Melissa77754 2012 Glog

stc3248 · Mar 30, 2012

Finally a new update! Loving it! Looks like you kept them safe through our storms just fine...great job on the site prep to!

Melissa77754 · Mar 30, 2012

stc3248 said:
Finally a new update! Loving it! Looks like you kept them safe through our storms just fine...great job on the site prep to!

Thanks Shane, that storm sucked! I was worried for my tents with the winds, they got pretty crazy! Lost a few plants from falling to their demise. My brother was down Sunday and helped unload the dirt, we tilled it in right before the rain came. It was perfect timing, I didn't have to waste any of my own water! lol.

I have a feeling we will get a couple more rain storms before it finally warms up for good.

BTW, anyone ever tell you that ur a GLOG whore?? Always at the top!! lol

stc3248 · Mar 30, 2012

Melissa77754 said:
BTW, anyone ever tell you that ur a GLOG whore?? Always at the top!! lol

Nobody likes a hater Melissa! :stop:

Can't help it if I'm :hot:

!

Crusher · Mar 30, 2012

Very cool. I love that you are planting them in front of the house.

Melissa77754 · Mar 30, 2012

nmorris279 said:
Very cool. I love that you are planting them in front of the house.

Thanks! You can come get the two plants you wanted whenever you like.

My driveway slopes down so this planter is all the way at the top, away from the street where people may feel inclined to steal a pepper! lol

Beehunter · Mar 30, 2012

Nice update! Planters are looking great. That one is the back is huge! How many plants do you think you can fit in there? Oh and how many hours of sunlight a day does that front planter get? Keep up the awesome grow!

Melissa77754 · Mar 30, 2012

Beehunter said:
Nice update! Planters are looking great. That one is the back is huge! How many plants do you think you can fit in there? Oh and how many hours of sunlight a day does that front planter get? Keep up the awesome grow!

Thanks BeeHunter!!

The back planter is huge, not sure how many plants I can fit yet. I need to really plan this out right! Oh and the front planter gets a solid 6-8 hours of sun. It gets really hot here in Corona, so the little shade they get in the afternoon should really help.

PIC 1 · Mar 30, 2012

Wow,
Your plants are really looking good, they'll love that "cali sunshine" when it comes about.
I like the flowers on the strawberry plants. Mine are starting to grow invasive and I need to divide and pot some up to sell. There's nothing like a morning dew, fresh picked strawberry.
I'll have to follow this grow, you seem to have plenty of ample room for a very spacious garden! Good look with your outdoor plantings

Greg

Melissa77754 · Mar 30, 2012

PIC 1 said:
Wow,
Your plants are really looking good, they'll love that "cali sunshine" when it comes about.
I like the flowers on the strawberry plants. Mine are starting to grow invasive and I need to divide and pot some up to sell. There's nothing like a morning dew, fresh picked strawberry.
I'll have to follow this grow, you seem to have plenty of ample room for a very spacious garden! Good look with your outdoor plantings

Greg

Thanks Greg, means a lot coming from a pro grower like yourself!! I actually have those strawberries in a kiddie pool so they don't get too invasive in my yard. But nothing beats a fresh picked strawberry, you got that right!

Melissa

highalt · Mar 30, 2012

Wow, very impressive grow, Melissa!!! You are going to give all these boys around here a run for their money. :lol:

I tried several years to grow strawberries in containers, but our winters are just too cold, and they never came back. Finally put some in the ground, and they overwintered just fine, but no worries of them taking over. What's funny is the little ones will sneak the ripe strawberries off the plants, thinking they are getting away with something. Joke's on them though, since I just got them to eat their fruit without asking. Though it would be nice if I could get enough ripe ones to make some strawberry rhubarb jam. Another kid friendly fruit is the ground cherry (Physalis pruinosa), which is related to the tomatillo. My kids love looking for the ones that have fallen on the ground, and peeling the little paper husk off. I've tried making jam, or pies out of them, but the kids like them best fresh. I also have a couple of Reliance grapevines which the kids really like, but the wasps go crazy for them once the fruit is ripe, so they don't tend to sneak those.

Is your large bed in the backyard sloped? I can't tell from the picture.

I saw your post about the pepper plant spacing. My veggie bed is very small, and I grow a lot of other stuff too, so I have to pack them in pretty tight, probably 15" - 18" apart. The ones that get really big, I have to grow in containers, or down at my plot at the community garden. They produce just fine with that spacing, though I eventually have to stake them to keep them from leaning on their neighbors. Being planted so close together seems to protect them a bit from the strong winds we get here. Oh, and BTW, my vegetable garden is in the front yard. Here's a picture of my 60 sq.ft. veggie jungle.

You probably can't tell, but the peppers are behind the row of basil, and in front of the tomatoes.

Good luck with your grow!

Bonnie

MGOLD86 · Mar 30, 2012

Great update Melissa! Those plants look super healthy.

Melissa77754 · Mar 31, 2012

MGOLD86 said:
Great update Melissa! Those plants look super healthy.

highalt said:
Wow, very impressive grow, Melissa!!! You are going to give all these boys around here a run for their money.

I tried several years to grow strawberries in containers, but our winters are just too cold, and they never came back. Finally put some in the ground, and they overwintered just fine, but no worries of them taking over. What's funny is the little ones will sneak the ripe strawberries off the plants, thinking they are getting away with something. Joke's on them though, since I just got them to eat their fruit without asking. Though it would be nice if I could get enough ripe ones to make some strawberry rhubarb jam. Another kid friendly fruit is the ground cherry (Physalis pruinosa), which is related to the tomatillo. My kids love looking for the ones that have fallen on the ground, and peeling the little paper husk off. I've tried making jam, or pies out of them, but the kids like them best fresh. I also have a couple of Reliance grapevines which the kids really like, but the wasps go crazy for them once the fruit is ripe, so they don't tend to sneak those.

Is your large bed in the backyard sloped? I can't tell from the picture.

I saw your post about the pepper plant spacing. My veggie bed is very small, and I grow a lot of other stuff too, so I have to pack them in pretty tight, probably 15" - 18" apart. The ones that get really big, I have to grow in containers, or down at my plot at the community garden. They produce just fine with that spacing, though I eventually have to stake them to keep them from leaning on their neighbors. Being planted so close together seems to protect them a bit from the strong winds we get here. Oh, and BTW, my vegetable garden is in the front yard. Here's a picture of my 60 sq.ft. veggie jungle.

You probably can't tell, but the peppers are behind the row of basil, and in front of the tomatoes.

Good luck with your grow!

Bonnie

Hi Bonnie!

Thanks for stopping by my grow log and for your very detailed response!

I fully intend to give these boys a run for their money! lol. No really, I am the gardener in the family and my hubby got me started by asking for Bhut Jolokias. It was all over when I met Smokemaster, turned me in to a chile head! I have always loved chiles, but had no idea just how many different varieties are out there. Looking forward to growing so many different peppers this year, and can you believe this is only my 2nd year gardening? My grandpa would be so proud if he were still alive, I like to think he passed on to my brother and I his green thumb

Last year was the first time I grew strawberries, just moving in to our home my ground was not all that great so most everything was in pots. It is very rare to get frost here and even then it doesn't go below 30 so they did just fine through the winter. My daughter LOVED picking strawberries, but there is just never enough ripe huh? I am going to get a second kiddie pool going in hopes that next year I have an abundance of strawberries, fresh jam would be great!

I just recently bought different varieties of strawberry seeds, in my fridge getting some cold treatment for the next two months. Thanks for the tip on the ground cherries, I was looking at them recently and wasn't too sure if the kiddos would like them, but now I think I should go ahead and try them out. I have a thornless blackberry from last year that I just transferred from a 5ga pot to the ground, it's all the way at the back of the fence in my large bed. Probably won't fruit till next year though. Also have a Perlette grape that needs to go in the ground and a Pink Lady apple tree. I have that in a pot and I got about 20 apples off it last year, the girls loved them!

I hope to grow as many edibles in my yard as possible, with the most room dedicated to peppers. I want to avoid grocery produce all together but I am being realistic here, at least until I get a farm of my own!

The large bed is not on a slope, but my entire yard kinda slopes downward if that makes sense? The planter is leveled though, tilled about 3-4 feet down. My ground was rock hard this time last year, now it is super soft and full of worms! I can't wait to see how things progress this year

Bonnie your veggie bed looks beautiful! I was thinking of companion planting with Basil, I have been reading it helps with pests? Is that purple ruffle basil in front? I hope I can make my front planter look as nice, but I doubt it! lol

Take care and best of luck to you this season!

Melissa

PaulG · Mar 31, 2012

You have a great grow log here,Melissa! Your garden beds just look awesome!
You obviously have the knack for growing!

Melissa77754 · Mar 31, 2012

PaulG said:
You have a great grow log here,Melissa! Your garden beds just look awesome!
You obviously have the knack for growing!

Thanks Paul, same goes for you! I haven't even tackled cloning or grafting, big thumbs up to you!

I swear if I could own a farm I would be perfectly content gardening for a living, doesn't even have to be a good living either! lol. I think I have watched too many documentaries lately, if I could be a fully sustainable farmer I would! One day I will get that farm, for now I will have to make due with the space I have, which isn't too shabby!

PaulG · Mar 31, 2012

Melissa77754 said:
Thanks Paul, same goes for you! I haven't even tackled cloning or grafting, big thumbs up to you! I swear if I could own a farm I would be perfectly content gardening for a living, doesn't even have to be a good living either! lol. I think I have watched too many documentaries lately, if I could be a fully sustainable farmer I would! One day I will get that farm, for now I will have to make due with the space I have, which isn't too shabby!

I'm with you. I come from a line of farm folk, and I think it is just in the genes. I sometimes think I missed my calling. I'd love to have a farm size plot to mess with - but that duty will have to fall to someone like you! I hope you can find your dream!

The cloning just started as kind of a goofy side trip, and kind of took on a life of it's own! it's really a no-brainer. With your skills, it will be a slam dunk!

Melissa77754 · Mar 31, 2012

PaulG said:
I'm with you. I come from a line of farm folk, and I think it is just in the genes. I sometimes think I missed my calling. I'd love to have a farm size plot to mess with - but that duty will have to fall to someone like you! I hope you can find your dream!

The cloning just started as kind of a goofy side trip, and kind of took on a life of it's own! it's really a no-brainer. With your skills, it will be a slam dunk!

Thanks Paul! I wish I realized much sooner, only my 2nd year! My oldest brother has always grown edibles and prior to owning my home in 2010, I had no interest. Better late than never and I can be pretty ambitious, when I want something bad enough I work really hard to attain it. Lets hope I can keep this dream alive

I plan to tackle cloning some time this year, be ready for lots of questions!

Thanks for stopping by again!

stc3248 · Mar 31, 2012

Got 150 acres in TX waiting for me when I retire...woot! As for your strawberries, They don't produce very well their first year. You should have a bumper crop this time around! Keeping them in a kiddie pool is a great idea because given enough water(which really isn't much) strawberries can really take over a yard.

Melissa77754 · Apr 5, 2012

Ok guys/gals time for another update! I have been busting my butt in the garden every day and I feel like I never make a dent in what needs to be accomplished! But I got a whole lot of stuff in the ground, problem is my greenhouses are still bursting with plants! Man I have my work cut out for me! :hell:

TOTAL PLANTS IN GROUND AS OF 4/5: 65

Front yard planter, have to keep the weed block on until they fill in so the cats are not tempted to use it as a litter box!

Another planter I have in my backyard, grew tomatoes in it last year and they turned in to beasts. This year I am keeping tomatoes in 15 gal pots so I can control them better.

My large planter in the backyard,

Greenhouse bursting at the rims! lol

My red Manzanos are growing like weeds!!

Mystery plant, with all these flowers about to burst open it shouldn't be long before I can try and figure out what it is. Came from dried pods sent by Smokemaster.

Some of my maters

http://i1097.photobu...54/2f4a9577.jpg
http://i1097.photobu...54/37e369f8.jpg

stickman · Apr 5, 2012

Melissa77754 said:
Thanks for the tip on the ground cherries, I was looking at them recently and wasn't too sure if the kiddos would like them, but now I think I should go ahead and try them out.

We have a small community garden here, and one of my neighbors put in some husk cherries. The kids do love them, but they spread like tomatillos. Any that don't get eaten leave seeds that will come up again next year, and they tend to move around a bit. The New England winter doesn't seem to bother them either...

Melissa77754 · Apr 5, 2012

stickman said:
We have a small community garden here, and one of my neighbors put in some husk cherries. The kids do love them, but they spread like tomatillos. Any that don't get eaten leave seeds that will come up again next year, and they tend to move around a bit. The New England winter doesn't seem to bother them either...

Thanks for the info Stickman

My brother actually bought seeds last year and never planted them, so this year he is starting some. Maybe I will try growing it in a large pot? I had Purple Tomatillos growing last year and man do they get huge! No tomatillos for me this year, too much work for me!