Any Gardeners Out There?

[PineGroveDave]

3 years ago I thought I'd try my hand at gardening. I built 2 10'x12' raised beds and filled them with topsoil. I've grown different varieties of tomatoes for eating/canning/sauce along w/ many peppers (I'm a pepperhead), tomatillos for sauces, squash, spinach, herbs, lettuce...you get the idea.

This year my wife and I have expanded the garden dramatically. I've excavated 2 large terraces on our back slope and have begun tilling getting the soil ready for compost and amendments. Once completed, we should have an additional 8 8'x4' raised beds. My wife has started a lot of lettuce, basil, corn, peas, beans...I forget the whole list now, but it's extensive. We've also planted 2 apples, 2 pears, 2 figs, and 1 peach tree.

We're certainly going to be busy canning and dehydrating come harvest time, but it certainly pays off I'll say that much. Nothing like eating your own veggies from your garden. It's amazing how much more flavorful homegrown veggies are than store bought (especially the tomatoes!).

Anyone else?

[squarepusher]

Hi, I run a small fertilizer business if you need anything Its mostly synthetics but can make nearly any formula desired (tomato blend?)

[amy31416]

Yes sir!

Tomatoes, lots of herbs, broccoli, peppers, cantaloupe, sunflowers, cucumber, lettuces, spinach, chard and stuff. Oh, and we have a raspberry and strawberry patch.

Keep your fingers crossed for sun...it's been really, really rainy lately.

[specsaregood]

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[Krugerrand]

I've added herbs and flowers to the garden for the first time this year. A few things are sprouting, so it'll still be a while before I can say for sure how pleased I am with what I chose.

I'm starting to read a little more about companion planting --- but a lot of the stuff seems like a bunch of hooey. It's hard to know what to believe.

[pcosmar]

Anyone else?

My garden area is tilled up, and I will be planting this week. 1st of June is the rule of thumb here, but I will get it in a few days early.
It's been warm. I have gotten away with it before, but I've also been caught by frost.
Chances look good this year.

[Meatwasp]

Our gardens are huge this year. Thank goodness I have sons and a daughter in law that love it. All our peaches 5 cherry trees bloomed and the apples and pears are done too.
I found putting washed whole cherries in the freezer are delicious snacks in winter. My Sea berries still haven't bloomed. Darn them. I made the best pancake syrup out of the wild gooseberries that grow here. They are prickly but man the syrup is out of this world.

[JK/SEA]

2,000 sq. ft. here. Mostly sweet corn. Blue lakes going in on the north side this week. Potatos in, some tomatoes a few pepper plants. Sun is being a little bitch this year... Marigolds in the corners and south side, couple egg plants. Got strwaberries in separate containers. Slugs are everywhere. I go out in the morning and squash any i see. They seem to be slowing down now. I'm guessing i've slaughtered over a hundred now. Fun times....lol..will be assessing further plantings of other varieties as spring wears on.

[Brian4Liberty]

It's amazing how much more flavorful homegrown veggies are than store bought (especially the tomatoes!).

Is there a store tomato that is worth buying? It's been years since any have been edible.

[dannno]

I used to have a kickass garden and a pretty cool thread to show it off, but apparently all of the threads I created before 2009 are archived.

I lived in a rental that had a HUUUGGE front yard. Got an entire season out of it, including the biggest artichoke plant I've ever seen that ended up producing about 30 or 40 artichokes. We also had two fig trees, a huge apricot and loquat tree, and an apple tree.

Then the landlord sold the house, and the new owners said we could stay for a year or two so we really went all out and planted an amazing garden the next spring. Then the new owners decided they wanted to tear up the house and turn it into units and kicked is out. Fuckin assholes.

So now I am mostly doing containers. I have a dwarf lime tree, a dwarf avocado tree and I've cleared out a bed that I'm going to probably plant some brocolli or cauliflower (it doesn't get very hot here so they should be fine). Also planning on getting some tomato plants for sure. May expand from there, we have lots of bed space, I just need to get a pick axe and chop it up a bit and put some amendments in there.