Hello Fellow Gardeners, did ya think I would forget?

[suzieq728]

:wave: everyone,,
Look who's here! Is everyone ready to plant? I just could not keep myself away from HT during planting season..
First things firsts; C, how are you? How are you feeling? When I get a chance I'll check out your journal, (if you still have one).
And, everyone else, how are all you chicks doing?? I have really missed everyone, and trust me when I say, I have often thought about you guys..
I cant get into where I was, cause I would have to type a book, so, I'll just say life caught me off guard. I am hanging in there though.
Now onto planting, has anyone started there seedlings yet? I am going to start today. I know, I know, I am getting a real late start but it will be ok, (I hope lol).
This year I am not planting as much, (no room). I swear I hate this new apartment, thats another thread. I have some herbs, and of course my tomatoes, and thats about it for now.
Once the weather starts to be nice to me I will get into some flowers I know I will, but for now I am suffereing from the affects of winter.
thats about it for now....
Take care everyone... I am gonna browse for awhile... :hug: :hug: :hug:

[Margarita]

:wave: Hey, Susie! Miss ya, sweetie! Whatever's been going on, I hope you're doing well now. :hug:

Mostly I just wanted to say hi to you, but I just cleaned out my flower bed (yes, singular, we really only have one right now) yesterday. We had pansies, snap dragons, and sweet alyssum there last year. One or two of the snap dragons are coming back and most of the pansies are already blooming! :D I shook off the sweet alyssum seeds to replant them. Hopefully they come back, too. All of these are annuals (I'm pretty sure), so this is cool.

[jana]

I'm not going crazy this year; I'm sticking to my climbers and herbs. I planted tomatoes, cucumers, snow peas, beans, basil, thyme and oregano. I started them indoors and only just got them in the ground 2 days ago. We'll see how things go!

[Deana]

Jana, you and I are in the same mindset.

I am going to pamper my climbers, start some herbs and maybe some veggies(basil, thyme, maybe mint, tomatoes, cantalope) next weekend. I am going to do some potted plants out front (which gets WICKED hot afternoon sun) and maybe some hibiscus in the back (morning/east light).

I am still researching orchids - I think that will be an ongoing indoor project though.

David went crazy this weekend and mowed, fertilized, dug up EVERY weed in the yard. Next weekend we are getting a ton of mulch delivered to cover the big bed in the backyard.

Spring has sprung in Texas!

[Turtleheadfred]

Hey Suzie!!! Well we FINALLY had the first decent day today here, so I did go out and work on some of my beds... (I have TONS that are everywhere and all around the yard so it's a BIG job!)

Mainly, I was filling in holes that my new "child" has dug! Really all I had to do was clean things out. We haven't been getting very cold here lately, so all of my peonies are starting to come up already, the buttercups and daffodils have been up - and the hyacynths (sp?) are starting to open up too! (Plus my saucer magnolias in the front has it's flowers opening which is always beautiful!)

It looks like most things are fine, but the "babies" did put a dent in some of the bee balm. I also think they dug up an entire section of sage and basil :nono: ... but I have more in other spots that I can move around... as well as some I grow in pots that I bring inside for the winter.

Unfortunately it's going to turn cold again tomorrow - so the rule around here is to NEVER put anything into the ground before April 15. Otherwise you're almost guaranteed to have to be outside covering up wildly because we will end up with some kind of an unexplained freeze that will kill everything otherwise.

I do have more shrubs that need trimming back though, so if it doesn't rain, I might do that tomorrow... I checked today to be sure no birdies were building in them and they look safe. We also cut the grass in the front yard today and probably within the next 2 weeks we will aerate and reseed the yard too.

I know you wish you had more room - but I could use the help on my acre+ so feel free to "come on down"!!!!

Write more when you can! Good to hear from you! Bye! :D

[suzieq728]

Hey everyone,
I have started my seeds indoors. I dont think winter will ever leave NY. I really think Mother Nature is confused.
I only started herbs cause I dont even know if they will grow inside. I am not into a garden this year. My yard although it is nice, is not very sunny, and no where to plant veggies. I have one bed under my dining room window but there is no gutters along the roof of the house so when it rains that bed floods. I dont want to spend to much money here cause I just dont want to stay here. So we will see whats going to happen as the warmer weather, (if we get any warmer) approches.

[Turtleheadfred]

Suzie - did you say you had a deck or balcony off your place? If you do - and if it's sunny at least half the time (afternoon is best) you might try a container garden for your herbs. They LOVE being packed in with each other in a pot - and so many of them flower and drape - it's really very beautiful!

Even though my herbs are in the ground and usually make it through the winter (or I'll restart seeds inside too) - I'm thinking this year of doing a container garden of them just to put out on my rock wall in the back just because I like the way they look and smell. (Plus it's SO much easier to just walk to one spot instead of all of the yard!) :D

And I've even done that with little tomatoes too (if you like them that is). I like the grape ones and they do really well in pots - just give them some type of support and they'll do great and you'll have plenty for salads at least!

Let me know if you don't have room for that - or what you think you do have room for - and I'll try to get you some more ideas. I wish you lived closer because hardly any of my friends buy anything anymore - we just share with one another and it's really fun! I'm really good at transplanting things you're not supposed to be able to transplant even (until the pups get them!)

Anyway - let me know! (insert smiley with green thumb and slight sunburn!)

[suzieq728]

Hey T
Can you read minds? :lol: , I was just saying to my sister last night that I cant see a summer go by without tomatoes, so I thought I would try the grape ones LOL, wow, your good.
Anyway, no no deck no nothing but a long narrow very shady driveway. But, I did buy all these big huge containers and I am going to place them along my yard's edge where there is some sun. As for the bed, like I said it gets flooded, so I think I am just putting ornaments there, I have already started. Everything I planted there last year died with the first summer thunder storm, so I am not going crazy with that.
I do have a huge pot for my herbs too. I just started cooking with some of the fresh herbs and I have to admit it gives all food a better flavor if the herbs are fresh.
If only I lived near you, then we could plant together, oh what a blast to plant with a friend that must be... :D

[Turtleheadfred]

If only I lived near you, then we could plant together, oh what a blast to plant with a friend that must be... :D

Oh we would have FUN!!!!

You know, I have a sister-in-law in North Carolina and she was having problems with drainage in one of her beds. So what she came up with was to just mulch it really well, but then set containers in the bed! Some with color, some with just greenery. She sent me some pics and it really does look nice. I don't know if that would work for you but I though I would mention it anyway. She also said it was easier for her because she has a bad back and this way, she can fix the container, which is much easier than digging in the ground for her. Plus they hold water (which probably isn't a problem for you :D ) better.

Anywho - let me know how the grape tomatoes do. I just love them!

[suzieq728]

Like I said before, you have got to be a mind reader. Thats what I planned on doing, with containers and ornaments. A friend of a friend has a bed in front of her house with the same exact problem, so she filled it with flowers in containers and decorated it with garden ornaments and I cant tell you how pretty it looks. And your right, it is so much easier to move a pot then to dig dig dig.... So, thats my plan for this summer, and containers come in a varitey of shapes, sizes and colors and there not that expensive cant beat that now can ya.
:D

[MeatBall]

Hello ....ladies...its Meatball!
Hmmm...I have aprox 1000 square feet of backyard..my wife has been getting lots of quality dirt ,,,,shes lugged around 4000 pounds to level...
so...to sod or to seed or to wet seed mulch?
Once I figure out how to post pics..looking for ideas....our backyard view is the Manhattan skyline. We have two decks...about 400 square feet each.
Two levels....one with backyard....the other is our great room with deck for bbq .
Currently lots of time on my hands for projects..but must say..I lived for my job..not doing this not working thing well.

[Turtleheadfred]

I lived for my job..not doing this not working thing well.

See but now you now life is not for working - it's for living! The "gardening thing" may not be for you. But you may find that having a nice yard IS your thing. My hubby pretty much leaves the bushes, flowers, etc. all up to me (and he used to think the grass was just for cutting which I will also do if he's working a lot) but as time has gone by, he's seen how much just a little extra effort can help. He now WANTS (not because it's fun - but because it pays off in the end) to aerate the front yard if not the entire yard - and over seed it with either summer or winter grass seed to make it look it's best. The only thing I haven't convinced him of yet is to weed and feed (he just likes to feed!)

You can either post pics - or if you can just give a description (sunny, shady, partly, etc.) that might help. Since SuzieQ lives in NY, she's probably going to have a better idea of plants that are going to be native to your area and do the best... but I'm sure all of us would like to pitch in.

Talk to you soon - glad you're back!

[suzieq728]

Hi Meatball, (Yumm I love meatballs LOL).

I wish I wasnt working, but only in the summer. Cause thats when I want to do nothing but putz around in my yard, either planting or decorating or just playing around with the grandkids. But I HAVE to work, no other choice.

I cant imagine having the NY skyline as your back yard view, that must be amazing. Get out there Meatball, get your hands dirty, you will have fun, just give it a try. OH, and its even more fun when you have someone to get dirty with, ( you know, dirt, dirty, this post maybe going the wrong way LOL). Plant something, watch it grow, you will find yourself running out every day to see how its doing. And if you need any help let us know, if we all put our heads together we can do just about anything... :D

[Turtleheadfred]

its even more fun when you have someone to get dirty with, ( you know, dirt, dirty, this post maybe going the wrong way LOL).

:eyebrow: ..................