(pics to follow) I wanted to do a compilation of my summer garden with more pics later-- maybe - to start off with here is the Purple Cherokee Tomato next to a normal red tomato (both from the backyard) for comparison The purple Cherokee was supposedly invented or cultivated from the Cherokee Indians in the North Carolina/East TN area The taste is superb - right now I have 5 ripe tomatoes from this plant with more to come .... I am growing about 6 different tomatoes, 2 kinds of watermelon, 1 type of cantelopes, sunflowers, white & red onions, orange, yellow, green, red bell peppers, cucumbers, okra, and 3 types of summer squash & a stupid pumpkin plant that doesn't seem to be growing ...
It is showing for me, but I was afraid of that- if I can't get the pics going than just forget the thread
You can't post pics from inside your google mail since we cannot authenticate to your email. If you want to give everyone your email and password we can log in and then see them. Or you could put them on a photo sharing site like flickr or photobucket.
This is the largest part of the garden area from a month ago - the purple cherokee plant is on the right, and notice the rain barrel- it helps a bit...behind me is the special reinforced bunker that I cannot show for security reasons - j/k The cantelope is what you see sprawling, it has now taken over the wheelbarrow, and started climbing up the window - I don't think I'll ever do cantelope again - even my 2 watermelon (not shown-planted at different places) are not as spread out combined ..
To get an idea of the growth, this is a pic only 2 1/2 weeks prior to the pic above (either late Apr. or early May) - notice how the cantelope spread wasn't as big - I actually started the cantelope from seed indoors and like an idiot, planted them way too early in march and almost lost it to frost - obviously, that no longer a concern
you may have noticed these planter boxes. . . These are made from nice floor tile I pick out (usually on clearance), such as marble, granite or travertine. I take 4 pieces and use masonary adhesive in a tube to seam the sides, then I use any piece for the bottom - I cut holes in bottom with a wet saw, and then something better than store bought- only prob. is the watering needs, I have already harvested radish and carrots out of one of them
ROX, those look awesome. You obviously have a green thumb! Practicing for insuring your food supply in the aftermath of the Apocalypse? (j/k!) Seriously, you really produced a great garden. I'm jealous of the tomatoes! It's so hard to find any that taste like tomato in a store, unless you go to a place like Whole Foods, and I bet yours taste better.
This morning, I haave harvested some vegetables, and realized I have way more peppers, and tomatoes than me and the family can eat. Of course I could save the food thru canning to carry me over during the apocalypse, but I decided to send some to the in-laws ..
Yum, I've always wanted to start a garden but I'm a complete idiot when it comes to keeping plants/flowers alive. I can't even keep grass alive.
I have been into gardening for a few years, and never tried "composting" due to the supposed tough work, the smell, cost, etc. -but this year I decided to try something I heard about that was cost effective, and works - take a simple plastic garbage can- (make sure it is the type with a locking lid) - then drill 1/4 inch holes all around - 3 basic categories and only these 3 go in - green wastes, brown wastes, and water green wastes can be things such as grass clippings in small amount, left over vegetable/garden scraps, egg shells .... brown wastes can be small wood shavings, paper towels, shredded newspapers ...you want to layer these in like lasagna, then add some water every once in awhile, then release your frusturation and kick the can around or roll it around every few days- leave it upside down one day, then right side up, etc - no need to actually get your hands dirty.
This is the result ...."Compost" ... It looks like dirt in a garbage can, but it is not,.. all the result of the decompostion over 2 months from what I described (green/brown leftovers & water) and while this stuff doesn't look yummy, it is THE BEST soil additive you can add to a garden bed's existing soil to improve vegetable production. The can use to be over half full - now it is barely 1/4 full - . . .besides being about the best thing to add to existing soil, it reduces landfill, and the smell? really not a problem unless you put your face in it...
