What Are Some Tips for Successful Gardening?

[Evo]

AARGGH, I was editing my post and someone messed it up!

I went to the dentist and I am in pain. And part of my face isn't moving. And I'm allergic to my hypo-allergenic eye makeup and my eyes are swollen and burning.

 

[Borg]

This was fun. Thanks for the support. I've got to go though - my wife has two feet that she claims are in desperate need of a massage. Hope you're feeling better soon again Evo.

 

[rhody]

Hmmmm.

Just don't pick her peppers!

Oh God, Astro, wouldn't that be a hoot, grow a monster trinidad scorpion tantalizingly close to the street, property line. I can just imagine what some poor unsuspecting soul would do when they took a good bite out of one of those suckers. Oh, the pain, building and building for ten minutes. Ok, I am having way too much fun here and only semi-serious.

Rhody...

 

[dlgoff]

One year I decided to plant dafodils, tulips. and hyacinths. I spent days digging up and de-clodding a bed all around the front of the house. I added new soil, conditioners and bone meal, I paid a fortune for imported bulbs. I finally got it all planted and put a little fence border around them.

One day before they were about to come up, I went outside and the neighbor's mutt was loose again and had dug up and chewed every last bulb, well, except the last one he was still chewing. These people were just totally clueless. If they hadn't come up yet, what damage did he do?

Dang Evo. This happened to me, albeit it was one of my X's who managed to get a couple hundred dollars worth of bulbs dug up and gone while I was at work.

 

[Borg]

Grandma and granddaughter just rang my doorbell and dropped off some new daffodils. Apparently the little girl was the guilty party. It was pretty funny seeing her hide behind the fence while she apologized.

 

[Evo]

Grandma and granddaughter just rang my doorbell and dropped off some new daffodils. Apparently the little girl was the guilty party. It was pretty funny seeing her hide behind the fence while she apologized.

Good, I'm glad to hear that some people still do the right thing. Maybe there is hope.

 

[Borg]

Good, I'm glad to hear that some people still do the right thing. Maybe there is hope.

It definitely warmed my heart.

 

[turbo]

Daffodils are tough! One of my neighbors claims that they have to be allowed to blossom and put out greens every year, or the bulbs will not be able to survive. Tell that to the border of the daffodils on the north end of my garden that I mow every year with my John Deere, and which come back every year without fail. There are others planted nearer the road (and subjected to road-salt and other stresses) that flower every year. Some flowering plants are pretty tough.

 

[rhody]

It definitely warmed my heart.

What a sweet evil little child... hehe...

Rhody... I know, I know, stop poking threads that should fade naturally, sorry, I couldn't resist.

 

[turbo]

I have a saw-whet owl in the woods on the other side of my back-yard pond. He's been calling regularly, looking for a mate. Very monotonous call that sounds like back-up alarm on heavy equipment. They are tiny, but can kill lots of mice and voles, especially when their chicks hatch and need to be fed. Luckily, there are a lot of pileated woodpeckers up here, so nest-holes in trees are plentiful.

 

[Monique]

This is slightly unrelated to the thread, since I'm not growing hot stuff, but instead sweet stuff: peaches. Since there's a lot of talk about growing plants in this thread, I thought it would be the best place to get a word of advice.

I have this bonsai peach tree on my roof terrace, which has already flowered (early March) but since then it's been 1) hot and 2) cold (in that order). The leaves look really weird: like they've melted (see the picture). Is this caused by a sunburn or cold it be frost damage? I'm wondering whether I should move it to a more shaded area, which won't be easy on the terrace.

 

[Evo]

This is slightly unrelated to the thread, since I'm not growing hot stuff, but instead sweet stuff: peaches. Since there's a lot of talk about growing plants in this thread, I thought it would be the best place to get a word of advice.

I have this bonsai peach tree on my roof terrace, which has already flowered (early March) but since then it's been 1) hot and 2) cold (in that order). The leaves look really weird: like they've melted (see the picture). Is this caused by a sunburn or cold it be frost damage? I'm wondering whether I should move it to a more shaded area, which won't be easy on the terrace.

It's a fungus called peach leaf curl, my peach tree had it too. Unfortunately you can only treat it at the end of the growing season. My tree did fine the following year.

http://www.umass.edu/fruitadvisor/factsheets/leaf_curl_sheet.htm

http://farmerfredrant.blogspot.com/2011/04/peach-leaf-curl.html

 

[Monique]

It's a fungus called peach leaf curl, my peach tree had it too. Unfortunately you can only treat it at the end of the growing season. My tree did fine the following year.

http://www.umass.edu/fruitadvisor/factsheets/leaf_curl_sheet.htm

http://farmerfredrant.blogspot.com/2011/04/peach-leaf-curl.html

really! Oh boy. I have a plum tree as well that has just awakened, could it be infectious? *edit:* apparently yes, I'll try to paper the trees with some extra fertilizer. Thanks for the sharp eye Evo!

 

[Evo]

really! Oh boy. I have a plum tree as well that has just awakened, could it be infectious?

I don't see anything about this specific fungus infecting plum, but best to keep them apart.

 

[dlgoff]

I don't see anything about this specific fungus infecting plum, but best to keep them apart.

I've been fighting Monilinia fructicola (brown-rot) for years now.

 

[Evo]

I've been fighting Monilinia fructicola (brown-rot) for years now.

What kind of fungicide are you using?

 

[Evo]

Monique, can you post some pictures of your fruit trees? These are in containers?

 

[dlgoff]

What kind of fungicide are you using?

You can't get the good stuff anymore , so I'm using Acme zineb 75w fungicide.

BTW; thanks for moving this here.

 

[feathermoon]

I'm looking to terrace a hillside in my yard that's otherwise junk vines and weeds. Barring any other suggestions, what materials should I use to retain? The beds won't be going above 2-3 feet so it shouldn't be too heavy for the retaining wall, I'm more concerned with cost/aesthetics (railroad ties are out due to creosote concerns).

 

[lisab]

I'm looking to terrace a hillside in my yard that's otherwise junk vines and weeds. Barring any other suggestions, what materials should I use to retain? The beds won't be going above 2-3 feet so it shouldn't be too heavy for the retaining wall, I'm more concerned with cost/aesthetics (railroad ties are out due to creosote concerns).

I like the natural rock look, myself:

http://www.gardeneureka.com/-Newsletter/RockWall_2.jpg

But brick can be very nice too. I'm not sure where you live, but in North America these are common:

http://www.boralbestblock.com/resources/files/customImages/Photo_Album/Keystone_2/PICT0034-1rs.jpg

They can be pretty good, and don't always have to be as formal as in that pic.

 

[Monique]

Monique, can you post some pictures of your fruit trees? These are in containers?

Yes, they are in containers the peach tree I recently bought and the plum tree I received in December. I'm still planning to repot them into a bigger container. The peach is a Prunus Persica Bonza (picture 1), the plum a Prunus Domestica 'Opal' (picture 2), you can also see a pot with 'Curly Lady' (Camellia).

You can also see some containers that have started to sprout leaves, which are Anemones, and I planted a Calla but that first takes a while to take root.

Besides that I'm planning to grow some vegetables, but I'm logistically challenged I also have Mexican Shell Flower bulbs, but I don't know whether I should plant them amongst the Anemones because I think it will be too crowded.

The terrace is double the space as you see in the last picture, but it goes around the corner towards the front of the house and is not boarded.

 

[martix]

How does my garden grow?
Hydroponic, ultra supersonic, that's how!
(couldn't resist... :D)

 

[turbo]

Logistically challenged? You can surely find room for another container and grow cherry tomatoes... Nothing like going out on the deck and popping a couple of ripe cherry tomatoes into your mouth. I have refrained from growing them since we got Duke, because he is a pick-your-own type of guy and the stems and tops (like all nightshade greens) can sicken dogs.

My plum trees have blossomed, as has the peach tree. The cherry tree is ready to follow suit, as are the apple trees. If we can slide by this month with no hard frosts, this fall (harvest) might be fun. I didn't know if I'd have any luck with peach trees at this latitude, but it's the first out of the gate. Tough little bugger.

 

[Evo]

I like the natural rock look, myself:

http://www.gardeneureka.com/-Newsletter/RockWall_2.jpg

I did this at the Pit Of Doom. I actually dug up all of the rocks myself from constructions sites. I love this natural look.

 

[Evo]

Yes, they are in containers the peach tree I recently bought and the plum tree I received in December. I'm still planning to repot them into a bigger container. The peach is a Prunus Persica Bonza (picture 1), the plum a Prunus Domestica 'Opal' (picture 2), you can also see a pot with 'Curly Lady' (Camellia).

You can also see some containers that have started to sprout leaves, which are Anemones, and I planted a Calla but that first takes a while to take root.

Besides that I'm planning to grow some vegetables, but I'm logistically challenged I also have Mexican Shell Flower bulbs, but I don't know whether I should plant them amongst the Anemones because I think it will be too crowded.

The terrace is double the space as you see in the last picture, but it goes around the corner towards the front of the house and is not boarded.

I love your deck! The little trees are a great accent. I adore camelias, but like gardenias, I have the worse luck with the blooms.

 

[Monique]

Logistically challenged? You can surely find room for another container and grow cherry tomatoes...

It's getting the containers and the required potting medium that's been the problem :) The last time we went the car was filled completely with plants (we also bought some indoor plants). I don't have a drivers license, and I live just a bit too far from the flower market to walk the distance with heavy stuff. If it were up to me the entire roof would be a botanical garden

 

[Evo]

It's getting the containers and the required potting medium that's been the problem :) The last time we went the car was filled completely with plants (we also bought some indoor plants). I don't have a drivers license, and I live just a bit too far from the flower market to walk the distance with heavy stuff. If it were up to me the entire roof would be a botanical garden

Aww, well that's something that you can keed adding to.

 

[Monique]

I love your deck! The little trees are a great accent. I adore camelias, but like gardenias, I have the worse luck with the blooms.

I love it too, it has sun from dusk until dawn and it's private since we're the only ones with a terrace. The access is through the window that's ajar in the first picture, making it an adventure to crawl through, keeping in mind that the window in the room is about 7-8 feet high. Hopefully we can install an easier access route soon, there is room available for that (through the hatch in the 3rd picture, lower right).

 

[Pengwuino]

PENG IS GARDENING!

BEWARE![/size]

Four tomatoes, two basil and a bell pepper :)

 

[Evo]

What's the plant to the left of the bell pepper?

When the bell gets bigger, you'll want to repot it into a larger pot, you'll get bigger peppers if it's not root bound.