View Full Version : 2019 Gardens
It's almost time to be thinking about this year's garden.
I've decided to add Kale to my garden, since I have a "Kale stew" recipe that's really good. I also have been making some smoothies out of it. I like growing swiss chard too.
I swore I wouldn't grow spinach and lettuces again, but I get that spring fever and do things I swore I wouldn't. haha
I still have frozen tomatoes from several years ago, so I'm going to cut back on those.....Maybe 4 romas, 3-4 Rutgers, and several cherries.
I'll grow red, yellow and orange peppers again. I'll grow romano bush beans and maybe hericot vert beans again.
My cucumbers did great on my cattle panel arch, so I'll grow them there again.
I'm cutting out my Blue lake pole beans and just growing more of the Kentucky blue pole beans. I sure hope the bugs don't get them again.
And my favorite from last year.......waltham butternut squash up and over fencing that's on my kids' old swing set. A wren (or it's progeny) has returned to the top tube of that swingset for about 10 years to nest. I look forward to it every year.
And then rosemary, which did great last year.
If you remember, I have raised food-grade stock tanks for most of the stuff I grow. I put way too many drainage holes in the bottoms, so hopefully, DH will help me plug some of them so I don't have to water so often.
Also, a big pile of compost is ready and I'll add more to all the stock tanks.
Now, if I can just keep the moles away. They dig under the stock tanks and then the cement blocks holding the stock tanks start to sink. DH used some jacks last year to raise the tanks up, while I shoved another 2x4 under it, and that has done a pretty good job.
Last year I broke down and got a solar charger and put up electric fencing, after some coons destroyed some stuff. It's done a great job.
Oh, and since I discovered making zucchini into noodles, I started growing it it big pots in the back yard.....away from the garden, since they always attracted huge numbers of squash bugs, that ruined the zucchini and the butternut squash.
Then on to my back yard and my stock tank water gardens........I'm trying to simplify some things, since it's a lot of work and I'm not young anymore. I have a 300 gallon in-ground stock tank water garden that I usually grow a marginal and a water lily in. The frogs come every year. I used to have northern water snakes, but haven't seen them for a couple years. The frogs are grateful for that. :) Then I have another in-ground 300 gallon stock tank that is filled with soil and some water for a lotus bog. But it needs totally thinned. DH is real excited to have to dig it all out and dig up new dirt and re-fill it. But it will be great having lotus blossoms again. I figure they will produce for the rest of my life now.
Then I have an above-ground 300 gallon tank for a water lily and marginals. The tree frogs sing like crazy in the summers, because of these little water gardens. Oh....and I have a 40 gallon stock tank for 2 miniature lotus.
I have a 50 gallon in-ground preform pond, just for fun. Nothing really lives in it, but I grow hostas, jack-in-the-pulpit and some foxglove around it. I have a circulating pump in it and a stone fairy overlooking it all. It's right outside my bedroom, so in the summer I can hear the water bubbling.
How about your gardens?
I got my seeds a few weeks ago (Territorial Seed out of Oregon). Last weekend, even though it was freezing it was bright sunshine-y, so I went out and cleaned up two veggie beds. My hands were frozen! But the sun just made me want to be out!
I will grow bush delicata squash (love that it's a winter squash but you can eat the skin), tomatoes (cherry, several roma and slicers), carrots, and several varieties of leaf lettuce. I have a salad greens table just off the deck by my kitchen door. Love going out and snipping fresh lettuce minutes before serving. This year for the first time I am also growing eggplant, Traviata variety. It does grow successfully here and we really like it. I have 3 3-foot square beds of garlic which have been in the ground since October. They're doing nicely.
In the middle of my garden I have a structure (can't think of the name of it--obelisk?) where I'm planning to grow sweet peas---if it ever stops snowing. I like to do peas on St. Paddy's Day.
Isn't it funny how at the end of the previous gardening season, I come to the conclusion that I just absolutely, positively, have to cut back with the gardening. Then spring comes and I order a bunch of new things to try!
I decided to only grow one type of pole bean that I like the most, and not grow the other one too that I've always grown. Then I heard about 2 other kinds of pole beans. And what do I do?.........I order some of each! And I swore I would just buy spinach and other greens, and now I've ordered those seeds. haha I guess hope really does spring eternal. :)
Isn't this a cool idea? I found it on the internet. You'd have to water it often, but I think it's a great idea. It's a "stair step herb garden".
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How do you keep the risers from splaying out? Or are the window boxes somehow secured to the risers?
I was wondering the same thing herbgeek. I suppose you could nail/screw down the boxes, but I don't know if that would stress the boxes and they might split. My guess is you could run some 2x4 sections in a couple places from side to side underneath or maybe one in the front at the bottom and one at the top would be enough? Maybe someone here with more construction savvy might be able to help us.
I suspect there are some kind of horizontal braces connecting the two risers, which we cannot see.
The snow has finally melted off half of my raised beds. I hope to get some cold-tolerant veggies planted this weekend (since we have had accumulating snow into May on occasion).
Last spring I had a large quantity of overwintered kale and collards. Not sure if my plants made it through this winter, when we had subzero cold with no snow cover.
I want to plant a lot of basil this year, to freeze many small containers of pesto to take us through next winter. Summer in the freezer.
I planted two types of asparagus last year and am hoping it all survived the winter... if so, I should be able to cut a few spears this year.
I planted arugula and Swiss chard on Sunday. Most of my garden will be fallowing this year, but I will also grow tomatoes and basil.
Planted 20 strawberry starts last Sunday.
Kay..........your planting strawberry plants reminded me of when we first moved out here to these 35 rural acres 38 years ago. I planted 100 of them........and never saw them again. haha I just can't believe how the weeds grow out here. I joke that our weeds grow so big, we use them for firewood. Living in the middle of farm country, where lots of chemicals are used, I think all the weeds ran over here to live. But that's what's great about, right?........to think everything will turn out great. I was naive, but it was a beautiful dream while it lasted. Good luck with your strawberries! I'll bet they will be yummy!
Teacher Terry
3-26-19, 3:19pm
My husband planted raspberries and blackberries 4 years ago and never got to eat any. That’s because the big dog checked them regularly and ate them. This may be the first summer he gets any.
I've always wanted to get a big Fruit cage. We have so many birds/rodents around here, it would be futile to grow any fruit without being protected. I've heard that those bird nets aren't good for birds, because they get caught in them.
Now that I don't have chickens, their fortified run would be great for fruit........but it's all shade.
Actually, I think the guy we bought this place from 38 years ago planted raspberries, and now they are out of control all over the place......just another "invasive". And they are full of thorns. But......I do pick some and make some nice syrup out of them.
Just think of all the seeds that will grow, when a bird eats just one berry? Those thorned plants are great habitat for birds though.
Teacher Terry
3-26-19, 4:18pm
My husband planted thornless.
Kay..........your planting strawberry plants reminded me of when we first moved out here to these 35 rural acres 38 years ago. I planted 100 of them........and never saw them again. haha I just can't believe how the weeds grow out here. I joke that our weeds grow so big, we use them for firewood. Living in the middle of farm country, where lots of chemicals are used, I think all the weeds ran over here to live. But that's what's great about, right?........to think everything will turn out great. I was naive, but it was a beautiful dream while it lasted. Good luck with your strawberries! I'll bet they will be yummy!
I hope they are....and I hope the slugs don't think so.
Hey Kay.......do you know about the shallow plates of beer? I guess the slugs die with a smile on their face.
We're battling whiteflies here, and so far the "natural" pest control spray from the garden center seems to only partly effective. We have a minimal raised garden bed, but darn it, I'd like to see some strawberries and tomatoes for our efforts this year.
Gonna attempt my first Colorado food garden this spring. To conserve costs, DH built me a small raised bed out of cedar fence pickets so it is a 3 x 6 x 1 ft tall. He also used fence pickets to build a three layer stair step thing with a trellis against the fence like Cathy pictured. Have to wait for the next "bomb cyclone" to pass and hope I don't have any more trees blow over:( but have lots of seedlings started inside. Just discovered the little mini greenhouses available and wished I had bought one of those early on for starting seeds.
Hey pinkytoe.......we had a snow last week and it pulled over a large white pine near the garden......so I feel your pain. We have a silver lining though.......the 2 asparagus beds will start to get more sun.
We only had under 2" of snow, but it was so wet and heavy and windy. It made me really sad.
Did you put drainage holes in the bottoms of your stair step planter thing? I went much too crazy on all my stock tanks and now water just pours out the bottoms, so I've been trying to plug those holes.
It was supposed to rain Sunday but didn't. So I got to collect more finished compost and add it to some of the stock tank containers. Then in one, I planted spinach, mixed greens, and buttercrunch lettuce.
Then I made a trellis for snow peas at one end of the swingset and planted them. Oops....I just remembered I was supposed to presprout them so the mice wouldn't eat them. If they don't sprout, I'll do it over right.
Still lots to do out there, but it's a bit too early.
We saved all the mulch from our ground up spruce tree that fell over and I have spent the last week spreading it everywhere I can find a place. Cathy, the stair step thing DH built is open at the bottom. I piled rocks and sticks in the bottom of the highest section (about 4 ft high) so that it won't take as much soil to fill.
Pinkytoe.......That should make good mulch. And you'll probably see it grow a lot of cute little mushrooms. :) We bought a chipper/shredder last year, so that will come in handy. I had DH put all the branches in a big pile for habitat and had him leave the big parts of the trunk just on the ground. We have lots of space out here, so we can do sort of "messy" things like that. After the needles fall off (which should take a while), we'll shred all the branches. Too bad we can't use the bigger wood for the fireplace. I guess the sap can mess it up too much. Post a picture of your stair step thing once you get it going. I'm obsessed with planting trees, so I'll probably plant a couple where the big one fell. Have you decided yet if you're going to plant anything in that spot?
I am contemplating something like a Big Tooth Maple. Apparently there are some species that are native to the area.
dado potato
5-25-19, 4:35pm
This year I have 6 Okinawa Spinach plants growing in pots on a deck. They are 8-10 inches tall. I think I could start picking leaves for salads and stir-frying. I have never raised them before. Any culinary tips would be appreciated.
This is the sixth year I have been harvesting Shiitake Mushrooms off of 6 straight oak trunk sections (each log is about 5 inches in diameter and 5 feet long). I attended a workshop where I had the logs inoculated. I picked my first-of-the-season bag of of caps yesterday (about 8 ounces). Had some fabulous cream of mushroom soup!
Asparagus spears are ready to pick.
I have had some blossoms thus far: snow drops, tulips, daffodils, hyacinths ( I have pink and yellow hyacinths, but I like Blue Jackets best).
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We’ve both been under the weather so this is late, but I planted the first bed this week, finally! Two types of greens done and a lot to go!
You are doing well, Dado.
I am trying cukes in a pot with a trellis and some morning glories for fun. Also a grape tomato in a pot, Got the flower beds and pots planted. Two more hydrangeas need to be planted but I ran out of daylight and steam at the same time. Tomorrow's project maybe.
Need to work up my 3'x16' veggie garden and plant some beans. Somehow bought green beans never taste as good as the homegrown ones. I will need to see what else I have seeds on hand to plant.
you'll probably see it grow a lot of cute little mushrooms.
We have these smelly ones here that are called penis mushrooms as they are so phallic in appearance - aka - stinkhorns. On the garden front, after our big snow last week, I now have snap peas, chard, spinach, arugula, various lettuces, beets, carrots and radishes all coming up.
Nothing I planted came up. So I got plants and put in basil which something is eating, tomatoes, marigolds a third of which have died, strawberries and phlox. We are getting plenty of rain, but also have pests and I probably need to enrich the soil.
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Had to show off my Redbud bloom which is true for five trees alternating with the service berries all of which have finally reached the size to show off.
The Azalea and Rhodo are in bloom as well. They were so small and I thought I had lost them one winter.
Just pulled out the two highbush blueberries which despite being different varieties did not pollinate. My native hydrangea, Annabelle, will go there instead.
Why does it seem so awful to pull out healthy plants? I did try to find a home for the blueberries with no takers.
My gardens are in a state of limbo, but I love my front yard with the peonies (which are beautiful this year and not beaten down by bad weather), the lavender bush, catmint, hydrangea, Japanese maple and assorted thymes (creeping and English).
Picture of peonies:
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But I have a ton of work to do in VT when I get there.
PS: don't mind the hillbilly sofa on the front porch. It was there for the garage sale, but it's now on its way to VT. But I have to say, we loved having a sofa on the porch! We sat out there for ages, talking!
Teacher Terry
5-27-19, 5:17pm
Pretty flowers!
rosarugosa
5-27-19, 7:32pm
My gardens are in a state of limbo, but I love my front yard with the peonies (which are beautiful this year and not beaten down by bad weather), the lavender bush, catmint, hydrangea, Japanese maple and assorted thymes (creeping and English).
Picture of peonies:
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But I have a ton of work to do in VT when I get there.
PS: don't mind the hillbilly sofa on the front porch. It was there for the garage sale, but it's now on its way to VT. But I have to say, we loved having a sofa on the porch! We sat out there for ages, talking!
So those hillbillies must have been onto something! Your peonies are lovely. Mine are just about to get started.
Teacher Terry
5-27-19, 9:21pm
Catherine so when are you going to Vermont? Will the kids move in then? Big changes on the horizon.
Catherine so when are you going to Vermont? Will the kids move in then? Big changes on the horizon.
Yes, we are 9 days out until our Big Move. Painting/repairs to take place in NJ house in June, son moves in in July. I am still happy with our decision (so far) to let son rent from us. Feels like a comfortable transition. The next big question is, what is the long-term game plan because DH absolutely will not stay in the "wee hoose" in the winter.
iris lilies
5-28-19, 9:27am
Nice peonies! They are not eaten by deer.
I am starting to learn what deer like in Hermann and the peonies are not consumed by the four legged thieves.
Daffodils seem to be deer proof. I am thrilled with the peonies this year, a couple of climbing roses that were my mother in law's that languished in the garden for years and look beautiful and healthy right now. Bright red. I moved them closer to the house last year and SWEAR I will fertilize and spray them with the Rose society spray of epsom salts, baking soda and detergent. I'm a poor fertilizer, but I have fish emulsion and am making an effort. I was given a beautiful, fragrant white rose and after I plant it, I want it to last at least a year....
We've had twice the amount of rain this year than normal...The daffodils, peonies loved it, maybe the roses and the lavender all died. I think heaving did it. We're in piedmont Maryland- zone 6.
And the iris are doing well.
iris lilies
5-28-19, 10:17am
Daffodils are known critter resistors. Deer do not eat iris, rabbits do not eat them, we knew that before buying our
Hermann property. otherwise, though this seems weird to say, I would not move a garden to
hermann. I have to be able to grow either iris or lilies, and lilies are out because they are deer candy.
I spread a few extra lilies in my hermann garden to see what happens and sure enoug, already this year half of them were eaten up along with the very few hostas there. But we know hostas are attractive to deer.
the deer are eating phlox I just transplanted from my city garden, they ate a fair amoung. They sample new young rudbeckia and cone flowers.
I put out one coleous plant to see if they liked it. I Want to plan a lot of coral bells since their foliage comes in such great colors these days but I do not know if deer like
dado potato
5-28-19, 11:46am
I have deer that eat everything but daffodils, hyacinth, poppies, and primroses. Some years the animals eat lupine and tulips, but I think they need to be unusually hungry. They leave garlic, parsley, asparagus and chives alone, and they haven't come close the house (but there is nothing to stop them).
The best remedy is probably a deer-proof fence. I believe there is less expense to grow container plants ( I have been happy with cherry tomatoes and arugula grown in pots on my deck. This year I am trying Okinawa Spinach in pots.)
For swiss chard, hostas, and trillium, I cover the plants with cages when they first send up shoots. My cages are sold as storage shelving, they are painted black, and have not rusted after 3-5 years. They snap together (5-sided, open to the ground). I will attach a picture of a hosta in a cage. In time the hosta gets crowded, but I like to think it would rather be crowded than eaten.
In the past whenever I uncovered my hostas, they were eaten within 5 days.
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rosarugosa
5-28-19, 12:54pm
Dado, do your hostas stay in the cages permanently? Life without chance of parole?
Teacher Terry
5-28-19, 1:09pm
Catherine, I imagine it would be too isolating and cold in the winter. For some reason I thought you were going to rent a apartment in town during winter.
Catherine, I imagine it would be too isolating and cold in the winter. For some reason I thought you were going to rent a apartment in town during winter.
Our two top choices: Rent a winter place in Florida and do the snowbird thing. Rent a winter off-season place in a Jersey beach town and force ourselves on our grandkids every weekend for 4 months.
dado potato
5-28-19, 7:12pm
Near the end of the season I pull off the cages... and I have cubic hostas for a while, and then the deer eat them.
Cubic hostas...great description!
Our two top choices: Rent a winter place in Florida and do the snowbird thing.
I live year round in FL. I notice pricing has really gone up for those rentals that are not annual. Snowbirding is our future plan, but we have a home to come to. Not sure it would be affordable as a rental situation.
rosarugosa
5-28-19, 9:01pm
Dado: The local deer population must really appreciate you!
dado potato
5-28-19, 11:04pm
rosarugosa:
The deer know that if they wait long enough, they can get a square meal at my garden.
rosarugosa
5-29-19, 5:37am
rosarugosa:
The deer know that if they wait long enough, they can get a square meal at my garden.:
:laff:
iris lilies
5-29-19, 8:40am
:
:laff:
I do not find jokes about deer eating ornamental plants at all funny. Ever!
Haha just kidding But these deer are going to be the bane of my existence.
DH says he will build a deer proof fence around an area where I can grow lilies so we shall see. There is a major grower of daylilies and hostas in the area of our
Hermann house, and they have a deer fence. It is a double fence both about 8 feet high. We have read that deer do not like double fences because they’re afraid of being trapped.
But any Lily garden that is successful still will not solve my inability to grow beautiful hostas. I have a gorgeous shady area under a huge tree where hostas would be great and I have wonderful hostas here in the city that need to be divided but alas, a hosta garden is not to be.
rosarugosa
5-29-19, 2:11pm
Groundhogs are the bane of my gardening existence, and they don't seem to like hostas. I hope that doesn't change, because I just ordered a bunch of them from Bluestone Perennials (annual sale now in progress!)
I have deer that eat everything but daffodils, hyacinth, poppies, and primroses. Some years the animals eat lupine and tulips, but I think they need to be unusually hungry. They leave garlic, parsley, asparagus and chives alone, and they haven't come close the house (but there is nothing to stop them).
The best remedy is probably a deer-proof fence. I believe there is less expense to grow container plants ( I have been happy with cherry tomatoes and arugula grown in pots on my deck. This year I am trying Okinawa Spinach in pots.)
For swiss chard, hostas, and trillium, I cover the plants with cages when they first send up shoots. My cages are sold as storage shelving, they are painted black, and have not rusted after 3-5 years. They snap together (5-sided, open to the ground). I will attach a picture of a hosta in a cage. In time the hosta gets crowded, but I like to think it would rather be crowded than eaten.
In the past whenever I uncovered my hostas, they were eaten within 5 days.
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Hi Dado. Out here in the country, we've learned what we can and can't plant because of bunnies and deer. Every time we plant a new tree/bush/flower, we have to put a wire fence around it........for many years........enlarging it every year.
Recently we had to remove all the 4'high fencing around 9 small spruce trees to mow around them and then put it back up. What a drag. But I remember once, hearing Martha Stewart talk about the problem she had with the deer eating her hostas. What she did was to put up something like 3-4 wires on stakes around her entire hosta area. I think if you start about 2' up from the bottom and put the wire every 2' up to about 5-6' it would probably be enough to keep the deer out. I know that sounds like a lot of work if you don't want to do it, but I thought I'd mention it. And you'd probably want to start back a ways from the hostas or they'll munch on them under that 2'.
After this weekend of taking down those huge wire cages around the 9 spruce trees, I've decided to go with the wire thing next. It should be much easier.
Actually.....I have 3 larger spruce and I put metal stakes around the group of them and just used twine around it all, in three layers, and it has kept the deer from rubbing them to death. It looks bad, but once the trees get larger, we won't need to do that.
We've worked so hard to grow about 10-12 white pine and protect them from the deer. Last year, we decided to remove all the fences. Now they are dying from a pine disease. It's a constant battle, unfortunately.
Hey......just grow weeds and nobody will bother them. haha
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Had to show off my Redbud bloom which is true for five trees alternating with the service berries all of which have finally reached the size to show off.
The Azalea and Rhodo are in bloom as well. They were so small and I thought I had lost them one winter.
Just pulled out the two highbush blueberries which despite being different varieties did not pollinate. My native hydrangea, Annabelle, will go there instead.
Why does it seem so awful to pull out healthy plants? I did try to find a home for the blueberries with no takers.
Here you go razz.
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Pretty tree! I've planted a number of those through the years and they all died. I don't know why.
Isn't it mint that deer hate? I can tell you first hand, all you need is a plant or two and you will soon have mint anywhere you look. But at least it's pretty and smells good.
When I first planted a small grove of white pines, I hung bars of soap on the branches because I heard it repels deer. I went out and all the bars of soap were gone! I think raccoons thought they were something to eat. hahahaha There's always somethin'!
I can't believe the amount of rain we've had. Fortunately, it's been good for all my large raised stock tanks in my garden. I've really scaled down this year. I planted 4 Roma tomatoes, 3 Rutgers, 3 peppers, 3 rosemary plants, dill, haricot vert beans, greens...which got overtaken by weeds, and a small stock tank with swiss chard, kale, and red romaine. Then in the ground for trellises I've planted county fair cucumbers (the only kind that can survive pests), Waltham butternut squash, and 3 types of pole beans: Hilda, Algarve, and Kentucky Blue. In the back yard I have a big potting container with Fordhook zucchini. We're crazy about making zucchini noodles. Now, if the rain, the sun, the bugs, the mice, etc. will cooperate, we'll have a good year.
I do have a 4' high solar electrified fence with 1" chicken wire at the bottom........so we'll see.
dado potato
5-29-19, 6:22pm
and Kentucky Blue.
I just planted Kentucky Blue with a trellis. I plan to surround the trellis with Blue Lake bush beans.
Dear Wife would like lots more Swiss Chard this year. I plan to plant 2 varieties of chard: "Bright Lights" for colorful stems, and "Ruby Red" for red veined leaves.
I will be caging most of the chard.
CathyA, I am impressed with the fence idea...
I am amazed with the all the gardening energy being expended and motivated as well. Thanks for straightening my photo, Cathy
This year my gardening only involved a lot of basil, which has died in the heat. Maybe I will try some greens in a trough like planter in the fall.
dado potato
6-8-19, 10:49pm
Here comes my first iris!
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Here comes my first iris!
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Look at the buds on it! Amazing.
Garden season is ON!!!!!������ In 24hours we've planted: 24 tomatoes, 20 peppers (8 varieties), a flat of marigolds, a flat of petunias and 8 dahlias to replace what he-who-shall-not-be-named ran over with him's truck! Let the growing begin! Yet to plant: cucumbers, eggplants, squash. I'm tired. Several years ago a friend of mine said: Now that I can afford broccoli, I'd rather grow it...... I LOVE growing our organic food ��
iris lilies
6-9-19, 11:00am
Here comes my first iris!
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nice! It is a pretty and old historic.
Good lord you ARE way up North if you are just starting bearded iris season. Ours ended pretty much two weeks ago.
Irises just now popping out here in Colorado. Very strange weather with 8 inches of snow a week ago and very cool wet temps for June. My raised bed veggies just recently popped up and darn if I am leaving them while we go to Texas. I thought they would be up a month ago.
iris lilies
6-15-19, 8:59pm
FinallyI have tons of bloom in my garden. Thanks popped out with in the past five days. I have a ton of lily bloom, and it will be full of lily bloom until the end of July.
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My dill has survived so I guess rabbits do not like it. At one time we saw three in our yard frolicking together and one in the neighbor's yard. The domestic strawberries are also survivors, but not producing any fruit yet though the wild ones have started to.
Lilies are amazing in the display they give. I have to wait another couple of weeks for mine so thanks, IL, for sharing yours.
rosarugosa
6-16-19, 8:23am
Beautiful flowers, IL!
Teacher Terry
6-16-19, 11:05am
Beautiful IL!
GARDEN IS IN! Greenhouse is empty. Let the growing begin!:cool: i got it finished this morning before it hit 80 outside!
This was THE best week in my yard! Both my privet japonica and my mock orange bloomed. Exotic fragrances drift upon you as soon as you come outside! Also, my strawberries are producingmy lavender is in full force, and my sweet peas began to bloom!
rosarugosa
6-17-19, 12:25pm
Oh Kay! Nirvana for the nose! I have fragrant peonies and dianthus.
Oh Kay! Nirvana for the nose! I have fragrant peonies and dianthus.
Sounds like my growing zone.
My peonies were in their gorgeous prime when we had a major downpour. Instantly demolished. :(
iris lilies
6-18-19, 11:03am
My peonies were in their gorgeous prime when we had a major downpour. Instantly demolished. :(
Peony season seems to come and go so fast, it is disappointing. I carefully buy cultivars that are early season bloomer and late season bloomers to extend bloom time, but even then it’s only about 3+ weeks. They are gorgeous, tho, and the deer dont seem to like them.
At our
hermann place we inherited many peony bushes. I referred to them as “the non blooming variety” because last year they didnt bloom. Same with lots of
siberian iris.
But after we cleaned out junk trees and overgrown shrubs, they got enough sun to bloom this year.
I have no idea what the cultivar is for my peony, only know it's a beautiful pale blush pink. It blooms without fail on Memorial Day weekend.
iris lilies
6-18-19, 1:02pm
Since we are talking about peonies I should mention that in my home garden I have several peony bushes I grow primarily for their foliage. They are in a slightly shady place and they don’t bloom well, but that’s fine with me because I love their foliage for floral arrangements.
Since we are talking about peonies I should mention that in my home garden I have several peony bushes I grow primarily for their foliage. They are in a slightly shady place and they don’t bloom well, but that’s fine with me because I love their foliage for floral arrangements.
I will buy some fresh flowers and add peony leaf stems for an accent. My three peonies which I moved from the farm are just finishing after a sluggish start for the past few years due to the move; they are different shades of white-pink to pink. I saw a new to me variety called 'tranquil dove", an early bloomer that I loved at our local horticultural garden.
dado potato
7-5-19, 4:47pm
I pulled up the first 11 garlic bulbs today... about 40 to go. These 11 had bent over, as though they were done.
9 plants are drying in a shed, but 2 bulbs got separated from their stalks, because I was too rough pulling them and I needed to dig them out... my bad! These 2 are on the sun porch now. Just the two of them, weighing 23 grams in total, give the entire sun porch a fresh garlic aroma. Now the sun porch is a good place to curl up and read a criticism and biography of the Italian artist, Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (1571-1610).
iris lilies
7-5-19, 4:58pm
This is the first year I am really learning what deer like and do not like.
Like: lilies, daylilies, hostas. i knew these were deer favorites. Deer are also chomping away on these new perennials: Baptista, phlox (eaten down to the ground) rudebeckia.
do not like: daffodils, iris. I knew those were safe from deer. Deer are not eating peonies, hydrangeas, euchenaciae, , yarrow, blackberry lilies (in the iris genus.) Plumbago, hollyhocks. Also they leave the alliums alone, but I never expected them to touch those.
I am putting up test plants such as zinnias, cleome, coleus to see what annuals they like. My guess is they would love impatiens..
dado potato
7-5-19, 5:04pm
@ iris lilies,
Deer have not eaten our impatiens. They might if they got hungry though! They seem to love stonecrop this year.
They have left our daisies, poppies, potted coleus, and lupine alone.
iris lilies
7-5-19, 5:30pm
@ iris lilies,
Deer have not eaten our impatiens. They might if they got hungry though! They seem to love stonecrop this year.
They have left our daisies, poppies, potted coleus, and lupine alone.
That is good to know about impatiens. I don’t grow Daisies, cannot grow poppies although I love them, same for lupines love them cannot grow them.
There is some type of weed in my yard the rabbits like. The basil has come back in the heat and I bought a parsley plant today I will keep in the house. The dill is doing okay and I have started to get tomatoes, but no domesticated strawberries although the wild ones produced fruit.
Yppej: Apparently they love clover, so if you have some of that they will enjoy it.
This is a different weed. I have clover also.
This week I have been harvesting blueberries. I have only one bush so it's about a handful at a time.
I'm growing eggplant for the first time. So far they are looking pretty good with a number of fruit on each plant. Anyone with experience, are there any tips for success throughout the season?
dado potato
7-25-19, 9:05am
I harvested about 12 oz of Early Italian Purple Garlic, and bagged it in a repurposed onion bag. In separate storage I am saving 7 of the largest bulbs, which I plan to divide into individual cloves and plant on October 14 (Columbus Day).
"California Dreamin"... Ah, to be in Gilroy July 26-28 for the Garlic Festival! People braid it, wear it, compete cooking with it, and (infamously) eat garlic ice cream.
2873
As usual, I have a mystery melon/squash that started in the compost pile. I moved it to one of my lasagna beds and it is gigantic. Last year, it turned out to be a butternut. Habitat had shopping carts fully of seed packets 10 for $1 so I bought about 30 different ones. Almost time to put in fall plantings. Between the harsh sun, hail, wind and monsoon rain, gardening is a real challenge here in Colorado.
I harvested about 12 oz of Early Italian Purple Garlic, and bagged it in a repurposed onion bag. In separate storage I am saving 7 of the largest bulbs, which I plan to divide into individual cloves and plant on October 14 (Columbus Day).
"California Dreamin"... Ah, to be in Gilroy July 26-28 for the Garlic Festival! People braid it, wear it, compete cooking with it, and (infamously) eat garlic ice cream.
North Plains, Oregon has a garlic festival, so I've had garlic ice cream and enjoyed it. But then, garlic is the stuff of life itself.
iris lilies
7-25-19, 10:03am
The star of my gardens this year is Plumbago! I planted two of these shrubby herbaceous plants in late May in Hermann and they have grown and bloomed for many weeks. They are lovely because they are a heavenly shade of sky blue. The deer have not touched them.
Deer have decimated my highbred daylily collection. I did not see one bloom. They are destroying the few hostas that were here when we bought the property. I will not move my nice hosta collection to Hermann only for them to become deer salad. The nasty creatures are tromping around within 9 feet of our house.
iris lilies
7-25-19, 10:04am
I'm growing eggplant for the first time. So far they are looking pretty good with a number of fruit on each plant. Anyone with experience, are there any tips for success throughout the season?
There is such a difference between freshly harvested eggplant and eggplant that you buy in a store. Much tastier! I don’t have tips for them because I’m not the grower of vegetables, DHS, but I don’t think he does anything special with them.
dado potato
7-29-19, 7:26am
But then, garlic is the stuff of life itself.
The Gilroy Garlic Festival ended very badly this year. The festival site was fenced, and there were metal detectors at the gates. But a shooter got in by cutting the fence, and reportedly used a semiautomatic rifle to inflict death to 3 people (including a 6-year-old boy) and injury to 15 others. Police arrived and killed the shooter. Elected officials and business leaders were all tweeting or talking about the crime on Sunday. For example Senator Kamala Harris remarked, Our country has a gun violence epidemic that we cannot tolerate."
I've never gardened before (vegetables). This year, I planted two tomato plants in a large tub that I had. I put them in late, because that's how I roll. I was so excited to see a tiny green tomato yesterday morning!!! It was still there this morning after our storms and wind last night!
iris lilies
8-16-19, 3:44pm
The star of my gardens this year is Plumbago! I planted two of these shrubby herbaceous plants in late May in Hermann and they have grown and bloomed for many weeks. They are lovely because they are a heavenly shade of sky blue. The deer have not touched them.
Deer have decimated my highbred daylily collection. I did not see one bloom. They are destroying the few hostas that were here when we bought the property. I will not move my nice hosta collection to Hermann only for them to become deer salad. The nasty creatures are tromping around within 9 feet of our house.
Here is an update on plumbago: it doesn’t survive through the winter, it is a tender perennial that grows in garden zone eight through 10. I am in zone six so it will not survive or winter. Bummer.
I like it so much and I may just buy it again next year at $29 a plant because it is so prolific in blooms! It is still blooming and we’re going on three months now! And the deer do not touch it even though they are chomping everything around it
Hmm. Parts of Portland veer into 9 a/b. I'll alert my gardening friends.
Iris, do you notice bees or butterflies liking the plumbago?
I've been so busy this summer with work that my garden wound up (so far) being totally half-butt. I did get tomatoes in, but not as many as I would have liked. But I was thrilled because my neighbor gave me a couple of tomatoes he had grown from seed, but they were like little sticks. He gave two containers to our other neighbor and they're like sticks. He gave me a couple and they went bananas. He was shocked to see how green and plush they were. Given my very spotty record with a green thumb, it really made me feel good.
So, he turned over his other tomatoes and an eggplant, which are also doing pretty well. I had heard a tip from a gardener who kept up gardens at a really nice little hotel in Southern Vermont that his "secret sauce" is composted cow manure. I do fertilize, but this year I also laid down the cow manure and I'm wondering if that's helping...
Anyone else have good tips for good soil?
Had to check out plumbago. They are lovely and have a variety of colours as well. I am zone 5 so no plumbago for me. My pots have been a joy and the perennials vigorous bloomers with optimum growing conditions this year. Thought that I would share some of the pots with you.
2933
Had to check out plumbago. They are lovely and have a variety of colours as well. I am zone 5 so no plumbago for me. My pots have been a joy and the perennials vigorous bloomers with optimum growing conditions this year. Thought that I would share some of the pots with you.
2933
Beautiful, razz!!
iris lilies
8-16-19, 7:59pm
Razz, your flowers are beautiful!
My neighbor uses something called Black Cow that I want to try.
rosarugosa
8-17-19, 6:14am
Love your garden, Razz!
iris lilies
8-17-19, 8:42am
Iris, do you notice bees or butterflies liking the plumbago?
There are butterflies hanging around all of these flowering plants.
Catherine, lots of stables will let you haul off horse manure for free from their pile. It smells better than cow manure and is easier to work with.
We use horse manure in our garden, and lots of straw.
We have so many monarchs this year compared to last year.
We have a professional beekeeper down the road and I swear we feed his seeds free all summer.
It smells better than cow manure and is easier to work with.
More weed seeds though, in my experience.
Catherine, lots of stables will let you haul off horse manure for free from their pile. It smells better than cow manure and is easier to work with.
We use horse manure in our garden, and lots of straw.
Composted cow manure doesn't smell bad and my gardener friend tells me that makes a difference.
I do love the straw idea though. I do occasionally use that.
Serious question. Is composted cow manure better than sheep manure. My favourite store has one discounted sheep manure to half of the discounted cattle manure. It is so tempting to get a bunch for next year.
Serious question. Is composted cow manure better than sheep manure. My favourite store has one discounted sheep manure to half of the discounted cattle manure. It is so tempting to get a bunch for next year.
I'd read this and see what you think for your situation:
https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/626/what-is-the-functional-difference-between-cow-manure-and-sheep-manure
Thank you Tybee. I will take a look at the actual N/Ph/P ratio of each, both are composted and in bags.
today I am potting up herbs to put in the kitchen window this winter. I am cleaning old ceramic pots for this and am happy to see them and reuse them in a new way. Found an old blue green cracked mccoy pot and now it has a little lavender plant in it. Very satisfying.
Have lots of tarragon this summer so will find a pot for one of those.
today I am potting up herbs to put in the kitchen window this winter. I am cleaning old ceramic pots for this and am happy to see them and reuse them in a new way. Found an old blue green cracked mccoy pot and now it has a little lavender plant in it. Very satisfying.
Have lots of tarragon this summer so will find a pot for one of those.
My tarragon is my nemesis! What on earth do you do with all of it? I started with a small plant and it just grows and grows and grows. I've dried a lot of it, but frankly, just cut it all back and tossed it on the compost pile.
Yeah, I just noticed that I can only fit one plant in a pot and it is going to have to go into our garage/greenhouse area with the other giant plants.
I don't know what to do with it either.
And don't get me started on the wormwood.
Fully one third of my backyard is now covered in squash vines. They must grow a foot a day. My mystery squash vine appears to be a pumpkin though I never put any pumpkin in the compost. Just harvested carrots yesterday. Tiny but tasty. Cukes almost ready. Chard just keeps coming.
I've been picking zucchini for 3 weeks now. 15 so far-I think. Picked cucumbers Monday for the 1st time and a few cherry tomatoes these last 2 weeks. Looks like some full-size tomatoes will be ready tomorrow.
Very late start here. Go figure.
mschrisgo2
8-24-19, 12:34am
My tomatoes taste horrible all of a sudden. Bitter, yuck!
Almost ready to through the plants into the compost pile!
Everything is so late here. We have had one tomato, that's it from the tomatoes.
Now it's getting cold at night. . .
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