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1/1/13 12:14 A

THIS THREAD IS NOW CLOSED, PLEASE GO TO THE GAZEBO "2013" AND CONTINUE OUR CHAT THERE NANCY

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11/12/12 3:36 P

Me, too. And right now with all the crisis with my mom---only thing that kept me going then was the caffeine in sodas---not the best choice but since I don't do coffee, I had to have something----got to get back out of that habit quickly.

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11/12/12 12:04 P

yes, plateau-ing is so frustrating. i have to admit I am at fault at least partly. I have stopped writing down my food. After months of doing it every day, I got to be able to"eyeball" things pretty well. But there are little things that i never used to eat, because it was hardly worth the effort to write it down, that are slipping back in. One bad habit, that I got out of for 6 months is also slipping back in. When i read or watch TV (very rarely watch TV but occasionally I do), I had completely stopped snacking. Now sometimes when I'm reading, I munch on something.
Bad for two reasons. I was taught to eat at the table. Eating on the couch is a bad habit to slip back into. And snacking is eating at inappropriate times. Also bad.
So, although i do exercise and am quite active, i have let bad habits slip back in.

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11/12/12 7:10 A

Either time to step up your exercise or add a new one in---also, are you tracking your food? It is frustrating when one hits a plateau. Too bad about your dahlia---my flowers finally needed to be pulled up this weekend---the frost finally got to them---thought I was going to have to pull up blooming plants there for a while---Christmas decor goes into several of my beds so they do need to be cleaned out for that.

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11/8/12 12:12 P

make plenty of gumbo soup. I love okra but it is so expensive here, I wish we lived closer. I'd share with pleasure.
I'm in the middle of digging my dahlias. They seem so small in the spring. I always forget each tuber will make a clmp and weight 10 times what it did in the spring. Except for the exercise it hardly seems worth it. The weather affected the blooms for everyone in western NY, and they just started to bloom when we got the frost last month. What an entirely disappointing season.
I'm counting the gardening in my exercise plan. It's a lot of work and certainly worth something.
I haven't lost a pound in 5 months and it is starting to make me testy.

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11/8/12 10:07 A

So, what do you do with a bumper crop of okra?

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11/8/12 10:03 A

One thing in my garden that was not bothered by weather, to wet or to dry was my Okra. I had a bumper crop of it this year. The plants were very hearty with stalks that looked like mini trees (never saw any that looked like that before) and the plants were taller than hubby who stands 6' 2".

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9/20/12 6:52 A

I will say that my experiment with a new tomato plant was a success---a tomatoberry plant--they kind of look like strawberries in shape---very good taste and just right to pop in your mouth or in salads--I still have some ripening on there--very similar in taste to grape tomato but just a tad bit bigger.

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9/20/12 1:26 A

We had plenty of rain here in North Carolina but my backyard soil is so sandy and had paint poured everywhere so I decided to put all my effort into the front of the house. My compost pile is gradually moving to behind the two bigger bushes on either side of the porch. I've planted rosemary cuttings and my houseplants that can handle our winter. Recovering from knee replacement, can't get much done but slowly my perenial herbs will be moved to the front. Raked leaves will go on the beds for winter. Fortunately I have a housemate to rake this year.

Have a fruitful day, everyone!

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9/19/12 11:46 P

it has been a really dry year and the mild year aided the critters into populating to quickly so they got into everything this year. all the farms by me have had a pretty bad year.

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8/27/12 1:44 P

I THINK GARDENING OF ALL KINDS HAVE BEEN AFFECTED BY THE WEATHER THIS YEAR..IT HAS BEEN VERY HOT AND DRY,, EVEN HERE IN QUEBEC THINGS HAVE NOT GROWN AS USUAL.. MY DAUGHTER WATERS ON A REGULAR BASIS BUT STILL THINGS HAVE NOT PRODUCED NANCY

Edited by: NANCY_ICANDOIT at: 8/27/2012 (13:44)

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8/27/12 9:05 A

The weather has affected my dahlias as well. Not only are they not blooming (and that is a disaster for competing in dahlia shows around NY state), but they are all very short. not that I think that's necessarily a bad thing as it means less staking, but they're short because the weather caused the stalks to harden much earlier than normal. Hardening of the arteries, so that not as much water and nutrients are being transported to the blooms. Usually happens late August or early september - something that is programmed in to make whatever flowers are already on the plant to ripen fast so they can have seeds to pass on. But in this case, it meant there weren't as many buds formed to even mature. Quite the disappointment, I'd say.

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8/27/12 6:10 A

Mine did not do well either---even with watering---really think it is the weather.

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8/27/12 12:33 A

we had some rain so i am hoping to have some stuff to pick in my garden when i get home from work. i planted a sweet 100's tomato this year. they are really good and i really enjoy it. this has been a dry year so my plants have not been doing the greatest.

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7/27/12 10:46 A

Oh thats a good idea. I didn't even notice that.

Edited by: PUSHWAIT at: 7/27/2012 (10:46)

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7/27/12 10:41 A

My location is right there below my post---a lot of us here on Gardening team have it there as it helps with gardening questions. You can put it on yours by going to your Spark page and editing it.

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7/27/12 9:43 A

Well that's the strange thing. That may be the case w/me, but there are others who've planted more than one.
Geographically, where are you located? I'm trying to determine if it's a locational thing.

Edited by: PUSHWAIT at: 7/27/2012 (09:44)

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7/27/12 9:24 A

Not sure if they need a mate for cross-polination---but seem to have the same issue with my squash plants so far.

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7/27/12 9:19 A

Good Morning fellow gardeners!!!

Is anyone finding that this year has been very odd for zucchini? I only planted one plant because in the past they took up a lot of real estate in my garden, so for more variety, I scaled down the number of plants, planted.

That being said, my plant is growing beautifully, but there hasn't been any zucchini. The flowers bloom and fall off. We have plenty of bees and butterflies around, so I don't think pollination is the problem. My other vegetable plants are doing well (they took a little longer than usual too, but they caught up).

I'm asking because I'm on Long Island, but some fellow gardeners that I've chatted with in the PA & Ohio areas have found the same issues. And I know they planted more than one plant!

Is anyone else finding the same issues?

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7/21/12 9:43 A

I DON'T COME IN HERE TOO OFTEN BUT WANTED TO SHARE THIS WITH YOU

I HAVE A FRIEND THAT ALMOST LOST HER HOUSE TO FIRE LAST WEEK. AS YOU KNOW IT HAS BEEN VERY HOT AND DRY JUST ABOUT EVERYWHERE

SHE HAS MULCH ON ALL HER FLOWER GARDENS ALONG WITH BATTERY OPERATED GARDEN FIGURES,, WELL THE FIGURINE GOT OVER HEATED BY THE BATTERY AND SET FIRE TO THE MULCH, WHICH IN TURN SET FIRE TO THE HOUSE BY GOING UP UNDER THE SIDING, LUCKILY THE NEIGHBOR SAW THE SMOKE AND CALLED THE FIREMEN,. (MY FRIEND WAS NOT HOME AT THE TIME) SO EVERYONE BE SURE TO KEEP THAT MULCH DAMP AND BE CAREFUL AS TO WHERE YOU PUT THOSE PRETTY FIGURINESNANCY

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7/5/12 8:27 P

I like community gardens. There is one in my town, and it has a marvelous fence around it, so the critters can't get in at all. And you get to see what other people have success with, and what doesn't grow well in an area. It's not without its own little failures, though. Last year there was some fungus that attacked all the zucchini plants. In a few weeks, they were all dead. We can't figure out where it came from. Maybe from the mulch that the town brought in and put in a big pile?

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7/5/12 8:01 P

Hi Dusty Prairie-
I'm so sorry to read that your garden is gone. It's heartbreaking. 2 years ago I had to move because my landlord was making the house into a one family. So I had to take alot of my plants out and plant them in my Mom's yard. It's not as bad as what you've just gone through, but I did feel incredibly sad. Luckily I'm in an apartment now where my neighbors and I have put in a community garden and it makes me incredibly happy. Maybe there is a community garden near you that you can join? I hope so.

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7/5/12 8:43 A

Glad to see a new member posting---sometimes you just have to use the pesticide. But you might also go to the Ask the Expert topic and see if there is something you can use for next year to keep the infestation from appearing again.

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6/27/12 6:41 P

Welcome, Diana.
Seems so strange to hear you say that losing a home had any pluses, but you're right. It does make you appreciate the things that are most important. There is a book that I read, by James Patterson. Suzannne's diary for Nicholas, where Suzanne says that life is like balancing 5 balls. Four are rubber and will bounce back, but family is glass and you have to very careful of it.
About the pesticides: I don't like to use them either. So many good insects are affected. But if they aren't leaving you anything, then I think you're right to try to save something.

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6/27/12 6:23 P

Hi Everyone!
I'm new here and am excited to have some gardening buddies out there.
First I just want to say how sorry I am for everyone being affected by the fires. I can relate to experiencing loss as we had a tornado take our house in 03. Would you believe it was the best time in my marriage and family? All the every day things we bickered about were just not important anymore. Hang in there, you and your loved ones will get through this and be stronger.
We also had a very mild winter, early spring and I'm afraid summer is going to ravage us! The numbers on my weather bug reading are in red today (101 already? In June?)
Pests are bad here, too. I've always tried to avoid pesticides but I was forced to start spraying for bagworms and my roses are just about defoliated.
Looking forward to getting to know you all!
From Kansas City, MO
Diana

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6/25/12 6:34 A

How terrible! I would be upset, too!
Okay, I am going away for 3 weeks---pray that my dh and son keep mine alive---might have some weeds to pull when I get home but that would be okay by me. So I probably will not post on here til I get back.

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6/25/12 6:25 A

While I was off on vacation there were terrible windstorms and heat waves. No more garden.

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6/22/12 10:54 P

this year the critters have been attacking my plants with gusto. it was a mild try winter. even the squirrels are eating my strawberries this year. The voles are everywhere too i just was gone and we had some dry hot weather and most of my yard did not get enough water and no protection.

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6/21/12 6:56 P

I will be away for 3 weeks and I am betting that a lot of my grape tomatoes and the tomatoberries will ripen while I am away---just hoping that a few of those new ones will ripen before I leave---some are just turning.

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6/21/12 11:38 A

2 miles on June 21

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6/20/12 11:12 P

I just replied to your post, IMREITE, but sparkpage booted me off. Forgive me if yo get two posts from me, just in case it's in cyberspace somewhere.
What I said was, that the weather is crazy this spring, and the plants are all confused.
And that I'd read yor sparkpage and identified your mystery plant. But being relatively new to the group,somebody has probably already told you that it is papaver somniferum, the sleeping poppy like in the wizard of oz. Love that plant because it blooms fast and early with the forget me nots, and then dries up so you can clean it out in time for the next bunch of plants to flower.
It's also the opium poppy, but unless you plan to harvest it, it's not illegal to grow it, thank goodness, since I reallylike the cheerful little poppies. Did you know that the poppy seeds that you buy for poppy seed muffins is somniferum also?

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6/20/12 9:10 P

i have a good amount of strawberries. the rest of my plants are doing bad this year. it annoys me because i don't know what i am doing so different from other years and it ticks me off.

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6/20/12 4:07 P

3 miles today

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6/20/12 10:33 A

I ate a strawberry!
I used to let them get really ripe, and say "I'm picking that one tomorrow" and the chipmonks beat me to it every time! So now i eat them a little orange and am happy.

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6/18/12 2:37 P

3 miles today

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6/18/12 8:07 A

Put beer in pie pans and let them drink themselves to death---LOL
I had a grape tomato ripen yesterday---my gd loved being allowed to pick it

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6/17/12 11:18 P

I may be blaming the rabbits for all my problems, but it looks like i also have a bumper crop of slugs. I hate killing things so i hand pick them, and throw them way into the center of the lawn. I wonder if they jut crawl back or if I have a never ending supply.

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6/17/12 9:43 P

Apparently i am not the only one have more critter issues this year. i have even caught the squirrels eating strawberries.

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6/15/12 4:09 P

I have some growing but not red yet---which reminds me I should wander down to the veggie patch and see how they are doing.
You might be right about the warm winter making lots more babies this year.

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6/14/12 5:29 P

Personally, i think my rabbit problem is because we had the mildest winter I've seen in a long time. Even the annuals that were left in the planters I haul back into the garage for the winter survived. So I don't think the usual death rate of the varmints was very high. So they're back in full force and obviously celebrated that fact early this year.

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6/14/12 4:28 P

I have been picking grape tomatoes for a week or so. This is the earlest I have ever had tomatoes. Yippee!

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6/11/12 8:46 A

Either less predators in your area or because of drought situation in a lot of areas, they are having to venture into your gardens to find food.
I am having to water still as still not much rain----but we might get some this week--fingers crossed!

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6/11/12 8:42 A

What is it with rabbits this year? All my friends from Oregon to Toronto, have written me the same thing. I've been walking my dog around all of my gardens, hoping he'll provide some predator scent to keep them away. Last year it was slugs. My dahlias don't have a chance to get established every year. Sooner or later they get tall enough to evade these guys but in upstate NY, I need all the time I can get.

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6/11/12 12:49 A

After going berry picking i decided to try my food dehydrator. not a lot of success, but i hope to have more stuff to try again later,.

my only problem this year is the critters are going nuts. rabbits have eaten several of my flowers, they ate some of my veggie plants too. the birds are eating my strawberries (i have them covered with netting) and the squirrels nibbled on my pepper plants too.

they haven't been that bad in the past, but i will have to work more on trying to get rid of them,.

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6/3/12 10:10 A

I like to buy local, too--and since we are just starting veggie growing, we still need to buy some produce---like corn and lima beans---I think I have peas ready to pick--but now I need to know how to cook them--LOL
And I would have been buying those flowers too---glad you got them all planted.

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6/3/12 9:55 A

We transplanted native plants (weeds in the wrong areas) over to our native plant bed, then created a protected garden area for the veggie starts. Because I work long hours during the school year, we don't put in many veggies. Instead, I support our local economy by buying direct from small farmers in the area throughout the summer. We are one of the poorest counties, and our little town is one of the poorest in the county. So, I feel like I am doing good twice - eating fresh and local!

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6/2/12 8:11 P

I haven't been checking in here in quite a while. There were a lot of posts to catch up on.
Here in Rochester NY we have a big public market that is open three days a week. The local farmers back their trucks right up to the stalls. Always a bargain to be had. But in May, the market is open a fourth day. Flower city sundays (Rochester has the nickname The Flower City, because of Highland Park lilacs). And the ROchester dahlia society rented a space to sell dahlias to the memorial weekend crowd. We did very well. But there was a farmer next to us who had the nicest flowers. Every time i didn't have a customer, I walked over to look again. The first time I bought two packs. Then another pack. After the third or fourth trip, I told the farmer if he saw me there again, to shoo me away. He gave me "the look".
Well, around the end of the morning, he didn't want to pack everything up, so he started selling 4packs for only a dollar. I couldn't resist. I bought another 15 packs. So I guess I have a problem about resisting things that I want but do not need. This yard is already full. But I planted everything anyway.

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5/26/12 7:24 A

Got 3 more flats of flowers to plant yesterday at the sale---guess you all know what I will be doing---also got the last veggie plants for my bed---3 cucumber plants----planted about a third of what I brought home last night but have gd today so the rest might have to wait. Wish we were getting some rain---really dry here and I am hand watering everything---hose is not hooked up yet---need son to do that and turn on the outside water for me.

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5/25/12 6:34 P

That's wonderful! Got the plants well watered at the thrift shop for the long weekend. We had a quick but hard rain shower today that took care of the garden. Everything is in good shape.

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5/25/12 6:59 A

Flower sale today at school's horticulture program----I am taking plenty of money

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5/24/12 10:22 P

Jealous to hear about picking already. Our garden season is just getting into full spring, thankfully found large pepper plants to start off with that already have blossoms. Seeds are already sprouting for marigolds, swiss chard, cilantro, and just a very few peas. Happy to have things to do outside after work....nice to do right after dinner as a good reason to leave the table and the kitchen, and gardening can be so much more satisfying than dessert!

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5/24/12 7:35 A

That sounds fun. Let us know what you decide.

I'm home today. Might be too humid for my asthma but I can do something early. Got to get going right now. Later!

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5/23/12 3:58 P

I always feel more motivated when I do outside things. A friend just gave us 28 round stepping stones and I need to find a use for them.

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5/20/12 9:59 A

The green and yellow bush beans are ready to start picking, the lemon balm is flourishing, tomato plants starting to take off, off course mint is doing well and the squashes.

I'm planning on slowly working out a hundred year old rotted brick path in the front if the landlord okays it. That will be until the weather gets too hot and then again in fall. I like having so much to do outside.

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5/20/12 9:07 A

The strawberries are almost ready to produce. Two of my blueberry plants survived the winter - one is flourishing. No vegies except the tomatoes I bought to put out on my deck. We have very hungry deer. The berries are more expensive to buy year round, so that is what we have fenced with deer fencing. I support my local family farmers by buying at their little stands on the road side. Once in a while I go to a farmer's market, but not often.

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5/20/12 8:28 A

HJ, thanks for the imput---I will definitely get a regular cucumber plant going..
Imreite, are you going to Alaska for a vacation?

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5/20/12 1:56 A

i have all my vegetable seeds planted. i did the carrot seeds quickly. next year i am not going to plant them. my clay soil does not produce the best carrots : they can't be picked, must be dug out and they take forever to wash.

i think i just want to hurry up and get it done before we leave for alaska.

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5/19/12 3:38 P

I have grown the cucumber bushes.
I have grown with and without support. Either way,
I don't like the bush plants as much as the cucumber vine plants.
In my area on the east coast, they don't produce near as much as the vine cuke plants, which do need a trellis or something similar to run up on. The pickling and english market vine plants do very nice for me.
Either way, keep them picked to encourage more growth.

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5/19/12 8:43 A

That is nice that you can do that.
I have lots of flowers on my pea plants and maybe a few pods might be starting---I need to plant a few more things very soon----think a regular cucumber plant will fit in nicely.
Has anyone ever grown the cucumber bushes? do they need support like the tomato plants?

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5/19/12 8:39 A

Found a full size bean today and a male flower on a summer squash plant. Thinned out 2 yr spearmint ; potted up some for thrift shop.

We've made lots of cash from the plants I've repotted and seeds started. There's a great window there. Profits go to clubhouse arts & crafts so me and the other disabled get to bead or whatever, yay! And I get to teach customers about the plants and fellow clients computer. Inspires me and keeps me out of the kitchen, all good stuff!

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5/15/12 9:55 A

My pea plants have blossoms on them---and growing taller---dh had to put more string on our trellis we rigged for them----cucumber bushes are not growing very fast---have some blossoms on the grape tomato plants and my lettuce is looking and tasting lovely.

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Posts: 6,501
5/15/12 7:09 A

Hello, I love my flowers, I have gladolias, knock out roses, Iris,columbines, and a yardful of daylillies and many other plant

current weight: 230.0

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5/10/12 9:27 A

We got some much needed rain for the plants yesterday---seems like my pea plants are growing slow----been having to water them.

current weight: 238.4

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5/9/12 9:35 P

it was nice outside so even though i got home late i still spent an hour and a half outside. i weeded my strawberries at least part of the way. it was slow work because i was careful to not damage the plants.

Posts: 5
5/9/12 12:39 P

I'm planting my runner beans today as well as some bush varieties. And plan on rigging up a gopher proof spinach bed since my last attempt got destroyed by a very persistent gopher. Along with my lettuce. Grrrr.

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5/7/12 10:43 A

Thanks for the advice - we have joked about how come the topsys are so inexpensive!

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5/7/12 6:57 A

People I know have had no luck with those topsy turvy things---pain to water-----I used to take the hanging bags down at Walmart and put in a bucket to get them all wet- - -did seem to work---that way the bottom holes got water.

current weight: 238.4

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5/7/12 12:58 A

3 tomato plants, 6 peppers, 2 cucumber, 2 zucchini in the ground today! 3 Topsy Turvey (sp?) containers planted with tomatoes and hung from the eaves . I found the Topsy Tuveys at Big Lots for $1 and $2. Plus some old round stepping stones placed precisely in the garden so that the garden can be tended more easily. A job well done - many thanks to DH for his love of gardening and great ideas.

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5/2/12 12:31 P

Maybe too much sun----they really don't like sun very much----I prefer the regular impatiens myself.
Well, I ate some of my lettuce today for lunch----first time ever to grow this---so pretty neat---have bought a new plant---tomatoberry----shaped like a strawberry once tomatoes form---supposed to be sweet---will let you know how it does---also found a grape tomato plant yesterday---that will go in the ground either today or tomorrow----then need to buy one or regular tomato plants----my pea plants about about 6 inches tall now. Also planted some zinnias and another flower yesterday---soon I will buy my impatiens and get them in and then the vinca---not sure what I will plant where my winter pansies are----they are too pretty to pull up yet.

current weight: 238.4

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Posts: 23
5/2/12 10:31 A

Hello everyone!

I'm having trouble growing New Guinea Impatiens. I buy these absolutely gorgeous plants, bring them home and plant them in pots and then they just start dying. I had the same problem last year as well. I kept the soil moist and the plant out of direct sunlight. Then I thought maybe I was over watering, so I tried letting the soil dry a bit in between waterings. Nothing seemed to help. And now I am having the same trouble this year. Any suggestions?

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4/27/12 10:01 A

hMMM, might want to ask the question in Ask the Expert topic, where our master gardener will see it----but it might be that you need to repot into larger pots as they could be root bound---and the ones losing their leaves just might be in their dormant stage.

current weight: 238.4

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Posts: 769
4/26/12 4:37 P

I have a few mini citrus trees in very large pots. My lemon trees gave me beautiful large lemons in Nov. but as some are blooming beautifully now, two of them are losing their leaves. I see no sign of disease and no other obvious issues. My orange trees are slower this year for some reason and the oranges were smaller than in previous years. I have not changed anything from previous years and no other conclusion other than a milder winter this year. Has anyone else experienced this and what to do about the lemon trees losing leaves?
Thank you in advance!

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4/25/12 11:23 A

I am in Brighton in England on the south east coast , just brought a book today on growing veg and fruit in containers. Haven't look up anything yet as I am on the such for a kitten. Thank u for the reply

Nikki

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4/24/12 7:40 P

Green beans are sometimes called snap beans---and it would be on what your family likes to eat---I know when we build a 2nd raised veggie bed, I will definitely grow lima beans and some corn. Not sure where you live--but most peas are put in the ground on St. Patrick's day.

current weight: 238.4

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4/24/12 12:59 P

Thank u for your advice I will get some seeds, what sort of beans would u suggest ? As never grown them. I am so new to all this but want to provided fresh fruit and veg for my family. Is it wrong time of year for peas? Didn't have a packet for them whoops should of check.

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4/24/12 12:35 P

Corn you need to start from seed----plant a couple of rows, then plant another row another week or 2 later, etc-so that it does not all come ripe at once----you can plant beans with the corn so they grow up the corn stalk for support. Peas are an early cool weather crop. Peppers are more summer.
I hate those biodegradable pots---they don't degrade at my house---were still in the soil when I pulled up flowers grown in them----make sure you break off the bottom of the pots when you plant.

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