Garden Thread

[Tippyclubb]

Lets make this a garden post and all questions, tips , advice will be here.

I have a patch of clay, everything dies there.  I have done everything-- mixing sand, compost, manure, dirt in the clay.  Now I am just fed up with this patch.  What can I put there that grows in clay other than Coneflowers?  Have a bunch of those already.  Anyone with experience with clay?

[lalapple]

it is frying hot here down south!  my last lavender is almost burnt out :(  and our grapes won't fruit, gardenia bush won't flower :((

wish we had some rain here, lacking water is a yes, they have a policy for people here that even numbered street addresses can only water their lawns on tue & thur, and odd numbers mon & wed something like that.  most people violate the rules and secretly water their plants at night.  our water bill went triple digits last month

but recently, my mom mowed over our only thriving patch of wild tomatoes in the backyard, they fruit like crazy rain or shine!  but wasn't getting enough nutrition seeing the baby tomatoes all turned yellow when the drought hit, no more red tomatoes.  so mom mowed over them bc she wanted them to "rest in peace."

[newleaf09]

Rocker, you don't learn gardening by watching, you learn it by doing.  

We've been getting drowned for some reason in Louisiana.  I'd love to plant something but know that the rains will quit and new stuff will die in the heat.  Envious of you guys.  We just hold on through the summer.

Rereading the posts reminded me of spring and also how lousy I was doing last spring.  Kind of a weird mix of emotions. Certainly happier now!

[Tippyclubb]

If your talking about Dahlia dinner plates, its probably grubs eating your leaves.  They love Dahlias.

You can try the old beer trick, or you can buy the harsher pesticides.  One year I didn't do anything and the plant look pretty bad.  Your flower buds will come from new leaf shoots and if those are being eaten it will affect the plants flowering performance.  

[Rockerforlife]

Hres a good video on to grow  herbs


http://stagevu.com/video/bmviwuqtzila

[portann]

A bit of nostalgia, looking up Tippy's thread for some info I need today. I recall someone posting about it.

My dinner plates are finally going to flower (surreal!) but the leaves are being eaten pretty badly. Does anyone know if I should do something or just let things take their course?

Also, I had a disaster with my cosmos. I think I overfertilized them because all the greenery turned burned-looking. Is there anything I can do to save them?

We're getting a lot of rain here but I know those in the Texas area are having a rough time with lack of water. How is Lal's garden hanging in?

[GSDgirl]

Newleaf, hmm I honestly never had a problem but then maybe I do wait till they get kinda crappy before hubby (yes hubby) puts down new mulch. He does it cause we use 20 - 30 yards around here.

Oh and BTW I gained that 15 lbs back and then some LOL.

Port, yea I did collapse the money issues didn't help either.

[newleaf09]

Ugly as it is, don't cut or cover the foliage to your bulbs until it's pretty yellow.  They need to make the energy for next year's flowers.  We can't grow tulips here, too warm.  Kind of like trying to do cut flowers...still worth it for the pleasure it brings, then throw them out.  

I am on my first week of sick leave and will stay out until I finish and turn back into a human.  I was really hoping that the 10 years older look was totally related to the dehydration.  You mean it's not?  And here I was thinking that with losing 15 pounds I was going to be so good-looking when I finished!  Crushing disappointment.

[portann]

Denise,

Thank you truly - I could bawl just reading your post.

Aren't garden threads great?

Maybe it's how tx drains us and makes so many demands. Then some of us collapse after the marathon.

[GSDgirl]

Port, My motto was "when the goin' gets tough, Denise gets goin' ".  So I know all about fleeing.  I wish I was Lal's age too.

I am 47 and TX aged me probably 10 years in looks and I'm not sure about everything else yet.  I would be driving down the road and just start bawling for no reason.  Everything came to a head the evening I decided to drink a half pint of vodka (I know, I know) I haven't drank in so long, like 15 years, and the waves of anxiety, and my doc wouldn't give me anything except zoloft and told me it would take 3 weeks to work, and, and  DUHHHH.  Well I didn't know what Soma & vodka would do.........ride to hospital in the ambulance, scared my mom and hubby to death.  It was stupid but self medication "seemed like a good idea at the time.......not.  That is over and done with and I guess the psych is helping.

Hinest, it took me a year to feel like myself.  Not saying that it will for you but if it does remember that you are not alone.

Denise

[portann]

That sounds great about your neighbor's custom upside down tomato plants. I'd rig something up if I weren't so lazy. I'm going to try the topsy-turvy this year. I've had mixed results with veggies, except for my Thai chilies which were an amazing success.

I'll  definitely do the mulch over the tulip leaves. Totally hadn't thought of it. I have a huge compost but haven't turned it over for I don't know how long, so don't think I should use that.

Last time I visited a psychologist was when I was having conflict with my younger son. In the end, I didn't want to talk it out with a stranger, just wanted to 'flee'. (I love fleeing.)That's what I did for a month. When I returned home, my heart still ached but I'd adjusted or at least resigned myself.

It was really good for me to get away but I'm not up to it this time, physically or emotionally. I feel so d-amn decrepit and feeble and wish I were Lal's age.:)

I do have the post-tx blues and thank you so much for telling me that you also went through this. I can't put my finger on why.

[GSDgirl]

There is a guy close by me that has been growing tomatoes upside down waayyyy before the topsy turvey came about.  He used 5 gallon buckets hung on a clothes rack with wheels and pushed them in & out of his shop way into late fall.  He used coffee filters at the hole in the bottom so the dirt wouldn't come out.  Good luck if you try it, they are all the rage.

I know some landscapers that do a lot more planting than we do, the big expensive houses in the upscale neighborhoods.  They just cut them off and claim that it doesn't hurt them.  I would just spread some mulch over them to hide the dying leaves.  Or you could pull them up & replant in the fall uughgh  I don't do that, I put mulch over them or let the mostly die and the cut them.

As for the post tx blues...................I had that real bad.  I am just a little over a year and FINALLY feeling good.  My joints & muscles are still killing me but I can handle that.  I actually went to a psych and am still going.  It really helped to talk to a neutral party.

LAL!!!!  Great news on finishing up the finals!!!!

Denise

[portann]

Congrats, Lal, on doing your last final today. I'm eating some mango and imagining having a papaya tree like you. Whew.

To all:  I think I overdid it and come Memorial Day weekend, I'll have to be outside day and night, planting a gazillion seedlings, new dahlias and rose bushes.

Two questions:

Has anyone ever tried growing tomatoes upside down?

Any ideas for what to do about dozens of tulips, post-blooming?

I have about seventy for the first time. Before this,  I just had a few,  let the leaves die to feed the bulbs and would hide the leaves among summer growth. This year I'll have so many browning leaves everywhere. Any ideas?

Nice to get back to the thread. I had a couple of bad post-tx days (days 14 and 15) Monday and Tuesday. It was a bummer, I kid you not. Just kind of went blue, real blue, as in emotions. I had some fries for breakfast at a diner this morning and snapped out of it. Sure surprised me.

[lalapple]

hey all, sorry took me so long to reply,  summer is finally here!!!  i just got done with my last final!  papaya and tomatoes are so easy to grow here way down in the south!  matter of fact, we have wild cherry tomatoes thriving on their own in the randomest spots in our backyard! (picture soon).

[GSDgirl]

You're right, I found the exact name and didn't read the description.  My friend at the greenhouse has tables full of these plants and they don't get fruit.

The knockouts are nice and I don't think I ever saw a double one.  I have a knockout bush and a KO tree.

Today I bought chives, cilantro and a dwarf purple & green basil.  Rule of thumb around here it to wait till Memorial weekend to plant the veggie garden.  I am lucky we didn't get a frost a few nights ago, my japanese maples would have been toast till next year.

[Tippyclubb]

I looked at the link but it states it does produce fruit.  Been to local nurseries and haven't seen them anyway.  Bought some nice stuff today --still waiting for the Roses and Dahlias.  I want some yellow double knock outs.   Still to cold to plant yet, as we had frost twice this week, and had to run and cover everything up.  

That ole sly rooster--too funny.

[GSDgirl]

http://www.diggingdog.com/pages2/plantpages.php/S-0595

Here is the link to the elderberry bush.  I saw another one online too but mine has lacy leaves kind of like a japanese maple.  gotta go check out your ..............wait a minute, I saw it this morning.  I am gonna get a pic of what eats my suet

[Tippyclubb]

I was putt zing around in the yard and this is what I saw.  She let me get 2 feet away.  Not scarted !  I took pictures and posted in my photos.  Take a look!

[winner727]

alot of people have old aquariums , some w small cracks .i have 4 outside.  there great for rooting and growing herbs .as long as the water can evaporate or drain {drill small hole in corner of tank ,}  the 40 gallon will be a painted turtle  project {it holds water } as i didnt get to make my kio pond AGAIN this yr !!!       just a thought  

[springfever]

I have stevia cuttings that I'm trying to root.  I was told they are tropicals so have to come in for the winter where I am.  They are struggling.  Everytime I take off the humidity tent they flop over.
I wonder if drying the leaves and crushing to a powder would work.  You could make an extract but that involves alcohol.  Guess it wouldn't be any worse than vanilla though.  I still use vanilla, but I flinch everytime.
I read there are over 200 varieties of stevia, some sweeter than others.  I have no idea which one I have, but know it's sweet, cause I munched on one of the leaves.

[Isobella]

Love that this thread is still going=)

I haven't tried all the beautiful flowers, but am doing pretty good with my veggies.  Neighbors probably think I am crazy because it is in the front yard, not the back-but it was the perfect spot.

I finally found some stevia and it is doing well.....I just don't know what to do with it.  Have any of y'all ever grown it?  Any suggestions?

We couldn't figure out what was eating the bottom leaves off the collards this past season....until hubby found a huge turtle out there one morning stuffing his face, lol!

[GSDgirl]

A 22 short will fix that, LOL  It works around here

[winner727]

I have a wood chuck {or somthing] in the area  , he kills everybody garden in the circle. most of my stuff is going in screen porch .  hes big and fat    sun of a  bit*h .and his hair is shiney        bob

[susan400]

My sister and I have been gardening for a few months now.  We have to contend with the beach sand that's actually all the way into the mainland where we live.  We built it up with top soil, manure, Miracle Grow soil, etc.  We've got some things growing great now.  Some tall corn, some tomatoes, some zucchini, some yellow squash, some spinach, some broccoli, some beans and some marigolds (to ward off the interested animals-hopefully).   Today, I got to taste some of our first harvest and it was Yummmm.  I had 1/2 of one of the 1st tomatoes, some of the zucchini which I ate raw dipped in some ranch dressing and a few of the green beans-raw.   We washed them off first, of course!  But, there was nothing that I've tasted that's is store bought, that ever tasted as good as just picked that day from the garden!  And knowing that we did it ourselves, from seeds,  and with the good Lord growing it, made it so much the better!!

Blessings and happy gardening.

Susan400

[eureka254]

Dahlias are my husband's favorites, and when survive year after year, they just get bigger and more fabulous.  I found the best thing after digging them up is to brush the soil off gently with a paintbrush, and put them into individual paper bags with some sterile soilless mix/sawdust/vermiculite (easy to label that way, too), and I kept them in the basement were it was very damp, but not below 45 degrees.  I had many prize bulbs for several years (some Park Princess that would grow 4-5 tall and flowers 8-10 inches across), but had a flood problem one year, and they all rotted in the basement and we had to declare them a loss along with some furniture and keepsakes. (I think my husband minded the loss of the dahlias more than anything else...!)

Being in New England I'm still waiting for last frost, so I've just been admiring the bulbs coming and going at this point.  The little surprise in the garden was last week a local stray decided to pick my backyard ivy bed as the place to have her litter of kittens!  Cutest things, barely moving around under the yews... so I guess this year my seedlings are gonna have young feline competition for space lol.  

Happy Mother's Day to everyone!
~eureka