How Does Your Garden Grow?

[redsmetz]

I thought this would be a good thread. I tilled up the garden plots in our back yard and my wife has been planting the last two weekends. So in this thread, I figured folks could talk about what they're planting this season.

I live in the city, so we don't have a large yard, but we've got a couple of beds behind the house and raised bed we put in last year. Likewise, we have a couple of other small plots by that too. So far, she's put in three tomato plants, about ten broccoli plants, one zucchini, a handful of sweet peppers (she'll pick lots of green peppers and let some ripen to red). She's had some spinach going for a couple of weeks and has found various spots for planting some green beans. Finally we've put in some basil and some cilantro in some planters on our porch railing.

The entire back fence is flowers and a couple of flowering bushes. In this area too, we have three chimney pots from our neighbors house that were taken down when they re-did their chimney. In these we have clay pots with flowers in them for a nice addition to the gardens. We have another small plot next to our neighbors house that has some perennials and annuals. The front yard has the entire front of the house and along our other neighbors fence with various perennials and annuals. Add in a couple of hanging baskets in both the front and the back.

Not bad for a small urban yard.

[Redsfan320]

Our family typically plants things for homemade salsa (a few kinds of tomatoes, green onion, green bell peppers, habanero peppers), and this year we're also doing watermelon and cantaloupe. In the past we've done strawberries, roma tomatoes, corn, potatoes (brown and red), green beans, and many different varieties of bell pepper. We do several flowers every year, and did sunflowers at least once. We also had rosemary once.

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[Roy Tucker]

We've got your typical 'burb yard, about 1/2 acre. Lived here for close to 20 years so we have a lot of flower and garden beds built up.

I have a south-facing bed that I planted about a month ago. For about the last week, we've been eating lots of spinach, romaine, and bib lettuce. I also planted 2 tomatoes and 2 pepper plants and put "walls of water" (http://www.burpee.com/product/vegeta...pkg.++of++3.do) around them on the same bed. We've got some green tomatoes now that look like they are thinking about turning pink. This south bed is also where I put the composter bin.

Out back, I've got 4 5'x10' beds that we plant typical stuff in. Tomatoes, peppers, squash, beans, peas, etc etc. Just put the plants in on mom's day and have been planting seeds when I've got time.

[gonelong]

I have a 10'x10' raised bed in the back yard, and a 4'x6' in another spot. We generally have herbs my wife uses to cook with, green beans, carrots, spinach, lettuce, peppers of all sorts, tomatoes, cucumber, potatoes (that I just can't seem to get to produce), zuchinni, pumpkins, and strawberrys. That sounds like a lot for a small gardern, but the peppers and tomatoes dominate, the rest are token so my 6 year old son can watch them grow. He gets a real kick out of it. Made "stone soup" over the fire last summer, with only things from our garden. He thought that was pretty neat.

I grew up in the sticks, we had about 2 acres of garden (this is not a typo) and number of fruit trees as well as strawberrys, raspberries, and blackberries. As a kid, most of what I ate came from our garden as Mom canned tons of things for the winter months. My dad even grew popcorn. I have yet to meet another gardner that raised his own popcorn. Maybe someone here will have?

Sweet corn straight from the garden, hard to beat.

GL

[Redsfan320]

We've also done cucumbers and okra once.

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[KoryMac5]

We just bought our home in March and the previous owner had a nice section for a garden to be planted. I decided to plant 2 rows of sweet corn, some lettuce, spinach, sweet and hot peppers, onions, carrots, cucumbers, broccoli, and some cauliflower. Plus we have a nice section of tomatoes and a place for some pumpkins and sunflowers. I used to help my father when I was younger with his garden however this is my first year growing on my own. I already survived the last frost we had so hopefully everything turns out well.

I would like to plant some asparagus and garlic as well but I may not have the room for it. Plus I believe asparagus takes a few years before you can harvest it. Good luck with your growing.

[SunDeck]

I converted the back 1/4 of our yard to a garden area for my wife. She has an apple tree, about 75 strawberry plants, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, pole beans, tomatoes and basil, lettuce in at the moment. I built a cold frame for her to start seed in this spring, which worked much better than trying to start them indoors with a grow light last year.

[gonelong]

Originally Posted by KoryMac5

...I decided to plant 2 rows of sweet corn....

I hate to be the messenger of bad news ... sweet corn needs to be planted in blocks, not long rows. The corn needs to pollinate (via the breeze) and it's much more likely to happen with 6 rows 1/3 the length than with 2 rows of any length.

IMO you'll be lucky to get anything edible out of either row. Likely, the ears will form, but will not mature.

GL

[pedro]

I built a 3x6 raised bed last year. I'm growing chives (hold over from last year), cherry tomatoes, basil, cilantro, and parsley. I'm also going to grow some cucumbers in separate containers and have a raspberry bush that is about 15x3.

I'd like to grow peppers and full size tomatoes but they just don;t do very well here.

I also have a giant rosemary bush and some oregano in the front yard.

[Redsfan320]

hate to be the messenger of bad news ... sweet corn needs to be planted in blocks, not long rows. The corn needs to pollinate (via the breeze) and it's much more likely to happen with 6 rows 1/3 the length than with 2 rows of any length.

IMO you'll be lucky to get anything edible out of either row. Likely, the ears will form, but will not mature.

This is true. We did ours in several rows and the "outside" ones didn't do near as well as the "inside" ones. Good luck!

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[LoganBuck]

Originally Posted by pedro

I built a 3x6 raised bed last year. I'm growing chives (hold over from last year), cherry tomatoes, basil, cilantro, and parsley. I'm also going to grow some cucumbers in separate containers and have a raspberry bush that is about 15x3.

I'd like to grow peppers and full size tomatoes but they just don;t do very well here.

I also have a giant rosemary bush and some oregano in the front yard.

My wife's family has some relation in Seattle. They were at a wedding last year, and I was seated with them. They tried that stupid looking Topsy Turvy Tomato thing, and had good results. It may be too late for this year already but, keep it in mind. You can pick those things up at Walmart for about $20.

[pedro]

Originally Posted by LoganBuck

My wife's family has some relation in Seattle. They were at a wedding last year, and I was seated with them. They tried that stupid looking Topsy Turvy Tomato thing, and had good results. It may be too late for this year already but, keep it in mind. You can pick those things up at Walmart for about $20.

I've been thinking about those, my neighbors just bought one.

I think it might still be worth it. I just planted my garden last week.

[LoganBuck]

Corn is best grown in a square, or rectangle. You may be alright depending on prevailing winds, and rogue pollen. Are you near other gardens, or field corn?

I always put up about 6 rows of corn 60 feet long, 30" apart, on the end of a convenient field of conventional field corn. We eat alot off the cob, typically with a large cookout/late summer party, and then we harvest the remainder, cut it from the ear, and freeze the corn for use during the year.

[dabvu2498]

Originally Posted by pedro

I've been thinking about those, my neighbors just bought one.

I think it might still be worth it. I just planted my garden last week.

They're awesome. They look goofy, but you will grow better tomatos (and peppers).

[westofyou]

Originally Posted by LoganBuck

My wife's family has some relation in Seattle. They were at a wedding last year, and I was seated with them. They tried that stupid looking Topsy Turvy Tomato thing, and had good results. It may be too late for this year already but, keep it in mind. You can pick those things up at Walmart for about $20.

We're going that route this year, it just ain't hot enough for the normal stuff on my lot (which is over 100 years old and classic in the city size) too many trees and bushes