What's in your garden 2012?

Mr. Green Jeans

New member
Seeds are on sale at Freddie's this weekend. We buy most of our plants through the hort program where my wife teaches otherwise the students might beat her up LOL! Beets, carrots, beans, chard, endive, mesculin are on my list thus far.
 

luvs

'lil Chef
Gold Site Supporter
just windowboxes. i know basil/scallions. maybe indoor tomatoes. hafta see the other herbs & that available.
 

Leni

New member
Just take a walk through the produce section and you'll see what I normally grow. I've had to give up several of my plots at the community garden. They raised the price from $25 a year to $120. For the time being I'm keeping three of the eight. I'm able to grow a lot at home which will compensate for the loss. Right now I've got lettuce, beets, radishes, broccoli and winter tomatoes growing. I'll have to install a fence around my plots at the community garden. Bunny rabbits have moved in.
 

Mr. Green Jeans

New member
just windowboxes. i know basil/scallions. maybe indoor tomatoes. hafta see the other herbs & that available.

Growing veggies in containers isn't all that hard Luvs. Most people size the pot way too small. I use a black plastic #10 nursery container (not pretty but they are FREE) which is about 7 gallons actual volume. I've done tomatoes, potatoes, squash, artichokes and herbs in 'em.
 

belaine

Bottle Washer
Super Site Supporter
Just take a walk through the produce section and you'll see what I normally grow. I've had to give up several of my plots at the community garden. They raised the price from $25 a year to $120. For the time being I'm keeping three of the eight. I'm able to grow a lot at home which will compensate for the loss. Right now I've got lettuce, beets, radishes, broccoli and winter tomatoes growing. I'll have to install a fence around my plots at the community garden. Bunny rabbits have moved in.

Leni, I am growing beets for the first time. Planted them in middle of December. How can I tell when they sre ready to harvest?
 

Leni

New member
Yummy! One of my favorite veggies. You can start to havest when they are two to three inches in diameter. Harvest only what you need. The rest will continue to grow. The best way to cook them is to wrap them in foil and bake them as you would a potato. Even the oldest toughest beets come out fork tender this way.

A friend gave me this recipe. After the beets have been baked, slice or dice them and add blue cheese, fig balsamic vinegar, and chopped filberts to taste.
 

luvs

'lil Chef
Gold Site Supporter
Growing veggies in containers isn't all that hard Luvs. Most people size the pot way too small. I use a black plastic #10 nursery container (not pretty but they are FREE) which is about 7 gallons actual volume. I've done tomatoes, potatoes, squash, artichokes and herbs in 'em.


sweet info, thx, mr. GJ. i've grown windowboxes for years & was toying w/ the thought of potaotes, too. i have a beige one of those windowboxes & many various potters somewhere in the room i call 'the junk room' as that's where i place anything i won't need for awhile. artichokes! squash! i'm intrigued. further info would be appreciated. hehe, i sound sorta like an infomercial.
 

Mr. Green Jeans

New member
OK, there's a great little water timer by Orbit which runs off of 3 AA batteries and lasts a growing season. I have used one several years without fail. One does need to get dialed in with your crops and watering needs. With the emitters I was using 10 minutes per day was adequate.
 

Mr. Green Jeans

New member
Here's the link for the type timer I have: http://www.orbitonline.com/products/Timers/01/01/10/1728/
Potting mixes: most of the stuff available retail is designed for small pots. It contains way too much peat or now coir (cocoanut husks) for large pots plus you fill several and it gets spendy as well. Talk to some local nurseries that grow their own plants and see if you can't purchase a pine bak based mix bulk from them.
 

Bells

New member
I can't wait and I'm hoping for an early spring. I'll be planting several varieties of tomatoes, scarlet runner beans, herbs and whatever else I can fit in.
 

Leni

New member
I spent yesterday afternoon weeding the herb garden and turning the soil over. Today I'll be planting herbs of all kinds.
 

Mr. Green Jeans

New member
Leni, last year I picked up a pot of oregano. Me being the horticulturalist, I KNEW it was oregano and did not need to read a stinking label. Well it WAS oregano, oregano specifically and they weren't kidding!
 

Leni

New member
Right now I have four different varieties of organo. No. Make that five. I have Greek, Mexican, Italian, just plain old oregano, and one that was found growing on a ladies estate up in Santa Barbara. A natural sport. The Greek has turned out to be very invasive. The Mexican was given to me a few months ago and looks like it could do the same so it's in a pot.
 

luvs

'lil Chef
Gold Site Supporter
mr gj, im'ma look into that. i need fresh herbs from the sunshine, not from the 'iggle. TY
 

leolady

New member
I just bought a bunch of seed at Walmart, Orschelins, and online!

Spring planting fever is setting in!
 

QSis

Grill Master
Staff member
Gold Site Supporter
I can't wait and I'm hoping for an early spring. I'll be planting several varieties of tomatoes, scarlet runner beans, herbs and whatever else I can fit in.

Well, now this is interesting, Bells!

I had planned to grow Chinese Long Beans again, but now I'm thinking maybe scarlet runner beans instead.

I only have enough space to grow one variety of pole beans (I grow everything in containers), and I LOVE anything that will attract hummingbirds. Scarlet runner beans will do double-duty!

Cool!

Lee
 

Bells

New member
Well, now this is interesting, Bells!

I had planned to grow Chinese Long Beans again, but now I'm thinking maybe scarlet runner beans instead.

I only have enough space to grow one variety of pole beans (I grow everything in containers), and I LOVE anything that will attract hummingbirds. Scarlet runner beans will do double-duty!

Cool!

Lee
I grow them along my fences. They grow like crazy and completely cover the fences. They can be eaten green or matured into dried beans. They about the easiest thing I've ever grown.
 
Well, now this is interesting, Bells!

I had planned to grow Chinese Long Beans again, but now I'm thinking maybe scarlet runner beans instead.

I only have enough space to grow one variety of pole beans (I grow everything in containers), and I LOVE anything that will attract hummingbirds. Scarlet runner beans will do double-duty!

Cool!

Lee

Scarlet Runner Beans are the only pole bean I grow. They are WONDERFUL!! The flowers not only attract bees & hummingbirds, but they're edible with a light "beany" taste & make wonderful plate garnishes & salad additions.

I like picking the young beans (which are flat like Italian Romano beans), slicing them into 1" pieces, boiling or steaming them, & then tossing them with butter, salt, freshly ground black pepper, & fresh chopped or dried Marjoram. Heaven on a plate. Definitely a hands-down favorite, & very attractive in the garden. The two years I planted them up bamboo-pole tepees made for my prettiest veggie gardens.
 
Uh, just make sure when you set up those bamboo-pole teepees that you stake them in very securely.

While they did make for my prettiest gardens ever, they also were the two gardens I spent re-setting up those teepees after every summer storm. Luckily, the fallen teepees didn't yank the bean plants out of the ground, but it was a messy & tiresome task all summer.
 

leolady

New member
Uh, just make sure when you set up those bamboo-pole teepees that you stake them in very securely.

While they did make for my prettiest gardens ever, they also were the two gardens I spent re-setting up those teepees after every summer storm. Luckily, the fallen teepees didn't yank the bean plants out of the ground, but it was a messy & tiresome task all summer.

I decided not to do any extra work every year. A couple of years ago, I bought steel fence posts and wire cattle panels, and put permanent trellises down the middle of each of my raised beds.

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I plant all of my beans, tomatoes, peas, etc. on these permanent trellises. And they didn't cost much to make or take a lot of effort to put together.:encore:
 

Leni

New member
I was going to put in my fence to keep Thumper out today but it was cold and the winds were really up. Maybe tomorrow.
 

Leni

New member
We got the stakes in but DH started feeling dizzy so we stopped. His blood pressure was way down for some reason. It was a little on the warm side but still.... I did get some weeding done but the fence itself will have to be done this next week.
 

Leni

New member
My son came down last Tuesday and finished the fence. He also pulled five trash barrels of weeds. All I have to do now is finish up pulling whats left and rototill.
 

leolady

New member
On Sunday I planted a pear tree, a crabapple tree, two plum trees, potatoes, and half of the huge amount of onions sets I bought.

I also temporarily planted the wild strawberry plants I bought until I get the permanent beds ready.
 

GotGarlic

New member
DH has planted peas, orange and purple carrots, red and yellow onions, and parsnips. We have cilantro and spinach still growing from last fall. I have a pretty big herb garden with a 15-foot-tall or so bay tree in the center, thyme, rosemary, lemongrass, sage, and tarragon. We get annual herbs at an herb sale in April. I also replanted a wide, low terra-cotta pot with mesclun mix. A sprinkle a week and we'll have fresh greens for salads all summer.
 

Leni

New member
Tomato Mania arrived at the farm stand on Thursday. It's a company based here in California. They probably covered an acre with different varieties of tomatoes. 4" pots are $4. We bought about $80 worth of plants. Many of them I can't find elsewhere. If you get one I highly recommend Michael Pollon. I've also seen it spelled Pollan. It's a natural sport of Green Zebra and is one of the best I've grown.
 
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