The Joy of Gardening

[Bèsame*]

Has anyone ever done this? It looks easy..

[Chad]

Texas has had a warm winter so far and I am getting very excited to start planting gardens. I worry that we may have a late freeze but I am so excited. Like a kid on Christmas morning!

[Chad]

I planted 4 O'clocks and more cilantro today. My Morning Glory's have sprouted and look good. I lost 2 Lantana to a freeze so they have to be replaced. The Rosemary is ready to be transplanted. The peach tree looks good and I hope to have peaches this year.

This is just the beginning of spring and I have a lot of work to do to get the rest of the herbs in place.

Yay spring!

[homoe]

Originally Posted by Chad

I planted 4 O'clocks and more cilantro today. My Morning Glory's have sprouted and look good. I lost 2 Lantana to a freeze so they have to be replaced. The Rosemary is ready to be transplanted. The peach tree looks good and I hope to have peaches this year.

This is just the beginning of spring and I have a lot of work to do to get the rest of the herbs in place.

Yay spring!

I'll be expecting some tasty peach cobbler this year Chad

[Chad]

Originally Posted by homoe

I'll be expecting some tasty peach cobbler this year Chad

Haha! I don't know how to bake. One of us needs to bring a baker into the picture. Mom will not bake anymore.

Maybe barter with a baker.

[Soft*Silver]

I live in NE Ohio and love to garden. My gardens have always reflected how well I am doing in life. If I am scattered and falling apart, so are my gardens. If I am not succeeding in general, nor is my garden. If I am flourishing and happy my garden is colorful and productive. If I am really busy in one aspect of my life, my garden is put on hold. And when I have time to concentrate on it, I do a helluva job...

so for the past five years, I have been very busy in other aspects of my life until this year. This year I hope to put in herbs, and some perennials, a few roses, and a small vegetable garden, mostly gourds and melons, a few beans and two tomato plants. I have to redo all the plants around my house for they have gotten overgrown and I want to do more of a cottage garden in those spaces.

I use to have an ENORMOUS herb garden at a different house, and hope to get that back, at this house. My problem is that the greenhouse I bought the herbs from, closed. They had 20 varieties of scented geraniums and I use to have all of them! I had at least 5 varieties of sage, mint, basils, thyme, etc. Does anyone have an herb shop they frequent that sells via catalog? Let me know!

[Soft*Silver]

Originally Posted by Chad

Maybe barter with a baker.

If homoe and Chad done mind a grandmotherly type woman to bake for them, i would barter with them for some baking! I use to be quite famous for the incredible baked goods I would make during holidays!

[Kätzchen]

On a lark, several years ago, I posted about how e joy able my day was spent helping my friend with her garden. It's so nice to see other's enjoy gardening, too.

Originally Posted by Chad

Does anyone know how long I need to keep wildflower seeds in the freezer before I can plant them?

Chad??? I know you asked about this over a year ago, but I've never heard of keeping sunflower seeds in a freezer. Like, ever. So I don't know if you ever found a reasonable answer, but I save back some of the seeds from healthy plants and store them in air tight glass jars. Season to season. If I don't use the seeds during the next planting season, I just leave them out for birds to feed on.

Originally Posted by Bèsame*

Has anyone ever done this? It looks easy..

I've never heard of these type of garden planters, Besame*. The only planters I have are clay pots and planters that I sculpted years ago, when I participated in a ceramics class in college. If you've learned about them and liked this type of planter, I hope you'll come back to share about it.

Originally Posted by Chad

I planted 4 O'clocks and more cilantro today. My Morning Glory's have sprouted and look good. I lost 2 Lantana to a freeze so they have to be replaced. The Rosemary is ready to be transplanted. The peach tree looks good and I hope to have peaches this year.

This is just the beginning of spring and I have a lot of work to do to get the rest of the herbs in place.

Yay spring!

It sounds like you're going to enjoy your garden this year!

Originally Posted by Soft*Silver

I live in NE Ohio and love to garden. My gardens have always reflected how well I am doing in life. If I am scattered and falling apart, so are my gardens. If I am not succeeding in general, nor is my garden. If I am flourishing and happy my garden is colorful and productive. If I am really busy in one aspect of my life, my garden is put on hold. And when I have time to concentrate on it, I do a helluva job...

so for the past five years, I have been very busy in other aspects of my life until this year. This year I hope to put in herbs, and some perennials, a few roses, and a small vegetable garden, mostly gourds and melons, a few beans and two tomato plants. I have to redo all the plants around my house for they have gotten overgrown and I want to do more of a cottage garden in those spaces.

I use to have an ENORMOUS herb garden at a different house, and hope to get that back, at this house. My problem is that the greenhouse I bought the herbs from, closed. They had 20 varieties of scented geraniums and I use to have all of them! I had at least 5 varieties of sage, mint, basils, thyme, etc. Does anyone have an herb shop they frequent that sells via catalog? Let me know!

I love growing flowers and certain types of herbs. Your gardens sound absolutely beautiful! I hope you have time to cultivate all the many things you enjoy growing in your garden!

Chad and homoe's banter about baking pies reminded me that it's been awhile since I've baked a pie for my sweetheart. I didn't get around to it this week at all, due to my partner coming home after chemo and needing bedrest. This last week was a tough week on both of us. I love to make apple pies and berry pies. Once in a blue moon, I like to make Cherry pie. Good stuff, for sure.

[Chad]

Originally Posted by Soft*Silver

If homoe and Chad done mind a grandmotherly type woman to bake for them, i would barter with them for some baking! I use to be quite famous for the incredible baked goods I would make during holidays!

Hi, yes please join into the fun. What were you famous for baking? Pie? Cake? Bread? Cookies?

I love bartering. I once repaired a femmes car for a homemade apple pie.

[homoe]

Originally Posted by Bèsame*

Has anyone ever done this? It looks easy..

I know it's been a while since you asked about this, but if I come across any information while doing research I'll be happy to share.......

[kittygrrl]

Plant in the rain. Plants & seeds love it..

[homoe]

Originally Posted by kittygrrl

Plant in the rain. Plants & seeds love it..

Living in the Pacific Northwest, that won't be a problem......

[kittygrrl]

Originally Posted by homoe

Living in the Pacific Northwest, that won't be a problem......

Lucky h.....you really are

[homoe]

Pre-warm soil for heat-loving plants. Transplants that relish warm weather, including peppers and eggplants, are best planted into warm soil. In areas with long growing seasons, waiting to transplant until the soil warms up works just fine. If you want to get an early start, or if your growing season is short, you can give the soil a heat boost to help ease the transition to the garden. Two weeks or more before transplant time, prepare the soil and rake the site smooth. Water if soil is very dry. Spread black plastic over the site, stretching it tight and burying all the edges. Let the sun’s rays warm the soil for 2 weeks before transplanting. Plant directly into the plastic by cutting holes through it with a trowel or gardening knife. The plastic holds heat during the nighttime hours, which also benefits heat-loving crops.

[homoe]