What's Growing in Your Garden This Year? - Page 2

Wendy, I'm glad to hear I'm not alone with all our regional problems. That's why I've seriously cut back on the variety and am only going with what grows well and what the wildlife seems to leave alone.

This weekend I'll be putting in my peppers and tomatoes and the rest of my herb garden. The spinach is coming up nicely and the zucchini has just broken ground.

Your definately not alone Thull! Once upon a time our area was great farm land. But the way the developers strip the top soil, rrrrrrrrrrrrrrr! Then they sell half of it -and we're lucky if they give us 9" of top soil over our clay.

When our house was built I was pretty dumb (well I'm not that much smarter now but...) I saw how they left all the junk in everyones yard from construction. They didn't clean up extra stone around our driveways and sidewalks. They left all their garbage, then the landscape crews come in and it's too much work to do it right. They use machines, not shovels to grade our yards........

I've spent alot of time redoing my yard. If only I had known then to pick up all the junk, scoop all the extra rock!!!!!!!!!! They didn't use any herbisides to kill off all the bad grasses (not weeds, thick blade grasses which don't die with-out roundup). They just layed the sod ontop of everything. Everything grew right thru the sod.

I also thought I was smart and planted grass seed in my backyard. But for 13 years now it hasn't worked. There's too many underlaying seeds that come up hardier then my grass. I've done everything imaginable thru out the years. Unlike many, I do have a very good green thumb. My spouse and I have even buildt a starter growing room. I've started the hardest perenials from seed with-out probelms.........but my yard, it's a daily fight!

I've gotten advice from the best lawn professionals at golf courses (I worked at shoreacres, ranked #67 in the world) over the years. I just don't have the patients to fight this any more. We killed off our whole backyard with roundup and either late today or monday the landscapers are coming to rototill my yard and then were going with sod. I've learned my lessons, I fight every day to keep my lawn nice.

My neighbors have given up. They have those fat blade grasses that choke out blue grass and invade your whole yard. By myself I replaced the side yard next to my garage (with all the neighbors watching thinking I'm a wild women). I'm actually winning now. The second I see a fat blade grass in my lawn I paint on round up and kill it.

I sort of think you were wise buying baged soil. Hopefully it was sterilized. I've had a "yard" of soil dropped off before, it was just loaded with weed seeds.......just made everything that much harder. If I could afford it I'd buy the best soil I could from the start (in bags) too!

I'd do raised beds with baged soil just like you.

Oops, mudbug you snuck in a post while I was whineing. I have done a little companion planting. It becomes a problem in your garden when the companion is something your not going to eat and it's taking space away form something you want to grow.

We do our best to keep things natural and not turn to pestisides or such. But honestly, that route hasen't worked for me. Eventually I have to spray or dust the garden. It gets about as bad as you can imagine.

After I get my new lawn in I will spend sometime looking at the sites you've reccomended. I do want to sterilize the area I've kept for our garden patch before planting. Everyyear I tell myself I'm going to do that, but then it means putting off planting until later in the season.....and well we get anxious to plant.

Well time to get outside and finish my work.

Major WOW, thanks for showing me those sites mudbug!!!!!! First rainy day and I've got alot of reading to do!


I thought to sterilize your garden you cover it with black plastic and when it's hot enough outside that bakes your soil? My biggest problem is being inpatient and getting overly excited to start planting asap.

I'm so thrilled, they (landscapers) came today and rototilled my whole backyard. It's this lovely blank palate now and I can't wait to start working in it. I won't have nearly the garden size I've had before.......but the more I think about it your right.........I've been broadcasting thanksgiving feast too long. I've also planted so much that it was becoming alot of work just keeping up with harvesting. It's time to plant only what we need......my neighbors always talk about wanting to garden......I guess I'm setting them free to do it themselves now.

Mudbug have you come across any photo laden sites showing realistic home (like small normal sized suburban yards) landscaping? I'm not a naturalist nor a cutzie gardener........I'm very design oriented with a heavy accent on hardscaping, hilling and using hardy plants that have year round interest. I lean toward drought hardy perenials with strong foliage interest with minimum maintance. What I like is more often seen in comercial landscaping projects then home projects. I've looked around on the web and haven't come across anything remotely close to what I'm looking for. Any leads would be greatly appreciated!?

Mudbug, the asparagus thread you linked is great! That's way more info. then I've ever found. Alot of it is completely new knowledge and different then what I "learned" when I first read up on it. Very cool, and very helpful!!

Thank-you!

Thanks for the soil mixing information mudbug. I've been amending the bagged soil with peat and compost, just not the vermiculite. I don't know why I always chose the bagged route, but it seemed to make sense in terms of only getting as much as I needed when I had the time to put it into my beds.

My 2nd year with my garden and I'm so pleased to see my chives return and full of chive blossoms. These will have to go into a salad soon. I have enough italian parsely returning to feed the entire town and thyme, lemon thyme, rosemary, tarragon all survived a tough winter and look great. I planted arugula, several lettuces, leeks, beets, radishes, carrots and cilantro and all are doing well. I've heard cilantro gets a bit leggy but so far I've had success and it's bushy just like the parsley. First year on roma and 100s, peas, yellow peppers and cayenne. Stawberries are back in the 2nd year with a vengence!! Last year I maybe picked 5 total and now we're going to have a great crop.

Major problem though. My husband and I just bought a new home down the street and I want to transplant as much as my garden as possible. I'll probably be ready to do so in July but I don't know if that's wise for the plants. Anyone have any luck with transplanting gardens?