How do you guys in southern states do it?
mxk3 z5b_MI
2 years ago
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cyn427 (z. 7, N. VA)
2 years agoTiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
2 years agolast modified: 2 years agoRelated Discussions
watering in a suburban garden...how do you guys do it?
Comments (9)I know just how you feel! Before we put in irrigation, my husband swore that his Native American name would be DANCES WITH HOSES. I put in the Drip Works dribbler systems in all my rose beds, so I just had to hook a hose to it and leave it on until the roses got a good deep soak. I found they were much more efficient than the soakers, and last a lot longer. But we did have to move hoses from bed to bed to do that. A good 3-4" of mulch helps hold in the moisture. When we finally put in irrigation (truly the 8th wonder of the world) they just hooked the irrigation system into the dribbler system, so I could keep watering the roses from the bottom instead of overhead. The other pre-irrigation helper was our 'tractor' sprinkler - they really are neat - you just lay out your hose around the garden where you wish to water, hook the traveling unit to the end of the hose and let it water the garden, following the track of the hose. It saved a lot of hose hauling, but I still preferred to water the rose beds at the base instead of overhead. Here is a link that might be useful: JOhn Deere Traveling Sprinkler...See MoreHow much do you guys save on your grocery bill from your garden?
Comments (22)We live in the mountains of North Carolina, at 4200 ft. That makes gardening a challenge, since so many days aren't quite as sunny or warm as they are in the valleys. That established, we grew our own tomatoes last year for the first time. We found that the south side of the house was ideal in terms of the quality of the sun, and the duration. We only spent $2.00 per plant at Walmart, and had 5 plants. We didn't spend money on cages. We just staked with stuff we had. We did have to spend on a couple of beers to trap the slugs/snails. We didn't buy a single tomato as long as our plants were producing (which was about July through September). when the harvest ended, it was really a disappointment to have to go back to buying them -pricey and not very tastey. This year we decided to grow veggies in some pots that we had saved from previous nursery plants. We have been experiencing a severe drought in the South East, so we are conserving water. I figure that watering potted plants is more conservation-friendly, since the water doesn't just get swallowed-up by all the dry adjacent soil/plants. We have tomatoes; yellow bell peppers; zuchinni; and yellow squash, all growing in their own individual 5 gallon pots. We also decided to try our own romaine. I planted all nine plants in a large, clear plastic storage tub. We lost two plants to wilt, but the rest have been growing, and we have already been harvesting outer leaves for salads. I suppose the plants will eventually stop producing new leaves in the center, and grow rather leggy, but til then the romaine is really tender and nice. We had to spend more for the plants this year ($2-$3 per plant),and some potting soil, but we had the pots. We did buy some tomato food, too. Being a farmer isn't cheap....See MoreWhat do you guys do for a living?
Comments (118)This has been a really spectacular read. I'm an environmental consultant in MA. Wetlands work, water quality studies, some rare species studies, various and sundry permitting issues, etc. I have a house in Boston with a postage-stamp-sized back yard that I am forever trying to squeeze as much produce out of as possible. I do get enough to have a giant harvest party every year, with homemade sauce for 30-35 people plus plenty left over for us in the later months. Good times. I discovered GardenWeb forums maybe two months ago and I feel like I've already doubled my knowledge. I'm so psyched to put some of these ideas into practice and see how things go. Thanks everyone for such great threads, ideas, and comments. Hope everyone is doing well. - Chris...See MoreHow do you guys decide what shade trees to plant?
Comments (15)I'll be dead or too close to it to care if a tree dies in 25-30 years. ==>>> consider the alternative.. you dont have the budget in your golden years.. to remove a problem .... ergo.. plant a tree that should last 100 years ... then its definitely not your problem ... but again... you are planting in a field.. rather than 3 feet from your house.. where a carp tree might fall on it ... trees falling in the middle of a park are not really all that much of a problem ... unless you happen to be stupid enough to be holding a golf club in a rain storm.. and standing under it.. then it was your choice.. lol .. in our MI ... you can plant trees in early spring .. preferably dormant.. no leaves ... thru about mid april.. 6 to 8 weeks before leaf out ... time for the roots to settle and start pumping before the heat of july hits ... or in fall AFTER dormancy ... so they have 6 to 8 weeks or more.. for root settling .. before the ground freezes ... this double preferred planting option is a bit unique to our zone ... but the key is.. tree stuff is best done in dormancy ... you can push the envelop with perfect aftercare .... but why bother .... if you can avoid it ... beyond all this.. you want a carefree.. no messy no problem tree ... good for you ... lol .. we have all been dreaming about that tree.. and have come to find out.. its plastic.. and usually in the lobby of a building .... its all about tradeoffs .... there is no perfect tree .. so just pick one that is close enough ... ken ps: how far is the planting site.. from water???...See Morelovemycorgi z5b SE michigan
2 years agocearbhaill (zone 6b Eastern Kentucky)
2 years agolast modified: 2 years agoTiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
2 years agoken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
2 years agoerasmus_gw
2 years agoMarie Tulin
2 years agodjacob Z6a SE WI
2 years agoseagreen_turtle Z5b/6a SE Michigan
2 years agolast modified: 2 years agoundertheoaksgardener7b
2 years agozen_man
2 years agolast modified: 2 years agoerasmus_gw
2 years agoundertheoaksgardener7b
2 years agoNorthern Gardener (3b west central MN)
2 years agodbarron
2 years agoTiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
2 years ago
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