thats what my mom suggested I do as well :) Why I didn't just do it when she told me? well, I can't answer that, but I will do it now that Cyndi says so! LOL

Or take some to a garden centre for identification and control ideas. I would not hesitate to spray - there's lots of other stuff little green worms can eat other than apple leaves!

They would be sooo cute though, if they weren't eating my tree! LOL

http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l2...4270018c-1.jpghttp://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l2...i/P4270014.jpghttp://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l2...i/P4270019.jpg

We already have apples the size of quarters too! Looks like another good apple season on the way!

Wow, they're hungry little buggers! :yikes: Hope you get them identified...

Any luck identifying your wormies, rdw?

I overheard a coworker talking about horse manure the other day. She said the problem with it is that it's half seeds. Is that the case with cow manure? :?:

Cow and sheep manure are better than horse seed-wise. They chew their food better than horses. :lol: Remember cows and other ruminants like sheep have four stomaches and chew cuds so things are really broken down.

Ruth, that's exactly what I was thinking! Good to know that I'm not too nuts. ;)

Hey everyone...I haven't been that active here, but I hope to pick it up now that we're actually doing something!

The veggie seeds went in the ground this past Sunday and now the waiting starts. I love seeing the little sprouts pop out! We did green onions, zucchini, summer squash, spinach, lettuce, beans and fennel in the back yard garden. We're going to get two tomato plants and pot them up this weekend and I will be starting the bay-window herb garden as well.

I'm starting to work on something in the front yard, but I'm not sure where I'm going with it yet. I'd say that it's more prep work for next year. I ripped out a rose bush on Saturday. I know, I know, GASP! Unfortunately, the poor dear had succumbed to black rot and wasn't going to be saved. Our baby pine tree has pine months, so DH treated it with a systemic to try and get rid of them. We really want to save it! I'm hoping to get a few planters and some nice, flowering things as well, but we'll have to see how far I can stretch the budget!!

Wow, Kim, I didn't know moths could hurt pines! :yikes: That's awful! Glad you treated it. Your garden sounds awesome! We're hoping to put ours in next weekend.

I was so sad all weekend thinking about our asparagus. When DH and I went out to put in some stakes to support the fast-growing raspberry bushes, I found the asparagus! Get this...only one stalk is ready for eating (the rest are all as big around as a bamboo skewer), but at least it's alive and getting there! :cheer3: I was so excited I did a little dance and even got DH to do it too! :lol: Yay!

The rhubarb is up and the leaves are HUGE! Am I remembering right that rhubarb leaves are toxic to us and to animals? Wish I could feed those leaves to the bunnies when we harvest the rhubarb...but I'm not sure it's safe.

Rhubarb leaves definitely are toxic - to people and animals.
How old is your asparagus? More shoots will come, I'm sure. The little ones are pretty good and cutting them to eat will encourage more growth.

Laurie: I didn't know about the moths, either, but apparently they lay eggs on the branches and the larvae eat through the wood, killing all the growth in their path. The tree has been treated and seems to be doing MUCH better.


Everything was up yesterday morning except for the fennel! That is such a positive signed!! I can't believe they all came up on the same day. I can taste the fresh lettuce now.

Garden #2 is going to be tilled up in 3 weeks and we'll be amending it over the summer so that it's ready just in time for DH's pumpkins.

OOh! I love pumpkins! Wish we had room to grow them! We have most everything planted as of today! In my small garden we have planted corn, beans, peas(I just like them for the greens, not the peas! LOL), lettuce, cukes, yellow squash, spaghetti squash, zucchini, peppers- red, green, pablano, jalapeno. tomatoes-roma, health kick, better boy, currant, and celebrity... and the herbs are basil, oregano, mint, dill, cilatro.... that sounds like a lot more than it looks like we have planted! I really hope it goes well this year, I tend to get discouraged easily thats why I didn't want a huge garden that we couldn't keep up with!

Thanks, Ruth, for the great advice in regards to the asparagus. I'm thinking I may even try it raw!

Does anyone have any good ideas for low-lying (no more than 12" tall) perennials that flower throughout the summer and are NOT ground covers? The most they will get is partial sun in the morning (eastern exposure). I'd love help--I usually plant a ton of annuals, but would love to reduce the cost of that!

New to garderning tomatoes in a pot
 

Hello!

This is my first summer planting! I think that I have already messed up. I live in Long Island NY (zone 34).
I planted my tomatoe plant in a large pot over the weekend.

It may have been to soon as my plant now looks wilted. Is there a way to revive them? Any and all tips will be appreciated!

Also should I purchase fertilizer or anything else? Do you recommend any products to ward of bugs and animals?
Jenny

Beachgal, the problem with perennials is that they do NOT flower all the time, for that I'm afraid you need annuals. Some perennials can be cut back after the first blooming and may flower again but.... How about some foliage perennials like Stachys Lanatis (Donkey's ears), artemesia or Ladies Mantle? I'm sure there are lots more but right now my brain hurts from naming flowers for the plant sale.

Jenny, be patient with the tomato plant. It is just suffering transplant shock. Keep it watered and out of the sun for two days and it should be OK. By the way, I don't think there is a Zone 34. I think you are USA Zone 6. As to fertilizer, Miracle Grow is what I use on potted plants but HALF the recommended strength. I never worry about bugs or animals unless it happens. Do you mean deer or rabbits or what?

Thanks, Ruth! That helps. :)

By 34, I think Jenny mean the Sunset gardening zones I mentioned earlier. I find that they are really helpful. Jenny, I haven't run in to problems with critters eating my tomato plants. Squirrels often steal the tomatoes--I don't know of any easy way to protect them, though. The only bug I've had to deal with is white flies--and it's easy to buy a sticky board that you hang next to the plant to get rid of those. A little fertilizer is good, but as Ruth said, you don't want to overwhelm the plant. :)

I watched a great video on rhubarb harvesting yesterday and am excited to harvest some in hopes of getting another harvest later on.

Now I have to hunt down why my hellebores aren't blooming every year but seem very healthy otherwise... :chin:

Thanks, Beachgal. I wasn't aware of that - not in Canada, I guess.

Yup, keep picking that rhubarb so it keeps on producing more leaves and cut off a flowering stalk before it flowers - although plumes of rhubarb flowers are spectacular in a big vase!

Ruth, how do you feel about throwing the rhubarb leaves into compose?
Sophie

Sophie, one of the articles I read said you could throw them on the compost heap. They have oxalic acid in them, which is bad for us, but I suppose it must break down during composting? :shrug:

Thanks Laurie, I was wondering about that. I knew someone a while back that would chop her rhubarb leaves, soak them in water for about three days and then use the water in a spray bottle to repel bugs. I haven't tried it but she swore by it.
Sophie

I usually cut the rhubarb leaves off out at the patch and tuck them in around the base of the plants. They act as a sort of mulch.

My dad would always cut off the leaves as he harvested the rhubarb and lay them on the pathways between the rows of plants.

Our veggie garden is growing apace...tons of little sprouts! :cheer3:

I harvested several asparagus stalks, but only one was big enough to really eat. It was divine! :cloud9: Should I cut the other really thin stalks to push it to make more? It's only the third year, so maybe that's why it's a small yield? I need to do some research. :chin:

I planted a mix of annuals and perennials in our front bed. I found some dwarf astilbe, columbine, lupine, dianthus, and sweet williams. It looks really colorful! Here are some pics:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...ntyardbed1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...ntyardbed2.jpg
This is a close-up of the flowers. I love how colorful they are! :)

very pretty-looks wonderful!!

Your flowers look so pretty and colorful, Laurie!

We bought 4 tomato plants and planted two of them in topsy-turvy planters, and planted the other two in the ground. So far, the ones in the upside-down planters have doubled in size!

Hey all!

I didn't read all the posts, but thought I would share what I did this year. Since we were late getting started my husband and I went the easy route and took a hint from Mother Earth News. Just buy bags of garden soil and lay them flat where you want your garden, cut an I into the top plastic to expose the dirt, leaving a little on the sides so the soil stays in the bag instead of spilling out. Plant your plants and viola! Instant garden! :) And no weeding! No tilling! The plant roots will break through the plastic on the bottom side on their own and actually start conditioning the soil underneath. We have 2 inches of sand on top of very hard Texas clay, so we will take all the help we can get. We started with 5" plants from our local Home Depot.

It has worked wonders. I have black thumbs, but this has been VERY successful! I have already harvested some cherry tomatoes and hope to have some bell peppers in the next couple weeks and onions later on.

Good luck to everyone!

Andrea

How neat to read about everyone's gardens, and Laurie, I love your yard. It's gorgeous!

My husband and I began with 1 raised bed last year, and added another this year. The beds are 4'x6'. This year we planted 6 tomato plants, 3 sweet bell pepper plants (a yellow one, red one and purple one), 2 summer squash, 1 lemon cucumber and 1 canteloupe, all planted around the end of March/beginning of April. I always try to buy varieties that aren't available in the grocery stores, especially with the tomatoes.

We also have a huge blackberry bush (is that what they're called?) growing along our back fence, and my sweet husband keeps it watered well, so we usually get big, fat, juicy blackberries...yum!

I bought some organic chicken manure from a local nursery and added it to both beds, as well as some new top soil for the original bed. I cannot believe how huge our tomato plants are, and that we've already harvested one of the summer squash. Wow! I sure love California weather :)

We're also planning to plant some sunflowers and corn along the back fence, and I wanted to thank the person who posted about getting the bags of soil and using those as planters. That's what I'm going to do.

I'm new to gardening, and I love it. It's so much fun.

I'd forgotten the bag of soil trick and will probably use it this weekend to plant my lettuce seedlings. Looks like my back garden won't be tilled until it dries out a bit - hardly likely with rain in the forecast again tomorrow.

Beachgal, your flower "ribbons" are very pretty and will look even better when they fill out more. I adore white cosmos!

Need help with my zucchini
 

Ok, I understand this is not a gardening thread, but I need help and I know that some of you ladies are gardening experts

I have planted 3 zucchini plants that have bloomed wonderfully, they are so big and beautiful and covered in yellow flowers, but this has been going on for the last 2 weeks, the flowers bloom and after a few days they fall off and no zucchini....

My yellow sqaush is producing an abundance and they didn't flower until after the zucs I am getting concerned

Zukes have both male and female flowers and perhaps you don't have any female flowers yet.

cmartin, we do have a gardening thread going. I'll bump it up so you can find it in case you have other questions.

If you poke around online, you'll find information on how to see the difference between female and male flowers. If you have female flowers, they have a small fruit (zucchini) at the base of the flower, before the stalk. If you don't have any of these, you won't get any fruit. If you do have some, but they aren't growing, you might not be getting enough pollinators (bees, etc.) to make them fertilized. You can, however, fertilize them yourself (look online for instructions). Hope that helps!

:thanks: chicks! The flowers give me so much pleasure! :love:

Love the soil bag trick Andrea! Sounds awesome!

I miss the CA weather, Gypsy Rose. Enjoy!

So, I'm currently focusing on weed removal. I have two types that are the bane of my existence right now...

I did some digging (NPI) online to figure them out and thought I'd share in case you're dealing with them too.

Culprit #1: Creeping Charlie (Glechoma hederacea )
This is taking over our lawn, though it's in all sorts of other places throughout the lawn. It's awful stuff. :rollpin:

Culprit #2: Creeping Buttercup (Ranunculus replens)

Here's what it looks like before it spreads and flowers (hint: kill it when it's like this!!!):

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4.../buttercup.jpg

This one showed up after we had a particularlyl wet summer several years ago. It spreads by runners and is beyond invasive. The only thing worse in my garden is the bindweed. The Creeping Buttercup has these ginormous taproots, plus runners, so it's nearly impossible to extirpate. Ugggh! :tantrum:

Anyone have any good tips on removing either? I'm going to try Borax on the Charlie and then smothering in an area where it's literally killed the lawn. I'm digging the rest up of both kinds. Watch out weeds!

Strawberries
 

I have 3 stawberry plants I bought from Home Depot and only one is producing fruit, the other two are huge and beautiful but no blooms

this is my first garden and I am learning as I go

Cmartin, give them time. Patience is essential for gardeners. Sometimes you don't get fruit from plants the first year. Are you keeping a garden log? I have for years and it's a great reference. For example, I know that my peony tree bloomed nine days earlier than in 2008 and has more blooms.

Beachgal, I have a weed torch which would take care of those buttercups really fast. It's not the weed dragon which is a torch that takes a BBQ sized propane cylinder but a smaller one. It works really well on weeds in the patio stones but does take a longer time for weeds with taproots like the buttercup one. Dandelions take two or three blasts before they croak.

As to Creeping Charlie, I have given up. My side lawn is Charlie, violets, sweet clover and wild strawberries - looks pretty, stays green, does not grow tall and even smells nice when you walk on it.

Ruth, I love your description of your side lawn! I bet it does smell good when you walk on it! I mowed our lawn for the first time (DH usually does it) this weekend and got to experience the yummy smell of freshly-mown Charlie myself. DH, however, is adamant about :coach: getting this lawn to be grass-only! :rolleyes:

Tell me more about this torch...when you say 2-3 blasts, is that over a series of days or one after the other at the same time? Does it damage brick?

I've heard that you can remove weeds using really strong vinegar (20% ascetic acid). Does anyone know where I can get it? Maybe a feed store? :chin:

We got some of that "able to grow on a brick" grass seed yesterday at Lowe's. We need to fill in some puppy-pee spots on the lawn and have one section which will not grow. We'll see if it'll work! :wizard:

Just thought I would share my garden is growing pics with you guys! I am sooo excited this is the first garden we've ever tried to have and its going good!
http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l2...i/P5140020.jpg


http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l2...i/P6060005.jpg

Rikki, it looks awesome!!! What is the bright neon green strip in the middle? Did you ever figure out your caterpillar problem? I've got some big holes in the middle of my raspberry leaves, but can't figure out what's eating them...

CMartin, how are your zukes?

The bright green is lettuce- and my wormies are gone... they were gone probably a week or so after I noticed them... from what I can figure its something I should be taking care of in the fall... I don't recall what kind of worms they are but if I get a few apples off the tree I am fine with them eating some of the leaves :P

I was worried about my garden because we had some hail storms while I was away, but everything looks good! My tomatoes look great and are finally getting some flowers. The zukes look great too, but something is eating the flowers before they can turn into zukes. :mad: DH maintained that it was a wasted effort to put in those raised beds, so he slapped some of my extra plants in where we used to plant (where they never did very well) and declared it a contest. I'm happy to say I'm winning. His are puny and are getting buried in weeds. :p When he's done playing there I'm going to make a lasagna garden (thanks to Cyndi) to try and improve the soil, and maybe I can use it for lettuces or something that doesn't need quite as much sun next year.

Rikki, your garden looks great!
Ruth, I've got to get DH one of those torches - he would love burning those buggers up. I guess he could use his blowtorch though.
Andrea, I read that soil bag trick too, I thought it sounded like a great idea.

I hope I have time and weather to get out there in the yard this weekend. My garlic spray came in (thank you Cat), and I'd like to get it applied, if we are going to have a little dry spell.

Schmoo, what was the garlic spray for?

Our garden is coming in well, though only half the beans came up, and the squash didn't come up at all. I'm going to have to replant those two.

Some photos to share:

Does anyone have any idea what these plants are? They look like an azalea, but the flowers come out around a central stem like a rhododendron and it has these long stamens (pistils? never was good in botany) that I didn't think were common in either. It blooms after the azaleas but before the rhodes. The buds have these ridges along them that are very sticky. The plants are the red-flowered bushes in the photo below.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...r/IMG_4157.jpg We have two of these bushes--came with the house.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...r/IMG_4155.jpg See how the flowers bloom from a central stem?

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...r/IMG_4154.jpg Close-up of the flowers. Any guesses what this may be?



Finally, here's a shot of our garden, taken earlier this week. Most of the rows are coming up nicely. :D

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...r/IMG_4178.jpg

Anybody have good tips for things to do with oregano? Our two oregano bushes are HUGE!