The Gardening Thread

50ft_trad

I know we have a few gardeners here, so it would be interesting to hear what you do on your plot. I only have a relatively small garden here, and grow in containers but do quite well despite the limited space. With a bit of inginuity and cunning you can get a lot of plants in a small area.

50ft_trad

It might not look like it, but in that small space there is:

2 apple trees
Cherry tree
Medlar tree
Fig tree
Dwarf Quince bush
Blue sausage fruit tree
Six blueberry bushes
Jostaberry
Blackcurrant
Mirabelle tree
Blackberries
Raspberries
Strawberries
Ramsons (wild garlic)
Lemonbalm
Daylillies (edible)
Dahlias (edible)
Jerusalem artichokes
Chinese artichokes
Checkerberry
Barberry
Passionflower/Passionfruit
Dwarf peach tree
.... and a load of ornamentals and herbs. There's also a few smaller trees which will be a good while before they are ready to do anything (trifoliate orange, szechuan pepper, and persimmon)

So what's everyone else doing with their gardens?

wanderingwoodsmith

Love the mannequin head lol!

wanderingwoodsmith

Don't have much of a garden anymore, but I have several varieties of mint, and a grove of persimmon trees :)

50ft_trad

Don't have much of a garden anymore, but I have several varieties of mint, and a grove of persimmon trees :)

I fear the persimmon tree I have won't actually be suitable for growing to the fruiting stage in a container. I'm going to persevere with it as long as I can, but it might end up being a hiking staff :P >:)

50ft_trad

Love the mannequin head lol!

That's actually the neighbour's :D It's looking rather ragged at the minute as the birds have been taking the hair for nesting materials ;)

wanderingwoodsmith

@50ft_trad if you can grow it until it fruits it is well worth it. Every winter I look forward to harvesting persimmons to make wine and mead, and I save their seeds to make beads. They make excellent jams too.

50ft_trad

Oh, I love the fruit, but the tree I have is Diospyros Kaki which apparantly has a long taproot and grows very tall before fruitworthy. I didn't realise this when I got it #-o I will keep it going as long as I can, but the hiking staff idea is there as a plan b if it doesn't work out :)

basement_shaman

I don't see tobacco on that list?

50ft_trad

@basement_shaman I have ordered seeds, but i'm concerned about growing space. I'm hoping to fit a couple of plants in and I have pots ready. The area I need to grow them in (North facing garden) also gets a lot of slugs and snails. I'll probably do a couple of "tester" plants this year, but I won't put them out till early June at a guess

basement_shaman

A bowl of beer will take care of those slugs and snails. Diatomaceous Earth is also a safe insecticide just don't use it on flowers it will kill bees

cpmcdill

Just moved to a new house last Fall that had an already established but very neglected garden. Spent much of the Spring clearing weeds, grasses and vines out of the beds and waiting to see what sort of perennials will be coming up. It is mostly bulbs of various kinds, such as daffodils, lilies, tulips, etc. There are also poppies, peonies, azaleas, lilacs, wisteria, roses, a variety of self-seeding annuals and a number of flowering trees and shrubs. There's an apple and a peach tree, raspberries, blackberries, grapes, and maybe some other things.

My plan is to get some more beds set up soon and do a kitchen garden with culinary herbs, hot peppers, chives, garlic etc. And of course, there will be tobacco, though that might need to wait until next Spring. Within the next couple years I will plant more fruit trees, shade trees and hedges, and build hoop houses and coldframes. I left behind a lot of great beds and garden structures at the old house, but the new one has a much better climate, soil and sun exposure, so I'm happy to start fresh.

basement_shaman

I planted hundreds of arbs,bushes and trees on my little corner of the world. Most of my dwarf fruit trees had died and need replacing.
I had three different peaches that ripened at different times which was nice to deal with, two varieties of plums one red the other deep purple. the white flesh nectarine,bing cherry and sour cherry also gone. remainding trees are a five in one apple a jonathan,White flesh red leaf peach, a few other peaches I planted from seed and a pear that the squirrels eat before they even grow to full size. I have a grape vine, bird and wasp enjoy before me and a hazelnut bush that never produces.

Several gardens one with asparagus. I'll be planting with some squash and other vine veggies like beans,cucumbers and gourds . Herb garden in raised containers,A hot pepper garden. Tomatoes and potatoes.I am currently digging a plot for three strains of tobacco.
A strawberry patch I may move if I get really motivated, red and purple raspberries. a row of wild blackberries I don't bother with too many thorns.

And then there are mulberry trees I try to kill with little results. For years I would get balled xmas trees and plant them. two are 30 ft tall and five dead also dead my japanese maple? poisoned possibly . I have a weeping willow that the snow took its toll on; still alive but about three PU truck loads of timbers to clean up. A pair of tulip poplars, Several maples , oak and black walnut trees

The daffodils, blue bottles and tulips are at their peak and all need separating and the Iris rhizomes need to be thinned they can wait. The bleeding heart bush is growing so fast you could almost see it, the Lilac bushes are in bloom and I may try to scent some snuff with it. I have giving up on roses. Burning bushes and over grown privet hedge Oh and I have about two hundred feet of rose of sharon that needs vines cleared off them before I loose them. they also need trimming. Two plus acres of grass.

I also had got some poison Ivy while working this week fun fun fun. I was laid up last year having four operations and things got out of hand. I don't know how I worked a full time job and had time for all this before. And found time to go fishing and play disc golf and hang out here. I would post picture but that would take up many pages. May be later I'll post the fruit of my labor.

cpmcdill

Oh and I have about two hundred feet of rose of sharon that needs vines cleared off them before I loose them. they also need trimming. Two plus acres of grass.

Ah, I forgot to mention the Rose of Sharon bushes. They grow like weeds. I transplanted about a dozen saplings into a hedge, but I've got so many more to dig up and get rid of. There are so many growing in places I don't want them.

As for grass, I've got nearly 2 acres of that as well. Got a rider mower. Used to be able to get by with a push mower, but now there's way too much. I would like to replace as much as an acre with gardened spaces, and maybe let a half acre become a wild meadow for the pollinators to frolic in. Mowing is one of my least favorite chores.

Mouse

Oh and I have about two hundred feet of rose of sharon that needs vines cleared off them before I loose them. they also need trimming. Two plus acres of grass.

Ah, I forgot to mention the Rose of Sharon bushes. They grow like weeds. I transplanted about a dozen saplings into a hedge, but I've got so many more to dig up and get rid of. There are so many growing in places I don't want them.

As for grass, I've got nearly 2 acres of that as well. Got a rider mower. Used to be able to get by with a push mower, but now there's way too much. I would like to replace as much as an acre with gardened spaces, and maybe let a half acre become a wild meadow for the pollinators to frolic in. Mowing is one of my least favorite chores.

maybe one of these would help make the mowing more fun:

crullers

We started a large garden the back corner of my property a few years ago but it has been neglected the last couple of seasons. I'm going to try to get in there and rehab it this summer. There are a few lilac trees and some perennials in there but the previous owners had planted English ivy which has been hard to completely eliminate and is trying to take over. My main focus will be on my tobacco plants. I have a large bed which will fit around 20 Virginia and Burley plants and a long narrow bed I will be using for my Oriental variety (Prilep). I still have a few weeks before I can plant them. The seedlings are coming along well.

basement_shaman

@cpmcdill

You should get a goat or sheep. I have a pony but she is 30 and refined to her paddock. Restricted diet for hoof issues. After she passes I may get a buffalo to cut the grass

50ft_trad

Found the skyscraper lillies crawling with scarlet lily beetle earlier, so gave them all a good blathering with insecticide once the sun started to set. Those little buggers can destroy plants in no time. I'm looking forward to all the blossom finishing on the trees as the aphids are setting up shop and the ants are herding them. I'm very mindful of not doing anything to affect pollination or pollinators.

Also found a harlequin ladybird on my rose bush yesterday. Another invasive species that's spreading very quickly.

cpmcdill

@cpmcdill

You should get a goat or sheep. I have a pony but she is 30 and refined to her paddock. Restricted diet for hoof issues. After she passes I may get a buffalo to cut the grass

Coincidentally, a friend of mine just today informed me that his goats have had babies. I think I might eventually consider goats, but I don't have a proper shelter set up for them. There is an outbuilding that once housed a couple cows, but it's in rough shape and will need some work, but that is a project for another year.

nicmizer

Any tips for newbee trying my green finger at growing Rustica seeds?
Planning to use large pots to control moisture, Sun delivery and pests.

basement_shaman

Flowers in my yard 1 hawthorn 2 nectarine 3 tulip 4 double daffodil 5 azaleas 6 lilac 7 dandelion 8 apple 9 Pear 10 strawberry. They were here just 3 days ago most are gone now also more apple blossoms pics but i can't tell them apart so I didn't post.

cpmcdill

@basement_shaman - reminds me, I should probably document what's going on in my garden.

basement_shaman

@cpmcdill Well this is the Gardening thread, although I also post in what you up to today beside reading this. I'll be out back till it gets too warm. So much to do. And I am not as spry anymore

basement_shaman

Anyone into cloning. Of course garlic is easy just plant the cloves, I've used Onion roots, carrot tops,the core from cabbage, the bottom of celery, eyes from potatoes all scraps from the kitchen with good success. Clipping are harder but not impossible.

50ft_trad

Never tried to be honest. I go the easier (but more expensive) way of using seeds and store bought plants. One reason is that much of the commercial produce isn't suitable for growing in this climate.

I was tempted to try garlic, sweet potato, and a couple of other things but when I researched it, I discovered I'd have to buy specific plant varieties to achieve any success, and this defeated the purpose of the exercise.

This is one of the reasons I moved away from veg in favour of foods I cannot buy in the shops, or which are relatively expensive (fruits and exotic/non-commercial crops). With such a small North facing garden, the climate here, and growing in containers, I have to be very selective with my choices

stogie

Just planted 2 gooseberry and 2 blueberry bushes in pots (as we will be moving in a couple years and want to take 'the goods' with us. Also set down a row of raspberries that were given to me. Harvested rhubarb last evening. many more things to plant, pull, Clean, etc. LOVE this stuff!!

50ft_trad

@stogie I have everything in pots. Watering is a PITA, but the ability to shuffle round, add, subtract, respace, reformat, really is a benefit in my small garden. I nearly went for a gooseberry a couple of weeks back, but opted for a thornless blackberry instead.

You'll have to figure out the picture posting, I'd love to see what you got over there ;)

basement_shaman

Cut more asparagus , put a new carburetor on my tiller now I need new fuel line.

nicmizer

Rotated compost and stacked firewood.

stogie

Filled Two huge planting pots (4 feet tall and ~22 inches at top - Clay with a blue glaze on outside. Bought them last fall for $20

basement_shaman

Filled Two huge planting pots (4 feet tall and ~22 inches at top - Clay with a blue glaze on outside. Bought them last fall for $20

That saves your back from pulling weeds. also keeps groundhogs and rabbits out. Talking furry creatures. I think a skunk decided to move in under my shed.