Need some gardening advice.

Sheryl · Post by **Sheryl** » Thu Jan 26, 2006 5:00 pm

I want to have a small garden this summer. Mainly tomatoes, cucumbers, and squash. How big of a spot do I need? And am I getting in over my head?

Where I live the town gets crappy produce. The tomatoes are usually bruised. The cucumbers are so waxy. And the squash is well just gross.

Lon · Post by **Lon** » Thu Jan 26, 2006 5:19 pm

Sheryl wrote: I want to have a small garden this summer. Mainly tomatoes, cucumbers, and squash. How big of a spot do I need? And am I getting in over my head?

Where I live the town gets crappy produce. The tomatoes are usually bruised. The cucumbers are so waxy. And the squash is well just gross.

10 X 8 ft. should do it

chonsigirl · Post by **chonsigirl** » Thu Jan 26, 2006 5:28 pm

I had a small garden, about 8 x 16 and grew lots of tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, peppers of many types, and egg plant. I think my garden did pretty good for the first summer.

lady cop · Post by **lady cop** » Thu Jan 26, 2006 5:29 pm

sheryl. i have no clue if this will help. but i hope so! .............................................gardening in a HOT zone ( 1 2) lady cop

Sheryl · Post by **Sheryl** » Thu Jan 26, 2006 5:39 pm

Thnks for the link LC.

One thing I learned from last year. Plastic forks do not deter cats from entering your flower beds. It only suceeds in people asking you if you are trying to grow forks. :-5

Lil~Basco · Post by **Lil~Basco** » Thu Jan 26, 2006 5:45 pm

Sheryl wrote: Thnks for the link LC.

One thing I learned from last year. Plastic forks do not deter cats from entering your flower beds. It only suceeds in people asking you if you are trying to grow forks. :-5
Moth balls work to deter cats from flower beds!

Saffron · Post by **Saffron** » Thu Jan 26, 2006 8:05 pm

Just watch for tomato worms. they're huge fat hairy caterpillar-like creatures that spit green fluid at you of you disturb them. I'm not kidding. :-2

valerie · Post by **valerie** » Thu Jan 26, 2006 8:51 pm

Saffron wrote: Just watch for tomato worms. they're huge fat hairy caterpillar-like creatures that spit green fluid at you of you disturb them. I'm not kidding. :-2

My mom used to squish those with her BARE FEET!!

EEEWWWWWWW!!!!

You can get a lot out of a small space, high intensity type stuff.

Upside down mousetraps work VERY well to keep kitties out, or a

motion sensor on a sprinkler...

:-6

Sheryl · Post by **Sheryl** » Thu Jan 26, 2006 9:39 pm

Ewww on spitting tomatoe worms.

THanks all for your advice. I'll let you know how my garden is growing this spring/summer.

weeder · Post by **weeder** » Fri Jan 27, 2006 3:24 am

Sheryl Try container gardening. Its easier to ammend the soil in a pot, than a large piece of ground. You controll the enviorment. Easy to tend. 10 gallon pot with two tomatoe plants..cucumber etc.... will produce a llot of produce.

pantsonfire321@aol.com · Fri Jan 27, 2006 7:13 am

weeder wrote: Sheryl Try container gardening. Its easier to ammend the soil in a pot, than a large piece of ground. You controll the enviorment. Easy to tend. 10 gallon pot with two tomatoe plants..cucumber etc.... will produce a llot of produce.

Yes pots are great for peppers ,strawberrys, tomatoes but keep very well watered and courgettes you can grow lots of things in pots, last year i grew the diddiest carrots - good luck you will love it .

Explorer the eighth · Post by **Explorer the eighth** » Fri Jan 27, 2006 5:04 pm

I used to have alot of trouble with a particular pesky cat messing in my garden and then digging the mess into the soil which made it worse. It particuarly liked to mess where the soil had been mostly recently disturbed.

Eventually, I bought a "cat scare" from a catalogue which has the shape of a cat and two big reflective eyes. I dug a few holes in the soil and then I pushed the legs of the "scare" into the holes.

One night, that particular pesky cat must have seen the disturbed soil near to the "cat scare" and it left a mess just directly in front of it. I think that cat was leaving me a message: "don't waste your money trying to scare me, mate :yh_laugh ".

Another trouble I have had is with snails. I once went round the garden and within a month I had collected and disposed of about 100 snails. Mine is only a small garden as well. I hope the snail rights people don't get to hear about this.

Sheryl · Post by **Sheryl** » Sun Jan 29, 2006 5:45 pm

I haven't had a problem with snails, just cats and little boys with their toy cars.

Samantha · Post by **Samantha** » Mon Apr 03, 2006 4:56 am

Sheryl wrote: I haven't had a problem with snails, just cats and little boys with their toy cars.

For a small veggie garden, I'd just suggest that you not buy too many plants. I had five tomato plants one year and I had more tomatos than I could eat.

For cat, I find mulching heavily helps. I also use a super soaker and a garden hose when the opportunity presents itself. As for the kids, I just threatened to bury them behind the fence.

4rum · Post by **4rum** » Mon Apr 03, 2006 6:02 pm

..............Billy..........OOOOOOOOOOOOO Billyyyyyyyyy.....

......aay...........anybody seen my kid???.........ain't been home to supper yet...

Samantha · Post by **Samantha** » Tue Apr 04, 2006 2:53 am

4rum wrote: ..............Billy..........OOOOOOOOOOOOO Billyyyyyyyyy.....

......aay...........anybody seen my kid???.........ain't been home to supper yet...

I'd suggest you dig!!

Bonsaif · Post by **Bonsaif** » Fri May 30, 2008 3:16 am

Hello,

Many bonsai artists seek to create a miniature scene of nature within their bonsai. As covered in earlier chapters, if this is the overall goal of design, then every step in the process seeks to fulfill this effect; ground cover is no different. There are many alternatives for ground cover, and many choices can be utilized together. For a scene of nature, moss might be an interesting effect. Perhaps, with bits of stone or branches added to the effect.

If you do detect mold growth, there are easy and effective ways to treat

problem without hindering your design. Coffee grounds or wood stain can

used to counter the effect easily.

For a windswept bonsai, the use of many rocks to mimic a cliff where one might grow in nature, would be an interesting touch. Perhaps larger rocks built into small mounds, with pebbles strewn throughout, or even the addition of a few tiny seashells. The possibilities are only limited by your ideas.

petunia · Post by **petunia** » Fri Jul 18, 2008 12:41 pm

Have you been to the [Self Promotion Link Deleted]? They have great tips and time savers for gardening - ][Self Promotion Link Deleted]

Good luck and enjoy!

homebasics · Post by **homebasics** » Wed Aug 13, 2008 9:59 am

Here's some quick advice, not so much on the space issue, but what you'll need to think about for your soil in a container type garden.

The soil

Quick-draining soil is the key to a successful trough garden. Line the bottom of the trough with a shallow layer of stones or pea gravel. Then, fill three-quarters of the trough with a gritty soil mix of about 20 per cent compost, 30 per cent potting soil and 50 per cent gritty sand or turface â€“ a granular, clay, soil conditioner.

G-man · Post by **G-man** » Wed Aug 13, 2008 11:17 am

:wah:

You shouldn't need much room to grow these items (you could even grow all of these in containers)... the cucumbers tend to need more room to sprawl, but there are some varieties that don't require as much space, and you can trellis them, as well. How much space do you have available, and how many vegetables do you need, though?

I like to grow basil beneath my tomato plants to help with mulching (along with heavy mulching of four inches depth or so) and keeping the roots cool and from drying out, and tansy with cucumber plants to deter pests.

Chezzie · Post by **Chezzie** » Wed Aug 13, 2008 12:04 pm

G-man;951376 wrote: :wah:

You shouldn't need much room to grow these items (you could even grow all of these in containers)... the cucumbers tend to need more room to sprawl, but there are some varieties that don't require as much space, and you can trellis them, as well. How much space do you have available, and how many vegetables do you need, though?

I like to grow basil beneath my tomato plants to help with mulching (along with heavy mulching of four inches depth or so) and keeping the roots cool and from drying out, and tansy with cucumber plants to deter pests.

Was over 2 years ago she asked for advice, shes moved house since:wah::wah:

Chezzie · Post by **Chezzie** » Wed Aug 13, 2008 12:10 pm

jimbo;951449 wrote: work with the guy chezzer , for petes sake she never took the garden with her did she maybe the new people can use his advice ..... der

wisey look at my earlier post on this thread its all about you buddy

:D

hoe told you to sprout her cause... I carrot see what's the marrow with you now pea off:D

YZGI · Post by **YZGI** » Wed Aug 13, 2008 12:21 pm

jimbo;951341 wrote: shryl my friend this is forum garden .... you have accidently logged on here instead of garden forum

i have done the exact same thing myself only in reverse i wanted forum garden but i got garden forum oh we are a couple of silly billy's aren't we ha ha ha :wah::wah:

on garden forum i spent an hour talking to a large carrot who i mistook for wise guy , i got more damn sense out of the carrot i can tell you

:D:wah::wah:
If it was a large carrot it might have been me.. Were you disguised as furry rabbit?

G-man · Post by **G-man** » Wed Aug 13, 2008 1:04 pm

:wah::wah::wah: Who's the culprit that bumped this thing? :rolleyes:

Sorry about the big hole in your lawn there... shall we fill the soil back in, or should we just go ahead and plant some stuff in it? :wah:

Chezzie · Post by **Chezzie** » Wed Aug 13, 2008 1:06 pm

G-man;951514 wrote: :wah::wah::wah: Who's the culprit that bumped this thing? :rolleyes:

dont call the newbies Culprits Gman and erm POT ----BLACK:sneaky::D

Odie · Post by **Odie** » Wed Jan 14, 2009 9:50 pm

Chezzie;951445 wrote: Was over 2 years ago she asked for advice, shes moved house since:wah::wah:

:yh_rotfl:yh_rotfl:yh_rotfl:yh_rotfl