Fluff topic: Summer gardening

by restrangled 17 Replies latest jw friends

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  restrangled

  How is your garden growing?

  My herb garden finally took off, and I have Grasshoppers the size of mice. "4 Inches" They have totally eaten up my dill plants, both about 3 feet tall. I don't want to spray poisen because then I can't use the herbs. I have bird feeders hanging above hoping the birds might catch a few.

  No luck, these large stinkers seem to chomp at night.

  I also have basil, oregano, hot peppers, tarragon, cilantro, culantro, chives, garlic, mint, thyme, lavender, parsley and rosemary.

  Whats in your garden, and how is it going?

  r.
• 

  blondie

  We got a late start and it has been on the cool side here. But we have high hopes. We do a garden every year enjoying "the fruits of our labor."

  Tomatoes

  Cucumbers

  1 zucchini plant

  onions

  carrots

  beans
• 

  restrangled

  Blondie, Good luck with your garden, it is always so rewarding to go out and "pick" something out of a garden for dinner.

  Here in Florida, I can't plant vegs. until late fall....its too hot, wet, and muggy. MY basil is huge but very unhappy.

  r.
• 

  beksbks

  Oh R, I'm obsessed with the yard right now. I've been out all morning gathering interesting items. We bought our house in late Sept, and it was a foreclosure. Everything was dead. We've been pulling stuff out and replacing for a couple of months now. I keep thinking we are getting close to done, but no way. The yard swallows up all my purchases.

  We are going to build a raised garden bed that will be permanent, but for now I have stuff in pots. Tons of flowers, tomatoes, tabasco and jalapeno peppers, oregano, basil, and thyme.
• 

  restrangled

  Beks, if I can help you at all on line let me know... How exciting! What part of the country are you in?

  Becareful of what you pull up.....sometimes stuff looks horrible and its years worth of growth and root systems.

  I raise, Banana trees, White birds of Paradise, Passion vines....(the flowers are out of this world), Heliconias, orchids, gingers, bromeliads and bamboo along with some crazy huge ferns.

  Let me know,

  Love, r.
• 

  beksbks

  Well sweetie, I'm in Cali, outer Bay Area. It does freeze once or twice a winter, and we need to try to watch the water. I'm just inland enough that even Bougainvillea would need to be covered.

  I'm currently crazy for Clematis and Roses. Those passion vines have had my interest too, but Honey Bunny is not a vine fan. Me, I would do the whole damn perimeter in vines! I'm planning a rock garden.
• 

  DJK

  My garden is off to a slow start because of all the rain we're having. Everything seems to be drowning. I have mice or moles coming in eating seeds and strawberries. I use a homemade organic pesticide made with water and ground red pepper, but the rain washes it off.

  I have two 30 foot by 30 foot garden plots at the community garden less than half mile from my house. I'm growing cucumbers, summer squash, zuchini, spaghetti squash, peas, greenbeens, beets, turnips, strawberries and it's my first season for asparagas which seems to have drowned.

  I also have more than fifty tomato plants left and about 90 garlic plants. Garlick is so good fresh from the garden, I can't get enough of it.
• 

  restrangled

  Beks, passion vines do go crazy..they flower at the end of stems, so the vine gets to looking horrible unless you keep it cut back.

  As far as Bouganvillea.....oh good lord, save me from this monster!!!!!! I have spent hundreds of dollars having this plant removed from my property.

  I have what is called a California H style home....so a long walk up to the front entrance. It was entirely covered in a canopy of that stuff. The problem is, its gorgeous but deadly with the thorns. It has cost me over a thousand dollars to get it removed from my front entrance. The roots were like those of trees. Be very, very careful with that vine. I have one left on the side of my home which I cut back constantly. It took me a month to get rid of the latest cuttings. If you have ever been stung by this vine....it will make you miserable for days. I had one rip into the side of my face which left a permanent scar near my left eye. Those thorns burn like hell for days, through shoes, gloves. etc.

  I HATE THIS PLANT! ...by the way, you can freeze all you like, no need to cover this monster. It'll come back 3 fold.

  r
• 

  rebel8

  I can't manage to keep all of my trees alive, let alone a garden! The deer kill everything. Repellants are minor inconveniences to them.

  This year I grew a pepper plant (from a seed in a pepper I bought). I'm growing it on the deck where the deer don't like to come. I made a little 'greenhouse' for it with a topiary form covered with Saran Wrap. heh Looks like some bugs are killing it.

  Honestly!
• 

  restrangled

  Rebel, I have read about the deer problem before...eating everything. Have you considered some dogs? A doberman would keep you swept clear....on your property.

  r.