Alas, I find myself this year in your situation last year ...so I haven't even started seeds yet. I probably won't do a real garden in case I have to sell my house. Still composting just in case.
Looks like I'll be doing a container garden at best. Herbs, sunflowers, watermelons and pumpkins for the kids, some crazy Japanese corn from last year, and probably germinate my entire collection of seeds just to lessen things I may have to move...mostly flowers.
I did plant some garlic last fall, hope to see it finish out before/if I move.
No enthusiasm though, which really sucks. Normally by now, I have trays of seedlings ready to go.
loves2steppinConcord, New Hampshire USAApr 6, 2009
Good grief!
I had the same thing happen to me. I love growing and he had a perfect place...god do I miss that. I planted over 100 bulbs...he will have a nice spring yard. I can't grow much here for lack of sun. I live in a mobile home park and trees surround 3 sides. I am going to plant tomatoes in a container and cukes in another and put those on the front lawn. Dang squirrels will probably get them. Does anyone know of good hearty shady flowers to plant? Soil stinks but maybe could beef it up a notch.
First garden I've had in years with be this year. I am looking forward to planting tomatoes, lettuce, radishes, onions, cucumbers, potatoes and zucchini. Along with sage, dill, garlic. Still trying to figure out what in the heck to do and when to do it. So I will be watching this thread closely.
I try to grow some stuff each year. But, I cheat, sort of. I merely cover some areas of ground with plastic, cut small openings (2 inches squared) spaced apart, dig up a little soil, and drop my plants in and refill around with some of the dirt I had removed. This eliminates most weeding, which saves time that is used for all the tomato plant sucker removal and tying up the plants as they become taller, which becomes a constant wave of activity once it begins. Also I plant around 30 tomato plants along my fencelines (don't bother with plastic for these) that I tie along the fence. I just mow around these and pull some weeds up by hand. We'll probably have around 150 tomato plants, various varieties (red, yellow, and orange), 40 sweet and hot peppers, 12 hills straight eight cucumbers, many zuchini, yellow, and acorn squash, canteloupe, eggplant, and Lyn had some other herbs and the like in mind that I don't recall right now. I live on a river (Little Kanawha) and the soil is quite rich. There are a few photos of last year's stuff on my profile page. I'm off work through the summers and have little responsibility so I pretty much spend all my time in the yard. Lyn's Italian and boy can she cook. She has all these great plans. We'll see how it goes. She knows a simple process to freeze tomato juice and most other vegetables, so we shouldn't be canning much. Here's a little heads-up on fried green tomatoes so that one may enjoy them year round without canning them. You slice the tomatoes, then coat them with flour or cracker crumb or whatever one wishes to use. Next you lie the coated slices on a cookie sheet, and just place the sheet with the slices into your freezer. Allow a couple days to pass, then remove from freezer (if they are good and frozen). Next place the frozen slices into plastic bags(I usually double bag) and place back into freezer. This prevents the slices from sticking together whenever one wishes to cook and enjoy them. You can have fried green tomatoes, should one so desire, any time of year. Also, they make unique Christmas gifts to surprise your friends or family.
clara1956Punta Arenas, Magallanes Region ChileApr 7, 2009
here it`s autumn, so I`m drying herbs for the winter. Mint, melissa... We have also frozen some coriander, parsley and ciboulette for the long dark winter. I didn`t have much time this summer, so I wasn`t able to pick up all the raspberries and they went off, I was able to make one jar of jam only. Hope next season things will be better. Right now I have to cut and burn all those dry branches and weeds. Amazing how the garden reflects our life...
Just got done planting 200# of potato seed, Burbank, Irish Cobbler, Red Pontiac, Kennebec and Yukon Gold. Next up is onions, Walla Walla, Spanish red and white, First Edition, Red Mars, scallions, leeks and chives. Tomatos started, Brandywine, Celebrity, Champion, Rutgers, Yellow Boy, German Pink, Juliet, Amish Paste and Tom Thumb. Peppers started, Bull Nose-large bell,Golden Nugget,Orange Bell,California Wonder,Jimmy Nardello-sweet. Lot left to do, will keep you up to date on what I am planting.
Great post. I may try your ploy with the plastic sheeting. My soil is dark and very fertile and the weeds just shoot up. It's unreal, as if I were growing them as a crop. A friend who was keen to start gardening has already given up as the weeds swamped her plants within days. She would do days of weeding then after a light shower guess what, yep full of weeds again! Vegetables are cheap and plentiful at the market anyway though nothing exotic, just tomatoes cucumbers parsley peppers potatoes cabbage and that's about it.
sundance4ulichfield, Staffordshire, England UKApr 16, 2009
On thing peeps could try. I you can get grow bags. Just cut 3 crosses in the bag, then plant your toms in the bag. maybe some lettice as well. You will need water drainage hole. Then you use the bage for other things. Then you dig it in the soil after a year or so.
sundance4ulichfield, Staffordshire, England UKApr 16, 2009
There is a old saying, the ansure lies in the soil. You have to say this in a west country acksent. Lots of hummas heeps, leaf mould grass cuttings, anything you can get hold of. Big compost heep to recycle everything, if this is possible.
sunrisenmansfield, Nottinghamshire, England UKApr 17, 2009
I always get so excited when spring comes around again and I can get in the garden, preparing beds, getting the seeds in trays etc. My worst mistake is to get too excited and plant seedlings early and then the frost goes and kills them off. Hopefully this year I've held myself back and all my little veg and flower seedlings are still snug inside the greenhouses. Hopefully I'll have the usual potatoes, tomatoes, courgettes,cucumbers,onions,peas,cabbages,radishes, green leafy salad things,some berries and fruits.Not to mention lots of flowers too. I find so much peace and calm in my garden.
My ground has been tilled 3 times so it is ready to plant. Today I am going to plant radishes, onions, green beans, carrots, sugar snap peas, basil and chives. I have seed potatoes and zucchini as well to be planted buy don't know if I'll get in all in the ground today. I am hoping that we have had our last frost.
Shirley49WV: My ground has been tilled 3 times so it is ready to plant. Today I am going to plant radishes, onions, green beans, carrots, sugar snap peas, basil and chives. I have seed potatoes and zucchini as well to be planted buy don't know if I'll get in all in the ground today. I am hoping that we have had our last frost.
hedistuff: looks stormy today (wednesday). flood watch in effect til thursday. ohio river areas could receive 1 to 2 inches of rain.
Does that affect where you live? I mean, could your property flood?
I lived like that once by the Thames, UK, but our little house was on a raised patch.. but sometimes we had swans and jet skis outside on our front lawn!!
As a newbie to gardening I am delighted with my results so far. We have had a lot of rain here lately and have not been able to plant as much as I want to. But my garden looks beautiful!
I get so excited as something else sprouts out of the ground and being able to watch in grow. This is the most exciting and rewarding thing I've done in years.
Hoping to grow good veggies this year (23)
So I only grew a few japanese pumpkins and some leeks, a few broccoli, and a handful of other things..
But this year I feel like digging again,- plantig my favorit beet roots and whatever else falls into my hands at the farmers market..
Mmmh, -can't wait!!
What are you planting this year, or have in the past?
Looks like I'll be doing a container garden at best. Herbs, sunflowers, watermelons and pumpkins for the kids, some crazy Japanese corn from last year, and probably germinate my entire collection of seeds just to lessen things I may have to move...mostly flowers.
I did plant some garlic last fall, hope to see it finish out before/if I move.
No enthusiasm though, which really sucks. Normally by now, I have trays of seedlings ready to go.
I had the same thing happen to me. I love growing and he had a perfect place...god do I miss that. I planted over 100 bulbs...he will have a nice spring yard. I can't grow much here for lack of sun. I live in a mobile home park and trees surround 3 sides. I am going to plant tomatoes in a container and cukes in another and put those on the front lawn. Dang squirrels will probably get them. Does anyone know of good hearty shady flowers to plant? Soil stinks but maybe could beef it up a notch.
Still trying to figure out what in the heck to do and when to do it. So I will be watching this thread closely.
.. so true!!
Next up is onions, Walla Walla, Spanish red and white, First Edition, Red Mars, scallions, leeks and chives.
Tomatos started, Brandywine, Celebrity, Champion, Rutgers, Yellow Boy, German Pink, Juliet, Amish Paste and Tom Thumb.
Peppers started, Bull Nose-large bell,Golden Nugget,Orange Bell,California Wonder,Jimmy Nardello-sweet.
Lot left to do, will keep you up to date on what I am planting.
A friend who was keen to start gardening has already given up as the weeds swamped her plants within days. She would do days of weeding then after a light shower guess what, yep full of weeds again! Vegetables are cheap and plentiful at the market anyway though nothing exotic, just tomatoes cucumbers parsley peppers potatoes cabbage and that's about it.
Great idea with the frozen tomatoes too.
I you can get grow bags. Just cut 3 crosses in the bag, then
plant your toms in the bag. maybe some lettice as well.
You will need water drainage hole. Then you use the bage for other things. Then you dig it in the soil after a year or so.
My worst mistake is to get too excited and plant seedlings early and then the frost goes and kills them off.
Hopefully this year I've held myself back and all my little veg and flower seedlings are still snug inside the greenhouses.
Hopefully I'll have the usual potatoes, tomatoes, courgettes,cucumbers,onions,peas,cabbages,radishes, green leafy salad things,some berries and fruits.Not to mention lots of flowers too.
I find so much peace and calm in my garden.
Shirley
Shirley
Yay!!
sauce.
Does that affect where you live? I mean, could your property flood?
I lived like that once by the Thames, UK, but our little house was on a raised patch.. but sometimes we had swans and jet skis outside on our front lawn!!
I hope everything goes ok
I get so excited as something else sprouts out of the ground and being able to watch in grow. This is the most exciting and rewarding thing I've done in years.