My Plants!
- Thread starter Kirsten
- Start date
The Wife planted a bunch of seeds in starter trays about 2 weeks ago. They are growing gangbusters. Our fruit trees that I planted last year all look like they made it just fine thru the winter. They are all budding out.
Kirsten
New Member
COOL what type of fruit trees did ya plant? Supposedly there is a possibility of wild plum tree on this property somewhere. Gotta love older people trying to remember what landscaping they have done.
I have a feeling it might of been here when the guy we bought it from bought it back in the 80's and he was just never sure of where it was or what it looked like. My bet is it is an ornamental and doesn't actually produce fruit.
Eventually I want to truly landscape the front area more. Leave the side and back yard more for the kids with the exception of a vegetable garden somewhere.
I have a feeling it might of been here when the guy we bought it from bought it back in the 80's and he was just never sure of where it was or what it looked like. My bet is it is an ornamental and doesn't actually produce fruit.
Eventually I want to truly landscape the front area more. Leave the side and back yard more for the kids with the exception of a vegetable garden somewhere.
huntr1
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We have 3 red delicious apples, 3 golden delicious apples, 2 cherry & 2 plum trees. We also have 2 flowering cherries (not fruiting) and a jap red maple.
If you want plants, I reccomend you check out these auctions
huntr1
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Last year we got 2 BIG dogwoods, the maple, 10 azaelas and 14 rhododendrons for about $150. The dogwoods were $25 each, but woulda been atleast $75-100 at a nursery, the maple (2 gallon pot)was $15 (I think), the 10 azaelas were like $5 each (1 gallon pots), and the 14 rhodos were $25 total (4-5 gallon pots). That was dirt cheap for how much we got. The dogwoods both came down w/ blight and died, and were replaced no questions asked with the flowering cherries. Everything else is doing great, with the exception of 1 rhodo. I planted all but 2 of the rhodos, and 1 of the ones I haven't planted yet may have been killed over the winter. I may end up just planting them in the treeline just to get them in the ground, and then once I know where I want them, I will move them. Everything has a 1 year warrantee.
I have close to an orchard at my old house - 4 apple, two pear, two plum, two Asian pear, 3 cherry, 2 peach, and 3 fig trees. I also have blueberries, strawberries, kiwi, raspberries, and bush cherries. I hope to start planting most of the same at the new house this year.
How fast a fruit tree produces depends on how old of a tree you buy. Some sell very young stock that will take a long time to start bearing fruit. I buy Stark Brothers trees mail order (but you can find them locally, too) and it takes 2-3 years for them to start producing and another year or two until they're in full production. There's also 3 sizes of fruit tree (dwarf, semi-dwarf, and standard) so make sure you have enough room in your yard for the size tree you get. Mine are all dwarf since space was a premium.
The crispiest apples are either the Gala or the Fuji - hands down. I find Red Delicious tends to be mealy, but the Yellow Delicious don't. Granny Smith's are crisp, but more tart than most. For the best production, you should plant two apple trees for pollination. A lot say they are self-pollinating, but you'll get a lot better yield if you plant two. They don't always need to be the same type of apple - check the write-up on the tree to find out.
My favorite is the Asian pear - kind of a cross between an apple and a pear. They're crisp like an apple but have the sweet flavor of a pear and are very juicy. They are very pest and disease resistant, although the squirrels LOVE them.
pixiegirl
Cleopatra Jones
Thanks Jazz! This is the first place I've been in that I have the room to do fun stuff. Had a condo and a townhouse before. We have about a half acre if not a little more here and the quality of the ground is wonderful. But we're not planning on staying but maybe a year or so because the house itself is in the small side. It's a catch 22 because I hate to give up this land, good soil and right on the Potomac.
We're going to plant a veggie garden. B got his granfather's tiller. We've got tomatos, beans, cucumbers and melons. Any other suggestions? Sharon's jalepenoes do well so I was thinking maybe those but I'm the only one that likes things spicy. I'm going to ask B's parents if they could use some if we grew them. I'd hate to see them go to waste.
I wish I liked berries more cause I think they would be easy. The only kind I really care for is strawberries.
Granny Smith apples are my favorite. With salt no less. I have a sweet tooth but tend to like my fruit a little tart. I do love pears though and watermelon (with salt).
We're going to plant a veggie garden. B got his granfather's tiller. We've got tomatos, beans, cucumbers and melons. Any other suggestions? Sharon's jalepenoes do well so I was thinking maybe those but I'm the only one that likes things spicy. I'm going to ask B's parents if they could use some if we grew them. I'd hate to see them go to waste.
I wish I liked berries more cause I think they would be easy. The only kind I really care for is strawberries.
Granny Smith apples are my favorite. With salt no less. I have a sweet tooth but tend to like my fruit a little tart. I do love pears though and watermelon (with salt).
If you're only staying a year, don't bother with the fruit trees yet. 
For easy-to-grow in the veggie garden, I like all that you've chosen. I would grow a couple of types of each: tomatoes (cherry and slicers), beans (green, yellow wax, and/or lima), cukes (picklers and slicers), melons (watermelon and cantaloupe), peppers (bell and hot - just make sure you keep them FAR away from each other so they don't cross pollinate!).
I like to grow peas (it's about time to plant those!), squash (yellow and zucchini) and beans (bush-type so you don't have to have a trellis for them to grow on.) I also LOVE spinach and grow that often. Carrots and radishes are also pretty easy to grow, but I DETEST radishes (except for the white Daikon kind).
Strawberries do very well in containers, like half-barrels or pyramids. They have specific bearing-times (ever-bearing, early, mid, late season) so you can get them coming off at different times.
If you want specific varieties to look for, I can give you that, too. Remember we are in Zone 7 and our last frost date is April 15th, so if you plant anything right now, be prepared to protect it from those late frosts.
For easy-to-grow in the veggie garden, I like all that you've chosen. I would grow a couple of types of each: tomatoes (cherry and slicers), beans (green, yellow wax, and/or lima), cukes (picklers and slicers), melons (watermelon and cantaloupe), peppers (bell and hot - just make sure you keep them FAR away from each other so they don't cross pollinate!).
I like to grow peas (it's about time to plant those!), squash (yellow and zucchini) and beans (bush-type so you don't have to have a trellis for them to grow on.) I also LOVE spinach and grow that often. Carrots and radishes are also pretty easy to grow, but I DETEST radishes (except for the white Daikon kind).
Strawberries do very well in containers, like half-barrels or pyramids. They have specific bearing-times (ever-bearing, early, mid, late season) so you can get them coming off at different times.
If you want specific varieties to look for, I can give you that, too. Remember we are in Zone 7 and our last frost date is April 15th, so if you plant anything right now, be prepared to protect it from those late frosts.
pixiegirl
Cleopatra Jones
Originally posted by jazz lady
If you're only staying a year, don't bother with the fruit trees yet.
For easy-to-grow in the veggie garden, I like all that you've chosen. I would grow a couple of types of each: tomatoes (cherry and slicers), beans (green, yellow wax, and/or lima), cukes (picklers and slicers), melons (watermelon and cantaloupe), peppers (bell and hot - just make sure you keep them FAR away from each other so they don't cross pollinate!).
I like to grow peas (it's about time to plant those!), squash (yellow and zucchini) and beans (bush-type so you don't have to have a trellis for them to grow on.) I also LOVE spinach and grow that often. Carrots and radishes are also pretty easy to grow, but I DETEST radishes (except for the white Daikon kind).
Strawberries do very well in containers, like half-barrels or pyramids. They have specific bearing-times (ever-bearing, early, mid, late season) so you can get them coming off at different times.
If you want specific varieties to look for, I can give you that, too. Remember we are in Zone 7 and our last frost date is April 15th, so if you plant anything right now, be prepared to protect it from those late frosts.
We've never grown anything so any advice would be greatly appreciated. I kill house plants and B can't seem to kill weeds and brush in the yard so I'm hoping his inability to kill anything will overpower my inability to keep anything alive.
B had a lot of seeds. One packet of 'greencrop garden bean', one 'bush crop cucumber', one 'better boy hybrid tomato', two 'early girl hybrib tomato', and two 'ambrosia hybrid cantaloupe'. He's getting ready to start getting the ground ready. We weren't planning on planting until April because that's when the packets say to plant.
Those are all good varieties. Greencrop is a great bush bean (it was an All-American Selection winner, which is the best of the best), so you won't have to get poles for them to climb on. Better Boy (also an AAS winner) is one of the most disease-resistant tomatoes and an excellent producer. Early Girl is also a very reliable standard tomato. I've grown Ambrosia cantaloupe and they are da bomb!
The advice on the packages is correct: our last frost-free date is April 15th, so mid to late April is the best time to start planting outside. You can plant earlier, but tender new plants are the most vulnerable to frost, so it's a gamble unless you plan on protecting them. If you want to get a start on the season, you can start your tomatoes inside now if you have a bright, sunny window and then transplant them outside in April. Cuke and cantaloupe plants do not transplant well, although you can do it. I prefer to plant them directly in the ground after the soil warms up.
Also think about growing some herbs with your plants. Dill is very easy to grow and goes well with cukes and beans - it also repels bugs. Basil, thyme, oregano, and cilantro are other good ones. I also like to use flowers in my garden: both as color and natural pest repellents. Marigolds are the best for this, especially around tomato plants, but there are tons of other flowers you can use.
As you can see, I am one of those nutty organic gardeners, so I use natural pesticides and companion planting to keep my plants healthy instead of toxic chemicals.
pixiegirl
Cleopatra Jones
Originally posted by jazz lady
Those are all good varieties. Greencrop is a great bush bean (it was an All-American Selection winner, which is the best of the best), so you won't have to get poles for them to climb on. Better Boy (also an AAS winner) is one of the most disease-resistant tomatoes and an excellent producer. Early Girl is also a very reliable standard tomato. I've grown Ambrosia cantaloupe and they are da bomb!
The advice on the packages is correct: our last frost-free date is April 15th, so mid to late April is the best time to start planting outside. You can plant earlier, but tender new plants are the most vulnerable to frost, so it's a gamble unless you plan on protecting them. If you want to get a start on the season, you can start your tomatoes inside now if you have a bright, sunny window and then transplant them outside in April. Cuke and cantaloupe plants do not transplant well, although you can do it. I prefer to plant them directly in the ground after the soil warms up.
Also think about growing some herbs with your plantjhs. Dill is very easy to grow and goes well with cukes and beans - it also repels bugs. Basil, thyme, oregano, and cilantro are other good ones. I also like to use flowers in my garden: both as color and natural pest repellents. Marigolds are the best for this, especially around tomato plants, but there are tons of other flowers you can use.
As you can see, I am one of those nutty organic gardeners, so I use natural pesticides and companion planting to keep my plants healthy instead of toxic chemicals.
I'd prefer to do things naturally as well. I don't want to worry about anything harmful around Noah or the pup. Plus with one in the oven I don't want to put a bunch of crap in my body either.
I love dill! I didn't know it was a bug repelant.
You are a wealth of infomation.
thanks for the help!
Originally posted by pixiegirl
I'd prefer to do things naturally as well. I don't want to worry about anything harmful around Noah or the pup. Plus with one in the oven I don't want to put a bunch of crap in my body either.
I love dill! I didn't know it was a bug repelant.
You are a wealth of infomation.
Natural is the way to go!
When I start talking about this "organic gardening" stuff, I usually see people's eyes glaze over so it's nice to be able to share my knowledge. Feel free to ask any questions. I have a whole library of books for reference, too, if you'd like to borrow anything.
Kirsten
New Member
Ok here is my bit of Natural knowledge. Old coffee grounds are fantastic around tomato plants for keeping most of the bugs off and not harming the plants.
Now here is a silly thing. I found a place online
http://seedrack.com
Sells rare, exotic, unusual etc. It also sells a dwarf coffee bean plant. Little pricey, $3.29 for a packet of 12 seeds but man wouldn't that be cool, grow my own coffee beans? Chuck and I are seriously considering it.
Now here is a silly thing. I found a place online
http://seedrack.com
Sells rare, exotic, unusual etc. It also sells a dwarf coffee bean plant. Little pricey, $3.29 for a packet of 12 seeds but man wouldn't that be cool, grow my own coffee beans? Chuck and I are seriously considering it.
I used to put the coffee grounds around my roses but I don't bother with it anymore.
And now I know what option you were talking about earlier. You know that even if all 12 seeds mature into coffee plants, the beans (cherries) ripen and need to be picked as they mature. The soil/fertilization you use will have a lot to say about the quality of your coffee. After picking, the cherries have to be pulped and then dried, hulled and lastly roasted. I can't say if 12 plants will yield you more than a pound at a time or not. I seriously doubt it unless you have a humidity/temp controlled place to store them.
Coffee is grown tropically so you better get busy on plans for building the greenhouse now.
