Official Backyard Gardening thread

abomb

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Donald said:
Ok, damn. Don't get me started. I have one bell pepper plant and it is THRIVING. Nothing yet as to fruit, but it is growing big. I can't wait for those bad boys.

Tomatoes...I got some advice from the guy at the store as to how to plant them...twist the head up, and bury them sideways beause all the little whiskers are wanna be roots. I did this, and for the first week I thought he was crazy. In the last two weeks, they have grown like weeds...a few flowers there, but they are rooting right now and getting big. I have a taller cherry tomato plant that is getting very big, many flowers and lots of greenies all over it. Super excited there.

Have some pumpkin growing huge, and squash too...I hope they survive the heat...the garden gets late afternoon shade and lots of water, so they should do ok. The head lettuce and carrots are going gangbusters.

The basil is growing like mad. We harvested the top 2 inches a few days ago, and gave abomb and another friend a nice little catch from it..we've been plucking some for sauces and it is fantastic. Little cantalope melons are going strong too. And for effect, we've got some sunflowers going nuts in the three corners of the garden.

Broccolli is not doing as well, good but scattered germination. The oregeno hasn't come in yet. The watermelon looks pale, so I'm working on it to get them going.

Sugar snap peas are just sick...they are huge already and I need to thin them but they are thriving, so I'm gonna let them crowd for awhile and see what happens there....I've seen peas grow well close together and produce well, so I'm not gonna mess with them for a bit.

We have a stevia plant the kids grab a leaf from from time to time, but it isnt' growing as well as I'd hoped, but I've never grown that before.

Some pickler cuckes are doing well too, but one hill is weak...I'm trying to get it enough water, but I think it will die with the real heat.

Our grape bush is sick too, almost ripe now. Little ones, but tasty.

What else is in there...uhm...oh yeah, loose leaf lettuce. Not germinating very well. Just a few areas. Really sad about that.

Oh, and the spinach...how could I forget that? That stuff is growing like mad...it is a hot weather blend and has little leafs already. We'll have spinach to spare this year.


I love my garden, as you can tell. It is what I look forward to on the ride home, just behind seeing my kids. When I get home each day, all of us go to the garden and pick some weeds, marvel at the growth (my oldest loves the sunflowers going crazy in there). I'm working some compost right now, but I'm slow on the browns (hence the request for a paper shredder).


Yeah...I love my garden. It is my freaking obsession right now.
:)
 

dreamcastrocks

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O/U when Donald starts hydroponics. :)
 
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abomb

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My wife and I have a much smaller area than Donald, but our plants are coming in nicely too.

From plant, we planted cucumber (1), tomato (4), green bell pepper (1), red bell pepper (1) and habanero (1). From seed we planted carrots, radishes and cilantro.

We were at a party last weekend and a lady who is apparently a fantastic organic gardener recommended this book;
http://www.amazon.com/Extreme-Gardening-Organic-Hostile-Deserts/dp/0970501609
 
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abomb

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BTW, Donald's basil kills the organic stuff we bought at the store an hour before he dropped of our package.

I cant wait for tomatoes.
 

dreamcastrocks

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BTW, Donald's basil kills the organic stuff we bought at the store an hour before he dropped of our package.

I cant wait for tomatoes.

When we get our house, pretty sure Linda is going to be all over this.
 

dreamcastrocks

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;)

I actually thought of doing that once in an extra bedroom. Imagine all the fresh tomatoes!

Hell, with the shortages now, you could sell those for a premium. :)
 

Bada0Bing

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My radishes are going nuts right now. My tomato plant was looking great, until my dog cleaned it off. I noticed a few new ones with some nice potential though.
 

Linderbee

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Do you have any desire to garden?

I'm not the best, but it is definitely in my genes.
MAYBE when I'm in & settled where I'm going to be for awhile. But if dcr & I are just going to rent with no option to buy (not our first choice, but who knows what we'll get) then I'm not going to go through all the trouble at a rental. Eventually, maybe.

My dad had an extensive garden in our backyard when we lived in Pennsylvania. Loved it, and would probably enjoy it if it were something dcr & I did together. Not a solo project.
 

AZZenny

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I am still harvesting wax beans, in June!! and some Limas are setting up, still have some edible Swiss Chard, and the Rapini-that-was-actually-turnip-seed is doing appallingly well -- such that I am reluctant to pull the damn things for the space. My watermelon vines are taking off, finally, and one cantaloupe looks fairly pleased to be alive thus far. My 2 Anaheim Chiles are sort of sitting there, tomato is bushing up, and Tomatillo volunteers are all OK, but they are more for post-monsoon harvest. Basil, thyme, parseley doing well; chives and shallots not thrilled.

Need to clean up some more space soon for Pole Limas and Hopi Limas, which go in around Monsoon time. (I have a horrendous Bermuda Grass problem, it's a constant losing battle. Well, it's lost, but I conduct an ongoing insurgency against the occupation.)
 

D-Dogg

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So I have a TON of wasps in my garden. I don't know what to do about this. They are eating bad bugs, I guess, but they also freak me out. What do you fellow gardeners think?

I don't think their nest is on my property...
 

dreamcastrocks

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HeavyB3

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I have a big unlandscaped back yard. I actually wanted to plant a garden back there. Do you guys use seeds or buy young plants and plant them?

I did have a garden a long time ago at my parents old house, I grew spaghetti squash, sunflowers, cilantro and various other plants. But it was probably 12 years ago.
 
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abomb

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I have a big unlandscaped back yard. I actually wanted to plant a garden back there. Do you guys use seeds or buy young plants and plant them?

I did have a garden a long time ago at my parents old house, I grew spaghetti squash, sunflowers, cilantro and various other plants. But it was probably 12 years ago.

First, check your HOA on allowable garden type and size.

Donald and I used a mix of both plants and seeds. We used the large landscaping blocks from Home Depot to build raised beds, then filled the beds with fill dirt, soil and manure. Both are fully on automated drip systems, which is great.

I'll post a pic tonight, so you can see the finished result.
 

dreamcastrocks

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So, this house that we are trying to rent, has a 7x20' or so garden space in it with sprinklers already set up. I expect big things out of it. We should know if we get the place in a couple of days.
 

HeavyB3

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First, check your HOA on allowable garden type and size.

Donald and I used a mix of both plants and seeds. We used the large landscaping blocks from Home Depot to build raised beds, then filled the beds with fill dirt, soil and manure. Both are fully on automated drip systems, which is great.

I'll post a pic tonight, so you can see the finished result.

The HOA cant say anything about what I put in my backyard. I do what I want.
 
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abomb

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The HOA cant say anything about what I put in my backyard. I do what I want.

Assuming your post was serious...

You sure about that?

Most HOAs here have specific direction on the minimum number of plants and trees required in one's backyard. Most have requirements that fully-detailed landscaping plans be submitted and approved by the HOA office. Most have detailed lists of acceptable and unacceptable (no citrus in Anthem!). Most have deadlines (90 or 120 days post close) that all landscaping on the plan must be installed by.

They cant look over your fence per se, but if a neighbor complains, they will investigate and start assessing penalties (which can get ugly).

Just watch out.
 
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