POZ Community Forums
Off Topic Forums => Off Topic Forum => Topic started by: thunter34 on May 05, 2007, 01:37:40 pm
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A discussion about Ice Cream Sandwiches began to morph into talk about canning and fresh-grown fruits and veggies direct from the garden. The whole thing started taking me back in time. To me, there is really no substitute for vegetables straight from the garden. As a boy, I used to help my Father in the garden. We planted squash, tomatoes, beans, corn, cucumbers, watermelons...what else? Probably a few other things, but those are the main ones I remember. I also remember snapping and stringing beans in large bowls and washing off all the vegetables while getting them ready for canning. I used to always make a practice of picking a few pretty flowers to bring back to my Mother upon my return. Apparently, when I was about 3-5 years old, I went out and was unable to find any good flowers to bring back to her...so I settled on a stick that my young mind found particularly impressive for some reason. I think that stick is still stored somewhere!
Anyway, this has probably been threaded on here before, but I was wondering: Who here gardens and what do you plant? Fruits and vegetables? Plants and flowers? Both? Perhaps some of you don't do it now, but have some memories associated with it (like me) from childhood or visits to relatives? Got stories? Pictures maybe?
Just, um....planting some seeds here to see what grows. :D
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My relatives are from very rural West Tennessee and relied on gardens up until the mid to late sixties. I can remember helping my Aunt Dodie canning vegetables in the summer. Silking corn...I hated that, snap and pole beans and more tomatoes than I ever believed possible. Picking strawberries in May, I believe it was...my grandfather had the largest strawberry fields in the county. He always made sure to plant a watermelon patch where we would pick a melon, break it open on a rock and eat it sweet and warm...oh and peaches and peaches and more peaches.
I remember being there a couple of times in late fall or early winter when the hogs were slaughtered...that was wild. True Americana, done the way it had been done for hundreds of years, making sausage, boiling off the lard in huge black kettles over an open fire.
The best memory was hand cranked ice cream.
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Hubby has a big garden. He plants cantalopes, tomatoes, okra, watermelons, and cucumbers. I just have flower beds that I take care of.
Teresa
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Lordy! From these posts, I can't believe I forgot about the cantalopes and peaches! My Dad has always been a HUGE fan of cantalopes (not crazy about them myself). But the peaches were out of this world! Which brings me to the other thing: the hand churned ice cream! Nothing & no one can touch the home made, hand-churned ice cream. Not Edy, not Ben & Jerry, not even the most royal Dairy Queen. Used to love the ice cream made with fresh picked peaches (and sometimes blueberries or strawberries, too) that we got in the summer time.
I still get the benefit of some home grown veggies via friends of the family that still have active gardens. Right now, I've got some peppers. Recently had some cherry tomatoes that ROCKED on bread with some basil, cheese and a touch of olive oil.
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my babies :)
And I have a eureka lemon that is not on the pic.
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Yay! That's fabu, milker! Thanks for posting!
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My mother and grandmother SWORE by Ridgeway cantaloupes. We had to make a yearly trip down outside Henderson, NC to score them. Evidently they're the best, though personally I detest all melons. They also swore by Kentucky Wonder green beans and I guess that is what my grandmother grew... She always had a large garden down on the farm but frankly I never helped her in it much. I don't recall her encouraging the children in the garden, in fact I think we were forbidden. Unfortunately I missed the functioning farm's heyday -- it was a tobacco farm but my grandfather died the year I was born and the place pretty much went to rust except the vegetable garden. I was scared to go in the collapsing chicken coup because evidently it was infested with snakes. Gran Gran would see them and crank up the lawn mower and run over them... scary!
Now, in my last place in Brooklyn I had full run of the backyard which to most people would be only slightly larger than a postage stamp, but I totally turned it out. I ripped up almost the entire thing and re-landscaped it one year and my ex-roomie keeps it going now. I'll be making a jaunt up there next week and it should be blooming. I made a really nice patio out of those blue flagstones (or whatever they're called) that are used in parts of the 19th century areas of Brooklyn in place of cement sidewalks... very Cosby family. I'll try and take some pictures when I'm up there... but it was not a vegetable oriented garden, though one year I planted some tomatoes. The garden there was strictly for dinner party entertaining al fresco!
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Ooh! Do try to take some pics to post here for us, philly!
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I just bought a new camera too!
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Now here is a topic I can relate to, I have about 3/4 of an acre of landscaped gardens and I love being out there, but only a small section has been put aside out the back for vegies...in the greenhouse we have tomatoes and greenpeppers, and in the garden we grow, potatoes, carrots, parsnips, string beans, rhubarb and strawberries...we had so many pototoes and tomatoes this year we were giving them away by the ton to neighbours.
In the orchard we have three Apple trees (cooker's) three that are eaters, two pears, three plums and two cherry trees..not only do WE get a good feed from them but the animals enjoy a little fruit treat every day.
Sadly winter is almost on us and the vegies and fruits have all but gone now, but I didn't have to buy any this year, what we planted kept us going all throught the summer...next year we will stat again, there's nothing like home grown produce.
Hugs
Jan :-*
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I have a lot of success with basil and other herbs which I grow in POTS here in the city.
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Bear and Jan- you have any photos of your gardening?
This thread is reminding me of two things: One, the further it goes, the more I am remembering other things that were planted in the garden of my youth. The other is that I'd forgotten how much fun I used to have being mingled with the ground, playing in the soil. There's a connected feeling I had then that I realize I have somehow lost as I've grown older.
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Since I do not have a yard anymore I now grow hybrid exotic hibiscus plants indoors. I have (eek) eight of them currently. I also have four other plants, including a tropical palm that is about eight feet tall.
I spend a lot of time watering things and fertilizing.
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Hi Tim
I have photo's of my gardens but not my vegie patch...sorry.
Hugs
Jan :-*
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Jan (and all),
Doesn't have to be the veggie patch. I was intending this thread to be about gardens in general. Veggies or flowers, herbs....whatever. After my last post above, I think I realized my true aim with this thread was to explore that connection that comes about from the interaction with the plants and the soil. Current experience or memories (we've had some great posts in that area above). Doesn't matter to me if that experience happens within a pot or a field.
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We have a garden and lots of flowers but my parents plant them,I unfortunately, kill any plants I touch. I do help pick them and eat them. We have corn, green peas, Green Beans,Lima beans,cucumbers,yellow squash,asparagus. We have grape vines, blueberry bushes,2 Granny Smith apple trees,1 Red delicious Apple tree,Red plums and Danson Plums. the neighbors have pears and Concord Grapes that they let me pick. oh, and we have a fig tree. We love Fresh Produce. Cristy
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Front of the house, a mix of bushes, cactus collection and flowers :)
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Hi
here are a few photo's of my garden ..taken during spring/summer
Hugs
Jan :-*
(http://my garden)
(http://my garden 2)
(http://my garden 3)
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Beautiful, anniebc!
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Here is a pic of one of my flower beds. Wish mine looked like Jans. Sooo beautiful Jan!
(http://img182.imageshack.us/img182/6997/picture151iz4.jpg)
Teresa
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My God Jan,
You have my undivided attention. So, spring starts when, maybe something like November? Hmmmm maybe a winter visit to New Zeland would be in order before I leave this place...... Dreams are made of this!
Love,
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I garden, it has been a long running family event. Every year we planted vegetables, my mom froze and canned so we had a lot to get through the winter. When I was in college, I had some gardens growing in several Humboldt County locations. That is how my friends and I paid our tuition, bought books and stuff. One year my parents asked me and my room mate to come to Mendocino County and start them a special garden. We brought 10 (what they now call "Early Skunk", put them in the hills and set up a drip system. They used the money to start their retirement. Have the best day
Michael
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oh annie! That garden is simply DEEEEEEEE-VINE! It's so what I was going for in mine but never obtained completely. It's so well composed and the set backs in plant height in the design are so perfect.
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My dear friend Marilyn, who makes medicinal cookies, has a lovely garden outside of her home. She has an amazing knack for gardening. And, her ability of turning chicken shit into chicken salad is beyond measure.
I am going to pay a final visit to her tomorrow, and I will take a picture of her garden, as it is a place I would truly like to share with everyone. It is a fairy garden, where I always like to drink hibiscus tea (euphymism for Cosmos, Margaritas or anything with liquor in it) with her. Of particular mention are the babytears which run rampant crawling the rocks, the sidewalk... everywhere.
She treats her plants like children who sometimes misbehave. When they fall out of favor, she uproots them, and moves them to another spot, constantly changing her landscape. Whole trees, she's been known to uproot just because she doesn't like how it shades in a certain season.
Marilyn is 62 years old, and she looks like Debbie Harry. She has a child-like optimism for everything in the world... and can find joy where no joy should exist. Never before have I ever met anyone who was so willing to do other people's laundry, ironing, dishes, yardwork, bathroom cleaning and so forth.
The thing I think that is most notable about her is her ability to grow with changes and to constantly evoke optimism in others. She also was there for me, when every friend I had left me abandoned.
She is the person I would love to be when I grow up, and leave her garden.
-joseph
(pictures forthcoming)
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WOW! Annie, I also see a great amount of labor and dedication here. So gorgeous and perfect and peaceful looking.
xxx,
Mike
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Last fall Michael and I built 10 raised garden beds, each about 10 X 5. The soil here is nothing but clay. Down by the creek is some great loom so I spent a lot of time carting up truck loads of loom to lay down in the beds. Bought top soil by the truck loads. Oh yeah, first we had to lay down chicken wire to keep the moles out. We also have chicken wire 7' tall around the garden to keep out the deer. Now the garden is down the road, towards the barn and not accessible to water. So I had to put in a new irrigation system. After the winter rains started, the clay in the hard ground was wet enough to dig down deep enough to lay the PVC pipe. (Also, I put in an electrical line in case we ever want to have power down by the gardens.) Anyway it took most of the winter to dig the lines. My brother asked me why I didn't rent a ditch digger and I could have finished it in a weekend. Well, I've got plenty of time and not much else and, beside, how am I going to get all the exercise I need to battle away that friggin' depression?
So finally February comes along and the winter rains stop. February and March were just beautiful here so we were able to plant the beds. I put in spinach, beans, corn (already almost 2' high) asparagus, rhubarb, tomatoes, strawberries, onions, and peppers. I got my first berries last week. For the last month we've had fresh spinach salads every night for dinner. I tried blueberries but they didn't make it. Not sure what happened.
In our orchard we planted 5 orange trees (3 navels, a valencia and a blood orange) a lemon tree, a grapefruit tree, an almond, a plum (all self-fruiting) 2 gala apples, a peach tree, 2 cherry trees (sweet) and one tart cherry tree (for my pies.) I' hoping next year the trees will bear fruit. Especially the orange trees as I love nothing better than fresh orange juice every morning.
For each of the garden beds and each of the trees, we've extended the PVC pipes so each can be watered separately. We put down soaker hoses so come summer time, when it's 110'+ all we have to do is turn on the water. That's the plan at least. Come hot August nights we can sit back and listen to the corn grow, drink fresh lemon aid and have it made in the shade
robert
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Here's a few photos of what I've got growing. The strawberries are in boxes that
that are attached to the railing of my deck. The fig tree is in the front yard, and was
started from a cutting from a friend's tree. The heirloom roses I found growing next
to an old barn. And the salvia garden is at the end of my front walk, and I hope will be
blooming like crazy in about 2-3 weeks.
Cheers,
Henry
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Awesome pics, everyone! I need to harvest green beans. I live in an apartment, but on the ground floor, so I just put beds in behind the building off my porch. I may do some gardening later today and will post some pics if I do so. Going to the BF's first to help him set up a garage workshop for his dad.
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I'm really thrilled with the way this thread has taken off! Such great posts and gorgeous photos, all of you! Simply breath taking! Keep them coming, both the stories and the photos.
Meantime, for anyone interested, a small musical interlude for this thread...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6AgVuvuqjd4 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6AgVuvuqjd4)
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I've got a bunch of these planted, can anyone tell me what they are and if they are good for anything?
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Um, Doxie...I can't really tell from the photo. Looks like it's probably just some kind of weed.
Better send it to me so I can take a closer look.
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Oh Hal...
I think those may be a species of rare tomatos or maybe a tea?. I recommend you let them grow, add water about every three days. When they are about 4 ft tall, hang them upsidedown for about 7 days. After they have cured maybe you could bring some samples of the flowers for further inspection to AMG. ;D. I have a few of those too and they just keep coming back. Have the best day
Michael
(who always has a special package of little papers for proper disposal)
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Hey Hal
I have a nice batch of opium poppies to go with your "Weed".. ;)..I'm told they are illegal to grow, but they were in the garden when I moved, the buds are so big (about the size of a medium potatoe) and very beautiful when in full flower so there is no way I'm taking it out.
Hugs
Jan :-*
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Now...more than ever....I want to go to Jan's. ;D
I swear, with all the fantastic animals and gorgeous grounds, it sounded better than Disney Land to begin with.
But opium poppies? Talk about a Magic Kingdom!
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Hey Jan,
That's cool...I had a friend bring me some of these plants from Columbia and I planted about an acre of them behind the barn on my dad's farm. Would you mind bringing some of your poppies with you to AMG?
Hal :P
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I revise. I'm going to Doxie's.
Make that: to Doxie's FIRST. Then Jan's.
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this is a super thread....I don't have a garden anymore but over the years have had several...started way back when I lived in the city ( Boston) .Grandfather dug up every little patch of dirt around the house..put chicken coops under the porch and planted all the veggies... beans, squash,peas,carrots lettuce..etc..collected rainwater in barrels from the downspouts and dumped the chicken shit in there to make "tea" as he called it..every thing grew beautifully ...as kids he would send us out to the street after the "ice man" to collect the horse manure ( yes they really delivered ice on horse drawn wagons) He had his friends/relatives who lived way out in the country bring a truck load of grapes every year..would make two or three barrels of wine..a keg of brandy...and some liquors....of course we were the "labor" he was the instructor and a pretty good one....
After he passed away my Dad started our own garden similar but no wine.....the country relatives /friends took over that job...took the wine press and all the barrels....every time we moved we planted another garden but none were as well done as grandpas..no chicken shit I guess..He really never planted flowers as such..said he couldn't bother with anything he didn't eat.
I have tried over the years to do roses..still do in big pots..not very successful here in Dallas..very hot.. roses don't like hot/windy/dry....but not a true garden like the ones family used to have.
Nick
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How 'bout some Dancing Condom Blotter?
(http://homepage.mac.com/bedstuy65/.Pictures/blotter.jpg)
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Hey Jan,
I was in the town where Hollystar lives and was walking down a street called Holly Street. That in itself could be amazing but I did see hundreds of Opium Poppies growing in the front yard of an old house. One of my oldest friends lives in that town. I was curious so I read up on those flowers.
Opium Poppies were legal up until about a hundred years ago and used in home medicines. They are often found in the yards of Victorian houses and are such a hardy plant, they continue to thrive even after the houses were torn down and there was no one to care for them.
I did live in my Aunts house for a few years after she passed away and my Grandmother's house was next door. There was some little poppies there too and in the boxes of junk in the barn, I found a few Opium medicine bottles. Since the houses on the ranch were all built before indoor plumbing was around, my cousins and I spent many afternoons looking to find the location of the original outhouses. We hoped to find the old bottles that people threw away. Have the best day
Michael
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Wow, Jan. Your garden is amazing.
My 'garden' is tiny, but I do the best with the space I have. It's mainly succulents and drought tolerant plants in terracotta pots, due to the climate and water restrictions in place where I live. Everything survivies on water from the heavan's plus 20 litres that I take from my fishtank each week. I also have a few palms, bouganvillea and wysteria which were here when I moved in a few years back.
Which reminds me, i better get out there today and sweep up all the leaves that have fallen in the last week. damn, autumn mess.
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Hi
Just a few of the beautiful plants and colors in my garden during spring/summer..there are so many more but just too many to post..fortunately we don't have water restrictions here in NZ..
Hugs
Jan :-*
(http://DSC00063)
(http://DSC00084)
(http://DSC00096)
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Strictly a flower man. I got into roses last year, and added two more to the five already in the garden. Also have couple of apple trees, but I rarely eat the fruit from them, too many holes and spots!
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My little babies!!! I'm applying my recently received Pottasium Bloom Booster Fertilizer today so I hope to get these f*ckers blooming this season. It's not as easy as it looks, I assure you. Anywho, these are from two of my exotic hybrid hibiscus plants.
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Here’s some photos of my horticultural endeavors.
The first is a Boston fern that belonged to my friend Henry who died of AIDS in 1995. A year later his lover Stan gave it to me. Every two years I chop it into 3 pieces, put them in hanging baskets, and give 2 to friends.
Number 2 is my four-leafed clover. I bought the corms as an impulse buy 9 years ago. They usually come out in May, but thanks to Medina Hasta-Gro, they emerged in April this year. Lovely hot-pink blooms.
Number 3 is a renegade rose bush. After a rose bush died, to the point that termites were running through the dead stalk, I moved the roses. A year later, I was working the bed and Ow! This must have been part of the graft, and somehow survived. It bloomed in the pot once 4 years ago, but I’ve forgotten what color. I just know that it’s not the color of the bush I bought. The cat is my rendering of our dear departed Sasha. It used to be a Hallowe’en decoration, but I leave her out year-round now.
Number 4 is my butterfly milkweeds, the favored host plant of Monarchs. They are not blooming as they usually do, therefore not attracting butterflies, so I guess I will not be nurturing any Monarchs until October.
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me likie this threadie
I wish I wouldn't kill indoor plants :( One is not surviving :( I don't know what i'm doing wrong :(
Milker.
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Did you buy it at Walmart in Indiana?
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Here's a few pictures from last summer. Every year I dig up more sod to make new flower beds, pretty soon I'll have no grass to mow! :D
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Did you buy it at Walmart in Indiana?
Dude! ::)
The correct query is "Where did you buy it? What plant is it? And can you post a picture?"
sidenote: did the tag say "R-Free"?
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Here's a few pictures from last summer. Every year I dig up more sod to make new flower beds, pretty soon I'll have no grass to mow! :D
Fabulous Nadine! I love all the color!
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Did you buy it at Walmart in Indiana?
It said "Ryan proudly bred this plant" Should I worry?
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should I say
:zing:
o
r
:zamb:
?
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My job in the summer months is working out in the garden center, I know it's a rough job but someone has to do it! :D
This year I am being visited by ducks...how cool is that!
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