ( that keeps moisture from escaping ) and a heat mat ( that keeps the starter potting soil at 75 degrees F or so all the time.



I have been trying to make sauerkraut but it does not come up as my mother's sauerkraut. Maybe i should get that crock

Before I moved 'way south of the border' and left my grandmother's Harsch crocks behind, I used them to pickle all sorts of different vegetables. Now that I have them back with me again, I'll be pickling my butt off this year !


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBWZHE6eQeA

The Harsch crocks have a form of primitive 'airlock' that really helps the fermentation process be successful by keeping out 'bad' airborne bacteria. The half-round cover stones also insure that whatever you're trying to ferment is always totally immersed in the brine solution even if fermentation bubbles try to make things float ( if fermenting food isn't exposed to air, no 'bad' bacteria can get started ). I also add active yogurt 'juice' ( strained through a coffee filter ) to help start the fermentation with 'good' bacteria. My best sauerkraut ever was the result of mixing both red and green cabbage.

The Harsch company is now out of business, but similar pickling crocks are available from other suppliers. See

threlayer
05-12-2015, 10:33 AM
With that warm moist, climate way down south, how do you avoid/treat powdery mildew?

Tsepmet1
05-12-2015, 10:50 AM
^ I'm having the same problem with my squash plants.

kaninchen
05-12-2015, 12:44 PM
^ I've read that neem oil applied preventatively and avoiding overhead watering are good tactics.

Melonie
05-12-2015, 02:15 PM
^^^ To minimize mildew problems, I exclusively use soaker hoses at ground level... no excess water on plant leaves by watering from overhead. I also trim off the first 12" worth of leaves from mature plants to try and keep rain bouncing off the ground from hitting the underside of leaves. I also use 'plant collars' to isolate my young plants' leaves from the ground as much as possible until they grow tall enough to trim ...


http://cdn.gurneys.com/images/320/64556.jpg


I also space my plants much wider apart ( like 3 feet ) than I used to in NY ( like 2 feet ) to allow maximum air circulation ( and limit the ability of one infected plant to transmit the infection to the plants next to it ).

Applying mulch around the base of my mildew prone vegetables also helps to some degree.

For squash in particular, I had such serious mildew problems when I first moved 'way south of the border' that I tried using tomato cages over my squash plants last year. This helped quite a bit by keeping leaves farther away from the ground. But eventually they succumbed to mildew anyhow ... but not before I was able to harvest 3-4 good sized squashes from each plant.

For some types of vegetables, I also 'cheat' by selecting hybrid varieties with mildew resistance.

carmen_b
05-12-2015, 03:53 PM
^ same. The local university has seeds for resistance and I buy them straight from the scientists who make them! Check your local ( largest ) university and they might have a seed program.

carmen_b
05-12-2015, 03:57 PM
The larger land plot is on hold. In the last two months , I competed against 200 people to get a 1/4 -1/2 acre plot + affordable farming classes / access to machinery via a state program. In a nutshell ... I made it to the top 20 but there were 12 available.
I HAD to try. Affordable land is nearly unheard of here. I can try again in th fall ( and I should probably do some volunteering there over summer if I'm serious.

So... no 1/4 acre for now. I'm back to my patio and small plot.

carmen_b
05-12-2015, 03:59 PM
For amusement , I planted a whole pack of Arugula seeds in this 3' by 6' space thinking maybe a " few " would take! It's a huge amount now! I love it but am having trouble giving it away fast enough.

ScarletKitten
05-12-2015, 05:52 PM
^ I've read that neem oil applied preventatively and avoiding overhead watering are good tactics.

Yes, Neem oil is amazing. I've also used it on my plants to get rid of aphids and other pests.

threlayer
05-13-2015, 11:57 AM
^^^ To minimize mildew problems, I exclusively use soaker hoses at ground level... no excess water on plant leaves by watering from overhead. I also trim off the first 12" worth of leaves from mature plants to try and keep rain bouncing off the ground from hitting the underside of leaves. I also use 'plant collars' to isolate my young plants' leaves from the ground as much as possible until they grow tall enough to trim {clip}
I also space my plants much wider apart ( like 3 feet ) than I used to in NY ( like 2 feet ) to allow maximum air circulation ( and limit the ability of one infected plant to transmit the infection to the plants next to it ).

Applying mulch around the base of my mildew prone vegetables also helps to some degree. {clip} For some types of vegetables, I also 'cheat' by selecting hybrid varieties with mildew resistance.

Thank you, Mel. These are all the things I can think of too (besides sterlizing the soil LOL). I've had troubles with squashes, cucumbers, melons, etc. I'm going to soaker hoses this year.

MissJu
05-25-2015, 09:11 PM
I gave my landlord last year a couple of opalka tomatoes, he saved seeds. And planted them a week ago in the pot and they already 1 inch long! He brought them to me on sunday, cuz he planted them for me. So he got no problem with them, and i bought some failed seeds on ebay... I have to plant them to give him some tomatoes again:))))

kaninchen
05-26-2015, 12:59 PM
I'm super elated because I discovered that a shrub growing in my garden is a datura!

I planted datura inoxia seeds that I gathered from wild plants (although apparently that's illegal...) two years ago and nothing took. This spring I planted datura metel from a seed pack and none of those took, either. Then, on the opposite side of my garden from where I had planted those, an interesting little seedling popped up.

I let it grow out of curiosity. Now that it's a good 2 feet high, it's very clearly datura, although I can't tell which type. I'm sooooo beyond excited because I LOVE toxic flowers. I can't wait until it blossoms!!!

kaninchen
05-26-2015, 01:21 PM
Also: I'm really excited because I finally identified this weedy perennial vine that I can't get rid of. It's called a moth vine and while it's really lovely, it attracts aphids and mildew like nobody's business, and seriously looks like a decomposing zombie plant. It's really gross!

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3233/2701676728_d677e62cc3.jpg

It is pretty though. This is what it looks like when it's not being eaten alive by millions of fat orange aphids. Too bad it's so susceptible to pests.

Eric Stoner
06-17-2015, 11:25 AM
^^^tilling in some peat moss will improve soil 'looseness', as well as reducing pH at the same time. So will adding some ( month oid ) coffee grounds !!! And for dense soil, there simply is no substitute for a roto-tiller !


http://a2.ec-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/147/67be97e686a34da8a60eac4b4382c29c/l.jpg



Also, if you believe in 'companion' planting, setting up another trellis for pole beans right next to your trellis for cucumbers will cause both plants to do better.

The coffee grounds seem to have done the trick. The vines are doing great and I already have some fruit - perfectly shaped and nicely sized. I'll pick one in a couple days and put it in my salad. Can't wait.

My leafy greens did great - weeks of fresh romaine lettuce , endive , escarole , salad bowl lettuce and parsley.

My vine veggies are looking great. Already picked a beautiful Bell pepper and had it in an omelet.

Thanks again for all the great advice.

So how are my fellow gardeners doing ?

kaninchen
06-17-2015, 11:37 AM
My cosmos are blooming, my violets are still going strong, and my nasturtiums are getting so big that they're about to take over the property and evict me.

Melonie
06-17-2015, 01:48 PM
Everything in my garden is growing like crazy, but ...

Other than my 'lesbian' cucumbers ( self-pollinating greenhouse variety), I'm not seeing much setting of fruits yet. If this keeps up much longer I may have to start manual pollination !!! I hate to resort to that, though, since it also serves as a means to spread early blight mold and other diseases from one plant to the next.

Well, the news media HAS been reporting a huge reduction in the number of bees, etc.

sexsells
07-18-2015, 06:09 PM
I checked and the belgian endives/chicory didn't take which i was very sad about, I have no idea why they didn't take... on the plus side heaps of tomatoes, self sowing spinach, mâche, beetroot, carrots and lettuce are growing though so that's something!

Tsepmet1
07-18-2015, 06:10 PM
Once the fall planting season begins, I'm going to plant some green zebra and purple Cherokee tomatoes.

I may even try squash again! :)

PhatGirlDynomite!!!
04-15-2016, 08:13 AM
Spring is HERE! its been too long since anyone has posted in this great thread. According to a new study Women who live around greenery and flowers have a lower mortality rate (http://consumer.healthday.com/environmental-health-information-12/environment-health-news-233/living-near-green-spaces-might-lengthen-women-s-lives-709961.html). Summer is just around the corner. Go get dirty girls. Let's live foreeverrrrrrrr

PhatGirlDynomite!!!
04-15-2016, 08:23 AM
First project for the new garden is a marble and stained glass fence. Then get started on my tomatoes.


44719

slowpoke
04-15-2016, 08:49 AM
Spring arrived here last month, then went away. I got out the tractor and rowed up the garden,but heavy rain is forecast for the weekend, and after that El Nino is supposed to fade, so I might have to put the cultivator on and flatten out the rows and plant flat this year.

It was a mild winter and fairly wet spring, and the grass is doing well.

Tsepmet1
04-15-2016, 05:06 PM
My squash is doing well, but I've got mildew gnats like crazy. I live waterfront, so they're impossible to get rid of. Grrrr.

whirlerz
04-15-2016, 05:28 PM
Spring arrived here last month, then went away. I got out the tractor and rowed up the garden,but heavy rain is forecast for the weekend, and after that El Nino is supposed to fade, so I might have to put the cultivator on and flatten out the rows and plant flat this year.

It was a mild winter and fairly wet spring, and the grass is doing well.

What about the Snakes tho???

Velveteen.Rabbit
04-15-2016, 05:54 PM
SO excited, I'm about to rent a house with friends and I will finally have a yard. I've never had a yard in my adult life since I've been a fan of tall buildings and city lifestyle, so this is new for me. I'm SO excited to start gardening I can hardly contain myself lol! I'm starting with roses and a vegetable garden. Any plant/flower recommendations for a newbie?

slowpoke
04-15-2016, 06:12 PM
What about the Snakes tho???

They don't eat that much.

slowpoke
04-15-2016, 06:14 PM
SO excited, I'm about to rent a house with friends and I will finally have a yard. I've never had a yard in my adult life since I've been a fan of tall buildings and city lifestyle, so this is new for me. I'm SO excited to start gardening I can hardly contain myself lol! I'm starting with roses and a vegetable garden. Any plant/flower recommendations for a newbie?

You can go to the grocery store, buy some ginger root, plant it. Makes a pretty flower.

If you want something to eat, there is nothing better than homegrown tomatoes.

BabyWillow
04-15-2016, 06:53 PM
I don't have a garden but I've been growing in a greenhouse for two years now I will take some plants with me and move to Florida to start a garden with!!! I'm so excited :) I hope they do well down there!

GeezLouise
04-16-2016, 04:18 AM
I'm currently re-doing our garden.
Soooo many weeds, it is driving me insane.

So going to increase the terras. Yes, I will be doing it myself, fingers crossed.
Then moving sowing new grass and moving my Rhododendrons.
They're blooming right now, so I hope moving them won't stop that, they're so beautifull!

PhatGirlDynomite!!!
04-16-2016, 09:09 AM
My squash is doing well, but I've got mildew gnats like crazy. I live waterfront, so they're impossible to get rid of. Grrrr.

Have you tried putting down sticky tape or the fly tapes? Bright reds,orange even pink colors attract them. I get them on my porch garden all the time. I use sticky notes and then lather elmers glue on them. then just lay them down glue side up near the roots of my plants. Im in Florida lots of humidity. I suppose if you have a bigger space where your squash grow you can use bigger pieces of paper?

PhatGirlDynomite!!!
04-16-2016, 09:12 AM
One of my neighbors has overdone it with the night blooming garden. It's to the point we cant sit outdoors at night time because the scent is overwhelming.

Tsepmet1
04-26-2016, 11:27 AM
Have you tried putting down sticky tape or the fly tapes? Bright reds,orange even pink colors attract them. I get them on my porch garden all the time. I use sticky notes and then lather elmers glue on them. then just lay them down glue side up near the roots of my plants. Im in Florida lots of humidity. I suppose if you have a bigger space where your squash grow you can use bigger pieces of paper?

I use insecticidal soap and sand on the top of the soil so they can't lay their eggs there. I also went and got myself a carnivorous hanging plant.

I also live in Florida.

whirlerz
05-15-2016, 09:30 AM
I just got a couple plants from Wal mart, a string of pearls (succulent) & a Rosemary herb plant. The herb plants are in those disolving dirt pots. :)

slowpoke
05-15-2016, 10:50 AM
Got some squash. The tomato plants are overcrowded, making it hard to find the tomatoes.

whirlerz
05-15-2016, 11:23 AM
Did you ever have fried zucchini flowers? yum.
Watch out for those Snakes!

slowpoke
05-15-2016, 01:01 PM
Did you ever have fried zucchini flowers? yum.
Watch out for those Snakes!

Didn't have a gun with me last time I saw a snake, and it was moving so fast it would have been long gone if I had tried to go get one.

Maybe I will plant a few zucchini and try some.