Do you have a garden?

[zenor77]

I have two gardens! One at my house, all in containers. The second is at a friends house. I helped her build raised beds, so she's letting me use two of them for the season.

At home I have:
Mint
Lemon Balm
Lemon Verbena
Lemon thyme
Sage
Parsley
Mexican Tarragon
French Tarragon
2 Thai Basil
Italian Basil
Jalapeno Pepper
Concho de Toro Pepper (sweet type)
Agate tomato (paste)
San Marzano tomato (paste)
Jubilee tomato (yellow)
Early Girl tomato

At my friends house:

Thai Basil
Italian Basil
Jalapeno pepper
5 tomato plants (the same as above, plus Bolseno a flat Italian tomato)
Concho de Toro pepper
2 New Mexico Chile pepper
Magda squash (light green summer type)
Sebring squash (yellow straight neck)
Radishes
Mizuna
Arugula
Spaghetti squash

I haven't seen much growth from my greens and the radishes though. I think it got too hot. Also, my spaghetti squash never came up. I think I should start that from seed indoors and transplant.

My peppers aren't growing as quickly as I'd like, but September is the normal time for pepper harvest here. I have lots of green tomatoes on my tomato plants. I can't wait for them to ripen!

[FutureFitChick]

Originally Posted by Fox

Gorwing up we always had a huge garden (almost an acre!) but where I live now it's nearly impossible to grow anything because of the deer, you have to have a garden that is fenced not only all four sides but the top too! They'll hop over even a 6 foot fence so most people who have gardens have to cover it with chicken wire.

I recently heard a good way to deal with this. Put two fences up about 4 feet apart. The deer are usually unwilling to jump into something that narrow, as it does not give them enough room to exit safely when in danger.

[Hyacinth]

I am so pleased with how my garden is growing! Unfortunately, my in-ground garden doesn't get enough sun, so the only thing that is thriving in that space are the impatiens, begonias, coleus, rhubarb, and raspberries.

My container garden is on my deck, which is full sun plus by the lake, so it might benefit from the reflective quality of water ... either way, I'm actively using my herb garden and have been able to pick a few tomatoes and tomatillos already. I cannot wait until I have a space where I can plant to my heart's desire.

[Thinfor5Minutes]

Our tomatoes refuse to turn red...it just hasn't been hot enough up to now. The plants are loaded with them, though.

We have a lot of eggplants and some peppers and zucchini. We even found a volunteer pumpkin plant and are nurturing it along. Husband planted way too many radishes; every year he overdoes on something.

[rawallison]

I decided to honor both my desire for a whole foods diet (including raw foods) with my concern for the environment and need to educate myself about what I'm putting in my mouth. My room mate and I built a six-bed garden in her back yard and sowed/planted on May 30th. We've now been reaping (pun intended) the benefits of our hard work. Just yesterday we ate a great green bean dish made from beans and herbs we harvested that afternoon. Gardening has been an unbelievable experience and the emphasis on healthy, whole foods has helped me lose 40 lbs so far this year.

[Hyacinth]

My hot peppers are coming along nicely (because they're in a container in the full-sun part), and I was pleasantly surprised to see a zucchini growing in my part-sun garden!

[gardenerjoy]

I'm new here, today, but wanted to get in on the garden thread. I've been gradually growing a few more vegetables each summer for three summers. With luck, I'll have raised beds to use next spring and will take this to another level.

For this summer, I've been harvesting large eggplants and zucchini. My first banana peppers are ready. It's past time to make pesto with the basil -- I have gobs. There's also oregano, parsley, flat-leaf parsley, and rosemary.

I had lettuce in the spring but we had a heat spell at the end of June and it went bitter.

I just pulled up my chard because it was no longer producing and my collards because we decided we don't really like it. But we ate lots and lots of greens this spring and summer.

So, I'm putting in a fall crop next week: chard, kale, and mesclun.

[judipurple]

Yay, for all you gardeners! It warms my heart to hear of not only the desire to grow your own foods, but the amazing varieties of the different veggies & herbs! Good on ya!

This summer has been cool and VERY wet here in the NE part of the U.S., yet most of what I've planted is thriving!(giant sigh of relief) I started most everything from seed (except for certain herbs), and although the slugs and I battled for domination, most is green and growing. Let's see if I can remember what is back there (the garden was expanded this year - 25'x50')...Tomatoes (about 50 plants total - plums, salad, & cherry), salad & pickling cucumbers (which are keeping me VERY busy!), winter squash (OMG! There's a green monster at the north end of my garden!), several beds of basil, a variety of lettuces, yellow bush beans, green pole beans, kale, collards, broccoli raab, parsley, cilantro, edible podded peas, an amazing array of weeds (), peppers (which tend to not produce - but I always hope!), sunflowers for the goldfinches, and back at the beginning of July, I harvested the garlic (I plant in November). I have been very busy this summer, making and canning pickles, and making a variety of jams and preserves.

The apple trees and pear tree look good - there should be enough for plenty of apple sauce and pear butter (I hope!). I hope to put up some herb vinegars, and maybe some herb and savory jellies. I have about a dozen jars of pesto in the freezer, and will be getting more made this week. It's a good feeling, knowing there's summer's bounty ready for the winter.

[shcirerf]

Dill, giant sunflowers, yellow squash, peas, sweet corn climbing beans cucumbers, radishes, onions, chives, peppers, lettuce, broccoli, tomatoes.

I have one raspberry bush, but probably won't produce until next year.

I'm doubling the size of my garden next summer.

Alas my soil is crappy, but the good news is my neighbor has a pile of compost the size of 1/2 a football field. And as current plants peter out I'm planting fall peas to be tilled in next summer.

I live on a farm, not renting anymore either, so I can finally do what I want.

Next summer adding potatoes, rhubarb, horseradish, hopefully I can get some asparagus to grow, lots of herbs, more early spring, cool weather crops and so on. Also a strawberry bed and want to get some fruit established, service berries, more raspberries, etc.