What's in your garden? (2016 edition)

[Naturebound1]

We finally got around to planting our garden and herbs yesterday. I stupidly didn't protect my skin as it was 80 F (which is extremely hot for NE Minnesota lol) and got some sunburn too. At any rate, we planted from seed: broccoli rabe, collard greens, banana peppers. We also planted onion bulbs, and a border of borage plants which are supposed to attract honey bees. In a separate garden patch we planted tomatoes already started. And in our porch, we have three large wooden planters, and we planted curley parsley, sweet basil, and stevia leaf. All of those were already started, though some years we have done them from seed. We got too late of a start this year. I didn't plant a ton of stuff due to it being a very busy year for me and not wanting to have too much to manage, but we still have some fun stuff to work with.

 

[Tom L.]

I decided to plant the kale in my home yard, well away from the walnut tree. I planted out a bunch of butternut squash plants I had started in a seed flat, too.

But last night, I saw a skunk in my yard, and this morning I found they'd dug up a few of my squash plants and one tomato in their search for grubs. It was misty last night, so I think they'll recover nicely now that I re-planted and watered them this morning.

KLS, do cats seem to like catmint as much as catnip? I know they're two different species and I think I heard that cats often like both. It's beautiful, anyway- nice growth and blue flowers.

 

[KLS52]

KLS, do cats seem to like catmint as much as catnip? I know they're two different species and I think I heard that cats often like both. It's beautiful, anyway- nice growth and blue flowers.

The two strays that are hanging around seem to like it. I don't think it makes them as crazy as catnip, though. I do like the catmint I have growing. I almost dug it up and got rid of it because it tends to spread and fall flat. But I had the idea to take extra mulch and stuff it under the plant and that worked really well. It looks a lot better now.


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[KLS52]

Before

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[KLS52]

After

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[KLS52]

And for some reason I'm finding it quite funny! It's going to be a great day, lol.


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[Moll Flanders]

Oh no. Sorry for laughing. How annoying!

 

[Blues]

The tomato plants are very tall now! The big one has several small tomatoes on it and the smaller one has a cluster that is getting red now plus some other smaller ones. I am so excited!

Chryissie ....have you thought of pruning out your laterals , you will get more nutrient/growth to your tomatoes

 

[Tom L.]

Karen, did the bottom fall out of the planter? That's a shame... but I bet the plants can be saved.

The community garden had quite a few hot cherry pepper plants left over from garden supply stores for gardeners to take, so I took 3 small ones and repotted them. I plan to bring them inside for the winter- peppers are normally perennial, it will save me the trouble of having to start them again next spring, and I like the looks of them.

Besides, since I got into adopting/fostering animals from the local shelters, I haven't replaced my houseplants that have died over the years, even though some of them were inexpensive but long-lived plants that I had had for decades since the time I was living home with my parents. At one point I had maybe more than 30 different kinds and around 50 individual plants. I actually had a fantasy of having 2 or 3 greenhouses- different temperatures, so I could have plants that needed different growing conditions... but I guess I got it out of my system, or burned out on having that many. But sometimes I miss having them... especially my favorites like Passionflower (Passiflora cerulea); Reinwardtia indica, a small shrub that bloomed with morning-glory-shaped, deep-yellow flowers in late winter; Walking Iris (Neomarica northiana); Wandering Jew (Zebrina pendula); and Staghorn fern (Platycerium bifurcatum). It's nice to have a few plants growing indoors during the winter.

 

[KLS52]

Karen, did the bottom fall out of the planter? That's a shame... but I bet the plants can be saved.

It did but we did salvage the plants and the planter can be fixed as well. Turns out it was the screws that came with the planter didn't hold. The screws my husband used for the part he built are still in tact. So he will fix it with the better screws.


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[Tom L.]

^^^ Excellent!

I planted the last of the butternut squash plants I started indoors- I wish I had started them earlier, but going by my experience with them, the squash will be ready to harvest before frost. (I started these from seeds I saved from the ones I grew in years past). Everything appears to be doing well except the okra, which isn't dying, but isn't really growing either.

 

[Chryssie]

Here is the first pepper. I think we should have picked it a bit sooner as it has a couple dark spots. We will pick the next one green.

 

[Tom L.]

^^^ Nice! I think they're sweeter when they're red though.

 

[Chryssie]

Yes they probably are. We will have to watch the next one a little better.

 

[Mikkel]

I've got plants now! And a miniature greenhouse that I need to secure some how so the wind doesn't knock it over. I haven't any walls to put it into for the moment because the house is getting painted this year.

I have two chilli plants. One jalapeno and one other sort. Chillis don't belong in Norway, so they don't like to be outside. I found some plants for a cheap money today, so I bought them (over 50% off).

Then I have thai basil, normal basil, chives and coriander. Seeds, so it will be exciting to se if they will grow. Basil is also hard to get to grow outside in Norway.

Chili, jalapeno and bell pepper seeds on the bottom. It's a bit late for chillis, but who cares. I just wanted to try. And can start earlier next year.

Inside my house I have spring onion in a glas of water, waiting to be put in the soil when the roots get a bit longer. I want to try to plant an avocado stone next time I buy avocados and trying on some garlic.

 

[KLS52]

Good job!

 

[Tom L.]

Mikkel, you might want to try overwintering your chili plants indoors, like I'm doing.

 

[Chryssie]

It is so horribly hot here right now, we are going to water twice a day. I am afraid the tomato plants are getting fried! There are a lot of new little baby tomatoes on them and I hope we can keep them going!

 

[KLS52]

I'm having a problem with blossom drop on my main tomato plant (I had to look that up). So disappointing. Apparently there's not much to be done about it as it is caused by too little water, too much water, extreme hot or extreme cold temps and humidity, pollination issues (I have a ton of bees thanks to my catmint and other flowering plants) yet my other tomatoes are doing ok. It's just that one grafted plant...it's a pineapple tomato plant. Pooh.

 

[Chryssie]

I do not know what "blossom drop" is! We got some spray stuff for the blossoms, a booster of some sort which is supposed to help them make the fruit.