Quarantine Vegetable Gardens

[Eleven_11]

I read every post and watched many YouTube videos. I’ve always killed every plant I’ve ever owned but I gave it another go and stuff is growing. Thank you everyone!

 

[mickey2942]

I read every post and watched many YouTube videos. I’ve always killed every plant I’ve ever owned but I gave it another go and stuff is growing. Thank you everyone!

Cool! My garden is too. It rained all week, until today, so tonight I am going to do some replanting and rearranging.

Next year, I think that I will start earlier and do my own seedlings.

 

[CeeCeeCat]

I don't really belong in this thread because I'm no gardener and I live in a woodsy area with lots of shade, not much sun. I'm a little embarrassed to say that my only flowering plant at the moment is a geranium I got at our local farmers market in May. Well, we did have beautiful azaleas blooming around our patio a while back.

We buy fresh veggies, fruit, baked goods, eggs, etc. at the farmers market. We enjoyed delicious strawberries (put some in the freezer) and now peaches. (This is in NC.)

I enjoyed reading your posts this evening ... they made me feel peaceful. Maybe I need to try growing some things in pots.

Oh, I think you belong here just fine Nobody could’ve been less interested in gardening than I was just two years ago. Then a friend gave me a pot of basil she’d grown from seeds. I moved that thing round the garden like crazy, making sure it had plenty of sunshine. When it didn’t die, I started thinking what else I could plant...the rest is history.
Growing things in pots works well for me - or has done so far.

In exciting news, my cucumber has flowers and my courgette (zucchini) has actual courgettes growing! I spent a while this morning shovelling strawberries into my mouth, straight from the plant. Yum. I’ve only just learned that strawberries are perennial and not the annuals I thought they were. I already have new plants growing from the mama plants.

 

[LadyL]

I don't really belong in this thread because I'm no gardener and I live in a woodsy area with lots of shade, not much sun. I'm a little embarrassed to say that my only flowering plant at the moment is a geranium I got at our local farmers market in May. Well, we did have beautiful azaleas blooming around our patio a while back.

We buy fresh veggies, fruit, baked goods, eggs, etc. at the farmers market. We enjoyed delicious strawberries (put some in the freezer) and now peaches. (This is in NC.)

I enjoyed reading your posts this evening ... they made me feel peaceful. Maybe I need to try growing some things in pots.

I'm no gardener either. Give it a try - I did and I actually have things sprouting!

 

[CeeCeeCat]

It’s so hot out there this morning. The cats and I have spent most of the morning outside but right now it’s just too warm for comfort, and we’ve all trooped back in to sit in front of the fans.
Anyway. I had a surprise arrive in the post earlier - a surprise in that I’d forgotten I’d ordered them - three small gooseberry bushes. They’re now planted out in containers and I’m keeping fingers crossed they’ll thrive here.

 

[oviedo]

@oviedo I was going to say the same thing as Gardenista. I'd recommend hand pollinating and then you can take some of the male flowers to stuff or batter and deep fry (yum). The female flowers are the ones that have a baby zucchini under them. You can hand pollinate using a little paint brush or a q-tip to move a little pollen from the male flowers to the female flowers.

Here's a video on male vs female flowers in squash and zucchini:

Good grief! I had no idea - and now I’ve got to get bigger containers because what I started with are now so crowded - the summer rains are torrential here -and I’m out of things around the house I can use - heading to Lowe’s to pick up a few things so will see if they have some inexpensive large containers
Thanks for that video @Gardener1850

 

[mickey2942]

Good grief! I had no idea - and now I’ve got to get bigger containers because what I started with are now so crowded - the summer rains are torrential here -and I’m out of things around the house I can use - heading to Lowe’s to pick up a few things so will see if they have some inexpensive large containers
Thanks for that video @Gardener1850

Ha ha! More plants, more dirt, more containers...I found some great deals on containers at "Big Lots" if you have one close.

 

[oviedo]

Ha ha! More plants, more dirt, more containers...I found some great deals on containers at "Big Lots" if you have one close.

Build A 5-Gallon-Bucket Garden To Grow Tons Of Fresh Veggies - Hobby Farms
I did my tomato plant in a bucket and it’s nearly 6 feet tall and has lots Of tomatoes and blossoms already - I discovered this method awhile ago so put my one plant in it - I already have these buckets for catching rain water so now I’m going to replant today using them and I won’t have to go out except to pick up my online order at Lowe’s - thanks everyone !

 

[SA55]

Ha ha! More plants, more dirt, more containers...I found some great deals on containers at "Big Lots" if you have one close.

Isn't it amazing how finding a "deal" can give us so much joy? Every spring I have a talk with myself, reminding myself how much work all these plants are going to be in the heat of the summer. Promising myself every single fall as I clean up and pack things away for the spring - to remember and do less the following spring. This year, any $ I've saved from travel, entertainment and dining out has been spent on gardening. Big Lots, Lowes, Ollie's (another discount store) and even Amazon has benefited from my self isolation. I have no where else to put containers or plants in the ground! And yet, I still buy and trade with a friend. When she told me she had a tiny Mimosa tree sprout for me, I was excited. I asked her if we were turning into crazy old plant women and she quickly said "Yes we are" This morning I found a crepe myrtle sprout that had sprung up from a nearby tree, what looks like a maple sprout (?) and a couple evergreen sprouts while weeding and mulching a bed. They now have a new home in tiny pots where I'll try my best to nourish them and then share them with a friend.
BBL, headed back out to do more weeding and mulching.

 

[Gardener1850]

Good grief! I had no idea - and now I’ve got to get bigger containers because what I started with are now so crowded - the summer rains are torrential here -and I’m out of things around the house I can use - heading to Lowe’s to pick up a few things so will see if they have some inexpensive large containers
Thanks for that video @Gardener1850

Zucchini will grow great in 5 gallon paint buckets-- 1 plant per bucket. That is how I used to plant everything when I only had a little apartment patio in a big city. Tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, squash, cucumber, etc all do really well with just one plant per 5 gallon bucket. As long as you add holes in the bottom and don't let the soil dry out it's one of the easiest ways to have a garden. I also used to wrap my buckets in colorful burlap or paint them with spray paint to hide the fact that they were paint buckets (I was worried my HOA at the time might not like the look but I never got any complaints). Have fun with your garden!

 

[oviedo]

Zucchini will grow great in 5 gallon paint buckets-- 1 plant per bucket. That is how I used to plant everything when I only had a little apartment patio in a big city. Tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, squash, cucumber, etc all do really well with just one plant per 5 gallon bucket. As long as you add holes in the bottom and don't let the soil dry out it's one of the easiest ways to have a garden. I also used to wrap my buckets in colorful burlap or paint them with spray paint to hide the fact that they were paint buckets (I was worried my HOA at the time might not like the look but I never got any complaints). Have fun with your garden!

Wow I was going to put all the zucchini in one bucket - about 11 plants so let me rethink that and I love the idea of the burlap which I think I already have

 

[Gardener1850]

Build A 5-Gallon-Bucket Garden To Grow Tons Of Fresh Veggies - Hobby Farms
I did my tomato plant in a bucket and it’s nearly 6 feet tall and has lots Of tomatoes and blossoms already - I discovered this method awhile ago so put my one plant in it - I already have these buckets for catching rain water so now I’m going to replant today using them and I won’t have to go out except to pick up my online order at Lowe’s - thanks everyone !

I posted above before I saw your link. That's exactly what I have done in the past with great results. The burlap is optional IMO but makes it look nice. It's wonderful that you can use what you have and just do a curbside pick up.

 

[Gardener1850]

Wow I was going to put all the zucchini in one bucket - about 11 plants so let me rethink that and I love the idea of the burlap which I think I already have

Oh dear. Have you ever seen a full size zucchini plant? They get huge! Each plant will spread out about 3 to 4 feet wide. They each need their own bucket. Maybe, maybe you could try 2 per bucket, but I wouldn't recommend it-- I think they would crowd each other out and compete for soil nutrients. Also, you can save some floor space by adding tomato cages to each bucket and keeping the zucchini plant stems inside the cage. That will make it grow upward instead of out. I hope you can save all your plants and I hope you have room for that many buckets.

 

[Gardener1850]

@oviedo here is a video showing zucchini growing in buckets to give you an idea of how big they could get:

The Rusted Garden guy has a lot of videos on how to grow things in 5 gallon buckets and I've really been enjoying watching his channel this year. Even though I have had gardens for years I still learn things from him and other youtube gardeners.

Hope this helps! I've got to go tend my garden before it gets too hot now.

 

[155etta]

@oviedo I was going to say the same thing as Gardenista. I'd recommend hand pollinating and then you can take some of the male flowers to stuff or batter and deep fry (yum). The female flowers are the ones that have a baby zucchini under them. You can hand pollinate using a little paint brush or a q-tip to move a little pollen from the male flowers to the female flowers.

Here's a video on male vs female flowers in squash and zucchini:

I use a cheap kids electric toothbrush.

 

[LadyL]

Isn't it amazing how finding a "deal" can give us so much joy? Every spring I have a talk with myself, reminding myself how much work all these plants are going to be in the heat of the summer. Promising myself every single fall as I clean up and pack things away for the spring - to remember and do less the following spring. This year, any $ I've saved from travel, entertainment and dining out has been spent on gardening. Big Lots, Lowes, Ollie's (another discount store) and even Amazon has benefited from my self isolation. I have no where else to put containers or plants in the ground! And yet, I still buy and trade with a friend. When she told me she had a tiny Mimosa tree sprout for me, I was excited. I asked her if we were turning into crazy old plant women and she quickly said "Yes we are" This morning I found a crepe myrtle sprout that had sprung up from a nearby tree, what looks like a maple sprout (?) and a couple evergreen sprouts while weeding and mulching a bed. They now have a new home in tiny pots where I'll try my best to nourish them and then share them with a friend.
BBL, headed back out to do more weeding and mulching.

it never occurred to me that there would be tree sprouts in random places! so exciting! now I want to go search my backyard and try to grow some trees LOL

 

[LadyL]

Wow I was going to put all the zucchini in one bucket - about 11 plants so let me rethink that and I love the idea of the burlap which I think I already have

I planted three seeds in a slightly smaller container & we're gonna have to repot cause the leaves are getting so big

 

[LadyL]

My spinach, kale, and cucumbers are sprouting, along with tomatoes, zucchini and carrots and something else that will be a surprise because the label went missing and I can't remember what it was lol. I haven't thinned out the carrots yet and they don't seem to be growing any bigger to me. We have one tomato plant in a container and one in an upside down pot. Flowers are appearing on the tomato plants.

 

[Midwestmom2019]

Good grief! I had no idea - and now I’ve got to get bigger containers because what I started with are now so crowded - the summer rains are torrential here -and I’m out of things around the house I can use - heading to Lowe’s to pick up a few things so will see if they have some inexpensive large containers
Thanks for that video @Gardener1850

Check out plastic tubs with rope handles while you’re there. Drill a few holes in the bottom and you’ve got a huge pot for very little money. Besides, if you’re really handy, attach rollers to the bottom and you can pull the tubs around where ever you want to position them.

 

[Midwestmom2019]

it never occurred to me that there would be tree sprouts in random places! so exciting! now I want to go search my backyard and try to grow some trees LOL

We call them “volunteers”. Pine cones will release seeds. You’ll see new trees as tiny hairlike plants. Bright green. Oaks from acorns. I have several new pecan trees from squirrels planting them in the front yard. Crepe myrtles spread easily by bird droppings and by roots. They can become invasive. Please don’t top them off by cutting them across the top! Or I’ll start a thread called “crepe murder.” Check gardening sites for correct methods. Cut out suckers. Leave 3 or 5 or 7 main trunks. Odd number. Trim extra branching efforts from the bottom of the main trunks going up for clean up and aesthetics. Pictures in most gardening sources. There are dwarf, semi dwarf and standard height varieties. 30 plus feet. If you’re starting out with planting from a garden center, pick the ones that are blooming to make sure of the colors that you’re buying. I’ve seen beautiful rows where they meant to have all of the same color, but with one white one off center from a long row of hot pink. If that happens to you, move the wrong color out as soon as you see it. Replace it with a new one in the correct color. Unless you are pleased with the color combo. Of course.
As an aside, when I purchase new plantings of bushes or trees, I get one or two extra containers. Maybe three, depending on area to be filled in. (Always the smallest size, too. Easiest to plant. They grow up. Trees grow better from smaller sizes and faster.)
It’s like a dye lot. Can never get the exact same plant if one dies, or is wrong in some way. Otherwise, I have to dig up one on the edge of a bed or end of the row, move it to fill in the wrong color. Or dead one. Yes, I know. Perfectionist. Not good all the time. Lol.