Veggie garden friends of Mid-Atlantic.

Lady Gardener, thanks! How much of the stem do you cover, and how tight do you put them around the stem? I've heard of that but can't picture how it's done.

greenhouse_gal, that is one B E A U T I F U L garden

Gal, That is a lovely Garden. Looks like you have a nice spot to sit and a pond also. I was out side digging weeds in the rain, the Asparagus bed had gotten pretty bad since I weeded it last. It sure looks much nicer now. I was also able to remove some of the larger perennial weeds from the edges. Give me a couple more weeks and I "may" take a pic or two of mine. As bad as it still looks it is so much of an improvement from 3 years ago. So far besides the Asparagus there are sugar peas, onions, cauliflower, broccoli, radishes both red & white, potatoes 3 types in barrels. I have been hacking back the raspberries that went wild over the years and hope to put them into some order. We will be putting in tomatoes, peppers & beets soon.

HollyAnn, the current gorgeous state of our garden is due to my having found a helper to hire. We have never, just the two of us, had it looking like this before! DH had some health issues and we needed a hand to get the garden ready, so a friend recommended a woman who worked for another friend, and she was fantastic. She spread all of our mulch and put down woodchips on all of our paths, plus some landscape film to block weeds in a couple of areas where we hadn't had time to do that yet. We have never run out of mulch before, and she actually cleaned the chicken coop so we could have something to spread on the last few rows when the bins were empty. We had her here for about four three-hour stretches earlier this spring, and we were amazed at how much she was able to accomplish. She was a real treasure; I recommended her to several other friends, who are also delighted. So you shouldn't think that we did this on our own; we couldn't have!

We have asparagus coming, too, but what always comes up first are the wild plants by the river. They were here when we moved in and have been giving us a bonus crop ever since. I don't know that they taste any different from the ones we planted, either. It sounds like you have quite a respectable garden going yourself. Lucky you to have raspberries healthy enough to be hacked back; ours never do that well.

Leslie

How far does she travel?

She lives in Woodstown, so she probably wouldn't travel up to Central Jersey. I suspect I've already recommended myself out of a helper, too. She called to thank me for giving one or two of my friends her name, and I think she's pretty busy now!

eh, nuts!

Gal, Doesn't matter that the hired help did it, it is still beautiful. I retired a couple of years ago and have been trying hard to whip our place into the garden of my dreams. For years I didn't have the time to do what I wanted but I have a plan. You would think that with not working I could get more done but even in retirement the time just goes by so fast. I keep saying that I could really use my 30 year old body back. LOL I have been thinking of moving my chickens into the garden for the summer. Many years ago we had a dozen or so hens. My grown son has gotten interested in raising chickens and he gave me 3 hens for Easter. I have a small portable pen I thought I would set up down there.

I'll bet if you asked around you could find someone. The friend I first mentioned it to has a guy who works several days a week on her place, which looks like Tara, so help me. I asked if he could give me a little time, but he doesn't like to travel that far (we live on opposite sides of the county.) She checked around and her friend who owns a kennel had this helper who was looking for some extra work. My son's BIL had offered to give us a hand, but then every time we scheduled something he had to do something else, so that obviously wasn't going to get my garden ready in time. Basically I think you have to decide you want to do that and then put out the word. Lots of luck!

HollyAnn, we used to put our chickens in the garden over the winter, but with my current setup of rows and paths they'd make short work of that arrangement. Also, we never got around to getting them out early enough for me to plant peas, so we were always running to catch up. They are great for keeping bugs down, though, as well as fertilizing as they go, and if you have a portable pen that might work, as long as it fits in with your garden rows. They do scratch everything up like crazy.

Not sure if I will let mine run loose in the garden or just house them down there. The old chicken coop was torn down years ago, although we still have some of the boards left over as it was saw mill oak and is quite often used in some rustic craft project. My son had thought to let his chickens run loose but has Hawk issues so he penned a large area for them with bird netting over the top. We don't live far from him and quite often see a Hawk or two keeping an eye on our bird feeders. I'd love to just let them go and would be willing to deal with a little Veggie damage now and then. Maybe while I'm working down there and can keep an eye on them.

At least with my chickens there'd be more than a little veggie damage. They can scratch an area down to bare earth in no time flat, looking for bugs and seeds. We have hawk issues, too, but the geese seem to protect the chickens. When we had fenced the geese in another area we lost several chickens, but since we've returned them to the same pasture things have been fine, even though there's a redtail that lives on the other side of our woods by the road, and I often see him circling.

We have some old boards that we kept after we remodeled a cottage on the property as an art studio for me. I don't know what kind of wood it was, but it was probably milled on our lane many years ago. Some of the boards are 14 or 15 inches wide. I used one of them for a garden sign, although I wish the letters showed up better:

HMMM.... Woodstown is only about 10 miles from me. :)

When mom feels better, I'll contact you and maybe we could meet. She caught my cold and is under the weather. Coughing hurts her and makes her even more short of breath.

Jan, that would be great. Let me know when that will be. Do you have my email or other contact info?

Jamie has Guinea Hen's for protection, but they wandered over to the neighbors once too often so he penned them. I think he is going to try leaving one in the pen and letting the other loose and see if that would keep them close by. We live fairly close to a State Park and they have a hawk program not to mention that there are Eagles nesting down on the river not too far away, every once in a while they come up the creek and we see them fly over, too. Quite a sight.
Love your sign. I showed the pic of your garden to Ric and he said give it a little more time and ours will look that good. Thanks for the inspiration. Nice seating area in front of your GH. I sure could use one right now.

I'm surprised that guinea hens protect against hawks. We used to have them but couldn't keep them penned up and finally gave them to the friend who had recommended them. She thinks that coyotes are picking off her current batch, though.

We have eagles, too; they are truly a beautiful sight.

One of the neat things about having a place with some room is being able to tailor it gradually to your liking. Getting there is half the fun, and you have it all ahead of you!

We used to have a wooden bench and table by the greenhouse, but for some reason they never lasted at our place, even if we put them in shelter over the winter. So this year we just went for something metal. It can stay out there forever, like the bistro set on the deck by my studio, and we don't have to think about it anymore. It's not as comfortable, but it did come with cushions. Still, I'm not sure we'll bother with them.

Greenhouse_gal, I adore your garden! I've been wanting to buy a small farm and do something similar! How inspirational - thank you for sharing.

Wrightie, thanks! It's a lot of work, though! Still, it's very satisfying to watch those young plants sprout forth and begin to bear, and besides, it all tastes so good!

That's pretty clear; thank you.

We actually use cardboard for mulch in our asparagus bed, and then cover it with salt hay. I've been using landscape paper for the paths between rows, and adding woodchips to walk on, but the problem with that is that dirt does end up migrating to the paths and then weeds grow on top of the landscape paper. Still, it's better than nothing!

GG,

You can also use large plastic cups or 5" pots..... Cut out the bottom out and slit it open up the side. then push it down into the soil keeping the pot/cup closed. This is a bit less work....works just as well.....

Gita

Don't the cutworms come up through the soil, though? So they could come up between the rim of the cup and the plant, couldn't they?

I use paper towel or tp tubes around the stems

Not if you bury the rim of the pot/cup about 2" deep. I just push it in a bit....
Seems they navigate on the soil surface---so I have always heard.....

Well, when I dig I find them buried, so I wondered.

Greenhouse gal...what a beautiful garden you have...something I am working towards. I wish I had all the room...suburban lots have their limits for space.

The two books I have that are just a great inspiration are:
The Edible Garden by Sunset books. I think I found it at Lowes, but I am sure they are at many other places.
Designing the New Kitchen Garden:An American Potager Handbook by Jennifer R. Bartley (I found mine by ordering on Borders.com)
I also found very helpful is
Grow published by Fine Gardening magazine. You can find this at Borders, as well as other locations.

Very inspiring. They certainly have given me a new project to plan for and to work on. But we need the potting shed and it will have to be ordered soon, or longer season veggies may have to wait to next year. I build a 4x4 foot size bed that I may place temporarily just to get planting, It will be a pain to move, but better that than waiting.

I have three oblisks that I got from Lowes last year and stained them to match the hardscapes. Even just placing them on the lawn help me envision it more. I have a trellis, similiar to yours Greenhouse gal that is ready when it comes time for the fence. Do you grow veggies or fruit on the trellis?

RatherB, I have a couple of books that I like a lot for potager ideas:

The Edible French Garden, by Rosalind Creasy and
In the French Kitchen Garden - The Joys of Cultivating a Potager, by Georgeanne Brennan.

The first has lovely inspirational photos and some helpful lists of varieties; the second shows a garden plan throughout the four seasons, which is really going to be useful in terms of visualizing what families to plant when - and where.

I also have both of Elliot Coleman's books, but I especially like The New Organic Gardener. They're both full of very practical tips on how to garden, and he is a real admirer of French potagers.

I took a look at the books you mentioned and they look really nice, too. At this point I'm stuck with a hardscaped design, plus the internal rows that work well for me, so I'm not going to redesign, but it's a lot of fun to look at and admire what others are doing!

Actually, the French gardens I've seen, that belong to everyday people who live in the rural Southwest, do tend to run to rows, but the sectioned gardens with freestanding beds in the books are gorgeous!

Leslie

Oh, good! Now I have some new books to check out. YIPPEE!

Hi everyone, I just joined the forum. I am a new gardener from PA, zone 6. I am hoping to grow some veggies, but my seed starting efforts have been slow. Probably need warmer conditions and more light. (I keep my heat at 62 in the winter, viking blood.) I am setting up a shelf with lights so that future efforts will be more successful.

I planted some lettuce and radishes in a windowbox yesterday. I always grow greens in windowboxes. I get less bugs. I am going to try spinach in another windowbox. I start them in the sunny south side, and get an extra couple weeks by moving them to the north side when it gets hot.

My tomato seedlings are still tiny. I started a couple more varieties in starter pots today. (It is probably a bit late, but it wouldn't take much to catch up with my seedlings) If all else fails, I may have to get plants. I plan to grow the tomatoes in containers this year. I also have been playing with the idea of DIY growbags. I made a tiny herb planter. A friend gave me a bunch of strawberry plants. I am going to try them in a container also. I planted some snow peas and snap peas on my grandmother's birthday (mid march). We used to start planting together that day. They are usually up before the morning glories, but they are not up yet this year. Would it be too late to throw in a few more?

I am also starting herbs. They are still quite tiny. I am planning to keep a couple of each variety inside as well. In the summer, I will take cuttings to root for inside also. I tried bringing the pots inside last year and had dead plants and bugs. I just bought actual french tarragon, a plant for inside and one for outside. I really like to cook and would like to have lots of fresh herbs.

I think both the rosemary and the provence lavender died. I brought them inside and watered them once a month. I was hoping they were dormant, but I think they are dead. I will have to try again this year. At least I have some of each dried.

I have a tiny newbie tip. I use cut plastic soda bottle "rings" around plants to protect them. I also used the cut tops minus the lid as makeshift terrariums over seeds or seedlings. A little neighbor asked me if they were greenhouses for fairies. So cute. She likes to help me plant. I gave her a parmesan shaker filled with yellow marigold seeds which she has been "naturalizing."

The good news is that my roses survived the winter. I may even have a new volunteer. (I started a thread "is this a rose" in the rose forum with a pic.) I pruned them a bit and tried rooting the cuttings. I followed the instructions in the rose propagation forum, but used peat instead of coir. Did you do anything special to root your rose gitagirl? Is your rose the one they call Alba Suaveolens? If so, it is on a list of roses recommended for Sweden. After having funerals for several grafted hybrid teas, I am focusing on hardy, own root roses. A friend gave me a start of Souvenir de la Malmaison. It will be my first old rose.

If it ever stops raining here, I am going to stroll in the woods and find some sticks to make those nifty pyramids. (Or whatever they call them). At this point, it is hard to believe that any of my seedlings will get big enough to need one, but it doesn't hurt to be prepared.

Welcome Garden Quilts. My Grandmother and mother used to start roses by cutting a new growth shoot and planting it under a Mason jar from Memorial Day till Labor Day.No rootone, callous, or anything. It very often worked. Most of what they shared were old standards and cabbage roses. I'm sure the same technique would work today, especially with some of today's "newer" products, such as fungicide and rooting hormone. Hope you enjoy DG. Holly's Ric

Great gardens, people! . I won't show my mess~~
My spinach has doubled overnight with the warmth and rain. I have to get out and cut it again. Then it'll be bolted before you know it and that's all for this spring on that.We had a nice big bunch today. I got my english peas in late-I think I saw one sprout the other day. I'm late with tomato seedlings too, but I figure they'll make it up.
Hey Viking--We moved our thermostat down to 64-65 all winter this year, I wouldn't have thought we could do it but we did! well we did cheat a few mornings and get a little hot shot for the shower and dressing phase of the morning....

Hi, Garden Quilts! Welcome to Dave's Garden! It sounds as though you have quite an ambitious garden starting up. More details about your plastic soda bottle "rings," please. I can't picture them or what their purpose is but it sounds intriguing.

If you know someone with a bamboo grove, they're usually happy to have someone thin them out for supports for your plants. I use them for tripods for my tomatoes, and as poles for my bean fencing. We used to use juniper poles but these are much easier to work with, so the juniper poles just got sawed up this spring for firewood.

We keep our house at 65 in the daytime and 62 at night, but we supplement with a wood stove, and that makes all the difference. I love wood heat; nothing like curling up next to it with a good book on a soft chair!

We lost one of the oreganos that we brought in for the winter but the other is fine. Our lavenders are also doing well in the garden. I have a small herb garden off to one side of our main garden, and I also grow basil and parsley in a small clay planter next to the porch door, so I can tell my granddaughter to run outside and get me a little basil for my tomato sauce or tomato salad! My thyme self-seeded, so I have more little plants, and all winter I could go out and grab as much thyme or rosemary as I wanted. Some of it looked fresh and some looked dried, but it all worked well. What do you use French tarragon for? I had some but I'm not sure if it lasted the winter.

Leslie

Welcome, GardenQuilts, you will love it here!!! There are so many places to explore and the people are the greatest!!

Sounds like you have some Svenska blood. My paternal grandparents were Swedish. I prefer it cooler especially to sleep, but have to keep it about 70 cuz my mom lives with us and freezes. :)

Do you live in the Stroudsburg area? I lived in WindGap til 1959 when we moved to Jersey.

Happy gardening!
Jan

Welcome GardenQuilts!

I did almost the same thng with the soda bottles, I cut them in half, fill botom with seed starter, tape the top back on and until you see growth start keep the cap closed, kinda like little teraniums.

Welcome from me too--GQ--DG will surely become your home away from home!

I don't remember trying to root the rose that you referred to....hmmmm...But--I am sure it died or I would know about it...

Don't feel like the Lone ranger re all the seedlings being small! There is something 'cosmic" going on this Spring as far as seedlings staying small. They even talked about it on Radio....

I sowed all my seedlings March 13th and my Tomatoes a week later.....They are all still small and most of my Tomatoes do not have their true leaves on yet....What gives? last year, my Tomatoes were 10"-12" tall and I planted them in my bed the second week in April....Something sure is different this year!
I have the light set-up and all.....Yesterday, I brought my Tomato seedlings back in under the lights...I think they need a bit of coddling.....

I too planted 3 lavender plants--but they are under the eaves of my roof up against the house....Rain seldom reaches there and it is quite dry....Hope they make it---It is Lavender Provence..
I have basil seedlings to plant in pots yet....or my long window box I usually use...

Tired of this cold and rain....Turned the heat back on this morning....
I too live in a colder house all Winter...about 63-64....
Maybe I have some of that Viking blood too---NOT from Sweden, but I am from Latvia--just across the Baltic Sea....I don't even own a sweater!

Have you checked out Holly and Ric's Swap coming up 5/16??? There are several Posts going on it....

Gita

Thanks for the welcome!

I will take a couple of pictures of the soda bottle "rings" and "fairy houses". They look kind of silly, but they seem to help.

The one seedling that is doing well is sunflowers. I tried some perennial flowers, also. They are tinier than the tomatoes! I put aside the remaining perennial seeds to try winter sewing this fall. I have some bulbs and a couple roses, I want to add more flowers around them. It is such a challenge to have something blooming all the time!

Tiffany, my Westie, is sulking because it is bad weather, again. She likes my gardening enthusiasm because we spend more time outside.

My family is Norwegian. My grandmother loved gardening. She grew apples and other plants to remind her of Norway.

Tomorrow is promising to be a nicer day, so will be able to spend more time outside.

I planted a lot of annuals around the yard today, and then a friend shot a turkey and wanted to come over and use our chicken plucker, so we've been busy! It's cool but not raining here. Time to relax, though! Good luck getting outside tomorrow, Jan!

How cool! A chicken plucker. I remember using my hands when I was a kid. Dad boiled water etc. I also remeber the smell!! I didn't like that. How does it work?

Jan, it's a tub with rubber fingers extending into the interior, and a rotating platform at the bottom. You attach a hose and turn a switch, and water jets out onto the fowl and the inner platform turns, so that the rubber fingers can strike at the carcass. It's amazing for chickens, not quite so good for geese, and it does well for turkeys. First we immerse the critter in a hot water bath (150 degrees for 8 minutes for turkeys) and then test to see if the large feathers on the wing come out with only a bit of a pull. If so, it's ready for the plucker.

When we're doing a bunch of chickens and/or geese it's a real timesaver!