So garden questions don't get lost in other threads, please post your questions or comments here and those of us who are experienced will try to reply. It's important to know where you live because gardening in Florida is really different from gardening in South Eastern Ontario.

Ya got that right, chickie.

What a great idea! Thanks Ruth

I'd like to share another forum website that has TONS of gardening info. www.gardenweb.com There is a forum for everything you can imagine: annuals, perennials, veggies, daylilies, hostas, landscape design, etc.

Ooh, ooh, me first! I'm in Southeast Missouri (Cape Giradeau to be precise) and I'm wanting to plant veggies in pots. I have no room for a big garden
Thinking of tomatoes, cherry tomatoes (love those little buggers!) and bell peppers. Oh, and green beans....
Can these be done? If so, what do I need to do?!?
Thanks!!!!
Jenn

Oh, absolutely, Jenn! I've often grown those things in pots. The pots should be large and fairly deep. And you'll need some stakes for the tomatoes and beans.

Ellis is right about the large pots. They should be at least 5 gal containers if you want a decent fruit/veg yield on tomato and beans. I am planting a cherry tomato plant in a container today, to keep on my back deck outside the kitchen door, next to some herbs.
BTW, there is a forum on container gardening at Gardenweb (but you have to share what you learn with us ).

So, what are you planting now????

I've got some annuals that I want to get into pots~~petunias, geranniums, begonias and New Guinnea (sp?) inpatients. I'd like to find a Mandavilla vine to put in a large pot on the deck and let it grow and wrap around the railing.

Hey Ruth, any chance we could have this thread as a sticky for the season?

Sure thing. Consider it done!

I've planted peas, spinach, rainbow chard, radish and mesclun seeds so far. It's really early to be able to do that - I usually am not even tilled until mid-May but my neighbour did my garden tilling so I got right on it. Our veggie garden is huge so I sometimes don't get it all planted at the right time.

I have pansies outdoors in the flower boxes, a forsythia in bloom and a few daffodils. The rhubarb and Welsh onions are well up and I have enough chives to weave a beach hut for the cabana boys!

In the woods, we have hepaticas!

I've had tomatoes and strawberries in for some time. I recently planted more tomatoes, peppers(red bell, red chili, cayenne), green beans, herbs (parsley, basil, chives, catnip), squash(summer, zucchini, acorn) and okra.

We also have some petunias and veggies that my son planted for his Cub Scout elective.

Amen to the chives, Ruth. Ours are HUGE!

Our growing season just started and it'll be a month or more until I feel safe planting any seeds outside. DH spread some leftover sand in the area where we hope to start our garden. We need to get some "Black Gold" topsoil and a rototiller so we can get the ground ready. We haven't had a veggie garden until this year, so we'll see what happens. I hope to grow a mix of things for me and things for our bunnies. Lots of dill for the buns, lots of basil for me, tomatoes, green beans, zucchini (I'm a nut...but think of all the zucchini patties.... ), mesclun mix, kale, carrots, etc.

Do you chickies think there is anything to the old wives' tale about planting marigolds around your veggie garden? Does it really keep anything away?

Anyone have any idea what these little flowers are? They show up around the same time as daffodils, in a wooded area in our garden. The stems are gray-green and fuzzy. We have two white ones and one purple. I used to think they might be hellebores, but on closer inspection, I think not. Could they be cousins of the hepatica you posted, Ruth?


Here's just one plant, close up.


Here's the three.

They definitely ARE hepaticas, Laurie. They come in white as well as shades of mauve and lavender. Give them a sniff - they smell wonderful. They aren't hellebores - I believe they are liverworts.

Wow, I'm so excited to finally know what those cuties are! Are they usually wild, Ruth, or did the person who had my house before plant them?

I love their cute little fuzzy stems!

Thanks!!!

I think I have those growin around in my yard as well. I should take a pic of all these things I have no idea of and let y'all smarties id 'em and write it down for future ref.

They are a wildflower, Laurie, but the previous owner could have transplanted them from the woods.
Bamie, you can send me the pics by email if you have a problem with resizing. PM me for my addy.

Hey Ruth I couldn't get them to load. They were toooo big and rather than tryin to resize them or fill up your inbox I put them on my page. They are on page 2 and I asked the questions there so you would know which one I was talkin about. Thanks bunches.
http://groups.msn.com/BamieGurls