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Thread: The Gardening Thread

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    Costa Rica Avalon Member ulli's Avatar
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    Default Re: The Gardening Thread

    Found this on FB, from a former (retired) Avalon member
    Meet the bean house, a vertical gardening innovation which not only provides structure for viney tendrils but makes picking and finding easy. It is, of course, mobile to facilitate rotation and with the addition of a tarp, makes a fine winter storage unit for "things gardens need". No end of uses for a portable shed that can shade untimely transplants while providing the cat with a perfected nap spot.


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    Default Re: The Gardening Thread

    Found on the net, perfect garden tip for this thread.
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    "Be kind for everybody is fighting a great battle" Plato

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    Ecuador Avalon Member Rosemarie's Avatar
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    Default Re: The Gardening Thread

    I woke up this morning and went to water my plants and found one of my bonsais had flowers I have never seen before ! It felt like it was Christmas in June. I inherit that bonsai 20 years ago from my mother. I must be taking good care of it to see it bloom for the first time I thought. I took a photo. Sent it to my cousin who helps me take care of them and she laughs and says that that is a little orchid she put around the limbs ! Still, it was a nice suprise ..... but that tells you how much I l know about plants.
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    "Be kind for everybody is fighting a great battle" Plato

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    UK Avalon Member Brigantia's Avatar
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    Default Re: The Gardening Thread

    Quote Posted by Rosemarie (here)
    Found on the net, perfect garden tip for this thread.
    Companion planting is a fascinating subject! I noticed when I lived in Italy that the farmers planted roses at the end of rows of vines. They are there as a 'sacrifice' plant that attracts insects that would otherwise attack the vines.

    Certain plants do well together, others you need to avoid being in proximity. Carrots do well with onions, as the onion smell repels carrot root fly. French marigolds are good at repelling aphids, potatoes and tomatoes grow well with them.

    I could go on and on, but it is a huge subject and there are books about it.

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    Ecuador Avalon Member Rosemarie's Avatar
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    Default Re: The Gardening Thread

    This is my happy place. Have not been here in a couple of weeks and love to see all the orchids blooming. We just let them be. No fertilizer or anything. They just like the salty air than comes from the ocean. I guess.
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    "Be kind for everybody is fighting a great battle" Plato

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    Default Re: The Gardening Thread

    Looks like I have hijacked this thread.
    Found this ...
    Native Americans had this technique were they would plant corn, bean and squash crops close to each other. The corn provides a structure to the beans to climb , the beans give nitrogen to the soil and the squash spreads on the ground to prevent weeds from growing.
    These companion crops were known as The Three Sisters.
    Supposed to thrive together.
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    Last edited by Rosemarie; 25th June 2019 at 20:24.
    "Be kind for everybody is fighting a great battle" Plato

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    Avalon Member Pam's Avatar
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    Default Re: The Gardening Thread

    Quote Posted by ulli (here)
    Quote Posted by Strat (here)
    I need advice for a gardenia: I planted it about 2 years ago. It never grew, it just kinda hung in there. It does bloom every year but not much. It looks really shoddy right now. The soil definitely sucks. Can I use compost as a side dressing, or should I do something else? I'll take a pic when it's not raining.

    I used 10-10-10 in the past, and it did create new growth, but I'm curious what yall think.
    Pee on it once in a while.
    That or get a male dog .......!!!!!!

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    Canada Avalon Member Nenuphar's Avatar
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    Default Re: The Gardening Thread

    Any vegetable gardeners out there?

    Our season is just getting going, so some things are still quite small.

    Snap beans and cabbage



    A bee in the (weedy!) raspberry plot


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    United States Moderator Sue (Ayt)'s Avatar
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    Default Re: The Gardening Thread

    This is a wonderful thread!
    Here's another short video about the underground forest ecosystem:

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    Default Re: The Gardening Thread

    It has been a very soggy summer in our neck of the woods. Hopefully, August will bring some heat and sunshine our way so the garden can flourish.

    Some of the tomato plants have finally begun setting fruit. "Early Annie" and "Scotia" are producing like crazy (woohoo!). I'm growing a number of new varieties this year and am eager to see how they produce and what they taste like. I am especially eager to see "Midnight Sun", a bicolour oxheart developed by Karen Oliver, and Coastal Orange Pride, a very compact/dwarf variety that produces round, orange fruit.
    Last edited by Nenuphar; 28th July 2019 at 20:33.

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    Canada Avalon Member bojancan's Avatar
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    Default Re: The Gardening Thread

    This is not directly about gardening, but perhaps more detailed explanation of what the above video “How trees secretly talk to each other” talks about.


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    United States Avalon Member Forest Denizen's Avatar
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    Default Re: The Gardening Thread

    This is SO COOL!!!

    When I was a kid, I used to spend hours designing my future home, which ALWAYS included a giant, glass roofed, indoor jungle!!

    Little did I know I'd live like a vagabond most of my life!

    Check this out..

    Last edited by Forest Denizen; 26th April 2020 at 00:10.
    "Love is the only engine of survival.." Leonard Cohen

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    Ecuador Avalon Member Rosemarie's Avatar
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    Default Re: The Gardening Thread

    I live in a country with very lush vegetation. We have all the tropical plants you can dream off.
    I love gardens and when I moved 18 years ago back to Ecuador I fell in love with a ground floor apt in a building that had a small piece of land besides it which I could transform in the garden of my dreams.

    After some years of trail and error everything is working at it should. I have 2 mango trees, they were in the property but cast a big shade , so I trimmed them and keep small. A plumeria tree I brought as a stick more than 17 years ago from Hawaii and that give the most delicious fragrance and I have spanish moss hanging from some branches, spider lily’s around the mango trees, some philodendron plants growing wild, and rabbit’s foot ferns as ground covering and foxtail asparagus.

    There are also different kinds of palm trees, spiny licuala palms, cabbage palms, black palms, and golden-fruited palm. Around the trunks Of the palm trees I have orchids and bromelias. All year round the garden is lush , with abundant vegetation and very easy to take care of it. The only problem might be the iguanas that love the orchid flowers.
    Ivy in all the walls.

    Below some old photos, but it looks the same.
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    Last edited by Rosemarie; 31st July 2019 at 00:21.
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    Default Re: The Gardening Thread

    I wonder if anyone has any advise as to keeping squirrels out of gardens?
    They have devestated my efforts this year, sadly.

    Had a wonderful season for peach trees this year, and I was so happy to have my tree just loaded with beautiful, almost ripe peaches. I watched carefully, but noticed no critters bothering them as they ripened. In fact, I had planned to harvest it on a day it rained heavily, so had to delay until the next morning. But in the morning, I couldn't believe my eyes when I went outside to find every single peach gone! It was like the peaches had disappeared, with not even a trace or remnant!
    I actually thought some human peach thief may have come in the night, as they were so cleanly just gone. But I am sure my dogs would have made a racket, as few come down our quiet lane.

    Anyway - I did a search of "peaches disappearing from tree" and seems like others have had this experience. One person even witnessed a veritable army of squirrels taking all the peaches in a couple of hours once they reached perfect ripeness, while many others were stymied like me. One gal even jokingly suggested that ET's had zapped her peaches up to their ship! But really, it almost did seem supernatural.

    Since then, the squirrels have also mostly wiped out my tomatoes, and my swiss chard. So disappointing. I have been learning, and my garden has gotten better each year. I really thought this year was my best yet... until the squirrels.

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    Canada Avalon Member Ti's Avatar
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    Default Re: The Gardening Thread

    Dang, that's just devastating. Monsters! I had some nice swiss chard that got eaten too, but alas, my hopes were crushed much earlier by things other than squirrels (not a good year for growing things up here), 80% of my plants were wiped out by an abnormally late frost. At least I grew some potatoes and those have been successful. D: My tactic for squirrels has been to give them very easy to access sunflower seeds so that hopefully they'll just be lazy. It seems to be working to keep them from destroying my birdfeeder, but it doesn't stop the rabbits, who I believe are the eaters of the chard and lettuce. I suppose you could try this during peach season, just provide some very easy to access food for them as a distraction during those prime few days. I didn't even end up with enough to make a salad! I dunno how to grow enough to survive at this point while combating the critters. D:

    I do let my cat into the back yard while I'm awake, as he's not a jumper, which does have some adorable small animal pest control perks, but it's not a flawless solution as I only let him out if I'm awake and around to keep an eye on him.
    May the Force be with you.

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    Default Re: The Gardening Thread

    Ayt. Look at the positive side. You gave food to a army of squirrels. How can you be mad with that beautiful face.
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    Default Re: The Gardening Thread

    I relayed this story to my housemate and she sends her condolences and her renewed desire to destroy all squirrels (I do attempt to prevent this squirrel genocide because I feel a certain sort of kinship to the adorable lil bastards). Funny lil story, I knew I needed more squirrel distraction food, and I thought that in the store, and about 5 seconds later my eyes went straight to a 50% off bag of unshelled sunflower seeds just sitting there for me. Well. For the squirrels.

    Successfully harvested enough potatoes to share a handful with a couple of friends though! :D And they were super impressed to have food that didn't exist without my intersession.

    Now, this is the first time I've ever done potatoes. I did them in buckets with drainage holes, a decision I would DEFINITELY do in future years (this has made it possible for me to shove my hand down the side and just grab potatoes without really damaging the inner root structure, hopefully allowing it to keep producing until it's frosted). I just discovered though, that I can get felt planters which attest it's better for the root structure of plants, and they're suggested for growing potatoes. Since I want to keep going with potatoes indoors, does anyone have any experience with these compressed fabric/cloth planters? I love that they're cheap, they break down over time, and allow for more oxygen flow... I suppose my biggest concern is that water will get all over the place.
    May the Force be with you.

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    Default Re: The Gardening Thread



    Anything new with my fellow gardeners?

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    Default Re: The Gardening Thread

    Quote Posted by Nenuphar (here)


    Anything new with my fellow gardeners?
    Actually yes, good timing.

    I'm completely redoing one section of my yard. I want an area to sit out and read and not constantly worry about upkeep. I haven't designed it yet, but I want to have 1-3 smaller raised beds, possibly a brick pathway and then a garden ornament (thingy) of some sort. It's a toss up between a chimenea (dunno bout that, it's Florida), a fountain (PITA upkeep), a saint or a buddha. Remains to be seen.

    Maybe just a bird bath? I dunno.

    What about you?
    Today is victory over yourself of yesterday. Tomorrow is your victory over lesser men.

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    Default Re: The Gardening Thread

    Oh, that sounds so nice, like a private sanctuary. I hope you'll post a picture when you have it done!

    No gardening for me at the moment (it was -40 degrees Celsius a few days ago ). I'll be able to start some transplants (e.g., tomatoes, peppers) indoors in early April, and will be able to put some little "milk jug greenhouses" (to start brassicas, pansies, and some herbs) outside against the south side of the house in late April/early May. In the meantime, I am scratching the gardening itch with seed trades, seed catalogs, and watching youtube videos for new growing tips.

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