Garden thread

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Replies

  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,843 Member
    @kshama2001 I am envious of your clear sweeps of lawn and your beautiful fence; I have trellises on the back side of my fence, and then things climbing on both the front and the back; it is quite the wonderful mess!

    I'd love to have a glorious mess but my OH is all about clear sweeps and right angles. It drove him crazy that I had morning glories creeping over the fence. Perhaps our recent project to prevent our cat from jumping over the fence was just to get rid of the morning glories!

    This pallet wrap netting is working so far, but I don't recommend it - the netting is too flimsy and we are going to replace it with something more substantial:

    s81cu64ljgnu.jpeg
  • mbaker566
    mbaker566 Posts: 11,233 Member
    i planted too late but i have some cucumbers and green beans
    my one dog ate all my berries before i had a chance to get to them
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,843 Member
    Anyone think this excruciating pain in my upper back is from ripping out mint yesterday?
  • hesn92
    hesn92 Posts: 5,967 Member
    Welp my garden crashed and burned this year. I had a baby in July and didn't go out there for weeks, and then after that it was so out of control I just let it go. Plants are still out there, I need to pull them and throw them in the compost. The trellises my husband made were pretty neat though, they go from one bed to another so you can walk under them. Next year will be better :D
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 31,717 Member
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    Anyone think this excruciating pain in my upper back is from ripping out mint yesterday?

    Mint can be evil. It might be that evil.

    Hope your back improves soon!
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,843 Member
    hesn92 wrote: »
    Welp my garden crashed and burned this year. I had a baby in July and didn't go out there for weeks, and then after that it was so out of control I just let it go. Plants are still out there, I need to pull them and throw them in the compost. The trellises my husband made were pretty neat though, they go from one bed to another so you can walk under them. Next year will be better :D

    I lose interest in July and August when it gets unpleasantly hot so have to keep that in mind every year. I mulch the veggies with straw to keep the weeds out and moisture in.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,843 Member
    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    Anyone think this excruciating pain in my upper back is from ripping out mint yesterday?

    Mint can be evil. It might be that evil.

    Hope your back improves soon!

    Thanks!
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,843 Member
    @lemurcat2 re fall/winter gardening tasks:
    1. Kale is a "heavy feeder" - needs lots of nutrients to grow well, so in the fall I put compost from my bin down in the kale bed and then remulched with straw. This can be done in the spring as well.
    2. To protect perennials from frost heaves I mulch them in the fall, but it's not too late to protect against spring frost heaves.
    3. I mulch non-edibles with mulch mulch (bark), and edibles with straw or leaves. (Hay has weed seeds, so use straw or sterilized hay - my garden centers carry bales of Lucerne straw.) My mom has bigger gardens and lots of trees, so uses leaves. I started using straw for strawberries, and discovered I liked it better than leaves, but leaves are of course free.

    My FaceBook garden group had a post on NOT doing conventional fall garden cleanup: https://savvygardening.com/6-reasons-not-to-clean-up-your-garden-this-fall/

    Here's what to do. I've never done the lawn stuff, but we should: https://www.almanac.com/content/10-fall-cleanup-tips-better-spring-garden
  • hesn92
    hesn92 Posts: 5,967 Member
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    @lemurcat2 re fall/winter gardening tasks:
    1. Kale is a "heavy feeder" - needs lots of nutrients to grow well, so in the fall I put compost from my bin down in the kale bed and then remulched with straw. This can be done in the spring as well.
    2. To protect perennials from frost heaves I mulch them in the fall, but it's not too late to protect against spring frost heaves.
    3. I mulch non-edibles with mulch mulch (bark), and edibles with straw or leaves. (Hay has weed seeds, so use straw or sterilized hay - my garden centers carry bales of Lucerne straw.) My mom has bigger gardens and lots of trees, so uses leaves. I started using straw for strawberries, and discovered I liked it better than leaves, but leaves are of course free.

    My FaceBook garden group had a post on NOT doing conventional fall garden cleanup: https://savvygardening.com/6-reasons-not-to-clean-up-your-garden-this-fall/

    Here's what to do. I've never done the lawn stuff, but we should: https://www.almanac.com/content/10-fall-cleanup-tips-better-spring-garden

    I never cleaned up my garden mess. It's January and it's still a mess. You just made me feel better. I'm just thinking of the bees!! My neighbors probably aren't happy with me though.
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,899 Member
    Thanks! I actually did the conventional clean up, but will see what I should have done/can do now.
  • Safari_Gal_
    Safari_Gal_ Posts: 1,461 Member
    Guys, I think i want a fig tree on my patio — I’ve read they can stay in large containers for a few years. Anyone have a fig tree?
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,843 Member
    Guys, I think i want a fig tree on my patio — I’ve read they can stay in large containers for a few years. Anyone have a fig tree?

    What hardiness zone are you in? I'm near Boston, zone 6b, and nothing in containers survives the winter. https://garden.org/nga/zipzone/
  • mbaker566
    mbaker566 Posts: 11,233 Member
    yay well done @gearhead426hemi

    and look at you all being proactive @lemurcat12 and @hesn92 @kshama2001

    i'm all about not doing much for my plants. i sometimes i mulch my garden leftovers by my sensitive plants. but mostly i'm lazy
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,899 Member
    This tree idea made me google around for what the possibilities for me might be.

    Here was an article I found: http://moss-design.com/fruit-trees-in-chicago-in-your-backyard/
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,843 Member
    lemurcat2 wrote: »
    This tree idea made me google around for what the possibilities for me might be.

    Here was an article I found: http://moss-design.com/fruit-trees-in-chicago-in-your-backyard/

    I would try try peach trees. The orchard near me has ones especially for "pick your own" - they are short - no ladder required. Since they are short, they probably produce more quickly. Local peaches are so good!

    In fact, I should put some in at my mom's...
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 31,717 Member
    Anecdotally (i.e., haven't tried it myself), there are people around here (Michigan, zone 5/6) who grow fig trees and overwinter them by burying the whole tree. Allegedly, since they're deciduous, it works.

    Maybe potted & brought to semi-temp controlled area (garage?) might, too. Dunno.
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,899 Member
    edited January 2020
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    lemurcat2 wrote: »
    This tree idea made me google around for what the possibilities for me might be.

    Here was an article I found: http://moss-design.com/fruit-trees-in-chicago-in-your-backyard/

    I would try try peach trees. The orchard near me has ones especially for "pick your own" - they are short - no ladder required. Since they are short, they probably produce more quickly. Local peaches are so good!

    In fact, I should put some in at my mom's...

    I'll definitely look into it. My dad (he lives in SE Washington state) has a lot of fruit trees, I don't recall what (I'm going to ask), but he has a lot more land and of course is in a milder growing zone.