Gardening

[ranbalam]

Hey! Did you use concrete behind the stones. I wanna make some retaining walls with river rock I gather in the area where I live.

I need to work on my herb garden a bit.

I considered it, but because I only went three rows high I felt it was stable enough. I packed soil and sand against each row as I went though.

 

[MsLoganHenney]

Do you watch Gardener's World on BBC2? (I know not Ireland)
Monty Don has been getting me through.

I stumbled upon Monty Don through Netflix. They had a couple of seasons of the show. Loved it! I live in the US, but the show still very educational about planning out the layout and function of the garden you want for the space you have.

 

[Djxfactor511]

The roses bloomed, geraniums are happy and the stone retaining wall I built is holding up pretty well so far.
View attachment 51770

Our little driveway garden is doing well. Parsley, rosemary, peppers, basil and green onions with begonias to keep them company. I used some rosemary a couple nights ago for lamb chops.

View attachment 51771

I started a wildflower garden 10 days ago and they are starting to come up, I'll post a pic when they
are thriving. (Hopefully)

Also, I might try potatoes in an old porch planter we have.

Next year I want to build a raised bed, pretty much the design you used @Djxfactor511 Yours looks great.
Just couldn't get into it this year.

Thanks! Turned out pretty well for me completely winging it.

Here's the current state of things. Tomatoes have started to flower, probably double the size of when we planted them. Peppers look like they're about to start flowering. Beans are growing well but are getting crowded out by the zucchini, which have taken over way more space than what the garden center said they would.

 

[ranbalam]

Thanks! Turned out pretty well for me completely winging it.

Here's the current state of things. Tomatoes have started to flower, probably double the size of when we planted them. Peppers look like they're about to start flowering. Beans are growing well but are getting crowded out by the zucchini, which have taken over way more space than what the garden center said they would.

View attachment 51962

Very nice, it looks like everything is doing really well. And I've always heard zucchini will take over if you let it, I've yet to grown any though.

 

[Djxfactor511]

Very nice, it looks like everything is doing really well. And I've always heard zucchini will take over if you let it, I've yet to grown any though.

This is the most luck I've had with zucchini. In Cincinnati they'd grow a bit and maybe pop off 1-2 small ones, but that's about it. I think we're in for monster zucchini this year, which is cool. I've added some stakes in the ground to push the growth away from the beans. Don't want to strain them too much, but it would be ideal if the growth could start going over the edge of the planter instead of in the green beans' business.

The little raspberry bush in the grass has yet to really take off, but I am still holding out hope.

 

[Djxfactor511]

This is the most luck I've had with zucchini. In Cincinnati they'd grow a bit and maybe pop off 1-2 small ones, but that's about it. I think we're in for monster zucchini this year, which is cool. I've added some stakes in the ground to push the growth away from the beans. Don't want to strain them too much, but it would be ideal if the growth could start going over the edge of the planter instead of in the green beans' business.

The little raspberry bush in the grass has yet to really take off, but I am still holding out hope.

So, I looked at the zucchini packaging this week and it said to plant them waaaaayy more apart than we did, which is why they're encroaching on themselves and other plants. I transplanted one to another area of my yard, but unfortunately don't think it's gonna survive the move. Oh well.

In other news I've been chipmunk hunting this week. Their tunnels are everywhere in my front landscaping and they've killed a few annuals. I've caught EDIT: two THREE so far but I have a feeling there are many where that came from. I think there's only chipmunks too, as the tunnel holes are very distinct - no raised ground like moles leave.

 

[Dtknuckles]

So, I looked at the zucchini packaging this week and it said to plant them waaaaayy more apart than we did, which is why they're encroaching on themselves and other plants. I transplanted one to another area of my yard, but unfortunately don't think it's gonna survive the move. Oh well.

In other news I've been chipmunk hunting this week. Their tunnels are everywhere in my front landscaping and they've killed a few annuals. I've caught two so far but I have a feeling there are many where that came from. I think there's only chipmunks too, as the tunnel holes are very distinct - no raised ground like moles leave.

We have gophers out here. I’ve used a trap called the gopher hawk. It works great, but it does kill them. If you don’t have a problem about that sort of thing.

 

[Djxfactor511]

We have gophers out here. I’ve used a trap called the gopher hawk. It works great, but it does kill them. If you don’t have a problem about that sort of thing.

I've been known to kill a chipmunk or groundhog to protect the yard.

I relocate raccoons and release possum though.

 

[Joe Mac]

I got the new cherry blossom and potted it today! I’m happy with how it looks!

 

[nolalady]

Figging out over here. @debianlinux

I get a couple colors of figs so it’s similar to the LSU fig variety. The purple ones are easy to spot. You still want to feel that they are a bit squishy but firm all the way up to the stem. You can also look for little lines in the skin where the fruit is starting to bust out of the skin:

I also get figs with a lighter yellow tint. You check for ripeness the same way. They are just harder to locate in the tree.

 

[debianlinux]

Here’s my little fig dude. He stands between a huge hydrangea and a forsythia bush in a spot previously occupied by a dogwood tree. I am anticipating the two bushes to eventually get shaded out of existence. For now, they are doing their best to shade out fig dude. I have cut them back pretty aggressively as the shade was forcing a pretty erratic growth direction for sun starved fig dude. The stakes are there to train it back upright.



Here’s a look at the proto figs (a @nolalady exclusive term) that i don’t think will mature this year (LSU Gold):


I am concerned about long term well being because when we bought the potted tree this spring it had two “trunks”. I didn’t think anything of it at the time but when I was stalking them up it occurred to me I might actually have two trees entirely too close to each other. I was wondering if I should split one out and plant it elsewhere.

 

[Djxfactor511]

Three words.

Fuck. Japanese. Beetles.

 

[jaycee]

Here’s my little fig dude. He stands between a huge hydrangea and a forsythia bush in a spot previously occupied by a dogwood tree. I am anticipating the two bushes to eventually get shaded out of existence. For now, they are doing their best to shade out fig dude. I have cut them back pretty aggressively as the shade was forcing a pretty erratic growth direction for sun starved fig dude. The stakes are there to train it back upright.

View attachment 55648

Here’s a look at the proto figs (a @nolalady exclusive term) that i don’t think will mature this year (LSU Gold):
View attachment 55649

I am concerned about long term well being because when we bought the potted tree this spring it had two “trunks”. I didn’t think anything of it at the time but when I was stalking them up it occurred to me I might actually have two trees entirely too close to each other. I was wondering if I should split one out and plant it elsewhere.
View attachment 55650

The smaller "tree" is probably a sucker and can be pruned back. If you want to propagate another tree with it you might be able to take a cutting from it and start that way. There's probably some guidance somewhere on the webs.

 

[debianlinux]

The smaller "tree" is probably a sucker and can be pruned back. If you want to propagate another tree with it you might be able to take a cutting from it and start that way. There's probably some guidance somewhere on the webs.

It may be hard to tell from the photos but both trees are equal in size, foliage, and fruiting.
Edit: I think you are seeing a low branch. Look closely where the trunk come out of the ground. There are two within an inch of each other.

 

[nolalady]

Here’s my little fig dude. He stands between a huge hydrangea and a forsythia bush in a spot previously occupied by a dogwood tree. I am anticipating the two bushes to eventually get shaded out of existence. For now, they are doing their best to shade out fig dude. I have cut them back pretty aggressively as the shade was forcing a pretty erratic growth direction for sun starved fig dude. The stakes are there to train it back upright.

View attachment 55648

Here’s a look at the proto figs (a @nolalady exclusive term) that i don’t think will mature this year (LSU Gold):
View attachment 55649

I am concerned about long term well being because when we bought the potted tree this spring it had two “trunks”. I didn’t think anything of it at the time but when I was stalking them up it occurred to me I might actually have two trees entirely too close to each other. I was wondering if I should split one out and plant it elsewhere.
View attachment 55650

The smaller "tree" is probably a sucker and can be pruned back. If you want to propagate another tree with it you might be able to take a cutting from it and start that way. There's probably some guidance somewhere on the webs.

When in doubt, I always refer to the LSU Ag center. They have some great guides for planting.

https://www.lsuagcenter.com/NR/rdonlyres/DF265B8B-0138-4ECE-A802-632290253E87/38103/pub1529Figs.pdf

This is an article on the fig varieties that grow well in the south east US and how to care for them. Your tree is looking good. Your proto-figs look a lot like my proto-figs so that's good.

 

[cul8er]

I had an epiphany today! I have 100s of paper inner sleeves that I replaced with anti-static sleeves. They've just been piling up with me not knowing what to do with them... until today! They can be used as weed control around my garden plants!




So I'm not the most diligent gardener to pull weeds, but my garden still seems to produce pretty well.




There are mostly tomatoes, some chard that I've already harvested (and hoping it grow back some more), some beets that are just starting to sprout, and the cucumbers have the record sleeves. I probably need to weigh down the sleeves with rocks or something.

 

[cul8er]

Three words.

Fuck. Japanese. Beetles.

They are the worst. The only thing that works for me is to go out every day and just squish them by hand. In years past, I've tried the "bag-a-beetle" which pretty much attracts them to your yard. It does trap them, but it brings in more than it can trap. This year, I am going out 2-3 times daily to squish them before they do much damage. It seems to be working so far.

 

[Djxfactor511]

They are the worst. The only thing that works for me is to go out every day and just squish them by hand. In years past, I've tried the "bag-a-beetle" which pretty much attracts them to your yard. It does trap them, but it brings in more than it can trap. This year, I am going out 2-3 times daily to squish them before they do much damage. It seems to be working so far.

They were really bad before we put bags out this year. After 4 bags out they're manageable now. Had to powder the green beans which I wanted to avoid doing but they were devastating the new growth. I need one of those electric bug rackets to practice my tennis swing on them.

 

[Turbo]

This thread looks fun. Here's a tour of our backyard. The gardening is all my wife's work. I just help here and there, so I don't want to take credit for anything.

I'm more the equivalent of the migrant worker during raspberry season... which happens to be right now.

This is the tomato patch. They're coming along nicely. I think we might even get a few very soon.



Here are the raspberries. We have a good 20 feet of them and they're producing quite well this year. This is what I've been doing every evening.



Next is the new zucchini bed.



We started a few currant plants 2 years ago. Three black and one red. They were cuttings from my in-law's. Looks like they are producing a few fruits this year.



This is the herb area. And a few grape vines that never produce much other than attract japanese beetles. My wife insists on having these climb on the pergola. I'm scared of raining japanese beetles. I don't win these debates.



Looks like we'll get a hand full of blueberries.





This is the main garden bed by the house. We have lettuce, radishes, dill, chives and climbing beans among other things. Mint in the back.



And here are the pots on the deck. My wife is trying to make some climbing cucumbers melons (EDIT: those are actually melons back there - cantaloupe on the left and water melon on the right - there are small melons coming and my wife just hung them in nylons for support - I'll take photos when I get a chance). There are some peppers in there and a failed attempt at strawberries in the blue pail. Some of the house plants are out for summer too.

 

[Turbo]

This is what I collected this evening. We freeze them individually on a tray and then bag them for use all year (jams, smoothies, etc). I'm almost done a second large Ziplock. I think we should be able to fill up three by the end of the season in a week or two.