Gardeners of AW, unite

[Fenika]

A few searches failed to turn up a good gardening forum, particularly an indoor gardening one (suggestions welcome), but I was curious what everyone here was planning for this summer. Or, for those of you under the equator, what do you have growing?

I just bought a T5 light and placed my avocado under it. The poor thing was not doing well with limited window light but is perking up nicely.

My mom also put her thyme beast under the light, and we have some Basil sproutlings that we just put under the light today. I can't wait to walk across the room from the kitchen to get fresh basil for cooking

For the summer I'm thinking banana sweet peppers for the outdoor garden, but I'm not sure I'll still be in the area. Oh, and the indoor light needs some chives under it soon.

What's everyone else got?

 

[shakeysix]

i am here in my overalls and gloves, trowel in hand. on tuesday i am buying a house, my first in ten years. the yard is huge and blank! there is not even a tree. i am going to go slow because i could cobb things up if i don't think it out. this spring i am putting in fruit trees--apricot, peach, cherry. and a vegetable garden--some cosmos, zinnias and snaps of course, and a porch full of geraniums, maybe window boxes. eventually i want roses and a patio and maybe a bog garden---s6

 

[Fenika]

Oh, that sounds lovely, Shakey. Get pictures- before, in process, and after

And you say bog garden, but what about a nice pond for the birds and other wildlife? I love a good little pond garden. Actually, what is a bog garden exactly?

 

[Mr Flibble]

Sadly I only have a small garden at the moment.

Double sadly the new puppy ate it last year Who knew dogs liked eating strawberry plants?

But my roses ( dog can't eat them lol) are looking good so far. I like to plant things and let it all go a bit wild, so I've got climbing roses mixed with honeysuckle, honeysuckle working it's way through the mock orange and Californian lilac, Love in the Mist seeding itself everywhere, including the gaps in the patio etc. Scented plants are my particular weakness

 

[Soccer Mom]

Oh, I love me some gardening. Right now I'm growing carrots and radishes for my pets. The blackberry vines are sprouting now. My Rosemary is looking lovely because its been a mild winter.

 

[NeuroFizz]

Just yesterday I planted two bareroot trees--an apple (variety - cinnamon spice) and an apricot. I also put in another grape vine (concord seedless).

 

[Fenika]

The puppy ate the strawberries? To the pound with that one

I've been wondering if I can get a row of strawberries under the light. We don't have enough room outside for them (the lot is mostly wooded) and by summer most the other plants will be outside...

And that's another set up I want pics of IRU

 

[Fenika]

Oh, I love me some gardening. Right now I'm growing carrots and radishes for my pets. The blackberry vines are sprouting now. My Rosemary is looking lovely because its been a mild winter.

Just yesterday I planted two bareroot trees--an apple (variety - cinnamon spice) and an apricot. I also put in another grape vine (concord seedless).

*drools*

 

[nevada]

hmmm sadly i live in a climate where we can't even think about planting till the may long weekend. right now there is snow and the ground is still frozen. in the last house we did have a great garden. lots of flowers, picked willy nilly simply because they were pretty. first year the rabbits ate the carnations so we never had a bloom. but they bushed out nicely (the carnations not the rabbits) and the second year we had a huge clump of carnations. gardening is fast in calgary. plant in may, enjoy in july, by september you're covering the tomatoes because sometimes we get killer frost already. by october everything is gone and you're waiting till may again. this year i'll be back in an apartment by may (hopefully) so no gardening for me. I do miss it.

 

[Mr Flibble]

And that's another set up I want pics of IRU

As soon as stuff starts flowering ( dog ate the bloody snowdrops and daffs too!)

 

[Sophia]

Gardening! The garlic shoots are about three inches high now, and will be ready to harvest in June. We planted shallots last week, both in the ground and in large pots, which should be also be ready in June.

The bluebells, tulips, gladioli and daffodils are growing and should flower in the next month or so. There are buds on the willow tree and cherry, and one on the new apple tree. That one's a bit of a worry - we're wondering whether to nip it off as the apple is supposed to bud in several places, not just at the top.

The herb bed is full of established perennials. We're growing coriander, sweet pea and chilean glory flower in nursery pots at the moment. They get put outside during the day to toughen up and brought inside at night. Once the weather is warmer, we'll grow annual herbs in pots on little racks on the side of the house.

The main project this year is sorting out a sloping bed at the rear of the garden, which we want to create a Japanese rock garden feel on. We need to work out what slate, rocks and plants we'll need, and see how much we can afford to spend each week on it.

My dream is to replace the grass on the lawn with moss, which I love, but I'm content to leave it as a dream.

 

[Sophia]

Has anyone tried growing strawberries in hanging baskets? It's something I'm going to try this year.

 

[Ken]

...do artificial ones count? I have two plastic pine branches with metal stems that I once removed from a thrown out Christmas tree. Stood upright they look like little trees. Been waitin' for birds to nest in 'em these last few years, but so far no takers.

 

[shakeysix]

i lost strawberry plants to a dog once. he ate them right out of a strawberry jar! i saw him chomping on them or i would never have believed it. --s6

 

[Fenika]

I don't think I could live much further north of Delaware. Long growing seasons are to die for (and we're pretty average)

IRU, that doggie is trouble

And a bed of moss is amazing. Our backyard is mostly moss and ferns. I love walking barefoot after a good warm rain.

 

[Fenika]

...do artificial ones count? I have two plastic pine branches with metal stems that I once removed from a thrown out Christmas tree. Stood upright they look like little trees. Been waitin' for birds to nest in 'em these last few years, but so far no takers.

If you want birds, you need a proper habitat. There's info on the Audubon's web page and other sites. Maybe a project for you for this year?

I'm trying to replace some of the landscaping around my mom's house with more native plants that provide food for birds. There's lots of wild growth at the edge of our property, and we've had robins, juncos, goldfinches, etc going crazy over it all winter.

We also have a butterfly bush for the summer

 

[Ken]

If you want birds, you need a proper habitat. There's info on the Audubon's web page and other sites. Maybe a project for you for this year?

I'm trying to replace some of the landscaping around my mom's house with more native plants that provide food for birds. There's lots of wild growth at the edge of our property, and we've had robins, juncos, goldfinches, etc going crazy over it all winter.

We also have a butterfly bush for the summer

...never gave much thought to native plants serving as food for birds. Sounds like a cool project! There are robins by me, too, along with brown doves, bluejays, sparrows, and pigeons. Once in a rare while I spot a hawk.

 

[Fenika]

Here's a shortlist- http://www.audubon.org/bird/at_home/Plants.html



Plus natives are often easier to care for than ornamentals, and many have a simple elegance that can really look good in your back yard.

We've spotted Cooper's hawks, Bald eagles, vultures, and tons more around our yard. Something keeps killing the snow geese and feasting on them too. Then we see crows as well. They love the tall trees in our yard, and the fact that we are on a large pond helps.

Yay, birding derail

 

[Amarie]

Goldfinches love coreopsis and a plant called perennial cornflower, Centaurea montana.

I want a small window box-size seedling starter, but I'm still shopping for one. I love California poppies but only have sporadic luck with them, so I'm thinking of starting them inside this year.

 

[WerenCole]

I dated a gardener once. Girl was nuts.

 

[WerenCole]

Has anyone tried growing strawberries in hanging baskets? It's something I'm going to try this year.

Try hanging baskets in strawberries. Much easier.

 

[Wayne K]

We're getting ready for next month. We have blubreeze and Raspbreeze. The rest is subject to an Italian friend of mine who specializes in making gardens beautiful. From what I've seen he's really good at it.

 

[trickywoo]

I'm planning to do tomatoes, green peppers, onions, and potatoes this year. Last year we had a container garden - mostly to test things out and keep the hungry critters away, but I think we might try a little plot this year.

I'd love to do a flower garden too, but I think that's too ambitious right now. We have a new baby due next week, so I'll be glad to get something planted. I probably won't plant until the end of April/early May, though.

I envy those of you planting fruit trees. That sounds delicious...and beautiful. Maybe someday.

 

[Ken]

Here's a shortlist- http://www.audubon.org/bird/at_home/Plants.html

...of course if I plant a Spicebush there will be the temptation of eating the berries, myself // Thnx for the link

 

[shakeysix]

i live in an area that is very flat, very sandy. kansas is hot and windy most of the time. water doesn't last long, even the creeks dry up by july. but there are low spots between the sand hills that hold water for a longer time. sloughs we call them-- wild coreopsis, water buttercups, reeds, cat tails will grow there. the frogs start out as tiny peepers and then grow to sousaphones and tubas. red winged blackbirds and meadow larks nest there and snarf up the dragon flies. they are beautiful in the spring. the natural habitat here. i found a book that shows how to make a bog garden--bog sounds prettier than slough-- and i have a big side yard to fill but i don't want to mess with a pond and fish. fish attract raccoons. raccoons are as bad as sophomores in my book---s6