Search results

I think we have a hoe like that - it belonged to my grandfather; I love using it. It's pretty narrow, only about 6 inches wide, and the tines are *really* sharp. Its wonderful for quickly breaking up soil and weeding a bed before setting in plants. We also have a sitrrup hoe, and they make...

Beefy - I have to admit, as lovely as your flowering plants are (and they are really really beautiful), the carnivorous bog plants are the *most* fascinating! They are SO cool :cool: Did you cultivate them or are they native to your environment? ~Phyllis

Well, we've had a lot of rain lately, which is s good thing because we needed it. A small harvest of broccoli raab has already happened (sooo delicious, and all we did was saute with garlic - yum!) Scallions, mesclun mix, garlic, and radishes are coming along. As soon as the asparagus crowns...

This the first ime I've heard of chowchow outside of Northeastern PA! My grandparents made it with green tomatoes, cauliflower, green peppers and onions. They may have also used beans too - I can't remember actually. I've always wondered if it was a purely regional thing to that area of PA...

This is a good advice - I agree with OaklandCityFarmer, and I'll just add a few observations on the plants I have experience with: Summer Squash - I think summer squash are pretty plants, kind of primeval and tropical looking so I like to give them a prominent spot. They need a lot of room...

On the greenhouse thread he added a company that sells agreenhouse supplies, so I checked them out and they *also* carrry 4x4 framing posts made from composite: Composite at Tek Supply They also carry lots of fasteners for composite. Thanks Doc! ~Phyllis

A few years ago my husband discovered that he could use leaves to mulch our flower beds, and so the first year he laid down a nice layer about 4 inches thick. It worked great, so the following year, he thought more must be better right? So he laid down twice a much. Yes - he found out that...

Hostas are happy in shade, and they come in, jeepers, hundreds of cultivars. Green, blue green, green gold, varigated white, varigated gold, curly, smooth - you name it. White Flower Farm has a hosta collection called "The Emerald Isle" that is a best seller. One thing I've always wanted to...

Maybe it's just me, but lettuce seed just drives me crazy (even though the end result is totally worth it!) It's very "sticky" and I find it hard to sew it thinly enough so as not wast most of it by sowing too thickly or by getting it all over my hands (and clothes, and tabletop.) I tried...

I have our lights set at 16 hours on/8 hours off right from planting because there are usually both sprouted and yet-to-germinate seeds on the same rack. Un-germinated seeds get a heat mat treatment until they sprout, and then the mat is turned off. A heat mat will increase the temp about...

Well, cool season plants like lettuces, kale, chard & broccoli will be fine as long as they are hardened off, but those temps are way to cold for hot season plants like tomatoes & peppers. Even a light frost can kill a tomato seedling. My tomatoes and peppers won't be transplanted until after...

I don't know how premanent yours needs to be, but here is a link to a one built from PVC pipe and the plan is free: free Greenhouse Plan There's a free plan for a cold frame too! ~Phyllis

I just wanted to offer a different perspective on the issue of spacing and rows. I don't disagree at all with Steve, but we have don't garden in straight rows and approach this a little differently. While I completely agree that the spacing/rows formulas are important. Remember too they are...

Yes I think we have met before on a sewing blog - hello again! The arches are just white plastic plumbing pipe and the samllest size bends easily I used an entire 8 foot section, so it goes all the way down the to the bottom of the bed. It's very sturdy. The row cover is clipped to the hoops...

OCMG - thank you for jumping to answer Dilly's questions! Dilly - OCMG is totoally correct in all of the information you see about Trex, and I'll add the following: The beds were built last summer, so they have already been through one New England summer and winter. Nothing has warped. The...

Oh you don't need to make a raised bed that high. Our beds are 24 inches because our goal is to create an outdoor room "walled" by a garden because I love the French potager style that mixes vegetables with flowers and herbs. The center section between the beds is big enough for dinning after...

I agree - seed starting stuff can go there too. ~Phyllis

Actually I forgot to add: ours are hollow but are lined iwth hardware cloth on the bottom for this very reason! ~Phyllis

That's good advice Paul - thank you! We do have one challenge with this bed because there is electrical service running 18 to 24 inches under the bed, and my husband didn't want me dig into the ground. I have a question for you: Do you think it won't thrive in a raised bed because of it's...

Gardening is wonderful thing; there are many life lessons to learn from it! They are 2 feet tall, 3 feet wide and the longest one is about 25 feet. The big square bed is 6 feet on each side - that one is a bit of a trick because I really can't reach to the middle of it, so I'll use it mostly...