- Joined
- Oct 11, 2006
- Messages
- 5,216
- Purraise
- 2,589
I used to grow a lot of our own veggies and fruit--mostly as an experiment to see if I could do so on .13 of an acre, most of which is taken up by the house and deck in the back. I learned to be very creative with pots and using the deck. I enjoyed the challenge to not only maximize the space, but also to keep it somewhat attractive. I'm not much into growing flowers, though I enjoy seeing them in others' gardens. Now, I've cut down the veggies to almost nothing. Last, had nice tomato plants, but no fruit. It was so rainy and cloudy all season; I think this was the problem. I only have a handful of green beans--I have NEVER had that happen! Eve that was just 4 planters on the deck. I may try again, as I love tomatoes. I cut back due to time issues (I was volunteering a lot for the past 3 years) and the fact that DH won't eat my stuff. I'd have beautiful tomatoes, and he'd buy anemic nasty ones.
What I used to grow: tomatoes, green beans, leaf lettuce, spinach, onions, carrots, potatoes, beets, broccoli, herbs, black raspberries, blackberries, grapes, blueberries, pears, peaches, and strawberries. I tried cucumbers, but they turned orange and I never had one to eat. I planted a few dwarf apple tree; they remained sticks, and never did anything, let alone produce apples.
Any flowers in the front yard are for the hummingbirds. Last year, I decided to only garden in pots, as I am lazy. I always end up just sticking the plants from the nursery, containers and all, in pots. They now sell ones that are a variety of flowers in one pot for this reason--they are meant to plopped into a large, decorative pot. Yep, I'm lazy! We have a tiny patio by the front door, so that's where they go, and there's a large bed on the opposite side of the walkway where I do plant in the ground, where the bird feeders are.
I also have a couple of pots of flowers on the back deck.
This years, we are going to extend the driveway with paver blocks. We can't legally put a permanent extension, due to the 5ft issue between the yards, but it has been a mud bowl this past year--VERY bad--and that's where DH has to wheel the large trash bin down to the curb. I plan to rip up the tiny patio and continue the pavers on that side. I regret the terracotta color I chose years ago.
What I used to grow: tomatoes, green beans, leaf lettuce, spinach, onions, carrots, potatoes, beets, broccoli, herbs, black raspberries, blackberries, grapes, blueberries, pears, peaches, and strawberries. I tried cucumbers, but they turned orange and I never had one to eat. I planted a few dwarf apple tree; they remained sticks, and never did anything, let alone produce apples.
Any flowers in the front yard are for the hummingbirds. Last year, I decided to only garden in pots, as I am lazy. I always end up just sticking the plants from the nursery, containers and all, in pots. They now sell ones that are a variety of flowers in one pot for this reason--they are meant to plopped into a large, decorative pot. Yep, I'm lazy! We have a tiny patio by the front door, so that's where they go, and there's a large bed on the opposite side of the walkway where I do plant in the ground, where the bird feeders are.
I also have a couple of pots of flowers on the back deck.
This years, we are going to extend the driveway with paver blocks. We can't legally put a permanent extension, due to the 5ft issue between the yards, but it has been a mud bowl this past year--VERY bad--and that's where DH has to wheel the large trash bin down to the curb. I plan to rip up the tiny patio and continue the pavers on that side. I regret the terracotta color I chose years ago.