leswp1
New member
Re: Garden Geeks thread
Been looking at my sad garden. Need a new one in a different spot. Mr is not playing yet.
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Garden Geeks thread
- Thread starter leswp1
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Re: Garden Geeks thread
Time to think about gardening. My garden didn't do very well last year, so hopefully it's a rebound year. I am looking forward to my lilacs flowering again, after I cut them too late and got 1 flower last summer. Lots of buds on them.
I bought one of these: <a href="http://springhillnursery.com/product.asp?pn=30073">Top Hat Blueberry Kit</a>. We'll see how it goes - I don't have sunny spots where I can plant, but I can easily keep a container in a sunny spot.
I've also seen some interesting pictures of "gutter gardens" - might try that. I don't have a lot of ground space, but there's plenty of space on my patio fence. Seems like keeping it watered and making sure it doesn't fall down would be the biggest challenges.
Time to think about gardening. My garden didn't do very well last year, so hopefully it's a rebound year. I am looking forward to my lilacs flowering again, after I cut them too late and got 1 flower last summer. Lots of buds on them.
I bought one of these: <a href="http://springhillnursery.com/product.asp?pn=30073">Top Hat Blueberry Kit</a>. We'll see how it goes - I don't have sunny spots where I can plant, but I can easily keep a container in a sunny spot.
I've also seen some interesting pictures of "gutter gardens" - might try that. I don't have a lot of ground space, but there's plenty of space on my patio fence. Seems like keeping it watered and making sure it doesn't fall down would be the biggest challenges.
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Re: Garden Geeks thread
My wife and I just bought a house with a nice big backyard with lots of space for gardening, etc. The house already had two small orange trees that should be giving fruit soon, and we're adding lemon, grapefruit, apple, and peach trees. When we get around to it, we'll have one corner of the yard be our garden, with raised beds, etc. There's a guy here in Phoenix called the Urban Gardener, and we may take a class from him on how to set up a really good backyard garden. Fun stuff!
My wife and I just bought a house with a nice big backyard with lots of space for gardening, etc. The house already had two small orange trees that should be giving fruit soon, and we're adding lemon, grapefruit, apple, and peach trees. When we get around to it, we'll have one corner of the yard be our garden, with raised beds, etc. There's a guy here in Phoenix called the Urban Gardener, and we may take a class from him on how to set up a really good backyard garden. Fun stuff!
walrus
Wind up workin' in a gas station
Re: Garden Geeks thread
I need to order seeds, but way too early to plant even indoors for me. About the first of March Tomatos and Peppers will get started. Not sure how thats going to work with us in FLA for the frozen four. Hopefully mom in law will stay here and keep them alive
I need to order seeds, but way too early to plant even indoors for me. About the first of March Tomatos and Peppers will get started. Not sure how thats going to work with us in FLA for the frozen four. Hopefully mom in law will stay here and keep them alive
Re: Garden Geeks thread
Thinking about starting tomato seeds soon, for the temperate northeast. When first transplanting the seedlings outdoors, those translucent gallon jugs that milk comes in can be handy, just cut off the bottom and stick one over each of the plants in the evening.
Oops, forgot a preliminary step. We cover our beds in black plastic in the fall, so that in the early spring the sun on the black warms the ground underneath, while the plastic keeps weeds from growing. By digging fallen leaves into the soil in the fall, the heat generated from covering the beds really hastens decomposition and replenishes the soil.
Growing multiple tomato plants vertically works really well for us. If you look carefully, at each leaf junction with the stem, a new side stem also starts to grow. If you faithfully pinch off every one of those side stems, you can get a plant to grow about 12 feet high or so, making it really easy to harvest. In good years we cannot even eat all the tomatoes we grow this way, and have gallons of sauce left over, without taking up too much ground. In a 2' x 12' bed you can fit 10 or 11 plants this way. On hot summer days they will grow more than an inch each day!
For green beans, strongly recommend a bush bean variety called "haricot vert" (which is French for "green bean"!). Plant them in sets a week apart or so and harvest half every other week, you can get recurring sustainable weekly yield for around eight weeks total.
Thinking about starting tomato seeds soon, for the temperate northeast. When first transplanting the seedlings outdoors, those translucent gallon jugs that milk comes in can be handy, just cut off the bottom and stick one over each of the plants in the evening.
Oops, forgot a preliminary step. We cover our beds in black plastic in the fall, so that in the early spring the sun on the black warms the ground underneath, while the plastic keeps weeds from growing. By digging fallen leaves into the soil in the fall, the heat generated from covering the beds really hastens decomposition and replenishes the soil.
Growing multiple tomato plants vertically works really well for us. If you look carefully, at each leaf junction with the stem, a new side stem also starts to grow. If you faithfully pinch off every one of those side stems, you can get a plant to grow about 12 feet high or so, making it really easy to harvest. In good years we cannot even eat all the tomatoes we grow this way, and have gallons of sauce left over, without taking up too much ground. In a 2' x 12' bed you can fit 10 or 11 plants this way. On hot summer days they will grow more than an inch each day!
For green beans, strongly recommend a bush bean variety called "haricot vert" (which is French for "green bean"!). Plant them in sets a week apart or so and harvest half every other week, you can get recurring sustainable weekly yield for around eight weeks total.
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Re: Garden Geeks thread
hmm. maybe the buds are leaf buds? (although they're in a cone like a lilac) or maybe they just won't open. I guess I'll find out in a few months.
I need to trim the magnolia this year also, which makes me a little nervous. All the grass underneath it is dead because the branches hang so low, but it's apparently safe to trim after blooming.
hmm. maybe the buds are leaf buds? (although they're in a cone like a lilac) or maybe they just won't open. I guess I'll find out in a few months.
I need to trim the magnolia this year also, which makes me a little nervous. All the grass underneath it is dead because the branches hang so low, but it's apparently safe to trim after blooming.
Re: Garden Geeks thread
Is anyone aware of a good guide to pruning trees and shrubs? especially one that lets you know whether to prune before or after blooming, whether to prune old growth or new growth, etc.?
I have found through experience that the best time to prune wisteria is right after it blooms in the spring. You can then prune it quite severely if you need to, it grows like crazy and then blooms the next year on the new growth. We are trying to establish a wisteria on an arbor so that we only have two or three thick, strong, main stems from the roots to the top of the arbor, which means cutting off quite a few side shoots every year. It can then go as crazy as it wants to across the top.
It is kind of fun, at one end of the arbor is wisteria and at the other end of the arbor is clematis. I thought wisteria was the most agressive vine I Had ever seen next to bittersweet (there is no kudzu where we live); the clematis however does tend to dominate later in the season. They make a good complementary pair as the wisteria blooms in the spring and this particular clematis is a fall bloomer.
Is anyone aware of a good guide to pruning trees and shrubs? especially one that lets you know whether to prune before or after blooming, whether to prune old growth or new growth, etc.?
I have found through experience that the best time to prune wisteria is right after it blooms in the spring. You can then prune it quite severely if you need to, it grows like crazy and then blooms the next year on the new growth. We are trying to establish a wisteria on an arbor so that we only have two or three thick, strong, main stems from the roots to the top of the arbor, which means cutting off quite a few side shoots every year. It can then go as crazy as it wants to across the top.
It is kind of fun, at one end of the arbor is wisteria and at the other end of the arbor is clematis. I thought wisteria was the most agressive vine I Had ever seen next to bittersweet (there is no kudzu where we live); the clematis however does tend to dominate later in the season. They make a good complementary pair as the wisteria blooms in the spring and this particular clematis is a fall bloomer.
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Re: Garden Geeks thread
You may want to try this link to the UNH Coop Extension on Home and Garden. THere are numerous publications by category and there are documents on pruning: http://extension.unh.edu/resources/category/Home_and_Garden#62
You may want to try this link to the UNH Coop Extension on Home and Garden. THere are numerous publications by category and there are documents on pruning: http://extension.unh.edu/resources/category/Home_and_Garden#62
walrus
Wind up workin' in a gas station
Re: Garden Geeks thread
Just planted tomatoes and peppers, few weeks late maybe but should be ok. Some warm days should help get things going.
Middle of April I'll do broccoli and Cauliflower, cabbage
If we don't get any rain tomorrow I might try rototilling the garden and planting some lettuce? Kind of early but hope springs eternal
Just planted tomatoes and peppers, few weeks late maybe but should be ok. Some warm days should help get things going.
Middle of April I'll do broccoli and Cauliflower, cabbage
If we don't get any rain tomorrow I might try rototilling the garden and planting some lettuce? Kind of early but hope springs eternal
leswp1
New member
Re: Garden Geeks thread
We are at 75F right now. I am thinking about my lettuce and spinach tomorrow. Haven't started my matoes but I don't have a greenhouse and only have som much room on the table in the cellar~Just planted tomatoes and peppers, few weeks late maybe but should be ok. Some warm days should help get things going.
Middle of April I'll do broccoli and Cauliflower, cabbage
If we don't get any rain tomorrow I might try rototilling the garden and planting some lettuce? Kind of early but hope springs eternal
Re: Garden Geeks thread
Interesting to see how much just a few degrees of latitude affect the season at this time of year!
I needed to travel on business to a place 50 miles south of where I live. There, a week ago, the forsythias were in full bloom. Here, where I live, the forsythia blooms are just beginning to open. They are a little more than a week ahead of us due solely to geography it appears since the weather there and here is pretty much the same much of the time.
Interesting to see how much just a few degrees of latitude affect the season at this time of year!
I needed to travel on business to a place 50 miles south of where I live. There, a week ago, the forsythias were in full bloom. Here, where I live, the forsythia blooms are just beginning to open. They are a little more than a week ahead of us due solely to geography it appears since the weather there and here is pretty much the same much of the time.
leswp1
New member
Re: Garden Geeks thread
Planted my Lettuce, Arugula and Spinach yesterday. Also planted my tomatoes and basil in peat plugs. Unlike wally I do not have a greenhouse type thing. I have to manage with a bank of lights and timing it so when they get too big it is OK to bring them outside.
Spring is anywhere from 1 -3 weeks earlier than it should. My forsythia is almost going by. In my gardening journal (this is the 11th yr I am keeping one) this the earliest by almost 2 weeks. Last yr my Dafs were just coming out. This yr they are gone by already in some places. Yikes. Now we are back to chillier weather. Trying to predict when to plant stuff is a toss up.
Planted my Lettuce, Arugula and Spinach yesterday. Also planted my tomatoes and basil in peat plugs. Unlike wally I do not have a greenhouse type thing. I have to manage with a bank of lights and timing it so when they get too big it is OK to bring them outside.
Spring is anywhere from 1 -3 weeks earlier than it should. My forsythia is almost going by. In my gardening journal (this is the 11th yr I am keeping one) this the earliest by almost 2 weeks. Last yr my Dafs were just coming out. This yr they are gone by already in some places. Yikes. Now we are back to chillier weather. Trying to predict when to plant stuff is a toss up.
Re: Garden Geeks thread
One thing that has been helpful for us with the tomatoes are those translucent plastic gallon jug milk containers. You cut off the bottom and have a handy cover to place over the tomatoes at night.
I also am somewhat surprised by this spring. A few days ago, the forsythia were in full bloom, the daffodils hadn't quite faded yet, and the grape hyacinths were beginning to show, and the bluebell leaves are popping up everywhere. It is nice how the daffodils and the bluebells propagate themselves, last decade's handful is this year's clump.
One thing that has been helpful for us with the tomatoes are those translucent plastic gallon jug milk containers. You cut off the bottom and have a handy cover to place over the tomatoes at night.
I also am somewhat surprised by this spring. A few days ago, the forsythia were in full bloom, the daffodils hadn't quite faded yet, and the grape hyacinths were beginning to show, and the bluebell leaves are popping up everywhere. It is nice how the daffodils and the bluebells propagate themselves, last decade's handful is this year's clump.
Re: Garden Geeks thread
wow, I stepped outside for a few minutes, and the vinca is in bloom everywhere....between the vinca, the wild violets, the grape hyacinths and whatever remains from the scylla, daffodils, and forsythia, it's a festival of purple blue and yellow.
The leaves of the earliest bleeding hearts (in the sheltered nooks of the yard) are just starting to poke through the soil.
wow, I stepped outside for a few minutes, and the vinca is in bloom everywhere....between the vinca, the wild violets, the grape hyacinths and whatever remains from the scylla, daffodils, and forsythia, it's a festival of purple blue and yellow.
The leaves of the earliest bleeding hearts (in the sheltered nooks of the yard) are just starting to poke through the soil.
MadTownSioux
Fighting Sioux Hockey Fan
Re: Garden Geeks thread
So, my 2 cherry trees are both in full bloom; And now, 5 of the next 7 days have forecasts below 30 degrees. I assume this will mean pretty much no cherries this year.
Global Climate Change sucks!
So, my 2 cherry trees are both in full bloom; And now, 5 of the next 7 days have forecasts below 30 degrees. I assume this will mean pretty much no cherries this year.
Global Climate Change sucks!
Re: Garden Geeks thread
We put in new grapefruit, lemon, peach, and apple trees a couple months ago at our new place. Already had an orange, tangerine, and one other tree (maybe lime) on the property. All the new ones are doing pretty good, though we get our first strech of 90 degree temps this coming week. We probably won't get to putting in our new raised garden area until the fall.
We put in new grapefruit, lemon, peach, and apple trees a couple months ago at our new place. Already had an orange, tangerine, and one other tree (maybe lime) on the property. All the new ones are doing pretty good, though we get our first strech of 90 degree temps this coming week. We probably won't get to putting in our new raised garden area until the fall.
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