GTKNY: How does your garden grow?

PinkCamino · June 2014

Morning ladies,

I know a few of us garden during the summer. I thought it would be nice to see how our gardens grow!

This year we've planted tomatoes, potatoes, onions, lettuce, cucumbers, arugula, escarole, rapini, basil, rosemary and lavender.

I also planted a bunch of flowers.

Pics to follow!

So what have you planted?

LizBlue · June 2014

I swear I open half of these threads with a dirty mind- I thought this one was about our lady garden grooming habits.

I have a black thumb but am so impressed by y'all who grow your own food. My ex was a gardener and we grew so many veggies. Swiss chard was my favorite. And strawberries. Mmm.

I miss the produce but not the ex.

can't wait to see your pics PC!

PinkCamino · June 2014

LizBlue said:

I swear I open half of these threads with a dirty mind- I thought this one was about our lady garden grooming habits. I have a black thumb but am so impressed by y'all who grow your own food. My ex was a gardener and we grew so many veggies. Swiss chard was my favorite. And strawberries. Mmm. I miss the produce but not the ex. can't wait to see your pics PC!

I'm not much of a green thumb either TBH. My grandfather is an awesome green thumb and he really helps me get everything organized. He knows so much about plants, fertilizing and all that fun stuff. I find as I get older though, I appreciate gardening so much more. Not only is it super relaxing but seeing the produce grow is really something amazing.

Working on the pics, my computer crashed the other night and I'm reinstalling the program to upload my photos from my phone.

LaRomana09 · June 2014

I love this idea! I have a vegetable garden with tomatoes, peppers, beans, peas, eggplant, zucchini, pumpkins, watermelon, scallions, basil, parsley, and swiss chard (and strawberries which have already peaked and are pretty much done). This pic is a couple weeks ago, so things have grown a decent amount since then...I will update when I can.

Also, here is my little helper.

mara005 · June 2014

We have 4 tomato plants (different varieties)
String beans
Cucumber
Red and green sweet peppers
Jalapeno peppers
Onions
Cauliflower
Kale (2 varieties)
Spring onions
Strawberries
and for herbs we have - cilantro, parsley, mint, basil and lavender.

megrae12 · June 2014

We have one tomato plant. I dont even eat tomatoes! H is treating that plant like a holy relic. He makes me water it and check on it when I get home from work. It's kinda funny actually.

PinkCamino · June 2014

Okay I'm going to do this in 2 replies because there a ton of pictures.

Flowers:

skategirl128 · June 2014

I have flowers and mint. I was going to grow more veggies but didn't get to it! I love gardening though and love watching the flowers grow!

PinkCamino · June 2014

garden!

ngolimento · June 2014

I love this thread! I am growing 3 different tomatoes, onion, soybeans, black beans, garbanzo beans, butternut squash, sugar pumpkins, bok choi, and carrots.

megrae12 · June 2014

@PinkCamino I am super jealous! A. Your flowers look so beautiful and B. your garden is so pretty! If you get a wild hair and decide to come way South, we could use some help with ours

PinkCamino · June 2014

also, this is my pride and joy.

She's a fig tree.

She's super high maintenance though. In the winter, we need to bury her. So, DH digs a long trench and we slowly bend her at the roots until she's laying on her side. We then cover her with bags of leaves, carpets and earth to keep her warm all winter. She brings us hundreds of figs every season.

BookishMomma · June 2014

LizBlue said:

I swear I open half of these threads with a dirty mind- I thought this one was about our lady garden grooming habits.

Dirty minds think alike, @LizBlue, because I thought exactly the same thing.

I love to garden, but haven't had much time this year and don't see that changing anytime soon. We've got some herbs and some raspberries that are just about to ripen!

Poppy715 · June 2014

We didn't do a garden this year. I just never had the time or the gumption to get it going. Plus I took terrible care if it last year. I'm jealous if all these pretty veggies!

rslh10 · June 2014

@pinkcamino your flowers make me so happy, and that garden looks amazing!

We planted one last summer and had Corn, Pumpkins, Cabbage, about 15 Tomato plants (which turns out is WAY too many), Peppers, Strawberries, Watermelon, and GIANT sunflowers! This year we chose not to plant one due to my loss being around the same time as we were going to plant. That's okay though, I will watch all your lovely gardens take off!

ETA- fix photos

PinkCamino · June 2014

rslh10 said:

@pinkcamino your flowers make me so happy, and that garden looks amazing!

We planted one last summer and had Corn, Pumpkins, Cabbage, about 15 Tomato plants (which turns out is WAY too many), Peppers, Strawberries, Watermelon, and GIANT sunflowers! This year we chose not to plant one due to my loss being around the same time as we were going to plant. That's okay though, I will watch all your lovely gardens take off!

ETA- fix photos

You can never have enough tomato plants!

You can freeze them ya know? We plant a ton of tomatoes. Different varieties. But, the san marsano's we freeze in freezer bags to make fresh sauce all year round.

labgrand2012 · June 2014

We are in our second year of gardening and added in a second raised bed. We are growing Romas, Heirlooms, jalpenos, habeneros, red, yellow and green bell peppers, banana peppers, squash, thyme, basil, sage, chives, rosemary and cilantro.

I also started canning last year which was super fun and lasted us all winter!

jennadesigns · June 2014

I planted my garden for the first time in many years this spring and am loving it. I'm super jealous of some of your gardens - they're beautiful! Mine's not quite that organized, but it's growing. I planted green beans, gourds, cucumbers, watermelon, cantaloupe, red and green peppers, two large tomatoes and one roma tomato, and a variety of herbs including basil, sage, parsley and mint.

PinkCamino · June 2014

I'm curious, ladies who grow gourds, what do you do with them?

Unknown · June 2014

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PinkCamino · June 2014

meladoriestar said:

I'm so jealous! I want to learn how to garden but it feels so overwhelming. Any suggestions on how to get started? (Also I too thought this was about something else)

Start small. I know many of the ladies have raised planters but I didn't go that route. We were lucky, there was already a "Garden" established in our yard. Basically the grass was removed in a rectangular shape. There was earth piled on top and frame around it was made using cinder blocks.

If you're really intimidated you can start by just planting herbs or tomatoes in pots. A friend of mine grows about a dozen tomato plants this way and has a pretty impressive herb garden growing in a recycled wooden box.

LaRomana09 · June 2014

PinkCamino said:

meladoriestar said:

I'm so jealous! I want to learn how to garden but it feels so overwhelming. Any suggestions on how to get started? (Also I too thought this was about something else)

Start small. I know many of the ladies have raised planters but I didn't go that route. We were lucky, there was already a "Garden" established in our yard. Basically the grass was removed in a rectangular shape. There was earth piled on top and frame around it was made using cinder blocks.
If you're really intimidated you can start by just planting herbs or tomatoes in pots. A friend of mine grows about a dozen tomato plants this way and has a pretty impressive herb garden growing in a recycled wooden box.

This! And above all, just start. Plant something, even if it's just one thing. I read about vegetable gardens for a couple of years before I actually attempted to have one, and you really don't learn until you just plant stuff. You'll be really surprised at how much less challenging it is than you thought!

Unknown · June 2014

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Denise91980 · June 2014

I am so jealous if all your gardening skills. We are really bad at it. We ripped out so much that the previous owners had, they would be mortified. We just couldn't keep up with it. We did have a lot of fresh herbs, but H left them outside with Hurricane Sandy and wouldn't let me bring them in, so they all got ruined. We did recently plant a few Japanese Maple trees, some shrubs and are going to plant some flowers. I would like to start an herb garden.

PinkCamino · June 2014

Kateisoptimistic said:

Wow ladies - your gardens are impressive

We have a townhouse in a complex so garden allowed for me - I do have some things in pots on my deck. Grape Tomatoes, parsley, basil, mint, and strawberries.

What is this trick about freezing basil - do I need to do anything to it first? chopped? or can i just freeze whole leaves? I always have an abundance.

You can freeze whole leaves.

Wash it really well and then dry it. I like to use a salad spinner and then I lay out the basil on paper towel and let it air dry for an hour or so. The important thing to keep in mind is that any moisture on the leaves will make it spoil in the freezer. Once it's dried well just package it up in ziplocks. You can use Tupperware if you want but I prefer plastic bags because when it comes time to use it all you need to do is crumple the bag between your hands and it actually breaks it up for you so you can add it to your recipe.

HeyMrsPotter · June 2014

LizBlue said:

I swear I open half of these threads with a dirty mind- I thought this one was about our lady garden grooming habits. I have a black thumb but am so impressed by y'all who grow your own food. **snip**

All of this. I have given up on the gardening of vegetables -- but not the personal kind! Instead, we sign up for a summer vegetable share at a local CSA farm.

Today we get our first veggies of the season! I can't wait to pick them up. I just looked at the newsletter, and right now we will be getting:

Romaine Lettuce Mix
Broccoli
Fennel (not may favorite; I may pass)
Cucumbers
Summer Squash
Green Garlic
Basil
Strawberries

We can also go this weekend and pick more strawberries for ourselves if we want to. The same will happen with tomatoes later in the season as well.

Getting fresh organic veggies from our awesome local CSA is just one more reason that summer is the best season of all!

edited typos

PinkCamino · June 2014

HeyMrsPotter said:

LizBlue said:

I swear I open half of these threads with a dirty mind- I thought this one was about our lady garden grooming habits. I have a black thumb but am so impressed by y'all who grow your own food. **snip**

All of this. I have given up on the gardening of vegetables -- but not the personal kind! Instead, we sign up for a summer vegetable share at a local CSA farm.

Today we get our first veggies of the season! I can't wait to pick them up. I just looked at the newsletter, and right now we will be getting:
Romaine Lettuce Mix
Broccoli
Fennel (not may favorite; I may pass)
Cucumbers
Summer Squash
Green Garlic
Basil
Strawberries
We can also go this weekend and pick more strawberries for ourselves if we want to. The same will happen with tomatoes later in the season as well.

Getting fresh organic veggies from our awesome local CSA is just one more reason that summer is the best season of all!

edited typos

organic broccoli? @mlal78

HeyMrsPotter · June 2014

PinkCamino said:

*snip*
organic broccoli? @mlal78

I'm not enough of a gardener to know why you'd remark on this!

PinkCamino · June 2014

HeyMrsPotter said:

PinkCamino said:

*snip*
organic broccoli? @mlal78

I'm not enough of a gardener to know why you'd remark on this!

******** GROSS STORY IF YOU EAT BROCCOLI DONT READ *********

So my in-laws grow broccoli organically. They opt not to spray it (which is great). Last year, MIL gave me 2 garbage bags full of broccoli. I had awesome plans to blanche and freeze it for the winter.

After chopping it and washing it I got ready to par boil it. The moment the broccoli hit the water there were tons and tons of white works floating in the boiling water. Worms everywhere.

It was absolutely disgusting.

After doing some research I realized it's because the pesiticide wasn't used. The pesticide used on broccoli prevents these worms.

So so gross.

HeyMrsPotter · June 2014

PinkCamino said:

HeyMrsPotter said:

PinkCamino said:

*snip*
organic broccoli? @mlal78

I'm not enough of a gardener to know why you'd remark on this!

******** GROSS STORY IF YOU EAT BROCCOLI DONT READ *********

So my in-laws grow broccoli organically. They opt not to spray it (which is great). Last year, MIL gave me 2 garbage bags full of broccoli. I had awesome plans to blanche and freeze it for the winter.
After chopping it and washing it I got ready to par boil it. The moment the broccoli hit the water there were tons and tons of white works floating in the boiling water. Worms everywhere.
It was absolutely disgusting.
After doing some research I realized it's because the pesiticide wasn't used. The pesticide used on broccoli prevents these worms.

So so gross.

OMG. That's awful! We've been buying from this farm for a few seasons now and never seen that, but I'll surely be checking it closely tonight. I'm glad you shared this but sorry you had that experience.

heathersf11 · June 2014

We grow oranges, lemons, and grapes. Unfortunately there was a deep freeze this year and we lost most of the oranges (I wasn't around and DH forgot to cover the tree). The lemons were awesome though, and the grapes seem to be doing really well.

PinkCamino · June 2014

HeyMrsPotter said:

PinkCamino said:

HeyMrsPotter said:

PinkCamino said:

*snip*
organic broccoli? @mlal78

I'm not enough of a gardener to know why you'd remark on this!

******** GROSS STORY IF YOU EAT BROCCOLI DONT READ *********

So my in-laws grow broccoli organically. They opt not to spray it (which is great). Last year, MIL gave me 2 garbage bags full of broccoli. I had awesome plans to blanche and freeze it for the winter.
After chopping it and washing it I got ready to par boil it. The moment the broccoli hit the water there were tons and tons of white works floating in the boiling water. Worms everywhere.
It was absolutely disgusting.
After doing some research I realized it's because the pesiticide wasn't used. The pesticide used on broccoli prevents these worms.

So so gross.

OMG. That's awful! We've been buying from this farm for a few seasons now and never seen that, but I'll surely be checking it closely tonight. I'm glad you shared this but sorry you had that experience.

My MIL said that soaking the broccoli in salty water apparently draws them out. But still, picking worms out of my food prior to cooking it is just disgusting.

HeyMrsPotter · June 2014

PinkCamino said:

HeyMrsPotter said:

PinkCamino said:

HeyMrsPotter said:

PinkCamino said:

*snip*
organic broccoli? @mlal78

I'm not enough of a gardener to know why you'd remark on this!

******** GROSS STORY IF YOU EAT BROCCOLI DONT READ *********

So my in-laws grow broccoli organically. They opt not to spray it (which is great). Last year, MIL gave me 2 garbage bags full of broccoli. I had awesome plans to blanche and freeze it for the winter.
After chopping it and washing it I got ready to par boil it. The moment the broccoli hit the water there were tons and tons of white works floating in the boiling water. Worms everywhere.
It was absolutely disgusting.
After doing some research I realized it's because the pesiticide wasn't used. The pesticide used on broccoli prevents these worms.

So so gross.

OMG. That's awful! We've been buying from this farm for a few seasons now and never seen that, but I'll surely be checking it closely tonight. I'm glad you shared this but sorry you had that experience.

My MIL said that soaking the broccoli in salty water apparently draws them out. But still, picking worms out of my food prior to cooking it is just disgusting.

Yep, your comment set me to Googling and I just read the same about salt water. But I'll parboil so I can check the water too. I read that this worm thing is called a cabbage looper, which makes me wonder if they can affect similar plants like cabbage, cauliflower, brussles sprouts, etc. as well.

PinkCamino · June 2014

HeyMrsPotter said:

PinkCamino said:

HeyMrsPotter said:

PinkCamino said:

HeyMrsPotter said:

PinkCamino said:

*snip*
organic broccoli? @mlal78

I'm not enough of a gardener to know why you'd remark on this!

******** GROSS STORY IF YOU EAT BROCCOLI DONT READ *********

So my in-laws grow broccoli organically. They opt not to spray it (which is great). Last year, MIL gave me 2 garbage bags full of broccoli. I had awesome plans to blanche and freeze it for the winter.
After chopping it and washing it I got ready to par boil it. The moment the broccoli hit the water there were tons and tons of white works floating in the boiling water. Worms everywhere.
It was absolutely disgusting.
After doing some research I realized it's because the pesiticide wasn't used. The pesticide used on broccoli prevents these worms.

So so gross.

OMG. That's awful! We've been buying from this farm for a few seasons now and never seen that, but I'll surely be checking it closely tonight. I'm glad you shared this but sorry you had that experience.

My MIL said that soaking the broccoli in salty water apparently draws them out. But still, picking worms out of my food prior to cooking it is just disgusting.

Yep, your comment set me to Googling and I just read the same about salt water. But I'll parboil so I can check the water too. I read that this worm thing is called a cabbage looper, which makes me wonder if they can affect similar plants like cabbage, cauliflower, brussles sprouts, etc. as well.

I know that they are in cauliflower too.

The rest I'm not sure.

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