Gardeners! Share your garden photos and garden chatter here.

[Rickbb]

Summer veg garden is done and now part of the compost pile. The winter broccoli is doing nicely.

Put the row covers on the fall beans in prep for the first freeze of the year tonight, they should be ok, hopefully, they have a nice mess of small bean pods on. Hate to lose them.

Carrots, kale, spinach and some lettuce planted and sprouting.

Time to start building a new little green house to start seeds in for next season.

Left a row of zinnias for the birds to feed on the seeds. Goldfinches seem to love them.

 

[SquarePeg]

Summer veg garden is done and now part of the compost pile. The winter broccoli is doing nicely.

Put the row covers on the fall beans in prep for the first freeze of the year tonight, they should be ok, hopefully, they have a nice mess of small bean pods on. Hate to lose them.

Carrots, kale, spinach and some lettuce planted and sprouting.

Time to start building a new little green house to start seeds in for next season.

Left a row of zinnias for the birds to feed on the seeds. Goldfinches seem to love them.

Have you tried winter sowing? Where you use containers as mini greenhouses? People use milk cartons, Tupperware, pots covered with shower caps, large clear storage bins etc.. I’ve joined a Facebook group that has a ton of info. I’ve got my seeds and been saving my containers and ready to plant on 12/21.

 

[SquarePeg]

Spotted this gorgeous monarch out through my window today in on one of the dinner plate dahlias that took forever to bloom. I hope this is one of the fat caterpillars that disappeared from my milkweed a few weeks ago.

Hopefully this beauty was fueling up to head south! I have a lot of flowers still in bloom for them but haven’t seen a butterfly in weeks! Cosmos, zinnias, dahlias and hibiscus all blooming like crazy right now.

 

[Rickbb]

Have you tried winter sowing? Where you use containers as mini greenhouses? People use milk cartons, Tupperware, pots covered with shower caps, large clear storage bins etc.. I’ve joined a Facebook group that has a ton of info. I’ve got my seeds and been saving my containers and ready to plant on 12/21.

Yes, I’ve done the milk jug trick but do better with a cold frame and/or a small DIY greenhouse. Last frost here can vary by as much as 4 weeks. A late spring and the plants run out of room under a jug.

 

[cgw]

100+ spring bulbs in. Anti-squirrel measures taken. Waiting for a couple old Bourbon roses to go dormant before transplanting. Leaf mulching marathon once things dry out. Chance of light snow over the next few days across southern Ontario. That's bound to affect the liquor bill...

 

[SquarePeg]

Anti-squirrel measures taken

Details please!

 

[Rickbb]

Details please!

I use chicken wire with the larger holes, sometimes called hardware cloth. Lay a piece on top of the ground after planting seed. Works especially well on container plantings of lettuce etc.

 

[cgw]

I'm having luck with the thin plastic netting used to keep birds off fruit trees and berry bushes. Find chicken wire, especially on larger beds, awkward to handle and hard to keep flat--not a problem with the flexible plastic net. The mesh is about 1", small enough to keep rodent heads out. It's tough and sharp on their feet. Easy to anchor, too. So far preventing binge bulb-eating by the little jerks.

 

[SquarePeg]

I'm having luck with the thin plastic netting used to keep birds off fruit trees and berry bushes. Find chicken wire, especially on larger beds, awkward to handle and hard to keep flat--not a problem with the flexible plastic net. The mesh is about 1", small enough to keep rodent heads out. It's tough and sharp on their feet. Easy to anchor, too. So far preventing binge bulb-eating by the little jerks.

I may have to try that. Last year I used red pepper flakes with some success but with food prices soaring that’s not practical this year. I went on a bit of a spree this past spring after visiting a tulip farm and ordered 200 bulbs so I have a large area to cover.

 

[mjcmt]

I did a hardscape stepping stone area in our tiny townhome backyard a month ago and never posted a pix from then. This is from the day I finished it. It has settled in since then.
My wife wants to put flower pots on it next year as the season is coming to an end now. Also just picked up 2 larger concrete pots for use on the patio in the seating area. We plan to use a lot of containers to bring the garden to the patio. Next year I plan on power washing and staining the concrete a tera cotta color to have it match the stepping stones.

Stepping stone hardscape area.

(Sorry for the blurry edges. I pulled out a 20mm lens from my film days and cropped the edge to help w/ distorion)

 

[terri]

Nice work, Michael! That looks like it took some effort. I love the look of these kinds of stepping stones around pea gravel or any kind of small hard stone.

I've been doing mostly container gardening for the last few years because of my back. Just too hard to bend and dig in the soil, so whatever we get in the ground is whatever my husband feels like doing. But containers can look great, and it's easy and fun to move them around if needed. I have a small investment now in caddies so the pots can easily be moved.

All my herbs, cherry tomatoes, jalapeno pepper, and lemongrass were in large pots last year, in addition to lots of annuals. I got them all this on a small deck, so can attest to how well it works in small spaces!

Can't believe I didn't get a picture of the lemongrass.

2 tomato varieties:

From the left: 2 oregano plants, 2 mint plants (not yet potted!), thyme, and 2 parsley sharing the long pot:

And always lots of basil for pesto, sauces, etc:

I only did tomatoes this year because we moved. We just had to dump them a few days ago due to frost, and now the clipped branches with the rest of the fruit are spread out in the basement to ripen. Almost done for the year!

 

[cgw]

I may have to try that. Last year I used red pepper flakes with some success but with food prices soaring that’s not practical this year. I went on a bit of a spree this past spring after visiting a tulip farm and ordered 200 bulbs so I have a large area to cover.

Gave up on pepper and all the other botanical home remedies long ago. My MIL insisted blood meal worked but the results were iffy and seemed, efficacy-wise, to confuse coincidence and correlation. Checked beds planted last week this a.m. and saw no evidence of break-ins. Might there be a market for anti-squirrel IEDs, land mines, death rays?

 

[SquarePeg]

I did a hardscape stepping stone area in our tiny townhome backyard a month ago and never posted a pix from then. This is from the day I finished it. It has settled in since then.
My wife wants to put flower pots on it next year as the season is coming to an end now. Also just picked up 2 larger concrete pots for use on the patio in the seating area. We plan to use a lot of containers to bring the garden to the patio. Next year I plan on power washing and staining the concrete a tera cotta color to have it match the stepping stones.

Stepping stone hardscape area.
View attachment 261147
(Sorry for the blurry edges. I pulled out a 20mm lens from my film days and cropped the edge to help w/ distorion)

That looks great!

Nice work, Michael! That looks like it took some effort. I love the look of these kinds of stepping stones around pea gravel or any kind of small hard stone.

I've been doing mostly container gardening for the last few years because of my back. Just too hard to bend and dig in the soil, so whatever we get in the ground is whatever my husband feels like doing. But containers can look great, and it's easy and fun to move them around if needed. I have a small investment now in caddies so the pots can easily be moved.

All my herbs, cherry tomatoes, jalapeno pepper, and lemongrass were in large pots last year, in addition to lots of annuals. I got them all this on a small deck, so can attest to how well it works in small spaces!

Can't believe I didn't get a picture of the lemongrass.

2 tomato varieties:

View attachment 261149

From the left: 2 oregano plants, 2 mint plants (not yet potted!), thyme, and 2 parsley sharing the long pot:

View attachment 261150


And always lots of basil for pesto, sauces, etc:

View attachment 261151


I only did tomatoes this year because we moved. We just had to dump them a few days ago due to frost, and now the clipped branches with the rest of the fruit are spread out in the basement to ripen. Almost done for the year!

If you have Ocean State Job Lot in your area, they are a great source for reasonably priced rolling caddies (and other garden supplies).

Gave up on pepper and all the other botanical home remedies long ago. My MIL insisted blood meal worked but the results were iffy and seemed, efficacy-wise, to confuse coincidence and correlation. Checked beds planted last week this a.m. and saw no evidence of break-ins. Might there be a market for anti-squirrel IEDs, land mines, death rays?

I may hire Elmer Fudd to keep our wascally wabbits in check.

 

[cgw]

I may hire Elmer Fudd to keep our wascally wabbits in check.

Check your local gun laws...If I lived in the boondocks, I'd happily whack 'em DIY. I picture crosshairs when I see them chowdown on those pricey crocus bulbs we waited months to ship. Bunnies are dumb and far less persistent than tree rats. Most gardeners in s. Ontario have the same murderous urges.

 

[SquarePeg]

I may hire Elmer Fudd to keep our wascally wabbits in check.

Check your local gun laws...If I lived in the boondocks, I'd happily whack 'em DIY. I picture crosshairs when I see them chowdown on those pricey crocus bulbs we waited months to ship. Bunnies are dumb and far less persistent than tree rats. Most gardeners in s. Ontario have the same murderous urges.

I planted some tall phlox and every time it gets a bud, it’s gone the next morning. I’m hoping next year when they get taller the bunnies won’t be as interested. Right now it’s only about 3 inches tall because they’re newly planted.

Side note - I just ordered more tulip bulbs! I’ve been ordering from dutchblooms.com and they sent me a discount coupon and free shipping so I got a good deal but now I have more work to do.

Can you plant dahlias on top of tulip bulbs? My tulips tend to come back every year but I’m wondering if I plant dahlias on top in this one bed if all the water that the dahlias need will end up rotting the tulip bulbs?