GROWING THINGS

[Bill Peckham]

Short term memory? What short term memory. Your first post was hours ago Anna

... jeez I need to pay closer attention.

Off to buy rubber snakes.

[kitkatz]

I have a rubber snake that sits on my desk here in the office. Will it help my mustard plant weeds grow better?

[thegrammalady]

i have had gardens over the years, but nothing recently. last was tomatoes in a very large pot. hoever i understand my new yard has raspberries!!!!

[annabanana]

Short term memory? What short term memory. Your first post was hours ago Anna

... jeez I need to pay closer attention.

Off to buy rubber snakes.

Bill, just make sure you remember your snakes aren't real! 

[monrein]

I really like that soil that Bill mentioned with added water retaining properties and fertilizer.  I also like SmartCote pellets which is what nurseries use in hanging baskets and containers.  These pellets also come in formulas for shrubs and for perennials.  On top of that I also use a liquid fertilizer for annuals that are heavy feeders.  I find that really good soil preparation is the key to lush gardens so every year I dig in the left over soil from my pots and I also dig in peat moss mixed with manure (composted weed free sheep manure is my favorite) on a regular basis and also compost that I can get for free from our city recycling program.  I like to spread a good ring of sheep manure around each hosta, peony, flox clump in the early sring and I have on occasion added worms to my beds for good soil aeration which aids root growth.  I've also bought ladybugs for natural pest control as I use no pesticides or herbicides.  Anything too high maintenance, I give away or toss.  I LOVE SOIL and digging and growing stuff.  Used to grow a lot of veggies but no more.  I get good locally grown stuff at the cottage.

Mulch is good for keeping down weeds and for retaining water but I find it can get in my way so I use it under shrubs or trees (like my new Katsura tree in photo no.2) but in my beds I rely on lots of overlapping plants.
Happy growing all.  Love all the garden pics. 

[petey]

Bill, I love your scare bee! We have rubber snakes.

My mother is an expert flower-growing -- all kinds of beautiful flowers and plants in pots and holders all over her back porch.  She, too, likes to "hide" rubber snakes in her plants.  The first time I discovered one, I thought it was real and chopped its head off with a hoe!  The rest of the family still picks on me about that one (and that was about 25 years ago).  Ohhhhhhh, I hate snakes -- live ones, dead ones, rubber ones, pictures of snakes, thoughts of snakes....and on and on.

[Meinuk]

I'm with you petey,  snakes in any form are enough to keep me away.

[del]

Nice pictures people!!!  No snakes at all in Newfoundland!!  Only live ones I have ever seen are in pet stores and they scare the crap out of me!!!
Paris I have a really good recipe for heavenly jam - it has rhubarb, crushed pineapple and strawberry jello in it. Let me know if you want the recipe.
Here's a couple more pics of my garden. The first is of a red prince weiglia that one of my students gave me the last day of school.  The second is my bridal wreath spirea.
I use a lot of compost. Mostly our own. I also use a lot of miracle grow.  I use bone meal around plants too especially iris.  I like those pellets too that monrein was talking about.  I used a little too much on my alberta spruce last year and almost killed it!!  It has bounced right back this year though!!

[Sluff]

Great pictures everyone. I can't grow anything right.

[okarol]

Great pictures everyone. I can't grow anything right.

You can grow a mustache!

[twirl]

sluff that is so not true, you grew your personality just right

[Katonsdad]

I am growing leaves ... We have 22 trees on less that a 1/4 acre that grow leafs all summer long
then drop the darn things all fall .....
We have birds and squirrels in the yard though

Katonsdad

[flip]

I grow a little bit of everything (no comments please). I plan on taking some new pics this weekend. I may even update my avatar.

[paris]

Del, I would LOVE the recipe.  Thank you!

[pelagia]

We are sun limited in our yard, but manage to grow tomatoes, summer squash, green beans, peppers and basil. 

I would love to know more about "seasoning peppers" from Bajanne  and saltwort (?) from Annabanana.

We have the real thing too, so we don't need rubber snakes.  And we have three cats that happily co-exist with the snakes...

[Ang]

i've  been  trying  to  grow  myself  for  42  years,  no  joy,help  wanted  any  ideas,

[del]

We are growing a shed this summer too. Anybody wanna help?  just joking!!

[annabanana]

pelagia,
saltwort is a Japanese herb used a lot in sushi, I hear. I use the new shoots in salad, stir-fry or in marinade or just on top of salmon or other fish when I grill.
I've also used it in sandwiches. It's full of good things, but I'm not sure it would pass the special diet test. It's got a very fresh taste and a good texture.

[skyedogrocks]

Last year was my first at growing tomatoes & bell peppers.  This year I have about 6 Big Boy tomato plants, 1 cherry tomato, also growing red bell peppers, tai hot peppers, cucumbers and strawberries and basil.  All are coming in so well, I am psyched.  My basil plant just keeps flourishing so nicely and it smells divine.  I have given so much away and have made many dishes with it, yum!  The only one I am iffy with is my cucumber, when the flowers come off, I haven't seen anything blooming...I need to see if cucumbers are coming.  Next year I want some grow more herbs.

I'm having so much fun with this!  It's very addicting.

Bill - I'm curious as to how viney the canteloupe plant is?  I don't want it to take over my backyard, but I would love to grow them, yum!

[flip]

All melons are viney and take a lot of space to grow. Strawberries need a lot of attention in order to bear fruit year after year.

[pelagia]

The only one I am iffy with is my cucumber, when the flowers come off, I haven't seen anything blooming...I need to see if cucumbers are coming. 

We are having trouble with our squash this year - not much fruit is setting.  I am wondering if this is because there aren't many bees around.  I don't think I've seen any honey bees in my yard this year at all.  And we live in the country where there should be plenty.  We don't use any pesticides.  I've heard that the bee populations have been affected by disease. Are you seeing bees where you live?

[flip]

The bee population is down and it does affect pollination. Bees need to make several visits for good pollination. You can hand pollinate with a q-tip if it gets too bad.

[pelagia]

I'll give it a try.  thanks

[annabanana]

My husband always asks why I plant "all those flowers" near the veggie garden and I tell him: to lure the bees in! It's true that the population is not what it used to be, but I've had some bees.

[flip]

I always plant a few marigolds to ward off the bugs and insects.