What's going in your garden in '11?

Mr. Green Jeans

Mr. Green Jeans

New member
Freddie's had 40% off garden seeds so I stocked up on early crop stuff: beets, endive, bok choi, peas and carrots. It is still a little early but with temps in the 50's yesterday it was pure therapy to just rattle the packets.
 
I haven't been to mine for over a month. First it was blistering hot, then it was very windy, then it poured. Then it went through the whole cycle again. Today it is in the mid 70's with Santa Anna winds at 40 miles per hour and gusts up to 50 and 60. Not good for my asthma.

I plan to go tomorrow and see what the gardens look like. I found out that they are holding off on the fee increase from $25 to $120. No bills will be sent out until March. The senior gardener told me that they are reviewing things. Maybe the increase won't be quite so huge after all. The constituency really gave their reps and the Dept of Parks and Rec an earful at that meeting. Then several went to the next board meeting and gave them another piece of their mind.
 
ha I have been getting itchy about the garden lately even though we are months from being able to do anything. My Iris are popping through the ice oddly making me hopeful for warmer days to come. Gonna try to keep it small and simple this year.
 
you get irises in january, pancho?

did you mean crocuses? it's early, even for those. but irises?


i have nothing planned for my garden except for it to be rebuilt. all of the properties around me are terraced by roughly 3 to 4 foot retaining walls, and last year the wall holding up my garden on the back end of my property collapsed. so, as soon as the ground thaws, i either have to take a few days off and get really motivated to remove-then-rebuild 160 square feet of cinder block wall, or just work more o.t. and hire someone to do it.

so, no spring garden for me this year. :sad:
 
nothing is planned as of yet, but I DO plan on making the most of my little space again this season.

As of now, the only thing that is growing, in the poo collection from some dog in the hood(I assume it's a dog, and a biggun at that, unless it's some homeless, er, Outdoors man)but that is just fertilizer right?lol.

Ground will be cleaned, tilled, and re-topsoiled. I have a plan, but nothing is carved in stone.
 
get some lime on that poop asap, uncle ralphie. break it down...

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cu1fM6nxnaY[/ame]
 
We're debating what, if anything to put in our garden. We love having one but there are a few things getting in the way.

Tomatoes are always iffy for us... There's a 100+ year old black walnut tree next door and that doesn't play well with tomato plants.

Hopefully we'll be able to travel a bit more and it always seems like everything is ready to come in right when we're ready to head out.

So maybe a smaller garden, some peppers and green beans maybe.
 
buckytom said:
you get irises in january, pancho?

did you mean crocuses? it's early, even for those. but irises?
:
Click to expand...

yeah it's weird def not crocus they were from a community garden down the street a friend thinned them out a few years ago and they have been treated badly since arriving in my garden. I cant say if i remember them so early last year. On the north side of my house in the cold too go figure. They are just a few blades sticking up through the ice.
 
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PanchoHambre said:
yeah it's weird def not crocus they were from a community garden down the street a friend thinned them out a few years ago and they have been treated badly since arriving in my garden. I cant say if i remember them so early last year. On the north side of my house in the cold too go figure. They are just a few blades sticking up through the ice.
Click to expand...


wow, nice. anything that hardy should be encouraged to grow and spread.

you'll have to post a pic when they flower. when do they flower?
 
buckytom said:
you get irises in january, pancho?

did you mean crocuses? it's early, even for those. but irises?


i have nothing planned for my garden except for it to be rebuilt. all of the properties around me are terraced by roughly 3 to 4 foot retaining walls, and last year the wall holding up my garden on the back end of my property collapsed. so, as soon as the ground thaws, i either have to take a few days off and get really motivated to remove-then-rebuild 160 square feet of cinder block wall, or just work more o.t. and hire someone to do it.

so, no spring garden for me this year. :sad:
Click to expand...

BT, if you do the wall take the soil back 6", pin landscape fabric to the soil then backfill the gap between the rebuilt wall and soil with 3/4" washed river gravel NOT crushed stone. This French drain will relieve the water pressure that most likely did your wall in.
 
I'm going over to the community garden today to survey the disaster that it must be by now. I don't know that I'll be able to plant much beyond carrots, radishes, beets, and maybe a few others. It's too late to plant cabbages etc. Basically I'll be getting ready for spring. With the amount of space that I have I plant just about everything.
 
I've been knocking around the idea of having a small salsa garden this year.
Behind my garden shed would be the perfect spot.
 
Mr. Green Jeans said:
BT, if you do the wall take the soil back 6", pin landscape fabric to the soil then backfill the gap between the rebuilt wall and soil with 3/4" washed river gravel NOT crushed stone. This French drain will relieve the water pressure that most likely did your wall in.
Click to expand...

thanks very much, mr. gj, for the tip.

i'm sure you're right about the drainage. i was also thinking of adding dead men.

lol, that could be literal in joisey...
 
buckytom said:
wow, nice. anything that hardy should be encouraged to grow and spread.

you'll have to post a pic when they flower. when do they flower?
Click to expand...

I don't remember, pretty early tho. Last year they met an unfortunate fate due to constriction debris from the house next door getting piled on them hopefully this year they will be left alone and have a chance to spread a bit. They are tough they have been moved around and been abused... my kind of garden plant.
 
It's a very nice day here today, perfect for gardening. It's in the high 60's with scattered clouds. I'm spending the day weeding and going through my bromeliad collection. Several of them need to be separated and that's going to be a full days work. Does anyone else on the forum grow bromeliads?
 
cleaned out the yard and dumped some pots today planted some lettuces and cleaned and mulched beds and the tree pit on the sidewalk. Rainy but springy day so it was nice to get my hands dirty and see who was poking through the soil and who was budding.
 
We've been cleaning out the garden the last couple of weekends; DH has planted peas and onions, and started seeds for several types of tomatoes, hot and bell peppers, and tomatillos. We also have lettuces coming back and will plant green beans and cucumbers later. And my plan is to do a lot of preserving this summer.
 
Planted peas, bok choi, endive and beets today. The agribon fabric tent will raise the bed temps about 5 degrees to enhance germination.
 
DH and I just got back from buying around 30 or so tomato plants of all different varieties. Guess I'll be in the garden tomorrow preparing the soil and planting. We need a smilie for gardeners.
 
Leni said:
We need a smilie for gardeners.
Click to expand...

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I can't even say I will have a garden... we are about to purchase a house... but we are just moving papers right now. When I will get the keys then I can be excited too.

I am so happy for all of you, there is nothing more beautiful than spending spare time in the garden.
 
My garden is going to be tiny. Really, really tiny! But, yesterday I planted 3 tomato plants and a few strawberry plants. No one in this house will eat tomatoes so those are for me. I miss those more than anything else about where I grew up. We never had a shortage of ripe, juicy tomatoes. Maybe I'll have more luck keeping the critters out of them here than I did at the other house!

Congratulations and good luck with all the paperwork Cuisinette. We just moved in to this house about a month ago, so I can relate! :)
 
Thank you mhend,

I am excited, the house sits on little over 1 acre, it is up on the hill top and the river is just bellow.

It is a lot of snow right now because it is a ski resort town, but I know there is a lot to be done around the house beside gardening.

Trees need to be trimmed and the house needs a lot of painting and here and there touch ups.

I know I will have a lot on my hands but I love that kind of challenge. I was once a contractor and this kind of work is natural to me.

Good luck with your tomatoes, I love them too.
 
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