Are you planting a larger garden this year?

[Deleted]

With the costs of food, shortages of foods and rising cost of gas, is anyone else planning a larger garden than they had last year (or usually have)? My garden is more than double the size it was last year. I plan to make my own tomato sauces and pastes this year. Have also added more types of foods. Brussel Sprouts, Zucchini, Pickling Cukes, extra onions and garlic, among other things. The things that I planted last year, I'm planting extras this year.

Just wondering how many others are planning extra for their gardens this year....

Kaza

[Deleted]

I'm thinking of doing just that! I might be travelling a little less this year (knock on wood) so I would have more time to tend to it.

I'm not planting anything new but I'm planting more of what I usually grow: Way more tomatoes, more peppers, okra, corn, etc.

NO SQUASH, though.

/Via

[bbird]

Yes, a little bigger but I do not hold out hope that anything will come of it! I fight the sun here, and although I love living in the forests when it comes to gardening it just doesn't work out for me. I can get one crop of carrots (I plant after mother's day) green beans, onions.

I always plant corn, pumpkins, cucumbers, tomatos but they don't produce. Well, the tomatos produce but they only get about the size of a pingpong ball and are green. Pathetic, I know! I am going to try miracle grow this year and see if it helps, everyone around here uses it so I am going to see if it will give me red tomatos. Oh and I am planting my tomato plants upside down in hanging pots.

You would think that I was bothered by the elk, deer, coons and rabbits but what really bother all the plants are the slugs. I hate slugs!!! Its like they form armies and at night they laugh and party on the beer!! I really could go insane if i think about it....so that is all I will write about those creeps!

I do buy a lot of fruits and veggies at the dock though and that is how I get everything for canning. If the shtf, and I couldn't get down to the dock, well.....thank goodness we are meat eaters, and around here we wouldn't starve.

[Deleted]

Via... it sure can't hurt to plant one this year.. 'specially if you are going to be home more than usual. Good luck and don't forget the pictures!

Bbird... Maybe try lettuces, peas, and other more shade accepting things? Raspberries, blackberries, etc also tend to grow ok in woody areas. Can always make Jam!

Kaza

[Deleted]

YES!!!

I'm planting a much bigger garden this year.

[mogrrrl]

Our is a bit bigger. We have a garden at home and at the community garden. We have three plots (20x15 each) at the community garden; we only had two last year.

We are adding corn and red onions to the community garden. We are adding a few more herbs at home.

Bbird, our tomatoes do great, but our pumpkins were pathetic! So, we're trying something different. I see a lot of corn at our community garden, so hopefully we can have some success with that.

[Deleted]

I spent the weekend digging up more sod---got sunburned to a crisp for my efforts! I planted more berries, some corn, sunflowers pumpkins and watermellons in the new space.

[Deleted]

At least you had some sun Nickie!!! Sure feels good after a long, bitter cold winter.

I ended up planting watermelon for my son in my garden to.

Have pics of the garden?? ;D

Kaza

[Deleted]

I do need to take soem pictures!!

Its not a big garden like most of you probebly have but it will have to get bigger if we get those high gas prices---!

[Deleted]

Here's a pic of my onions....



Will have more pics when other stuff starts growin enough to take pics.

Kaza

[momo]

Ours gets a little bigger every year.

Since DH bought 50 pounds of seed potatoes he had to till up a special field just for them. I think we are up to about a total of half an acre in veggie gardens now.

If things keep going as well as they have been, we should have ripe tomatoes in about 10 days.

[Deleted]

May 28, 2008 16:03:50 GMT -5 momo said:

Ours gets a little bigger every year.

lol I'm famous for that to!!!

May 28, 2008 16:03:50 GMT -5 momo said:

Since DH bought 50 pounds of seed potatoes he had to till up a special field just for them. I think we are up to about a total of half an acre in veggie gardens now.

PICCIES??? ;D

May 28, 2008 16:03:50 GMT -5 momo said:

If things keep going as well as they have been, we should have ripe tomatoes in about 10 days.

... braggart. You lucky dawg you!!! I have a few MONTHS to wait yet.

[Deleted]

Well, I "think" the garden is in.... here's what it has "so far"..

Red Beets
Green beans
Wax Beans
Asparagus
Watermelon
Carrots
Cabbage
Butternut Squash
Buttercup Squash
Zuchinni
Slicing Cucumbers
Pickling Cuckumbers
Beefsteak Tomatoes
Roma Tomatoes
Brussel Sprouts
Peas
Spinach
Bunching Onions
Yellow Onions
Red Onions
Garlic
Sweet Peppers
Jalapeno Peppers
Corn
and cool Radishes that are red on the inside.

I may plant strawberries and horseradish to.

What do ya'll have in your gardens??

Kaza

[Deleted]

The garden this year was going to be in the old horse pasture...it needed a rest and reseeding....lots of good compost there too.

Well, now it has expanded to keep up with my plant and seed purchases....I wanted to make sure that I had enough if things get as bad as I think they might.

I made a new calulation of the area that was torn up, double dug (that is work!) and is now planted.....it is over an acre.....

I am now in the process of clearing off some more land for fruit trees and berries....I plan on buying what is left over at the local WalMarts, etc. With some TLC, I hope to have a good selection of trees and berries.

TH

[Deleted]

My garden's not bigger this year, but I've been trying to go about it in a more orderly fashion, like starting bunches of things under lights and transplanting seedlings out into the garden. I figured this way, I'd be able to SEE them (instant gratification) and I could stay ahead of the weeds by planting the seedlings and then mulching them.

So far, the seedlings I've already planted out in the garden are:

Tomatoes (Roma, Homestead, Dakota, and Magnus)
Lettuces (Black seeded Simpson, Merveille de Quatro, Lollo Rosso, and Romaine)
Cabbage (Golden Acre)
Peas (Wando - supposed to do well in the heat)
Swiss Chard (Rainbow)
New Zealand Spinach
Cucumber (Muncher - slicing type)
Cucumber (Homemade Pickles)
Summer Squash (Early Prolific straightneck)
Winter Squash (Waltham Butternut)

I have a dozen Mortgage Lifter tomato seedlings (store-bought), 9 California Wonder Pepper seedlings, 6 Jalapeno seedlings, and about 4 more of each variety of lettuce still under lights in the garage, waiting for better weather.

I direct-seeded a bunch of stuff as well. Some are up already and some haven't sprouted yet:

Carrot (Nantes)
Carrot (Nantes Scarlet)
Carrot (Danvers)
Turnip (just plain turnips, and WAY TOO MANY! LOL!)
Rutabaga
Radish (Sparkler)
Radish (Globe)
Parsnip (Harris Early)
Green beans (don't remember what kind - saved seed)
Summer savory (planted with the bean seeds)

I also bought a few little herb seedlings last time we were out, so I have baby spearmint, lemon balm, and English thyme plants as well. I'm going to put the thyme in a pot and bring it in the garage over the winter and see if it will survive until next year.

The herbs I already had that I kept in the herb bed are:

Munstead Lavender (but I think it might have finally kicked the bucket)
Motherwort
Mugwort
Horehound
Turkey Rhubarb
St. Johnswort
Cranesbill
Yarrow
Catnip
Catmint
Cinquefoil
Chives

And some baby seedlings that I started from seed earlier:

Echinacea purpurea
Echinacea angustifolia
Moss Curled Parsley (which is quite big now!)
Burdock
Elecampane
Viola Tricolor (Heartsease, or Johnny Jump-ups)
California Poppy
Hamburg Parsley
Garden sage
Mullein (I dug up some volunteer seedlings and transplanted them)

I think that's everything, but I'm not sure. I have so much stuff growing around here, Rich says he feels like he lives in a jungle. It does get confusing at times! ;D

~Lannie