Hi everybody,

I thought I'd start a gardening thread since a few people here are gardening too.

I just started (Canada -zone 3 especially- is late :-) with some seeds in the kitchen and planted some onions and garlic in the garden.

I mostly grow veggies but also a few flowers. This year I plan to grow tomatoes (4 different kinds), cucumber, eggplants, zucchini, garlic, onion, herbs, carrots, radishes, beets, lettuce (different varieties), ground cherries and I want to try horse radish. We also have Saskatoon berry bushes, red currants, gooseberries and rhubarb.

What zone are you in? What do you plan on growing?

Good idea!!

I am in zone 7 (1/2 acre in the high desert) but we had a late surprise hard freeze last week. I had to put quilts around my flowers and herbs. I lost my dill and marjorum but otherwise potted flowers on patio all made it.

Herbs: Rosemary, chives, dill, basil, oregano, thyme, and substitued parsely for the dead marjorum.

Patio Flowers: Wallflower, snapdragons, petunias, pincushion, yarrow, dianthus, daylily, pansies, statice, coneflower, johnny-jump-ups, zinnia, sweet william, gaura, verbena, marigold

Flowerbed: Hollyhocks, desert 4 o'clocks, butterfly, phlox, alyssum, lavendar, autumn joy, roses, iris, spring bulb mix, gladiolas, penstemon, vibernum

Fruit/Veggie: peach, apricot, apple x 4, grapes; green beans, zucchini & yellow squash, tomato (sweet 100, roma, beefeater), bell pepper, corn, cucumbers

I am only planting 6 raised beds due to the high cost of water - even on a drip system. I may plant the other 6 beds Jul/Aug with cool weather crops - carrots, peas, broccoli, spinach, lettuce, cabbage

Just a quick note re garden zones: They are different in the USA and Canada. For example, I am Zone 5B in Canada but considered Zone 4 in the USA.

Right now our trees are just starting to show green fuzz, daffodils and tulips are in bloom, the rhubarb is sprouting and we are thinking about planting veggie gardens when it warms up a bit. Tomato plants won't go in for another two weeks at least.

If it makes you feel any better, Memorial Day weekend (last days of May) is usually the time everyone around here gets their planting done. Before that, our frost threat is too great.

I'm in whatever zone the SF bay area is.

We have 8 tomato plants, different types, onions, green onions, several different types of peppers, bell and hot, 5 or 6 different thyme types. Some we've let become ground cover, sage, cilantro, chervil, basil, several different chive types, carrots and radishes.

We took out our lawn and put in raised beds. Just about everything we grow is edible.

Lemon, orange and bay trees.

Lemon grass.

Our ginger sprouted, so we planted that. Not sure how to harvest it when it is ready.

My husband is growing all this. I'm the kiss of death for plants.

We have this big ole honkin' Pride of Madera. It is lovely 3 weeks out of the year.

I've been a gardening madwoman the last two weeks - it's been my fun and my exercise. Like today, I took out the grass (by hand) for a 15x5 foot oval flower bed. That took me FIVE hours!!! Before that I planted some anemone bulbs and a couple evening primrose plants in the side yard flower bed.

Two days ago I planted in pots 6 tomato plants and staked them (they are already over 1 foot tall), and I planted three containers of herbs - parsley, cilantro basil, lemon basil and oregano and lemon balm.

I just partially filled an empty 40 by 12 foot flower bed to the side of our house with tons of perennials, I'm about to plant around our rock garden and I planted annuals around the front of our house (36 begonias) and a variety of annuals in 20 glazed clay pots. In other words, I've been very busy.

I'm in Zone 7. And this is the second year in our house. First year we concentrated on the inside. THis year on the outside and it's been LONG neglected as it was an old single lady who lived in this house before us and she did nothing.

I spread composted manure in my garden today and placed plastic mulch around one of my trees.
I am in Zone 5. Still a little too cold at night to plant annuals and some veggies.
But my strawberry plants and fruit trees are blooming and my berries and grapes are budding out.
The gardening takes a lot of my time and I get a lot more exercize with the hobby.


I grow my own fruit and make juice. The juice prevents strokes, heart attacks and dementia. And it gives me a lot of energy and nutrients that sodas just can't deliver.



And I also grow potatoes and other veggies. And I grow Giant Mullein to make a medicinal green tea that knocks out colds and flu. So now I don't get sick anymore.

Zone 5a western Nebraska. planting onions, broc, caul, spinach, several varieties of squash, radish, carrots, tomatoes, several varieties of beans, etc. Sunflowers, cosmos, lillies hollyhocks, marigold, zinnia, 1 rose bush, etc. hopefully will get a strawberry bed built. Chives, sage, mint, cilantro. And probably more.

Love to garden. Can't wait to eat fresh veggies. I ordered a bunch of heirloom seeds and am trying some new varieties of maters, squash and melons.

I didn't know there is a difference. According to USDA we are in 3b. That's the only map I could find that works.

Wow, great! Many gardeners around here.

I forgot to mention my flowers. I started sunflowers, morning glory, black-eyed susans and phlox from seed. I am not very good with flowers but the veggies usually thrive.

We officially start May long weekend (around May 23) if not after the first June weekend. The last few years we had snow on the first June weekend!!

I did my first square foot garden last year and oh boy, is that ever convenient! We had tons of veggies in a 4ft x 4ft beet. Love it!

We also have a little greenhouse where I grow my tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplants and ground cherries. I didn't have much luck with them outdoors since our summers are soooooo short. And I can't do without my tomatoes!

Yesterday I planted some kohlrabi and leeks in the square foot garden, not much else can go out right now though.

I planted a new azalea, hydrangea, and lilac bush. I moved to the woods and it's been a challenge to find things that grow well in partial to mostly shade..

I have herbs...I LOVE cilantro and basil...did chives and oregano and a red basil... I also have a big pot with spearmint, ginger mint and chocolate mint...I had to google to see how the chocolate mint is used...

In a cleared garden spot that gets more sun...I have sugar snap peas, spinach, green and red leaf lettuce, tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, green pepper, cayenne pepper, serrano pepper, jalapeno pepper, trying lima beans and sweet corn for the first time.

oh and sunflowers, we plant and dry them out for the birds..

Dirt Therapy is good for the soul...

Nice, jules!! Sounds like you are in a great gardening zone. Peppers are pretty much impossible up here.
Loved the expression "dirt therapy" :-)

I'm not growing a vegetable garden, mainly because I don't have any sun in my yard (deep, deep shade). But I've been working in my yard whenever it isn't raining...I love it!

Big time gardener here. I'll make it simple and say I grow virtually everything I eat, with the exception of avocados, citrus and bananas. Zone 8. It's been hard to get into the garden this year because the rain simply won't stop -- but this is the week!!

josey... be sure to plant any horseradish in containers. It is terribly invasive and almost impossible to get rid of once it takes hold in your garden. I don't have it (don't like it), but the folks I know who do rue the day. So be careful with it!

Happy gardening!!