What Are Some Tips for Successful Gardening?

[Evo]

In our yard, we have two plants with similar leaves - garlic mustard and anise hyssop. Both can be found on prairies.

Garlic mustard is an invasive species and is one of the first greens. It takes a bit like mustard greens and faintly like garlic.
http://www.nps.gov/plants/ALIEN/fact/alpe1.htm
http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=ALPE4
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garlic_mustard

Anise hyssop (or some variant of the Lamiaceae family) - has a minty taste/flavor and a bit like anise or licorice

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyssop
http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/prairie/plantx/anise_hyssopx.htm - a.h.
www.kfunigraz.ac.at/~katzer/pictures/agas_01.jpg[/URL]
[url]http://media.photobucket.com/image/anise%20hyssop%20leaf/mthomasg316/garden%202009/DSC05218.jpg[/url]

If tastes a bit minty and looks like the images in the last two links, it's very likely a variant of anise hyssop (Agastache foeniculum).[/QUOTE]Oh dear, that one leaf picture does look identical.

I can'y believe this woman thinks this is mint.

 

[turbo]

I take it that Dr. Foofer did not swoon over the "catnip"? There are so many variants of herbs in the mint family (and despite the very large leaves, it is likely that the plant is in the mint family from the appearance of the leaves) that you could spend a lot of time trying to nail it down. There is an organic seed vendor a few miles from here, and they have a mind-boggling array of herbs that have been crossed and selectively bred so that you can buy seeds for basil that tastes "lemony", some that has hints of anise, and mints that wander VERY far in flavor and scent from peppermint, spearmint, and wintergreen.

It's nuts what these people can produce in a few generations with greenhouses and controlled conditions (no genetic modification). Gregor Mendel would be proud.

 

[Proton Soup]

Oh dear, that one leaf picture does look identical.

I can'y believe this woman thinks this is mint.

i can. the alternating pairs of leaves about a central stem is the classic mint growth form to look for. and it appears to be in the "mint family" also. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mint_family

 

[NeoDevin]

I'm buying a house, and planning on putting in a hedge of rose bushes around my front yard (both for looks and privacy). Can anyone give any advice on how to do that? What kind of roses should I get? (I want something about 5-6 ft tall, with either white or dark red flowers, and dense enough that you can't see through it very well) How should I prepare the ground? How far apart should I plant them?

Thanks in advance.

 

[lisab]

I'm buying a house, and planning on putting in a hedge of rose bushes around my front yard (both for looks and privacy). Can anyone give any advice on how to do that? What kind of roses should I get? (I want something about 5-6 ft tall, with either white or dark red flowers, and dense enough that you can't see through it very well) How should I prepare the ground? How far apart should I plant them?

Thanks in advance.

Where is the house, Neo (i.e., what climate)?

 

[NeoDevin]

Edmonton, Alberta.

 

[Moonbear]

Edmonton, Alberta.

Then, plastic roses will survive your winters.

I know nothing about roses, actually, so can't help at all there. I seem to be having success with deer resistance, so far, but some of the things I planted aren't so happy with the wet soil. Several neighbors have expressed shock that my plants haven't been eaten by deer yet. I did plant only limited amounts of plants, expecting that to be a problem and not wanting to waste a lot of money on deer food. I might just be lucky that all the rain is giving them plenty of tasty food without having to venture out onto lawns yet. I am mostly selecting deer resistant plants too, but know full well that doesn't mean deer proof.

 

[NeoDevin]

I'm in the city, so deer aren't a problem.

 

[Evo]

The further adventures of my herb growing co-workwer.

Today she brought in little baggies of what she called "flowering cilantro".

I picked up a bag, and here is what was in it.

http://img341.imageshack.us/img341/355/herb2.jpg

This is what I expected in it.

http://img198.imageshack.us/img198/424/herb1p.jpg

I asked her where she learned about herbs. She told me she took a class from someone in her neighborhood that has a class on "natural organic herbs" and gave her the herbs she grows.

Ok she thinks catnip/hysop is mint. She thinks dill is cilantro.

Now she's told me she has morel mushrooms. I can only imagine what those might be.

 

[lisab]

Now she's told me she has morel mushrooms. I can only imagine what those might be.

That's hillarious and scary! If Evo's posts start turning purple we all know she tried her crazy coworker's mushroooms...

 

[baywax]

That's hillarious and scary! If Evo's posts start turning purple we all know she tried her crazy coworker's mushroooms...

Like these...

 

[physics girl phd]

I'm picturing Evo as Alice in Wonderland:
http://passion.edu/elearn/file.php/361/Butterfly_Pics/Caterpillar-2.jpg

On a happy front... the garden I'm subsidizing (via a farm share) is starting to produce. I get to share snow peas with my stepson Patrick (he loves them) and try out Mustard Spinach this week (it's always hard for anyone to pull away real spinach from me... so I'm using the pregnancy to lay claim to the whole bunch)! My gardener said a lot of things with be coming in 1-2 weeks... including zukes! huzzah!

Living in a tiny city apartment, at least I can live vicariously and join in some eating!

 

[Astronuc]

The further adventures of my herb growing co-workwer.

Today she brought in little baggies of what she called "flowering cilantro".

I picked up a bag, and here is what was in it.

http://img341.imageshack.us/img341/355/herb2.jpg

This is what I expected in it.

http://img198.imageshack.us/img198/424/herb1p.jpg

I asked her where she learned about herbs. She told me she took a class from someone in her neighborhood that has a class on "natural organic herbs" and gave her the herbs she grows.

The top picture is the flowering portion of cilantro (although it does look like fennel). It's bolted, i.e. it flowered. The bottom picture is what one would see before the plant bolts. It the bottom part of the plant.

See this picture.
http://www.forestryimages.org/images/384x256/5361732.jpg

Some background
http://www.tropicalpermaculture.com/growing-cilantro.html

 

[Andre]

So after the move from the 14th floor to ground level, I have a few feet of dirt again to my disposal. Too far in the season for green miracles, but I got this rose bush for my birthday:

 

[Evo]

The top picture is the flowering portion of cilantro (although it does look like fennel). It's bolted, i.e. it flowered.

Actually, the top picture is dill.

 

[turbo]

I spite of the torrential rains and cold weather (daily highs are running 10 deg F below normal for the last couple of months), the garlic is doing well. The scapes are ready for picking and processing. Scapes are the central stalk of hard-neck garlics, and if you leave them on the plant, they produce seed and flowers, both of which sap the resources of the bulbs, so they should be removed at about this stage to prevent that. The good part about it is that the lower portion of the scape (below the bulge) is tender and has a flavor very similar to onion-tops, only with a strong element of garlic. If you saute scapes for a stir-fry, it tastes like you have added both garlic and green onions - quite a nice combo, to my tastes. The portion of the scape above the swelling is edible, but the texture is generally tough and stringy, so we don't use them in foods.

For gardeners who might want to grow hard-neck garlic, scapes emerge from the center of the whorl of leaves, and the time to pick them is when they have curled (as you see here) and the swelling in the scape has emerged a distance out of the plant. If you snap off the scapes, the bases of them often continue to grow, and they are usually tender and tasty, so you can walk out through the garlic-beds a week or two later and gather more fresh scapes for salads or stir-fries. The important part is to get the swelling and the top off the garlic before they start setting on flowers and seed.

 

[Ouabache]

I spite of the torrential rains and cold weather

I don't believe I'm planting well adapted vegetables for our monsoon summers.
I'm contemplating tilling up the whole kit & kaboodle and plant http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f6/Working_in_the_rice_paddy.jpg" and maybe
alternate with blocks of http://www.stetson.edu/~pmay/habitats/FW%20marsh%20cattails.jpg" is not too far down my list.

 

[Evo]

These are all over my eggplants, and not on any other plant. they don't appear to be doing any damage. The white feathery *tails* seem to be excretions. They are like rounded pyramids in shape, and they fly. I can't find a description of these anywhere. These aren't good pictures, but it's all I've got.

Ten GOOBF cards for the first accurate identification.

http://img132.imageshack.us/img132/1513/bugsunidentified4.jpg

 

[Pythagorean]

we've got radishes, carrots, two lettuces, basil, snap peas, and russian finger potatos going.

the interior of Alaska has been incredibly sunny with intermittent showers and everything's growing well. The potatos are exploding!

 

[turbo]

Evo, we have some flying fuzzy-butt pests called adelgids that attack hemlock trees. You may have something similar.

 

[Evo]

Evo, we have some flying fuzzy-butt pests called adelgids that attack hemlock trees. You may have something similar.

Interesting. I can't believe none of the pictures posted on the internet are any good, you'd think someone would have posted a decent picture of the bug.

 

[dlgoff]

Evo. Kill them. Kill them now. They may be http://extension.entm.purdue.edu/veg/commercial/p&e.html" .

Edit: Well. Maybe not.

 

[Evo]

Are there no pictures of this bug?

They're like little walking pyramids with fuzzy white tails.

 

[Ouabache]

Are there no pictures of this bug?

They're like little walking pyramids with fuzzy white tails.

Cute bugs, I've never encountered those before.
I think they must have come though the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stargate_(device)" .

 

[sir_manning]

Those bugs are probably some sort of scale insect (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scale_insect). Plant sap is low in nitrogen, so the insect has to consume a lot of it before it can be used to make proteins. The excess is the sugary white fuzz you see, also known as honeydew.

 

[Dadface]

we've got radishes, carrots, two lettuces, basil, snap peas, and russian finger potatos going.

the interior of Alaska has been incredibly sunny with intermittent showers and everything's growing well. The potatos are exploding!

Little beasties have been having feasts on my veg.The radishes have been eaten,the carrots and parsnips have disappeared and now the slugs and snails seem to have discovered my lettuces which are in raised pots.Its not all bad,the courgettes, leaf beet,chard,tomatoes, potatoes, runner beans, broad beans and soft fruit are coming on a treat.

 

[Astronuc]

Are there no pictures of this bug?

They're like little walking pyramids with fuzzy white tails.

That maybe an adult version of this leafhopper.
http://www.pbase.com/jamato8/image/61078703

I'm also surprised that there are no other pictures of your bugs.


Meanwhile, we just had the wettest June on record - with over a foot (30 cm) of rain, and we've had two days of thunderstorms. July looks like it might be a continuation.

Many farms in the area are waterlogged, and some have lost crops, while others are getting a late start on planting.


Alert: Plant disease hits eastern US veggies early, hard
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090703/ap_on_bi_ge/us_farm_scene_late_blight

CONCORD, N.H. – Tomato plants have been removed from stores in half a dozen states as a destructive and infectious plant disease makes its earliest and most widespread appearance ever in the eastern United States.

Late blight — the same disease that caused the Irish Potato Famine in the 1840s — occurs sporadically in the Northeast, but this year's outbreak is more severe for two reasons: infected plants have been widely distributed by big-box retail stores and rainy weather has hastened the spores' airborne spread.

The disease, which is not harmful to humans, is extremely contagious and experts say it most likely spread on garden center shelves to plants not involved in the initial infection. It also can spread once plants reach their final destination, putting tomato and potato plants in both home gardens and commercial fields at risk.

Meg McGrath, professor of plant pathology at Cornell University, calls late blight "worse than the Bubonic Plague for plants."

Those growing plants of the nightshade family: tomatoes, egg-plant, potatoes, . . . should take precaution. Once the ground is infected, it's difficult to clear. If any plants are infected, remove them immediately, and probably one should remove the soil and sterilize it. Otherwise, do not grow nightshade plants in the area.

 

[Moonbear]

My pepper plants are starting to grow peppers. The tomatoes never made it into the ground...I got more soil to give them a home, but have not had a rain-free day to do the actual planting yet. The one evening it wasn't raining when I got home from work, I spent mowing the lawn. Grr. It's supposed to stop raining this weekend, but sure doesn't look like it right now. I should already be getting tomatoes, not just getting them into the ground. Oh well, if I ever get them planted, I'll have gardens ready for easier planting next year. It's going to take me a few years of digging through clay and rocks to get a garden of any size really conditioned for planting.

 

[Astronuc]

We had sun briefly earlier this afternoon - then another thunderstorm and downpour - and now the sun is out again. Third day of the month and three days with thunderstorms, which follows about two weeks of daily thunderstorms.

 

[turbo]

We had a couple of hours of (mostly filtered) Sun today - better than we have done in LONG stretch. I'm getting pretty depressed about the prospects of the garden. All the planning and the preparation doesn't count for much when mother Nature throws 2 months of cold and rain at you. I have replanted cucumbers and will replant squash later this week, if the rain holds off. Those are both staples, here, so not happy times. I have had to resort to spreading iron phosphate slug bait around my garden, since the slugs are chewing up everything in reach. I would prefer a plague of locusts at this point.