A question for everyone, considering that Spring is upon us:
Does anyone here tend a garden, or plant things?
I'm starting a garden this year, because it's one thing I've never really done before. Over the past weekend, I picked up the seeds to four varieties of sunflowers. I had intentions of planting them that very weekend, but it had been kind of cold here. My main plan THIS coming weekend is to rake up the area where I want to plant them, grab some fertilizer, and get it going.
Anyone else?
edit: for those who know their way around a garden, the varieties of sunflower seeds I picked up are: Velvet Queen, Large Russian, Floristan, and Giganteus.
(edited by Oliver on 22.2.06 0813) "At the end of every hard-earned day, people find some reason to believe." -- Bruce Springsteen
Ahhhh yeah. I garden like a madman. I've been doing it about four years and ALL of my friends think I'm stupid for doing an "old person" activity. May I recommend a book? Get Mel Bartholomew's "Square Foot Gardening" or at least find some sites that tell you about it. I have a square foot garden and it is AWESOME. You spend a heck of a lot less time weeding and stuff. I love growing onions, tomatoes and peppers and then making my own salsa.
I envy all of you. Husband bought a home on a lot covered with trees. As a result, there is very very little sunlight on our property, and a hell of a lot of woodland varmits. (deer, wild turkeys, opossums, a badger, ducks, canadian geese, and Husband claims to have seen a beaver down by the river.) Don't get me wrong; I love living here. But I just can't have a real garden. I have to settle for growing tomatoes, peppers, and calla lilies in pots on our raised deck. I also have ten potted cacti and some assorted Hawaiian plants that I bought in the airport gift shop on the way back home as houseplants. (I also saved one of our pepper plants from Wisconsin winter and it is still producing peppers indoors.)
It is weird. I have this overwhelming urge to grow veggies from deep within my psyche. Well, at least I know that I am not alone.
p.s. Does anybody know how to get rid of the spider mites that are eating up my cacti? They are ugly and are hindering the growth of my plants.
I have a bansai tree (juniper) which I've had for ~7 years, an ivy I've had since coming to college, and a small herb garden in my window with basil, parsley, and mint. A couple years ago I had the other kind of herb garden but I don't do that anymore.
HBK: You’re flat broke aren’t you? MJ: Please let me wrestle on RAW! HBK: Fine, but I ain’t wearin’ no fruity tassels. MJ: Are these your mirror pants? HBK: Give me those!
Tomato freak here. Burpee Bigboy ONLY, thank you very much.
they go into the 60% potting soil/40% peatmoss mix base as seeds NEXT WEEK. (ash wednesday is the basic guide). I'll plant 6 and get around two to four tomatoes a week for 8-12 weeks.
Originally posted by Parts UnknownAhhhh yeah. I garden like a madman. I've been doing it about four years and ALL of my friends think I'm stupid for doing an "old person" activity. May I recommend a book? Get Mel Bartholomew's "Square Foot Gardening" or at least find some sites that tell you about it. I have a square foot garden and it is AWESOME. You spend a heck of a lot less time weeding and stuff. I love growing onions, tomatoes and peppers and then making my own salsa.
I've seen a video concerning "Square Foot Gardening" but if I recall correctly, that's better used for growing food, right?
I thought about planting some veggies, but I gotta talk to some people about what can grow in the Vancouver area's sometimes insane climate.
"At the end of every hard-earned day, people find some reason to believe." -- Bruce Springsteen
Every plant I touch, dies, it seems. My mother, though, has plants all over the house as well as a flower garden in front of the apartment. She's got much more patience for it than I.
"Belkar is a horrible, loathsome, supremely selfish creature who behaves contemptibly, laughs at the pain of others, has no manners whatsoever, and whose mental acuity would be compared unfavorably to that of a table. And yet I find I still prefer him to you." --Vaarsuvius, The Order of the Stick
Five-Time W of the Day (5/27/02; 7/3/02; 7/30/04; 8/28/04; 12/16/05)
The Only Five-Time (and Last) N.E.W. World Heavyweight Champion
Certified RFMC Member-- Ask To See My Credentials!
Originally posted by Parts UnknownAhhhh yeah. I garden like a madman. I've been doing it about four years and ALL of my friends think I'm stupid for doing an "old person" activity.
Same here. My neighbours think I am out of my mind. Every year, my veggie garden gets a little bigger. Eventually I may have removed all the grass for garden.
Tomatoes, green beans, potatoes, carrots are all staples. Every year I let my kids pick something else to try as well. We have had successful crops of corn and peas. Not so successful with broccoli or zucchini.
The last couple of years I have increased the size so that we can grow herbs. All summer long we have fresh basil that we can make our own pesto. At the end of the season, we can usually make enough to get through the winter too.
We also are trying various others like Oregano, mint, parsley, chives, rosemary, etc...
My wife does the flower parts of the garden, although I usually end up being the weed person... That part of things gets bigger every year too as we scam plants from each of our parents....
I can't wait for the weather to enable me to work on it again...
Where the wild are strong, and the strong are the darkest ones, you're the Darkest One.
Originally posted by Parts UnknownAhhhh yeah. I garden like a madman. I've been doing it about four years and ALL of my friends think I'm stupid for doing an "old person" activity. May I recommend a book? Get Mel Bartholomew's "Square Foot Gardening" or at least find some sites that tell you about it. I have a square foot garden and it is AWESOME. You spend a heck of a lot less time weeding and stuff. I love growing onions, tomatoes and peppers and then making my own salsa.
I've seen a video concerning "Square Foot Gardening" but if I recall correctly, that's better used for growing food, right?
Holy cow, brother! Is there any other way to garden?