What Are Some Tips for Successful Gardening?

In summary, we put in a huge garden and had a green thumb from the get-go. We still have a garden, although it's a little smaller now. We mainly grow vegetables, fruits, and flowers. I've been a pretty avid gardener at times but not for eating, just for looking.
  • #3,291
Aphids! AAAARGH!

My eggplants are covered with them. Not wanting to harm the non-existent predatory insects that can kill them, the past few weeks I have been, several times a day, removing and squashing the beasts. I will remove them all, and an hour later, the leaves will be covered again. I tried using some soap formulas, the aphids loved it.

No helpful insects have shown up. I think all of the pesticides the landscapers spray here have eliminated all helpful insects, haven't seen a lady bug or praying mantis yet this year.

So, I'm bringing out the big guns. I have a spray bottle of Sevin, and I'm going to use it. Die you plant suckers, DIE!
 
Physics news on Phys.org
  • #3,292
Wow, one application of Sevin and the aphids are gone. I wish I'd done this a couple of weeks ago.
 
  • #3,293
Aphids and spider-mites can be controlled with a 50:50 solution of Isopropyl alcohol and water with a little Castile liquid soap (not detergent) added to provide a bit of stickiness to keep the other ingredients in contact with the bugs. This solution feeds really well through small hand triggered sprayers. It's safe and cheap and it works.
 
  • #3,294
turbo said:
Aphids and spider-mites can be controlled with a 50:50 solution of Isopropyl alcohol and water with a little Castile liquid soap (not detergent) added to provide a bit of stickiness to keep the other ingredients in contact with the bugs. This solution feeds really well through small hand triggered sprayers. It's safe and cheap and it works.
Thanks turbo, I've read a bunch of articles on that, as I didn't want to use the Sevin if I could avoid it, but blog after blog said it didn't work (alcohol) more often then the ones that said it had some effect. I've done extensive reading on all of the garden forums as well as university agricultural sites over the past couple of weeks, tried a few things, nothing worked, had to go with the Sevin. Although many sites said Sevin wouldn't work on aphids, stating incorrectly that aphids don't eat the plants, so Sevin wouldn't work. But then I read a University site that said Sevin does work because aphids feed on the plant juices. Sevin kills on contact and systematically. Luckily, I don't have bees or other beneficial insects, so I don't feel badly about resorting to Sevin to save my plants. This is the first time in years I've had so many eggplants set, I owe it to the mild weather we've had, eggplants are super finicky. I'd offer you some, but I know you think they taste like cardboard coasters. :biggrin:

BTW, how's your garden this year?
 
  • #3,295
Evo said:
Thanks turbo, I've read a bunch of articles on that, as I didn't want to use the Sevin if I could avoid it, but blog after blog said it didn't work (alcohol) more often then the ones that said it had some effect. I've done extensive reading on all of the garden forums as well as university agricultural sites over the past couple of weeks, tried a few things, nothing worked, had to go with the Sevin. Although many sites said Sevin wouldn't work on aphids, stating incorrectly that aphids don't eat the plants, so Sevin wouldn't work. But then I read a University site that said Sevin does work because aphids feed on the plant juices. Sevin kills on contact and systematically. Luckily, I don't have bees or other beneficial insects, so I don't feel badly about resorting to Sevin to save my plants. This is the first time in years I've had so many eggplants set, I owe it to the mild weather we've had, eggplants are super finicky. I'd offer you some, but I know you think they taste like cardboard coasters. :biggrin:

BTW, how's your garden this year?

I once bought a tub of lady bugs at a garden shop to fix an aphid problem. I called over some neighbor kids to watch the release. As soon as I released them, they, erm, got busy :redface:. Turns out they were not all ladies, and the ones that were ladies were not at all lady-like. More like bug hussies. It was a freakin' bug orgy!

The neighbor kids got a bit of nature education, I guess.

It kind of worked. The aphid population was significantly reduced, not 100% though. The lady bugs were about $10 I think.
 
  • #3,296
lisab said:
I once bought a tub of lady bugs at a garden shop to fix an aphid problem. I called over some neighbor kids to watch the release. As soon as I released them, they, erm, got busy :redface:. Turns out they were not all ladies, and the ones that were ladies were not at all lady-like. More like bug hussies. It was a freakin' bug orgy!

The neighbor kids got a bit of nature education, I guess.

It kind of worked. The aphid population was significantly reduced, not 100% though. The lady bugs were about $10 I think.
Thanks, lisa. I have tons of lady-bugs, so aphids are not much of a problem, though spider-mites can be. I wish the yellow-throats and phoebes would not eat lady-bugs, though.
 
  • #3,297
Looks like this year is the year of the Roses. All my roses are growing like mad, even after I pruned them earlier this spring.

The three rose bushes near my front door are doing extremely well. They are so colorful and vibrant, neighbors walking in front of the house have commented on how bright they are. The flowers also are larger than they were last year. I did give then the same amount of fertilizers as last year early this spring, so not sure what's different this year.

hdnn.jpg


epkt.jpg


I bought three tea rose bushes earlier this spring to add to the front yard. These have deep red flowers, and they should also have bigger flowers than the one above. I was surprised that they already started blooming. I see several more buds that have yet to open. So far the flowers are fair in size, and I'm hoping that once they settle down, the flowers next year should be larger.
pn0g.jpg


f7vp.jpg


On a slightly different but related topic, when we bought the house almost 3 years ago, we inherited this metal post along the front driveway. It looks like it is a remnant of a basketball post. We wanted to get rid of it, but this is the case where it is a disadvantage that it was built too well. The landscaper company said that since it's buried in concrete, it will take quite an effort to dig it out, etc., and I didn't want to spend THAT much money just to get rid of a post.

So, following my life theme of turning lemons into lemonades, this year, I decided to mount hanging hooks on the post, and I made 4 hanging baskets to hang off the post. At least now the eye sore has been turned into something decorative. Neighbor across the street and next to us asked us when we put up the post! :) I had to tell them that it had been there all this while, and that I'm just re-purposing it! :)

Here is what it looks like:

0dwb.jpg


Now I just have to think of something clever to do with it during the holiday/winter months.

Zz.
 
  • #3,298
Beautiful roses Zz, did you know that at one time I was a member of the ARS and local chapter, had over 80 rose bushes, and planted them in raised "themed" beds with walkways between? I had Ginger Rogers planted next to Fred Astaire, Bob Hope paired with Bing Crosby. I think I have pictures in some boxes in storage. One of my all time favorites was my Chrysler Imperial, a six foot tall bush that had 80 huge blooms on it at once. Gorgeous deep red and intoxicating fragrance. My Mister Lincoln rose was another favorite.

I love your clever use of the pole.
 
  • #3,299
I wish I am more educated about roses as you are, Evo. I'm just starting to get into it, and I don't even know the varietal that I currently have. I will have to start learning about it the way I did with orchids.

Zz.
 
  • #3,300
ZapperZ said:
I wish I am more educated about roses as you are, Evo. I'm just starting to get into it, and I don't even know the varietal that I currently have. I will have to start learning about it the way I did with orchids.

Zz.
With your success with orchids, you will find roses very forgiving and easy to have success. Do start paying attention to the names of the roses, you will be able to find lots of information on them. Tea roses are my favorite, the fullness, the fragrance, the shape.

My girlfriend at work was really obsessed and a new "mauve" rose had just been released, so she got us some. They weren't mauve, they were a sickly grey, we named them "death warmed over". They were all "pruned with a shovel" as she would put it, to make way for better plants.
 
  • #3,301
Evo said:
Beautiful roses Zz, did you know that at one time I was a member of the ARS and local chapter, had over 80 rose bushes, and planted them in raised "themed" beds with walkways between? I had Ginger Rogers planted next to Fred Astaire, Bob Hope paired with Bing Crosby. I think I have pictures in some boxes in storage. One of my all time favorites was my Chrysler Imperial, a six foot tall bush that had 80 huge blooms on it at once. Gorgeous deep red and intoxicating fragrance. My Mister Lincoln rose was another favorite.

I love your clever use of the pole.

My inner adolescent giggled at the idea of an ARS club :redface:.
 
  • #3,302
My wife likes growing flowers, and populating our front lawn with them. That's good, since there is less mowing for me. This is best year ever for poppies, with more to come. Big, showy red blooms with bluish centers and tiny black seeds. The plants aren't all that showy, but the flowers are killer.

Lupines are another favorite, and they spread like crazy. I wish some of these invasive flowering plants would take over, so I have less grass to mow.

Dennis Moore had the right idea, but handing cut lupine blossoms to poor people didn't endear him to them.
 
  • #3,303
ZapperZ said:
Looks like this year is the year of the Roses. All my roses are growing like mad, even after I pruned them earlier this spring.

The three rose bushes near my front door are doing extremely well. They are so colorful and vibrant, neighbors walking in front of the house have commented on how bright they are. The flowers also are larger than they were last year. I did give then the same amount of fertilizers as last year early this spring, so not sure what's different this year.

I bought three tea rose bushes earlier this spring to add to the front yard. These have deep red flowers, and they should also have bigger flowers than the one above. I was surprised that they already started blooming. I see several more buds that have yet to open. So far the flowers are fair in size, and I'm hoping that once they settle down, the flowers next year should be larger.

On a slightly different but related topic, when we bought the house almost 3 years ago, we inherited this metal post along the front driveway. It looks like it is a remnant of a basketball post. We wanted to get rid of it, but this is the case where it is a disadvantage that it was built too well. The landscaper company said that since it's buried in concrete, it will take quite an effort to dig it out, etc., and I didn't want to spend THAT much money just to get rid of a post.

So, following my life theme of turning lemons into lemonades, this year, I decided to mount hanging hooks on the post, and I made 4 hanging baskets to hang off the post. At least now the eye sore has been turned into something decorative. Neighbor across the street and next to us asked us when we put up the post! :) I had to tell them that it had been there all this while, and that I'm just re-purposing it! :)

. . . .

Zz.
Nice garden, Zz!
 
  • #3,304
dlgoff said:
Looks like strawberries even after 60mph winds the day before yesterday.

I just made these strawberry spreads and toppings.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
  • #3,305
Very nice dl!
 
  • #3,306
dlgoff said:
I just made these strawberry spreads and toppings.
I wish you lived near me. I would like to engage in a swap program. Soon, my garlic plants will throw out scapes, so if you like the taste of green onions/garlic I could give you a lot of them. Scapes are quite delicate (contrary to their appearance), and do not fare well under shipment. I have to give them out locally, and there is no reason to give them to people who are clueless about cooking. Scapes should be chopped and stir-fried like green onions to get the best out of them.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
  • #3,307
turbo said:
I would like to engage in a swap program. ... if you like the taste of green onions/garlic I could give you a lot of them.
:!) And we could swap lots of stories as we're eating.
 
  • #3,308
dlgoff said:
:!) And we could swap lots of stories as we're eating.
That would work for me.
 
  • #3,309
Looks like Blackberries. I see canning in my future.




 
Last edited by a moderator:
  • #3,310
Yumm, I love blackberries.

I have this plant that I don't know what species it is, does anyone recognize it?
 

Attachments

  • photo-1.jpg
    photo-1.jpg
    45.8 KB · Views: 410
  • #3,311
Monique said:
Yumm, I love blackberries.

I have this plant that I don't know what species it is, does anyone recognize it?
The flowers are familiar, but I'm stumped on the plant. Maybe when I'm fully awake I'll think of it. I'm jealous, I want one.
 
  • #3,312
Yeah I love the plant, I bought it at a garden centre and there was only one plant. It had a tag on it, but when I came home I noticed that there was no useful information on it. Worse is that I think I threw the tag away, otherwise I could have used the product code to inform at the centre..

I don't think it's legal to send seeds to the US, otherwise I'd send some over if it produces some. It reminded me of a puppy ear plant that I had, some cuteness factor (image not mine). What would be the proper name for the bulb that it grows out of, not a rhizome right?

2144_Sinningia%20leucotricha%20tor06_schroedersecker_myhr.jpg
 
  • #3,313
dlgoff said:
Looks like Blackberries. I see canning in my future.

Here's the start of the process.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
  • #3,314
turbo said:
...Soon, my garlic plants will throw out scapes, so if you like the taste of green onions/garlic I could give you a lot of them. Scapes are quite delicate (contrary to their appearance), and do not fare well under shipment. I have to give them out locally, and there is no reason to give them to people who are clueless about cooking. Scapes should be chopped and stir-fried like green onions to get the best out of them.

We had a great garlic crop again this summer, scapes were delicious.. I also stir fry mine up :smile: I just set out new cloves in the garden for next season. With such a warm autumn, planting them by Halloween seemed about right. :wink:

I also dug in some well composted chicken manure from the laying hens in the garlic bed before planting.. After treating rhubarb bed last autumn with manure the new rhubarb stalks grew like no tomorrow. I vacuum bagged and froze quite a few for the winter :biggrin:
 
  • #3,315
Ouabache said:
We had a great garlic crop again this summer, scapes were delicious.. I also stir fry mine up :smile: I just set out new cloves in the garden for next season. With such a warm autumn, planting them by Halloween seemed about right. :wink:

I also dug in some well composted chicken manure from the laying hens in the garlic bed before planting.. After treating rhubarb bed last autumn with manure the new rhubarb stalks grew like no tomorrow. I vacuum bagged and froze quite a few for the winter :biggrin:
I wish I had a garden again. I've never grown garlic, but at my last house we had wild onions growing everywhere and the scapes tasted just like garlic, One day I decided to saute some, and I was hooked.
 
  • #3,316
Ok, I finally gave in, looking at the beautiful orchids that ZapperZ and ~christina~ have grown, I am going to try my hand at them.

I just bought a teeny tiny orchid to start with, anyone know which one it is? Of course it is in a tiny ceramic pot with no drainage holes, so once it fishes blooming, I will transplant it into something that will allow it to live. Is this article correct? I know that when I went to the orchid farm in Thailand, that all of the orchids were just hanging from suspended pipes in the air.

http://houseplants.about.com/od/growingorchidsinside/a/Orchidshouse.htm

I am naming my orchid ZapperZina after Zz and christina. :!)
 

Attachments

  • ZapperZina.jpg
    ZapperZina.jpg
    26.6 KB · Views: 487
Last edited:
  • #3,317
Evo said:
Ok, I finally gave in, looking at the beautiful orchids that ZapperZ and ~christina~ have grown, I am going to try my hand at them.

I just bought a teeny tiny orchid to start with, anyone know which one it is? Of course it is in a tiny ceramic pot with no drainage holes, so once it fishes blooming, I will transplant it into something that will allow it to live. Is this article correct? I know that when I went to the orchid farm in Thailand, that all of the orchids were just hanging from suspended pipes in the air.

http://houseplants.about.com/od/growingorchidsinside/a/Orchidshouse.htm

I am naming my orchid ZapperZina after Zz and christina. :!)

attachment.php?attachmentid=64369&d=1385693344.jpg
Sounds like a great project.

One may wish to cross reference the advice from about.com with information from the American Orchid Society.
http://www.aos.org/Default.aspx?id=72

Outdoor gardening season ended abruptly two weeks ago when we had our first freeze. I was not quick to cover the plants. Besides, deer ate down our peppers and chard :mad: , and caterpillars (cabbage moth?) ate our kale (first time that ever happened).
 
  • #3,318
Evo said:
Ok, I finally gave in, looking at the beautiful orchids that ZapperZ and ~christina~ have grown, I am going to try my hand at them.

I just bought a teeny tiny orchid to start with, anyone know which one it is? Of course it is in a tiny ceramic pot with no drainage holes, so once it fishes blooming, I will transplant it into something that will allow it to live. Is this article correct? I know that when I went to the orchid farm in Thailand, that all of the orchids were just hanging from suspended pipes in the air.

http://houseplants.about.com/od/growingorchidsinside/a/Orchidshouse.htm

I am naming my orchid ZapperZina after Zz and christina. :!)

I have a baby!

Zz.
 
  • #3,319
ZapperZ said:
I have a baby!

Zz.
I hope I don't kill your baby by loving it to death. I always second guess myself when I'm not familiar with a plant.

It is so cute, it looks big in that picture, but the flowers are only an inch across.
 
  • #3,321
Good that you have covers, did you get hit by that hail storm today?
 
  • #3,322
dlgoff said:
Here's what the garden looks like. Not green yet.
wGTbfdg.jpg

Those individual covers look way too fiddly and time consuming. Commercial growers in the UK just cover the whole field with plastic sheet. The crops don't mind being "sqashed" underneath for a short time.

They cover the ground for a while before planting, to warm up the soil temperature both by stopping night time heat radiation, and keeping cold rainwater out.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/ag...lake-of-plastic-captured-in-aerial-image.html
 
  • #3,323
Evo said:
Good that you have covers, did you get hit by that hail storm today?
No hail but lots of wind right now (on top of this hill, probably guest of 45+mph). Glad I have them covered, as they would be getting riddled.

AlephZero said:
Those individual covers look way too fiddly and time consuming. Commercial growers in the UK just cover the whole field with plastic sheet. The crops don't mind being "sqashed" underneath for a short time.

They cover the ground for a while before planting, to warm up the soil temperature both by stopping night time heat radiation, and keeping cold rainwater out.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/ag...lake-of-plastic-captured-in-aerial-image.html
I've had these paper caps for over 30 years.

Hot-Kaps.jpg


I've only had these cauliflower plants in the ground for 3 days and will be removing them tomorrow. I used them because we were headed for -6°C the evening I planted them. I took a peek under one this morning and all looked well; green and not cramped. These were greenhouse starters and when placing in the loose soil, placing these caps only required the time to put a couple hands full of soil on their base.
 
  • #3,324
Technically not the garden but still ...

xKZBFdf.jpg


LVYvrz5.jpg


rHVVNIM.jpg
 
  • #3,325
Beautiful!
 

Hot Threads

Recent Insights

Back
Top