MgoGardeners, How Does Your Garden Grow + Adult Beverage Time
Mates,
It occurred to me that even for urban dwellers, having a garden is kind of a thing. It also occurred that some of you might be really good at that, and a wealth of knowledge given all the smart-niks that are on the board. With summer finally arriving up north its time for those things up here, and I'm curious about what you all are growing and how.
So the Questions are:
1. What are you growing (yes, even if its medical marijuana) and how are you doing that? You growing plants, flowers, vegetables, raised bed gardens, potted, irrigated, whatever, give some background on it.
2. Been hot up here and been busy outside much of the day. About to do the last of the chores for the day, and an adult beverage will soon follow. What's in your cup?
Hoping you are enjoying a great holiday weekend,
XM
EDIT: I knew there were some serious gardeners here.
Also, hello to ms. dudeness, whose head i am apparently renting out without payment. getting better for you hopefully.
With silver bells and cockle shells and pretty maids all in a row.
But my wife vetoed it because she didn’t want to take care of it all and she didn’t believe I’d help. So now all we have is a lonely succulent that we water once a week or so.
are so easy to care for. You can literally forget about them for a week or more at a time
Tarleks or Alperts?
I have a garden going at the house plus a 25x25 plot at Bowers Farns in Bloomfield.
Mostly tomatoes (5 or 6 varieties) and peppers (mini, bell, jalapeno, Fresno, Cherry Bomb, New Mexico Red, Habanero) along with some herbs (cilantro, basil, dill, rosemary) and flowers (nasturtium, marigold, zinnia).
I start all my vege plants from seed harvested from last year's yield. It's harder to do but more gratifying.
Tonight's beverage will be 3 fingers of Glenmorangie 12 Nectar D'or. It's amazing.
How do you start with your flowers? Do you start from seed with those, too, or do you get them in the plug flats?
Seed.
ReadYourGuard(en)
It grows with my wife and kids in charge of planning and me in charge of finance and labor. I can’t believe I am such a chump. It is basically 1 yard of 50/50 for 2 raised beds and I have 12 raised beds.
Tonight my beverage is red wine paired with Lemon Diesel for the back pain
I got six of good quality stuff delivered for 250.
$28 a yard in Hamburg or Whitmore lake. I live in Dexter, but everything is cheaper in Livingston county.
what commie high is all about?
we have all the manure you might want if you want to go 100% magic soil.
sorry about the back. hope the medicinal vino will help.
You commented on my screen name before, maybe you know Community High School is a magnet high school inAnn Arbor located next to Zingermans and across 4th street from Kerrytown, but I cant tell.
didn't know where the school was though.
no kidding on this though, we have a small mountain of manure and ultra rich soil. you bring your pick up truck here and i'll get the front end loader out and load you up. free.
I thought you lived in the UP, that might be a little far to go for horse shit.
cow, sheep, goat, chicken and turkey scat, but not horses....
Two words: Sungold tomatoes.
Sungolds are the perfect elixir for long upper Midwest winters. Big fan of sungolds here.
But in terms of beverages, I have become hooked on Dogfish Head SeaQuench. It is a session sour brewed with sea salt and lime. Very crisp refreshing on a hot day like today. Happy Drinking MGoGardeners
Dropped way too much coin on some plants that my wife will kill very soon. Hottest day of the year, should have been on the boat instead.
Working on a Two Hearted, then to Lake Ann Brewery for some fun with friends.
Started my seeds under lamps in February. Transplanted to raised bed at the end of April. I use high octane soil that is mostly compost with mushrooms and worm casings. Only had room for tomatoes, bell peppers and herbs this year. Wife told me that she may let me build a second one next year if this on has a good yield. I ran under-soil irrigation using plastic tubing with drops at each plant. I recommend timers to water at 5am and 5pm each day during the summer heat. Had my first tomato on the vine early this week. Peppers are a bit behind in terms of production due to growth term. Can’t wait to make some sauce to store for winter.
currently growing thyme, rosemary, basil, lavender; jalapeno, banana, poblano, and red peppers. Going in soon are English cucumbers, roma tomatoes, and a vegetable to be named later
impressed with that list. how much area are you taking up with all of that?
so my entire deck is covered with planters
pounded into the ground, some equally inexpensive chicken wire and zip ties applied to the stakes, your rabbit problem is solved and you can go 'big time' on the garden.
No garden due to full investment in the condo lifestyle. Occasionally consider getting a community garden plot, but they tend to have meetings on summer Saturdays and I'm all NOPE. I'll live with getting fresh stuff from the farmers market.
As for beverages, Founders Solid Gold is proving to be the beer of the summer so far.
I have a peace lilly that I have managed to not kill in over 20 years & probably over a dozen moves (counting temp moves.)
When I last had a place with a balcony I had some tomatoes in pots. Dog kept eating them right before they were perfectly ripe. (Inconsiderate bastard.)
Should be ready this week. Unfortunately I hate radishes. I’m drinking Perrin grapefruit
a beer?
And a fine one at that
Last year I tried tomatoes from seeds. They took so long to ripen that I ended up making a big batch of fried green tomatoes for the first time in my life. They were delicious. This year just patio pots of flowers and hanging baskets. Surprisingly easy to make those arrangements. Left lots of time for Moscow Mules.
My flowers and vegetables are 100% in by Memorial Day so we're off to a good start this year. We too have trouble with varmints so most of the greens this year are in pots near to the house. Stuff I'll go to often for cooking like leaf lettuce, swiss chard, parsley. Out in the raised beds the tomatoes are king--usually heirloom varietals and always one for cherry tomatoes--these produce over several weeks and are great for salads or just snacking. I also grow lots of basil, some type of hot pepper, arugula, collards, and cukes. Due to limited space I grow the "Bush" cukes which do not crawl all throughout the rest of the garden.
Used to be a mad vegetable gardner, but have scaled back significantly this year due to perceived time issues. That's a cop out, though, since gardening has served as a much-needed therapy for me in recent years. Something about digging in the dirt that makes me forget my other stresses.
OK - so I just convinced myself to throw in some tomato and pepper plants tomorrow. Usual tomato mix is early girl, big beef, celebrity, and a bunch of romas. And one prolific sungold plant.
do you garden like you bootleg? if so, the neighbors might be a bit squeemish tomorrow.
good on you for planting, nice tomato line up.
As a college student working in a greenhouse, I can agree that caring for plants can be very stress relieving. There's not much better than watering flowers on a sunny day with the breeze coming in through the side of the greenhouse. I was planting urn liners last week by myself and that was a nice change of pace, too.
I can’t take care of my rose bushes for the life of me.
The ARS has a pretty solid list of the healthier and hardier varieties that dying need much care. My favorites are Zepherine Drouhin, Iceberg, and Paint the Town.
I have three rose bushes in my front garden (Brooklyn) and they were there when I moved in 10 years ago. Maybe its because they get a direct southern exposure and the heat bounces off the front of the brick brownstone, but they are the easiest thing to take care of outside of hostas. All I do is put some rose food in the ground every few weeks and water. These things bloom, I cut the dead ones off, and they rebloom again a couple weeks later..and do so until at least the end of Sept.
I do a garden and a few barrels.
I find herbs do better in barrels. Lettuce too depending on where you live. If you have rabbits you have to do it in barrels.
In the main garden I do several varietiesof tomato. Squash if you have lots of room. Squash can be hard because there's a fungus that's been going around for a few years. At least a few varieties of cucumber. You want a kirby. Peppers. My kids like when I grow funny color ones. Beans and peas are easy. You just need something for them to climb on. Last, I have been doing garlic but you really need more than a year for it.
Valentine Gin, lime water and fresh lime
Planted the garden yesterday, a pretty good sized raised bed. I try to be as organic as possible. This year I planted 8 different tomatoe varieties including some hybred and heirlooms. Cucumber, green beans, wax beans, cauliflower, radish, collard greens, carrots, onions, Swiss chard, mustard greens, basil, mint, rosemary and thyme. Also have a couple patches of raspberries and 8 blueberry bushes. Really looking forward to growing some legal Indica bushes next spring.
i should've asked for pictures.
thinking of turning over some land to raspberries as they are my favorite and i am told that once you plant them they will go, go go.
I highly recommend planting raspberries. They are delicious, highly productive, and spread like crazy. Try a couple different varieties in different areas. Be aware they will take over, I give away dozens of plants to friend every year. I have one variety called Joan J that is thornless and more kid friendly.
Edit: I forgot to mention I also grow hops for my home brew. Cascade, Centennial, Columbus and Chinook
Amiright?
Close, Mid-Michigan
but they make my diverticulitis flare up
squatty potty
Of planting a garden. My mom and brother inlaw have nice ones so I live vicariously through them. Tonight it’s buffalo trace neat. I do have a side of q ginger beer that I sip on occasionally. I do need to bust into the miller lights since it is now hot as a mofo out here at the camp fire
is solely to keep the bugs away and maybe cook something. too hot to be near it.
Mary Mary quite contrary. What makes your garden grow?
Very unique tree that takes a lot of maintenance. Enjoying Daytime Lagunitas is more to my liking.