Let's Talk about Gardens

Posted by Rosemary, Volunteer Mentor @rosemarya, Mar 31, 2020

Spring is on it's way and many of us are looking forward to some sunshine and warmer weather and being outdoors...and gardens!
Perhaps you look forward to digging in the fresh spring time soil as you prepare for a summer garden? Do you plant flowers? Do you plant vegetables?
Do you garden for enjoyment? Do you garden for health benefits? What do you want to share about your garden?

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Just Want to Talk Support Group.

@parus

And the delightful mixed pot that greeted me one morning. Photo does not do this justice. for me, it was breathtaking.

Jump to this post

@parus My daylillies are in the middle of doing their thing. If I can manage it I'll post some pictures of all the different colors. You've had a lot more success with your mixed pot than I have. Beautiful, Abby.

REPLY
@sueinmn

@gingerw Ginger, It turned out great. My grandsons would be in "rock heaven" rearranging them for you.
@parus I love the mixed pot - aren't the new coleus cultivars wonderful - they last all summer in sun or shade as long as they get water, and the color combo there is stunning.
I really need to get out in my garden and take some photos. But every time I start, I see something that needs to be pulled, trimmed, tied up or watered and I get distracted. Maybe I just need to put it on my to-do list.
Sue

Jump to this post

@sueinmn @parus

I've been noticing the pretty varieties of coleus in the stores the last few years. I grew them year round in my flower beds when I lived in central California, unless we got the rare cold snap. I'm feeling inspired by yours, Abby, and I think I'll be getting some next spring.

Jim

REPLY
@oxbeaux

Hello everyone. I’m new here and have read through a lot of the posts here. Looks like a good place to be.
I live in Phoenix and on March 14 I left there to visit my relatives in South Louisiana pulling a small RV. By the time I arrived here the world had been shut down by the COVID virus and I have spent the spring and summer on the banks of the Mermentau River.
My brother and sister have a large piece of property here and he tilled up a 25X60 ft. garden and turned it over to me. I have spent the time growing vegetables and canning the excess. Tomatoes, cucumbers, corn, okra, peppers, eggplant, cantaloupe, watermelon and squash.At this point the garden is mostly finished but for the okra which is now so y’all that I have to bend it over to pick the pods.
With some peaches and some purple hulled peas I have spent the last four months canning about 30 cases of pint and quart jars of fruits and vegetables.

The garden has kept me sane through all this. My spouse of 52 years passed away on February 15 after a 10 year fight with COPD and my thoughts have been diverted by the garden and the memories of my childhood working in my grandfather’s garden. I hope to return to Phoenix in order to put in my winter garden there.
Bud

Jump to this post

@oxbeaux I'm just a little jealous, well maybe a lot jealous, of your prodigious crop, so early in the year. Here in central Oregon, the only thing we've eaten from my garden is asparagus. We could be digging the onions, but they can stay in the ground and grow more for a while. Tomatoes are at the small green stage and crookneck squash is starting to set on the first of the crop. We usually start getting serious produce around the middle of August. But then, I don't want to live in Phoenix, even for the pleasure of a producing garden like yours.

It's good to meet you and welcome you to a great group of people.

Jim

REPLY
@oxbeaux

Hello everyone. I’m new here and have read through a lot of the posts here. Looks like a good place to be.
I live in Phoenix and on March 14 I left there to visit my relatives in South Louisiana pulling a small RV. By the time I arrived here the world had been shut down by the COVID virus and I have spent the spring and summer on the banks of the Mermentau River.
My brother and sister have a large piece of property here and he tilled up a 25X60 ft. garden and turned it over to me. I have spent the time growing vegetables and canning the excess. Tomatoes, cucumbers, corn, okra, peppers, eggplant, cantaloupe, watermelon and squash.At this point the garden is mostly finished but for the okra which is now so y’all that I have to bend it over to pick the pods.
With some peaches and some purple hulled peas I have spent the last four months canning about 30 cases of pint and quart jars of fruits and vegetables.

The garden has kept me sane through all this. My spouse of 52 years passed away on February 15 after a 10 year fight with COPD and my thoughts have been diverted by the garden and the memories of my childhood working in my grandfather’s garden. I hope to return to Phoenix in order to put in my winter garden there.
Bud

Jump to this post

@oxbeaux I'm sorry for your loss, Bud. 52 years is a commendable stretch of time to share life with the person you love. I know what you say about the benefit of being busy digging in the dirt on chronic pain. When my focus is on my yard and all the other things on my summer to do list, the pain in my feet and ankles is moved to the back of my mind.

Jim

REPLY
@oxbeaux

Hello everyone. I’m new here and have read through a lot of the posts here. Looks like a good place to be.
I live in Phoenix and on March 14 I left there to visit my relatives in South Louisiana pulling a small RV. By the time I arrived here the world had been shut down by the COVID virus and I have spent the spring and summer on the banks of the Mermentau River.
My brother and sister have a large piece of property here and he tilled up a 25X60 ft. garden and turned it over to me. I have spent the time growing vegetables and canning the excess. Tomatoes, cucumbers, corn, okra, peppers, eggplant, cantaloupe, watermelon and squash.At this point the garden is mostly finished but for the okra which is now so y’all that I have to bend it over to pick the pods.
With some peaches and some purple hulled peas I have spent the last four months canning about 30 cases of pint and quart jars of fruits and vegetables.

The garden has kept me sane through all this. My spouse of 52 years passed away on February 15 after a 10 year fight with COPD and my thoughts have been diverted by the garden and the memories of my childhood working in my grandfather’s garden. I hope to return to Phoenix in order to put in my winter garden there.
Bud

Jump to this post

@oxbeaux I have found the connect community an informative, supportive community to hang out with...Welcome to the neighborhood.

REPLY
@jimhd

@oxbeaux I'm just a little jealous, well maybe a lot jealous, of your prodigious crop, so early in the year. Here in central Oregon, the only thing we've eaten from my garden is asparagus. We could be digging the onions, but they can stay in the ground and grow more for a while. Tomatoes are at the small green stage and crookneck squash is starting to set on the first of the crop. We usually start getting serious produce around the middle of August. But then, I don't want to live in Phoenix, even for the pleasure of a producing garden like yours.

It's good to meet you and welcome you to a great group of people.

Jim

Jump to this post

Actually Jim the garden I spoke of was in south Louisiana on the gulf coast. I hope to go home to Arizona soon and I’ll have a garden there all winter.
I’ve spent some time in the pacific NW and I know how nice it is but I prefer Arizona. Four months of heat and eight months of pleasant weather. That and the fact that my children and grandchildren are there.

REPLY
@oxbeaux

Hello everyone. I’m new here and have read through a lot of the posts here. Looks like a good place to be.
I live in Phoenix and on March 14 I left there to visit my relatives in South Louisiana pulling a small RV. By the time I arrived here the world had been shut down by the COVID virus and I have spent the spring and summer on the banks of the Mermentau River.
My brother and sister have a large piece of property here and he tilled up a 25X60 ft. garden and turned it over to me. I have spent the time growing vegetables and canning the excess. Tomatoes, cucumbers, corn, okra, peppers, eggplant, cantaloupe, watermelon and squash.At this point the garden is mostly finished but for the okra which is now so y’all that I have to bend it over to pick the pods.
With some peaches and some purple hulled peas I have spent the last four months canning about 30 cases of pint and quart jars of fruits and vegetables.

The garden has kept me sane through all this. My spouse of 52 years passed away on February 15 after a 10 year fight with COPD and my thoughts have been diverted by the garden and the memories of my childhood working in my grandfather’s garden. I hope to return to Phoenix in order to put in my winter garden there.
Bud

Jump to this post

@oxbeaux First, I am sorry for the loss of your spouse - you are right, digging in the dirt and bringing new life can indeed be therapeutic. I am glad you found a place to do this.
Second, just reading your description makes me TIRED - wow! But think of the lovely food you all have to bring you through this next winter - and it will bring you memories of the lovely summer you spent outdoors and with family.
Let us know how your next garden adventure progresses as you return to Phoenix when the weather cools.

@jimhd We have been harvesting cucumbers, tomatoes and fresh basil for several weeks in Minnesota from our tiny "plot" - 7 straw bales along the sunny side of our garage. We get ripe veggies weeks before those in the ground are ready, due to the warmth of the decomposing bales and the intense sun reflecting off the siding.

My 4 year old grandson loves to pick & eat cherry tomatoes right from the vine, and his taste buds and patience have reached the point this year where he understands "redder is better" and patiently checks for the ripest 3 each time he is given permission to pick (we have to ration him or he eats them until he has a bellyache.) Our resident foster guinea pig (our daughter does rescue & is maxed out on pigs) waits for 4pm every day when I come in from the garden with his sprigs of fresh basil. If I forget, he stands at the kitchen door and hollers at me!
I'm trying for a second row of bales next years so I can plant potatoes in the decomposing ones from this year...but that means building a new "corral" to contain them, extending irrigation (again) and infringing on the clover lawn that the bees love so much. I am not sure I have that much energy...
Happy gardening everyone.
Sue

REPLY
@gingerw

@oxbeaux Oh, Bud, do you have a picture to post of your garden? That produces quite a picture in my mind, and I am envious to read of such a haul. I don't have much of a green thumb that way. Are you trading with the neighbors for things you don't have?

Good to see you over here, and also in the journaling group. A gardener's journal can really bring back memories of what you did to plant things, and keep it up!
Ginger

Jump to this post

Sorry Ginger. I’ve been without WiFi for four months and I lost the pictures that I took this summer and they didn’t get backed up to the cloud. There are no close neighbors here and the ones around are distancing just like I am because of the Covid pandemic.

As I said earlier I intend to go home to Arizona soon and put in a winter garden. Lots of cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, onions,garlic, lettuce and several varieties of greens. The valley of the sun is a great place for a winter garden.

REPLY
@parus

@oxbeaux I have found the connect community an informative, supportive community to hang out with...Welcome to the neighborhood.

Jump to this post

Thanks. At this time we are isolated and it is nice to connect with people.

REPLY
@sueinmn

@oxbeaux First, I am sorry for the loss of your spouse - you are right, digging in the dirt and bringing new life can indeed be therapeutic. I am glad you found a place to do this.
Second, just reading your description makes me TIRED - wow! But think of the lovely food you all have to bring you through this next winter - and it will bring you memories of the lovely summer you spent outdoors and with family.
Let us know how your next garden adventure progresses as you return to Phoenix when the weather cools.

@jimhd We have been harvesting cucumbers, tomatoes and fresh basil for several weeks in Minnesota from our tiny "plot" - 7 straw bales along the sunny side of our garage. We get ripe veggies weeks before those in the ground are ready, due to the warmth of the decomposing bales and the intense sun reflecting off the siding.

My 4 year old grandson loves to pick & eat cherry tomatoes right from the vine, and his taste buds and patience have reached the point this year where he understands "redder is better" and patiently checks for the ripest 3 each time he is given permission to pick (we have to ration him or he eats them until he has a bellyache.) Our resident foster guinea pig (our daughter does rescue & is maxed out on pigs) waits for 4pm every day when I come in from the garden with his sprigs of fresh basil. If I forget, he stands at the kitchen door and hollers at me!
I'm trying for a second row of bales next years so I can plant potatoes in the decomposing ones from this year...but that means building a new "corral" to contain them, extending irrigation (again) and infringing on the clover lawn that the bees love so much. I am not sure I have that much energy...
Happy gardening everyone.
Sue

Jump to this post

Sue. Thanks for the kind thoughts.
Digging in the dirt has been very good for my health. Planting a big garden and hoeing a couple of hours a day brought me back to health both physically and mentally. Lots of time outside in the sun after several months of home care of my dear wife with the help of Hospice Of The Valley.
I’ve lost 15 pounds and regained a lot of strength. I told my children that I’ve been on the grow your on food diet.
My grandchildren also like to eat cherry tomatoes off the vine. I always keep a couple of those growing for them.
Bud

REPLY
Please sign in or register to post a reply.