Gardening: Veggies and Flowers 2012

[Queen K]

It would be nice to have a garden report starting about now just to see what people are up to once again. We have all kinds of garden threads of this sort for 2009 - 2011.

Now it's the turn for those of us in 2012.

I just checked my parsley. It tastes good.

And of the 58 garlic cloves we planted, the one I checked is looking strong. I consider this exeriment one of my most successful after harvesting 17 organic garlic bulbs last year while the chinese garlic I planted in the Spring was a disaster.

[strwbrrydvl]

A couple weeks ago I discovered all my bulbs (tulips, daffodils, crocuses and hyacinths) are up about two inches. So excited to get out there and get gardening again! I will be laying grass seed in the few bald patches on the lawn and planting peas soon, both of which enjoy cool nights and a bit of frost. I was planning on starting many seeds indoors by this time but I haven't gotten around to it quite yet, must move that to the top of my to-do list.

[pbear]

Oh, now I'm just so jealous! Up here in the hills I still can't even see the grass! We have a lot of snow to melt before I can garden.

I was just browsing through info about planting potatoes in a variety of structures. One person said they just bought a bag of compost, slit a hole in the side, planted the seed potato and then harvested by widening the slit whenever they wanted some for supper. I think that would work really well for early season types like Yukon which apparently come on all at once. I think I'll try it this year.

I'd stopped growing potatoes because of scab issues. Several people use straw, although others preferred hay. Might try that in a tower style with a late season potato.

How did everyone else's potatoes fare last year?

[Queen K]

Last year was the third time I had planted potatoes in the same place. This year is the going to be different crop in that place and I'll use a potato structure of some sort elsewhere.

Someone used tires and said that worked well. Any comments on the tire idea?

I"ve got lots of weeds volunteering right now and plan to get rid of some sedums to make room for raspberry cane growth.

[Relentless]

I'd stopped growing potatoes because of scab issues. Several people use straw, although others preferred hay. Might try that in a tower style with a late season potato.

How did everyone else's potatoes fare last year?

Last years potatoe crop was the worst I have ever had!
48 Hills of 4 different kinds of potatoes, and only a dozen or so just the right size, hundreds of small ones.
I was so dissappointed!
I think too much water as the tops grew very tall(3-4 feet)
Im moving the potatoe patch to a dryer area of the garden this year.

[grammafreddy]

We grew potatoes in a tire tower at the farm all the time. It worked really well. We started off with one tire and added dirt to that then planted four potato sections with eyes in it. When the plants came up, we added another tire, more dirt and another round of four spud sections. That gave us eight plants per tire tower. When those eight showed greenery on the top, we added another tire and more dirt. And then we did a final layer of tire and dirt, so that our tire tower was four tires high with eight plants in it. When it was time to harvest, we took from the top layer which usually were just nuggets (our favourite size). When those were all harvested, we took off the top tire and started harvesting the next layer and so on until we got down to the last tire and they were all large potatoes and good for storing. We only planted Netted Gems that way so I don't know how any other varieties would fare.

We didn't have running water at the farm so my garden was down on the irrigation ditch bank (like a small creek through the property) and I watered everything by wicking from the ditch. That worked well. I ran a cotton rope up through the tires and into the creek. The rope needed to be long enough to spiral through all four tires and then out the top and into the creek.

Here's a pic for those of us who are "visual learners" - LOL

Wick-watering potatoes in a tire tower

[JLives]

I'm doubling my raised bed space and subletting some yard from the MIL for watermelon, squash and cucumber. I'm going to hang gutters on my fence for greens to free up some bed space. I did get a pretty good haul of spuds last year but this year I'm doing boxes like this: http://sinfonians-garden.blogspot.com/p ... -bins.html I'll also be adding several containers for things like carrots. I can't wait to get into planting season.

[Queen K]

Sold! On both. I have the room to do both, so guess I'm doing both. It'll be a contest.

[Fixer 166]

I've got a blank canvas to start with this yr, new house, just put in sod last fall. First priority is to blast the driveway over 8.5' x 30' long, continuing with the interlocking brick. (dingy parking) Then its raised bed garden and flower gardens. I'm going to build a pergola at the front entry which will help me reroute the evestrough drain over the sidewalk. A shade garden needs to go in the front yard as its north facing and I'm planning another fishy pond in the back. I've joined a gardening club and am stoked for the first meeting. Hopefully spring comes early and summer lasts long.

[Queen K]

Oh, you've got a least three years worth of projects there Fixer. Got any idea of what grows well where you are yet? Too soon? And yes, the Koi pond reprised, can hardly wait for pix.

[Fixer 166]

I think we're zone 3 so we'll see. Better than the zone 1 in the north. I bet your surprised what I get done, remember I work 7 days on then I get 7 days off. You and I know your never really done.

[Lady tehMa]

Truth, that.

I think I may try the tires too. I also might try some pallet gardening up against the little section of wire fencing I have, it would be ideal for herbs.

I have some green parsley, and it looks like the pot marjoram made it, and possibly, possibly the rosemary!

My roses made it through unscathed except for two (they were rescues though, and may not have liked the transplant). I have various bulbs peeking through, but not the ones I planted last year (not yet anyway).

[mee-mo87]

Hi All!

I'm looking for some recommendations for some garden space in the front of my house that gets the late afternoon/setting sun and it gets hot... (front of house has Aluminum siding so that just adds to the heat...) -- I'm up in Glenrosa.

I am also looking for a tree to plant. We want to put one in the front so that when it grows out a bit more it can help block a bit of the sun; that, and the front yard needs one.


I want Spring... Sunshine get your *bleep* back here stat!

[grammafreddy]

Hi All!

I'm looking for some recommendations for some garden space in the front of my house that gets the late afternoon/setting sun and it gets hot... (front of house has Aluminum siding so that just adds to the heat...) -- I'm up in Glenrosa.

I am also looking for a tree to plant. We want to put one in the front so that when it grows out a bit more it can help block a bit of the sun; that, and the front yard needs one.


I want Spring... Sunshine get your *bleep* back here stat!

If you want a tree that blocks the sun all year, you'll want to plant a conifer (evergreen). You can get those free from the bush if you go looking. The species that grow quickest or which set the deepest roots (so it doesn't blow over on your house in a big windstorm) might require a bit of a google search. If you want to attract birds to your yard with that tree, you will want a female which produces cones (seeds).

For your garden space, do you want veggies or flowers? Or both? How big a garden space are you talking? I mix flowers and veggies in my front beds.

You can also plant climbing veggies and berries on trellises that will block some of the heat on the aluminum siding. I plant pole beans along my front fence for privacy. They attract the hummingbirds, too, which is fun.

[beancounter]

To those with potato tower experience.... do you think this would work with sweet potatoes?