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The thread for people who have Green Thumbs (Gardening)

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Lu_valient
(@lu_valient)
NarniaWeb Nut

Unfortunately, something's been eating my strawberries when they turn ripe. I did buy some netting yesterday and am going to try and protect them that way.

Edit: I just went to put on the netting and got some ripe ones before the bugs!

!


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Posted : June 4, 2021 8:13 am
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fantasia
(@fantasia)
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This year has been something else for the fruit in my yard. I can't even keep up with it! First we had gobs of strawberries and my youngest daughter and I made Strawberry Shortcakes. Then we had to forgo the rest of the strawberries because of all the other fruit coming on.

Primarily my Montmorency Cherry Tree has exploded. I've had cherries off of there in the past, but nothing even coming close to this year. (Maybe because we actually got it sprayed in the early spring at the appropriate time?) I think, as of this morning, I have at least 8 cups of cherries picked, 5 of those are already pitted and frozen and pitting the next round will be my chore later this morning. I'm just sooooo excited because homemade cherry pie with homegrown cherries is my absolute favorite thing in the world! If I ever live on a farm, I'm putting in a cherry orchard. Grin  

Now my next thing is going to be my raspberry bushes in the Fairy Garden. Last year it put on a lot of berries, but they were bitter and inedible. This year they're nice and sweet. So probably this evening I'll get out there with some gloves and get those picked. 

We got two new blueberry bushes this year and those are also loaded, but they have a ways to go before they ripen. My neighbor's Mulberry tree is hanging over into our yard with fruit on it (too bad....) and we have a lot of grapes on our grape vines right now (though I'll need to look up how to save those because the Japanese Beetles always get those).

Anyways, best year for fruit I've ever had. Super duper excited!!!!

On a vegetable note, we've picked 90% of all of our broccoli and cooked most of it. That has been a successful venture as well. Normally beetles kill that off as well, so there are some benefits to having it in our greenhouse. Grin  

Potatoes look great, onions look great, my one tomato plant looks good, the kids corn and pumpkins look good but that's going to become a huge tangled mess soon LOL The only thing that doesn't look very good are the beets. I don't care for beets so I'm not sad about that, but my husband loves them so we'll see if we can salvage them. If not, maybe we'll put more in in the Fall. 

On a non-food note, our milkweed this year has attracted a number of monarchs, so we have three (so far) caterpillars hanging out in our kitchen Grin  

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Topic starter Posted : June 8, 2021 8:49 am
johobbit
(@jo)
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How are all your plants doing, @lu_valient, particularly the strawberries. Did the netting help? Sure hope so!

It's wonderful hearing about your fruit harvest, @fantasia! Dancing Reading every successful venture of yours ^ I was jumping for joy at my place. Giggle A cherry orchard, eh? My husband grew up in Niagara and their back yard was filled with cherry trees; pears and peaches too. We used to pick the cherries and couldn't get enough of them. Giggle  

Posted by: @fantasia

the kids corn and pumpkins look good but that's going to become a huge tangled mess soon

My pumpkins aren't quite at that stage, but they will be in time. Giggle They're growing well, albeit still young. Any idea what happened to the beets? We're beet fans here: ours have just sprouted in the past week.

Our peas and beans have all come up well; the pepper plant and cucs are all thriving. And in the lower garden, I think the last of the potato greens have sprouted ... they always look so cool. The tomatoes are looking very healthy. It was only last year that we had a poor crop (first time ever), so we added lots of egg shells this year (calcium!): hopefully that will make the difference. If there is anything that I would be disappointed to do without it's home-grown tomatoes.

The flower gardens are stunning, if I may say so. Bats eyes Although yesterday's thunderstorms made all our peony plants bow under the weight of the rain. The blooms are okay, but those poor plants. I know they will recover (they have before). Our side walk to the back  is loaded with peonies, which scent the air all around. So pretty (pinks and whites).

I have discovered polychroma/cushion spurge ( https://www.gardenia.net/plant/euphorbia-polychroma-cushion-spurge ) this year, so we planted three. Their colouring is lovely in the summer, and then again as it changes to its Autumn colours in the fall. I have also found out about Ice Plants (Delosperma), which are adorable little ground cover plants with flowers that can look as if they're covered with frost or ice. I think I bought way too many of these. Giggle  

We have cleaned up our cedar hedge—at least part of it—and put forsythia in, along with some shady ground cover plants (white flowers—I forget the name right now). I also threw in some poppy seeds and a wildflower mix packet, so we'll see what comes up. Giggle  

Very please with all the gardens thus far. They take a good bit of work (I'd say a couple of hours each day, between watering and weeding), but are so worth the time and effort! Smile  


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Posted : June 10, 2021 12:18 pm
fantasia
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Posted by: @jo

My husband grew up in Niagara and their back yard was filled with cherry trees; pears and peaches too. We used to pick the cherries and couldn't get enough of them. Giggle  

That would just be a dream for me. Kansas is not terribly friendly to fruit trees, though there are people around here that make it work. My cherry tree is a tart pie cherry tree and I don't know anyone around here who has a sweet cherry tree. My sister-in-law has tried numerous times with sweet cherries and hers continue to die.

As of last night I have five bags of 4c of pitted cherries, which is the equivalent to five pies. Drool Drool Grin My cherries are winding down so I might get a full sixth bag, but that'll be it I think. 

Yesterday I picked four cups of raspberries, so I have to decide if I want to just freeze them altogether for one pie, or divvy them up into four 1c bags for four individual servings of something. I'm leaning towards the latter because I'm not the biggest fan of raspberry seeds and I'm waaaay too lazy to strain them. Blush Tongue  

On a non-fruit note, our milkweed managed to attract gobs of monarch butterflies this year which is the first time this has happened. I have five caterpillars in my kitchen so far as they seem to disappear if I leave them outside. Save the monarchs!! 

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Topic starter Posted : June 12, 2021 8:51 am
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Grandmama
(@grandmama)
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It has been WAY too hot here for the last couple of weeks! 90's F every day and some days 100. Not typical June weather. I had planned to add a flower border to the garden this year, but when it's in the 90's, I stay in the basement where it's cool. I have marigolds that I started from seed out on the deck destined for that border. I have to water them every day, some days twice a day since they are just in 3" pots.

On a positive note, yesterday I picked some alpine strawberries and enjoyed them right out in the garden. 🙂 

We've been running the drip irrigation to the garden beds almost every day, so the plants are doing well. I still need to add second plantings of corn, beets, turnips and green onions and third plantings of lettuce and beans. 

Praying for rain--the grass is getting very dry and crispy.

"I suppose the sewing machine's too heavy to bring?. . . I can't abide the thought of that Witch fiddling with it. . ."

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Posted : June 13, 2021 3:14 pm
johobbit
(@jo)
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So good and interesting to read your posts, @fantasia ; @grandmama. Fantasia, the Niagara region has pretty much perfect conditions for fruit trees, which is why it is known as such. Giggle But I'm glad at least that you have the sour cherries. The trees Dennis grew up with were both sour and sweet, but for eating plain, sweet are my favourite. And sour are great for pie and juice! Great about your raspberries. I want to make a raspberry pie for Father's Day (the rhubarb pie is already done), but will have to buy them from our local market. We have not (yet) planted raspberry bushes here; we had a row in Burlington, but most often the birds nabbed most of them before we did. Tongue  

A funny story about Dennis' family's cherries: his mom made loads of pies every month. For some reason, she would actually pit the cherries (every single cherry!!!) before making the pie. Wow, that is dedication. Giggle I have to admit, I do not do that. Tongue  

So cool about the milkweed and the caterpillars!

Grandmama, really sorry to hear about your excessive heat (especially in June, wow!). We have had a few days of this so far, but nothing long-lasting ... that will most likely come in July. Tongue Good to hear of your gardens. Any rain in sight yet?

Things are lush here, as we have had a balanced amount of sun and precipitation. Wishing that for you, too, in Minnesota! The perennials are growing beautifully ... well, most of them: there is one pretty Autumn-coloured daisy type plant that is not doing so well. Giving it TLC so hopefully it will come around. We moved some of our hostas to a more shady area near the road by a bit of a hedge—an area that has always been a bit neglected—and they're sprucing up that row really well. We have always planted a few Autumn chrysanthemums there that we over-wintered, so hoping this falltime they will bloom beautifully; now, they are nice and green, so that's a good sign. Giggle  

Our veggie gardens are really doing well. I just planted another row of beets, as my lettuce row did not come up at all. There is a good reason for this: the seeds were a few years old, but I thought I'd try. Giggle My Morning Glory and Sweet Pea seeds have sprouted: I have been wanting to grow these for years, so, yay! I've planted them against our upper veggie garden fence, so that they can climb. The fence isn't really tall, though (chain-link), so my plan is that they will drape over the fence. Should be quite pretty.

My watermelon plants are the only veggies that seem to be having issues. They sprouted, but seemed to stay the same size for ages, until recently, when they're finally growing. We'll see how they fare. The pumpkins are doing great, as is the rhubarb. Potatoes greens are high enough that I mounded them last evening and the tomatoes are growing healthily too. Grin  


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Posted : June 16, 2021 9:44 am
fantasia
(@fantasia)
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I dug all of my potatoes over the past three days or so. Considering that I had them crammed into a small raised bed in a green house, I actually ended up with a fair number of potatoes! That's kind of fun and exciting. 🙂 Now I have to go buy some sand per @jo's recommendation and put them somewhere out of reach of children and animals. 

Also picked the first two tomatoes.

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Topic starter Posted : July 8, 2021 10:25 am
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johobbit
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  Rose Yay, fantasia, for those potatoes. I hope the sand works for you as well as it does for us. (I don't see why it shouldn't. Giggle )

Our first tomatoes are still green, but it looks like the plants are doing much better than last summer, hurrah! We loaded the soil with egg shells (calcium!), which, we figure, must have been lacking last year.

Because we continue to have a balanced weather season thus far, in terms of sun and rain, everything is flourishing. My watermelon plants are even coming along now. Cool In the same patch, the pumpkin plants are getting very large, and the rhubarb is doing well too. Re the pumpkins, I have to guide the long shoots in certain directions, periodically, so they don't overcome the watermelon and rhubarb. Giggle  

My peas are taller than they have ever been (at this house—seven years now), so I staked them up a couple of weeks ago, which helps. The beans are prolific too, as are the beets. The pepper plant is coming along; my morning glories are bursting forth in leaves, and I just saw the first few buds the other day, so am guiding them to climb up the fence. Grin  

Down to the lower veggie garden (where the tomatoes are), the potatoes are thriving, but it will be awhile before we harvest. They are only beginning to blossom now. I planted a lot of zinnia seeds around the edge, as usual, which will be beautifully colourful when they flower. Our widowed neighbour can see this garden from his backyard, and he loves the zinnias, of which I so enjoy giving him fresh bunches now and then.  Rose ? ?

Floral gardens: again, all is lush-full of colour. I already have plans for next spring—where to move certain smaller plants, which are being partially hidden by larger plants. My coneflowers and black-eyed Susans have many buds and should be blooming soon. Grin And the first teddy bear sunflower bloomed has opened! ?  I planted a lot of these around the property, but some of the seeds in the front must have been eaten by squirrels, as I kept on forgetting to put Blood Meal on them to repel the critters. Giggle Next year I must change that: I love teddy bear sunflowers!

EDIT: the saying goes that corn should be "knee-high by the 4th of July". Well, this shows how cooperative our weather has been this later spring and early summer ... the cornfields around were much higher than that by the 4th. Smile  


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Posted : July 10, 2021 7:10 am
coracle
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Halfway through winter, and my garden has been neglected for months. I'm up for suggestions for a bed opposite my living rooms ("the view") to contrast with a dreary wooden 6 foot boundary fence and plain off-white house exterior behind it. 

Last year I tried sunflowers and some veges. Strong  winds battered the sunflowers and shortened their lives. This year I'm thinking of putting in bushes/shrubs or quick-growing climbers with attractive flowers and foliage. The area gets some sun, but it's in the shadow of that house a lot. 

Does anyone know perhaps three pleasant and cheerful plants I can put in there? Smaller fuiting trees would be fine.

There, shining in the sunrise, larger than they had seen him before, shaking his mane (for it had apparently grown again) stood Aslan himself.
"...when a willing victim who had committed no treachery was killed in a traitor's stead, the Table would crack and Death itself would start working backwards."

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Posted : July 10, 2021 2:09 pm
johobbit
(@jo)
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A few ideas, @coracle :

*some types of clematis don't mind the shade (Sweet Autumn clematis being the main one, I think)

*vinca or periwinkle is a very pretty plant (violet flowers); this is not a climber but would look lovely as a ground cover

*there is such thing as a climbing hydrangea

*English or Boston ivy

Because our bountiful rainfall has continued through July, everything—floral and veggie—is lush, thriving, green! SO unusual for this month here in Ontario. (Have I mentioned this before? LOL ) We are very grateful for all the precipitation!


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Posted : July 19, 2021 1:35 pm
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coracle
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After several months of poor energy, I have finally got out into the garden and have put in the bulbs that should have been in the ground in April. Spring is close now, and there are already some daffodils and other early spring flowers blooming in other places. 

There, shining in the sunrise, larger than they had seen him before, shaking his mane (for it had apparently grown again) stood Aslan himself.
"...when a willing victim who had committed no treachery was killed in a traitor's stead, the Table would crack and Death itself would start working backwards."

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Posted : August 1, 2021 7:17 pm
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johobbit
(@jo)
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Thumbs up for the bulb-planting, coracle!

We are continuing serious harvesting here. I need to pick more peas and beans today, as the past five days has been too hot and humid to be outside for that length of time. This is the first year in a long time that I have had enough bean yield to freeze some. Smile And our tomatoes, oooohhh, are prolific this year! Grin We have always had great success with tomatoes over the decades, except for last year, which was a big disappointment. We figured the calcium must have somehow become depleted in the soil, so added abundant egg shells, and, whoa, did this ever work well. Our cherry tomatoes and our large plants (Brandywines and Beefsteaks—I mentioned Early Girls elsewhere, but that is incorrect)  are producing, producing, producing. And with not a split in the fruit to be seen anywhere. Grin That is a first too.

Peppers are coming along nicely, as are our beets, 'though the latter won't be ready to harvest for awhile; same with our potatoes, whose plants are beginning to die, but a ways to go until we can dig them up.

Because we have had regular rainfalls this summer, everything continues to flourish. This is the first summer in years (from what I recall) that the lawns have not dried out/gone brown; instead, they are so lush. Which means mowing regularly too, but we quite enjoy that. Smile  

I try and plant perennials (and some annuals) that attract butterflies and bees, hence, I must say that this summer, in particular, we cannot look/be outside at any given time, either front or back without seeing monarchs enjoying the plentiful, colourful plants. Really lovely!


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Posted : August 14, 2021 8:21 am
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fantasia
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My daughter announced she wants to grow some green beans, so for the first time ever I'm putting in a fall crop of green beans. Giggle Hopefully we can get these planted tonight, but we'll see. 

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Topic starter Posted : August 21, 2021 3:11 pm
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johobbit
(@jo)
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Oooh, that is cool, fantasia! Let us know how they turn out.

Speaking of beans, we had a good crop this year and I picked the last of them last evening. But I harvested the first beets, which I will bury in sand today. And a whole lot more tomatoes were ready, both cherry and large. We have had so many beans and tomatoes that I have frozen a bunch of them for use later. The potato plants have been brown and dead-looking for more than a week now, so the potatoes should be ready to dig up in another couple of weeks. Grin  


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Posted : September 2, 2021 11:29 am
coracle
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I'm very slowly clearing the winter weeds, and with our restrictions lessened I can go to the garden shop for plants soon. Meanwhile the friend who gave me a big pot of lovely pansies for my birthday pointed out this evening that the three or four tulip bulbs have sprouted. I'm looking forward to seeing them grow. The pansies have cheered me all winter, as I put them on the deck in view of the lounge where I spend a lot of my day.

Some self-sown sweet peas have been growing in heaps on the ground in various places, and this week I managed to put an old chair frame to good use, with some of them climbing up the frame. I must remember to collect some seed from the pods this year, to plant some climbing up the back fence.

There, shining in the sunrise, larger than they had seen him before, shaking his mane (for it had apparently grown again) stood Aslan himself.
"...when a willing victim who had committed no treachery was killed in a traitor's stead, the Table would crack and Death itself would start working backwards."

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Posted : September 10, 2021 5:01 am
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