Show your gardens

[Los_Control]

I am trying to create a garden space from a blank canvas. Kinda crazy, city lot, house built in 1948. No real landscaping plan ever. We all got to start somewhere.

 

I feel like my house/property is a survivor ... like buying a 1950 Dodge that was maintained and never messed with.

Now it is up to me to make it mine.

 

Bought the house about 4 years ago, first year just get by, 2nd year major plumbing replacement, 3rd year I put in the first garden boxes.... This year am going for the garden shed, creating the garden area allowing for expansion.

[MackTheFinger]

We always had a garden when we lived on the farm. It took up about an acre. Lots of kids meant lots of gardening, canning, etc. My parents, having grown up in the early 20th century and accustomed to hard times; never gave up on those habits. 

 

[Los_Control]

On 4/12/2021 at 2:46 PM, Plymouthy Adams said:

You are right Los, it is a bit of work prepping the garden space.

I am really surprised this year ....

 

Maybe the new location ... maybe my activity in the area building the barn? The birds have not bothered my plants.

My tomatoes are past flowering and fruit now ... Last year birds ate every flower off every plant.

 

This little barn was a lot of work to me, but will be a great help while pretending to be a gardener.

To move forward I need to finish paint, fence off the garden area to keep the dogs out.  I will run water to it. Also electricity. I have way to many galvy panels left over. I will be adding  compost bins, raised beds ... sitting area.

Not sure the job will ever end in 100 years.

 

 

 

 

[Plymouthy Adams]

Nothing comes without a bit of work or investment of time to some degree.  Looks like you got your raised beds up and growing.  I have already eaten fresh from the garden this weekend.  Not much but man is it coming on strong.   

 

 

[Veemoney]

32 degrees this morning . My plants are still sitting in the windows waiting on the warm weather.

[Kilgore47]

The elephant garlic blooms are looking good.  These are planted for show.  The blooms get cut off the ones I harvest.  

[tom'sB2B]

Here is part of mine.

[Los_Control]

On 5/22/2021 at 3:33 PM, Kilgore47 said:

The elephant garlic blooms are looking good.  These are planted for show. 

Looks good to me, have to admit about being ignorant about garlic ... Someday I would like to start a patch of wild garlic. Just to be able to go out and harvest some for use in the kitchen ... same with asparagus, have that planted but not garlic yet.

On 5/22/2021 at 11:08 PM, tom'sB2B said:

Here is part of mine

I have to say that is beautiful. Reminds me of a yard I worked on in Albuquerque. I did not do the landscaping, but as a carpenter I built a few features in it.  A few benches and a wishing well.

On the well I used adobe blocks for the base because was natural in New Mexico, Then a wooden roof with 6x6 post,  3" white pine log for the pole & handle for the bucket & rope. I spent hours building the bucket from scratch out of oak at home. Epoxy in the bucket, rubber pond liner in the well. Then put in the biggest pond pump I could find at the local store. More cubic feet per min the more noise it makes ... fill the well up with water and pump it to the bucket, overflow and makes a nice waterfall feature.

 

Sadly I do not want something like that for my veggie garden ... who knows I am making a sitting area, see what pops up.

[Plymouthy Adams]

man has to have an area to sit and reflect......does not have to be elaborate....just peaceful and quite.......post your results...my reflecting area is not so peaceful as I am running the chainsaw and the log splitter nearby....

[Los_Control]

Still working on this .... really getting in the way of working on my truck, but is a chore that needed to be done.

 

Got the box built ... I never planned on it but it just seemed natural to use up some extra materials.

Should be painted just not going to take the time yet ... I have a full tray of plants that need a new home they are so root bound. I need a truck load of dirt to finish filling the box.

We have had a wet spring this year, the dirt place is nothing but mud ... but they said would load it if I wanted it. Maybe next Friday.

 

At least I can plant the tray of plants I have  ... next year be better.

 

 

 

[Plymouthy Adams]

rain drove me from my yard project.....just went out and look to see if the garden did well...sitting here eating a fresh cucumber.  We have been eating fresh veggies and mums has put away lots of pickles.   The sweet onions were dying back so pulled them...sweet with absolutely no heat.  They did very well considering I planted the ones from the kitchen that were sprouting and mums was about to toss in the can.

[Los_Control]

On 6/7/2021 at 4:30 PM, Plymouthy Adams said:

 The sweet onions were dying back so pulled them...sweet with absolutely no heat.  They did very well considering I planted the ones from the kitchen that were sprouting and mums was about to toss in the can.

Good to repurpose them & use them.  I planted a few onions like that 2 years ago, next spring they came up. Then the dogs dug a hidey hole to lay there. I filled the hole and this spring onions came up again, again they dug a hole to sleep.

Why am hoping a designated garden area I can fence off if needed to keep the dogs out.

 

I planted some taters yesterday, they had some good sprouts off of them & I was digging through the bag fixing some fried taters for breakfast.

No idea when they should be planted ... I had the space and planted them.

 

My lettuce was getting out of control. I have been eating off of it for awhile ... be honest it sucked. Did not have the thick texture I wanted ... wife did not like it ... it was getting out of control and ready to go to seed ... I put it all in the compost bin yesterday.

I am searching for a new lettuce seed to grow.

 

Now I have a new space to try more plants ... we love beets & broccoli ... peppers grow good and this year growing some tomatilo ... be nice for canning a salsa. Need some onion.

 

I said earlier I did not expect much from my garden this year, working on it I think it is doing better then expected.

 

Anyone recognize this plant?  I have no idea what it is, I did not plant it ... I think is a present from a passing bird.

 

 

[tom'sB2B]

4 hours ago, Los_Control said:

Good to repurpose them & use them.  I planted a few onions like that 2 years ago, next spring they came up. Then the dogs dug a hidey hole to lay there. I filled the hole and this spring onions came up again, again they dug a hole to sleep.

Why am hoping a designated garden area I can fence off if needed to keep the dogs out.

 

I planted some taters yesterday, they had some good sprouts off of them & I was digging through the bag fixing some fried taters for breakfast.

No idea when they should be planted ... I had the space and planted them.

 

My lettuce was getting out of control. I have been eating off of it for awhile ... be honest it sucked. Did not have the thick texture I wanted ... wife did not like it ... it was getting out of control and ready to go to seed ... I put it all in the compost bin yesterday.

I am searching for a new lettuce seed to grow.

 

Now I have a new space to try more plants ... we love beets & broccoli ... peppers grow good and this year growing some tomatilo ... be nice for canning a salsa. Need some onion.

 

I said earlier I did not expect much from my garden this year, working on it I think it is doing better then expected.

 

Anyone recognize this plant?  I have no idea what it is, I did not plant it ... I think is a present from a passing bird.

 

 

Looks like spinach to me..

[Los_Control]

11 hours ago, tom'sB2B said:

Looks like spinach to me..

I think you are right ... I finally did a google image search and is what comes up.

 

I have never grown spinach before, only recently a few years ago discovered how good it is raw in salads.

This type does not look like the bagged kind I buy in the stores, maybe will be better 

 

While at tractor supply looking for lettuce, cauliflower seeds will look for some spinach.

[Brent B3B]

3 hours ago, Los_Control said:

I think you are right ... I finally did a google image search and is what comes up.

 

I have never grown spinach before, only recently a few years ago discovered how good it is raw in salads.

This type does not look like the bagged kind I buy in the stores, maybe will be better 

 

While at tractor supply looking for lettuce, cauliflower seeds will look for some spinach.

 

It surprises me Tom was able to identify a vegetable.... I’ve only seen him eating and serving “duck sausage” his family processes at the Clements bbq ?

 

LC, Don’t overlook  sautéed beat greens.... 

[tom'sB2B]

8 hours ago, Los_Control said:

I think you are right ... I finally did a google image search and is what comes up.

 

I have never grown spinach before, only recently a few years ago discovered how good it is raw in salads.

This type does not look like the bagged kind I buy in the stores, maybe will be better 

 

While at tractor supply looking for lettuce, cauliflower seeds will look for some spinach.

Wilted spinach salad with bacon was a favorite when I was a kid

https://www.thespruceeats.com/wilted-spinach-recipe-3061242

[Ulu]

Looking away from the garden toward the pet cemetery under the far redwood.

 

It’s been very tropical here lately and everything is in full growth.

[keithb7]

My hard working wife focused the back yard this spring. We worked together to build the new cedar fence. She’s been pampering the lawn. New top dressing with some  nice black soil.  New seed planted. Fertilizer and water on a regular schedule.  She started new flower beds. They will be very lush in a few years. 
 

With a beer in hand, the view this father’s day, out my back yard is very nice. 
 

 

[Plymouthy Adams]

On 6/10/2021 at 3:18 PM, Brent B3B said:

 

It surprises me Tom was able to identify a vegetable.... I’ve only seen him eating and serving “duck sausage” his family processes at the Clements bbq ?

 

LC, Don’t overlook  sautéed beat greens.... 

 

 

man is doomed early in life if he cannot recognize his KRYPTONITE.

[Plymouthy Adams]

Due to a bit of rough weather, hard rains and gusty winds.....we had a few tomatoes blown from the vine green.....so...Mums made me FRIED GREEN TOMATOES  and they were excellent....I may have eat too much......

 

the garden has been for the most part very successful with maybe the bell peppers less than as productive as normal.  We have eaten well so far....first year for eggplant and they grew very well here.

[Los_Control]

You are a bit ahead of me with weather ... I picked my first ripe tomato this year today. Going to go great with my green salad and bbq pork steaks I have on the grill.

Important milestone for me, never got 1 fresh tomato last year  

 

I have some tomatila  plants in one box, they are going crazy and taking over... The green bean bushes died ... not sure if heat and time related, or just the huge tomatilo sucking all the water out .... having issues keeping that box watered.

 

Still happy the garden is doing as well as it is .... early on I predicted it would suck while still building boxes and late planting& a new location in yard. actually doing much better then predicted. The green beans were sure good, the beets are awesome, cant wait to taste the tomato 

 

[Kilgore47]

The banana trees made it back.  They will probably end up bigger than last year.  Several neighbors have starters now.  

[Ulu]

I wouldn’t wanna plant anything right now … it’s about 100° every day.

 

I’ve got some Pothos growing from cuttings above my outdoor aquarium. It’s tough to kill pothos and they call it the Devil’s Ivy because of that. Even it is doing poorly, half of it having wilted in the sun already.

I have to cover the outdoor tanks these days with solarscreen, in order to keep the algae to a manageable level and reduce the temperature.

Edited July 19, 2021 by Ulu

[Kilgore47]

Harvested the sweet potatoes yesterday.  In the spring I had a sweet potato growing in the bin in the kitchen.  So I decided to plant it and this is the result.  About 5 pounds worth.  Guess I'll try that again next year.

[Los_Control]

good job on the potatoes. I tried the same with some russet potatoes, they started off great ... Then just died.

My potato harvest amounted to one, 1" diameter potato from 3 plants. 

I knew my garden would suck this year, I got on it late. It actually did better then I expected though.

The heat here in West Texas and then start planting in June ... just too late.

 

Again I am too late for my fall garden, but it is cooling down. 57 in the morning and 80-90 int the afternoon ... so I now have my salad & herb garden planted ... see how that goes ... I should have planted middle or end of August, never got to it til 3rd week of September. Day late & a Dollar short ... busy working on the wife car.

 

I got a lot of peppers, I canned them & have 2 styles, sweet not hot ... hot! also made a few jars of salsa. Looking forward to adding a jar of yellow tomatoes corn salsa to a pot of chili ... should be good.

 

Been making what they call Cowboy candy, Hot jalapenos canned in a sweet syrup.

The peppers are awesome, but the liquid I have been saving and canning and makes a awesome meat marinade.

The small amount I have wont last long, but jars are sold out for this season.

 

 

About 4 days ago I planted a salad garden ... or 2, maybe will grow now. Depending on winter may be able to keep it going through the winter til it gets too hot next summer.

 

 

Tomatilas are going crazy, 10' tall and in a raised box 3' off the ground ... that was a learning point.

Next year they are going in the ground.