toldailytopic: What will you be planting in your garden this Spring?

[Ps82]

Ok, I will not say rabbit stew and fried rabbit is on my menu and lettuce has always helped. Keep in mind, you are probably a young country lady, I am an old one.

Nope - not young. I figured once that I am probably only around 7 years younger than you. That's why I'm glad for my husband to do all the tilling, planting, and watering. I love weeding and harvesting... and I hope to do some cooking and freezing. Never tried canning.

BTW, I have a cat ... and do let it out ... but worry about the new coyote neighbors. I hope the German Shepherd next door intimidates them a bit. Do they understand the limitations a fence presents for a dog?

Tried rabbit barbecue once - ate only about three bites. Tried venison once ... haven't gone back for seconds. Can't help thinking about Bambi and Thumper.

 

[Nimrod]

Spring started last month. I planted a bunch of fruit trees. Lemon, Lime, Orange, Apricot, Mandarin Honey, Plum. No grapefruit or banana this time.

 

[yokefellow]

If you build a raised bed with wooden sidewalls, you can drill some holes into the four corners and mount two pieces of pvc pipe in an ark shape (sticking one end in one hole and the other end of the pipe in the opposing hole, repeat for the other side). Over that framework, you can stretch some deer netting held in place with clothes pins or whatever else works. Keeps the critters out nicely. I use the outdoor gray pvc electrical conduit, which resists the sun damage and lasts for years.

Good idea! We have a plethora of squirrels in our neighborhood. I will pass this on to my husband; he's planning on having several raised beds this year.

 

[Lucky]

So far we've planted cabbage, strawberry, and a ton of tomato. I've picked a few strawberries already, and the tomato plants are flowering. I'm not sure if anything from the fall crop is still producing, but just a couple months ago we were still picking cabbage and broccoli.

 

[Ps82]

So far we've planted cabbage, strawberry, and a ton of tomato. I've picked a few strawberries already, and the tomato plants are flowering. I'm not sure if anything from the fall crop is still producing, but just a couple months ago we were still picking cabbage and broccoli.

Wow, Lucky. In what state do you live?

We plan to start our garden in Georgia during the first week in April.

We are seriously looking at the Gardening by the square foot method.
Thanks for everyone's suggestions. I also like the idea of the PBC pipe and netting.

 

[zoo22]

We're adding a garden for the rabbit: Mints (apple mint, lemon mint, mint), parsley, cilantro, oregano, dill, carrots. We'll eat them too (the plants not the rabbit).

We mostly have a non-edible garden. Flowers, lots of succulents. But we have some that's edible... Tomatoes and hot peppers, cucumber, some string beans. Oranges.

 

[Son of Jack]

We're adding a garden for the rabbit: Mints (apple mint, lemon mint, mint), parsley, cilantro, oregano, dill, carrots. We'll eat them too (the plants not the rabbit).

We mostly have a non-edible garden. Flowers, lots of succulents. But we have some that's edible... Tomatoes and hot peppers, cucumber, some string beans. Oranges.

I'm hoping to have a flower garden some time in the distant future where I can sit and study during the Spring and Fall. Only issue is keeping the deer away from it.:think:

 

[zoo22]

I'm hoping to have a flower garden some time in the distant future where I can sit and study during the Spring and Fall. Only issue is keeping the deer away from it.:think:

It's such a positive thing having a good place to sit outside to work/study. ... Or just to sit.

 

[Son of Jack]

It's such a positive thing having a good place to sit outside to work/study. ... Or just to sit.

I have trouble just sitting...though having something beautiful to enjoy certainly helps.

 

[Ps82]

Son of Jack,
You probably already know this... make sure you know your sun hours... and choose plants according to this.

Years ago I started a perennial flower garden. Remnants of it are still coming up; however, my husband (who likes a perfect golf course type yard) didn't trust my gardening ability ... so delegated my digging to a side edge of our yard. It turned out to be in the shade until around 1:30 p.m., then had the heat of the day for hours. Not too many plants would tolerate either of these conditions, so all the shade loving ones I tried finally died out and all the sun loving ones grew tall and floppy.

I still have some pineapple mint plants that come up in areas. They grow about 3 to 4 feet tall, leaves that smell like pineapple when rubbed, and have stalks of petite red flowers. I have blue Stokesia (sp?), but I really didn't grow fond of them. They are not good for cutting and bringing inside, and they spread like a weed.

I even went 'green' and grew a successful worm farm. I added them to my garden to help enrich my plot, but when planting time came, I felt like I was chopping my children in half. Ooough.

 

[Lucky]

Wow, Lucky. In what state do you live?

Texas. The southernmost county.

I checked the new tomato plants today. Fruit! Now if only I can get a hold of some spaghetti noodle seeds.

 

[Persephone66]

Garden?

How primitive.

I live in a modern city where vegetables come frozen in plastic bags. You can get them in cans too, but they don't taste as good.

 

[Ps82]

Garden?

How primitive.

I live in a modern city where vegetables come frozen in plastic bags. You can get them in cans too, but they don't taste as good.

Hi,
I have a question: Have you ever eaten foods gathered fresh from a garden?

When I was young my grandparents and aunts and uncles all went in together to have a huge garden. Tomatoes, corn, varieties of beans and peas, okra, yellow squash, and melons of various types. They even raised sugarcane for the cows and horses... but we kids loved to chew on it too. Everything was so fresh and full of flavor.

We kids and women also would get together on my grandparent's front porch, and while rocking in white rocking chairs we raced to see who could shell the peas and beans the fastest. We kids shucked the corn and gave the green husks to the animals. There was lots of family time and talk. I guess I was lucky, because, as a kid, I didn't have to work in the garden - just pick some of the fruits of it. I think that having my own garden will yield more than just fresh vegetables ... but give me some pleasant memories as well.

I really miss those times, but it was my generation that moved away from family to find our occupations. The only thing I don't miss about the country life is butchering the meat and dressing the chickens. I had much rather buy my meat in neat plastic packages.

 

[Persephone66]

Hi,
I have a question: Have you ever eaten foods gathered fresh from a garden?

You mean like from the organic foods store?

That's about the closest I have ever come to that sort of thing.

When I was young my grandparents and aunts and uncles all went in together to have a huge garden. Tomatoes, corn, varieties of beans and peas, okra, yellow squash, and melons of various types. They even raised sugarcane for the cows and horses... but we kids loved to chew on it too. Everything was so fresh and full of flavor.

We kids and women also would get together on my grandparent's front porch, and while rocking in white rocking chairs we raced to see who could shell the peas and beans the fastest. We kids shucked the corn and gave the green husks to the animals. There was lots of family time and talk. I guess I was lucky, because, as a kid, I didn't have to work in the garden - just pick some of the fruits of it. I think that having my own garden will yield more than just fresh vegetables ... but give me some pleasant memories as well.

I really miss those times, but it was my generation that moved away from family to find our occupations. The only thing I don't miss about the country life is butchering the meat and dressing the chickens. I had much rather buy my meat in neat plastic packages.

Oh wow. Cool story. Gardens sound like a lot of work though.

 

[Ps82]

Hi Persephone66,

Oh wow. Cool story. Gardens sound like a lot of work though.

Actually living in the country with a large family circle was more fun than that short story told.

Well, I'm about to find out how much work it will be... but my garden will be much smaller than a couple of acres.

 

[Lucky]

1. Our newest and third garden plot, with spring plantings. Mostly tomatoes with a few cabbages. I was going to add more dirt, but didn't get around to it.

2. Remnants of our fall crop. The broccoli and eggplant are goners but the tomatoes are still going and one cabbage is fixing to be ready.

3. Our one, lonely strawberry plant. Those berries are so sneaky. One second they're green and the next ripe and half-eaten by birds. Needless to say, our big mulberry tree will produce a lot more fruit.

 

[Quincy]

I've already got lettuce coming up, as well as onions. My peas haven't shown themselves yet though. I plan to plant a lot of stuff from potatoes to brussel sprouts.

 

[lightbringer]

Garden?

How primitive.

:rotfl:

 

[Ps82]

Oh, you mentioned trees ... it made me think of the apple, pear, and crab apple trees... and the figs ... and the pecans. Papa had an arbor of scuppernong and muskedine (sp?) vines. I miss all of those conveniences.

One thing about country people ... they ate well.

 

[lightbringer]

Brings back so many memories, to be home, back on the farm, things so many have never known and so many will never get to know, a time when life was so different.