Garden Update: Bedding plants and seeds planted, hoping for success!

I got a few bedding plants, none of my seeds I planted in the house survived. I planted seeds in the garden last week. Let's see what happens. Lettuce, spinach, beans, pumpkins, squash, corn, and flowers. I'm glad I am not a pioneer and had to live off what I have planted. I got hailed out once last year, and had nothing to eat all winter.

Good luck with your gardening. I am happy that I have a farmers market to go to.

Hi X,

Yeah, there is more to it than meets the eye. I've pretty much mastered getting things to grow where I don't want them to, with absolutely no luck getting them to grow where I want them to. It is hard to believe people could live on what they grew........or even support a whole community. Last month I planted dozens of potato chips, pretzels and corn chips...........and not one plant came up! Farmin' is for the birds.........I'm going to Walmart!!!

;0)

Bob

Good luck, I can't even grow house plants. When my husband was alive, he could grow anything. He raised a big garden every year. I sure do miss the corn, okra, green beans, and tomatoes.

Here in scorching Arizona, I lost all my cacti even to our drought. Luckily, the market is close... I have sand and rock. We only grow scorpions.

Hello xnine.

Ours has always been a 'problem' garden where I cannot seem to grow vegetables and, even when I did get some to grow, my wife did not want to use them because they were not 'uniform' in size and shape. She beleives that wothwhile vegetables are only grown in the supermarket. So, I swapped to flowers and have had much greater success.  Some years the seeds simply don't grow at all and some years they all flourish and I have difficulty finding people to give them to. Gardening is a fickle and frustrating business. For over thirty years years I have been creating and tending to my topiaried box hedging (grown from cuttings). However, last year most of them suddenly withered and died. I would have blamed Covid if I could but I suspect it was the dreaded box-hedge caterpillar which has plagued the UK in recent years.

There is somthing about tending a garden that (whilst it can be hard work) is somehow relaxing and satisfying - so, we continue each year persevering with our efforts to have some minor control over the environment in which we live. It sometimes seems to me that the other creatures have a better grasp of what to do, in that they simply let it all grow and enjoy whatever there is available naturally.

Best wishes

Bill

Start of winter here so not much in the veggie patch (just the usual carrots and spuds), heaps of rosemary, thyme, and parsley, the lemon tree is loaded though. Birds ate most of the apples and nectarines last year in spite of some netting (they always manage to peck their way through!)

More luck with the flowers this year, but then again roses can grow anywhere in any climate it seems (below pic taken a few months ago).

Hello JMC,   so beautiful and bet they smell lovely.  

And rattlesnakes...and spiders...BIG spiders!!!

;0)

Ain't that the truth!

Hey X,

Surprisingly, this year our garden has done great. We rarely have a lot to come from the garden because we are horrible gardeners. Did it a little different this time. I put a couple of cubic yards of mushroom compost down after weeding and clearing the garden. Then I put several cubic yards of premium topsoil. All we have is red clay around here. Then I planted! I am already getting huge beautiful tomatoes, collards, and sweet peppers. Have 8 Roma tomato plants that are bursting with green tomatoes. Have butternut squash bigger than my hand and lots of them. Zucchini plants all got pollinated this year! Last year they did not. Bursting with little zucchinis.
Our blueberry bushes are almost ready to pick. Only thing not really doing well is the blackberries. Mmm; I guess a lot of good soil and a lot of rain this year has helped. Living in the south, we get to start early. I planted in March.

I physically did all of this. About killed me! Lol I made so many trips to the landscape place for the compost and soil. Shoveled it all from the truck into my little wagon I pull with the riding lawnmower. (That's the fun part); Shoveled it into the garden. My husband did build me a big raised box and he actually planted the plants in that soft nice soil!

Question: How many veggies do you think I could have bought at the grocery store for the amount of money put into that garden? Something to think about.

We had BLT's a few days ago with our tomatoes! Made it all worth it!
Pup

Pup, glad you're enjoying the fruits of your labor. There is nothing like fresh veggies. You made me hungry for a BLT. That's for lunch today.  

Rebecca

Hi Pup, glad you are getting fresh veggies. My favorite is tomatoes, corn, and okra. Xnine, I hope you get a good crop this year.

Lovely, nbsp

We tried corn once, but the deer ate them all. We tried lettuce just to feed the bunnies, but they ate it before it even grew. All my plants are doing well. I did plant parsnips, but they did not come up. I think a cat was in my garden! Grrr. I have grown okra years ago, but not lately. I may have to extend my garden next year. This one is maxed out!
Pup nbsp

Pup, I have heard of two things that are supposed to keep deer away. One is to tie some aluminum pie plates to stakes. When the wind blows, the sound of them makes a noise. The other is human hair tied to stakes. Deer can be a headache. Good luck.

You're awesome, Bob. Thanks for the smiles.

I decided to put in a couple of raised beds this year and see what happens. I have lettuce, celery, carrots, and tomatoes in the beds, and Hungarian peppers and jalapeno peppers in pots. So far, so good. A few peppers are sprouting, and I have already had a few salads with the lettuce. It's so much better from the garden! ;

Hi Casper9,

Wow, your garden looks awesome! Looks like a good start!! I wish I had a green thumb. I tried to grow mint and in Spanish, "la heirbabuena". Love it in my water etc.

I am going to try again.

Thx, BAYS

Casper, 

Your garden is beautiful! Mine is raised also and made all the difference in the world. Always thought we sucked at gardening but it seems our soil, or should I say clay, sucks for gardening! 
Pup

Thanks!

The best thing about the raised beds is that I wrapped them in plastic screening and the bunnies can't get in and eat everything. Last year they ate all of the pepper plants! Even the really hot ones, lol. I bet they regretted that.

Thanks! 

I'm not sure if I have a green thumb, maybe just good soil, lol

Casper,

Funny that I have had no problem with the bunnies or the deer. (Knock on wood) Maybe they do not like my choice of garden plants. But having them in a box does help me to protect them if need be.

I do have to cover my blackberry bushes with wire because they eat all the berries. I think the deer get them. They don't bother my blueberries though. Pup

This year, my garden was decimated by nasty little chipmunks who thought it was very funny to literally drag the poor little seedlings out of the ground by the roots and leave them a foot away to dry in the sun. And when that wasn't fun anymore, they carefully nipped every single leaf off our pepper plant at the stalk. Sigh. We bought a Have-a-Heart trap. (I know it's spelled wrong. So sue me.) This evening we drove out about 10 miles to the head of the Legacy Trail (bike trail) about 10 miles away from our house and released the 5th chipmunk we captured! Those little devils love peanut butter even better than my garden! At least they'll all have a family reunion.

So, it looks like my garden this year will survive after all (barely).

Wow, chipmunks! Thankfully I only have mice, raccoons, deer, and bunnies! You went above and beyond to relocate! That is awesome! Hope you are enjoying your garden now!  
Pup

It's still at early stages (here in Kentucky, you can't plant anything until mid-to-late April, and I had to replant a lot because of the chipmunks). But they are no longer murdering my garden plants, so it looks pretty good, so far. I am restarting my tomato plants from seed indoors, because that seemed like ambrosia to them - not a single one survived! Strawberries are doing well, and we have already gotten some - VERY sweet! The grapes and blackberries in the front yard went absolutely crazy with all this rain we've been having, and I'm REALLY looking forward to when they get ripe! I've got some rhubarb planted that actually won't mature until at least next year, and all my herbs are growing like crazy, except my Thai basil (the little critters really liked that one!).

And the flowers! I've got bulb gardens in the front yard - no muss, no fuss - plant once and forget them. The early bloomers (daffodils, tulips, etc.) are done already, and the late bloomers (like gladiolas) are still waiting, but the daylilies are spectacular! I like to sit on the front porch amidst my flowers, and enjoy my morning coffee with the sun just over the trees in the neighborhood.

Haha corn chips and potato chips, I got them to grow! LOL nbsp

Had to say it! nbsp
Only me

Omg, how do I get rid of a migraine headache? nbsp

Sincerely, your friend Victoria nbsp

P.S. nbsp

Question zwj; nbsp

Why does everyone try to call me Vic-Vickie!? LOL I love the name Victoria LOL but anyway, it's silly but true! nbsp
Also, one more thing ... weight gain ... why and how nbsp

Hi, Victoria!! (See, I listen!) Weight gain - ugh! I wish I could tell you the answer, but I have issues there myself! I was doing OK in the spring, getting outdoors a lot. But with summer's heat, it's tough getting out before it gets too hot. And lately I have developed more foot problems, and haven't been able to safely get on the bike in a while. And now I'm having eye problems - painful, dry, and very sensitive to bright sunlight. And I think some of the meds I'm on are affecting my metabolism. Just got to keep going and do the best I can, and not beat myself up too much over it.

Corn off the cob

Bloody stinking squirrels