Kentucky people

[shelleyd2008]

My sister-in-law gave me all her seeds when she moved, and she had a ton!! I could have planted all 10 acres and still had some left over! But I have gotten rid of a lot of them (mostly flowers), and also gotten a lot that I wouldn't buy, either because I don't like it, or Don't feel like messing with them. I am getting one though, that sounds very neat! I think I'll put those in my hanging baskets. They are draturas (sp?) and they are night bloomers. Never had any like that!

I still have a lot of flower seeds she gave me, and am swapping them for veggie and herb seeds that I would like/can't find.

 

[shelleyd2008]

I have went a bit overboard on squash though. I have crookneck, zuchinni, and butternut already. Plus I am getting eggplant and some others. I really hate to 'garden', so I'm going to get some fertilizer/weed killer, and maybe that will help! I wish our ground wasn't so hard! I tried planting onions, carrots, and radishes last year, and none of them did any good

The bunnies sure loved the carrot tops though!

My cucumbers were crazy last year!! But I am getting some bush cucumbers from the swap, so maybe they won't be so 'invasive'!!

 

[FrChuckW]

Quote:
Comfrey needs to contained in a bed or it can spread and take over the garden.

Cucumbers need to be trained on a trellis or fence of some sort. If you use a fertilizer weed/killer you probably won't get much to grow. Get a rototiller and till the ground first, get some peat moss, topsoil, cow manure, fertilizer and till them into the soil. You can frame your beds with 2 x 4's, use cedar if you can get them, do not use pressure treated wood as the chemicals can leach into your soil and contaminate your plants. Once the plant tops are above ground about 4" mulch around them to help keep the moisture in the ground.

If you have made your own compost out of the old bedding and poop from your coops and it is over a year old, then add that to you beds when you till them. Do not put fresh used bedding and poop in them as there will be too much nitrogen and it will burn the plants.

You can also try the Three Sisters Method of planting, You plant you corn first, then once they are about six inches or so, you plant your beans at their base and let them climb up the corn, and then plant your squash once the beans come up. The squash will provide a ground cover to help control weeds and also act as a natural mulch to help retain moisture.

 

[Mojo Chick'n]

I've had comfrey for years - just don't have any down here.

I always planted it in a seperate area, so I could control it better - I'd never plant it in the garden.


eta - I'm one of them good old herbal ladies.... you know, the ones with the long skirts and pointy hats... er... did I say that out loud?.....

 

[Mojo Chick'n]

Quote:
I love hollyhocks, I've been meaning to plant some here.

My sister one year had Black Hollyhocks planted in with White Roses - it was stunning!!

I like sweet peas, too - been meaning to put some of those on the bank that goes down into the woods.

 

[Mojo Chick'n]

Quote:
I'm not, got too much to do around here, unfortunately.

I have to get the lean-to finished, and the waterfowl pen, and the gates on the pigpen... and and and....

 

[FrChuckW]

Sweet Peas were one of my mother's favorite flowers to have in the garden. I love hollyhocks also. Hmm, might have to sneak down and get me some comfrey while you're not looking.

Here are the seeds I have so far for this year's garden:
Sweet Corn- Silver Queen Hybrid
Cucumber - Straight Eight
Pumpkin - Big Max
Pepper - California Wonder 300 TMR
Carrot - Red Cored Chantenay
Kohl Rabi - Early White Vienna
Onion - Sweet Spanish Yellow Utah Jumbo
Cabbage - Copenhagen market Early
Beans, Garden - Derby (Bush)
Birdhouse Gourd
Sunflower - Mammoth
Parsley - Plain or Single
Basil - Sweet
Dill - Bouquet
Lavender - Lavendula Vera

Still missing a few things in the veggie and herb departments.
I need me some more land!

By the way how is little Frodo doing?

 

[estpr13]

Quote:
Mee too! I'd be happy with ½ acre.

That is until I filled it up with a garden and a coop and...

 

[Mojo Chick'n]

I have no sort of herb garden here at all

But, I plan to be working on it this year - last year was sort of our first summer here (moved august the previous year) and I was still building so much, I didn't have time for a garden much.

I have some bushel basket gourd seeds, some tea seeds, a few herb seeds, and I plan to have my sister bring me some starts from a bunch of her stuff (she's a master gardener - you should see her yard).

About all I planted last year was the failed veggie garden (gotten by either blossom end rot or the rabbits - plan to remedy both this year) and two rose climbers and a few shrubberies out front of the house.
I had tons of cukes last year, though

- I need to plant fewer of those this year. The lettuce came up ok, but the radishes were put in too late and bolted. I wasn't used to planting down here - up north you don't plant til late May - down here that's WAY too late for spring veggies. I never did get my corn planted last year, still have the seed. My onions didn't do so great, they were all pretty small.

With the nasty soil down here, I'm thinking containers might be a better way to go - or raised beds where I can control the soil better. Eventually I'll have a greenhouse, but it'll have to wait a couple years.
One of the folks on my way to town just put in a HUGE greenhouse - I am wondering if it's simply for their own use or if they plant to sell stuff

(maybe both)
They're still working on it, have the outer frame all up, with the plastic - they are working inside right now. I tell myself I wouldn't need one that big - but maybe I would

My neighbor that I sell eggs to always has a big organic garden, and last year we swapped eggs for veggies some - he had a lot of extras, was his first year with such a big garden, too - so he sort of overplanted

His previous year's garden was the size of my office here

he went MUCH bigger last year.

I want to put in a strawberry bed, and some other fruit - not sure what, I was thinking maybe some blueberry bushes out by the fencerow. I'd love an asparagus bed, too - that takes awhile, but I got time. Back up north I had heirloom rhubarb - not the stuff you can buy now (the small leaf stuff is all they sell nowadays) this stuff had been handed down through generations in my family. I had to leave that behind, too - I gave some to my sister, though, so I may get a plant or three back again when she splits it.

Just looking at what I wrote sounds awfully ambtitious

hope I got time for it all.

eta - last year, however, I did find a LOT of naturally growing stuff on our land that is great for herbals and the like, so it wasn't a total bust "herbage" wise.

meri

 

[Mojo Chick'n]

Oh, and Frodo is doing great - had some pasty butt for a few days, but it seems to be clearing up. She is still the smallest bird on the farm, but she is getting fatter, so I guess she's eating enough.

She sure looks tiny next to the Dellie mix babies, though

I'll have to get some new pics later to let ya see - she has hardly gotten much bigger, and they are growing like weeds. They all get along ok in the same brooder, though.