Time for some planting

[Whatitis]

I'm excited, this year I'm gonna plant some cucumbers, tomatos, jalapenos, habaneros, green onions and basil. All I have is a porch, gets a lot of sun though, to grow on so it keeps me limited to pot planting. With the tomatos I'm gonna try a hanging basket for the first time. Anyone else doing any planting this year?

[kaiser soze]

most definitely, starting next weekend and also doing container gardening (was very successful last year)

Bell peppers, jalapenos and another hot pepper, peas, a couple kinds of lettuce, tomatoes, and tons of herbs

looking forward to it (y)

[Audio.]

good luck. We failed many times.

[Kid Presentable]

I used to have a mighty grapevine; it was pretty easy. Train it up a wall and sit back.

We were going to plant Matoes but I don't think either of us can really be bothered. What's the upkeep like on planting and such? Homegrown produce is not bad.

[kaiser soze]

the starting is the most difficult, second is upkeep of the plants from environmental factors like high wind, heavy wind, insects.

My girlfriend and I had little problem with weeds and insects (being on our back patio in a city rather than a rural area). We also used stakes to keep the plants firmly upright and it helped.

[Kid Presentable]

I must ask; how high were the stakes?

[Lyman Zerga]

people think self planted fruits/veggies are so much better but i taste no difference between them and the ones you get in the market so why the work

[taquitos]

i just harvested. you all need to get your shit straight

[kaiser soze]

I must ask; how high were the stakes?

tomato and pepper stakes about 3 feet

we're going to put chicken wire about 4 feet around the diameter of a container for our peas, it'll be nice to pick them fresh without picking through weeds and dodging mosquitos

people think self planted fruits/veggies are so much better but i taste no difference between them and the ones you get in the market so why the work

The value of knowing how to and successfully growing your own food is fun, educational, and challenging, it's more convenient than driving to the grocery store, saving money, vegetables and herbs are more fresh, and you know where your produce came from (for the summer at least)

[ericlee]

sweet man. You get more pleasure when you eat things that you've raised yourself. I'm looking around for an apartment with a backyard so that I can grow some veges. I'd love to grow some spinach, even some nappa and cherry tomatoes.

This summer, I'm working on making my own home brews, all the way down to the hops and barley and brewing. I'll also make my own wines and I'll probably plant some grape trees for it.

Great thread bro. Summertime Rolls.(y)

[Lyman Zerga]

The value of knowing how to and successfully growing your own food is fun, educational, and challenging, it's more convenient than driving to the grocery store, saving money, vegetables and herbs are more fresh, and you know where your produce came from (for the summer at least)

im kinda grossed out by the self grown food
i imagine it's stuffed with nasty ass insects

i want my food to be poisoned!

[Whatitis]

Growing you own food is awesome. The hardest part is getting it going, then from there it all about keeping an eye on it and watching it grow. There is a self gratification when you use the food you grow. It's easy to go to the store and get it but there is nothing like walking out to the garden and looking to see what you can use for the next meal.

[b-grrrlie]

Just got home from the Garden Fair where our allotment gang had a balcony on the competition. We didn't win tho...
But I got some of the stuff that we'd pre-grown for the fair. I've got runner beans, sweet peas, zucchini (several kinds), pumpkin and red linen.
I also bought some black violas, purple anemone, Heucherella and more Fuchsias.
I already have 8 of them at home (and hopefully some from last year have survived over winter).
I'm gonna have my balcony filled with flowers (as per usual), but this year I'm gonna get some ferns from the forest.
My balcony doesn't get that many sun hours so have to have stuff that like shade.

At my allotment blueberries looked better than ever before, mainly cause we've had such a mild winter.
Also my artichoke has survived in the little "hut" I made for it.
Otherwise it'll be the usual carrots, radishes, peas, sugar snaps, wax beans, tomatoes, potatoes and Jerusalem artichokes.
I had to cut down my elder tree last autumn cause it had some moldy disease at the base, and I just stared at the stub
nearly crying afterwards. I'm gonna miss all the shade it gave and all the birds that were eating the berries.
I can still get flowers for wine and pop from the trees around the area, but mine was a sort of a landmark in our allotment...
I've been looking for a black mulberry to have instead, but it ain't that easy to find here. It ain't quite hardy here, but I still want it.
(Same goes for Wisteria, been dreaming about it for over 10 years now...)

[jabumbo]

i'd love to start planting some stuff, but i don't think my yard will be in shape to make the ideal planting time.

i'll probably try for some herbage and maybe some tomato plants anyway though



eventually i want to get into some hot peppers and growing my own hops would be pretty sweet, but i'll probably hold on those til i know i actually can successfully brew

[AceFace]

people think self planted fruits/veggies are so much better but i taste no difference between them and the ones you get in the market so why the work
your hard work to make it all adds to the taste!

i'm trying this approach this year for my first ever vegetable garden:

http://www.squarefootgardening.com/

i'm also planting these Double Delight roses (SO PRETTY!!!!):

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/14/14977019_e5cac19c03.jpg

[AceFace]

I've been looking for a black mulberry to have instead, but it ain't that easy to find here. It ain't quite hardy here, but I still want it.



i HATE our mulberry tree. well really, it's our neighbor's but it's such an irritant. the berries fall and rot on our driveway and attract nasty bugs. we clean the driveway at least once a week but it still doesn't help the ground out. i think you'd find it to be a bad tree if you indeed did have it.

[HEIRESS]

I like purple carrots, oddly they seem to taste better:
http://www.maltedmedia.com/people/bathory/purple-carrots.jpg

[Pres Zount]

The hardest part is getting it going, then from there it all about keeping an eye on it and watching it grow.

How can you tell how long they have been in the seedling stage? How do you tell when it's out of the "getting it going" stage?!

[Whatitis]

Well, I am not an expert. I just like to grow some veggies/peppers and this is the time of year to start. By "getting it giong" I mean getting dirty with soil and planting the seeds. As with every year I just get some pots, some seeds and some rich soil, Miracle-Gro, keep the soil moist a watch it grow. Works everytime. I do not pre-grow the seedlings under lights or anything fancy like that just let nature do it's thing. Works for me.

[b-grrrlie]

I like purple carrots, oddly they seem to taste better:
http://www.maltedmedia.com/people/bathory/purple-carrots.jpg

That's because that's their original colour. It was the Dutch who experimented to get the carrot orange...