Who here gardens ??

Avolonlee
Avolonlee Posts: 21 Member
in Chit-Chat
I am super excited to start my garden again this year ! We have a HUGE above ground garden that provides us with all the food we need for the summer and fall! What do you grow ??
This year we are doing :
Cantaloupe
Watermelon
Lettuces ( different varieties)
Cucumbers
Eggplant
Pumpkin ( those for pies and carving they only get 6 lbs or so)
Potatoes
Radishes
Carrots
Onions
Peppers
Maybe a few Herbs too.. Just havnt decided on that yet.
Gonna be epic !!!

Replies

  • pie_eyes
    pie_eyes Posts: 12,964 Member
    I don't but I want to learn :)
  • AshleyC1023
    AshleyC1023 Posts: 272 Member
    I garden. Mine failed last year due to the heat so I'm revamping my plans for the summer so I get a better yield
  • Caporegiem
    Caporegiem Posts: 4,297 Member
    Every year I say I'm going to but some other project ends up taking priority. I may just have to start with a small one this year and go from there.
  • AshleyC1023
    AshleyC1023 Posts: 272 Member
    Oh also I already have tomatoes started indoors, outdoor plant date is the first week of March here so trying to get a jump start
  • sw33tp3a15
    sw33tp3a15 Posts: 1,674 Member
    I've grown tomatoes, jalapeño peppers and some other type of chili I don't remember. That was last year and I enjoyed it so much.
  • AshleyC1023
    AshleyC1023 Posts: 272 Member
    AdaruB wrote: »
    Every year I say I'm going to but some other project ends up taking priority. I may just have to start with a small one this year and go from there.

    Container garden? I'm trying hanging tomatoes this year, there are some tutorials on Youtube on how to make your own hanging buckets for them.
  • AshleyC1023
    AshleyC1023 Posts: 272 Member
    Avolonlee wrote: »
    I am super excited to start my garden again this year ! We have a HUGE above ground garden that provides us with all the food we need for the summer and fall! What do you grow ??
    This year we are doing :
    Cantaloupe
    Watermelon
    Lettuces ( different varieties)
    Cucumbers
    Eggplant
    Pumpkin ( those for pies and carving they only get 6 lbs or so)
    Potatoes
    Radishes
    Carrots
    Onions
    Peppers
    Maybe a few Herbs too.. Just havnt decided on that yet.
    Gonna be epic !!!

    I have a hard time with lettuce and other colder weather plants. Our summers are over 100 and they get super bitter, even in the shade. Pumpkins and cucumbers went nuts last year though, I canned something like 3 or 4 gallons of pickles.
  • Avolonlee
    Avolonlee Posts: 21 Member
    Lettuce and all you can actually have 2 seasons with . Plant them in March and then again in Oct or Nov.. Then you can avoid the hot reasons and still get crisp product . That's what I do and our Summer's get stupid hot ! But I also have had success in the early spring and fall..
  • AshleyC1023
    AshleyC1023 Posts: 272 Member
    I did plant it in March last year, and by the time it got big enough to use it was nasty bitter, then bolted. We had an unseasonably hot summer though. But that's west TX for you.
    I have some in the garden now, and even though we got snow, it looks good and healthy, as does the broccoli, cauliflower, and beets.
  • PurringMyrrh
    PurringMyrrh Posts: 5,276 Member
    I love to garden, but haven't had one in the last two years except for a few herbs. The main spot in the yard is getting pretty shaded from huge trees, so I may be fencing and starting a new area this year for the high-sun crops.

    Actually, I should get on that soon, because even though the weather is wintery right now, spring will be here faster than I want and the new beds take time to be awesome. Think I'm going to start layering some straw, compost, leaves, etc to get the ground prepped, then enclose the sides making a bed, and top it off with soil and compost when the time comes to plant.

    Hmmm...this thread just made me excited...lol.
  • PurringMyrrh
    PurringMyrrh Posts: 5,276 Member
    Maybe I should start the spot with one of these two styles of straw beds. Then next year, the ground will be nice and conditioned there (it's red and rocky now), and there will be a ton of mulchy compost from all the leftover bales. :)

    straw-bale-bed.jpg
    StrawBale.jpg
  • GadgetGuy2
    GadgetGuy2 Posts: 291 Member
    Yep. I'm an urban farmer.
    I grow over 33 different edibles in my yard, but not all at once.
    Best crops from: Avocados, tomatoes, raspberries, boysenberries. The berries make great daiquiris. :)

    For stuff that doesn't grow well in the summer heat, offset your planting. Since I use no pesticides, my spinach gets eaten in the summer. Late fall thru late spring, they grow slower, but look clean and whole. SoCal here.

    I've learned that there are more cost savings from cooking from scratch, than there are from growing ingredients. Just a note, for those who don't have access to a place to grow food.
  • PurringMyrrh
    PurringMyrrh Posts: 5,276 Member
    GadgetGuy2 wrote: »
    Yep. I'm an urban farmer.
    I grow over 33 different edibles in my yard, but not all at once.
    Best crops from: Avocados, tomatoes, raspberries, boysenberries. The berries make great daiquiris. :)

    For stuff that doesn't grow well in the summer heat, offset your planting. Since I use no pesticides, my spinach gets eaten in the summer. Late fall thru late spring, they grow slower, but look clean and whole. SoCal here.

    I've learned that there are more cost savings from cooking from scratch, than there are from growing ingredients. Just a note, for those who don't have access to a place to grow food.

    I'm jealous of your awesome fall growing season down there!
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  • AshleyC1023
    AshleyC1023 Posts: 272 Member
    Yeah lettuce was bad, I don't know what it was. It was so hot my tomato plants refused to even flower, but then they produced into December (at 8 feet tall and looking suspiciously of weed plants). I'm trying a different variety this summer, something more heat tolerant. We had this heat wave that lasted over a week and even the night time temps were in the 90's, with no humidity. Luckily I have a sprinkler system in my yard but still.

    Raspberries, blueberries (low land variety, Emerald, and high land variety Chandler), Horseradish, Pomegranates, Black cherry tomatoes, and rhubarb growing right now.

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