Gardening Thread

[The KingPin]

Ok so seeds are popping up at local stores and plant nurseries starting to get some info out to the public. So do you have any plans for gardening this year?

Do you use seeds or buy potted plants?

Tell us what your gardening plans are?

[Jord_84]

I always keep a small herb garden in a long planter on my porch and some hanging baskets and large planters with flowers. I planted a new climbing rose bush last spring, so I'm anxious to get out, cut it back, and see how big it gets this year. I planted some new irises and day lilies too, they should flower this year. Plus I'd like to add some purple salvia to my corner garden.
I always start out with plants, not seeds. The squirrels are horrible at digging around in the gardens....so the seeds never get a chance to mature.

should be a lot of work....my yard was over run with morning glories last year, they cling onto anything and suck the life out of it....I'm going to have to get out and spray with herbicide once a week to keep it under control.

[The KingPin]

Wow you have squirrels? I would love them, until they ate all of my plants. Yet how cool

[The KingPin]

I am thinking about a flower graden, yet in Colorado the weather sucks. So I am not sure yet

[Jord_84]

If I were you, I'd plant wildflowers native to your area. They're pretty and they're used to the weather conditions for your area, making them hardy and requiring minimal care. I've got some tall prairie grasses, black-eyed susans, sunflowers, queen annes lace, and bachelor buttons in a garden...and it's gorgeous.

and the squirrels.....they're everywhere! My porch is covered in dirt every morning thanks to those furry little bastards. lol

[ThongPrincess]

Last year I planted Iris and Tulip bulbs. I got a lot of foliage from the tulips, but no flowers. :( A few of the Irises bloomed. Already there is a lot of tulip leaves, I'm hoping to get some flowers this year. The Irises are showing leaves, again I hope to get flowers.

A few years ago I planted tomatoes, corn, green beans, green peppers, and watermelon. I got a few small melons that were very tasty. :) The rest of the plants produced enough for the girls an myself with some to give to friends, especially the tomatoes and peppers.

I haven't decided if I'm putting in the vegetable garden or not yet. Governor Terminator has declared the state in a severe drought and will enact serious water restrictions. I don't want to put in the garden and find out I can't water it. :mad:

[ThongPrincess]

As I left the house to go coach, I noticed my 1st Tulip getting ready to open. On closer look at the garden, it looks like a few of the Irises are soon to be in bloom also. My Roses started to flower last week. Spring is finally in the air!

[Jord_84]

My crocus should bloom soon, and my tulips are up about 3 inches out of the ground....haven't gotten a chance to check on my hyacinths yet...but it's looking like an early spring for us here.

[The KingPin]

As I left the house to go coach, I noticed my 1st Tulip getting ready to open. On closer look at the garden, it looks like a few of the Irises are soon to be in bloom also. My Roses started to flower last week. Spring is finally in the air!


That is great. I am thinking about going with some of these companies that have set garden designs for a set price. Maybe it will all come out looking good.



My crocus should bloom soon, and my tulips are up about 3 inches out of the ground....haven't gotten a chance to check on my hyacinths yet...but it's looking like an early spring for us here.

I hope with time I will learn all of the names of flowers I will have. Maybe even the Latin names! Ok probably not. lol

[kev3inp]

Early spring? Hmm, is this evidence of global warming? I used to garden when I lived in rural Indiana and there weren't many squirrels around. What I had problems with were rabbits. It's kind of an old wives tale, but a border of marigolds did seem to discourage them. We grew corn, tomatoes, onions, garlic, watermelons, peas and herbs. Watermelons were very aggressive. I learned to hate weeding.

They sell roses down here, but I never see them growing anyplace. I suspect all the molds and fungus kill them off. They grew great up north.

[Jord_84]

I love growing roses...but the new problem with them are the Chinese beetles. The beetles cling to them in the masses and eat all the petals, often before they even open up. You can kill them with a solution of soapy water...but they burrow so far down between the petals you practically destroy the flower yourself just trying to get rid of all the darn beetles.

I don't remember seeing them around here when I was a kid....now they swarm us in the summer and eat pretty much anything that grows.

[Jord_84]

Early spring? Hmm, is this evidence of global warming?
It's called a warming trend. Global warming is a term concocted by Al Gore.:D

[BXTECH]

U know the usual perrenials, tulips, marigolds, "green tomatos", Roemary.

[ThongPrincess]

I love growing roses...but the new problem with them are the Chinese beetles. The beetles cling to them in the masses and eat all the petals, often before they even open up. You can kill them with a solution of soapy water...but they burrow so far down between the petals you practically destroy the flower yourself just trying to get rid of all the darn beetles.

I don't remember seeing them around here when I was a kid....now they swarm us in the summer and eat pretty much anything that grows.

I would be crushed if we had those here. I have always had a love of roses. When we were kids my mom had at least a dozen bushes in and around the yard. I remember asking to cut flowers and going out and cutting a bunch of roses and filling vases. Then there was always the few that went to school for the teacher.

On the way to Ventura some of the hillsides were covered with California Poppies, a beautiful display.

[kev3inp]

It's called a warming trend. Global warming is a term concocted by Al Gore.:D


If you say so. If he's wrong there's no harm, but if he's right?? I keep hearing about glaciers and polar ice disappearing. It must be local there too. :rolleyes:

[Jord_84]

If Al Gore loves the environment so much...why does he keep sending me stuff asking for donations to save the polar bears...he's wasting paper from poor, innocent trees.
Al Gore is the reason we have global warming....he's just distracted you with all these accusations against Co2 emissions!




j/k
I'm a little sick of the global warming debate and it's making me a little more sarcastic than normal!

[ThongPrincess]

Al Gore is the reason we have global warming....he's just distracted you with all these accusations against Co2 emissions!


:D LOL - wasn't he accused of claiming to have invented the internet? I guess he can add something else to his list of accomplishments :p

BTW I voted for him over Bush.

[The KingPin]

So leaning away from politics...lol

I am hoping to get some perennials and hopefully they will grow good here in Colorado

[Jord_84]

BTW I voted for him over Bush.
I would have, had I been old enough to vote at that time lol
wow, that was a long time ago lol


So leaning away from politics...lol

I am hoping to get some perennials and hopefully they will grow good here in Colorado
I'd go to www.gurneys.com

go to the "find zone" at the top of the page. There are 10 different climate zones in the U.S.
Look up your location on the map, find out which zone you're in. All of the plants on their website and in the catalog will list which zones they should be planted in. That should give you a good idea of what will grow well in Colorado.

[ThongPrincess]

I would have, had I been old enough to vote at that time lol
wow, that was a long time ago lol


Are you saying I'm old :mad: Well I AM older than dirt according to a friend in my Sunday league ;)

Okay, back on topic:

Another place for seeds and plants by zone is Burpees at www.burpee.com or a visit to your local garden center. I usually look in the catalogs and then head to OSH, Home Depot, or Lowes and buy.

[Jord_84]

Are you saying I'm old :mad: Well I AM older than dirt according to a friend in my Sunday league ;)

no no no no no! I'm definitely NOT saying that!

I was going to reply saying I voted for Gore....but then I remembered the Bush/Kerry election was the first one I was able to vote in. Hard to believe the Gore/Bush election was already 9 years ago.

Back on topic: I think I might have to order something off the internet....they have got a blueberry bush that grows in a container! It grows to about 1 1/2 ft wide and 2 ft tall.....I'm thinking that might be fun to put out on our porch. The kids can pick berries in july!

I'm excited lol :D
I've never seen one for a container at home depot or lowes.

[kev3inp]

I guess it all depends on whether you believe in the current state of science or if you think the earth is only around 6000 years old. Science tests and confirms or rejects hypotheses. I'm pretty sure "faith" doesn't work that way. If science is so wrong, I must have been mistaken about the hazards of second hand smoke and I'll issue an apology to Twixt and Tweener immediately. ;) Whatever, it doesn't matter to me. It's hot here most of the time anyway.

Oh, and I've ordered from both of those seed catalogs before, and I have to prefer Burpees. Got to love a site that sounds like miniature burps. ;)

[Jord_84]

I should get my husband to post here....he's the reason for my sarcasm/ hate of the global warming debate.

He maintains that it's just theory and that there is scientific evidence that disproves it.

he's also the reason for my sarcasm/ hate of politics lol

[ThongPrincess]

I went out to look at the garden and was pleasantly surprised to find three Daffodils open. The one tulip is close to opening, a bright red-orange and it looks like several of the irises are close to opening also. Last year it was mostly green and very few flowers bloomed, so this is exciting. :D

[Jord_84]

My crocus' opened yesterday and it looks like my hostas are springing back to life, I'm so glad winter is on it's way out.

[The KingPin]

Are you saying I'm old :mad: Well I AM older than dirt according to a friend in my Sunday league ;)

Okay, back on topic:

Another place for seeds and plants by zone is Burpees at www.burpee.com (http://www.burpee.com) or a visit to your local garden center. I usually look in the catalogs and then head to OSH, Home Depot, or Lowes and buy.


Great sig by the way!!!

[ThongPrincess]

Great sig by the way!!!

Thank you. I was avoiding grading Math tests and decided it was time for a change. Tomorrow is soon enough for the tests to get scored ;)

[The KingPin]

I am looking at some companies with good results. I found a site I think its Daves garden and it has reviews of garden companies. So I think that may really help. There are some real horror stories out there.

[No Open Tenths]

How did I miss this thread!
I will be cutting sod and doubledigging my bed this coming week. I actually took vacation from work to get it done.
I plan on a small plot 3ft wide 20ft long in the side yard that gets sun most of the day. I really haven't decided on what I'm going to grow yet but do plan on a small herb garden in a container as well. Our last frost date here is still about a month away anyway so I still have time to decide on what I will plant.
When I was growing up we had a huge garden on our city lot ~ 10 raised beds. We grew alot of our food. My dad said we were "economical vegetarians" cause we couldn't afford meat! lol.
I will update with how the project is coming along. It's gonna be a great week, doing the garden and going to bowl state tournament on the weekend.

[kev3inp]

Hey, Kingpin, how'd that snow affect your garden? I hope you didn't get everything in before this happened. It looked like the dead of winter on the news.

No Open Tenths, your last frost is a little later than mine was back in Chicago. We did get a foot of snow one April 22nd, as I recall. Just watch out if you plant squash or watermelon. Those plants are quite aggressive and will try to strangle the rest of the garden if they can. And plant about half the tomatoes you think you'll need. Unless you like a whole boatload of tomatoes! If you like Mexican, think about planting a salsa garden. Tomatoes, onions, garlic, peppers and cilantro. Nothing like fresh salsa. Tomatillos don't grow well up there, though.

[No Open Tenths]

I probably won't plant any tomatoes in my garden as my dad always ends up with way to many from his. I'll be doing alot of canning when harvest time comes. I think I'm going to grow mostly greens, and maybe some peppers. I will have Cilantro in the herb garden, and I think I'm too late on the garlic for this year put will try to do some for next year.