Gardening to divert depression

3jaysmom

thanks for the tips, Maya.. the garden should be back where it belongs by this weekend.. i don't want to confuse the butterflieslol im sure they'll come back, after the tenting.. and my neighbor, who was so nice to loan us her atrrium, i planted soem plants there, also.. maybe we;ll attrach more..

  i did save the verbina, but i can tell you, "full sun" doesn't mean the same here, as everywhere els.. i just caught them, before they fried in the sun!!!put them under the trees, and they're doing better shaded.hope the butterflies do like them for host plants!!!

  day, i love your cottage garden.. alot of work, but we all know, without work, we don't get to enjoy the benefits.my pentas dropped off all its blooms with trasnsplanting, but im sure thy'll get new bloom.. i planted quite a few, bf we knew we'd have to move them all.. the butterflies love them, and im looking for flowers, to add some color, this year.. the new passion vine, still in the pot is doing well...

Shrek4

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FLwarrior

Thanks ladies.  I will call the extension center about the best varieties of tomatoes to try here.  That is a very good idea. Have you had better luck with starting tomatoes from seeds or buying plants?  I like cherry tomatoes, but I like grape tomatoes even better.  Have you grown them?

Shrek4

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Sherryc

I mostly buy tomatoes plants and transplant.  I had a funny this year we built a new bed and I had been composting from kitchen scraps.  Thought I had been good about not putting anything with seeds in the composter.  Well I had several tomatoe plants come up in the bed that I put the kitchen composting material in.  I transplanted them and sent them home with DS last night.

minxie

My husband gives me a hard time about my gardening, wanting me instead to spend my "free" time with him. He doesn't understand the joy and peace that nurturing plants brings me. I have a shade woodland garden, a full sun flower garden, and a vegetable herb patch. When I was treatment I couldn't do anything with my gardens for about a year, I was just too sick and weak, and my husband didn't bother with them.  I was so happy this past summer to get out there and see what had survived!

Maya2

There can be no other occupation like gardening in which, if you were to creep up behind someone at their work, you would find them smiling.  ~Mirabel Osler

Anonymous

I'm 4 weeks past a complicated BMX/DIEP surgery (14 hours one day, 3 hours a few days later) and was out of town for 3 of those weeks.  My garden (and my outdoor birds) are the best anti-depressants ever and I was so worried when discovering I would have to be gone during the lilac and peach tree blooming, and the usual start of hummingbird arrivals in our area.  Despite grumbling and muttering, my husband (who I think is really allergic to sunlight... lol) went out a few times each week to water where needed, took pictures of the flowering lilacs and peach tree, filled the bird baths, and remembered to keep the hummingbird feeders cleaned and filled.  I came home to a thriving garden, birds everywhere, and have been able to spend this last week at home puttering around the yard as able, and sitting for hours in my outdoor chaise.  This weekend he's taking me down to buy my annual cherry tomatoes (I prepared the bed before surgery) and I'm going to buy some flower seeds to just cast into my garden and see what happens since there's not a lot of planting I can do quite yet. 

There have been some pretty down days since surgery and the peace of my garden, and my husband's kindness in taking responsibility for it knowing how important it is to my mental health, has sometimes been the one thing that's gotten me through.  

I love everyone's descriptions of their special gardens.  (I remember when I lived in a small apartment with something laughingly called a balcony, I always needed at least some container flowers and a hummingbird feeder somewhere.)

Here's to gardens of all shapes and sizes, and to many lovely days for us all to enjoy them as we heal both our inside and outside wounds. 

3jaysmom

ysa: welcome... its' been 3 years since my BMX: but i sooo remember how we sat out on my garden patio, amongst my plants, for comfort during chemo.. i keep it going, as best I can, lately, knowing its there, to find comfort in, in the nightime, as days are so hot now...

  this weekend, i'll find out how badly the plants did/or not. they all got pretty badly shocked, but my neighbors are black from the tenting!!!

  we'll be working hard, bringing them all back to our patio, saturday and sunday.. i hope i can hold up, and them, also... 3jays

Sherryc

Ysa glad you are home and enjoying your garden. 

Here is a pick of my harvest yesterday

Sherryc

Sorry the pic is so big I tried to make it smaller and it would not take

Shrek4

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Anonymous

Sherry...that's fabulous!!!  I want to dig right in!  I know you guys have had some pretty awesome weather (3 hot and humid weeks in HOU to back you up on that) and your yield is so impressive! 

Got my cherry tomato plants today and even got them planted despite being totally exhausted from my first long outing of recovery.  I totally cracked up (in a good way) when my husband cluelessly asked me if we could try to grow brussel sprouts this year (he'd seen some seeds when I was picking up sunflower seeds).  I don't have it in me to prepare any more vege space right now but I promised him some for next year.  That's the most interest he's ever shown.  = )

I also get a 50-100 count of worms each year to sow in my garden to help keep the soil aerated.  Extra bonus, the robins have a grand ole time and spend about 3x longer in my yard as they root around to find those yummy worms.  I sat here tonight just cracking up over one robin who was determined that not to leave without a prize. 

Looking forward to your taste tests, Sherry...and to gardening reports from all.

Wren44

Our garden is coming along, but I need to brag about our birds. We have a bushtit nest in our dogwood tree and a robin sitting on eggs just underneath our deck roof. We have 2 other nests we know about, but no sign yet they're being used. We got the paperwork to apply for nature sanctuary status for our yard, but have never done the inventory they want. There's just too many different plants to count.

TwoHobbies

Sherry, I am going to have to move to Texas.  In northern IL, we are still waiting to plant.  Warmest March on record turned into normal April and we've had some light frost in the last wekk or so.  I'm hoping next week I can plant.

Kimberly, I bet if you plant those tomatos they will be fine.  I was told you should plant tomatos deep down the stem, even below where the leaves are growing, so I always do that now.  We just have to wait for warm weather. 

In the meantime I have been weeding flower beds and transplanting overgrown heuchera and hostas and daisies in my front law.  Next, onto the back yard. 

Ysa I spent many hours on my deck last summer after surgery, wishing I could do more but enjoying the view.  I laughed yesterday watching a Robin trying to pull a worm out of the ground.  It seemed to be elastic and just wouldn't completely come out. 

Raj20

I have grown parsley in earthen tub. At the first instant I thought it will die but I am so happy now seeing the plant growing healthy. Though I have sufficient space at the backyard but most of my plants are grown in the tub just to avoid hassle in maintenance  of big garden bed. My cherry tomatoes are looking so good , I feel pity to pluck  them, so just keeping them till dark red almost over ripen. So guys ! start pot gardening where you can easily spend your time far away from BC for about one hour or so.

Sherryc

Went to a friends house yesterday who had a huge vegetable garden and learned some about potatoes.  We planted some this year but did nto know what we were doing.  DH put way to much dirt on them before he was suppose too.  Anyway worked in the garden all morning removing some of the dirt around the potatoes but got a nice harvest of potaoes and spinach and cabbage.  We cooked the potaotes and cabbage for dinner. I will cook the spinach tomorrow.  I could not believe how flavorful the potaoes were.  Not like anything you buy in the grocery store.  I also went to see a friend today and she sent a bunch of succulant plants home with me.  I have an area that does not get good water from the sprinkler system so I hope this will cover the ground in those areas.

Blessings2011

Five of my ten little "Juliet" tomato seeds have sprouted!

(I used one of those peat pot set-ups where you put the seed into the little pot, then cover it with a clear dome and keep it in indirect sunlight.)

Should I plant the ones that have sprouted? Or should I wait til they have all sprouted? I put one seen in each pot - I think the instructions said to put two or three seeds in each pot, but my uncle only mailed me ten seeds. (From his garden).

Now that they have sprouted, do I take the cover off (as long as I keep the soil moist?)

Eventually, they will go into a raised bed with colorful tomato cages.

Any advice?

Maya2

Blessings, you'll need to harden off the seedlings before planting. This can be done by placing them outside a few hours a day, increasing the time as they strengthen. You can tell this is happening because the stems will get thicker and stronger. When you can leave them out all day and they don't wilt, it's time to go in the ground. This usually takes a week or so.

Good luck and happy eating.

Sherryc, you already have squash! I'll be lucky to grow any at all. I'm envious. I do, however, have gorgeous parsley.

Sherryc

Maya my parsley never froze last year and it grew so tall I had to clip it back.  The stalk is really thick.  Did not realize they would grow like that.

Blessings2011

Oh, thank you, Maya!

Hubby and I are total dummies when it comes to gardening....especially the raised-bed veggies!

Five of the seedlings are about 2" tall, with two tiny leaves at each top.

One seedling is almost 2" tall, but instead of leaves, it has kind of a dry blob at the top.

The other four pots haven't sprouted anthing at all yet. Do you think they still might?

Or should I just go with what I have now?

We have a 4' x 4' raised bed, and four nice, sturdy tomato cages. I guess I could put one teensy little healthy plant in each cage, then add a second plant (one healthy, one skinny) to two of the cages? We have it set up for drip irrigation.

Thanks for any advice you can give us!!!!

Wren44

Blessings, As long as they get good light, they can grow in the pot until they're much larger. I would wait until they have several leaf bunches. Do you have a sunny window or a grow light? The one with the dry blob at the top may yet produce leaves. And the others may still sprout, so don't give up on them.

Blessings2011

Thank you, Wren!

They are in my jacuzzi tub!

I have one of those peat-pot set-ups with the clear dome lid and it is on the seat in the tub.

The tub is in the corner of my bathroom, and has two huge corner windows. I keep the blinds open, but turned slightly up, so there's tons of indirect light, but no direct sunlight. The bathroom is in the southwest corner of the house, so direct sunlight would be intense.

I think I planted the seeds a little over a week ago....so I'll just have patience and see what else comes up. I do keep the soil damp with a spray bottle.

I think I read somewhere to take the clear plastic dome off once the seeds have sprouted....is that right? 

Thank you!

Shrek4

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Shrek4

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chabba

lovey

FLwarrior

You ladies inspired me...This past weekend I planted my Organic "City Pickers" (Home Depot version of the Earth Box) Garden Box.  I planted Roma Tomato, Summer Squash, Regular Cucumber, Pickling Cucumber and Green / Red Pepper seeds.

Last year some people down the street had one of these garden boxes and they had the most amazing tomato and pepper plants...hundreds of fruit on each plant.  I will be happy if mine do 1/2 as well.

I would still like to find an organic cherry or grape tomato plant.  I have organic seeds, no problem, but I am having trouble finding organic plants.  Where are you getting yours?

Blessings2011

My back yard waterfall, in front of the large Japanese maple....through the California poppies and the purple vincas

Wren44

Blessings, That waterfall is just gorgeous!

Moderators

It's such  pleasure to see all of your lovely gardens, flowers and produce, and hear how you're enjoying the process of gardening.