Gardening

[DuckTownHusker]

Any other gardeners out there? It's not exactly hunting or fishing but it feels like it belongs in this forum instead of Hot Topics or Football.

I've mostly grown tomatoes, zucchini and several herbs but our family is planning to move out to a piece of land we own in the next year or so (building a house). We're going to just plant a whole bunch of random stuff this spring to see what takes off with minimal watering and whether we get a lot of pests.

In our current garden I have a drip irrigation system I designed from PVC. I've learned a lot from this one and will make improvements to the next system, but it's been pretty foolproof for us in our small backyard garden. Can't wait to try it on a bigger piece of land.

 

[Middle-aged_Ball_Coach]

Any other gardeners out there?

Yes, I am, but mostly of the vegetable variety of gardening. I know very little about flowers, etc.

It's not exactly hunting or fishing but it feels like it belongs in this forum instead of Hot Topics or Football.

I was one of those who wanted this thread, and I agree that it fits as well here as anywhere.

We're going to just plant a whole bunch of random stuff this spring to see what takes off with minimal watering and whether we get a lot of pests.

I've also been in that mode for some time. My wife and I bought a tiny house as a temporary measure a few years back because it was half the price to make mortgage payments than what it was to rent for anything, and there wasn't anything available anyway. I tore up every patch of bad grass or strange lawn fixture, and I planted perennial vegetables all over: asparagus, strawberries, rhubarb, chives, raspberries, strawberries, spearmint, peppermint, horseradish, and three types of oregano. There were other things that didn't survive, but those all did okay or better. Now that we're in a different home, I'm waiting for the frost to be gone so as to start moving everything over to our new home.

In our current garden I have a drip irrigation system I designed from PVC. I've learned a lot from this one and will make improvements to the next system, but it's been pretty foolproof for us in our small backyard garden. Can't wait to try it on a bigger piece of land.

I've toyed with the idea of some sort of irrigation system, but I'm too tight to pay for much, so it will be some sort of redneck design. I'd like to find a way to store more rainwater so as to make use of it for irrigation. Every potential idea has either been too big of a project, too expensive, or both.

 

[ksuhusker]

Yes, I am, but mostly of the vegetable variety of gardening. I know very little about flowers, etc.



I was one of those who wanted this thread, and I agree that it fits as well here as anywhere.



I've also been in that mode for some time. My wife and I bought a tiny house as a temporary measure a few years back because it was half the price to make mortgage payments than what it was to rent for anything, and there wasn't anything available anyway. I tore up every patch of bad grass or strange lawn fixture, and I planted perennial vegetables all over: asparagus, strawberries, rhubarb, chives, raspberries, strawberries, spearmint, peppermint, horseradish, and three types of oregano. There were other things that didn't survive, but those all did okay or better. Now that we're in a different home, I'm waiting for the frost to be gone so as to start moving everything over to our new home.



I've toyed with the idea of some sort of irrigation system, but I'm too tight to pay for much, so it will be some sort of redneck design. I'd like to find a way to store more rainwater so as to make use of it for irrigation. Every potential idea has either been too big of a project, too expensive, or both.

A self made drip system should be rather inexpensive.

 

[CrabHusker]

I've got some bonsai.

Haven't had time for an actual garden since '13 or '14.

 

[Smoker]

I tried to garden one year, it ended up being nothing but weeds,
I burned it off, never did it again,

 

[NUinID]

My wife always thinks we should have a garden. So we plant one. I have got her down to doing it in a about a 4x40" stucco planter box attached to our house, don't ask.

Personally I don't like to garden I don't find it relaxing. People that really like to garden find it therapeutic to go out the the garden every night for a half hour and pick all the fresh new weeds out of the garden and make it look nice. My wife doesn't do that so it always becomes an overgrown mess.

I think part of my problem is that I just don't like to eat fresh veggies nearly as much as you need to to keep a garden. I don't like to just eat a tomato. I like all the things made out of tomatoes don't even mind a slice of tomato on a sandwich. But to just slice up a tomato and eat it, no thanks. Corn on the cob is good, but again I am not someone that is going to eat 3 ears of it at a meal. There are plenty of people that grow it.

Besides I live in a part of the world where commercial potatoes and onions are grown. People give me hundred pound sacks of them. They also grow bell peppers, asparagus, water melons

 

[Squatchsker]

We are going to have a 32 x 20 spot this year. I grew up with a nearly three acre plot as our garden between ours, grandparents, and neighbors back fields. So, I was a little burned out on it when I was younger. But now it is more for a relaxation thing for my wife that has benefits.

3 different tomatoes
5 different peppers
kohlrabi
cauliflower
okra
spaghetti and butternut squash
zuchinni
eggplant
cucumbers
herbs

We have started everything from seed this year, whole bunch of sprouts in egg cartons right now.

 

[chicago husker]

Any other gardeners out there? It's not exactly hunting or fishing but it feels like it belongs in this forum instead of Hot Topics or Football.

I've mostly grown tomatoes, zucchini and several herbs but our family is planning to move out to a piece of land we own in the next year or so (building a house). We're going to just plant a whole bunch of random stuff this spring to see what takes off with minimal watering and whether we get a lot of pests.

In our current garden I have a drip irrigation system I designed from PVC. I've learned a lot from this one and will make improvements to the next system, but it's been pretty foolproof for us in our small backyard garden. Can't wait to try it on a bigger piece of land.

I grow indoors and outdoors using the earth trainer grow system which is self watering system that uses very little water and great results.
no weeds as well

 

[Squatchsker]

Yes, I am, but mostly of the vegetable variety of gardening. I know very little about flowers, etc.



I was one of those who wanted this thread, and I agree that it fits as well here as anywhere.



I've also been in that mode for some time. My wife and I bought a tiny house as a temporary measure a few years back because it was half the price to make mortgage payments than what it was to rent for anything, and there wasn't anything available anyway. I tore up every patch of bad grass or strange lawn fixture, and I planted perennial vegetables all over: asparagus, strawberries, rhubarb, chives, raspberries, strawberries, spearmint, peppermint, horseradish, and three types of oregano. There were other things that didn't survive, but those all did okay or better. Now that we're in a different home, I'm waiting for the frost to be gone so as to start moving everything over to our new home.



I've toyed with the idea of some sort of irrigation system, but I'm too tight to pay for much, so it will be some sort of redneck design. I'd like to find a way to store more rainwater so as to make use of it for irrigation. Every potential idea has either been too big of a project, too expensive, or both.

The few that I really miss from our garden as a kid are strawberries straight off of the vine, cutting asparagus and walking it into the kitchen for rinse, blanche, eat. Horseradish grinding in my grandparents open air porch in October, and our cantaloupe.

 

[BigRedAvenger]

I would like to, but the deer in our area are a-holes. Nothing besides trees and grass survive for long.

 

[Middle-aged_Ball_Coach]

The few that I really miss from our garden as a kid are strawberries straight off of the vine, cutting asparagus and walking it into the kitchen for rinse, blanche, eat. Horseradish grinding in my grandparents open air porch in October, and our cantaloupe.

Absolutely how I feel, though I've never had much success growing any of the melons here. I also love pickled foods, so I pickle the heck out of a lot of peppers that are too expensive to buy in stores, if they're even available, as well as pickling asparagus. I like them with heavy, heavy garlic and vinegar, plus a peppery kick. The problem is that I've become a hoarder. I can it, and I love it, so I don't want to use it because then I won't have as much. It's the human condition, I guess.

 

[Middle-aged_Ball_Coach]

I would like to, but the deer in our area are a-holes. Nothing besides trees and grass survive for long.

There are plants, like irises, that they hate. There are others, too, but I can't remember them all. Garlic? Onions? Some people who have that problem plant a hedge of a deer repelling plant around the space where they grow what they want. I use sheep fencing as needed, but it is a pain. If I ever have a spot selected for my family's "forever home," I'm going to build stone walls with decorative metal fencing above it to keep the critters out. Until then, I have fencing ... and a nifty air rifle.

 

[Squatchsker]

Absolutely how I feel, though I've never had much success growing any of the melons here. I also love pickled foods, so I pickle the heck out of a lot of peppers that are too expensive to buy in stores, if they're even available, as well as pickling asparagus. I like them with heavy, heavy garlic and vinegar, plus a peppery kick. The problem is that I've become a hoarder. I can it, and I love it, so I don't want to use it because then I won't have as much. It's the human condition, I guess.

I plan on pickling a bunch of pepperoncinis this year, as well as kohlrabi sticks. I am still working off of the pepper rings that I pickled last year. Love em in scrambled eggs, sauces, etc. I am not doing melons currently, too high in sugar until I get some things addressed. I did find a nice technique for tomato paste that doesn't involve 6 hours on a stove. Keep all the skins from canning tomatoes, add them to any marred fruit that would normally be used for sauce. Blend until smooth, then start adding handfuls of dehydrated tomatoes until you have paste. I think it is much more robust than just boiling down 'maters.

 

[Middle-aged_Ball_Coach]

I plan on pickling a bunch of pepperoncinis this year, as well as kohlrabi sticks. I am still working off of the pepper rings that I pickled last year. Love em in scrambled eggs, sauces, etc. I am not doing melons currently, too high in sugar until I get some things addressed. I did find a nice technique for tomato paste that doesn't involve 6 hours on a stove. Keep all the skins from canning tomatoes, add them to any marred fruit that would normally be used for sauce. Blend until smooth, then start adding handfuls of dehydrated tomatoes until you have paste. I think it is much more robust than just boiling down 'maters.

I like all of the above. My favorite pickled peppers are hot banana peppers/Hungarian wax peppers (which near as I can tell, are the same thing). Pickling takes out enough heat that my wife enjoys them. I especially like them in scrambled eggs.

For the tomatoes, when we have too many, we just freeze lots of them. When they thaw out, you can still sauce or paste them, and the skin comes off with almost no effort.

 

[Squatchsker]

I like all of the above. My favorite pickled peppers are hot banana peppers/Hungarian wax peppers (which near as I can tell, are the same thing). Pickling takes out enough heat that my wife enjoys them. I especially like them in scrambled eggs.

For the tomatoes, when we have too many, we just freeze lots of them. When they thaw out, you can still sauce or paste them, and the skin comes off with almost no effort.

If you haven't, I recommend Cowhorn Peppers. Med. heat, and they get to be good sized. Pretty good yield. I think that my wife planted some banana peppers, I will have to check the sprout cartons.