Gardens vegetable, flower or other?

[rumblefish]

Update

The seedlings are up, the raspberries are budding, and the blueberries are flowering.

^The full, mature plants are spinach and arugula that has wintered, and all the turnips have been pulled. Second picking of spinach just today, and the arugula is bolting and being removed as it's used (one will stay for seeds). The blueberries are in the back (barely visible) with the raspberries the small square center, one spot up from the back.

^ Again, the wintered spinach (the scant rows show how they don't all winter) with the new seedlings; beets, turnips, kohlrabi, escarole, more arugula and more spinach. Swiss chard just went in, and broccoli rabe will go in this weekend. Beans will wait for may 15th, and the rest will go in as plants.

I prefer to water with a can rather than with a sprinkler at this point, because the weeds that have been scraped up can be left to dry out and die. If the weeds get water the can set their roots again and survive.

 

[fortworthgal]

Well I've been MIA on this forum for a while, but I am very into the 1940s/1950s lifestyle right now and just finished planting my victory garden. In previous years I've done container gardening on the back patio, but this is the first year I've used a dedicated spot in the ground.

I planted quite a few veggies and herbs, and will be finishing it out this coming weekend. My garden is nowhere near as large as some of yours - we live in a 1950s suburb - so I'm using an old flower bed and an area next to our shed. Still, I'm excited to see what sprouts!

 

[imported_the_librarian]

Hi all,

Just something to contribute:

Try NARA for the Crop Corps. You can also try loc.gov and search the American Memory Project. I just gave it a whirl and some neat stuff:

http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/fsa.8b06073

Victory Gardens:

http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/fsa.8d18544

http://lcweb2.loc.gov/pp/pphome.html I did a quick search for "victory gardens" and found some neato stuff.

 

[Miss 1929]

Front garden first

We dug up the concrete slab in our front yard and now have lovely black dirt, and today I am planting! Not veggies, those will go in the back yard (or I won't get any, we live in a busy urban area and my tomatoes would disappear) but I am putting in a mix of cactus, succulents and annual flowers. Will post before and afters shortly.
Then the hard work in the back of the raised beds... I didn't do raised beds before and it is so much harder to weed and reach!

 

[MaryDeluxe]

We dug up the concrete slab in our front yard and now have lovely black dirt, and today I am planting! Not veggies, those will go in the back yard (or I won't get any, we live in a busy urban area and my tomatoes would disappear) but I am putting in a mix of cactus, succulents and annual flowers. Will post before and afters shortly.
Then the hard work in the back of the raised beds... I didn't do raised beds before and it is so much harder to weed and reach!

Miss1929....hey that's what I was working on today too! I didn't have a concrete slab in my front yard but I did have some grass that I wanted to rip up so i could plant more flowers! Last summer I dug up some of the front lawn to put in flowers and I swear the neighbors thought I was crazy!lol But by the end of summer they were impressed. I like to keep my neighbors guessing...it's fun!

 

[rumblefish]

Hello all,
I have used this nursery for projects at the property I manage for fruit trees over the past few years.
http://www.henryleuthardtnurseries.com/
Last month I went to visit them for the first time and buy myself a tree for my yard. I was amazed at the fruit you're able to produce from these tiny dwarf trees, and it seems that not many orchards are using full sized trees any more. It makes sense not to need high-reaching equipment to maintain and harvest.
Take a look at their Espalier Photo Album!
At work I've planted cherry, apple, pear, plum, and peach. I have 20 of them planted around a walking track, they look beautiful in bloom. I'll take a picture and post it.
They bare-root ship these trees, and I've seen the process (and care) of preparing them to go to their new homes. I bought a apricot for myself, and next year I'll get two more of something else.

Here at work I'm coaching a hearing and vision impaired teacher who is putting together a vegetable (victory) garden to teach deafblind students who may want to do this at home or hopefully in some sort of vocation. I'll try to take a picture of their garden. I'm suppose to be meeting with the teacher this morning to discuss her and her student's progress. I'd like to see our students enter some of the fruit from our trees and vegetables from their garden at the Long Island Fair this year. It's held at Old Bethpage Restoration Village http://www.nassaucountyny.gov/agenc...ms/central_nass_museum/old_bethpage_rest.html in September. Fun!

 

[russa11]

Well, the weather has gotten better here ( almost no chance of a frost now) so I was able to plant my own small victory garden. I planted 6 cabbage plants, 8 tomatoes, 6 peppers, 3 cucumber, 3 zucchini, onions, lettuce (coming soon) and some herbs (basil, oregano, parsley, tarragon, dill, thyme) also I have some that come back every year (sage, lemon thyme, lemon balm and different mint plants). I think this should give me a tasty salad season.

 

[Caroline]

Well, the weather has gotten better here ( almost no chance of a frost now) so I was able to plant my own small victory garden.

Lets hope there's no frost!

The wind has been a problem for me. We bought our traditional mother's day plants - this year we have poblano peppers, another chili, 3 tomato plants (1 heirloom yellow)but I didn't dare plant them as the wind was so strong. The thyme I planted in a planter no less, survived the winter and is back. I'm hoping the dill comes back as well. I took a chance and about a month ago, tossed some baby bok choi seeds from last year and they're up enough to nibble at. The breakfast radishes are pokey though. I want a breakfast radish!

 

[Lulu-in-Ny]

I would just like to proudly state that I bought a plant two weeks ago, potted it myself and... it's not dead yet!
A personal record.
Yea for me.

 

[59Lark]

planted a victory garden in my front yard.

We grew up a farm with a garden the size of four new homes and lots, and we havent had garden of much since then , left the farm in 1977. This year, i got out my hoe, and culivator and started a garden with my six year old. I just wish i still had a roto tiller. Can you image this round shouldered 44 year old back in the garden, what has driven this former plow boy to this . Fear, but not uneducated fear, bread has never been $3. dollars a loaf in my life, and its all going up, so i am going to put in a crop, and when it ready grandma will teach how to can, and we will freeze some. I will save up for a roto tiller next year. Gee i can remember hoe and shovel in my hand and blisters, here is hoping not to relive some of that. lark59

 

[Joie DeVive]

I just wish i still had a roto tiller.

Would it be possible to rent one? I know there are companies around here that do... Saving up and having your own is probably better, but if they are too pricey, you could always try renting..

 

[rumblefish]

^ Joie, how's your kohlrabi doing?

 

[Joie DeVive]

^ Joie, how's your kohlrabi doing?

*Sigh* I'm living vicariously through all of you. No big garden for me this year.
The house we bought this fall had been vacant for almost a year and pretty seriously neglected before that. This year I am beating back the weeds, trying to convince the lawn not to die, trimming back wild trees and bushes and discovering what survived the neglect (so far, apparently some lovely red tulips, gorgeous dark purple bearded iris, and possibly bunches of sweet peas).

Since there is no real utilitarian garden space right now, just a pair of front flower beds, I'm going to work on those this season, and then next year work on putting in the garden bed, I'm going to have to move a bunch of decorative landscaping rocks, and rip out a few wild saplings to make a space in the sunny part of the yard. Then it'll be a matter of getting the soil in shape. I'm thinking of doing some composting with my leaves this fall to have some rich materials to use come next spring.

So this year, I will have to settle for potted tomatoes and herbs. At least my basil is starting to come up.
Are you doing kohlrabi this year? And if so, did you find seeds for purple ones? I'm terribly curious to know if there is a difference.

 

[rumblefish]

So this year, I will have to settle for potted tomatoes and herbs. At least my basil is starting to come up.
Are you doing kohlrabi this year? And if so, did you find seeds for purple ones? I'm terribly curious to know if there is a difference.

Nice for you! You may find some pleasant surprises. In my yard I found a Japanese maple in bad shape that I now coppice and 5 blueberry bushes that I moved from the center of the back yard to the vegetable garden. I'm still moving bulbs around as I rid the yard of too much ivy, pachysandra, and myrtle. Every summer I say "That's it,,,the yard is done!" and every following spring I say "Hmmm, what to change or add this year?"

The only place I found purple kohlrabi seeds is in catalogs, next year I'll try and remember to order,,, early.

Enjoy your new yard!

 

[Story]

Some Urban inspiration

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/20/us/20philadelphia.html

Also, a worthwhile bookmark for the folks in SE PA and south/central NJ
http://seedlingsrus.com/

 

[Joie DeVive]

Enjoy your new yard!

Thank you so much. I am enjoying it. I'm just having the usual headaches.

I too am going to be separating some of the bulbs come fall. I think, since the irises are tall and in the front of the bed that I may want to move them to the rear of the bed. I also found what I think is an unhappy neglected rosemary plant. Any tricks to make it happy?

Here's an unusual one; I found a big patch of orange poppies (not CA poppies, real poppy-poppies) growing in the middle of the grass on my side yard. I don't know quite what to do with them. I hate to mow them down, but I can't just leave them there in the grass.... [huh] Does anyone know if they will transplant??

 

[kodou]

It's been a while since I've been to this thread, and FL in general. I have a good reason though; I've moved overseas!
I kinda miss all the yardwork and garden building I was doing when I first posted here. I have, however, set my parents up with a very lovely backyard back in the States.
Before leaving I decided to plant an heirloom tomato (Mortgage lifter, for those wondering) as well as an indeterminate hybrid (i think it was Sungold). Both went in the squarefoot garden, along with a packet of wildflower seeds I got from J. Crew. I also added eggplant just to see what it would do when left on its own. Oh yeah, and planted mystery seeds, telling my folks it'd be a surprise when they bloom. (hint: birds love'em!). I can't wait to see what's transpired when my folks email picks to me later this season.
I hope everyone's gardening goes well.

 

[retrogirl1941]

This thread has inspired me to get of my butt and plant some of my own food! I planted tomatoes yesterday and tommorow will plant my green beans and lima beans.

Samantha

 

[John in Covina]

Tomatoes!

I put in 5 different types of tomatoes, from live plants about 5-6 inches high in those peat pots from Home Despot.

Roma and several beefsteaky types plus a striped tomato!!!

Yippeee!

 

[retrogirl1941]

I planted big boy tomatos. My husband eats one tomato every 5 years(figurativley speaking) so I will distrubute the rest among friends.

Samantha