How does your garden grow - 2012

[LIZSAM]

i can hear thunder in the distance maybe we are going to get some rain - i am hoping to do some gardening tomorrow - plant a few broad beans and other treats -

[Sonja]

Took pics of some new flowers before rains come in - not complaining we are just coming out of a severe drought here in Texas. I was trying to get pic of the mallards swimming on pond but they took off! Pics: climbing roses, iris', spiderwort, pond in east pasture not far from house.

[Shastasmom]

I love your pond and your flowers. Its too early here for our flowers to be blooming. They should be blooming in a couple of months. Thanks for sharing.

[sharon w]

Yes GrannyElen, there is a special hessian/plastic type bag - you start by rolling the top down - and keep filling it up with soil as the potato plant grows - do a web search - how to grow potatoes in a bag - there are quite a few sites
and re those dandelions and other weeds - i think they do stretch all the way around the world - they are all over the place -

Here's a link to sew your own grow bags from landscape fabric. I'm thinking that another use of landscape fabric is to make hanging bags that hang on houses and fences for flowers. http://www.ehow.com/how_7452464_make...pe-fabric.html

[pennykasteel]

I love your pictures Sonia. The potato growing hint is really wonderful thankyou LIZSAM & Elen. We had a tiny bit of rain last night, it nearly settles the dust but not much else. I'm now into planting mode having given all the weeds the flick. There are dandelions in my lawn which I am rounduping. Maybe they share a root system with yours LIZSAM.

[Shastasmom]

thanks Sharon, may have to give this a try. Looks like it could be fun, our own unique planters.

[LIZSAM]

Granny Ellen in fact you can grow anything in a container - garlic to potatoes you name it - - potatoes in a bucket and even old tyres

[pennykasteel]

I try not to use containers as they need more watering & we are away quite a lot. It is quite a big job to ask a neighbour to water containers twice a day.

[granny elen]

Wow I never thought to sew bags from landscape fabric - that would be a much easier way to harvest potatoes, just dump the bag out. It has been really cold here this week and is now raining. I have daffodils, squills and glory of the snow blooming. That's ok, I typically don't plant a garden til June anyways. Gives me more time for good old fashioned spring cleaning - my lower level is so clean it could probably squeek!

[wallerubw]

After all the storms that came through Wichita (thankfully the path of the tornadoes missed us) my poor tomatoe plants are asking for life jackets! The water is just standing in my garden. I hope we get a little dry weather soon or I'm afraid even my potatoes will start to wither and rot. Ugh!

[granny elen]

My gardens are under snow - the roses were growing so nice yesterday - I hope they are ok.
But my thoughts are with all those that were in the path of the 100+ tornados this past weekend.

[Shastasmom]

Elen, your roses will do just fine. My lilacs are pushing out their leaves. Hope we don't get any killing frost before they bloom. Every year but 1, the blooms have been killed just before they are to open up. But if they don't at least they are pretty shrubs.

[granny elen]

It is hard for me to believe my plants are furthur along than yours I live in zone 2! My lilacs have good sized buds already and you can make out the purple! Hope they bloom as they have only bloomed once before -thanks to the deer - they have been planted 13 years! I actually recently moved a tea rose hubby bought me for valentines day outside - that is the one I am most concerned about. The daffodils, tuips and hyasinths are blooming under the snow - hope they keep blooming.
Happy garden planning everyone!

[pennykasteel]

We had a few days of showers & now it has warmed up again so everything is flowering again. This is a bit unusual for this time of year.

[Phillipa]

I spread Evergreen around last September and with the rain we have been having the grass has thickened. it is too wet to mow (remeber we are in drought conditions) the farm across the fence has dry soil, not enough water to penetrate, you pick up the clumps of soil and they are dry, dig down an inch in my garden and it bone dry. it overcast and cold, so this rain is enough for the plants to survive in the short term. In saying this the weeds are flousinging and I am on first names with the dnadelion flowers. i have noticed violets are growing in the grass, they are frost resistant. I used these and Catmint to underplant my roses oh also planted some Italian mint in the garden beds..catmint seems to failed to revive, Italian mint flourishing and Violets are taking over everywhere. the Black Bamboo I planted several years ago is on the march and spreading..it started out as four dying sticks, i got it from the throw out bin at the Garden Centre and thought it might survive, so did the stupid thing and took it out of the pot...looks like I am going to have to start using digital control on this clump. Daffodils still blooming, I planted these so I would get a display from January to May. The peonies are flourishing and clemantis is ready to flower. Never ever plant a Chilean Vine..I did and have been kept busy ever since weeding out the seedlings; this vine looks lovely, but when it seeds, well lets just say you are going to be kept busy keeping it under control. All I want is sunny day so I can get out and weed the front garden beds...

[rainagade]

I think we are all waiting for warmer stable weather.
We cover the garden each year. Everything is now open and ready for the first tilling.
My DH put together a grow light for me. I use a large window in the shop for seed starting. I have 2 trays of corn, a few acron and Japanese cucumber, tomato seeds going. I may have to share my heating pad with these guys!

We have all these older windows we took out of our house last year. He is using these for "hot boxes". He came home with the 2x4's and hardware yesterday. We are in zone 7 with elevation. My growing season is short so I need all the help I can get. Potatoes, garlic and onions are all showing signs of spring is near. As are the flower beds with my unfavorite weed, the shotweed!

My fruit trees are starting to flower. An Asian pear and yellow plum, but we have had 2 nights in a row of frost.

[pennykasteel]

Weeded & straightened the garden edges yesterday. The fhubard,capsicum & egg plant are still producing prolifically.

[la_cole]

Accomplished the first mow on the north and east side yesterday. Too wet to do the west and south today. Started to cleaned out an overgown flower bed,too. Oh, my; the peonies are looking great!

[pennykasteel]

Planted strawberries a few weeks ago & all the plants have developed new leaves, so I should have a good crop in spring & summer. Though it is autumn the fruit trees still have bright green leaves. They are usually turning yellow by now, but it has still been summer weather here.

[Phillipa]

Yummy, home grown strawberries. the best I have ever grown was when we lived in Singleton, yes that you beaut Army base, it was hard to grow anything there, but strawberries for some reason thrived. Haven't had much luck growing them over here...Oh my grape vine has new leaf bud..hope for a good crop of grapes this year.