How's your garden growing?

[FrankSG]

I'm just about ready to give-up gardening. I know--I say that just about every year but now I think I'm really going to. I live in Ohio about 50 miles south of Lake Erie. This spring after planting we had plenty of rain and all the plants were doing great. Then all of a sudden we got no rain--it hasn't rained for several weeks. All the plants are just sitting there drying up in the hot sun. I've watered a few times but I live in the city and the City Water is no good for plants. I think it has too many chemicals in it. It's really discouraging. :( How is the weather where some of you are at in other parts of the country and how is your garden doing? How about you guys in the UK; do you have much trouble with drought?

[PrntRhd]

Nice hobby FrankSG,
:)
You can treat the city water to remove the chlorine, go to a tropical fish store and get a large bottle of dechlorinator, use about 1/4 teaspoon to 2 gallons which instantly removes the chlorine. At this stage the water is safe to use for hand watering (safe for aquarium fish).
Out here we have to irrigate everything (no rain for 9 months of the year), you can get some gel polymer products that you incorporate into the soil which soak up and retain the water, so you lose less to evaporation and need to water less often.
Edit: These are known as hydrogel products.

[jlreich]

My wife is the gardener around here, but her garden is doing pretty well. It has been pretty dry around here as well since we are in central Ohio. The grass is a nice brown. :p

She waters every night and most things are doing fine. No, city water is not near as good as rain, but what else can you do?

One thing she has discovered recently is "companion planting". She planted tomatoes and green beans next to each other and found both have done extremely well. They compliment each other on what each takes from the soil and gives back. Since discovering this she also figured out why other plants have not done well in the past.

Google it if you have never heard of it before. Once she found out she is very excited and already planning for next year. :)

[Sylvander]

Here in the UK [the further north and west, the wetter it is], August has been particularly wet this year.
One night about 1 a.m. my wife and self heard the rain lashing down outside, so we opened our bedroom window and looked out.
Sure enough, water was running down the street outside our house toward the stream [called a "burn" in Scotland] at the bottom of the hill.
My neighbour's [partly blocked] down-pipe from his roof gutter had water gushing out of all the joints and the water pouring off the roof was overflowing the gutter.
At least we didn't have an inch of water at the front door like we had in the past during such events.
Everything is lush of course.
Even in a dry year it isn't necessary to water artificially.
I have HUGE [about 6in to 12 in across][possibly edible, but I'm taking no chances] mushrooms growing in the borders of my front garden around the semi-dwarf conifers.
They're growing on the remains of the roots of an apple tree I cut down some years back.
There's a heavy crop of Victoria plums on a tree I planted out the back of my property, that are beginning to ripen...should be ready about mid September.

My wife was pruning out most of our apple mint today, about chin high, in flower, and lush, as I was mowing the grass.

The problem with my soil is that it is heavy clay.
Lacks aeration and drainage.
Needs to be opened out with at least sand, and then compost or manure to open out and also feed the worms, whose droppings [and dead remains] feed the plants.
I've added those around the borders, which has made the soil WONDERFUL.
[Pity about the compacted clay grassed areas, that must be artificially fed to make green].

FRANK
I advise you to lay down [a good few inches of compost as] a mulch.
Do it after you've had the heaviest rain of the year, or when the soil is at it's most moist.
That would seal the moisture in, insulate the soil from the heat of the sun, and prevent/minimise evaporation.

[FrankSG]

FRANK
I advise you to lay down [a good few inches of compost as] a mulch.
Do it after you've had the heaviest rain of the year, or when the soil is at it's most moist.
That would seal the moisture in, insulate the soil from the heat of the sun, and prevent/minimise evaporation.
A good idea. I should have done that earlier in the year when we had the rain.

[PrntRhd]

The water retaining crystals/gel is a product like this one:
http://www.acehardware.com/product/index.jsp?productId=1335694&cp=2568444.2598677.1260387&parentPage=family

It lasts for at least 18 months, just incorporate it in the top 4 inches of soil, it can be also placed/covered in a small trench next to the existing growing plants.

[awaj]

wow, so much planting experience compared to what I have... At the moment, I do not have a garden, but my mom gardens in PA and has already produced a decent amount of tomatoes, and peppers, and string beans for what she has planted...

Has anyone noticed an icrease in bugs? my family has been bitten up quite badly when they go out (the bites vanish in a matter of hours though) and I have been ferrociously attacked around the ankles (and only the ankles)... I don't get why either, but I think the bugs want to take me down since I am tall.

[Fruss Tray Ted]

How is the weather where some of you are at in other parts of the country and how is your garden doing?

It's been very wet in northern New England. We can barely mow our lawns that are growing like weeds in between the rainstorms. So this year watering is not an issue.

Personally I don't do my own gardening ATT but occasionally give my dad a hand with his. The last time I did it was to irrigate the excess water OUT not IN! :eek: Some of his plants/seeds drowned anyway..:(

There have been times though that we needed to water and what I've like best is to use rain water collected from rain gutters into plastic (33+ gallon) barrels in a shady spot (less algae develops) and hand water the plants with hand-held sprinklers. You can target the water to the plants rather than the whole garden. City water from the hose is not treated heavily around here (I've tested it) but my dad always complains about the cost of his water/sewer bill so we came up with the barrel collection method.

If I could capture and store the water at a higher elevation, maybe I could use a hose instead of the sprinkler 'cans'.... ;)

[Paul Komski]

The whole of the British Isles has had a very wet and a continually gloomy and non-sunny summer. In parts of the islands it was already the wettest August on record by the middle of the month.

Anyone with poor-draining soils is likely to have had periods, and some extended periods, of the land being fully saturated - often with free standing water on the surface for days at a time. This can be disastrous for land that is carrying stock as the animals destroy more than they eat. Plants and even grass tends to die back and succulents, such as courgettes and strawberries and even lettuce, have simply begun to rot where they stand.

It is very dispiriting and depressing when it is like this especially for farmers or gardeners whose work in the spring has resulted in much failure. There have been two exceptionally bad summers in a row in these islands, possibly both due to the jet stream being abnormally far south. All we can hope for is for next year to be better.

[Sylvander]

"anyone noticed an increase in bugs? my family has been bitten up quite badly when they go out (the bites vanish in a matter of hours though) and I have been ferociously attacked around the ankles (and only the ankles)."
I used to get that about 10 years back when I kept an allotment.
The soil was rather shallow, and on solid rock, therefore dry, which may have played a part.
Only ever experienced them in that location, and at that time.
I had to wear Wellington boots to deny the little biters access.
Then I began to get fungal infection due to the poor ventilation of the feet.
Constant battle trying to find a solution.
I figured these little nasties normally would jump onto wild animals [mice, rabbits], but humans would do just as nicely to them.
Quite often a bite would develop into a huge blister full of yellowish fluid.
Permanent traces were left afterward.

I know that fleas will normally feed on cats, then drop off and wait for another host [human] to come along, and jump on...
But these seem different to fleas.

[awaj]

yeah, they are gotten outside, but they vannish the next day usually for everyone but me...

[FrankSG]

I have been ferrociously attacked around the ankles (and only the ankles)... I don't get why either, but I think the bugs want to take me down since I am tall.

Be thankful that they don't go any higher than your ankles.:)

[PrntRhd]

Has anyone noticed an icrease in bugs? my family has been bitten up quite badly when they go out (the bites vanish in a matter of hours though) and I have been ferrociously attacked around the ankles (and only the ankles)... I don't get why either, but I think the bugs want to take me down since I am tall.
They are known as chiggers:
http://www.howstuffworks.com/question488.htm

They are mites.

[Sylvander]

FRANK
Where would you get LOTS of compost or manure or straw for using as a mulch?

Is there a local friendly supplier with lots of suitable material going spare or low cost?

Is your ground area big enough with lots of spare where you could grow material for composting?
It's unlikely to be big enough to supply the huge quantities needed, but just thought I'd ask.

When I had my allotment...
There was a local helpful farmer who sold manure by the trailer load at low cost.
I also bought bales of straw to spread around the strawberries and apple trees.
That could be added on top of manure or compost if you don't mind the appearance [rather rough = not pretty].

Then there was a horse stable that sold horse manure by the HUGE [oversized] lorry load.
They had an enormous heap of the stuff that they had problems getting rid of.

But then, I live out in the country.

[FrankSG]

FRANK
Where would you get LOTS of compost or manure or straw for using as a mulch?


Not far from where I live--less than 2 miles--there is a farm. They sale bales of straw and the price is quite reasonable. I'm going to go there next year. Some years ago, I did that and had the best and biggest tomatoes I ever had. Just about every spring I say to my wife, "Ya know--I'm going to get some more of that straw and mulch the garden." Then she'll say something like, "Well--you said that last year and the year before and haven't done it yet." She's right, I haven't done it yet. One thing I do very well is to procrastinate. But for sure, I'm going to do it next year.

[Sylvander]

How about buying it in advance and having it stored nearby and ready and waiting for use?

In fact, you might compost the bales of straw as the farmers do.
[Raw uncomposted straw would tend to rob the soil of Nitrogen! (it certainly would if it was dug in)]
They use the urine and faeces of their animals, but human urine [I won't go quite so far as to suggest you use your faeces] will do it just as well.
Think how much money is used producing human urine and faeces!
And how much it costs to dispose of it using the sewage treatment system!
This method costs next to nothing and produces a really valuable product.

The farmer I knew used to keep a couple of Bullocks fenced in under cover on straw.
They would defecate and urinate on the straw [nothing so useful allowed to go to waste] and he just added new straw on top until it was about 3 feet thick.
Then he cleared it out and stacked it to continue composting.
Then he sold it for use.

[awaj]

thanks for the info about the bugs, that may be the culprit. I am lucky, the township I am in has a site for dumping sticks and other stuff off and turn it into wood chips or compost. The only thing that it is missing is nitrogen I think. That can be easily fixed by mixing a some grass clippings into it though.

[Whyzman]

I have ventured into perennial plants for landscaping purposes. Specifically, I have used Heucheras, many know them as Coral Bells. Over the time I have planted them, approximately 40 plants, I have managed to kill off all but 3 plants.

I thought this was a no brainer...spend the little extra for perennials and be done with it...

So, I've managed to kill off somewhere between $4-500.00 worth of plants. I know I've actually seen plants in the landscape section cringe when I walk past them. I think I've actually heard them saying, "Pick him, pick him!"

I've talked with the Master Gardeners at our State Fair and explained to them what has been happening and they simply shake their heads and look at me askance like I'm an evil person...killing Mother Nature.

It actually looks like they get some sort of fungi. The leaves begin to get brown patches on them and shortly thereafter, the whole plant just lies down. I've seen some of the stems get pinched off right next to the leaves and others get pinched off right at the base of the plant. It's really weird...

I wish these things no evil! I water them and fertilize them. They grow well and then just up and die...all in the same manner. They look beautiful before they die!

I've actually given up with them. I've noticed that weeds do very well and plants that are designed to self-protect. I've now purchased barberry plants in a variety of leaf colors. I'm hoping that any plant with thorns has a different mentality...wish me luck! ;)

[Calli]

The lack of rain is a problem for our area too. We have four rain barrels. The last rain was on July 11 a whole 3/4 inch. At least that fills the barrels. This week end we got another 1/2 inch of badly needed rain. My electric bill definitely reflects the amount of time the pump has been running. We don't do the lawn/yard though. It can be as scraggly and unsightly as it wants since I can't eat it. The downside here, disappearing bees. The upside disappearing yellow jackets! I hand pollinated my small melon patch.

[Sylvander]

Whyzman
Gardening can be complicated huh?
Different plants have evolved for very specific growing environments, and must be given the conditions they need or else they fail to thrive.
Hence certain plants just won't do well in your particular garden environment.
So don't buy lots of plants until you've first tried the variety in your garden to see whether it works or not.
Or study the plants in the gardens of your neighbours to see which do well.

I tend to buy one plant of this, that, and the other, and wait to see which succeeds, then either buy more or propagate them.

Is your soil alkaline, acidic, or in the middle?
Sand, silt, or clay in combination?
Free draining or wet?
Shaded or exposed to blistering sun?
Sheltered or exposed to the withering blast of wind?

I notice that "Coral Bells" needs well drained alkaline soil and full sun.
Did you buy them as small potted plants with a root ball in peat? [They actually need ALKALINE soil which peat is NOT]
After they died did you examine the root system?
Perhaps they were badly grown at the nursery and were root bound when bought? [Or in the wrong potting compost]
Grown too long in their 1st pot until the roots were going round and round the pot, then potted into a slightly larger pot and again left too long to grow round and round in that too.