Vegatable Gardens or Mini Gardens!

[Mary Kay]

I used to have a large garden..about a half acre (stop laughing..that was huge for me!) But over the years I lost interest in aching backs, chasing bunnies and swatting bugs!

I now have a little potted herb garden for my sauces and now a brand new hanging garden that my hubby made for me!

The first pic is my herbs, oregano, thyme, basil (just a new baby) sage, rosemary and 2 types of chive, I have to replace my mints and cilantro..the frost got them! I have some Shamrocks and strawberries for fun and flowers.

The second pic is of my new hanging garden. Mike built the stand because we don't get full sun on the porch..duh..lol! I think he did a great job!
The first(left) topsy turvy has both pear and big bob tomatoes. The next has red and green bell peppers, 3rd, pickling cukes, they are small but I hope good for salads. last Yellow pear and cherry tomatos.

I put 2 plants in each topsy turvey because I normally lose one out of every 2 things I plant. The 4 tomatos were plante a week ago..the middles were planted 2 days ago.

So tell me what you planted..go ahead put me to shame!!

The othe side

 

[CES]

I love your garden! I mostly plant flowers. Perennials so i don't have to plant every year. Dogs and squirrels eat must of the veggies i try to plant, so I've given up for now. I do want to see other people's gardens, cause maybe that will help me get motivated to find a way to keep the critters away and put in some veggies again.

 

[Metstoo]

I think hanging gardens are way cool. My neighbor has one. Is it better to do that here in FL because of the bugs?

 

[Mary Kay]

Bugs can get to then via the pole and wire.and most of the bugs around here fly, swim and ride dogs! The hanging garden with a mostly closed top keeps the weeds away and makes for more efficiant watering (a lot of water evaporates in the hot Florida sun). Plus the fruit hangs down keeping it off the ground. The upside down plant also has the advantage of no root rot!
I think we sank the post to far down..they instuctions said tomato plants can get 6 foot long..oops!

Come on ladies..show off your plants now that sping is here. We can then compare them in summer and fall.

 

[Metstoo]

I only have a few house plants... I have a brown thumb. I don't kill them... they just linger indefinitely.

 

[deitra]

Last spring I planted tomatoes and anneheim chilis. My garden area is about 12'X12". When my sons were home for Christmas break they argued over the green chilies...aka..new mexico, anneheim chilies. I think I would like to try the hanging tomatoes since I have very limited space. My BF told me he would til a small patch of yard if I wanted him to. I want to plant okra so I can pickle it. Which is my boys favorite food. When I lived in Tennessee and Texas it was easy to grow. Now I have to figure out how the soil needs to be here in Ohio. I also want to grow a small patch of zuchinni for relish. I won a blue ribbon in the West Texas fair one year for my relish, green chilies, and jalapenos. A big surprise since I have no Latin blood in me. If anyone knows any tricks for the okra please let me know, I want to give all three of my sons a case of pickled okra for Christmas.
Thanks

 

[deitra]

Oh BTW I can't grow a darn thing indoors. I have the black thumb in that department. LOL

 

[Skyler]

My husband wants a veggie garden. I'm going to show him your photos and tell him that's what he needs. All this back braking work to start one and tend to one is not going to work with him.

 

[Mary Kay]

My tomatos! The big ones haven't started getting really big yet..but the cherry tomatos are Huge! The yellow pear and read pear are very, very sweet! Too good to wast in salads..just right for popping in your mouth.
hey I just had a thought..stop laughing! Maybe the cherry tomatos and the regular tomatos cross polinated! That's why the cherry tomatos are so big!
I forgot to post a pic of my herbs..they have gone crazy.

One month ago

Today! I should have left the yellow and red on the vine until after the photo.

 

[Mary Kay]

The Herbs have really grown!

 

[Mary Kay]

Uh Oh! It's beginning to get out of hand! We are eatting the tomatos as fast as we can..but they just keep coming! I have 4 more to plant yet!

 

[Orion]

Oh BTW I can't grow a darn thing indoors. I have the black thumb in that department. LOL

LOL, I have the black thumb of death indoors too. And half a green thumb outside.

I tend to kill more than I produce and this year I didn't bother planting because I'm moving. I like the hanging gardens, so much easier and no aching back!

Mary Kay, your hanging plants look like my Mom's! Her boyfriend built the same setup for her.

 

[Mary Kay]

Oh that's great! I hope she gets as many tomatos as I am getting!

 

[SuZamme]

I love gardens of all types.
Fortunately, my partner is an amazing gardener because while I truly love the end results, I don't care much for the actual gardening part.
Here's a link to some of my photos of our gardens last year. This year promises to be even better.
Images

vape On!!!!!

 

[JennFL5366]

wow so the topsy turvey works good then? hmm..i have 2 tomato plants that are doing good and a green pepper plant and 3 herb plants. ill have to take some pics and post them up. looking to get a good garden started for myself cause i need to save some money and this seems the best way to do that as im buying so many diffrent veggies right now and spending a ton!

so MK did u buy already sprouted tomato plants and then put them in the topsy turvey? or did you do them from seeds? what are you feeding them? are you using any pesticides?
do tell do tell!!

 

[Mary Kay]

We bought the tomatos alread started..about 4 to 5 inches tall. I bought a yellow pear and red pear tomato, a cherry and a regular size tomato. I wanted the grape tomatos and large yellow, but they didn't have them.

We put two plants per tospy turvy (in case one died..which didn't happen!) around the root we put high quality plant soil (miracle grow) then normal potting soil for the rest. I added tomato food from Home depot halfway up and then finished filling the topsy turvry. We water everyday and add food once a month..they say every 3 months but the topsy tursy drains out freely, i figure we lose a lot. We also keep adding soil as it settles and compacts as well as some drains out. We use a pestiside but sparingly. I hate doing it but as we live in bug central..

Mike caught a bird dive bombing them and a squirrel having a nibble. I guess we need to go get a plastic owl! I don't mind a nibble or a snack from the wildlife here and there, but all the birds do is poke holes in the tomatos and the squirrels knock a bunch of green ones off climbing up.

 

[DaliMama]

This was my first year attempting a home garden...my family has a massive farm but unfortunately I know very little about farming myself. I sure wish I would have been paying attention!!

My fiance was kind enough to tear up a section of the backyard, use a rototiller, add top soil and other "good" dirt and fence it off so I could conduct my first gardening experiment...As you will see from the pictures I have weeds, and lots of very determined left-over grass to get rid off.

I also learned a lot about the spacing of plants from this experiment too. I have 11 tomato plants and can forsee myself having to can or preserve a lot of tomato later in the season, same goes for the corn!

Ah well, you live and learn...and eat a lot of corn and tomato in the process

Login to a private Photobucket.com album

I had to post that link because I couldn't figure out how to post the pics individually

 

[Moonflame]

For those who garden and have too many veggies to eat, there are food banks and homeless shelters that take donations of fresh vegetables. I know that when I helped my father in his garden we ended up with so much that we couldn't possibly use or can all of it and you can only give away so much to friends and family.

 

[Mary Kay]

Suzamme! Are you kidding me! Your pictures are just fabulous!


Dali, you need a password to get in there. But I use Photo bucket for my pics.
Go in photo bucket and decide which pic you want to post.
Then hover your cursor over the pic, the codes will aprear under them.
Choose IMG code..click on it, the line will turn green..copy that line of code and paste in here. once you post the code will turn to a picture!

 

[blueeyekelly]

This years garden is doing ok (sorry no pics) I use raised beds I find they are the best so I do not have to be on my knees, well at lest not in the garden, and weeding is so much easier, our beds are 4x8 and about 2 - 2 1/2 ft tall. just the right height so the kids can reach all the weeds, the beds are not full yet (slow starter this spring...LOL still sprouting seeds here) Right now it only has (ok don't laugh too hard) 10 tomatoes planted down the center of the bed 5 on each side of a cow panel to help support them, there is two kinds Rutgers and pineapple tomatoes (of course 5 of each that is what sprouted) then at either end of the panel we have a Armenian cucumber growing (only 2 of those seeds sprouted) about 5 spinach plants, 2 marigolds, a nasturtium and onions planted around the out side of the beds and between the tomatoes. We are working on sprouting some basil (I so want to try to make pesto) broccoli, 3 kinds of cucumbers, yellow centered watermelon (all that I know is it some sort of heirloom that we grew 2 years ago and saved the seeds) zucchini, butternut and acorn squash and cantaloupe.

Out back we have 3 pumpkins and 3 rattlesnake watermelons growing already. then I have a 4 x 6 ground bed full of rhubarb (I so need to find something to do with it, the pie I made a couple weeks ago was good but now it is too hot to bake) another bed the same size with french tarragon in it. Then out back I have lots and lots of mint growing spearmint, chocolate mint, some apple mint and peppermint.

then we have a 4x2 which is 1 ft tall for my girlie's flowers that bed is way full, 2 sunflowers, 2 nasturtiums, 2 marigolds, 4 morning glories and 4 lupine (at lest 3 of the lupine looks like they will live...LOL)

Of course the garden is probably going to go to %^$# in a couple months from lack of care but...LOL I still try though, I have only about three feet in gardening books and I have read most of them so you would think I know what I am doing but I have my doubts about that...LMAO