Debbie Rose Posted March 4, 2017 Report Share Posted March 4, 2017 Hi ALl !! Its an early spring here is NC and I have that itch to garden. The first year I was so scared of all the "what ifs" I didn't do much. Last year I got 2 raised beds and grew tomatoes and it went very well. As long as I limit my time standing to 30 minutes, I can garden. My Sister is my guide and warns me when I get over enthused and push too hard. This year I will do tomatoes again and try a small flower garden....its all a matter of pacing rest with activity. Will keep everyone updated Anyone else garden at all? Debbie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corina Posted March 5, 2017 Report Share Posted March 5, 2017 I love gardening too! And spending as much time outdoors as possible! We have raised flowerbeds which I enjoy loads. Unfortunately we have lots of rain here in the Netherlands at the moment. Have a great time gardening! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katcanny Posted March 5, 2017 Report Share Posted March 5, 2017 I love my veggie patch! I'm in Australia so it is still quite hot at the moment so not outside too much but we have zucchini, silver beet, chilli, spring onion and chives growing at the moment! I made zucchini pancakes for the kids school lunches last night with our very own zucchinis very proud moment on their faces when we harvested them and then got to taste test! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancer65 Posted March 8, 2017 Report Share Posted March 8, 2017 I miss my proper gardening like crazy , for me it's so therapeutic hours use to slip by so quickly. We moved three years ago and we have renovated our house but the main garden is a wasteland at the moment so bad it needs a digger in it! Hoping when it's done I will be well enough to grow all my own veg and fruits like I use to so for now it plants in pots with a few veg ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Debbie Rose Posted March 9, 2017 Author Report Share Posted March 9, 2017 Thanks for everyone's responses. Katcanny could you give me the recipe for the zucchini pancakes? It sounds great! I gained a bunch of weight the past 2 years and it is not helping my NCS-new recipes help Dancer65, My 2 tomatoe beds are on raised legs so it is waist high and portable-finding the correct sun light is still ongoing-been here only 3 years. I am also going to try to grow tomatoe upside down-got that kit 2 years ago and yet to have used it. 77 here in NC but looking at sleet/snow by sat/sun UGH! Debbie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancer65 Posted March 9, 2017 Report Share Posted March 9, 2017 Hi Debbie. Rose yes I would love raised beds not only for easy access but we live in wet Wales and slugs can demolish a whole crop of anything they fancy in one night ! Portable sounds great too never seen that before , ummm you giving me ideas now ? Hope you get to trying out the new tomato grower this year Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katcanny Posted March 10, 2017 Report Share Posted March 10, 2017 Hi Debbie Rose, our zucchini pancakes are pretty easy just use whatever basic pancake recipe you like using or we even use the premade packets when I'm feeling really yuck and then add one medium grated zucchini, one cup of grated cheese whichever cheese you prefer, pinch of salt well lets be honest extra salt because we have too and pepper stir all together and cook exactly the same as pancakes they are delish! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Debbie Rose Posted March 10, 2017 Author Report Share Posted March 10, 2017 I'm glad to help Dancer 65 Thanks Katcanny for the recipe, it sounds yummy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuffRockChick Posted April 2, 2017 Report Share Posted April 2, 2017 I like gardening too, but I have a hard time with the summer heat. I'm wanting to explore no-till permaculture style gardening. Hubby is set on his way of tilling and weeding. He does most the work, so I won't argue. I start seedlings indoors and have a small garden near the house. Hubby's garden is about 1/4 acre! Last year I barely did anything in the garden, but I did most of the canning. Now that I understand my symptoms and some ways to manage them, I'm hoping to garden more. The worst part is walking from the garden to the house - it's uphill and hubby is unkind about how much I struggle to walk up that hill, especially in the heat. Without a formal diagnosis, he perceives me as out of shape due to laziness, and the man is disgusted by laziness. Facing that criticism makes me feel unwilling to go to the garden, even when I enjoy the work of gardening. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Debbie Rose Posted June 14, 2017 Author Report Share Posted June 14, 2017 Hi everyone, Wow time goes by very quickly. My tomatoes have fruit but still all green. Right now in NC we are having a stint of high 90's so I am not outside. Some good days I get up at 7:30 am to do a bit of weeding or raking and watering. All my plants are in and in the shaded areas my little woodsy spot is growing except the astilbe-which are slow to grow. My daisy's and coneflower and daylilies do not seem to appreciate the soil even though I amended it when planting. Very slowly growing-but it is first year. Fertilizing, watering and trying to be patient. In MD I had more sun in my yard, but here I have 50% shade so it is harder to grow things. My woodsy area is 80% shade. I gave in and bought a crabapple tree-say some prayers and cross fingers-it was a dormant plant so I have to give it lots of time. I have been able to do more than I expected by wearing compression clothes and taking sudafed if I need more energy. It gives me a few hours each day to accomplish things. I watch the temp/weather closely to choose the days I can get out there early am or late eve to get things done. So how is everyone gardens going?? What kind of weather are you having in Netherlands, Australia and Wales? I have planted Hostas in my woodsy area and have not seen slugs yet-but a bowl of beer can drown quite a few of those slugs-and they don't mind cheap beer, either,LOL Let me know how its going Debbie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Debbie Rose Posted July 14, 2017 Author Report Share Posted July 14, 2017 And so it is halfway thru July and the temp has been brutal !!! Now in the high 90's-97, 98 with humidity making it feel like 105-107 and my poor plants are suffering!! My tomatoes in raised beds and pots are dry but if I over water the skin breaks...and they are not quite ready to pick yet either. I spend time at dusk watering my flowers but they are just hanging on too...and I can't be out there more than 20 minutes. I guess this idea has its flaws and its not even August yet Debbie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WinterSown Posted July 14, 2017 Report Share Posted July 14, 2017 I didn't grow any tomatoes this year but I had the energy one weekend to move around some hostas to the patio edging, it's pretty. I do have to get someone to come and mow and weedwack, I'll try this weekend myself but long-term I need a landscaper to do a weekly service. I still am enjoying the herb garden. It has gotten very overgrown and gone to flower; it has attracted a zillion butterflies and all sizes of pollinators. So nice to sit and listen to the birds, the chimes and watch the butterflies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bendy_Clutz Posted July 25, 2017 Report Share Posted July 25, 2017 I love gardening! I need help usually if I have to do much digging or raking as those two motions make me super potsy.. I also do most of my gardening in the middle of the night or early morning hours. I work night shift so my usual time to be awake is the opposite of most but doing gardening at night is great cause I avoid the heat so I can tolerate doing a bit more without it being too much and I can't see the bugs as well so I can pretend they don't exist lol obviously I use lights when it's still dark or just wait till the sun is starting to come up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Debbie Rose Posted July 25, 2017 Author Report Share Posted July 25, 2017 Bendy-Great time to garden...its also great for those necessary bug sprays since the bees are asleep, too I have given up on my tomatoes-guess they just don't like my raised beds....the soil is correct and I fertilized every time it was due...but nope-all have cracked that were close to ripe and a few have been pecked by birds....I will keep watering (from the bottom so I don't contribute to the cracking) and see how the rest of the summer goes. Still in the high 90's AND ITS JULY!!!!! I am afraid what August will bring-oh wait-hurricane season !! LOL !! On a good note, most of my flowers are doing OK, a few flowers....Last year I planted one annual because I simply love Lantana. In Maryland it is an annual.....COlor Me Surprised!!!! They came back this spring ! one is a golden yellow and the other is the multicolor leaves on one flower-lavender,pink,violet,mauve-my favorite. And my Shasta daisy's are blooming along with my daylilies. Another favorite for ANY garden, ANYWHERE!!! is Portilucca--its a succulent that handles Texas temp and humidity!! My Mom grew these all over her back yard there-multiple colors to choose from-had to buy one for this year too So how is your garden going??? Anyone?? Anyone? Debbie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuffRockChick Posted July 27, 2017 Report Share Posted July 27, 2017 I haven't been in our veggie garden for weeks. Hubby reports it is doing poorly. We are swamped with blueberries. If I'm well enough to stand I'm picking or canning blueberries. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Debbie Rose Posted August 4, 2017 Author Report Share Posted August 4, 2017 Wintersown, I do love the butterflies and bees. I think I will turn my tomato patch into an herb garden...that makes good sense. Next year I will do tomatoes in the ground and can spend the fall preparing. I finally had one decent tomato from my 4 plants.! Between their splitting with over watering (raining) and birds pecking into them it has been sad. I have a neighbor who mows, edges and tidy with a blower afterwards-all for $40-I am very grateful. Hope you are staying cool. Buffrock- OOOOOoooooo blueberries !! I love then-you must live in the North. A neighbor in PA had a horseshoe shaped blueberry garden with a cement bench to sit and enjoy your harvest Well, here is hoping for an early fall!! Debbie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Debbie Rose Posted September 1, 2017 Author Report Share Posted September 1, 2017 ONE REGULAR SIZE TOMATO-FINALLY !! All the weird weather here and my over watering causing skin on tomatoes to crack , I gave up and neglected the tomato plants for a month and now have ONE ripe tomato-yeah me!!! LOL ! Live and learn Half my flowers succumed to the heat but my 2 favorites-Lantana and portaluca-both are heat tolerant and are thriving well with beautiful blooms Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Debbie Rose Posted November 28, 2017 Author Report Share Posted November 28, 2017 And so winter is upon us and my tomatoes are gone and my flower beds are covered with pine needles. The saving grace in NC are the camellia's that bloom during the winter here. I have 2 large shrubs on either side of the garage in blooms of pretty pink. They started to bloom in October and the honey bees and bumbles really liked them. I know now that I overdid things, my plans did not pan out and I tried to plant too much and then had to keep up with watering, which the high temps prevented me from doing. Since most of what I planted were perennials, I will see what comes up in spring and go from there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katcanny Posted November 29, 2017 Report Share Posted November 29, 2017 In Australia tomorrow is the first day of summer and we are in the middle of a heat wave! Last weekend we planted all of our vegetables and herbs for this planting season, tomatoes, zucchini, silverbeet, basil, oregano, chives and spring onion we are looking forward to some fresh silverbeet the store bought is nothing compared to home grown! I find the idea of a cold Xmas very romantic though we sweat through eating a big meal and then have to sit in the air conditioning until it cools down before we venture out and then it’s a small window of opportunity before the mosquitos are out and biting! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Debbie Rose Posted April 4, 2018 Author Report Share Posted April 4, 2018 Finally!!! My Wisteria has finally bloomed for the first time ever!! I have been babying the plant for 4 years and this was the year it is happy enough to bloom. There are only a dozen or so but it's a start. YEAH !! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
p8d Posted April 7, 2018 Report Share Posted April 7, 2018 Congrats! Wisteria are gorgeous and worth the wait! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WinterSown Posted April 8, 2018 Report Share Posted April 8, 2018 Wonderful. I love their long droopy flowers and such scent. I am happy for you. There's a public garden near here with one over a century old, they live a long time so good things are worth the wait. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LisaChristopher Posted May 12, 2018 Report Share Posted May 12, 2018 yes, i love gardening too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pistol Posted May 12, 2018 Report Share Posted May 12, 2018 Happy for you to have that beautiful Wisteria! I was just thinking how wonderful it is to garden! I have not been able to do that in 3 years ( and it is my hobby!!! ). I have several flower beds and a veggie garden ( hubby does that one ) and this spring ( finally ) I am able to dig in that glorious dirt, weed, plant, compost --- it is a small achievement for most but for me it is a wonderful gift. And for once - instead of being afraid of getting worse again I am enjoying the days I am well enough to spend time doing what I love .... have a wonderful spring!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shannoncr Posted May 26, 2018 Report Share Posted May 26, 2018 I love gardening as well. Are we able to post pictures of our gardens on here? I could use some inspiration. 😀 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.