Question Of The Day. Saturday 16th Of March.

[maggiedemi]

We have a lilac tree. In the vegetable garden we usually grow tomatoes, green beans, jalapenos, habaneros, broccoli, cucumbers. We used to grow corn, pumpkins, squash, eggplant. I'd like to grow some cilantro again this year.

 

[marmoset]

It varies year to year. Being in NJ I have the most luck with tomato plants, some really hot pepper varieties and ground cherries. I do mostly heirloom organic gardening- very small scale except for tomato plants- I can't get enough!

 

[maggiedemi]

some really hot pepper varieties

What kind of hot peppers? Ghost pepper?

 

[susanm9006]

Mostly flowers but mixed in is the only vegetable I grow, and that is leeks just because they are really expensive here year round. But I do have raspberries, rhubarb and a couple of hazelnut bushes.

 

[NY cat man]

The soil in our last house was great for my vegetable garden. I had everything from pumpkins, to peppers, cherry tomatoes, broccoli, etc. But this house has too much clay in the soil so I gave up. I have tried perennials instead and some of have taken nicely, others not so well.

We have a heavy clay soil here, as well, but I have been working perlite, compost, and a manure/ humus mixture into the soil to lighten it and improve drainage, as well as enriching it. It takes time, but It's worth it in the end.

 

[Elphaba09]

We have flowers in front of our porch and a newly discovered patio. (We discovered an old brick patio behind our house last summer hidden.) We have two raspberry bushes, too. I try every year to grow pumpkins, but the best I have ever done is one flower that never amounted to anything.

I have two friends who are certified master gardeners with gorgeous flower gardens. I feel proud of my little flower bed until I go to their houses! Haha!

 

[1 bruce 1]

We have flowers in front of our porch and a newly discovered patio. (We discovered an old brick patio behind our house last summer hidden.) We have two raspberry bushes, too. I try every year to grow pumpkins, but the best I have ever done is one flower that never amounted to anything.

I have two friends who are certified master gardeners with gorgeous flower gardens. I feel proud of my little flower bed until I go to their houses! Haha!

Be proud of your little flower bed, it's not a contest and I'm sure your friends don't think so either

 

[susanm9006]

If you are like me and plant mostly perennials a good flower garden takes years. Some aren’t happy where planted, some turn out to be rabbits favorite snacks, some are too tall or too short where you planted them and then there is trying to get colors and blooming times right. So I take pictures at least once a month during the summer so I can remember what I have and when they bloom. Then in early spring I move some around or add in new plants.

 

[Talien]

@neely @di and bob N NY cat man

There are some plants that grow well in clay, I've had good luck with Cucumbers, Tomatoes, Green Beans, anything in the Cabbage family, Pumpkins, and various Squash varieties. Beans and Squash in particular don't much seem to care what kind of soil they're planted in.

 

[Mother Dragon]

Every yer we create the world's most expensive sticks, bird food, and insect feasts.

We should have had the plants into their pots a month ago but the weather has been vacillating wildly from 30 to 80 and back again, along with copious rain. I finally got new plants this past Saturday, about 55 of them, and they and the things that survived the winter will make up the 72 pots we have on raised platforms.

We have 18 tomato plants (12 Sweet Millions, incredible grape size), Carolina Reaper, 7-pot douglah brown, Trinidad scorpion, bhutlah brown, and ghost super-hot peppers, plus wonderful mariachis, el jefe, and TAM jalapeños, a shishito pepper, a peter pepper (I just had to try one), peach and orange habaneros, several varieties of no-heat habaneros, sweet heat peppers, a couple of seasoning peppers, and rosemary, catnip (of course), thyme, marjoram, oregano, parsley, cilantro, sage, lemongrass (which Darwin loves), garlic chives, onion chives, peppermint, Kentucky colonel mint, spearmint, and mojito mint. I'm sure there's more but I can't remember all of it.

Everything is on a drip system, so we don't have to worry about watering. The squirrels love to chew through the tubing, though, so it's all wrapped in screen wire.

Now to get the soil prepared and everything in the pots... if it doesn't snow.

 

[Mother Dragon]

The Potato Farmer / YouTubeThanks to Laurie Ashbach’s simple DIY project, you’ll be a gardener in no time. You’ll require only the following: four fence posts, an eight-foot section of wire, a wire cutter, straw, compost, bags of dirt, and “seed” potatoes to start. Are you ready?



Place your posts firmly into the ground so that your finished product can support your potato tower. Then, bend the wire around it to form a cone. Cut the wire as needed so that you get a clean edge to attach to.

Live Dan 330


Now that your potato tower exoskeleton is assembled, place the hay in the center of the structure. Make sure to keep it neat because this is where you are going to plant your potato garden. Only fill it with hay about 3/4 of the way.

Live Dan 330


Carve out a nest-like space in the middle of the hay, moving it up the sides so that there’s a hole in the middle. Then, fill the hole with compost. That’s how your potatoes will get their nutrients.

Live Dan 330


Try and get potatoes with at least four eyes (those little sprouting pieces that you typically cut off when cooking). The eyes are actually going to be helpful here because they’re the key to growing fresh, new potatoes!

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Then slice the potatoes in half, making sure each half has at least a few eyes on it. This will help you get the most out of each potato! Then, place them inside the compost, nestling them so that they’re buried inside.

Live Dan 330


Not sure how many potatoes to plant in each tower? Laurie provides a handy guide: “I started with two pounds of potatoes, which translated to eight medium potatoes with about four eyes each, which meant there were 36 eyes total to plant.”

Now, all you need to do is water your potatoes, sit back, and relax. After planting her potatoes at the beginning of June, this was Laurie’s potato tower by July 4. See how green and bright Laurie’s leaves are?

Not too shabby, huh? Here’s a nice closeup shot of the budding potato plant’s flowers. Unfortunately, these buds won’t produce potatoes. They just show that the plants have really taken root and are flourishing.

Though potatoes are a pretty hardy vegetable, they will need lots and lots of water. Loose, well-drained, and consistently watered soil is, ultimately, a potato’s best friend! Make sure to cover up the roots with loose dirt to prevent sunburn.

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Depending on where you live, your potatoes might require an irrigation system. Your potatoes need 1-2 inches of water each week. A soak hose allows you to water from the ground up, helping to eliminate fungi.

Congratulations! You should expect to have a nice crop within two-and-a-half to three months! Hope you’re in the mood for French fries! Make sure to harvest on a dry day so you can easily shake the potatoes loose.

Live Dan 330


Once growing season begins to wind down and the vines die — about late August — you likely won’t need to water the soil as much. Laurie also advises not to water the potatoes close to your harvest, so as to avoid digging through mud.

Uh…YUM! What could be more satisfying than a basket full of food that you have grown yourself? Not only are homegrown potatoes friendlier on your wallet, but they’re healthier since you don’t have to worry about cross-contamination or pesticides.

Storing your extra potatoes in a cool, dark, and dry place will help preserve them. You’ll want to avoid storing them anywhere next to apples, as the fruit’s ethylene gas can spoil your potatoes. Another tip to remember? Don’t wash your potatoes until right before you use them!

It’s also worth noting that while starchy spuds don’t always have the best reputation as a nutritious option, they truly have loads of health benefits. A potato naturally is just 110 calories. Without toppings, they contain no fat, cholesterol, or sodium!

Hans / Pixabay


Ready to get started with your own potato farm? Don’t be afraid to make more than one potato tower if you have space! These contraptions are so easy to maintain, you can grow enough potatoes to last for months.

 

[Norachan]

Wow! I could do that. I've already got everything except for the compost, straw and bags of dirt.

I think I better wait until the ground isn't frozen anymore, but I think I'll give it a go.

 

[maggiedemi]

Carolina Reaper, 7-pot douglah brown, Trinidad scorpion, bhutlah brown, and ghost super-hot peppers, plus wonderful mariachis, el jefe, and TAM jalapeños, a shishito pepper, a peter pepper (I just had to try one), peach and orange habaneros

That sounds like my dream garden.

 

[MonaLyssa33]

I live in a basement apartment so I not only don't have a yard, I don't have any outdoor living space to place plants.