Anyone have the "itch" yet? (merged)

[larry_stewart]

Yeah, I grew up helping my dad in his garden. Everything from turning over the dirt, to planting, weeding, harvesting... which he learned from his father . Now, im getting my kids to participate too. Im always trying something new . Its constantly a learning experience. Just when u think you got it all figured out, another curve ball is thrown at you ( no rain, too much rain, bizarre insect, moles, slugs, rabbits....) So all this keeps me on my toes trying to outsmart mother nature.

 

[Porthand]

There are few things more satisfying than putting up fruits and vegetables from your own garden.

 

[Erinny]

Oh yes! I have a good-sized patch for herbs too, and I just love the feel and the smell of growing things. I grew up helping Dad, he is a farmer. My sister and brother hate gardens and don't grow anything but weeds.

 

[larry_stewart]

Im pretty good at growing weeds too

 

[Porthand]

Growing trees and shrubs pays the bills for me. The vegetable garden is sanctuary.

 

[JohnL]

I just received my 1st catalog a few days ago. I can't wait! My problem is that I'm always interested in fruits and veggies that won't grow in my region..... Go figure

 

[Porthand]

JL, I would wager you could grow most veggies in your neck of the woods.Sometimes with longer season crops, it is a matter of starting in a greenhouse or indoors vs. sewing direct outside. Fruits are a different animal though.

 

[larry_stewart]

I just received my 1st catalog a few days ago. I can't wait! My problem is that I'm always interested in fruits and veggies that won't grow in my region..... Go figure

you and me both. Ive killed my share of orange, lemon and avocado trees

on the other hand i have 3 banana trees that i lug in and outside for the past 5 years. They are dwarf varieties. They say they will fruit eventually, so im patiently waiting.

I also got a few seeds from my friend in brazil of things ive never heard of before " maxixe"

But im always looking for new, unusual things. I have 2 kiwi vines that produced over 800 kiwis last year.

 

[Porthand]

Right now I have fava beans germinated and braving the elements. Supposedly, that is the way to grow them in western Oregon. Next May, I should plan on having them with a nice chianti LOL!

 

[JohnL]

Hi Port, I'd love to have a small greenhouse but really don't know where the heck I'd put one. It would be nice though.
Hey Larry,
What the heck did you do with 800 kiwis????
Hmmmm, wine maybe?

 

[larry_stewart]

Yep about 1/2 went to kiwi wine. First time I made wine, and judging from the response of people after tasting it, it will be the last time too but it was a fun experience.

Also made some kiwi jam, which seems to be easier and tastes better. The plant has completely taken over that part of the yard so im going to do some major league pruning in a few months.

 

[LeeAnn]

I haven't gotten any catalogs yet, but will be ordering real soon. It's been so cold lately that I haven't taken any time to seriously think about gardening - though it still crosses my mind. Not sure if we are staying in this house or moving again, so I won't plan anything really yet. I'll be watching for everyone elses pictures though.

 

[Porthand]

Speaking of taming the wild kiwi vines a good "how to" article: Pruning Kiwi --Home Orchard Society

 

[PieSusan]

I love to plant and harvest but weeding is too hard on my back. I have had pot gardens for my mom that have worked out really well even though they get a lot of sun, I just water them well.

 

[Porthand]

IMHO, most folks that take a stab at container gardening fail because they start out with too small of a pot. Last season my container garden was 4 tomato plants 1 ea/can and 2 with 3 basil plants/can in a #10 nursery can. That size can used to be refered in the biz as a 10 gallon although it is not true capacity. They are slightly larger than a 5 gallon bucket but that is the minumum size vessel needed to keep a tomato plant happy all season.

I set my plants up on a drip system with a nifty little programable timer that ran on 2 AA batteries from May to October.

 

[BreezyCooking]

Even if I have a regular large in-ground garden, I always grow a number of herbs & veggies on my deck in 5-gallon or larger containers. Tomatoes, peppers, okra, eggplant, greens, a variety of herbs, etc., etc. It's just nice if it's late at night or stormy weather to just step out of the kitchen onto the deck & pick something that I need for dinner instead of having to traipse out to the garden in the dark.

 

[suziquzie]

I've started my list already.... I get too excited too early!
I need to start my peppers and eggplants in early March.... its only 8 weeks away!!!
Yay almost time to play in the dirt!!!!
( and I just covered the strawberries 8 weeks ago!)

 

[CharlieD]

I need to remember to buy red curants this year. Keep forgeting to do it couple of years in a row.

 

[padams2359]

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This is the confirmation email that I got yesterday. Yeah, I would say I have an itch. I managed to save all but a couple of my herbs. They are in my potting shed along with about 20 orchids. I have some Red & Green Shallot clusters left over from last year. I like the Red over the Green. I find they have a milder taste. I also have 3 avocado plants that I started last year. They are about 3 feet tall now. I am trying to decide where to put them. I know you need at least 2 of them in order for them to produce correctly. I have 2 Mirliton plants that come up each year. This past season I got about 100 or so before the first hard freeze. I have to rebuild the trellis for them. Hurricane Gustav broke it to pieces right before they started fruiting. I cannot believe how much those things cost. I gave most of them away because I do not find the freeze well.

 

[Claire]

Summer dreaming! Haven't seen freezing for ages, certainly not this year (that is to say, the temperatures have not gotten that high) but the catalogs have started arriving. Because the season is short here (remember, the last places I lived were Florida and Hawaii!) I don't grow too much from seed, preferring to buy seedlings. Even so, Parks is so appealing right now. I'm nursing a big pot of curry leaves and rosemary (they look so pretty together), a small bay, and a lemon grass plant. Not easy because all of my sunny windows have baseboard heaters under them, so even a day of not paying attention to the moisture can result in death.