Gardening

[Bernard]

I wish I had had more time this year to dig in the dirt. I enjoy working in the gardens on a sunny day.

I got some veggies (tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers) planted a bit late, but I still hope to harvest some homegrown delicacies.

Our flower beds are overgrown and in serious need of some tough love.

I am happy to report that our Neem tree (native to India) survived its second winter in our back yard and is now roughly 16 feet tall. I'm hoping it is strong enough to survive a hard freeze now given that we actually had a white Christmas last year.

We also have a bunch of different fruit trees and most of them are showing signs of finally being established/happy in their 3rd year in the ground here. We have apples, oranges and lemons setting. I'm not sure what to expect with the apples as I thought they were supposed to set in the fall and grow during the winter, but they are golf ball sized right now and looking healthy.

Does anyone else enjoy gardening?

 

[lindy]

You're certainly alot farther along than we are. My garden is all ready to be planted but, so far, only peas and lettuce have been planted due to the cold nights. With all of the rain the past few days, the peas and lettuce are all up. The chives and oregano are growing like mad. The garlic is up and the asparagus is coming in. Ready for the garden but still growing in the house are the eggplants and the jalapenos. Also grow tomatoes, broccoli, green beans, wax beans, cucumbers, dill, basil, strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, black raspberries and currants. Tried red cabbage last year and, while it was great, I felt like I was spending my entire life, picking cabbage worms. My garden is totally organic so it's either pick the bugs by hand or let the bugs take over! I know that, come the end of August, I will be sick and tired of the garden, canning and weeding but now, I am so glad that it's finally spring!

 

[Bernard]

Very nice! One of these days I'm going to buy a top of the line composter and build a proper organic veggie garden.

Right now, I've just got a small patch (5' x 3') of ground for my veggies. It's already warm here in Texas. I should have had the tomatoes out a month earlier. I have a few tomatoes setting right now. Hopefully we'll get some good production before the summer brings the real heat. Tomato plants stop producing once the temps reach the mid 90's.

I've got a thornless blackberry bush that I planted in the back corner of my yard two years ago. Last year it produced quite a bit of berries, but the birds got most of them. The few I tried were very tart - not sweet at all. Maybe it will do better this year.

I've also got herbs growing in various places. Mostly basil and oregano. I've got just about all of my favorite pizza ingredients growing out there!

 

[lindy]

Do you put alot of the things that you grow up? I can and freeze like crazy so that I have it all for the winter. What type of tomatoes do you grow? I grow Romas (for spaghetti sauce and salsa), Big Boys and cherry. I have enough left for one last batch of spaghetti sauce (which, for the two of us, makes 8 dinners). It's so easy to compost. Like I said, I mainly use horse manure. After two years of sitting, it is the blackest, most beautiful fertilizer you could ever want. Some people believe that horse manure works best for vining plants like cucumbers but it sure seems to work just great for everything in my garden. I don't know how people can buy "regular" produce. The taste of organic just can't be beat!

 

[Birdbomb]

Gardening is great, but I can't get over heated. Besides I have a brown thumb. All I seem to be able to grow is one piddly rose bush (she is FABULOUS this year) and spearmint. The backyard is prolific with weeds and dog poo. :lol:

I live in Vegas and gardens get burned up before June.

 

[Bernard]

Donna, perhaps you are choosing plants that are not hardy for your area. Ask around at Gardenweb.com and you should get a lot of excellent advice on good plants for your area.

 

[lindy]

Alot of luck with a garden does depend on picking plants that are suitable for your area or making adaptations. That's why my eggplants and jalapenos are growing in the house at the moment. They need a longer growing season than we have in Vermont so, if I want to grow them, they have to get a good start inside. Maybe, in Nevada, you need to grow plants during seasons that we wouldn't think of as growing seasons here.

 

[Elisa]

Well, I'm so glad that somebody can get out in the Sun. I won't see any until another month at least. I love to garden, but it is short and sweet here in Maine. Spring will pop in and out for the next month. It was 85, on day last week, and today it is 40.... welcome to Maine.
I do have a small veggie garden, and a couple of rose bushes. The kids and I have a great time, with all of it.

 

[Bernard]

It's too cold in Maine for my tastes! Bring on the heat! I enjoy growing tropicals too. I've got several gingers and brugmansias here and there.

 

[lindy]

I've tried living in the south and was miserable. Give me New England any time! Lived in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia for 12 years and both of my children were born there. Beautiful countryside and, of course, a marvelous growing season but I hated the fact that we never had the windows open - went from the furnace in the winter to the air conditioning in the summer. Also there was something about rain and temps in the 50s for Christmas that didn't enhance my feeling for the holiday. Also we had snakes all over the place! Vermont is much more to my liking. Garter snakes, sure, but none of the big black snakes, rattlesnakes and water moccasins we had in Virginia. The people here are much more on my wave length than the people in Virginia were. My husband didn't believe how much prejudice there was against women until his first meeting with the school principal, when my husband was told to get his wife under control like a man. (The school wouldn't teach our son how to read so I was understandably not very happy.) Our winters here may be brutal at times but it sure makes you appreciate the spring and summer alot more!

 

[Bernard]

Well, our apples are still growing and none of them have been aborted yet. Looks like they may reach full maturity!

Our day lilies are blooming like crazy right now. It's a sea of orange in the beds.

Just about everything is blooming right now. I love this time of year.

 

[lindy]

We aren't as far along as you are but the tulips and daffodils are lovely as usual and the forsythia is just starting to bloom. By this time next month, we'll have all of the lettuce and asparagus we can eat. I can hardly wait!

 

[Birdbomb]

Dang, spring is so short here in Vegas.

The bloom is off the roses. The grasses have gone to seed. Olenanders are in full bloom and it was 90 on Wednesday, today is 65.

But this is the greenest I have ever seen the desert in 26 years.

 

[lindy]

It's been raining alot in Las Vegas, hasn't it? On top of that, the fact that you had snow this winter must really have made a difference. I'll be glad when I can plant my entire garden. I know that the eggplants and peppers will be glad to be moved outside!