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?)

[Corydoras]

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

I notice that Schultz no longer makes 10-60-10, which was outstanding for tomatoes... is it illegal now or something?

[psi2941]

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

do u sell ziram, dipel, rely 280 and 1477? if yes are you in MI? I rather support a fellow ron paul supporter then a $#@!en mindless republican.

[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.

[oyarde]

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.

Yes , I need some sunshine . Looks like the corn , green beens , tomatos , radishes , pumpkins , sunflowers , onions , blackberries , lettuce & squash are ok so far , but my bell peppers , watermelons , parsley , not so good .

[oyarde]

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.

I should have planted cantaloupe ..... What do you do with the Chard ??

[amy31416]

I should have planted cantaloupe ..... What do you do with the Chard ??

It's considered a "superfood" for it's nutrient content...and being a Yankee, I haven't tried cooking it as a traditional green, but have chopped it up and put it in to soup. It's actually quite delicious that way, as long as it's chopped up enough. (I found the larger pieces rather off-putting.) It's supposed to be pretty good chopped up and sauteed in olive oil, garlic, salt & pepper though.

The recipe I've used (with variations):

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Bean-So...le/Detail.aspx

[oyarde]

It's considered a "superfood" for it's nutrient content...and being a Yankee, I haven't tried cooking it as a traditional green, but have chopped it up and put it in to soup. It's actually quite delicious that way, as long as it's chopped up enough. (I found the larger pieces rather off-putting.) It's supposed to be pretty good chopped up and sauteed in olive oil, garlic, salt & pepper though.

The recipe I've used (with variations):

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Bean-So...le/Detail.aspx

I am a Yankee too and the only way I can enjoy spinach and greens is raw in a salad , but I will try anything.

[specsaregood]

//

[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.

[James Madison]

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.

I just bought three or four sea berry bushes this year. Haven't decided where to put them yet, though. Any general comments or suggestions about sea berries?

[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.

[oyarde]

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.

My marigolds and wildflowers are not faring well , need sun .

[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.

[oyarde]

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

Where I am , in very early spring ( March ) , there is a farm stand that sells vine tomatos they truck in from florida that are very good.

[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. $#@!in $#@!s.

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.

[specsaregood]

//

[AZ Libertarian]

Thanks for asking, and starting this thread, dave!

Prior to last year, my only experience in gardening (other than houseplants) was putting a radish seed in a cup in kindergarden, and transferring the seedling into the ground.

After attending the 2010 Freedom Summit in Phoenix (where I live), my friend Kelly and I gave one of the speakers a ride to the residence he was staying at for the event. It was Presidential Candidate and current President of the Continental Congress Michael Badnarik - a good friend of mine. During the conversation, Kelly asked Mike "What should we be doing right now?" to which he replied "You should be securing the survival of your Family."

I took that advice to heart - personally.

I put in a 4' x 4' raised bed winter garden with red & green looseleaf lettuce (Mesclun Mix), Buttercrunch lettuce, arugula, carrots, green onions, and some kind of bean that was supposed to be planted in the Spring (LOL). We ended up with so much produce, my family of six couldn't eat it all to where I was consistently giving it away to friends and neighbors (did I just incriminate my self? Marbury vs. Madison...)

I upped the ante for this summer, and put in four apple trees (two types of two each), three plum, one fig and one pomegranite tree, and six grapevines (two Thompson Seedless and two Flame Seedless). I counted 75 tomato plants the other day (Beefsteak, Roma, and Cherry) and three-quarters have fruit on them. Add to that cucumbers, eggplant, sweet banana peppers, red and green bell, habanero, cowhorn peppers, okra, pumpkin, cantalope, honeydew, watermelon, white and brown onions, garlic, and a dozen herbs (NO hemp - I'm a firearm enthusiast and I don't need unwanted intrusions from Law Enforcement, so I keep a clean garden!)

I have grown EVERYTHING from seed except for the trees and grapevines, and one Early Girl tomato plant I bought at Home Depot when I planted - which got up to 28 tomatos at one time, and I harvested about 3 to 5 a day while everything else was growing.

...and I did it mostly in my back yard in a major metropolitan city - with five of the trees in the front yard. What suprised me most was the amount of seed I got from letting a small portion of the winter veggies go to seed. I probably ended up with $80 worth of Arugula seeds, and about $50 in lettuce seeds - and that's not counting the onions that are seeding now.

I'm hooked! I never really liked tomatos until I tasted them directly off of the vine. The cucumbers were great, and I think I'm going to try and can some sauce I'll make with the romas.

Oh yeah - ask my 3 year old Grandson about "Grampas' Garden". That boy is a hawk at spotting ripe strawberries, of which I have a few plants of. Did I mention the berries? Red and Black Raspberries, and Blackberries. Too bad the Blueberries didn't live. That, and an Apricot tree I couldn't get to take were about my only real failures. But then again I still have the hottest part of the summer ahead of me, and 110 is not uncommon here.

What I couldn't do with a few acres....

Ed

[oyarde]

Thanks for asking, and starting this thread, dave!

Prior to last year, my only experience in gardening (other than houseplants) was putting a radish seed in a cup in kindergarden, and transferring the seedling into the ground.

After attending the 2010 Freedom Summit in Phoenix (where I live), my friend Kelly and I gave one of the speakers a ride to the residence he was staying at for the event. It was Presidential Candidate and current President of the Continental Congress Michael Badnarik - a good friend of mine. During the conversation, Kelly asked Mike "What should we be doing right now?" to which he replied "You should be securing the survival of your Family."

I took that advice to heart - personally.

I put in a 4' x 4' raised bed winter garden with red & green looseleaf lettuce (Mesclun Mix), Buttercrunch lettuce, arugula, carrots, green onions, and some kind of bean that was supposed to be planted in the Spring (LOL). We ended up with so much produce, my family of six couldn't eat it all to where I was consistently giving it away to friends and neighbors (did I just incriminate my self? Marbury vs. Madison...)

I upped the ante for this summer, and put in four apple trees (two types of two each), three plum, one fig and one pomegranite tree, and six grapevines (two Thompson Seedless and two Flame Seedless). I counted 75 tomato plants the other day (Beefsteak, Roma, and Cherry) and three-quarters have fruit on them. Add to that cucumbers, eggplant, sweet banana peppers, red and green bell, habanero, cowhorn peppers, okra, pumpkin, cantalope, honeydew, watermelon, white and brown onions, garlic, and a dozen herbs (NO hemp - I'm a firearm enthusiast and I don't need unwanted intrusions from Law Enforcement, so I keep a clean garden!)

I have grown EVERYTHING from seed except for the trees and grapevines, and one Early Girl tomato plant I bought at Home Depot when I planted - which got up to 28 tomatos at one time, and I harvested about 3 to 5 a day while everything else was growing.

...and I did it mostly in my back yard in a major metropolitan city - with five of the trees in the front yard. What suprised me most was the amount of seed I got from letting a small portion of the winter veggies go to seed. I probably ended up with $80 worth of Arugula seeds, and about $50 in lettuce seeds - and that's not counting the onions that are seeding now.

I'm hooked! I never really liked tomatos until I tasted them directly off of the vine. The cucumbers were great, and I think I'm going to try and can some sauce I'll make with the romas.

Oh yeah - ask my 3 year old Grandson about "Grampas' Garden". That boy is a hawk at spotting ripe strawberries, of which I have a few plants of. Did I mention the berries? Red and Black Raspberries, and Blackberries. Too bad the Blueberries didn't live. That, and an Apricot tree I couldn't get to take were about my only real failures. But then again I still have the hottest part of the summer ahead of me, and 110 is not uncommon here.

What I couldn't do with a few acres....

Ed

I am fooling around with a little red lettuce this year , but I think it is an Italian blend.

[Meatwasp]

Sea berries are suppose to be richer in vit.C than oranges. Has lots of other vitemins. I forgot what they were. They are sour but with a little sugar will sweeten them up The article said to pick them in clumps wash them and put them in the freezer. They will fall right off.

[Original_Intent]

I've had 2 8 x 4 raised beds for a few years. This year I bought a tiller, tilled up about 1/3 of my back yard, and will be doing a fairly large garden (for me) about 40 x 70. Also put in a Ranier cherry, a bing cherry, an elephant heart plum, an apricot and an Elberta peach tree (bringing our fruit tree total to 8.)

[CaseyJones]

Imma move this to Freedom Living (it is the closest we have to a gardening forum)

[Dreamofunity]

I've been wanting to grow avocados and hops, but alas, I am lazy and live in an apartment.

[OrigSEOH]

We have multi plots that sum up to about an acre of maintained soil for cultivation. Starting with the trees we have about a dozen peach trees, yellow and white, two large apple, 3 cherry that are not bearing yet. Then on the tubers we grow red, white and yellow potatoes along with ~20 slips for sweet potatoes. When it comes to beans we have pole and bush, then lima and some peas. Cole crops include broccoli, cauliflower, 3 types of cabbage, Brussels, and some Kohlrabi. Then we have 3 types of tomato. Also, Carrots, beets, turnips. Also, strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries. Yellow, icebox, and Carolina cross watermelons (rotted need to reseed). A really large variety of zucchini. Probably 3 or 4 types of pumpkin including Atlantic Giant. Two types of lettuce, radishes, 4 types of onions, bunches of garlic and herbs scattered about.
In the last 2 years we have incorporated cover crops into the crop rotation such as oilseed radish, pacific gold mustard, clovers, alpha, mammoth sunflowers, rye, and hairy vetch. I found a great source for those seeds @ johnnyseeds.

[specialK]

I used to grow figs, but had to cut the tree down last year as it grew like a weed and was planted too close to the foundation of the house.

Last year I planted a male and female kiwi and can't wait to until the female starts to produce.

I also grow bananas, but they are more ornamental here in the PNW

[Meatwasp]

Amy put a little vinegar on them, and sprinkle with raw onions. My southern husband taught me that. Yummy.

[osan]

3 years ago I thought I'd try my hand at gardening.


Anyone else?

Excellent. We currently have about 1/3 acre under till and about 5 acres of hay and feed corn growing. I have two Gravelys on the way - getting a good deal on them. If you cannot afford or need a farm tractor, a Gravely 'L' model is indispensible. They are absolute beasts and little that you put in their way will be able to stop them. I strongly recommend all small scale farmers to acquire one. They are built like tanks and are almost impossible to wear out. They are extremely versatile, powerful, fuel efficient, and long lasting. They also have many attachments such as roto tiller, plow, paddle tiller, sickle bar mower, bush hog, cultivator, grader/snow blade, planters, sprayers, and so on. One can also get a sulky for them so that you can ride along with the tractor rather than walk behind. They come as manual or electric start, the engines are well built - latter models coming with Kohler power (e.g. L-8).

They are heavy as the devil and if you live on sloping ground, dual wheels are highly recommended, as are tractor-pattern tires. Y0ou don't want your Gravely tumbling down the mountainside, especially if you are immediately in its path.

If you are tilling less than 2 acres, I would call the Gravely an ideal farming implement. Up to perhaps 4 to 5 acres they are very handy. More than that and by modern standards you are moving into the realm of full fledged farm tractors.

Find one. Buy one. Use one. I do not think you will be sorry for it.