Gardens vegetable, flower or other?

[Viola]

I'm going to vegetable-garden in containers this year. I think six or seven containers is about all I can keep up with, so I'm looking at doing: 2 kinds of tomato, chili pepper, 1 bell pepper, green or wax bean, cucumber, and like one other thing I haven't decided yet.

I already have thyme, raspberries, daylilies, and strawberries. I like the taste of daylilies a lot, actually. (As well as things like roses that I could eat but don't really) Berries are the easiest most wonderful thing but I don't think I'm going to buy anymore because I'm not staying here more than a year so perennials become less practical. I can't wait until I have my OWN garden where long-term investment makes more sense.

Does anyone know how to cook yucca or prickly pear or agave? Those are all supposedly quite tasty if prepared correctly, and they're water-wise.

 

[Foofoogal]

A cherry tomato plant on a back patio will give you ample and I mean ample tomatoes to the point of you will get tired of picking them.

http://www.desertusa.com/magdec97/eating/nopales.html

found this on the web. there are other recipes as well. You may be competing with the ranchers. I heard recently in drought areas they are burning the thorns off to feed the cattle with the cacti.

 

[Viola]

Yeah, I think I want a cherry tomato for salads/just eating off the bush, and a beefsteak or plum tomato for sammiches and maaaybe red gravy if I get ambitious.

I'm not near any rancher whatsoever, I'm in Philly, I just don't like watering and have some yuccas anyway. Cactus also grow really easily and don't ask for hardly any care. They never need to be watered here at all, they just need sand or vermiculite added to the soil to make it lighter.

 

[Foofoogal]

Plum or Roma tomatoes are the only ones I know of that you can just pop them in a bag to freeze them as they are meaty. I used to do that all the time for soups all year long. Others you have to blanch and stuff.

 

[Miss 1929]

Cheap organic compost!

Whole Foods now sells big bags of organic compost made of their past-prime produce and food and cardboard, for $1.99 a bag! Way cheaper than any you can buy in the garden center.

I am reduced to buying it as my compost bin is a dismal failure. It just won't rot. It is dry/wet enough, warm/cool enough, nicely layered, and I added compost starter... nothing works. I think I need to take it out of the bin and put it in the open air. Anyone else have this problem?

 

[MaryDeluxe]

How excited am I that Michelle Obama is planting a White House kitchen garden to grow veggies in!!! I say lets all bring back the tiny backyard kitchen gardens!!:eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap

 

[RBH]

Here is North/East Arkansas I will plant as soon as I can.
My asparagus is already putting out and the green onions are looking good as is the horseradish [which I'll dig in December].
The Irish potatoes have come up through the straw and the tiny vines are looking really green!
I already have some plants ready to put out as soon as the weather is right!!!!

 

[Foofoogal]

Nothing is as good as fresh red potatoes from a garden. Okra is second of course or yellow squash.

we used to grow dynamite potatoes in stacked tires.

 

[Foofoogal]

do you turn it Miss1929? It just takes time to make compost.
coffee grinds, egg shells, peelings, all but animal fat mainly.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKlauRA7ugI

 

[Carlisle Blues]

Whole Foods now sells big bags of organic compost made of their past-prime produce and food and cardboard, for $1.99 a bag! Way cheaper than any you can buy in the garden center.

I am reduced to buying it as my compost bin is a dismal failure. It just won't rot. It is dry/wet enough, warm/cool enough, nicely layered, and I added compost starter... nothing works. I think I need to take it out of the bin and put it in the open air. Anyone else have this problem?

I agree with Foo.......you gotta turn that puppy. When you start seeing turn a dark rich almost loamy substance you are all set.

here is a link http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/conserve/rrr/composting/index.htm
and here http://www.howtocompost.org/

 

[maybelaughter]

last week was spring break and i spent a few days outside clearing flowerbeds and getting things ready for this year's garden. bigger and better! i hope
i grew up completely spoiled on fresh, organic, homegrown garden goodness. i can't get tomatoes form the grocery store. it's just not right somehow.

if anyone's into heirloom varieties, you should check out baker creek seeds - "bakersville" is less than an hour from me (south-centralish missouri) - it's a little pioneer style village, with a wonderful seed store, and the first of every month they have a bit of a festival thing (they only serve vegan food!) we get our seeds from here, and plants too on the festival day. right now we have baby tomatoes (i think there's about 10 different varieties so far...), bell peppers, and eggplants growing happily in a box.

 

[Geesie]

I tried inorganic gardening once but the results were so very tough on the teeth.

 

[fortworthgal]

I plant a large herb garden every year, we put it in the ground maybe 3 weeks ago. I've already harvested some cilantro! My herb garden is actually a crummy flower bed that was empty when we moved in and that we never really figured out how to utilize until we put the herbs in a couple of years ago.

This year I am also putting in a vegetable garden - I have started my tomatoes, lettuce, peppers, and cabbage indoors, but need to get out there and put them into the ground. I just haven't made the time, yet. Perhaps this weekend! I need to take photos of my herb garden (once I clean the leaves out!)

 

[jamespowers]

Got my six tomato plants in last weekend. Mortgage Lifter, Pruden's Purple, Black Krimm, Hillbilly Potato Leaf, Superfantastic and one I can't remember now. [huh]
The grapevines are just starting to leaf out. The Tangerines and Oranges have been giving for a while now. The apple, pear and peaches are starting to come around. The Damson's are fully flowered out and setting fruit quite well this season---it must have been my threat to pull them out this year if they didn't give me any fruit this year.
The grapefruit is all over the place---great. I hate grapefruit and inherited the trees. :eusa_doh:
Lastly, the garlic is doing much better than I thought considering they were started from cloves from the grocery store that were sprouting. They are supposed to be sprayed with an inhibitor by stores. I guess these got by. I haven't raised garlic in quite some time. I hope I remembered how to do it right. I won't mention the lemon balm and the bird donation herb that is growing near the walnut tree---as I have no idea what it is but it is fragrant enough not to be hit with Roundup.

 

[rumblefish]

Got my six tomato plants in last weekend. Mortgage Lifter, Pruden's Purple, Black Krimm, Hillbilly Potato Leaf, Superfantastic and one I can't remember now. [huh]
The grapevines are just starting to leaf out. The Tangerines and Oranges have been giving for a while now. The apple, pear and peaches are starting to come around. The Damson's are fully flowered out and setting fruit quite well this season---it must have been my threat to pull them out this year if they didn't give me any fruit this year.
The grapefruit is all over the place---great. I hate grapefruit and inherited the trees. :eusa_doh:
Lastly, the garlic is doing much better than I thought considering they were started from cloves from the grocery store that were sprouting. They are supposed to be sprayed with an inhibitor by stores. I guess these got by. I haven't raised garlic in quite some time. I hope I remembered how to do it right. I won't mention the lemon balm and the bird donation herb that is growing near the walnut tree---as I have no idea what it is but it is fragrant enough not to be hit with Roundup.

No limes?
That's a nice line up,,, I'll take the grapefruits...



Picked the horseradish and jarred it. Planted seeds in the beds for; turnip, kohlrabi, arugula, spinach, beets, swiss chard, and escarole. The raspberrys are just starting, the blueberrys are loaded with buds, and the apricot, plum and peach buds are just starting to show color. I think I might get a couple of pear trees this year... Next week I start picking the wintered over spinach and turnips.

 

[jamespowers]

No limes?
That's a nice line up,,, I'll take the grapefruits...



Picked the horseradish and jarred it. Planted seeds in the beds for; turnip, kohlrabi, arugula, spinach, beets, swiss chard, and escarole. The raspberrys are just starting, the blueberrys are loaded with buds, and the apricot, plum and peach buds are just starting to show color. I think I might get a couple of pear trees this year... Next week I start picking the wintered over spinach and turnips.

The damned lime tree kicked off a number of years ago so I replaced the tree with a strawberry patch.
Grapefruit?! Ewwwww! I'll trade for Horseradish though.

 

[Viola]

How hard are the citrus trees to grow? I'm curious, as I'll be moving to warmer climes next year and I'm dreaming of fresh homegrown organic citrus. Maybe some other tropical things too, if I have room, but in limited square footage I think tangerines beat olives or avocados.

But only if they're easy for newbies from cold places.

 

[jamespowers]

How hard are the citrus trees to grow? I'm curious, as I'll be moving to warmer climes next year and I'm dreaming of fresh homegrown organic citrus. Maybe some other tropical things too, if I have room, but in limited square footage I think tangerines beat olives or avocados.

But only if they're easy for newbies from cold places.

It depends on how warm a climate. They are pretty easy to grow if the climate is right. I have four oranges, one lemon and two tangerines in the yard and they produce like crazy here. Just provide them enough water and fertilize once a month. They will grow. If you want oranges just remember that navel oranges are for eating and Valencias are for juice because navel orange juice only lasts a few hours without becoming sort of bitter in taste. I have no idea why but the Valencia orange juice lasts a long time without the taste spoiling.
Tangerines are easy too. Choose a variety that doesn't have seeds. It will save some time when eating them.
As always, dwarf varieties will fit in a smaller yard much better.

 

[Viola]

Sydney-area Australia is pretty dang warm, (Same garden temps as Dallas, and parts of California, I think) and I know that citrus grows in the area, I was just sort of wondering how beginner-friendly it was. I mean, roses grow in my area, but I wouldn't say the rose is super-straightforward.

I was muy impressed to see all the palm trees, and LEMONS fruiting in WINTER, but I was basically Queen of The Wide-Eyed Tourists. lol

 

[Carlisle Blues]

Used to grow Pineapples when I lived in Florida. :eusa_clap :eusa_clap