My newly discovered hobby - Gardening!!!

by Billygoat 15 Replies latest social physical

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  Billygoat

  Most of you know that Neil and I recently bought our first house. It's been SO MUCH WORK! But work that we're having fun with. Choosing paint colors, decorating, and making the place "ours" is really fun. One of the nice things about our house is that the former owners had a bunch of flower beds. They were overgrown and fairly unkempt, so there was a little work to be done. It had been months since it had been mulched or weeded. Neither of us had ever had a REAL garden (or a yard for that matter), so we knew we were in for a learning experience.

  We have mulched and weeded three flower beds, transplanted 10 blooming plants to better locations, and I've started an herb garden! We inherited a rosemary bush that's about 4 foot tall by 4 foot wide and a marjoram "spread" that was about 3 feet wide. There is another herb next to it, that I have yet to identify. Thyme maybe? It has little white flowers that really attract the bees. But yesterday I planted peppermint, Thai basil, garden sage, and chives. I plan on getting some lavender, dill and cilantro maybe. I'm so excited to learn something new!

  Are any of you out there gardeners? Specifically, flowers or herbs? Do you have any suggestions for someone who generally has a black thumb? I would love any pointers or suggestions!

  Andi
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  PurpleV

  Congrats becoming a gardener. I love gardening. I do mostly flowers but I have some herbs. Make sure you don't plant them too close together, especially things like parsley, because they spread out and can get crowded.

  Pinch off the heads of herbs like basil and mint so that they branch out instead of getting too tall. Pinching will also make the plant live longer and give you more leaves!

  If you're not into compost, it is the greatest thing for growing greener, more luxurious plants. If you've got room, put your kitchen leavings (vegetable only, not animal except for eggshells) in a corner, add a layer of dirt, add more stuff (apple peels, coffee grinds, wilted lettuce, etc.), add a layer of dirt, and turn it with a pitchfork or shovel weekly. Within a few short weeks, you will have rich, fertile compost to put on the topsoil, and the rain will wash the nutrients into the soil.

  Done correctly, a compost need not smell, as bacteria start the process and the internal temperature of the compost gets so high that the decomposition is rapid and relatively odor-free. You can buy compost starter (a liquid with the bacteria you need in it) and add it to the pile. I have a barrel composter, which makes it easier to turn over than using a pitchfork

  Enjoy!!!
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  Nosferatu

  You'll be in good shape when Jehovah restores the earth to a paradise!
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  Mulan

  Be careful with the mint, because it will take over. It's kind of like grass and sends roots out horizontally, and it will come up all over. I finally planted mint in a container on my deck to get rid of them taking over. Rosemary gets big. We had two small plants two years ago and now they are HUGE bushes. They get pretty lavender flowers that you can put in salads, and the branches can be used as pastry brushes for barbecueing, but other that that, you need to keep cutting them back or they will get larger than you want them to be.

  I haven't had any success growing Cilantro or Basil (the kind I like, that is) here, but parsley does great.

  Gardening is fun, isn't it? I haven't done much this year, just a bit of weeding.
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  Billygoat

  PurpleV, I've wanted to learn more about composting. I think I need to buy a barrell like you did and read up on it more. Thanks for the pointer!

  Mulan, I've heard that about mint just this morning. I love mint in my sun tea, so that's fine. I'll be using a lot of it. I'm hoping my chives will be the same way since they're a grass too. I'm planning on taking a picture of this rosemary bush. It's HUGE - almost as tall as me - I'm 5'2"!!! But I haven't seen any lavender flowers on it yet. Maybe I will try parsley. I'm wanting to try easy stuff first, so I get my confidence up for bigger things like peppers and tomatoes. I love fresh herbs chopped over fresh tomatoes with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Put a little fresh mozzarella over it - Yum!

  I'm getting so excited!
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  franklin J

  Hey Billygoat

  Yes, I discovered that I am a gardener too. I love it.

  Although I have a landscaper take care of the lawn ( 1.5 acres); I tend to the 3 formal gardens on the property. Although I disliked it as a child; I find it is great therapy for me.

  When we bought our house in 1995; it was so badly dilapidated and overgrown that we had no idea what we would find on the property. Much to our surprise and delight; after raking up 35 years of leaves, and haking away at the vines and scrub growth with a chain saw, we discovered slate walks; remains of formal garden walls; a clay tennis court, brick garden paths; all overgrown like something out of a Grims Fairy Tale.

  We contacted the elderly sons of the original builder of the house ( they grew up in our house back in the 1930s; we found them living in Monterey California);they made a special trip out to Long Island to visit us; and the house. They told us what and where the origninal gardens were and we restored them along with the house. A very big project.

  Italian Rose garden, trelliage; arbors; perenial and annual gardens and boxwood , gated herb garden have all been restored. It was such a surprise to what we have resurrected at the house that the local newspaper ran a three page spread about the restoration of the house and gardens. The original owner / builder was a prominent New York commercial artist during the depression; he sold the house to David Brown, TV producer of Captain Kangaroo who sold it to the guy we bought it from. The guy we bought it from ignored it for 35 years and it grew like a jungle. After all the restoration, it looks like something from a Norman Rockwell painting.

  BTT, I do enjoy "getting dirty" in the garden.
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  Princess

  I love mint in my sun tea, so that's fine. I'll be using a lot of it.

  No, really. You need to plant mint in a container or it will take over your herb garden. It doesn't just get really big, it becomes the garden and your other plants will have a hard time surviving.

  I haven't had an herb garden in years but I always liked taking fresh herbs and putting them in a food processor with a stick of butter and making herb butters. They are delicious on bread or vegetables...omelettes...whatever. Have fun and watch out for that mint.
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  franklin J

  ...did not post

  If you are starting out; you might enjoy the perennials which will come back every year; boxwoods, azalea, rodedendrums, daylilies are great; as are hostas. These just keep coming.....

  Roses bloom all season but require a bit of attention. If you are willing to do the work; the display is rewarding.

  impatiens and begonias always look good but are annuals....

  have fun! and post some pics for us.
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  PurpleV

  If you want vegetables, start with green beans! They are almost foolproof. They like lots of sun and water, and once you see the little purple flowers, get ready to start picking! I've got about 12 plants and have had six full servings in the last week alone. And I'm growing mine in CONTAINERS!!

  It's fun to pick them too, the plants have lots of big leaves and so the beans "hide" -- just when you think you've found them all, you spot four more!

  If eight-legged critters get at them, spray the leaves with mild dishwasher soap mixed with water.
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  jgnat

  You already have a head-start if you know the difference between weed and "keeper". Gardening is a great stress-reliever.
  

  Have fun, and don't be afraid to try new things. The worst thing that can happen is you have to start over next year.

  Make friends with local gardeners, or join a club. My thriving perennials were divisions from other gardeners.

  In the fall, I draw a little diagram of my little garden, marking where I put my perennials. That way I don't accidentally dig them up in the spring. I put in my bulbs. I write down what worked great, and what didn't. Petunia Madness will never, ever go in my beds again, they take over. Instead, they live in my pots. Get your name on some seed catalogues to be delivered in January (just in time to chase away the winter blues), and have fun picking out some exotics to try.

  http://www.vidaverde.co.uk/