What Are You Growing This Year?

[LuckyAtlas84]

If you didn

[Bubba's Mom]

If you didn

[squirmingitch]

Spread your used coffee grounds around your plants that slugs & snails especially like. The critters will crawl across the coffee grounds & since their heart is in their "foot" they get heart attacks from absorbing the caffeine! Natural, no poison involved & problem solved. Now, I might mention that they don't die immediately but within 24 hours.

And I am without garden this year. We moved & have yet to build a new house so in the meantime are renting & I am itching to garden! So I will live vicariously through your garden talk.

[mamaupupup]

Fun thread! We ripped out our front porch flowers since Twin A has a bee allergy and built raised beds. We planted about three weeks ago:

- Sweet mint

- Basil

- Cilantro

- Strawberries

- Tomato

- Spinach

- Sweet lettuce (?)

- Swiss Chard

- Broccoli

- Sugar Snap Peas

The girls make us minty water for dinner and they are snacking (prematurely) on other leafy greens--fine with me!

[mushroom]

We will be in Nevada long enough this year that I can contemplate growing something. But we have a bunny that regularly cruises our patio (though I think we've got rid of the squirrels at the lake who used to make pesto out of my basil before I could get to it ) But since it's hotter in Reno I might put the herb garden in a morning sun windowin my kitchen, put some rosemary outside (don't think we have anything around that likes that stuff except us), some lettuce in a raised area on the patio that bunnies can't jump into, and ah, heck, just go to Whole Paycheck for the rest.

[love2travel]

Lavender is nice in so many things, too, but it does not survive our climate. I tried growing it as an annual but our season is just too short. So, I resort to buying the flower buds instead.

[notme]

Fun thread! We ripped out our front porch flowers since Twin A has a bee allergy and built raised beds. We planted about three weeks ago:

- Sweet mint

- Basil

- Cilantro

- Strawberries

- Tomato

- Spinach

- Sweet lettuce (?)

- Swiss Chard

- Broccoli

- Sugar Snap Peas

The girls make us minty water for dinner and they are snacking (prematurely) on other leafy greens--fine with me!

watch out for that mint, mamaup! it will 'take over' (it will even spread underneath weed barrier!) i am going to plant a little in a pot so it plays nice with other plants!

[Adalaide]

Finally got around to it today! Got myself 4 beautiful orange tomato plants and 4 more orange cherry tomato plants. I bought the plants at the garden center I was buying produce from last year. The tomatoes I had last summer were the most amazingly delicious omg to die for things I've ever eaten and I just had to have that kind. I also planted some lettuce and cilantro, which are probably more for my bun than for me. She just loves fresh cilantro and lettuce and maybe if I have some growing in a pot in the back yard I'll actually eat a salad once in a while instead of feeding all my greens to the rabbit. Still waiting on our cucumbers though, they were all out of plants and while it isn't too late to start our own I just don't have the ambition for that. We'll pick up the plants over the weekend, I'm thinking probably either 8 or 12. Not sure really how many quarts of pickles we'll get from each plant but hubby says he wants a lot of pickles so that's what he's getting. (I hope!)

[freeatlast]

Stop it! I won't be planting anything until the end of May when it is warm enough. Our season is waaayyyyy too short. My husband built me high raised beds (huge) so I do not have to bend. They also have seating all the way around. This year I am growing:

- arugula, chicory, endive, kale

- micro greens

- a few kinds of lettuce

- edamame (soy beans)

- green beans

- a few kinds of tomatoes

- a few kinds of peppers (we must transplant them quite large, like tomatoes)

- carrots planted together with radishes - radishes come up far earlier and make room for the carrot seeds

- we must buy transplants of herbs (we could never grow by seed):

- rosemary

- lemon thyme, English thyme

- a few kinds of basil

- chives, garlic chives

- chervil

- sage

- Greek oregano

- marjoram

- tarragon

- I just know I'm missing several herbs!

This sounds amazing. What is the difference between Greek oregano and marjoram? I've read they are very similar and sometimes people confuse them.

[notme]

mesculun (sp) greens (seeds)

beets (seeds)

green onions (seeds)

red cabbage & green cabbage (plants)

taters ('seeds')

broccoli (plants)

cauliflower (plants)

brussel sprouts (plants)

carrots (seeds)

strawberries

artichoke

we are harvesting! i have cabbage fermenting for sauerkraut, canned chow-chow, i have another batch i am going to put together today or tomorrow. i keep putting off the red cabbage because it's going to turn my kitchen purple lolz but we roasted and vacuum sealed and froze the beets, blanched and froze broccoli, cauliflower we just ate haha, (this was our first attempt and we got conflicting advice on whether you need to tie the leaves together over the plant when the heads begin to form - i would not next year - it just helped the bugs to help themselves...)

we didn't like the mesculin greens very much - i am going to try different lettuce next year... may plant some romaine this year - it grows pretty fast and it lasts into the cooler weather. the brussels sprouts are still sprouting.

strawberries survived a shovel attack by my 3 year old grandsons, but we probably won't get any fruit from them until next year. artichokes are, indeed, spreading out. i don't expect much from them until next year either but i could be surprised!

we put in tomatoes (cherry, plum, beefsteak) and peppers (jalapeno & bell) in last month.

i am loving the long growing season here in tennessee!! i used to live in nj and our plants never got this much help from the weather (although it has been expecially dry...) i haven't put in beans or cukes yet, but i don't want them to be ready at the same time as tomatoes. probly plant them next week

how is everybody else doing??

[alex11602]

My herbs are doing beautifully and we have probably gotten 20 cherry tomatoes so far

[Adalaide]

I've been getting plenty of little cherry tomatoes too. I planted all orange tomato plants with high hopes, but so far a single one of those babies hasn't made it in the house. My lettuce didn't fare too well after my neglect the day was at the neurologist and forgot about my plants. Everything else is looking beautiful, in another few days I should have my first large orange tomato to bring in and cut up. (Assuming I don't eat it like an apple on the back steps.)

[Bubba's Mom]

There's a mamma and 3 baby woodchucks living under my neighbor's porch. They've gotten into my little garden numerous times and destroyed the kale, broccoli, and spinach. They took a bite out of each green tomato.

I have a wire fence around it and netting over the top, but they keep getting in. The kale just starts to grow back and they chew it down again.

I planted just a few green beans and the plants are getting buds. So far the woodchucks haven't bothered them. The zucchini has buds too.

I've put moth balls out several times and it seems to keep them away for a day or two, but they come back.

The pots of mint are doing real well.

[Adalaide]

I grew up a farm girl, my immediate response to pests in the garden is to shoot them. If you're in the city maybe animal control could come catch them and take them away. I'm all for live and let live, but I won't let my food and hard work go to waste for some furball thief.

[GF Lover]

I tried to grow tomatoes last year and these HUGH GREEN WORM MONSTERS ate them. I actually saw these things and took a pic and sent it to my mom. Mom said use Seven pesticide, but I didn't like the idea of eating THAT STUFF. This year I am growing flowers.

[mushroom]

I tried to grow tomatoes last year and these HUGH GREEN WORM MONSTERS ate them. I actually saw these things and took a pic and sent it to my mom. Mom said use Seven pesticide, but I didn't like the idea of eating THAT STUFF. This year I am growing flowers.

Colleen, the first time I saw tomato hornworms in the U.S. (I am non-native) I was terrified, panicked, and ripped all of the plants out of the ground and threw them over the fence into a vacant lot.

[GF Lover]

Colleen, the first time I saw tomato hornworms in the U.S. (I am non-native) I was terrified, panicked, and ripped all of the plants out of the ground and threw them over the fence into a vacant lot.

OMG they are horrible arnt they. I will never attempt tomatoes again. I would like to grow some herbs tho. Do worm monsters attact those too?

[IrishHeart]

Colleen, the first time I saw tomato hornworms in the U.S. (I am non-native) I was terrified, panicked, and ripped all of the plants out of the ground and threw them over the fence into a vacant lot.

Yeah, that first one scares the beejeepers out of you. Creepy little suckers, aren't they!?

I almost threw up when I saw my first one years ago. I immediately called my Dad (a master tomato grower) and asked What the hell is THIS thing?

He told me to pick it up with tweezers and put it in a jar of gasoline to kill it. Ya, okay, Dad!

I just squished it in my hand.

I had put my heart, soul and sweat into those plants and nothing was going to ruin them.

[IrishHeart]

The tomatoes are growing, but not ripe yet.

The chard and lettuce are coming up.

Lavendar is open and smells wonderful.

I have tons of Bee balm in various colors, and although it is edible, but I do not like to eat it. The hummingbirds enjoy it very much!

Cilantro

Thyme

Rosemary

Chives

Basil

Parsley

Blueberries are coming in.

Tons of apples on the trees this year.

A few pears.

Catmint for Bella (meow)

The perennials (about 60+ varieties) are blooming at various times. I tried to have something open at all times in March through November.

But, THIS is the best time of year here. Being able to garden again--fills me with joy.

[GF Lover]

Yeah, that first one scares the beejeepers out of you. Creepy little suckers, aren't they!?

I almost threw up when I saw it. I immediately called my Dad (a master tomato grower) and asked What the hell is THIS thing?

He told me to pick it up with tweezers and put it in a jar of gasoline to kill it. Ya, okay, Dad!

I just squished it in my hand.

I had put my heart, soul and sweat into those plants and nothing was going to ruin them.

Tweezers???? You couldn't even get a pair of tweezers around these things. They were about 5" long and almost 1/2" thick. I kid you not. They were well fed on tomatoes. It took me over a week to figure out what was eating them because they looked like a stalk from the plant and I couldn't see anything. I'm gonna have nightmares tonight, I just know it.

[IrishHeart]

Tweezers???? You couldn't even get a pair of tweezers around these things. They were about 5" long and almost 1/2" thick. I kid you not. They were well fed on tomatoes. It took me over a week to figure out what was eating them because they looked like a stalk from the plant and I couldn't see anything. I'm gonna have nightmares tonight, I just know it.

:lol:

Colleen, you should come live here with me in the country for a week and get de-sensitized to all things "creepy". You'd just laugh at those things after a while.

I've had to pick up everything from bats to moles to chipmunks to birds and snakes.

(And I was born/raised in the city. )

[GF Lover]

:lol:

Colleen, you should come live here with me in the country for a week and get de-sensitized to all things "creepy". You'd just laugh at those things after a while.

I've had to pick up everything from bats to moles to chipmunks to birds and snakes.

(And I was born/raised in the city. )

I'll have you know that I have captured a spider under a hugh tupperware container, although I had to wait for my Hubs to get home so he could kill it.

[IrishHeart]

I'll have you know that I have captured a spider under a hugh tupperware container, although I had to wait for my Hubs to get home so he could kill it.

Chicken.

[Adalaide]

IH, I grew up on a farm and if I find those worms in my tomatoes I'll probably scream like a terrified little girl. Snakes give me panic attacks. I make my husband kill my spiders. I can't even empty a mouse trap with a dead mouse in it. Some of are just born chicken.

[~**caselynn**~]

My father and I usually grow a decent sized garden for the family to eat out of, but this year he decided we'd forgo the garden. So we just did some tomato, green pepper, and basil plants in pots. That father of mine is one smart cookie, we've had so much rain in the last 2 weeks that our garden plot, or where it used to be, is under water! I'm glad I listened to him and just did the few separate plant pots! Otherwise, our crops would be lost due to flooding!