What have I gotten myself into!?! (Pics)

[MoochNNoodles]

To say I am in over my head would be an understatement!! A week or so ago we had a thread going here where some of us shared pics of our gardens. I posted there how this is my first year I planted a vegetable garden and how all my life I have had a phobia about plants touching me. Now I've worked through it enough that if I wear gloves and sleeves and they don't get near my face I can touch most things. But even that requires some concentrated breathing and focused thought.

So I decided to start slow with my garden. It's only 4'x8' and I planted my favorite veggies. 2 of them are summer squash and zucchini. I just loooove the saute them up with some onions and butter!

So I started getting concerned when my plants were about the size of a basket ball. I didn't think they got that big. I knew vines should be involved. I thought I planned them out very well. I planted only 4 seeds of each in case some didn't sprout. I thought I gave them enough room to be planted with my cucumbers and bush beans.

I was wrong.... They had been crowding the cucmbers but then the cucumbers had a growth spurt so I figured they were going to be just packed tight. Then we went away for 4 days.

This is what I came home to....


On the up side; I have baby summer squash growing!! But look how GIGANTIC those leaves are!! I thought they'd be the size of an orange...not the size of my HEAD!!




I also have about 6 tomatoes on this plant. No cherry ones yet!


My basil also took off! Next year I'll do my herbs in separate pots! The basil smells sooo good though!! I need to do mint and lemon balm next year too!

 

[arlyn]

A word of caution with any kind of mint, if they get out of their containers, they will take over.
I kept mine planted in seperate (for each mint type) containers and set them on concrete like your herb pot above, well away from any planting beds or lawn.

Your garden and herb pot look beautiful though, even if they are a bit crowded.

 

[babyharley]

Oh wow!

 

[ldg]

That must have been quite the surprise!

My mom always had a veggie garden growing. We were forever giving away squash to the neighbors - and she'd only plant like two plants.

One year she decided she wanted fresh corn. We never got to eat any - we never did figure out how to keep the squirrels out of it.

Looks a little crowded - but lovely!!!!!!

 

[MoochNNoodles]

Originally Posted by Arlyn

A word of caution with any kind of mint, if they get out of their containers, they will take over.
I kept mine planted in seperate (for each mint type) containers and set them on concrete like your herb pot above, well away from any planting beds or lawn.

Your garden and herb pot look beautiful though, even if they are a bit crowded.

Oh good reminder!! My Mom had some in with the landscaping by the front door and it did get quite huge. So did the lavender! I think all the herbs grew up right around the bush that was there till she tore them out. The other side was taken over by strawberries! LOL! I definitely will do pots. I have that on my patio; so I'll try the other side of the back steps from them so it will be farther from the lawn then!

Originally Posted by LDG

That must have been quite the surprise!

My mom always had a veggie garden growing. We were forever giving away squash to the neighbors - and she'd only plant like two plants.

One year she decided she wanted fresh corn. We never got to eat any - we never did figure out how to keep the squirrels out of it.

Looks a little crowded - but lovely!!!!!!

Oh my...and I have 4 of each!!! Next year just one of each!!

I don't know if it's the fertilizer or my constant watering or what...but everything has come up faster than I expected. Most things sprouted early and now I'm getting fruit early too. So far my only concern is with the peas; except for the size of my summer squash and zucchini of course...

 

[carolpetunia]

Your garden is a beautiful sight! And oh, I wish I liked squash, because it's such a wonderful, enthusiastic plant -- I love its spirit! Many years ago, I lived for awhile in a house with a big backyard where someone had apparently had a garden once upon a time. There was no trace left of where it had been, but that summer, several squash plants popped up and squash was everywhere.

I like that attitude!

 

[minka]

You may have a phobia of plants, but it looks like you have a green thumb too! xDD

 

[Winchester]

OMGosh, how gorgeous! Your garden is doing so well!

Ummm, squash leaves? Can get huge. Just huge! We planted four plants each of yellow squash and zucchini, two plants in each hill. They seem to be doing well, although not nearly as large as yours. We seriously love all kinds of squash and I hope I have lots of it to eat this summer and to give it away. Don't forget to make zucchini boats for the grill.....half them lengthwise, scoop out the seeds, and fill them with chopped tomatoes, lots of chopped, sauteed garlic, spices and cheeses. Yum! (We tried growing acorn squash last year, but as soon as little baby squashes would appear, something would eat them.) We may try butternut next year, just to see if we can.

I agree about the mint....it will take over everything if you give it even the tiniest little chance! I love fresh mint tea, though, and will pick mint leaves for the freezer just for mint tea during the winter. But yes, keep it in the containers....it's safer for the rest of your garden that way. My DIL has chocolate mint plants in her garden and she's promised me some....she says it's fantastic. I *think* she has some lemon mint, too, but I don't remember.

Your basil looks beautiful. We have oregano and thyme in the flower garden and I love going out to pick fresh herbs when I need them. I keep saying that I'd like to try using a dehydrator and drying my own herbs for winter use. But one of my GFs said they're easily frozen, as long as you're careful. I haven't tried it, so I don't know for sure. Seems to me that they would be soggy. But maybe if I just put them into my stew in their frozen state. Something to look into.

I just love your garden!

Kudos!

 

[MoochNNoodles]

Originally Posted by Minka

You may have a phobia of plants, but it looks like you have a green thumb too! xDD

Ironic isn't it?

My Grandpa was/is a big gardener! I used to like planting the peas for him every year. He's 89 and from the knees up in good health; but getting around the garden and walking has become difficult. So my cousin built him a table height raised garden and he's got that thing loaded. So maybe I inherited it or something?

Originally Posted by Winchester

OMGosh, how gorgeous! Your garden is doing so well!

Ummm, squash leaves? Can get huge. Just huge! We planted four plants each of yellow squash and zucchini, two plants in each hill. They seem to be doing well, although not nearly as large as yours. We seriously love all kinds of squash and I hope I have lots of it to eat this summer and to give it away. Don't forget to make zucchini boats for the grill.....half them lengthwise, scoop out the seeds, and fill them with chopped tomatoes, lots of chopped, sauteed garlic, spices and cheeses. Yum! (We tried growing acorn squash last year, but as soon as little baby squashes would appear, something would eat them.) We may try butternut next year, just to see if we can.

I agree about the mint....it will take over everything if you give it even the tiniest little chance! I love fresh mint tea, though, and will pick mint leaves for the freezer just for mint tea during the winter. But yes, keep it in the containers....it's safer for the rest of your garden that way. My DIL has chocolate mint plants in her garden and she's promised me some....she says it's fantastic. I *think* she has some lemon mint, too, but I don't remember.

Your basil looks beautiful. We have oregano and thyme in the flower garden and I love going out to pick fresh herbs when I need them. I keep saying that I'd like to try using a dehydrator and drying my own herbs for winter use. But one of my GFs said they're easily frozen, as long as you're careful. I haven't tried it, so I don't know for sure. Seems to me that they would be soggy. But maybe if I just put them into my stew in their frozen state. Something to look into.

I just love your garden!

Kudos!

Oh I will definitely be trying your zucchini boat idea!! Sounds soooo goooood! I like fresh mint tea too. Its so soothing! Especially if your belly hurts or you have cramps! My Grandpa said you can dry herbs in the microwave but I've never tried it. (Not sure he has either) Gram had a piece of lattice attached to the kitchen ceiling with cup hooks in it that she'd hang bundles of herbs from. She had a good size herb garden next to Grandpa's vegetable garden. It's still there but untended. The cool thing is that it's still there looking all wild and the fragrance is amazing!! It's kind of hidden behind this wildflower bed Grandpa put in a few years back. So you come around the wildflowers and it's a surprise to find it there. Reminds me of something out of The Secret Garden!

 

[tinkermiss]

You are so lucky! I cannot grow a plant if my life were depending on it

 

[Winchester]

DH and I were talking about an herb garden for next year. Like I said, we do have some herbs in the flowerbed in the back yard, but I'd like to have a place just for some herbs.

I showed him your pictures and he said, "Yep, those are squash plants! Nice ones, too!" Yours are just loaded with flowers.

I always enjoyed looking at old gardens. Maybe it's because they were tended with such loving care and then, when the people couldn't do it anymore, they were left alone and just got wild. There's something pretty about even an old, unkempt garden, if that makes any sense.

My grandmother was an amazing gardener and I swear that woman could plant anything and it would flourish; she had gorgeous flowerbeds around her house when I was a child. And now my sister does it, too. She'll go down to Lowe's to the "hospital cart" where they have their bruised or sickly-looking plants at a discounted price. And she'll buy them all and take them home. Her yard is beautiful....everything just grows. They started a small vineyard two years ago and she found three damaged grape canes at the "hospital cart" for $1.00 each. She brought them home and wow! you should see them now. Beautiful!

I'll have to take pictures of our garden and post them. It's nothing like yours; our plants aren't that mature yet.

 

[ducman69]

WOW! Talk about a green thumb, those are some awesome results!

This is so neat. I really want to set up a raised garden as well. I just worry that it seems I already have a kajillion bugs and ants around the house in a constant battle, so I wonder if adding tomatoes and strawberries and the like would make things worse... hmmm.

 

[just mike]

Fantastic!!! I lived in the city 300 feet off the ground with a terrace for 22 years and always had a potted garden. Now I live in the burbs and love to garden. I'll post pics. Your raised garden is really great

I only have really good sun in one area of the yard and would love to do a raised garden there. You've motivated me

 

[MoochNNoodles]

Originally Posted by Ducman69

WOW! Talk about a green thumb, those are some awesome results!

This is so neat. I really want to set up a raised garden as well. I just worry that it seems I already have a kajillion bugs and ants around the house in a constant battle, so I wonder if adding tomatoes and strawberries and the like would make things worse... hmmm.

We have a million ant hills in our yard and I see them crawling in the garden; but so far things seem ok. I'm only using organic stuff so far. I did an organic fertilizer when I first planted everything and now I'm using an organic weed control. I haven't wanted to do pesticides of any kind. My Grandpa said filling a spray bottle with water and some mild dish soap helps if I need it.

Originally Posted by Winchester

DH and I were talking about an herb garden for next year. Like I said, we do have some herbs in the flowerbed in the back yard, but I'd like to have a place just for some herbs.

I showed him your pictures and he said, "Yep, those are squash plants! Nice ones, too!" Yours are just loaded with flowers.

I always enjoyed looking at old gardens. Maybe it's because they were tended with such loving care and then, when the people couldn't do it anymore, they were left alone and just got wild. There's something pretty about even an old, unkempt garden, if that makes any sense.

My grandmother was an amazing gardener and I swear that woman could plant anything and it would flourish; she had gorgeous flowerbeds around her house when I was a child. And now my sister does it, too. She'll go down to Lowe's to the "hospital cart" where they have their bruised or sickly-looking plants at a discounted price. And she'll buy them all and take them home. Her yard is beautiful....everything just grows. They started a small vineyard two years ago and she found three damaged grape canes at the "hospital cart" for $1.00 each. She brought them home and wow! you should see them now. Beautiful!

I'll have to take pictures of our garden and post them. It's nothing like yours; our plants aren't that mature yet.

I need to go see if I can find the pictures of my Grandma's garden I took in 2007. I went around their yard and took a ton of pictures of all the gardens and the bird feeders/houses and had it printed into a photo book for them for Christmas. Turned out really nice!

 

[MoochNNoodles]

These are the ones I took in 2007. Everything is bigger and more grown together now. The statue has been moved and whatever the tall brown flower looking stems are is not there either.





This flower was growing to one side of the garden in the back. I've always loved this shot!


Another cool one from that trip.

 

[darkmavis]

Nice gardens!! Both your new garden and your grandparents' old garden!! So... will you be able to harvest all those squash or will you leave that to your DH?

My garden is going a bit nuts at the moment. I have some winter squash plants growing, the leaves aren't nearly as big as yours. I have a few squashes here and there, but the vines are meandering all over. Around and between the rose bushes, up my pea trellis (I have pea seedlings to plant soon too, not sure what to do about that situation), all over. And lots of cherry tomatoes. Soooo many cherry tomatoes.

I think BF finally realises that my planting veggies in between the existing plants is getting a little out of control, because he mentioned maybe next year making a specigic veggie garden area. That's what I wanted this year!! Something like you have, I love it!

 

[zendora]

Originally Posted by TinkerMiss

You are so lucky! I cannot grow a plant if my life were depending on it

You and me both, Tink.

To be fair, I'm in a 3rd floor apartment with southern-facing windows in the room the plants would live in. The huge western-facing window in my dining room gets fantastic light...but that territory belongs to the cats with catwalks and sun-bathing platforms all over the walls. They'd be way too interested in any plants around there.

But...I tried with, oh, six or seven plants in the living room and killed them all before 6 months time. Could be I just need to find a plant suited for this kind of place, but I hate to continue my murder spree and all and gave up!

 

[trouts mom]

Wow, what a garden!