Gardening- For those who love to grow.

**reddog289** · July-05-09, 11:44 PM

First thing I thought of after I looked at my yard when I bought my house was "where am I gonna put MY garden?" . With that said I am glad I did. But also looking at my garden, I do think I might have went overboard on some things.

**Pam** · July-06-09, 08:39 AM

the old Italian guy behind me taught me about the best way to plant escarole and peppers

What are the tips for peppers? I'm trying to grow one in a container and it is not doing too well. [[No fruit yet.)

**jams** · July-06-09, 08:59 AM

A rich soil works wonders, I mixed cow manure and peat moss into my pepper bed, before planting, as well, every two weeks, I feed them with Miracle-Gro. They are approaching 3 feet tall with each plant having 4 to 6 peppers already with still lots of flowers.

I didn't do it this year, but in the past, I mulched around the plants with aluminum foil to reflect the sun as pepper plants are sun worshippers and did get better yields from those plants than those I didn't.

Hmmm, maybe a trip to he kitchen may be in order, I've a yearning for my garlicky pickled peppers suddenly, mmmmmmmmmm

**Pam** · July-06-09, 09:18 AM

Originally Posted by jams

A rich soil works wonders, I mixed cow manure and peat moss into my pepper bed, before planting, as well, every two weeks, I feed them with Miracle-Gro. They are approaching 3 feet tall with each plant having 4 to 6 peppers already with still lots of flowers.

I didn't do it this year, but in the past, I mulched around the plants with aluminum foil to reflect the sun as pepper plants are sun worshippers and did get better yields from those plants than those I didn't

I used enriched potting soil and have given it some Miracle Gro. It could be the sun issue, since it only gets direct sun half of the day.

**reddog289** · July-12-09, 01:57 AM

Have a ? for all on the forum. Has any one here grown ICEBURG LETTUCE?. Mine looks like nothing in the store.

LodgeDodger · July-12-09, 08:04 AM

Originally Posted by jams

Put a bit of beer into a small tuna or cat food can and bury it so the top is about 1" above the soil near the hostas, slugs, like certain forumers, love beer, but at least the slugs drown.

Hey! I resemble that remark!

LodgeDodger · July-12-09, 08:08 AM

Originally Posted by Pam

I used enriched potting soil and have given it some Miracle Gro. It could be the sun issue, since it only gets direct sun half of the day.

IMHO, there is nothing that works better than composted soil and a tiny bit of organic fertilizer.

Gardening has been my savior with all the things going on in life this summer.

**Pam** · July-12-09, 08:46 AM

IMHO, there is nothing that works better than composted soil

I don't have a compost pile, because I don't have a yard.
A couple of new flowers opened on the pepper, so maybe I'll end up with something.

**reddog289** · August-05-09, 10:28 PM

How are your gardens doing? Just wondering.

ccbatson · August-07-09, 12:37 AM

Doesn't the stuff the big corporate farmers use work better than compost?

**jams** · August-07-09, 09:43 PM

Nope, but since you find a Big Mac a fine dining experience, enjoy your ingestion of artificial chemicals.

**jams** · August-07-09, 09:53 PM

BTW don't you find gardening tedious?

**reddog289** · August-08-09, 12:53 AM

I find it tedious at times, Frustrating, and also adicting too..But had some of "My green beans my Mom cooked they sure were good. I might scale back next year myself. When the maters do turn red I will be happy.

**vetalalumni** · September-03-09, 08:32 PM

Any updates from the green thumbers?

ccbatson · September-03-09, 10:59 PM

The closest I ever want to get to gardening is to visit one of the many U-pick farms/orchards.

**sumas** · September-04-09, 07:45 AM

As mentioned before, I don't do much with veggies. I love my flowers. I did plant one heritage tomato plant in a large pot. Watered every day, only got three tomatos but critters ate big chunks out of two.

**jams** · September-04-09, 09:07 AM

From my little plots, I've had peas, beans, bib and leaf lettuce, hungarian hots, tons of cukes and tomatos. I've loved "shopping" in my garden for my salads, too bad some don't understand that.

Quite a bit went to Foran's where I made salsa, creamed cukes and other items with picked fresh from the garden that day.

It was a bit funny when some patrons were upset with me when we ran out of the salsa made from my garden and I used the commercial produce for the next batch.

the squrrels and the birds are loving my sunflowers, 8 ft. tall and dozens of blooms, but I'll be more careful where I plant them next year.

One thing I regret is not planting more herbs, I've got plenty of basil, parsley,and oregano but only a small rosemary and no thyme, again next year.

**vetalalumni** · September-04-09, 09:31 AM

I wanna see pictures of these gardens [[please)! It is interesting. Use flicker, tinypic, whatever.

To say it the way we used to back in the day - Set em out!

**PCE** · September-23-09, 10:24 PM

Hi All,
This is one of my favorite threads. I haven't had a garden since moving to Montana in 2003 from Detroit. Living at 4000' and only having 2 months of frost free weather, I just assumed that my gardening days were over. Then, in March, I had the good fortune to meet Cub over on Georgia St. His raised gardens made me think about a system I utilized in the 80's, square foot gardening. http://www.squarefootgardening.com/ I came back home inspired. I now have 4-3'x7' rectangles contained in a 10' x 16' area with posts and half log rails. Chicken wire on the lower section to keep out rabbits and such with fencing on the top part to keep out the deer and elk. Not much I can do if a griz gets interested but we'll see what happens. I found some used greenhouse plastic at a nursery in the valley which will hopefully extend the growing season and built a compost bin with some scrap pieces of wood I had. This winter I'll gather seeds for the spring.
I'll post some pictures when I learn how to do that.

**reddog289** · September-25-09, 01:55 AM

PCE, Good for you, I got to see the raised beds at the GSCC last year and should have did some this year.My Dad did the square foot gardening thing back in the 80's. He did well till he just went to growing maters and got tired of the varments.If and when I get the cord for my scanner, I will post some pix of my mess of a GARDEN. 3 yrs of having my own garden and I am just starting to learn.

**PCE** · September-25-09, 02:19 AM

Hey Reddog289-Would love to see pictures of your garden. I hear you about the learning thing. I've got very different growing conditions than what I'm used to.It snowed here on August 8th. Didn't stick but snowed all the same. Next year should prove interesting.

**jams** · September-25-09, 05:34 PM

Sad day today. I cut down my sunflower stalks after our fat little squirrels had eaten almost all of blooms.

Still was able to harvest enough green beans, Hungarian hots, an onion and basil to make a veggie saute that was delicious last night.

I'm now collecting seeds for next years garden from various plants and waxing poetical about how one generation leads to another in the cycle of life.

**reddog289** · September-26-09, 01:42 AM

Need to save my Purple Tomato seeds for next year.Next year I will build stronger mater cages. Need to get the scanner working, for things other then garden photos.
Sad to say I am getting older, All those cars in my yard, take up space that can be used for plants.

**Pam** · September-26-09, 06:11 AM

All those cars in my yard, take up space that can be used for plants.

Maybe you can use them as planters?

My pepper plant has more peppers on it now, than it did back in July. I don't think they have time to get full grown before the first frost though.

**reddog289** · September-30-09, 12:22 AM

Hear its gonna frost Thursday morn, Better get picking today. Found out how to send pix from phone. Took some pix have to read up on loading them here.