Fresh from the Garden
 

I built some raised beds this spring but its been too wet to plant. I started a couple different kinds of basil, three different tomatoes, and several different hot peppers from seed, now I need some decent weather. What kinds of veggies do you folks like out of the garden?

Said it before and I'll say it again (though I know you planted it): home grown tomatos. They're the best.

Re: Fresh from the Garden
 

I like herbs...you know, cannabis satina and what not.

ooh. Brandywine tomatos. Sweet 100 cherry tomatos. Dinosaur Kale. Rhubarb. Raspberries, Serviceberries. Sweet Basil, Italian Parsley, Rosemary, Thyme, Sage, Chives, Oregano, Summer Savory, Mint, Nasturtum. Thats all the sun I have.

I thought about an allotment, but not enough time this year. I wish I could squeeze in some beans and peas.

But I cant wait to get going to the Farmer's Market. In a couple weeks I can score the tiniest new potatos, sugar snap peas, dill, and radishes. I made a tasty potato salad batch out of it all last year, sweet vinegar based, I'll try to figure out the recipe.

My goal is to get there once a week and let the freshest and most intriguing produce guide what food gets made. Kinda like Iron Chef with out the hats, dramatic lighting, and dubbing.

Sweet corn.

I forgot to mention my asparagus patch! Its filling in nicely, only one more year and we can eat... As soon as things dry out, the rhubarb goes in. This years tomatoes are Ropreco (paste), Brandywine, and Morgage Lifter. The big moments are first sweet corn, first fresh BLT, and first pesto.

Re: Re: Fresh from the Garden
 

[Eric]Eat death Hippy![/Cartman]

Container Gardening
 

I don't have much of a yard to speak of in the house I currently live in. (Hopefully by the end of the summer, that will change!) However, I'd like to do some container gardening, but am not sure of what varieties of tomatoes would do well.

I have had herbs in the past, and may plant some of those this year. (Including cat nip for the resident fiend).

Any suggestions on what else would grow easily in a container?

Dagney

I forgot asparagus. I thought I might have some edible shoots this year,close, but it looks like next year (4). The cultivar I put in is 'Martha Washington' I think. Its pretty too.

A BLT with sweetcorn on the side. Chased with a peak juicy peach. Um.

Heres another good moment. Picking raspberries in your jammies,just warmed from the sun, to pop on your cereal in the morning, if you can get them there before eatting them all. Yeah.

Dagney,
Tomatos will do well in containers, kept fed and watered. They'll be labeled either determinite (all fruit up at once- good if you want to can 'em) or indeterminite (fruit up and keep going until frost- these can get really big. I like this kind cause I dont consume them all at once.)

Cherry toms would be real easy- the variety 'Sweet 100s' are tasty, pretty popular, so I would think easy to find. They are indeterminite and will grow and grow so you'll need a support. I'll give them a recomend.

Peppers should be pretty easy to container grow too. I think you can grow most any annual veggie in containers if youve got a sunny spot and keep them watered.

Re: Container Gardening
 

Definitely not pot...that's a real pain in the ass to grow.

The Farmers Market just opened down the street from my house...of course, we have another one that is open year round. But the seasonal one has better stuff...I might have to go down there Saturday.

I don't like vegetables, so if I had a garden I'd probably grow lettuce and carrots.

Especially when they catch you and throw you in a cell with Radar.;)

I'm a plantin Foo
 

Well, I stopped by the Nursery tonight, and came home with a bunch of flowers (Impatiens, Dusty Millers, and Coleas...yes, I know they're all not 'flowering' but I've called em flowers my whole life), a "Patio" tomato plant, and a "Sweet 100" (on Warch's suggestion). Basil, chives, rosemary, and cat(pot)nip. One stoned little fuzzball running around here, let me tell ya. No peppers, they didn't have any they would recommend for containers, and cucumbers are too viney for the porch I have.

But, I'm off to dig in the dirt. :)

Dagney

You could always try to get some seeds for those little teeny evil serrano peppers. They might be more amenable to container growing ... what would it hurt to try, if you've got space for the pot. (might be neat in one of those strawberry pots with the multiple holes up the sides).

Oh God! Now you've done it, Wolf!
 

You mentioned strawberry pots to her.

I won't hear the end of it for a week at least!

Brian

Piffle. She knew about them already ... :P it's not my fault. SHE'S the one with the gardening jones. (all you have to do is haul them upstairs, she'll be doing the tending and gathering. you can go back to your hunting after the heavy lifting parts are over with. Besides, you'll love me come harvest time.) ;)

Yup, I knew about them, I just can't find an empty one (or two). I want one to plant petunias in, one for herbs, and one for begonias.

And if he wants to carry them, I certainly wouldn't mind :)

I'll have to make sure I save you some tomatos wolf - we're not THAT far from ya!

Dagney

this year we have ,
2-3 different types of tomatoes , all ready have little maters on em
zukini , a few nice looking little zukes happening
yellow squach , little squishes on th vine as well
egg plant ,
hot peppers, a few of them going on as well
and the herbs are herbalating all over the place ( a hint don't plant parcly in a bed, pots only , it will take over the WHOLE world !!!)
oh and purple hull peas , sprouting like crasy !!!

How are those gardens coming, people?

I'm thinking this raised bed idea is for me. They've been easy to weed, the trelleses can be screwed right to the sides, and I picked the worst of the stones out when I built them so its easy living. Everything looks great but I'm wishing I could have gotten those tomatoes in earlier... maybe next year I'll build cold frames. I guess that makes me an garden addict.

What do you do, just build a little box of planks and fill it higher than the surrounding ground with the soil of your choice? Anchor it down every few yards somehow?

Yep, that's exactly it. I built all mine of 1x8 rough cut hemlock 4 feet across with two being 10 feet long and the other three 8 feet long. I filled them with topsoil scraped for my new driveway, picked the bigger stones out, and mixed in finished compost and sand. I then drove stakes in around them to keep them from moving. I set them close to the house, next to my fruit trees, which makes it easy to stop in for a couple minutes to check things out. The location has already paid off since I just caught a Japanese beetle incursion into my plums and apples before any serious leaf loss.

mmm... England must be wonderful for gardening. Let us know how the new place works out.

Damned cops seized my stash.

For some reason this idea of building up a little area is more intriguing to me. Maybe it's because the section of lawn I was thinking of pulling up is low-lying and has the capability of becoming a bog if it gets too low. Maybe it's because you have to put up some kind of chicken wire anyway, to fend off rabbits and such.

Chicken wire won't help with the bunnies.

Planting some marigolds, and putting some predator pee around the outside edges of the veggie beds sometimes helps ... oh, and catfur is a good bunny repellant too.

gardening tip #342 Next time plant in containers high in a tree.

Not long ago we had a Tempura feast , zukini , squash, eggplant, and green tomatos fresh from the graden . Oh and a chicken from one of our nabors , yard bird as it were ( free range ). All cooked on the back patio as the birds and crickets chirped . Add in a few cold beers and this is what i call heaven !!!
I knew that fish cooker was good for some thing :D
Damn i love liveing in the sticks !!!!!!!;)

That's the bastard!

Wire will help if you bury the edge deep enough but you need wire that won't rot in the ground. You have to make it more trouble than it's worth for them. Oh, and landmines.:D

Raised beds are a great idea, especially for food growing. You can adjust the soil to your needs, insure drainage, and you can bend less- great if your body's hurtin. Just make sure not to use pressure treated wood for the retaining walls- the preservative is toxic and it leaches into the soil. Use untreated cedar if you can, or posh, custom milled hemlock, if its just cluttering up your estate!;)

Bunnies. I run a bunny buffeteria. Chicken wire does work, Ive ringed the most important things, leaving some greens to bribe the bunny mafia . By hosting this furry prey, I am hoping to lure back our great horned owl. He was cool.

I have a huge apple tree that has a bumper crop. I dont know what kind of apple, they are small and sweet if you can get to them before the birds peck or the squirrels knock them into the rocks. The tree is bizarrely tall and slender, no lower limbs to help you climb. The apples threaten your head from about 25 ft up. Ive been mentally designing a picking contraption that will work, reaching out from out an upstairs window. hmmm. who am I, MacGuyver?

No tomatos yet, just green knobs. But everything is lush and green with huge July blooms everywhere. Bee balm, daylilies, cone flowers, black-eyed susans. Food for the soul.

shutting down the operation
 

I brought the last load of tomatoes and peppers in tonight. Deep freeze on the way. With the fence open, the chickens are now free to do their worst, have at it ladies. We still have a lot of carrots out there but supposedly they get sweeter if you leave 'em in. Goodbye summer. :)

quote
The tree is bizarrely tall and slender, no lower limbs to help you climb. The apples threaten your head from about 25 ft up. Ive been mentally designing a picking contraption that will work, reaching out from out an upstairs window. hmmm. who am I, MacGuyver? quote
If you whack off the top of the tree, it'll branch out. More shade, less bombs and easier picking. Cold weather is the best time to prune.