Annual gardening thread

[Jack]

So what's everybody growing this year?  We've had a very cool April here with temps getting close to freezing quite often at night, so I haven't planted any vegetables yet.  Now that it's May though, I suppose the time has come to get working on it.

So far I've just planted a few bushes and flower...thingies



And this other thingie:



I picked those red and yellow things out myself   

So what have all you other gardeners got going on?

[Flick James]

Already hot in Phoenix.

I have a spot between the house and a block wall that only gets about 3 hours of direct sunlight a day where I've planted and herb garden: basil, oregano, cilatro, Italian parsely, and mint.

I've also planted a rose bush, two tomato plants, and a zucchini squash plant. Next year I intend to do much more. I just recently got some area in the backyard freed up for planting and got kind of a late start. Next year I plan to add peppers, yellow squash, green onions, and strawberries into the mix.

[lester1/2jr]

I went to a fair last year and they had one of those huge ass pumpkins, like 1000 something pounds. they had seeds from it for sale so I bought one or two and gave them to my Mother. wonder how they'll do

[Andrew]

I built raised beds last year and we put in a small fall/winter garden of beets, carrots, spinach, and bibb lettuce that just finished.  Only the lettuce is left and I'm pulling the last of it today.  We are going to be giving some of that away, because there's still way more than we can eat.  Chicken club sandwiches for dinner tonight!

We planted beets, carrots, spinach, lettuce, and onions a few weeks ago.  Last Sunday we planted the beans, cucumbers, peppers, and half of the tomato plants.  Normally I'd consider this a little early for the tomatoes and peppers, but it's been so warm that I'm going to count on the danger of frost being low (and we'll cover them if needed).  Plan on planting the squash, zucchini, and rest of the tomatoes this week.

On Sunday I also built a raised bed back near the kid's playset for them (they asked for one of their own).  Jenna already wants sunflowers, while the boys are planning on watermelon and cantaloupe.  There will probably be an eclectic mix of other things as well, because they have also said they wanted beans, carrots, and cucumbers.  Luckily I had some idea of what they wanted to do, so it's a pretty big raised bed.

Also extended the raised bed for Garrett's strawberry patch to double its size.  Just going to let the strawberries grow into it on their own.  It'll be overflowing by the end of the summer.

In between each pair of long vegetable beds I built a pair of square flower and herb beds for Katie.  Quite a few of the early flowers are in bloom, like the Gladiator Alliums.  There are gladiolus, butterfly weed, cilantro, bee balm, and a number of others in various states of growing.  Looks like it will be a very colorful flower garden, plus lots of flowers to attract those bees!

[Mr. DS]

Oddly I haven't even begun planning yet.  I've been cleaning up the yard at the new house mainly.  Its been brush central and luckily I've been putting the fire pit to good use when it comes to disposing of it.

I may keep it simple this year.  Tomatoes definitely and I'll decide at the garden shop come time on the other stuff. 

[Andrew]

Oddly I haven't even begun planning yet.  I've been cleaning up the yard at the new house mainly.  Its been brush central and luckily I've been putting the fire pit to good use when it comes to disposing of it.

I may keep it simple this year.  Tomatoes definitely and I'll decide at the garden shop come time on the other stuff.  

Who are you and what have you done with Mark?

EDIT TO ADD:  putting the "d" in "and"

[Trevor]

Oddly I haven't even begun planning yet.  I've been cleaning up the yard at the new house mainly.  Its been brush central and luckily I've been putting the fire pit to good use when it comes to disposing of it.

I may keep it simple this year.  Tomatoes definitely and I'll decide at the garden shop come time on the other stuff. 

Who are you an what have you done with Mark?

[Mr. DS]

Oddly I haven't even begun planning yet.  I've been cleaning up the yard at the new house mainly.  Its been brush central and luckily I've been putting the fire pit to good use when it comes to disposing of it.

I may keep it simple this year.  Tomatoes definitely and I'll decide at the garden shop come time on the other stuff.  

Who are you and what have you done with Mark?

EDIT TO ADD:  putting the "d" in "and"

There is no Mark, only Zhoul.   

[ChaosTheory]

So far I've got spinach and lettuce sprouting (we had an unseasonably warm March & April so I started them early outside), tomatoes, a couple bell pepper plants and a raspberry bush.
I also just planted flower seeds/bulbs - sunflowers, daisies, moss roses and dahlias - and have moved my herbs outside - rosemary, mint, chamomile, wild sage, yarrow and lavender.

[Mofo Rising]

My brother has some jalapeno plants in the backyard, but they keep get eaten up by something or other.

So for those in Phoenix, how to keep them alive? I'll freely admit I know nothing about plants, but I would love some fresh jalapenos. What are we doing wrong?

[Newt]

My brother has some jalapeno plants in the backyard, but they keep get eaten up by something or other.

So for those in Phoenix, how to keep them alive? I'll freely admit I know nothing about plants, but I would love some fresh jalapenos. What are we doing wrong?

I'm not in Phoenix, but: are these young, tender plants, newly set out?  Do the tops disappear, leaving just a bit of green stem sticking up?  Our peppers were eaten like this and it was birds nipping them off.  In that case a bit of temporary netting will protect the plants until they are more mature.

Not sure if your environment has slugs and snails as they generally like moister areas, but they will eat tender young plants as well.  One of the most effective ways to deal with them is to put out a saucer of beer overnight.  The little pests climb in and drown.

If you suspect bugs - leaves and peppers are eaten and/or have holes in - there are other bugs that do that.  Beetles and white flies.  Beetles one generally hand-picks off.  For most other pests spraying with an insecticide soap works well.  Or you could try planting a row of marigolds: they seem to draw off insect pests.

From your description, I'm betting on birds.

[Newt]

I went to a fair last year and they had one of those huge ass pumpkins, like 1000 something pounds. they had seeds from it for sale so I bought one or two and gave them to my Mother. wonder how they'll do

The growers who get the half-ton pumpkins actually feed them milk - sort of intravenously.     They make slits in the stems and insert a wick that sits in a container of milk.  They swear by it.  If I did that, I'd be calling my pumpkin vine 'Audrey', I think!

[Jack]

I still haven't gotten any vegetables planted - it's been raining just about every day.  I don't want to dig in a bunch of mud 

[Mofo Rising]

My brother has some jalapeno plants in the backyard, but they keep get eaten up by something or other.

So for those in Phoenix, how to keep them alive? I'll freely admit I know nothing about plants, but I would love some fresh jalapenos. What are we doing wrong?

I'm not in Phoenix, but: are these young, tender plants, newly set out?  Do the tops disappear, leaving just a bit of green stem sticking up?  Our peppers were eaten like this and it was birds nipping them off.  In that case a bit of temporary netting will protect the plants until they are more mature.

Not sure if your environment has slugs and snails as they generally like moister areas, but they will eat tender young plants as well.  One of the most effective ways to deal with them is to put out a saucer of beer overnight.  The little pests climb in and drown.

If you suspect bugs - leaves and peppers are eaten and/or have holes in - there are other bugs that do that.  Beetles and white flies.  Beetles one generally hand-picks off.  For most other pests spraying with an insecticide soap works well.  Or you could try planting a row of marigolds: they seem to draw off insect pests.

From your description, I'm betting on birds.

Thanks for the info! It just seems to be the leaves disappearing, so we'll probably try the insecticide.

[Allhallowsday]

Oddly I haven't even begun planning yet.  I've been cleaning up the yard at the new house mainly.  Its been brush central and luckily I've been putting the fire pit to good use when it comes to disposing of it.

I may keep it simple this year.  Tomatoes definitely and I'll decide at the garden shop come time on the other stuff.  

Who are you and what have you done with Mark?

EDIT TO ADD:  putting the "d" in "and"

uch...    It's all my fault, I'm such an a***ole.    It's true.  But, aren't we all? Eh.  I'm the spelling witch!    I only use it for revenge...  
Okay, I like to be a pain in the ass too... (figuratively, Menard, figuratively...)    I'm a such a jerk.