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How does your garden grow - 2010 edition?
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Bluebonnet
Site Admin
Joined: Sun Oct 11, 2009 8:59 am Posts: 6532 Location: Friendswood, TX
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Re: How does your garden grow - 2010 edition?
East Texas worked his boootaayyy off this past week! He's planted the azaleas and the little suckers are already full of buds and trying to bloom! Strawberries are in the ground, too. Geraniums in the window boxes replaced and blooming their heads off. Found a good deal on flats of annuals so in the ground they went yesterday. The perennial bed just looks so sad - a spot of color makes my heart sing. We're off to the water garden store next week as, sadly, the water lilies have not made it. Sigh! We need to replace a bunch of bog plants but the Louisiana Iris is coming up by the ton and, praise be, the umbrella papyrus has come up! Doin' the happy dance on the papyrus as I thought for SURE it was a gonner! The Nile Lillies are coming up, too! Oh happy, happy day! They are probably THE most expensive plants in the garden! The thought of losing $40 worth of plants (just 2 plants!) just made me sick I tell ya - SICK! We bought them because of their size!!! Didn't shell out the 6 bucks for the little ones - oh no! Had to have the big suckahs! Nevah, evah, nevah again will I pay so much for plants!
_________________ The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little. - FDR
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Sun Mar 14, 2010 8:43 am |
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Bluebonnet
Site Admin
Joined: Sun Oct 11, 2009 8:59 am Posts: 6532 Location: Friendswood, TX
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Re: How does your garden grow - 2010 edition?
Bought a water lilly and it is blooming. It is a bootiful purple. Picking lettuce from the garden daily. Strawberries are ripening. Blackberries are in full bloom. Tomatoes are blooming as are the bell peppers. Cucumbers are climbing. Onions and garlic nearly ready to harvest. Rain barrel installed along with the rest of the gutters. The roses are blooming. The first Louisiana Iris bloomed yesterday. I will try to upload some pics tonight from my phone. Bush and pole beans are up. Mustard greens are up and we are picking young leaves for salad. Allllll the potato sets came up. Corn - uh not so good right now - only 1 or 2 plants came up. A friend replaced my Meyer Lemon while I was in the hospital. It has bloomed and is full of tiny baby lemons. Bought a glider to match the new swivel rockers from Walmart. The porch is ready for summer. The azaleas were so pretty but are now gone. The gardenia I thought we'd lost is putting on new leaves and has buds! The rudbeckia (Black-eyed Susan) I planted in front from seed is coming up. Bought a new hanging basket of red petunias. Life is good!
_________________ The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little. - FDR
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Wed Apr 21, 2010 11:52 am |
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Selene
GT Truther
Joined: Wed Jun 10, 2009 6:06 am Posts: 640 Location: Music of the Spheres
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Re: How does your garden grow - 2010 edition?
BlueBonnet wrote: The gardenia I thought we'd lost is putting on new leaves and has buds! Gardenias, huh? Blue, this one's for you: A hilarious, too true thread on growing (or not!) gardenias, archived at The Garden Web forum: "So you want to grow a gardenia, huh? (also known as the infamous suicidal gardenia thread)" http://faq.gardenweb.com/faq/lists/calif/2004035908004767.htmlYou'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll want to add a comment... (I consider gardenias to be the Ultimate Hypochondriac Plant for which no amount of misting, cooling, warming, sunning etc will work. Every few years I'm lured into bringing one home, fully budded, fat & happy.... Well. It takes on look at my living room and promptly begins dropping all its buds....Meanwhile, my friend in Rome leaves them in pots outside on her terrace all year...) Cheers, Selene
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Fri Apr 23, 2010 4:38 pm |
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Bluebonnet
Site Admin
Joined: Sun Oct 11, 2009 8:59 am Posts: 6532 Location: Friendswood, TX
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Re: How does your garden grow - 2010 edition?
Selene! Too funny. From the link above. Quote: don't know, maybe Houston is a gardenia's paradise No brag but mine is planted outside and is about 3 feet around. It grows like a fiend in Houston's semi-tropical weather. It was the cold we had last December, January and February that got to it. Just couldn't take that cold north wind even covered. Happy to report it is full of leaves now and getting ready to burst into blooms. Doin' the happy dance! Here are a couple of pics from my yard: Louisiana Iris blooming in the bog: Caldwell Rose - an antique rose blooming in the yard: Enjoy!
_________________ The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little. - FDR
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Sat Apr 24, 2010 6:32 am |
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Bluebonnet
Site Admin
Joined: Sun Oct 11, 2009 8:59 am Posts: 6532 Location: Friendswood, TX
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Re: How does your garden grow - 2010 edition?
The Texas Lilac is just beginning to bloom and I saw the first hummingbird this morning! The bees are at it right now. The butterfly bushes have just begun to bloom and I just saw the first Monarch so they are on their way from Mexico headed north! We've finished with the butter lettuce and the mustard greens. Boy was that lettuce good and, oh, how I shall miss it. Sadly, we didn't get to eat too many mustard greens because the weather warmed just as it was coming on and it quickly went to seed. We've pulled the strawberry plants. Seems Nicodemus, the wood rat, loves strawberries, too. Since Ike we've killed 4 of the dad gummed things! The mockingbirds are anxiously checking out both the dewberries and the tomatoes. The dewberries (blackberries to ya'll) are planted simply to try, and I emphasize try, to keep the mockers off the tomatoes. We're busily hilling potatoes, too. It looks so funny right now - you go into the garden and there are all these little bumps around the potato vines. The pole beans should be ready to pick next week. East Texas is hungry for the first tomato and it should be ripe soon - that is if he can keep the mockers off it. It's gonna be a race I tell ya! The lima beans are doing great. I picked a handful this morning to cook with the green beans for lunch. No pods but they were yummy nonetheless. We are picking cucumbers daily and should begin picking the first bell peppers next week, too. Carrots should be ready just about any day. The lone corn plant is growing but no sign of silk yet. The onions and garlic are taking a loooonnnggg time. The garlic is nearly ready but the onions are somewhere between a large green onion and a small spring onion. They've been in the ground since January but nothing yet. I think the really cold weather we had in January set them back. Pulled two onions this morning to add to the green beans I bought and they were yummy. The roses have stopped blooming at least for now. The hollyhocks are in full bloom and are a lovely shade of magenta pink. The salvia and zinnas are going gang busters as well. Petunias are up and doing well, too. And, last but not least, we have a baby koi in the pond! "Itty Bitty" is solid orange with black around its tail. He's just now beginning to feed with the rest. No sign of baby goldfish or calicos, yet. The new water lily is blooming its head off and the night bloomer is just about set to go, too. This is another one we thought we had lost so it is wonderful! We've somehow acquired some cattails around the pond. Bird poop? Who knows but they look really nice. The gardenia is blooming so well! Every day it's like popcorn - pop there goes a bloom and pop another! I'm so happy because I thought for sure we had lost it. It makes the veggie patch smell so gooooodddd! Sadly, the japanese maple didn't make it but we got the shock of our lives when the split leaf philodendron suddenly showed signs of life. Whoo hoo!! The rudbeckia, black eyed susan, is coming up around the water feature in the front yard and I can't wait for it to bloom! We also have tiny baby Meyer lemons on the new tree! No apples, though, again this year. Had tons of blooms but no apples, yet. That's okay - it's still a very small tree so here's hoping for next year.
_________________ The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little. - FDR
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Sun May 16, 2010 12:04 pm |
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Genesis
GT Truther
Joined: Sun Oct 18, 2009 10:43 am Posts: 432
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Re: How does your garden grow - 2010 edition?
it never ceases to amaze me...the totally different schedules we have in our gardens. you've pulled your strawberries....i'm just now dehydrating and making jam of them. had a slow start this year, again. seems that late spring bronchitis thing is gonna be an annual event. but, i've caught up and my garden's bustin. this is what's growin: snow peas (still producing in shade of maters) onions, white and red green beans, bush and pole radishes cukes...slicing and pickeling zucchini...green and yellow 5 kinds of tomato peppers...green and jalapeno watermelon smaller watermelon and cantalope on trellis parsnips rutabagas basil sunflowers for bread making and birds lavender (just finished drying) brussel sprouts carrots and whatever else i put in there and have forgotten.lol i have a list of more to plant when mid/late summer harvest is completed. just finished gooseberries. the raspberries are in season now. got loads of grapes this year. a bit more blackberries, but it'll take a couple more years for those bushes to develope to really make a mess. currents looked to have been picked on...probably them screwie rabbits. they got my elderberry blossoms too. and dh's wave petunia's he was so proud of. chipmunks are becoming a big problem again. counted 8 of em at one time. and those were the only ones sitting up tall in the grass. they've found their way under my veggie garden fence and i'm sure they have their eyes set on my melons again. don't let any of em know, but i have an appointment early in the morning with my lawn chair, a big mug of coffee... .....and my good friend bessie. edited to add: oh yeah! remember those banana plants i started...like what?...almost two years ago, isn't it? they're still growin, but very very very slow. maybe in a dozen years or so, i'll be looking for nanners. lol
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Tue Jun 22, 2010 5:47 pm |
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Bluebonnet
Site Admin
Joined: Sun Oct 11, 2009 8:59 am Posts: 6532 Location: Friendswood, TX
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Re: How does your garden grow - 2010 edition?
Genesis! You and your nanners! We've harvested: Potatoes Lima Beans Pole Beans Garlic Onions Carrots didn't make it so well. BAH on 'em - I'll just buy the suckers next year. Mr. Mocker made it to the blackberries before I did. Oh well, at least the maters are still good - picking them like crazy. Bell peppers - meh not so much. I think it got too hot too fast for them. Sunflowers are done. Heads are harvested for seeds and for snacks. Nicodemus bit the big one. We have literally thousands (I am not exaggerating) of baby fish in the koi pond. Seems the mosquito fish and the koi have been busy this spring. They are so cute. We also discovered one surviving calico baby from last year. It is a replica of one of it's parents and about an inch long. The Texas lilac finished blooming and we are cutting the seed heads now. The Barbados bird of paradise is just coming into its own. The esperanza is blooming as is the oleander and the crepe myrtles. At last!!!! The roses are just beginning their second round of blooms and the hollyhocks have just finished. Harvesting hollyhock seeds for next year. The lone corn plant went by by with no ears. Too hot!
_________________ The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little. - FDR
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Wed Jun 23, 2010 8:58 am |
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Bluebonnet
Site Admin
Joined: Sun Oct 11, 2009 8:59 am Posts: 6532 Location: Friendswood, TX
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Re: How does your garden grow - 2010 edition?
And heeerrreee we go with the fall garden. Ever the optimists, I know. Been out and about all day. Went to the farmer's market this morning and scored fresh goat cheese (yum), a nice loaf of whole wheat artisan bread, fresh green beans, new potatoes and corn on the cob. East Texas is grilling a really nice piece of tuna for dinner. I'll let ya'll know when supper's ready. Yesterday he bought heirloom tomatoes - Brandywine and some kind of purple ones. Hopefully we will have better luck with these. They are in the ground. Today, we purchased: Orange, yellow and red bell pepper plants Cauliflower Cabbage It's still too hot for the cucumbers and squash. Yes, I know I swore I wouldn't raise squash again - but ever the optimist I'm gonna try it again. We are getting the onion beds ready, too. Won't put those in the ground until November, though. Going to add leeks this year, too. We've never really eaten leeks until about 3 weeks ago. Saw Jamie Oliver do leeks, dried mushrooms and fresh pasta. So East Texas made it Nectar of the gods, I tell ya! We're also putting in sweet potatoes in November, too. I'm still looking for some broccoli plants. I think we are a bit early for that yet. The heat index today is 106 F - but that is cooler than the last two days. Thursday and Friday we had 108 F and 110 F. Feelin' hot, hot, hot. Come on Fall - I'm ready for ya!
_________________ The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little. - FDR
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Sat Aug 14, 2010 3:25 pm |
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Bluebonnet
Site Admin
Joined: Sun Oct 11, 2009 8:59 am Posts: 6532 Location: Friendswood, TX
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Re: How does your garden grow - 2010 edition?
Been a while - so here is an update: East Texas is frantically working on redoing the 6 small beds into an 8X12 bed to match the original veggie bed. Why? Because I just purchased seeds for the following: Bak choi Broccoli - couldn't find descent looking plants Heat got to 'em Savoy cabbage Kale - just ate this for the first time last weekend in a sausage and bean stew. YUMM OH!!!! Collard greens Baby leeks Carrots Sugar/Snow peas Green beans - bush Green beans - pole English peas The heirloom tomatoes are going gang busters but no blooms yet. The cabbage and cauliflower is just sitting there going . We had our first cool front pass through last Sunday and it is gorgeous. Lows in the high 60's and highs in the mid-80's with NO humidity! WHOOOO HOOOO! Getting another shot at a cool front this weekend - so, hopefully, we can wave buh bye to the heat and humidity! The crazy apple tree is blooming again! Let's hope we get some apples next year. Waiting to order the onions and sweet potatoes until late October/November.
_________________ The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little. - FDR
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Wed Sep 29, 2010 9:29 am |
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L2L
Site Admin
Joined: Sun Mar 25, 2007 8:54 am Posts: 4952 Location: Canada
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Re: How does your garden grow - 2010 edition?
I just pulled my last Cherri Tomotoe plant today, they did awesome this year. My peppers and regular tomotoes however did not do as good as usual. Lost my jalepeno's to a dam rabbit and my bells did not do that great. Onions were awesome though
_________________ Please Obey the Golden Rules viewtopic.php?f=31&t=3563&p=40912#p40912
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Wed Sep 29, 2010 12:34 pm |
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Mizar
Truth Seeker
Joined: Mon Oct 26, 2009 5:28 pm Posts: 66
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Re: How does your garden grow - 2010 edition?
Not a great year, Tomatoes, just barely ripened. Lettuce, good harvest in spring, bolted in the quick summer heat. Grapevines have small grapes that are now going moldy. Figs, were a no show. poor Potato harvest. Spinach, getting a good second crop now. Sunflowers did not mature. Strawberries were good in spring and summer. Overall, worst year in the past ten. Mizar
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Wed Sep 29, 2010 8:17 pm |
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L2L
Site Admin
Joined: Sun Mar 25, 2007 8:54 am Posts: 4952 Location: Canada
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Re: How does your garden grow - 2010 edition?
I don't buy the farmers almanac but does anyone know if it was right this year? I am wondering if I did something wrong, it seems others had tomatoe issues as well
_________________ Please Obey the Golden Rules viewtopic.php?f=31&t=3563&p=40912#p40912
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Wed Sep 29, 2010 8:31 pm |
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Bluebonnet
Site Admin
Joined: Sun Oct 11, 2009 8:59 am Posts: 6532 Location: Friendswood, TX
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Re: How does your garden grow - 2010 edition?
We had tomato issues, too, L. In our case it was the crazy weather. We had rainy cool weather all the way through June and then bammo - hot, hot, hot.
Not too many plants survive that. Climate change, anyone?
_________________ The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little. - FDR
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Thu Sep 30, 2010 6:06 am |
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Sky
Moderator
Joined: Thu Feb 28, 2008 6:55 am Posts: 3770 Location: 30 clicks N of 3030
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Re: How does your garden grow - 2010 edition?
Mizar wrote: Not a great year, Tomatoes, just barely ripened. Lettuce, good harvest in spring, bolted in the quick summer heat. Grapevines have small grapes that are now going moldy. Figs, were a no show. poor Potato harvest. Spinach, getting a good second crop now. Sunflowers did not mature. Strawberries were good in spring and summer. Overall, worst year in the past ten. Mizar Where in the world do you find youself Mizar? What latiitude? Sounds like you had a cold season for growing things with Figs and tomatoes not doing their thing? We are on Lat30S and my figs have popped and will be edible in about 8 weeks from now! But then we also had a bad winter season - they dryest in 10 years!! Luckilly we have mountains behind us (north) and so we have surface springs pouring down on us. When the top springs run dry due to the water table lowering we still get water from lower ones, but I have to then pump them. Been doing so for the past 6 weeks now. My days are filled with running out to the pump and refilling gas to pump and checking tanks as my wife does her best to empty them again. So we are going to do extra duty this summer season and build a dam/swimming pool higherup to hold more water for winter. Please tell us how you bottle Lettuce?????
_________________ We all have the choice to exercise Free Will. amor vincit omnia "Ignis Natura Renovatur Integram"
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Thu Sep 30, 2010 9:06 am |
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Sky
Moderator
Joined: Thu Feb 28, 2008 6:55 am Posts: 3770 Location: 30 clicks N of 3030
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Re: How does your garden grow - 2010 edition?
L2L wrote: I don't buy the farmers almanac but does anyone know if it was right this year? I am wondering if I did something wrong, it seems others had tomatoe issues as well Hey L2L - thought you would have seen adjustments to the seasons by now, so no published Almanack is reliable anymore! We try watch the plants (like our fruit trees blossoming early?) and the seasonal rain to judge how the temps will adjust to growing things. Our seasons went haywire 4 years ago already. We used to have August winds and now they blow trees down in September! As these winds are dry, we plan to water LOTS as we have the resources to start our gardens early. It helps if you have a shade house to start seedlings before they go into beds outside. We are also building a 400m2 hot house this summer so we can do the soft stuff inside like tomatoes and cucumbers etc. We have just finished planting all our outside beds with different crops, and we try get 3 plantings in our season, but then we are in Africa!
_________________ We all have the choice to exercise Free Will. amor vincit omnia "Ignis Natura Renovatur Integram"
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Thu Sep 30, 2010 9:15 am |
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