any gardeners?

“Nimblefoot, toss some old sheets over anything you don't want the frost to kill. Remove the sheets after the sun rises, and all should survive. You don't have to pick everything, lol.”

“Thanks, but it's picked, plucked and (some) eaten. The garden is about ready to be put to bed for the winter, just gotta pull the vines, dump in some manure and till it in. All in all, it's been a very successful garden - thanks in part to you folks on this thread. It'll be even better next year with one year experience under my suspenders.”

“I'll have to have my mom plant them tomorrow!”

“well, thsi morning I harvested a bunch of stuff, some great looking pumpkins, and a lot of gourds, big and little. Should be fun crafting with the gourds once they are dried out. :)”

“Cool! Our one pumpkin is about thirty pounds or so now. Still streaked yellow and green.

I scored big time at a grage sale last week. Got an Earth Machine composter for $10. =)”

“Cool sass! thats a steal. My pumpkins are actually not very big, medium sized mabe 10-12 lbs a piece. I didnt actually plant them, they were voleenteers lol. Nice how that worked out.”

“Dangit Sass, I know how much I paid for mine! At least I think mine is an Earth Machine brand.”

“Couple of my childhood friends came over Sunday and I gave them a few cantalope. The older one wanted to know how long to cook it. Honest. I felt obligated to tell him that it was pretty much the same was as an acorn squash.”

“LMFAO!”

“LOL!”

“I still haven't planted those iris bulbs.....”

“all my iris rotted grrrrrrrrr....

I'm thinking of giving up gardening, its pissed me off two years in a row.”

“You're too good at it to give up.

I want to make a fairie garden. Teensie little pots and plants and stones and moss.”

“Hey, does anyone know if the "pregnant lady" cactus is one that is cold-hardy? My chicks & hens cacti is, but I don't want to lose the Pregnant Lady one if it isn't--it came from my hubby's garden in Tampa, FL. I'm in Michigan.... I've only ever grown it indoors and this summer, I decided to try to grow some outdoors--it grew like crazy!!! :-)”

“pink, is that the one with the big bulb like bottom and strap like leaves? If so, no, it can't take any frost.”

“The cactus needs to come indoors for the winter.”

“I take my ficus outside every summer. I have to trim about half of it off to get it back inside every year. =)

Update on that pitcher plant I got at the HD...
It stinks so badly of rotten meat that we couldn't keep it. Donated it to Abby's school custodian, who keeps approx. 2,000 plants at the school.”

“No wonder the plant was on sale. Hey, they're predatory plants, they primarily ingest flies.

I need to put my purple callocarpus (Beauty Berry) in the ground today. Maybe some other stuff, too.”

“I reaped the first harvest from my composter this morning. Man, that stuff was gross. Its mostly black goo, then bugs (including brown maggoty looking larvae by the handful) then not quite broken down plant material. Yuckers. I'm so glad I wear gardening gloves because I could never bring myself to touch that moist, wriggling mass.”

“Ha!”

“tree, your compost is too wet. Add some brown dry material(leaves, straw, shredded junk mail) and keep covered from the rain. It should be black and crumbly.”

“It is black and crumbly. The composter instructions said to water it once in a while, so that the bacteria would stay active. As far as brown matter, there's what's left of a whole bale of straw in there. Not that there's much left of it. I altered layers of green stuff and kitchen stuff with layers of straw/ brown stuff. The eggshells (yes it said I could add eggshells) didn't degrade at all. I just crammed them directly under the stuff I was planting instead.

Its an enclosed recycled plastic composter with a flip up lid and a sliding door at the bottom for removing what they called "the good stuff."”

“You can add eggshells but they will slice your worms to shreds.

I spent yesterday running to garden centers and getting as many bones for my garden at Ab's school as I could for $300. I managed a 6' star magnolia,10' lilac tree, and 8' dogwood, 2 3 gallon endless summer hydrangeas, 4 3 gallon Japanese holly, sunkissed, 2 1 gallon varigated weigalias, 3 sedums, 2 russian sages and 5 asters. Not too bad eh? I'm happy. Now, I cross my fingers and hope folks come forward with lots of wonderful bulb and perennial donations.
last edited: 9/21/07 6:24:44 AM”

“Tree, do you have enough air then? it sounds like it's gone anerobic.”

“Oh no its working just fine, just that its squishy (not too wet, I finally stuck my hand in it) it smells like compost, but the maggot looking larvae are what really grosses me out. They're brown and up to an inch long. Bleah.”

“I guess I just don't get the bugs and things in my compost, i keep it too hot for them. I turn the pile once a week.”

“Sass - You're planting a garden at your daughter's school? Do tell. (forgive me if I missed this earlier.)

Just yesterday my wife mentioned how ghetto the landscaping at our elementary school is. It looks like it was planted when the school was built and quickly forgotten. I can understand wanting to use a tight budget for actual education, but there are ways.

She was mulling getting something going with the PTA, perhaps seeking donations of time and/or materials from local garden centers. Any advise?”

“I was approached to do it but I'm sure the PTA would be who would fund the project. Our building has a blank expanse of brick wall, 80 feet long in the front. The garden is to be 8 feet deep so it'll be at least 640 sq ft. They gave me a budget of $300 to work with. It was really challenging to get the big items for cheap. I basically begged the garden center managers for more discount, more discount. I also had the schools tax id number so that saved 6%. I am making a list of perennials I'd like people to donate (buy or from their gardens), along with bulbs. I don't have money for compost or quality topsoil so I'll have to amend the soil as I can. I can get lousy topsoil for free from the school maintenance department. We have a beautification committee that consists of me and about four other parents. I will call them and ask for help everyday I go up to work.
My advice to her would be to approach the building supervisor and principal first. Principal first. The head custodian/building supervisor is going to be the person who cares for whatever you make so keep it simple. Nothing that requires constant pruning and trimming! Watch out for things like crab apples that kids throw at each other. Also, If you're going to do a border make sure it's one that is easy to mow around. In our district there is a team of guys who mow, on those fast grasshopper mowers that zip around. They asked me specifically to not make any huge, deep curves in the bed. It may be different at your district though.

I had luck with discounts at two locally owned garden centers. Home Depot and Lowes would not consider anything more than the tax exemption. Home Depot had a great big cart loaded with asters that they were going to throw away and they wouldn't even let me have four of those.”

“Thanks!

Go dumpster diving for those asters.”

“I think I'm afraid of Home Depot's dumpster (and it's probably a compactor)!”

“I noticed the Home Depot and the Lowes here have security cameras and occasionally guards at the dumpsters, especially after they get rid of a lot of plants.”

“That really sucks. What a waste. If I hadn't lost most of my garden to the flood, I would have some to divide and send your way. I do have seeds, could you use seeds?”

“Sure, if they're self-seeding annuals like cosmos, larkspur, etc. Thanks!”

“Cool Sass, I'll go through my stash and check out the local nurserys for clearence seeds too, they tend to sell them 10-20 for a dollar right before they close for the season and it's getting close :)”

“I bought some great big purple mums last weekend. They come back every year right? Any one know?”

“If they're Hardy mums they will/should.”

“I have no clue. Should it say on the label on the pot, or is this a matter of quality product?”

“mean, you are south of me, maybe they have a better chance down there. Even the hardy mums havent survived in my winters :(”

“Aint that far south, but you prolly get more lake effect stuff.”

“nope, type. I've seen it marked on the pot, or the little plastic stick thingy, or just on the sign at the store.”

“I'll check it out. Thanks Sass.”

“Smileygirl
Of course, I am an Iris fanatic, since my name is Iris! ;-)

If they are German Irises (the big ones that looke like a piece of ginger) plant the Irises in well-drained SANDY soil in full sun and make sure the tops of the roots are EXPOSED TO AIR. DO NOT MULCH!!! They do not like to be in wet areas, or they'll get root rot and die.
I usually fertilize in the spring with a bit of bulb food, but otherwise, you don't have to do anything fancy.

If they are Siberian Iris (the kind with little onion-like bulbs, then that kind does like wetter soils... :-)

Do NOT cut the green leaves until they wither and go brown, or the plant won't be able to gain energy back for flowers. (This tip pretty much goes for all bulb plants.)”

“Good compost should be soft and fluffy, not wet...and it should smell fresh, not rotten.

I have a few piles in my yard-- one is made up of 4 pallets leaned up against each other. My hubby and I just keep dumping leaves and grass clippings in it and left it alone. Then one day (about 6 or 7 years after we started the pile), my hubby was using a pitchfork to turn the pile and he was surprised to notice some "soil" at the bottom. I laughed and told him it was compost. REally nice, fluffy stuff... :-) Whenever we see worms in our garden we'll grab a few and put them in the compost... :-)”

“Sass--
Try going to the free-cycle.org sites-- I got some great landscaping rocks and tomatoes that way! Craig's list also is helpful. :-)”

“Pink, I just stuck a bunch of siberian irises down by my brook. Seems that's where I've seen them most of the time. I need to find some free daffodils.”

“Yes, the siberian ones like to be "wet footed". :-) Daffodils are great-- I've had a lot of good luck on the freecycling sites-- all items have to be given away-- no one can charge... basically, it's a way for people to get rid of their junk, while helping someone else out. :-)

Some office buildings will dig up their bulbs and give them away in the springtime. (after they've flowered). As long as the leaves are still attached and not ripped off before they turn brown, they will flower the following year.”

“Nimblefoot, dollar stores carry bulbs. And you can get huge bags of 80 for around $20 at most big home stores. I got mine at Meijers but Home depot had them for the same price.”

“At walmart they have big sacks of daffy's for $10”

“My bro said the iris' were "antique" whatever that means!

I'm dreading getting down on my knees and bending over to plant them. Major abdominal surgery three weeks ago kinda flags no gardening!!

I'm also not looking forward to pulling the annuals and tomato plants. Maybe I can bribe my neighbor to do it, I'd be giving her the plants for her compost pile anyway.”

“Just got some pictures done:















And my special project--- This is a Hosta Seedling, one of several I bred last year. I was surprised to find one blooming it's first year. This is the cool flower, I have not ever seen this kind of flower on other hostas in my garden, so it's really cool to me.
”