# Gardens in 2010



## Susan in VA (Apr 3, 2009)

Spring has sprung, and some of us are starting our vegetable and flower gardens.  (Some of you well-organized people probably even started seeds indoors six weeks ago.)

Has your growing season started?  What are you planting this year?  Besides tomatoes, I mean.


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## libros_lego (Mar 24, 2009)

Here are my dad's orchids:


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## Shayne Parkinson (Mar 19, 2010)

It's autumn here, my very favourite season. Soon we'll be thinking about putting the garden to bed for winter.

This year we grew lots of tomatoes and corn, and for the first time I grew beans among the corn - a real success. A fine asparagus harvest, lots of artichokes, rocket (arugula), broad beans, fennel, peas, basil...

But I'm specially fond of my dishevelled, unruly rose garden:


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## BTackitt (Dec 15, 2008)

Pineapple Mint, Lemon Thyme, White HIbiscus, Red Hibiscus, Copper Canyon Daisies (bright orangy color). My Rosemary from last year is growing great, as is a rosebush DH thought he had dug out all of the roots for. (actually he dug it up because it was spindly and ugly nothing was growing on it except maybe 10 leaves, and 2 came back in place.) I think I'll be picking up a Chocolate Mint tomorrow, and maybe some other herbs.


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## geoffthomas (Feb 27, 2009)

Lots of daffodils - will post pic later.


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## patinagle (Oct 16, 2009)

I discovered rhubarb last year so I planted one this year.  Hope it thrives!  

Also planted peas and radishes, and have started tomatoes indoors.  Can't put them out until mid-May.  We have been known to have snow on May Day.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

patinagle said:


> I discovered rhubarb last year so I planted one this year. Hope it thrives!


I'm pretty sure there's no alternative. I've heard the only way to get unwanted rhubarb plants out of your yard is to move. . . . . .


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## Susan in VA (Apr 3, 2009)

Jenni, those orchids are gorgeous.  Do they grow outdoors where you are, or does your dad have a greenhouse?


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

We have orchids in our breakfast room.  It gets a lot of sunlight.  They bloom off and on all year round with no special care. . . .we do occasionally put water in the rock bed under their pots. . . . . .


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## Susan in VA (Apr 3, 2009)

I've never had any luck with them...  but then most of my house doesn't get bright sunlight.  Funny, I never used to like orchids, always thought they looked plastic-y and artificial, until I saw them growing on logs in a botanical garden in Hawaii.  They looked much more "at home" there, and I started liking them.  But they still don't like me.


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## LCEvans (Mar 29, 2009)

I love the orchids--beautiful! I've tried growing them before and had no luck.


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## Jane917 (Dec 29, 2009)

Too early for planting here in the northwest, but the beds are cleaned out, and seeds have been delivered. I will get live tomato and pepper plants delivered early May. I love love love our vegetable garden in the summer! This year we are adding pole beans for the first time.


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## LisaB12303 (Feb 12, 2009)

We're in the Northeast, so the outdoor growing season is still over a month away.  None the less, it's now time to start planning and to get seedlings going indoors!

We have a play area in our backyard, on top of a hill that we're planning to transform into a raised garden.  The actual plan is to add four raised gardens, a seating area, a hammock and a birdhouse and bath.

As for what I'm planting, I'm still in the "thinking" stage right now.  

Vegetable Garden (2 plots):

Tomatoes, Cucumbers, lettuce, string beans, peas, zuchinni and summer squash.  Perhaps some pumpkins  Also planning on trying some upside down cherry tomatoes.

Berry Garden:

Strawberries, Blueberries and Raspberries

Flower and Herb Garden:

Still haven't decided precisely what I want to put in here...


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## libros_lego (Mar 24, 2009)

Susan in VA said:


> Jenni, those orchids are gorgeous. Do they grow outdoors where you are, or does your dad have a greenhouse?


Thanks, Susan. He just has them outside, at the back of our house.


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## MichelleR (Feb 21, 2009)

We haven't started yet. Winter seems to have, more or less, vacated early, but normally no one plants all but the hardiest stuff until May. Or early June.

We should start indoors, but that did not end well last year. Of course, when we used the dirt for other things, then the seeds starting sprouting. 

We're doing square foot gardening and the frames are already built. We still have to build covers to keep the deer out. We're also doing hanging planters specifically for tomatoes and grow bags for potatoes.

Other projects involve finishing a water feature next to the garage, adding a mini-bog, and my husband cleaned the pond the other day. We don't have a big yard, but we try to make the most of it, and make it wildlife friendly. The mail lady says she loves coming to our house to see what we're up to. Looking forward to the hummingbirds being back, and we plant with an eye toward attracting them. I think we should definitely add a third feeder since we get tons of activity.


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## Rasputina (May 6, 2009)

My herbs have all come back in full force, mint, thyme, tarragon, the rosemary bush was fine all winter and got pruned recently. Haven't put veggies in yet.


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## carlobee (Jul 21, 2009)

This is a lovely thread. Awesome pics too.


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## patinagle (Oct 16, 2009)

I have chives growing like grass in the veggie bed.  Gonna have to thin them out.


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## Greenkeeper (Mar 16, 2010)

I plan on going with rocks for my flower beds this year. It'd look better than the weeds that are already there


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## Susan in VA (Apr 3, 2009)

Greenkeeper said:


> I plan on going with rocks for my flower beds this year. It'd look better than the weeds that are already there


With your KB name, I would have expected a lush lawn at least!


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## Annalog (Dec 28, 2008)

I haven't gotten around to planting my vegetables in the garden yet (old-style square-foot based) as I have been focusing on getting ready for chickens. However I just finished harvesting asparagus for the second time this spring (first was on Saturday). Fresh asparagus for dinner 2 days out of 3 is great! (The asparagus was planted in spring 2006.)

EDIT: I should have planted last weekend as the Arizona Ash is in full leaf but the mesquite have not yet started to leaf out. Maybe this next weekend.


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## Susan in VA (Apr 3, 2009)

May I request that one of the mods move this thread to the photo board?  I understand that picture-heavy threads ought to be over there, and am hoping for a few more garden photos here (as mentioned in the Bump Thread)....


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## maryannaevans (Apr 10, 2010)

I started my vegetable garden a couple of weeks late, because even in Florida, last winter lasted a long time. Here are my tomatoes, with a few marigolds interspersed in hopes of keeping pests and diseases away:









The two pots in front have cucumbers in them. The two pots in back have Japanese eggplants. There are a few brussels sprouts behind the eggplants, but after I got them home, I read that it was too late to plant them in Florida. Then why did Home Depot have them in stock? Because they want them to die I planted them anyway. And if you see anything else in the photo that is green and not a weed, then it is a bell pepper. I have red ones and green ones and orange ones and yellow ones. Also sweet and hot banana peppers. A jalapeno pepper. And an Anaheim pepper, but it's looking pretty sick...









And here is one of my antique roses, General Schablikine. I didn't realize when I planted it that it would match the cushions on my porch swing, but I guess it was just serendipity.









I'm still watching to see which perennials survived last winter. My salvias seem to be pulling through. My ground orchids? Negatory...


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## Annalog (Dec 28, 2008)

maryannaevans said:


> ... There are a few brussels sprouts behind the eggplants, but after I got them home, I read that it was too late to plant them in Florida. Then why did Home Depot have them in stock? Because they want them to die I planted them anyway. ...


Because they stock the same plants everywhere. We have a similar problem with the plants at Home Depot in Arizona.


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## Annalog (Dec 28, 2008)

I still haven't gotten around to planting my vegetable garden. Hope to do so on Sunday. This is what the asparagus looked like over a week ago. I picked these but missed some a few days ago. Those are now over 4 feet tall.


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## Susan in VA (Apr 3, 2009)

Found out that one of my neighbors (from five houses up the street) doesn't have sunny space for a vegetable garden, so she's going to share my raised beds.  Yay, a gardening buddy!


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Good Luck with that. . . . . . .

(By which, I only mean, that if the garden is in YOUR yard the bulk of the weeding, watering and harvesting will fall to you. . . . .best agree ahead of time what you will and will not do in _her_ section.  )


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## Susan in VA (Apr 3, 2009)

Ann in Arlington said:


> Good Luck with that. . . . . . .
> 
> (By which, I only mean, that if the garden is in YOUR yard the bulk of the weeding, watering and harvesting will fall to you. . . . .best agree ahead of time what you will and will not do in _her_ section.  )


Good point, but.... There are two beds, each about 5' by 14'. She can have one entire one to use as she sees fit. We've agreed that we will not use fertilizers or insecticides that could be harmful to DD or to the neighbor's DS when they play around there. And we already watch each other's kids from time to time, so I know she's pretty easygoing....

And actually, the vegetable garden isn't even in MY yard.  It's in DD's dad's yard... he does, after all, live next door... and I don't have any sun to speak of in my back yard either, which is why I had those beds put in at _his _house some 15 years ago. (Why do you think we go hang out at Paneras to read in the sun? ) Oh, and he's not interested in gardening _at all_, so he's just happy that it's less area to mow.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Good to have neighbors like that! Ed always makes a garden. . .and then always tells all the neighbors to come in and pick whenever they want. . . .only rule is to leave some for other folks. It works well. . . .he doesn't know how to plant just _one_ of anything. . . .after all, what if that one doesn't make it. So he plants _bunches_ and they all grow and then there's way to much for us to eat.

Speaking of which, I think we'll have asparagus again tonight. . . .had it 3 times last week. . . . .


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## Susan in VA (Apr 3, 2009)

Ann in Arlington said:


> he doesn't know how to plant just _one_ of anything. . . .after all, what if that one doesn't make it. So he plants _bunches_ and they all grow and then there's way to much for us to eat.


I think that's a Law of Nature, though. Plant just enough for what you need, and it withers. Plant a few spares, and they all thrive far beyond reasonable expectation.... Never fails.


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## patinagle (Oct 16, 2009)

Am happily transplanting seedlings into bigger pots (can't set the heat-lovers out until mid-May).  I have 5 good cucumber plants and 7 tomatoes.  Gonna try the upside-down tomato planters this year.


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## HelenSmith (Mar 17, 2010)

Hello everyone



> I think we'll have asparagus again tonight


Oh, I love asparagus - but I can see how three times a week might get a bit tiresome. My daughter planted loads of vegetables last year and the purple sprouting broccoli seems to have survived the winter. We've got about five plants dotted about. I think I'm going to have some of _that _tonight.


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## ◄ Jess ► (Apr 21, 2010)

Your gardens are looking so nice! I had a lima bean plant that was getting far too big for its pot, so I planted it outside, but it snowed a bit today and I can't imagine it's doing very well. I should probably go check on it, but I'll feel guilty if I see it's died! I know I should have waited to plant it, but it was like 80 degrees the other day and I thought it was officially springtime...oh well.

I can't wait until I get my own house. I want to plant a garden with plants to attract butterflies and then stick a bench out there and just sit and enjoy.


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## geoffthomas (Feb 27, 2009)

I want to revive this thread.

Here is a picture of part of my vegetable garden area:

















The area to the right is my compost "heap". I move the product from the left to the right so that the finished rich black compost is on the right. The whole thing is about 10 feet long by 3 feet deep. 
The garden directly in the middle of the frame is my wife's veg garden. Tomatoes, peppers, zuchini and some sunflowers. All too small to see in this pic. The garden has 7 foot "deer fencing around it with 4 foot rabbit fencing around the bottom.
The second picture on the right is a closer view of the 15 ft square garden plot.

I will post progress later in the season.


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## geoffthomas (Feb 27, 2009)

And this pic shows MY veg garden.
I have planted corn (mixed white/yellow) on the left, various colors of pole beans on the far right with bush beans in front of them.
I will plant russet and yukon gold potatoes in the middle.

This is an area about 15 ft square (as is my wife's). I have the same combination of deer and rabbit fencing.










I had to weed it, add compost and rototill the beds before planting.


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## Jeff (Oct 28, 2008)

Please keep the pictures coming so that I can watch it grow without all that bending and kneeling.


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## geoffthomas (Feb 27, 2009)

Here is the veggies at about one week after planting.

















The bean plants are the pic on the left and the corn plants (about 4") are the pic on the right.
These were taken a little over a week ago, so I will shortly have some update pics.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Hmmm. . . .I should take a picture of ours. . .though I claim no credit. . . .hubby does it all. . . .


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## geoffthomas (Feb 27, 2009)

Now for an instant growth spurt, pics from last evening.

















The bean plants on the left and the corn on the right. And yes, one of the corn plants is taller than the others.

This was about 1 week after the original pics.


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## geoffthomas (Feb 27, 2009)

So you want to see holes in the ground? Ok.










These holes contain my potatoe plants - yukon gold on the left and russet on the right.
plant the seed potatoes with "stalk" up twelve inches in the ground with compost - cover with approx 2" soil.
when the plant is above the soil level, do it again, until you are at ground level.


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## Jeff (Oct 28, 2008)

Cool beans. Err - corn. That is - potatoes.


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## geoffthomas (Feb 27, 2009)

The plants on the near right are the tomato plants as of last evening.










The green on the right are some lemon balm that I have not pulled out of the space between the gardens yet.
And yes you do see a multi-colored spinner in the garden.
When the wind blows it discourages birds.
If you think you see a bunk of metal near the tomato plants, it is just the 14 gauge wire "cages" that we put in the gardens (supported by the metal stakes) to let the tomato plants climb on - supports the tomatoes later.


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## geoffthomas (Feb 27, 2009)

I seem to be the only one posting here.

Oh, well - here is progress report - week 3(?)

































Top left is the corn plants - coming along nicely. The upper right is the pole beans and the little guys in front are bush beans.

The potatoes are sticking their heads up in the holes (can just see them on the right). After the shot, I put more soil in on them. The final pic is tomatoes.


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## Jeff (Oct 28, 2008)

geoffthomas said:


> I seem to be the only one posting here.


I'm vicariously gardening with you. Thanks for posting.


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## HelenSmith (Mar 17, 2010)

Me too - I'm vicariously gardening. 

I'm reading, not posting.  Not got much to contribute at the moment - my poor old garden looks a bit neglected so I'm glad to follow your updates, Geoff.


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## patinagle (Oct 16, 2009)

Midsummer today!

I planted pumpkins and harvested the last of the snow peas.


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## MichelleR (Feb 21, 2009)

These pictures are about 3 weeks old and we've gotten a good amount of rain since then, so everything is a lot bigger and there's a lot of stuff in bloom. I'll do some updated ones a few days.

I've planted at least a couple dozen planters this year -- it's fun to play in the dirt:









To the left is actually an out of control wildflower garden and not weeds, although that might be splitting hairs. You can also see 1 of 2 "welcome bears" and some hummingbird feeders. The hummingbirds love hiding in and enjoying the wildflowers and later in the season you can walk by and have several flutter up. 









This mess is a mixture of things hummingbirds like:









The next is a newly planted low-growing garden. That's a water feature in the center, but the pump is on the fritz. You can see on the bricks a frog and bunny figurine, as well as a metal cross with a little bit of patina on it. 









This unimpressive triangle is a newly planted butterfly garden. Looks much better now, but still has a way to go. It contains host plants for caterpillars as well as stuff the butterflies like. 









One of three lingonberry plants. We have a lot of things that produces berries -- chokecherries, serviceberries, blueberries, crap apples -- but they're more for the critters than for us.









I did have a couple blueberries the other day:








I think this is a close-up of the crabapple tree? Or is it service berries? Anyhow, this is in my yard, somewhere:









This is a rhubarb plant a friend gave me a few years ago. It actually almost doubled in size in the week or two after this picture was taken. Scary!









These are our 3 raised veggie/herb gardens. I really have to do updates on these as they're really thriving!

























And a few misc. ones of our yard:


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## HelenSmith (Mar 17, 2010)

Wow! I can't believe you've got hummingbirds in your garden, Michelle.  I'm so envious. I have only seen a hummingbird once, I think. We don't get them here. I'm trying to grow flowers that bees will like.  They seem to love foxgloves so I've got a few of those.


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## MichelleR (Feb 21, 2009)

I went in search of some pics of them, but think my husband has them. As funny as it may read, they can freak you out when they want to hover right in front of your face and sorta stare at you or buzz by you so close that you feel a breeze and hear the buzz of their wings. 

If you want to attract bees, consider some mason bee houses. They're non-aggressive and good pollinators. They don't do the honey thing though. They make their homes in little niches and holes and so the houses are variations on holes drilled in a block of wood.


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## HelenSmith (Mar 17, 2010)

Thanks for looking for photos of the humming birds- they're so tiny and sweet, and they seem really exotic if you don't have them buzzing in your face all day.

I'm not sure if I've got room for bee houses.  Fortunately they seem quite happy out there going from flower to flower. But every now and then I read about the declining numbers of bees and how it equates to the end of civilization (I'm following a bee man on Twitter - I know!) and then I worry about it.


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## Kristen Painter (Apr 21, 2010)

If we had more land, I'd garden. Well, if we had more land and I had more time. The best I can do right now is a couple of fruit trees and a good mix of herbs. Sometimes a tomato plant or two.

I love looking at the pictures tho!


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## patinagle (Oct 16, 2009)

Lol!  I always plan on putting out the hummingbird feeders around May 1, and they always arrive a few days early.  This year I was sitting in my writing chair looking out the window when a hummer came up to the window and hovered there, looking in, as if to say "Where's the feeder?"  (I hang one outside the window so I can watch the birds from my chair.)

So I said, "Yes, sir!" and got up to make some sugar water. 

Helen, where are you that you don't get hummingbirds?


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## HelenSmith (Mar 17, 2010)

Pati, I'm in London.  I've been trying to think where it was that I saw the hummingbird - I have been very fortunate and travelled a lot in hot countries abroad.  I can remember the excitement of seeing it, and how tiny it was - but not where I saw it.

We get lots of lovely birds in the garden - and of course, most of them are migratory. It always amuses me to think that they don't need to respect borders or passport control.  It sounds obvious but even pets need passports these days.  But hummingbirds have never found their way here.


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## geoffthomas (Feb 27, 2009)

Helen,
When I lived in Dulwich (south of the Thames) in the mid-70s, we had a nice rear garden behind our terraced house. We were more taken with the family of hedgehogs that lived under our shed than the birds, I am afraid. I was working for a component of the United Nations and spent 60% of my time traveling the developing world, so I did not get as much time to garden as I would have liked. That was sad as I was living in a country full of gardeners. But we managed.

I include here some pics of my front gardens to augment the layout of our vegetable gardens already seen.








and a little farther away








This is the newest "wall" using 27 pound pieces that are 12"longx6"deepx4"high. 
As the second pic may show, this is just to the side of the top of the driveway.


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## patinagle (Oct 16, 2009)

HelenSmith said:


> We get lots of lovely birds in the garden - and of course, most of them are migratory. It always amuses me to think that they don't need to respect borders or passport control. It sounds obvious but even pets need passports these days. But hummingbirds have never found their way here.


That's sad. They've always been a part of my life.

On the other hand, there must be many wonderful things about living in London!


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## HelenSmith (Mar 17, 2010)

Pati, there are lots of lovely things about London but I suppose that what's so interesting about travelling or even just looking at photos of other places on Kindleboards - seeing things that I don't get at home.  

Geoff, I remember you said you lived in Dulwich but I don't remember hearing about the United Nations before.  Very interesting!  And are those hydrangeas in your garden; the big blue flowers? I do love hedgehogs but I haven't seen one in my garden.  We get foxes sometimes - there are a lot of them in London wandering about the streets at night looking for food.


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## geoffthomas (Feb 27, 2009)

Yeah those are hydrangeas.
We have three big clusters of them.
Mostly blue now - have always been told that the color depends upon the acidity of the soil.
They are very nice because they have somewhat attractive foliage (after all you have to live with the green plant all year) and the blossoms last a real long time.


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## MichelleR (Feb 21, 2009)

HelenSmith said:


> Pati, I'm in London. I've been trying to think where it was that I saw the hummingbird - I have been very fortunate and travelled a lot in hot countries abroad. I can remember the excitement of seeing it, and how tiny it was - but not where I saw it.
> 
> We get lots of lovely birds in the garden - and of course, most of them are migratory. It always amuses me to think that they don't need to respect borders or passport control. It sounds obvious but even pets need passports these days. But hummingbirds have never found their way here.


I think one of the most exciting things is how it is a big world with so many places to see and explore, even if the exploration is through books, pictures, and discussion boards. I also know that many reading this thread would love to visit London, but I suppose that goes without saying.


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## geoffthomas (Feb 27, 2009)

I can't help myself - I feel the need to share with you my favorite gardening tools.

















In the left pic we have a hand pick-axe - wonderful for digging up troublesome roots. Or just turning over soil in a small space quickly.
The second tool is a Fiskars garden knife. Kind of a shovel/weeder/knife thingy. Styled after the Japanese gardeners' famous knifes. I really like this tool.
And the third tool is a weeder/cultivator thing.

Between these three tools I can get most work done. I am a "hands-on" (that means getting dirty) gardener.

The right pic shows my favorite tool. It is at least 25 pounds and can be used as a "breaker bar". It has a flat blade on one end and a small tamper on the other. Invaluable when working with fence post holes and when you find a big rock in a hole that you "have" to remove. Incredible at prying things out and the length gives a terrific amount of leverage. I keep that end sharpened - use it to remove large roots from gardens.

I noone asked about such things, but I thought it might be useful to someone.

Just sayin......


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## HelenSmith (Mar 17, 2010)

The instruments look great but I'm intrigued by those doors, Geoff. I'm a hands-off gardner, unfortunately. I wish you lived next door to me and then, while pretending to admire your shovel/weeder/knife thingy and enquiring about what it could do, I would somehow entice you to demonstrate and hey presto, before you knew it you would be doing my garden for me.  (Of course, I would be very grateful and in return I would bake you a cake or feed your pets when you went away.)

Michelle, I sometimes feel I don't live in the real London but a version of it I have read about in books - so on that basis we all have access to this lovely city, even without actually visiting it. I think it's the same with New York and films. Even visiting for the first time, I found it difficult to believe that I hadn't been there before because the 'memory' of it was so vivid from seeing it in films.


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## geoffthomas (Feb 27, 2009)

Ah well the doors.  They are to my 8 foot by 10 foot garden shed.  Where I keep things.


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## patinagle (Oct 16, 2009)

This is pink yarrow (along with some mint) in my west flower bed. I didn't know until we moved to this house that pink yarrow existed. We also have moonshine yarrow (yellow) and plain old vanilla. A friend recently told me about paprika yarrow. No idea there were so many colors.


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## geoffthomas (Feb 27, 2009)

Well it is time for my weekly growth report.

Here are the latest pics:

















On the left is the most mature of the corn stalks. You will notice the smaller ones on the right of that picture and some in front - they were planted a week later than the tall ones.
On the right is the pole beans and in front the bush beans.

Everything is coming along quite nicely.


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## geoffthomas (Feb 27, 2009)

And here is the progress on the tomatoes and the potatoes.

















The tomato plants are photographed through the deer fencing so not quite in focus. The potatoes on the right are the russetts and they are covered to ground level now, so that is the plant sticking out that will form the foliage. Hopefully there are potatoes forming underground. The yukon gold on the left are not coming along as quickly. But one hopes soon. It would be nice to succeed with both.


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## HelenSmith (Mar 17, 2010)

The yarrow's lovely, Pati.

Geoff, I just love those doors. They look like they lead to a summer house rather than a shed.


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## geoffthomas (Feb 27, 2009)

Here are my gardening power tools:

















Both of these pieces of equipment are made by Troy Bilt.
The one on the left is a chipper/shredder. It is the small unit. 6.5 HP engine with a 2" maximum diameter on the tree branches it will chew up. I use it to make things into small pieces for my compost heap.
The other unit is a small roto tiller. Uses a Honda engine - very strong. This is what I use to turn over my gardens and to work into the soil the finished compost. 
They save a lot of time and trouble and help me to recycle old vegetation back into the environment.


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## geoffthomas (Feb 27, 2009)

Ok, I know some of you are tired of looking at my dirt with some green attached.

Here is the progress of the veggies.










The corn stalks.










The pole beans with the bush beans in front.










The russet potatoes on the right and the yukon gold on the left. Notice that the holes are pretty much filled, so now we just wait for the plants to do their thing. Also in this pic I think you can see the relationship of the corn to the pots to the beans. And the things in the very back are the sunflowers.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Yesterday we picked a handful of radishes, 4 good sized zucchini, a mess of scallions, and a couple handfuls of shallots.


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## patinagle (Oct 16, 2009)

My pumpkins have sprouted!  (Planted on the solstice.)


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## geoffthomas (Feb 27, 2009)

Ok - latest progress report - as of this morning.




























The potatoe plants on the bottom are a little smashed at the moment because of heavy rain last night - will snap back with the sun.


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## geoffthomas (Feb 27, 2009)

Sometimes I think that I am the only one gardening.

Here is a pic of a "volunteer" from last year.
It is a Heritage seed produced lemon cucumber.


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## Jeff (Oct 28, 2008)

geoffthomas said:


> Sometimes I think that I am the only one gardening.


Some of us are virtually gardening with you. Thanks for sharing.


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## geoffthomas (Feb 27, 2009)

Ok here is the latest progress.










The corn tassles are beginning to drop pieces to be "caught" by the silk - what silk you ask?










This silk.


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## geoffthomas (Feb 27, 2009)

How are the beans and the potatoes doing, you ask?










You can just make out the blossoms on the bush beans there.
No update on the potatoes this week, but here is a picture of one of the sunflowers (in my wife's garden) that is just opening.










And you can see the little bumblebee on the left of the flower's center.


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## geoffthomas (Feb 27, 2009)

So here is the progress on the corn. If you look close you can see that the silk has become "ears".










Ok, so it is hard to see, I'll zoom in for you.










better?


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## geoffthomas (Feb 27, 2009)

You are right, I did plant other things.
Here is the progress on the pole beans - getting a little leggy.










and the tomatoes are coming along nicely - have already had some in the salad.


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## geoffthomas (Feb 27, 2009)

I didn't take a picture of the squash plants - just a bunch of big green leaves.
the squash is underneath and yes we have already been eating it.

The potatoes are just green plant above ground now too.
Nothing exciting there until the above-ground plant dies off - then we harvest.

But here are the sunflowers. Coming along nicely.


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## Susan in VA (Apr 3, 2009)

I'm just catching up on this thread, and find this:



MichelleR said:


> To the left is actually an out of control wildflower garden and not weeds, although that might be splitting hairs.


Who knew I had "out of control wildflowers"... Now I know what to tell people!


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## N. Gemini Sasson (Jul 5, 2010)

Don't know what it's like in other parts of the country/world, but here in Ohio this summer we've had so much rain that the plants are out of control.  I've never seen my purple perilla so tall.  I think I've spent more money this year on weed killer and mower gas than food for our family of four.  I do love not having to water, though.


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## patinagle (Oct 16, 2009)

We just got our monsoon rains last week so we are finally going to see some nice growth in the garden.  I like how the pumpkins are doing.  Will take pics ... um, when I get a chance.


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## geoffthomas (Feb 27, 2009)

Do take pics, please.
I really want to see other people's gardens.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Geoff you can come to our house and see the garden.


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## patinagle (Oct 16, 2009)

OK, here are garden pics!

My best pumpkin plant (planted 6/21):










The veggie planter - tomatoes, cucumbers, and an overabundance of chives:










The herb planter: thyme, rosemary, sage, and (not an herb) lamb's ear:


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## patinagle (Oct 16, 2009)

Here's another fun pic from my garden:










One day I went out and found caterpillars on the chives. Since I have too many chives, and they weren't bothering the tomatoes or cukes, I let them stay. I also looked them up, and I believe they are black swallowtail caterpillars. Swallowtails like parsley, fennel, anything in that family, and I had parsley in with the chives (it has gone to seed). So they are welcome to munch on that, and I'm hoping I'll get to see some pretty butterflies eventually.


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## Annalog (Dec 28, 2008)

Thanks for posting garden pictures. I have not been able to work much in my garden for the last few years for various reasons. This year it has been due to spending all my time trying to stay ahead of the needs of the chickens. However, due to the chickens, I am now in the process of reclaiming my garden from the weeds, especially the tumbleweeds.  Each morning, and some evenings, I pull out several young green tumbleweeds, some large grass, and some other weeds that I know are OK for chickens, and then put the "greens" in the chicken pen. So far I have cleared most of the paths and half of one of the planting beds. I hope to finish the garden fence soon so that I can let the chickens "pull the weeds" instead. However before I can let the chickens in the garden I will make sure I remove the desert nightshade and the morning glory vines that have appeared. I am not sure that the chickens will know that those should not be eaten. 

Note: The tumbleweeds in southern Arizona (Russian thistle) are edible when green. If the plants have turned black due to heat or cold then they probably contain toxic alkaloids. Therefore I only give the chickens the plants that are green. If I can pull out the plants with my bare hands then I know that the tumbleweed is young enough.


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## swolf (Jun 21, 2010)

First time I've seen this thread!

Garden is much better this year than last, when the blight took out all of my tomato plants.


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## geoffthomas (Feb 27, 2009)

We have come this far, we have to have results.
So corn:










I planted the white/yellow, breadandbutter, bicolor, (many names) variety.
The picture shows both colors.


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## geoffthomas (Feb 27, 2009)

Now that you have seen the pretty results.......

My plastic net 7' fencing kept the deer out.
My small opening wire 4' fencing (second layer) kept the bunnies out.

The squirrels climbed in.....










In case the damage is not obvious, I took a closeup.










So I salvaged 3 small, just mature enough to eat ears out of the 2 dozen or so that should have been mine.

Just can't seem to win against the livestock.


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## patinagle (Oct 16, 2009)

geoffthomas said:


> We have come this far, we have to have results.
> So corn:
> 
> 
> ...


Pretty!


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## patinagle (Oct 16, 2009)

Aww...sorry to hear the squirrels got to the corn.  They are pesky little guys.  I've had them eat my flowers out of my patio pots.


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## Susan in VA (Apr 3, 2009)

Oh no! Geoff, all that work just to feed the squirrels... how frustrating! 

And patinagle, if herbs are defined as any _useful _plant, not just the ones we use in cooking, then lamb's ear _does_ qualify... those leaves were used in times when cloth bandages were scarce/expensive, because they work just as well as cloth on wounds.... soft and absorbent, not to mention abundant and free. So they'd definitely belong in a medicinal herb garden, even if not in a culinary one. (Apart from all that, I think they're just fun to pet -- so soft and cuddly! )


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## patinagle (Oct 16, 2009)

Susan in VA said:


> Oh no! Geoff, all that work just to feed the squirrels... how frustrating!
> 
> And patinagle, if herbs are defined as any _useful _plant, not just the ones we use in cooking, then lamb's ear _does_ qualify... those leaves were used in times when cloth bandages were scarce/expensive, because they work just as well as cloth on wounds.... soft and absorbent, not to mention abundant and free. So they'd definitely belong in a medicinal herb garden, even if not in a culinary one. (Apart from all that, I think they're just fun to pet -- so soft and cuddly! )


Yes, I love the lamb's ear. It was in the planter when we bought the house, and I've kept it because it's so soft and pretty.


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## Annalog (Dec 28, 2008)

Oh Geoff, all that work for three ears of corn! One of the many reasons why my sister calls them "tree rats!"


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## patinagle (Oct 16, 2009)

Some new photos of my garden, taken on the equinox.

Ghost pumpkins:


















Roses:


















Patio pots:


















Aspen:


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