Forums >Off the Beaten Path>2014 Gardening Thread
jules2
I'm betting you are referring to a rototiller. That's one thing I enjoyed about my trip to the UK a few years back (aside from meeting Purdey of course). Some of the subtle linguistical differences really interest me.
I'm betting you are referring to a rototiller.
That's one thing I enjoyed about my trip to the UK a few years back (aside from meeting Purdey of course). Some of the subtle linguistical differences really interest me.
Old age is when you move from illegal to prescribed drugs.
Prince of Fatness
This past weekend I noticed that the potato plants are starting to emerge.
Not at it at all.
Feeling the growl again
Mine went in the ground yesterday. I am SO HAPPY my girls are now old enough to be a real help in the garden. It took no time flat.
Now I cross my fingers that they are as good at weeding....
"If you want to be a bad a$s, then do what a bad a$s does. There's your pep talk for today. Go Run." -- Slo_Hand
I am spaniel - Crusher of Treadmills
I am finding out that I raised a good kid in my son. He lives close by and the last couple of weekends I have asked him to come over and help around the house because I am laid up from hip surgery. I had a list of some things to do including weeding the garden and he did everything without a complaint. He's a good kid.
Fitness Jogger
I decided to try Hydroponic gardening this year. I did Topsy Turvey tomatoes the last few years (no yard, just a deck) and they worked. Needed constant watering though.
Last year a friend purchased a "Tower Garden", if you google it, you'll see it is a hydroponic garden system that is patented and costs $500.00. I decided to not spend that and figure out how to do it cheaper.
I read a lot and found lots of YouTube videos and how-to's and found out a much cheaper way with buckets, fish-tank pumps and I have basic systems set up for less than $100. (I know, still a lot).
I have tomatoes, peppers, strawberries, blueberries and cucumbers. Oh, and lettuce. The lettuce is almost ready to harvest and I don't know how. I need to watch a video on how to do that! I can start a new batch of lettuce as soon as I cut it off.
I've got mine all outside. Usually, it is indoors. I've got it set up on the southwest side of the deck, so lots of sun.
Since I do not have a green thumb, I'll see if this works. All the videos swear even a non-gardener like myself can grow stuff this way. My lettuce might prove it to be true!
Beware, batbear...
We built some plant boxes this year as I had limited luck with in-ground growing last year. We planted all seeds in a "plant by square foot" plot. Lots of little sprigs sprouting including carrots, radishes, turnips, beets, cabbage, etc.
Put in a couple of rows of corn and some squash plants that the neighbor brought down. Cucumbers are starting to sprout out of mounds.
Still waiting on herb seeds to spring, but hopeful. Will post pics soon.
2014 Goal -- Run 5X per week, pain-free (relatively) by end of summer.
Singer who runs a smidge
I'm trying container gardening this year to foil annoying voracious deer. Seriously, even our 100 lb dog can't keep those monsters out of the garden! So snow peas, pole beans, blueberries, carrots, cherry tomatoes, strawberries, and corn. Spinach until it gets warm, and basil after that. We'll see how it goes, it's an experiment. I'm thinking of turning the actual garden beds we have into roses and other flowers. Oh, and I bought some spearmint seeds to put in little pots all around my veggie pots, to hopefully discourage those damned hooved stomachs. They even stripped half of our holly bush over the winter!!
When it's all said and done, no one remembers how far we have run. The only thing that matters is how we have loved.
The lettuce is almost ready to harvest and I don't know how. I need to watch a video on how to do that!
Easy, you just take scissors and cut off the leaves.
Funky Kicks 2019
Gosh, I still can't believe how far behind my garden is from you guys. My dad checked his soil and his soil temp is only up to 48 degrees. I think mine is a bit warmer than that, but not by much.
On the plus side, my peas are finally starting to emerge and in another week I bet I can cut a couple asparagus spears. And my celery and hot peppers finally germinated.
My husband brought home two nucs of honeybees this past weekend, so it will be nice to have them to do my pollination this summer. I am convinced I see better production in the garden since we started trying to keep bees three years ago. (I say "trying" because we have had mixed success)
Leah, mother of dogs
I'm curious. What does it take to keep bees? Like I need one more hobby, but since I have the orchard and space...
My neighbor sells honey but I've never asked him how involved it is.
I'm curious. What does it take to keep bees? Like I need one more hobby, but since I have the orchard and space... My neighbor sells honey but I've never asked him how involved it is.
It depends on how you want to do it. Some beekeepers are very into manipulating the bees, trying to get the best harvest. And it depends on the diseases and pests in your area, and how you decide to treat or not treat them.
For us, we prefer a hands off approach. We do treat for one type of disease, a preventative strip of medicine that gets placed in the hive at a certain time, but other than that we don't do a lot. My husband inspects the hives every few weeks to make sure we don't have any problems and to see if they need more room to grow the hive. Still, we almost alway have our bees swarm. That just means half the hive and the queen leave. And the remaining bees must raise a new queen. It's not a big deal, just puts the hive back a few weeks in terms of population growth. If it happens right before winter that can be bad, because you need a healthy population to get through the cold.
i would say that it is pretty involved. I mean, there are a lot of days where you do nothing at all, but some days where you can be spending several hours in the hives. It has been a great deal more challenging than we had expected. If you are friends with your neighbor, you should ask to observe him doing a hive inspection. That would give you a good idea if it is something you would want to try.
It depends on how you want to do it. Some beekeepers are very into manipulating the bees, trying to get the best harvest. And it depends on the diseases and pests in your area, and how you decide to treat or not treat them. For us, we prefer a hands off approach. We do treat for one type of disease, a preventative strip of medicine that gets placed in the hive at a certain time, but other than that we don't do a lot. My husband inspects the hives every few weeks to make sure we don't have any problems and to see if they need more room to grow the hive. Still, we almost alway have our bees swarm. That just means half the hive and the queen leave. And the remaining bees must raise a new queen. It's not a big deal, just puts the hive back a few weeks in terms of population growth. If it happens right before winter that can be bad, because you need a healthy population to get through the cold. i would say that it is pretty involved. I mean, there are a lot of days where you do nothing at all, but some days where you can be spending several hours in the hives. It has been a great deal more challenging than we had expected. If you are friends with your neighbor, you should ask to observe him doing a hive inspection. That would give you a good idea if it is something you would want to try.
Thanks. Looks like this is on the list of things I don't need to tangle with. I mean I would love it but it's something that will have to wait until my kids no longer thing I'm cool and don't want anything to do with me.
Oh! I thought I had to cut off the whole head. I'm growing romaine and it's rocking!
Thank you!
Oh! I thought I had to cut off the whole head. I'm growing romaine and it's rocking! Thank you!
Romaine is a leaf lettuce, not a head lettuce. So if you are waiting for a tight head like an iceberg lettuce I think you'll be waiting awhile! I think what we grow is Romaine...we don't get a head, if you let it got too long you get a stalk. The stalk eventually goes to seed. Then you luck out like us this year and don't have to replant the next.
Village people
Onions in, strawberries flowering, rhubarb almost ready to cut and freeze. I did the first-pass rough pruning of my grape vines. Tragic. I have 68 mature vines - 20 Marachel Foch (red), 18 Oberlin Noir (red), 20 Cayuga White, 5 Ontario (white seeded table grape) and 5 Canadice (red seedless table grape). The Cayuga were by far my highest-yielding, I got almost a gallon of wine per vine last year. Also have 30 Marquette (red) I put in just last year. The three consecutive -15F days with wind exposure this winter may have been too much even for this cold-hardy variety. For certain, everything under 3/8" in diameter is dead. I saw some water coming out of the cut ends a week ago, but now they are not weeping anymore and look to be browning. Buds are breaking on everything except the Cayuga. At this point, I think the best-case scenario is that the 2 feet of snow on the ground protected the roots and I lose 2 years growing them back to full size. I'm guessing these trunks are dead.
Onions in, strawberries flowering, rhubarb almost ready to cut and freeze.
I did the first-pass rough pruning of my grape vines. Tragic. I have 68 mature vines - 20 Marachel Foch (red), 18 Oberlin Noir (red), 20 Cayuga White, 5 Ontario (white seeded table grape) and 5 Canadice (red seedless table grape). The Cayuga were by far my highest-yielding, I got almost a gallon of wine per vine last year. Also have 30 Marquette (red) I put in just last year.
The three consecutive -15F days with wind exposure this winter may have been too much even for this cold-hardy variety. For certain, everything under 3/8" in diameter is dead. I saw some water coming out of the cut ends a week ago, but now they are not weeping anymore and look to be browning. Buds are breaking on everything except the Cayuga. At this point, I think the best-case scenario is that the 2 feet of snow on the ground protected the roots and I lose 2 years growing them back to full size. I'm guessing these trunks are dead.
Where did you get your grape vines? I'd love to plant some.