Any gardeners? (other than pot)

[CityBoyGoneCountry]

I'm starting a small fruit orchard and vegetable garden. The land is just about prepared and waiting for spring. I've already ordered 2 apple, 2 peach, 2 cherry, 2 apricot, and 2 plum trees.

I also plan to grow watermelons, musk melons, strawberries, tomatoes, sweet peppers, green beans, and, well, a little bit of everything. I also grow roses, just because they look nice and smell nice. My favorite rose is "Just Joey."

Anyone recommend a reliable website for ordering heirloom seeds?

[stinkyattic]

I love growing vegg'ls.
So far just the basics but next this winter I'm putting up a greenhouse for hothouse tomatoes, and a trellis for grapes and hops.
I like roses too, as long as they are mold-resistant. So very few hybrid teas make the cut!
I buy heirloom seeds at farmers supplys. We have Agway in town and they carry a bunch. Check out the pretty striped tomatoes, I think called 'brandywine'.

[CityBoyGoneCountry]

I've heard a lot of good things about Brandywine tomatoes. They were developed by the Amish. I'm thinking about trying some Amish watermelons too.

Heck, the Amish HAVE to depend on the food they grow to be good, so I don't think I can go wrong with their seeds.

[Ruairi.X]

I have corn.. alot of corn.. 2 Night Blooming Jasmines (they smell so good).. 1 Orange, 1 ruby red grapefruit and a small patch of 'ugly tomatoes'

[Anathema2121]

Well, since I have a sweet closet and I got really bored, so I decided I was going to grow some peppers and some strawberries indoors. I went out and picked up some scotts seed starting potting soil, some mild jalapenos, some hot jalapenos, and some long red cayennes from the feed store. I ordered some of the alpine strawberries from some seed bank and I ordered these sweet purple peppers Peruvian Purple Chile Pepper (http://www.seedsofchange.com/garden_center/product_details.asp?item_no=S10787). It says they're good as a decorative house plant so I figure it will fluorish under a shitload of CFLs. Speaking of which I bought 4 100 watt replacement (23 watts) cfls from home depot. I got 4 for 9.89 6400 total lumens. I have three on a pot with some seeds in it now, the rest I'm germinating in some paper towels in baggies behind my fridge where its warm. Peppers need like 80 degrees to pop. I'll post pics sometime.

Check out these fuckers: First one is the peruvian purple chile i ordered :dance: second is
Czechoslovakian Black Chile Pepper (http://www.seedsofchange.com/garden_center/product_details.asp?item_no=S11008)

[kindprincess]

I love growing vegg'ls.
So far just the basics but next this winter I'm putting up a greenhouse for hothouse tomatoes, and a trellis for grapes and hops.
I like roses too, as long as they are mold-resistant. So very few hybrid teas make the cut!
I buy heirloom seeds at farmers supplys. We have Agway in town and they carry a bunch. Check out the pretty striped tomatoes, I think called 'brandywine'.

i'm just getting into roses, my brother has emphysema and has gone from rose society to no gardening. i'm taking his bushes over, to help him stay up and at em'. lots of old garden, a few hybrid teas...

strawberries are fun...

love, kp:p

[GrowinGranny]

I'm a gardenin' fool, outside from sunup to sundown. I grow all kinds of flowers and veggies. I have berries, grapes, fruit trees, I love all kinds of perennials especially rare and unusual ones and trade plants and seeds with people from all over the world. CityBoy, Just Joey has the most fabulous fragrance and color--I bought it after I heard Anne Lovejoy recommend it highly. For no-fuss roses, check out Heirloom Roses in St. Paul Oregon http://www.heirloomroses.com. They grow own root roses which are really hardy. I got a gift certificate for my BD from the kids/grandkids so I just got 5 new roses from them for my garden.

[stinkyattic]

I'm currently on a kick of collecting plants with deep maroon or almost black blossoms. So far I've found Gladiolus, Chrysanthemum, Hollyhock, Pansy, Tulip, and Poppy this color... They look AWESOME.

Anathema, those pepper blossoms are beautiful.

[GrowinGranny]

Stinky, there are some wonderful dahlias with those dark blooms. Also, don't overlook some of the wonderful foliage plants with nearly black leaves. They look great paired with plants with golden or chartreuse foliage for eye-catching contrast.

[stinkyattic]

Yup, there's a Japanese ornamental grass clump in that garden with nice dark blades and a very dark red Japanese maple. And some ferns for variety... all together it looks pretty cool... now if I could only change the [ugly] color of my house!!

[Nochowderforyou]

I grow tomatos, various herbs (other than cannabis), catnip for my kitty, and strawberries. I do it year round but summer is my favorite time because nothing is better than a sun riped tomato. I do baby tomatos indoors instead of the big ones. The little ones I keep small and don't require as much light.

Starwberries I do only in the summer, and damn, I loooooooooove strawberries right off the plant. :thumbsup:

[Anathema2121]

Stinky, there are some wonderful dahlias with those dark blooms. Also, don't overlook some of the wonderful foliage plants with nearly black leaves. They look great paired with plants with golden or chartreuse foliage for eye-catching contrast.

Check these out "Oxalis Charmed(tm) Velvet (http://www.waysidegardens.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/StoreCatalogDisplay?storeId=10151&catalogId=10151&langId=-1&mainPage=prod2working&ItemId=43740&PrevMainPage=advsearchresults&scChannel=Container%20Plants%20AS&SearchText=p11.v97&OfferCode=SH3)

[rhino44]

I grow tomatoes every year along with cucumbers, bell peppers, watermelon, and cantelope. They all are a real treat compared to anything you can buy at the store. I also have a small herb garden that I love to use for cooking. It consists of rosemary, dill, parsely, mint, and basil. Fresh pesto is a must. Every year I grow enough basil to freeze a few tuperware conatiners to last me atleast a few months.

[stinkyattic]

Fresh pesto is a must. Every year I grow enough basil to freeze a few tuperware conatiners to last me atleast a few months.
OMG just thinking about pesto gives me the munchies.
Does it make me a wierdo that I like to put walnuts in mine?

I brought my hot peppers, rosemary and basil plants indoors for winter, plus all the bugs that were on them, and just started another couple pots of cilantro and some more peppers. My BF makes fun of me for it but he likes fresh vegls just as much as I do...

[rhino44]

OMG just thinking about pesto gives me the munchies.
Does it make me a wierdo that I like to put walnuts in mine?

I brought my hot peppers, rosemary and basil plants indoors for winter, plus all the bugs that were on them, and just started another couple pots of cilantro and some more peppers. My BF makes fun of me for it but he likes fresh vegls just as much as I do...

Hell yeah. Fresh pesto and homemade pasta. Does it get any better? I'm not sure lol. I never have tried walnuts, I use pinenuts. Maybe I'll try that next year if I remember lol.

[Nochowderforyou]

I grow tomatoes every year along with cucumbers, bell peppers, watermelon, and cantelope.

What kidn of conditions do your cantelope grow in? I've been wanting to try growing those, but it seems they would need a really long season to fully bloom. Any info would be great. :)

[stinkyattic]

I never have tried walnuts, I use pinenuts. Maybe I'll try that next year if I remember lol.


Both together. More pinenuts, but I like the bitterness/sharpness of the walnuts.

Haven't made pasta from scratch in a while, got me thinking.... this weekend!

[stinkyattic]

What kidn of conditions do your cantelope grow in? I've been wanting to try growing those, but it seems they would need a really long season to fully bloom. Any info would be great. :)

We did cantaloupes in New England this year. They came out small but unusually sweet. Just stick the seeds in hills, water, weed, watch. BTW used grow dirt makes for a good vegl garden!
Next year I'm building a hoop-house over the veg patch and maybe extend the growing season a few weeks=bigger melons.
And hey, who doesn't LOVE big melons! :D

[rhino44]

What kidn of conditions do your cantelope grow in? I've been wanting to try growing those, but it seems they would need a really long season to fully bloom. Any info would be great. :)


I live at the base of the Blueridge mnts. in Virginia. Our growing season is early to mid May through middle to late October. The melons are started late April indoors and brought outside everyday(that's how I do most of my plants). They are ripe throughout the month of August. Follow Stinky's advice and make the mounds. beware though canteloupe and particularly watermelon take up alot of space. I usually give my cantaloupe's 3x3 ft. and the watermelon 5x5 ft. they need lots of water and they will be fine. Fresh melon is really splendid. Multiply the taste of a good store bought canteloupe by 3 or 4 and you get the picture... very rewarding. Goodluck and I hope they grow well in your climate.

[GrowinGranny]

Oxalis Charmed Velvet looks charming. I think it would look be great with a planting of Japanese forest grass, Hakonechloa macra `Aureola`. For even darker foliage than the Japanese blood grass, Imperata Cylindrica, try black mondo, Ophiopogon planiscapus 'Nigrescens'. I had it planted with Artemisia 'Silver Brocade' and it was one of the most commented upon combinations in my garden. I just love grasses...I mean grass...I mean both :D

[Fengzi]

I love to garden but unfortunately don't have much space. This year I grew a few types of tomatoes, cucumbers, and several types of hot peppers. We also have a pretty good herb (legal) garden. We've got a long growing season out here so I'm still pulling tomatoes off the plants. Nothing like an omelette made with tomatoes and herbs straight from the garden. Plus, especially with the tomatoes, anything you grow is so much better than anything you can get in a grocery store.

This year I was pretty proud of what seems to be a cross of Thai and Italian basil that just came up out of the ground. We grew both types last year and my guess is they pollinated each other to come up with this hybrid. It's got the same licorice like taste and purple stems of the Thai but big leaves like an Italian basil. Plus unlike most Thai basils this one doesn't put out ridiculous amounts of flowers. I'm hoping to collect some seeds from the hybrid to continue it next year.

[CityBoyGoneCountry]

I love to garden but unfortunately don't have much space.

That's how it used to be for me. For the longest time, I didn't even have a backyard, only a balcony. But that was enough room for 2 strawberry jars. For the first time in my life, I now have enough room to grow anything, even trees. I'm even thinking about building a huge industrial size greenhouse.

I quite possibly might plant too much for me to manage next year. I look through all the catalogs and see all the different varieties I've never had before, and I want to try them all.

I watch all the gardening shows, especially "Gardening By The Yard" with Paul James. I have that one programmed into my DVR so I never miss it. That man has a passion for plants that I've never seen in any other human being, and best of all, he's not boring like most of the other gardening shows.

[GrowinGranny]

Paul James' jokes are corny, but I love the show also. I've been gardening for a lot of years (Master Gardener) but almost every show I learn something new. Sorry, but I just noticed your question about heirloom seeds. Seeds of Change already mentioned is a good one, also Heirloom Seeds (go figure), and heirloomtomatoes.com. JL Hudson, Seedsman is not specifically heirloom seeds but always has interesting things.

[Pass That Shit]

I grow apples, pears, peaches, plums, cherries, crabapples, grapes, figs, lemons, oranges, raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, mulberries, currants, wintergreen, tomatoes and WEED :D

I will be adding more fruit in the spring. Blackberries and more blueberries at the least. :thumbsup:

[CityBoyGoneCountry]

Paul James' jokes are corny

They sure are. But I tell you what, I would rather he be corny than stuffy, like those gardening shows on PBS.

[rhino44]

The New Victory Garden book is really good I have it. Also, the original Victory Garden is a great book also. It was a tv show probably one of those stuffy ones you refer to. I never saw it but the book is extremely informative with great pictures and step by step intructions and diagrams on building everything the personal gardener could want. Also I am interested in making apple cider and I think I will get a press and try that next year. The FDA has made it unlawful to sell unpastuerized cider wich is really too bad because it is so much better.