FK, those poblanos look amazing! I bet they'd taste SOOOO good if they were grilled in a little bit of olive oil with some salt and some red onions.

Those Juliet tomatoes sound great too. A little on the small side, but if the plant is really prolific, then that might not be a bad thing. Is it determinate?

I have to go and wipe the drool off of my face

This is a picture of some of the produce I got in 2009. (That was GOOD gardening year ) All of the oval shaped cherries in both the plastic bucket and the wooden bucket are Juliet tomatoes. It's an indeterminate plant. I'm not a huge fan of determinate tomato plants, but I do usually grow one Early Girl each year for my mother-in-law, and I can see why cause it does produce REALLY early, which is awesome.

FK, I would have been more than happy to take that bucket on the right off your hands. Were those tomatoes that we had at your in-laws last summer the Juliet tomatoes? If so, I can vouch for you to everyone that they were DELISH. I could have eaten those all day long, lol.

Those look a lot like Romas (and yes, 2009 was an EXCELLENT Gardenng year. *sigh*). I might have to look into getting some of these. We have yet to recieve our Burpee catalog (it's still early) but I'll look into it.

I'm also thinking of starting a mini herb garden off the side of the house. This is something that Mom has been wanting to do for years. The area I'm considering using is usually pretty good at growing weeds (which is mostly what herbs are ), but it does get a good amount of shade. What herbs do you think would grow best in the shade? (I'm thinking that the area gets about 5 hours of morning to afternoon sun, but after 2ish, the sun goes behind a nearby tree, and doesn't come back out.

I about fell out of my computer chair today when I got a request from one of my husband's co-workers asking for 15 plants. Normally I get requests for 3-4 plants per person. I'm starting a small plant business without meaning to.

Without getting orders from some of my 'regulars' the past couple years, I'm up to 53 pepper plants, 12 eggplants, and 31 tomato plants I need to start in the next month. (That includes my own stuff btw.) *eeep!*

I might have to look into getting some of these. We have yet to recieve our Burpee catalog (it's still early) but I'll look into it.

And Burpee does carry Juliets. Even if it doesn't show up in the magazine (and I don't know if it does or not, probably does), it's on their website here.

What herbs do you think would grow best in the shade?

Like you said, herbs are a weed, but I've had better luck with some than others. If you grow mint, be aware that it will take over everything if you don't keep it in check. I recommend putting it in a pot.
Oregano, Basil, Thyme, and Garlic all seem to do fine in the shade. Oh, sage is ridiculous no matter where you put it. *thinks of the other herbs her dad grows in their shady backyard* Lemon Balm, parsley, cilantro, dill, chives. Um... does that answer your question? [disclaimer]This is shady stuff in Kansas, which as you know, is a lot hotter than Ohio. [/disclaimer]
The only two I've ever had trouble with were Rosemary and Marjoram. As I never used the latter, I gave up on it. Rosemary I finally got to grow for me when I moved it into full sun, and then it did well.

Drat. Rosemary is the one I wanted the most, because A: it's expensive in the stores, and B: It's one of my all time favourite smells!!!

It is nice to hear that basil and oregano will do well in the shade. Dill is nice too.

I guess it's time to experiment with these things. It's half the fun, I know, but it also costs money

New-to-me things I'm going to plant this year ...
~Sunflowers ...

Ooh! We've planted sunflower seeds the past few years and they've done so very well (some are nearly 10'!) ... until they're in full bloom, when the myriad of squirrels in our very treed area converge on them and tear them apart. It's so entertaining to watch, though! One time, a squirrel somehow tore off the entire flower (which is no small feat) and trundled off with it away down the fence. What a feast his squirrely family would have had that night. Aside from that interesting end to the flowers' lives, they grow well and are such fun to have; also very cheery. And they attract nuthatches, who enjoy hanging upside down to get at the seeds. I've always been surprised how thick and very strong sunflower stalks get to be when they're full-grown.

Pole beans (I've only ever grown bush beans)

We grew bush beans for years too. I've never tried pole beans, but we continually had much success with the bush variety, even with bunny rabbits around, who seem to eat mainly the leaves. Prolific, they are ... the beans, not the rabbits. Actually, they are too, lol. The only iffy thing about bush beans, and this isn't even a huge issue, is that daddy-long-legs like them—not to eat (I don't think), but to hide in the shade of their lovely leaves. I am not exactly a major spider fan.

Maybe I should convince my parents to plant some more lettuce then I've ran out of rabbit attracting ideas.

Rabbits love the leaves of any tomato plant, as well as the above-mentioned bean leaves. Also, often when I plant either snapdragons or Dusty Miller, uh, they don't last too long, but it's so cute to see those furry bunnies reaching up on their long, hind legs to snap off the bloom with their strong teeth.

(Btw, wolf, your sig is beeeaauutiful!)

*reads about fk's greenhouse with continuing interest and drools at her produce photos*

I'm also thinking of starting a mini herb garden off the side of the house.

I've been wanting to put in an herb garden for a long time now (the scent, alone, as you walk past is awesome), yet just haven't pursued it. I've had a few different herbs planted from time to time, but I'd like to go all out. Someday ...

I about fell out of my computer chair today when I got a request from one of my husband's co-workers asking for 15 plants. Normally I get requests for 3-4 plants per person. I'm starting a small plant business without meaning to.

That's great, fantasia!

EDIT: wifester, lovely to see you here. The others have given you good advice, so I have nothing to add, except ... when wee Sarah is old enough to help in the garden—even as a toddler—take advantage of that. We found it a very productive activity for the children, even at a young age, to help out in this area, whether it's weeding, hoeing, or harvesting (depending on their age, of course). And they quite enjoyed it too! Often, though, the produce made it into their mouths as often as into the pail. And I'm just as guilty there.

*pops in* I love reading this thread. Fantasia, all your posts make me drool. That's neat that you're planting habaneros! :O

Hearing all the good things that you said, Jo, about sunflowers, I think I might try get some seeds to plant them. *enjoyed reading your post*

I have a plethora of questions for y'all....
I was looking around totallytomato.com, and I was really impressed by their range of tomatoes and peppers. The only thing we have planted is cilantro, mint, and *I think* we have dill seeds, so I really want to get at least some kind of versatile tomato and jalapenos, since we use them quite a lot. The Early Jalapeno Peppers look pretty good on there and these hybrid jalapenos do too.This pack looks great, but knowing my amateur gardening skills, I don't know if I want to buy 16 plants of peppers yet. I might end up going with either of the first two. Question, though: can these be grown in the Zone 5 midwestern U.S. region? (right now, it's snowy and cold and frosty, so I'm just planning for spring. ) And if so, when should I start raising them in containers/planting them? And, last question, do they need anything specific like, a specific kind of soil, mulch, etc?

The other question I have pertains to tomatoes; like I said, I'm still beginning, so I just would like one versatile tomato plant, somewhere in the Medium-Large range, something like these Manitoba tomatoes. The line "ideal for growing in small spaces" caught my eye, because it seems like a good tomato plant to start with. Is it? Are they pretty in between with size, ideal for cooking or making into sauce/soup? The Delicious Tomato, though large, looks tasty. The Pink Brandymaster Hybrid is possibly on my to-buy list, but I also really like the Brandywine.
And, also, I remember y'all saying that tomatoes are very hungry plants. I had tried plant food on my tomato plant (got from those one-dollar-grow-with-the-dried-soil-provided-here burpee packs) in 2010, but I think I choked the thing because I kept it in a family-sized ice-cream tub for quite some time and fed it with this bluish plant food that had odd effects. The same plant food made our mint plant have much larger, tasteless leaves, too. Is there any other alternative or better kind of food? And is there some kind of soil? And, lastly, can these be planted in the midwestern/Zone 5 region of the U.S.?

For fruits, I thought these strawberries would be nice. Are they relatively possible/simple to grow? *hopes they are* I had purchased an Everbearing strawberry plant from WalMart at the end of summer, and it almost grew two fruits, but then died because of the frost and snow. Out of curiosity, will it grow back in springtime?

Thank-you in advance!!

...so I have nothing to add, except ... when wee Sarah is old enough to help in the garden—even as a toddler—take advantage of that. We found it a very productive activity for the children, even at a young age, to help out in this area, whether it's weeding, hoeing, or harvesting (depending on their age, of course). And they quite enjoyed it too! Often, though, the produce made it into their mouths as often as into the pail.

Just popping in on this cool (0F) January day to offer agreement to this. Ryadian's parents have long been avid gardeners, and we have fond memories of their children as toddlers helping out with the planting, weeding, and eating in the garden.

Maybe I should convince my parents to plant some more lettuce then I've ran out of rabbit attracting ideas.

Rabbits love the leaves of any tomato plant, as well as the above-mentioned bean leaves. Also, often when I plant either snapdragons or Dusty Miller, uh, they don't last too long, but it's so cute to see those furry bunnies reaching up on their long, hind legs to snap off the bloom with their strong teeth.

(Btw, wolf, your sig is beeeaauutiful!)

Thanks for the advice and the compliment. I'm probably the only "Gardener" here that wants the rabbits in my garden.

Here's another question from me... I know others have asked it before, but are there any plants that are relatively small that can be grown indoors? Preferably fruits, herbs, or flowers. I live in NY and at college we have a nice window though at my house my room is rather dark, but I might be able to move them in the kitchen. But the smaller (and hardier) the better.

Thanks.

*pops in* I love reading this thread. Fantasia, all your posts make me drool.

Thanks

... I really want to get at least some kind of versatile tomato and jalapenos, since we use them quite a lot. The Early Jalapeno Peppers look pretty good on there and these hybrid jalapenos do too.

The latter pepper that you linked is going to be hotter than the first one, but if you don't mind that, that's the one I would pick because it looks like it will be a hardier plant as well as more prolific.

And if so, when should I start raising them in containers/planting them?

Are you starting them from seed or ordering a live plant? If you're starting peppers from seed, you need to order them now and "start seeds indoors 8 weeks before planting outdoors". You'll need to google your typical last frost date for your area to find out when it's safe to put them outside. I think I usually wait until it's no longer dropping below 40F at night.
If you're ordering the live plant, they'll ship it to you when it's ready to go in the ground based on your zone.

And, last question, do they need anything specific like, a specific kind of soil, mulch, etc?

You can buy soil test kits from pretty much any hardware or gardening store. I've seen them at places like Home Depot and Wal-Mart before as well. They're super easy to use as long as you follow the directions, and it will tell you what kind of nutrient levels exist in your soil (phosphorus, nitrogen, potassium and pH). If you have too much or too little of something, the local gardening center can help you figure out what to add to it to balance it out.

I'm still beginning, so I just would like one versatile tomato plant, somewhere in the Medium-Large range...

When I see "small spaces" I immediately know you're looking at a determinate tomato plant. I think I've said it before on here, but I'll go ahead and say it again, a determinate plant will grow up, produce one set of tomatoes, and then die. That's why they're ideal for small spaces because they never get too big, and for beginners, that may be ideal. Indeterminate tomato plants (like the other three you linked) keep growing and producing all summer long and only die when they get hit by a hard freeze. If you don't keep them pruned, you end up with a massive bush that looks like this.

And, also, I remember y'all saying that tomatoes are very hungry plants. Is there any other alternative or better kind of food?

This is a question better suited for my sister, but I'm gonna go ahead and add my own two cents anyways. I have never once given my tomatoes plant food. Instead, every year when I go to plant my tomatoes, I turn in a little bit of compost (specifically cotton bol compost... love this stuff) and that's it for the year. I think there is a tendency to overfeed plants, especially potted plants, but my theory is 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it'. If your plants are coming up and look healthy and are producing well, it doesn't need plant food. Now last year I did have some pepper plants that at the end of summer were looking pretty light green/yellow and I should have given them fertilizer. I didn't cause I had planned on repotting them this spring but then I left them out during a hard freeze and killed them and that was that.
In terms of your mint, again, Ara can correct me if I've got the wrong chemical, but when I see large super-green leaves, they're getting too much nitrogen. Nitrogen stimulates foliage growth, but reduces fruit production.
Are you potting your plants or are you planting them in the ground?

And, lastly, can these be planted in the midwestern/Zone 5 region of the U.S.?

Yes Ma'am. I have an aunt in Grand Island, NE and an Aunt and Uncle in Ames, IA, all of whom are excellent gardeners and have no problem growing tomatoes and peppers.

And in answer to your strawberry question, I"m not good with them, so I'll pass that one off to someone else, but strawberries can overwinter provided their roots stay warm enough.

Hopefully I didn't overload you with information, and good luck on your plantings this year!

Here's another question from me... I know others have asked it before, but are there any plants that are relatively small that can be grown indoors? Preferably fruits, herbs, or flowers.

Absolutely. But that's outside of my area of knowledge so I'll poke my sister to see if she can drop by and give you some suggestions.

Wow, it's been a while since I've been in here!!!

Rabbits love the leaves of any tomato plant

Really?! That's incredible, because tomato leaves have an alkaloid toxin in them! Rabbits must have specialized enymes inside of them that helps to neutralize this toxin!

but I also really like the Brandywine.

So do I! They make excellent tomatoes for slicing, and they get really big

Here's another question from me... I know others have asked it before, but are there any plants that are relatively small that can be grown indoors? Preferably fruits, herbs, or flowers.

Here are my suggestions for indoor plants:

PLANT: Photodendron. This plant is nigh impossible to kill, does great indoors, has beautiful foliage (but no flowers), and is easy to clone should you want more. It has minimal light requirements, and is readiliy available.

FLOWERS: African Violets. They don't bloom terribly frequently, but if taken care of properly, they'll produce a good crop of flowers before dying off, and going through their life cycle over again. They do well indoors, just be careful not to overwater lest they drown.

HERBS: I've heard of people growing basil in their house, but that's about as far as my knowledge goes.

FRUITS: I really don't know about this one.

EDIT: FK, do you have any suggestions for good hardy spring veggies that could handle a bit of frost? I know that peas, broccoli, lettuce, and cabbage can handle a bit of cooler weather, but can you think of anything else? I'm thinking of something that could be planted late March, and perhaps be ready by early May.

we have fond memories of their children as toddlers helping out with the planting, weeding, and eating in the garden.

Exactly! It's a great family activity, and a great example of seeing solid (and delicious) results at the end of the season's diligent work.

So glad our resident and knowledgeable gardeners frequent this topic (fk and Digs) to answer the very good questions asked.

*loves the picture of Tom and the massive tomato 'bush'*

I had purchased an Everbearing strawberry plant from WalMart at the end of summer, and it almost grew two fruits, but then died because of the frost and snow. Out of curiosity, will it grow back in springtime?

We had everbearing raspberry plants for years, and some winters were terribly hard on them, but they always managed to bounce back the following year, provided, as fantasia said, that their roots were cozy. Let us know what happens in the spring with yours, Bella.

Really?! That's incredible, because tomato leaves have an alkaloid toxin in them! Rabbits must have specialized enymes inside of them that helps to neutralize this toxin!

Maybe just Canadian rabbits.

wolf, a few humble suggestion of mine for indoor plants:

Plants:
Philodendron: these are pretty much always successful (and especially nice as a hanging plant), if you don't over-water them, which was my mistake for awhile. Now, I basically forget about it for a few weeks, and it's doing much better ... in fact, thriving.

Zeezee Plant: I bought one of these last fall, and have basically ignored it (watering it maybe once every few weeks): it's doing very well, and is growing steadily and heartily.

Spider plant: these are really easy to grow and keep, and it's fun to see the baby 'spiders' as they flourish. (Not that I'm a big fan of real spiders, but a plant similarly-named, I can handle. )

Corn plant: these are really cool-looking, as well as being easy and hardy to grow, but I did find it tended to attract small bugs.

Boston fern: I've had off-and-on success with these pretty plants. They can thrive for a long time, then sometimes just turn brown and wither away. 'Though I haven't had one since I've learned not to over-water.

I found this info interesting on houseplants. (If the page first asks for info, just click on "continue on to my page" or something like that.)
And on blooming plants.

Flowers: have you ever tried a Christmas cactus? Even though their blooming is very unpredictable (and they don't care to be moved and fiddled with), their leaves stay lovely, and when the blooms do come, they're a beautiful bonus.

I have a hibiscus tree, which gives magnificent tropical flowers like this. You can also get them as smaller plants. They need regular watering and do not liked to be moved or hardly touched. Their gorgeous blooms last but a day, yet, when they decide to, the buds are prolific. Mine has done exceptionally well this winter. I move it outside, despite its protests , in the warmer months, and whenever its moved, it usually puts up a fuss, refusing to bloom for a few weeks, at least. But, for some reason, last fall when I brought it inside again, it recovered the trauma remarkably, and, for the first time in years, began budding again within a short time (a few days)! And it hasn't let up. Sometimes we have four or five bright blooms at a time, whose diameters are 6"+. Yes, I love hibiscus.

Domestic Rabbits (aka the eurasian rabbit) can't eat the leaves or vines of a tomato apparently. (the fruit may be another matter)

So far from what I've read Eastern Cottontails (which is likely the type you are referring to Jo, though I'm not positive which species live up there) will typically avoid them for the same reason.

I'm guessing however that if they're eating the plants themselves... it might be dependent upon the toxicity of that particular breed of tomato or they might be developing an immunity to it in small populations.

I know we've had deer eating our tomatoes in the past, if not hornworms...

This is interesting Sorry but I find this stuff fascinating- I hope I'm not too off topic

EDIT: FK, do you have any suggestions for good hardy spring veggies that could handle a bit of frost? I know that peas, broccoli, lettuce, and cabbage can handle a bit of cooler weather, but can you think of anything else? I'm thinking of something that could be planted late March, and perhaps be ready by early May.

Hmmm.... spinach is something my parents have very good luck with, but be warned, they cover theirs every night it freezes. Spring turnips can handle a bit of frost. Maaaybe beets and radishes, but I'm not 100% sure on that one.
Usually I just go to the gardening center and read the back of all the seed packets. Then I make a list of what needs to be started when. A lot of those things need to be started indoors and that's what I tend to do. I'm not very good getting out in the cold and doing gardening.

By the way, for those of you who are asking about indoor plants, if you have pets (especially cats and dogs), remember to make sure to check that the plants aren't highly toxic!