What Are Some Tips for Successful Gardening?

[lisab]

So, I finished digging all of the good top soil out of the pathways - no need to have such valuable soil in a path that is going to be covered with cedar chips. Then I watered the beds to compact the dirt a bit, and the mud ran into the cracks between the bricks and set, sort of like mortar.

In this pic, the inspector comes out to survey my work - she was not very impressed.

 

[Moonbear]

It's coming along very well, lisa. I've decided that any landscaping at my new house beyond planting free bulbs into existing beds around the house is going to have to wait until next year. Wanna visit next year?

 

[Ouabache]

In this pic, the inspector comes out to survey my work - she was not very impressed.

She appears to be deciding which new kitty box to try out first!

 

[baywax]

My taxes pay for the gardening and up keep of the city's countless cherry blossom trees. The number of these trees in the city is matched only by the multitudes of cherry blossoms in Washington DC.

These ones are on campus at the U of BC.

http://vancouver.ca/parks/parks/vandusen/website/cherryTrees/images/h_cherryBlossom.jpg

 

[baywax]

Nice work Lisab... !

Are your plots covering up some gigantic NW sasquatch foot prints?

 

[Astronuc]

She appears to be deciding which new kitty box to try out first!

When I was a youngster, our cats used to frequent the garden for that purpose.


Last Monday, we apparently had sleet. I was indoors, so I thought we had had rain. By Saturday, we had a record high, and Sunday was close. Fortunately it's cooled off a little, at least during the night.

I planted some kale and worked on the berry patches. The strawberries were removed, and I dug up the entire plot and mixed in new composted cow manure and top soil. We'll return the strawberries and add new ones to the patch. The rhubard I thought I had lost came back, and I bought some new plants.

The raspberries, blackberries and blueberries have budded and the leaves have started to open. New blackberry and raspberry canes have emerges and are growing rapidly. I've had to removed some raspberry plants from the strawberry patch.

I started some Swiss chard and various peppers including habaneros and pepperoncinis from seed, and I have some cayenne seedling to plant once we're sure we won't get an overnight frost.

 

[turbo]

Yesterday, I planted a cold-hardy climbing rose bush near the mast of our TV antenna, so it would have a handy trellis. I dug a large hole, lined it with composted manure, then back-filled the hole with the rest of the manure - 40# in all. I dug up a patch of bee-balm that had been spreading, but was languishing (stunted) in sandy soil, and my wife transplanted those plants in an area in front of the patio that I rototilled on Saturday. She also planted a variety of bulbs, and set a bunch of pansies in that bed. It's nice to get back to playing in the dirt.

 

[ZapperZ]

Update on my orchids.

Purple is about to reach its peak bloom. This is going to be spectacular and could be the best ever since I had this plant for the past 4 years.

Notice that, as I've said earlier, the flowering stalk actually split into two, and each one of them are blooming separately. If you look in the picture, there's another stalk to the left of the picture in which most of the buds are yet to open.

I expect that it will be another 3 weeks before all of them are fully open, and then there should be another month or so where I will be able to enjoy the full bloom. I've been giving it some weak amount of orchid fertilizer once a week when I water it. I'm keeping the same pattern, and the same location in the house, trying not to disrupt it during the blooming period.

Zz.

 

[Astronuc]

Update on my orchids.

Purple is about to reach its peak bloom. This is going to be spectacular and could be the best ever since I had this plant for the past 4 years.

Notice that, as I've said earlier, the flowering stalk actually split into two, and each one of them are blooming separately. If you look in the picture, there's another stalk to the left of the picture in which most of the buds are yet to open.

I expect that it will be another 3 weeks before all of them are fully open, and then there should be another month or so where I will be able to enjoy the full bloom. I've been giving it some weak amount of orchid fertilizer once a week when I water it. I'm keeping the same pattern, and the same location in the house, trying not to disrupt it during the blooming period.

Zz.

That is quite a spectacular plant! Very appropriate for Evo's birthday.

Are those clips shaped like dragonflies?

 

[ZapperZ]

Are those clips shaped like dragonflies?

Yup! You are way too observant!

:)

Zz.

 

[Astronuc]

Yup! You are way too observant!

:)

Zz.

Well, I think dragonflies are very cool, so those clips stand out.

 

[turbo]

Today, I started working on the wood-pile and continued getting last winter's wood under cover for the next heating season. My wife went up the road with a bone and some fat from this morning's Porterhouse steak breakfast, as a treat for a neighbor's dog. She came back about an hour later and said that I had to bring my tractor to their place. My first load back was a bunch of forsythia bushes. My second load was an entire bucketful of hostas. Before we had gotten those in the ground, the neighbor wandered up with grand-children in tow hauling a landscape wagon full of lovage and chives that they had divided. Now we've got those in the ground, too. Wow!

I'll try to catch up with the wood-pile tomorrow. Now that I have a decent tractor and can gather stones, I expect to have some attractive raised-bed gardens built before the summer is out. It'll be a few years before I've gotten most of the landscaping done even to the basic level that I envision, but I have time.

 

[lisab]

Got the paths in today...2 ¹/₂ cubic yards of cedar chips.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Got the paths in today...2 ¹/₂ cubic yards of cedar chips.

Beautiful!

 

[Ivan Seeking]

What do the stones cost that are used for the beds?

 

[Evo]

This year I have decided to an all-turbo pepper garden in part of my patio. I bought several varieties, none hot though. I have mexibell http://www.bonnieplants.com/tabid/420/p/943/Default.aspx

New Mexico Big Jim, Poblano, TAM jalapenos, Cubanelle, Fajita Bell http://www.bonnieplants.com/tabid/420/p/934/Default.aspx

I am going to be adding to the variety in the next few days.

 

[Evo]

Update on my orchids.

Purple is about to reach its peak bloom. This is going to be spectacular and could be the best ever since I had this plant for the past 4 years.

Zz.

Zz, that is gorgeous! I was at the plant store today and they had a large variety of spectacular orchids, and I thought of you. I am planning to go back tomorrow and buy several, I didn't have the time to do it today.

 

[lisab]

What do the stones cost that are used for the beds?

Eek...not cheap. $1.69 each, but over half of them were recycled from a previous project.

They're available from http://www.mutualmaterials.com/homeowner_projectideas.asp?pt_id=32&pc_id=19&pi_id=25" right where we are, Ivan...they're made in Oregon, Washington, and BC. But I bet there are similar products everywhere.

 

[Astronuc]

Orchids are really cool. They are one of the group of epiphytes.
http://rainforests.mongabay.com/0405.htm

This looks similar to Zz's purple orchid.
http://travel.mongabay.com/pictures/0283_lavender_orchids.html

 

[Evo]

Got the paths in today...2 ¹/₂ cubic yards of cedar chips.

Lisab, that's gorgeous! You should meet up with my firnd bitjumper. He lives outside of Portland and has done something similar with his new house. His last house was on the cover of Better Homes and Gardens.

 

[lisab]

Lisab, that's gorgeous! You should meet up with my firnd bitjumper. He lives outside of Portland and has done something similar with his new house. His last house was on the cover of Better Homes and Gardens.

WOW :!) ! No way I'm even close to his league. Bitjumper really knows what he's doing...you can definitely sense that it was made by a human, but it follows so perfectly a natural landscape. Absolutely fantastic!

 

[Evo]

WOW :!) ! No way I'm even close to his league. Bitjumper really knows what he's doing...you can definitely sense that it was made by a human, but it follows so perfectly a natural landscape. Absolutely fantastic!

Eh, that was his old house. I just LOVE what you are doing to your place! That's something that speaks to my heart and soul!

He's doing something similar to his new place and he's near you, so the climate is the same.

I believe he has the progression on-line, you two could exchange hints.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Eek...not cheap. $1.69 each, but over half of them were recycled from a previous project.

They're available from a local company right where we are, Ivan...they're made in Oregon, Washington, and BC. But I bet there are similar products everywhere.

Haha, I've done work for them before. Nothing like a day in a brick factory to torch a hard drive!

I do like those. We need something to formalize the boundary for the driveway, but we would need a bunch.

 

[hypatia]

I love what every is doing. From the blooming beauty that Zz has, to lisas landscaping. I started seeds early indoors this year, they are outdoors hardening off right now. I'll plant by Mothers day.

 

[turbo]

This year I have decided to an all-turbo pepper garden in part of my patio. I bought several varieties, none hot though. I have mexibell http://www.bonnieplants.com/tabid/420/p/943/Default.aspx

New Mexico Big Jim, Poblano, TAM jalapenos, Cubanelle, Fajita Bell http://www.bonnieplants.com/tabid/420/p/934/Default.aspx

I am going to be adding to the variety in the next few days.

Hungarian wax chilies are fantastic producers and the peppers are a tad milder than jalapenos. They are fantastic in stir-fry dishes, in flavor, odor, and color. (hint, hint)

 

[Evo]

No one is going to believe me. I wouldn't believe me. But I swear to God that I did not touch this thing!

When I went outside this morning, I noticed some mushrooms in the grass. Then I noticed something VERY ODD about one that was standing off to the side and staring directly into my back door.

I got closer and AAARRRGGGHH!

This is it, unretouched, I only folded a blade of grass down so you could see it clearly.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

 

[Astronuc]

No one is going to believe me. I wouldn't believe me. But I swear to God that I did not touch this thing!

When I went outside this morning, I noticed some mushrooms in the grass. Then I noticed something VERY ODD about one that was standing off to the side and staring directly into my back door.

I got closer and AAARRRGGGHH!

This is it, unretouched, I only folded a blade of grass down so you could see it clearly.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

You had a visit from Edvard Munch or his ghost or one of his descendents?

Perhaps something nibbled on it.

You could ask Red Rum perhaps.

 

[Evo]

Another view.

 

[Borek]

WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

They are after you?

 

[turbo]

It means "don't eat wild mushrooms!"

 

[Ivan Seeking]

It's a baby Triffid!

 

[Borek]

It may also mean snails in your garden are artistically inclined.

 

[lisab]

No one is going to believe me. I wouldn't believe me. But I swear to God that I did not touch this thing!

When I went outside this morning, I noticed some mushrooms in the grass. Then I noticed something VERY ODD about one that was standing off to the side and staring directly into my back door.

I got closer and AAARRRGGGHH!

This is it, unretouched, I only folded a blade of grass down so you could see it clearly.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

Too funny!

 

[Ms Music]

Another view.

Hee hee... I want one!

It looks like it witnessed something disturbing and disgusting... Since Borek mentioned snails, made me think of a picture I took of slugs doing the nasty...

 

[lisab]

In the home stretch with this project.

Topped off the raised beds with some good soil, and I got some starts in this weekend (cucumbers, zucchini, pumpkin, tomato, several types of lettuce). And I planted some flower seeds (sunflower, poppy, lupine).

Had to put up a temporary fence to keep the dog out ...sort of messes up the aesthetics. Oh well.

Here's a friendly garden corvid (I'm an admirer of corvids...a passion I share with MiH)!

 

[Moonbear]

That looks great, lisa!

What would grow well in VERY wet soil? Since we had soaking rain this week, I got to find where the water runs through my property, and there's one low spot that gets almost marshy, so I was thinking it's a good spot to landscape with something that likes to be wet (that's my real approach to landscaping...as I find places I don't like mowing, I landscape it with something that doesn't need mowing). That, or it'll be a spot to put in raised beds. My other option is to put in a gravel path and use the gravel as a drain. I just know I don't want to mow grass over a swamp!

 

[Proton Soup]

if it's really marshy, cattails http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Typha

 

[turbo]

What would grow well in VERY wet soil? Since we had soaking rain this week, I got to find where the water runs through my property, and there's one low spot that gets almost marshy, so I was thinking it's a good spot to landscape with something that likes to be wet (that's my real approach to landscaping...as I find places I don't like mowing, I landscape it with something that doesn't need mowing). That, or it'll be a spot to put in raised beds. My other option is to put in a gravel path and use the gravel as a drain. I just know I don't want to mow grass over a swamp!

Blue-flag iris love water. You may be able to get day-lilies to grow there, too. They're pretty darned tough, and they can spread.

 

[Borek]

We have almost lost a lot of plants this winter. It seems now that only rosmarinus died completely, everything else started to grow eventually, but my buddleja that was about 7" high is now reduced to millimeter shoots And while it is nothing unusual for buddleja to freeze in a winter, new shoots were usually thick like a finger.

 

[turbo]

My gardening neighbor just stopped in with his grand-daughter in tow. He wanted to let me know that the leeks he started for us are ready to transplant. He also has several varieties of cabbage (including regular, red, and savoyed) broccoli and cauliflower that he started for us - surprise! Those are all cold-hardy plants so they can go in the ground anytime that my garden's soil is dry enough to till.

That was a good visit - surprise vegetables and a pleasant break from the black-flies and splitting and stacking firewood.

 

[Moonbear]

if it's really marshy, cattails http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Typha

It won't remain marshy...just currently is due to the heavy rains we've been getting. But, I think it will always be moist there...anything that needs well-drained soil would have drowned already.

Blue-flag iris love water. You may be able to get day-lilies to grow there, too. They're pretty darned tough, and they can spread.

Thanks. Iris and lilies sound great for a garden, and there's room there for them to spread too, so that would be a good option. I was already thinking of putting in some sort of creeping groundcover in the area. Since there is a lot of drainage through that part of the yard, unless I wanted to keep replenishing stones every few years, I figured I'd want something planted there to help retain soil from eroding.

Of course, I suppose I could also add a water feature along that path. I'm thinking about terracing the yard above it and closer to the house, so building a water feature as a sort of waterfall over the terracing and into the naturally wet area would allow the drainage to continue through that area and make the water seem more intentional. But, I'd still want plants along it in some form or another.

I was going to jump into doing some landscaping right away, but the more I stare at the yard right now, other than a few flower beds right close to the house, I think I'm going to just watch the yard this year and see where the water is, where the sun is, where I hate mowing the lawn the most, etc., and then plan out landscaping when I know more about the terrain.

 

[turbo]

I have a scorched-Earth philosophy about weeds - literally. I will till my vegetable garden this week in preparation for planting next weekend. Today, I used my 500,000 BTU propane torch to burn all the weeds. There is no point in running a rototiller over spring weeds only to have them pop right back up in a week or two, so burning the tops is a better option. Burning does not kill the roots of the weeds, but it robs the roots of energy from the foliage and should reduce the need for weeding later in the season.

 

[Moonbear]

As I mowed the lawn today, I spotted a few ferns trying to grow. I spared them with the lawnmower, and am now thinking that I should look for some of the varieties that like wet soil (some don't) and plant those in the yard. I either need to plant something tolerant of wet soil or I need to put in French drains or something like that. The low lying areas of the yard are definitely staying very wet. No wonder there are so many maple trees here...maples LOVE moist soil. There are some baby maples trying to grow, and I avoided mowing that part of the yard too...I'm going to give a few of the babies a chance. Since I have no intention to move again, it'll be nice to watch if a few of the baby trees survive and to see them grow.

 

[Astronuc]

I attended a sustainable vegetable gardening seminar this past Saturday. The instructor is one of the farm managers on a 10-acre plot sponsored by a local CSA. We covered a number of techniques including fertilizing (with minimal or no synthetics), weeding, pest control, and so one. I'll sift through my notes and post some tips later.

They use a 40-hp utility tractor and two lighter ~10-15 hp cultivating tractor, one of which is straight electric.

The cultivating tractors are used for weed control in addition to planting seed. When deweeding, the tractors turn the top 1-2 inches enough to upset the weeds. This is basically like manually hoeing. Flame deweeding is used with some plants like carrots when the vegetable sprouts have not broken the surface, but the weeds are already growing (like turbo mentioned). Basically, waits about 1-2 weeks after seeding, then check the end of the row to see where the sprouts are.

I also learned about green manures that add carbon and nitrogen to the soil - and the help control weeds!
Here's a useful reference - http://www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/$department/deptdocs.nsf/all/agdex8875

We've had unusually cool weather so far this spring, although we had one or two days of record warmth. The lettuce loves the cool weather, and the sugar peas are slowly growing.

I planted some kale seedlings a couple of weekends ago, and now they have just taken off. They have barely grown by last weekend, but during the week, they have grown from about three inches to more than 8''. I hope to add rainbow Swiss chard soon.

I'll be planting to habaneros, cayenne and pepperoncinis that I started from seed, as well as a few seedlings I purchased.

And the garlic is doing really well!

 

[turbo]

If you can keep them WELL away from your house and your septic system, etc, you might want to look into willows and cottonwoods. They drink prodigious amounts of water and they grow very quickly. Earlier this spring my neighbor gave me a small branch off his broad-leafed willow bush. They develop branches that are flattened, like reindeer horns and have very attractive pussywillows (which is why he gave me the branch). I put that in a vase in water as a surprise for my wife, and after a week or so, I got a surprise. The branch had not only sprouted some leaves, but had also developed some roots. I planted that branch in a very wet spot near a small pond next to the garden, and hope that it will grow.

 

[turbo]

And the garlic is doing really well!

Yay! Fresh home-grown garlic is like fresh home-grown tomatoes. There is no comparison to the stuff in the stores.

 

[Moonbear]

If you can keep them WELL away from your house and your septic system, etc, you might want to look into willows and cottonwoods. They drink prodigious amounts of water and they grow very quickly. Earlier this spring my neighbor gave me a small branch off his broad-leafed willow bush. They develop branches that are flattened, like reindeer horns and have very attractive pussywillows (which is why he gave me the branch). I put that in a vase in water as a surprise for my wife, and after a week or so, I got a surprise. The branch had not only sprouted some leaves, but had also developed some roots. I planted that branch in a very wet spot near a small pond next to the garden, and hope that it will grow.

I don't have septic, so that's not a problem, and the wet area is away from the house, so that's a good idea. I do enjoy pussywillows if they'll grow. I want to make that area usable for something other than mowing grass in mud but at the same time, need to make sure I don't interfere with drainage, since that area is clearly so wet because it's where the drainage runs through the property (as long as its far from the house, I can work with it).

As I'm keeping an eye on the moisture and drainage, I don't think I want to put a regular garden along that path; I think there would be too much erosion if I did. I think I need to put something there that retains roots year round, even if they are dormant, to prevent erosion. What I'm absolutely certain about is that I need something other than grass/lawn in that part of the yard...I think that's the problem is that someone tried to turn a maple grove into lawn, and it's just not working. I have mostly maples in the yard, and a couple of poplars.

 

[turbo]

Here's a bit of a plan, Moonie. If you can get some willows or cottonwoods started in the wettest spots, they will root very heavily. Early on, before the trees get very big and shady try to fill with some irises and day-lilies. Irises are quite shade-tolerant, and should do well as the trees grow, and if the lilies start to fade a bit when their sunlight is cut off, consider planting a bed of hosta around each tree. Those broad-leafed plants are very tough, perrennial (only buy or barter for them once), and tolerant of shade.

Our organic-gardening neighbor split hundreds of hostas this spring and he loaded the whole bucket of my tractor with plants, which my wife and I planted under our apple trees and in the relatively shady flower-bed on the north side of our house. If you looked up the retail value of our haul in hosta, it's well into the thousands of dollars. The paper mill has laid him off for the upcoming week, and I know that he wants to tear up the paving-stone walkways between his greenhouse and his house, so I'm going to head up there with my tractor to make moving and stockpiling the pavers a lot easier. He has access to a very large Ford tractor owned by another neighbor, but with those aggressive agricultural tires, it would tear up his property while my "little" 28 hp tractor with less-aggressive tread will be a lot less destructive and still get the work done.

 

[Moonbear]

Yes, I can get plenty of hostas. One of my friends had a ton of them they split often. At my last house, I had one bed of overgrown hostas in the front, and was able to split off enough of them to landscape two other flower beds. They seem willing to grow anywhere. Though, before I start planting trees there, the one thing I need to check is where the water lines run through the property and make sure I'm not going to be putting roots too close to water lines. I know where the underground electric and cable run in from the street side, because they had to pull up the cable line and replace it...the previous owners must have damaged it at some point after they installed a satellite dish. But the water meter is out in the back yard on the other side of the property, so I'm not sure where those lines run or how deep. But, that's easy enough to call and have that marked out for me.

 

[turbo]

I did the weed burn-off yesterday, and it looks like the rest of the week will be dry, so I tilled the garden this morning to break the muddy crust and aerate the soil so it will dry out for hoeing up beds and planting. It's still too muddy right now, but if the rain holds off, this weekend should be OK. I'm just in for a "hydration break" - it's 48-49 deg F with a light breeze, overcast (so no sun-burn) and no black flies. A perfect day to split firewood.

A lot of people jumped the gun and put their gardens in early, and unless they take some precautions, they're going to lose a lot of plants tonight. It's supposed to clear off before evening, and between the cold front and the radiational cooling, we may get down into the 20's. Brr.