The Gardening Thread

A bowl of beer will take care of those slugs and snails. Diatomaceous Earth is also a safe insecticide just don’t use it on flowers it will kill bees

Just moved to a new house last Fall that had an already established but very neglected garden. Spent much of the Spring clearing weeds, grasses and vines out of the beds and waiting to see what sort of perennials will be coming up. It is mostly bulbs of various kinds, such as daffodils, lilies, tulips, etc. There are also poppies, peonies, azaleas, lilacs, wisteria, roses, a variety of self-seeding annuals and a number of flowering trees and shrubs. There’s an apple and a peach tree, raspberries, blackberries, grapes, and maybe some other things. My plan is to get some more beds set up soon and do a kitchen garden with culinary herbs, hot peppers, chives, garlic etc. And of course, there will be tobacco, though that might need to wait until next Spring. Within the next couple years I will plant more fruit trees, shade trees and hedges, and build hoop houses and coldframes. I left behind a lot of great beds and garden structures at the old house, but the new one has a much better climate, soil and sun exposure, so I’m happy to start fresh.

I planted hundreds of arbs,bushes and trees on my little corner of the world. Most of my dwarf fruit trees had died and need replacing. I had three different peaches that ripened at different times which was nice to deal with, two varieties of plums one red the other deep purple. the white flesh nectarine,bing cherry and sour cherry also gone. remainding trees are a five in one apple a jonathan,White flesh red leaf peach, a few other peaches I planted from seed and a pear that the squirrels eat before they even grow to full size. I have a grape vine, bird and wasp enjoy before me and a hazelnut bush that never produces. Several gardens one with asparagus. I’ll be planting with some squash and other vine veggies like beans,cucumbers and gourds . Herb garden in raised containers,A hot pepper garden. Tomatoes and potatoes.I am currently digging a plot for three strains of tobacco. A strawberry patch I may move if I get really motivated, red and purple raspberries. a row of wild blackberries I don’t bother with too many thorns. And then there are mulberry trees I try to kill with little results. For years I would get balled xmas trees and plant them. two are 30 ft tall and five dead also dead my japanese maple? poisoned possibly . I have a weeping willow that the snow took its toll on; still alive but about three PU truck loads of timbers to clean up. A pair of tulip poplars, Several maples , oak and black walnut trees The daffodils, blue bottles and tulips are at their peak and all need separating and the Iris rhizomes need to be thinned they can wait. The bleeding heart bush is growing so fast you could almost see it, the Lilac bushes are in bloom and I may try to scent some snuff with it. I have giving up on roses. Burning bushes and over grown privet hedge Oh and I have about two hundred feet of rose of sharon that needs vines cleared off them before I loose them. they also need trimming. Two plus acres of grass. I also had got some poison Ivy while working this week fun fun fun. I was laid up last year having four operations and things got out of hand. I don’t know how I worked a full time job and had time for all this before. And found time to go fishing and play disc golf and hang out here. I would post picture but that would take up many pages. May be later I’ll post the fruit of my labor.

Oh and I have about two hundred feet of rose of sharon that needs vines cleared off them before I loose them. they also need trimming. Two plus acres of grass.

Ah, I forgot to mention the Rose of Sharon bushes. They grow like weeds. I transplanted about a dozen saplings into a hedge, but I’ve got so many more to dig up and get rid of. There are so many growing in places I don’t want them. As for grass, I’ve got nearly 2 acres of that as well. Got a rider mower. Used to be able to get by with a push mower, but now there’s way too much. I would like to replace as much as an acre with gardened spaces, and maybe let a half acre become a wild meadow for the pollinators to frolic in. Mowing is one of my least favorite chores.

Oh and I have about two hundred feet of rose of sharon that needs vines cleared off them before I loose them. they also need trimming. Two plus acres of grass.

Ah, I forgot to mention the Rose of Sharon bushes. They grow like weeds. I transplanted about a dozen saplings into a hedge, but I’ve got so many more to dig up and get rid of. There are so many growing in places I don’t want them. As for grass, I’ve got nearly 2 acres of that as well. Got a rider mower. Used to be able to get by with a push mower, but now there’s way too much. I would like to replace as much as an acre with gardened spaces, and maybe let a half acre become a wild meadow for the pollinators to frolic in. Mowing is one of my least favorite chores.

maybe one of these would help make the mowing more fun:

We started a large garden the back corner of my property a few years ago but it has been neglected the last couple of seasons. I’m going to try to get in there and rehab it this summer. There are a few lilac trees and some perennials in there but the previous owners had planted English ivy which has been hard to completely eliminate and is trying to take over. My main focus will be on my tobacco plants. I have a large bed which will fit around 20 Virginia and Burley plants and a long narrow bed I will be using for my Oriental variety (Prilep). I still have a few weeks before I can plant them. The seedlings are coming along well.

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@cpmcdill You should get a goat or sheep. I have a pony but she is 30 and refined to her paddock. Restricted diet for hoof issues. After she passes I may get a buffalo to cut the grass

Found the skyscraper lillies crawling with scarlet lily beetle earlier, so gave them all a good blathering with insecticide once the sun started to set. Those little buggers can destroy plants in no time. I’m looking forward to all the blossom finishing on the trees as the aphids are setting up shop and the ants are herding them. I’m very mindful of not doing anything to affect pollination or pollinators. Also found a harlequin ladybird on my rose bush yesterday. Another invasive species that’s spreading very quickly.

@cpmcdill You should get a goat or sheep. I have a pony but she is 30 and refined to her paddock. Restricted diet for hoof issues. After she passes I may get a buffalo to cut the grass

Coincidentally, a friend of mine just today informed me that his goats have had babies. I think I might eventually consider goats, but I don’t have a proper shelter set up for them. There is an outbuilding that once housed a couple cows, but it’s in rough shape and will need some work, but that is a project for another year.

Any tips for newbee trying my green finger at growing Rustica seeds? Planning to use large pots to control moisture, Sun delivery and pests.

Flowers in my yard 1 hawthorn 2 nectarine 3 tulip 4 double daffodil 5 azaleas 6 lilac 7 dandelion 8 apple 9 Pear 10 strawberry. They were here just 3 days ago most are gone now also more apple blossoms pics but i can’t tell them apart so I didn’t post.

@basement_shaman - reminds me, I should probably document what’s going on in my garden.

@cpmcdill Well this is the Gardening thread, although I also post in what you up to today beside reading this. I’ll be out back till it gets too warm. So much to do. And I am not as spry anymore

Anyone into cloning. Of course garlic is easy just plant the cloves, I’ve used Onion roots, carrot tops,the core from cabbage, the bottom of celery, eyes from potatoes all scraps from the kitchen with good success. Clipping are harder but not impossible.

Never tried to be honest. I go the easier (but more expensive) way of using seeds and store bought plants. One reason is that much of the commercial produce isn’t suitable for growing in this climate. I was tempted to try garlic, sweet potato, and a couple of other things but when I researched it, I discovered I’d have to buy specific plant varieties to achieve any success, and this defeated the purpose of the exercise. This is one of the reasons I moved away from veg in favour of foods I cannot buy in the shops, or which are relatively expensive (fruits and exotic/non-commercial crops). With such a small North facing garden, the climate here, and growing in containers, I have to be very selective with my choices

Just planted 2 gooseberry and 2 blueberry bushes in pots (as we will be moving in a couple years and want to take ‘the goods’ with us. Also set down a row of raspberries that were given to me. Harvested rhubarb last evening. many more things to plant, pull, Clean, etc. LOVE this stuff!!

@stogie I have everything in pots. Watering is a PITA, but the ability to shuffle round, add, subtract, respace, reformat, really is a benefit in my small garden. I nearly went for a gooseberry a couple of weeks back, but opted for a thornless blackberry instead. You’ll have to figure out the picture posting, I’d love to see what you got over there :wink:

Cut more asparagus , put a new carburetor on my tiller now I need new fuel line.

Rotated compost and stacked firewood.

Filled Two huge planting pots (4 feet tall and ~22 inches at top - Clay with a blue glaze on outside. Bought them last fall for $20