Gardeners of AW, unite

Fenika

Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jun 3, 2007
Messages
24,311
Reaction score
5,109
Location
-
Aww, poor blue squash. That really sucks.

Most my garden survived the hurricane and I'm hoping for some pumpkin soon, among other things.
 

Fenika

Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jun 3, 2007
Messages
24,311
Reaction score
5,109
Location
-

Tepelus

And so...
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Sep 18, 2008
Messages
6,087
Reaction score
413
Location
Michigan
Website
keskedgell.blogspot.com
I tried a tropical orchid once...it didn't survive. I do have a North American native orchid, native to the state of Delaware, called Spiranthes odorata "Chadd's Ford", common name Nodding Ladies Tresses. It's new to me this year, has been in a pot outside all summer until about three weeks ago when I finally put it in the ground. It's sending up flower spikes right now and the white blooms are supposed to smell like jasmine or vanilla. We'll see when they bloom. I have them growing in a full sun spot in an area where it'll get quite a bit of moisture, planted with my lobelias. It's supposed to be super easy to grow and a good increaser, and the Chadd's Ford cultivar has larger flowers than the straight species. Next spring we'll see if it survives the winter.
 

amergina

Pittsburgh Strong
Staff member
Moderator
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Aug 20, 2007
Messages
15,599
Reaction score
2,471
Location
Pittsburgh, PA
Website
www.annazabo.com
Tepelus, that orchid sounds interesting! I'll have to see if I can find one, as its hearty in my area (western PA), too. I have a number of sunny spots in my yard.

And I grew up near Chadd's Ford PA. :D

I have something like 20 tropical orchids of different varieties. They're a bit like potato chips. My mom's also a grower, which helps. Since she keeps foisting plants off onto me.

I've had pretty good luck with most of them... I think the trick is that its better to underwater than to overwater. And I'm more likely to underwater...
 

Tepelus

And so...
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Sep 18, 2008
Messages
6,087
Reaction score
413
Location
Michigan
Website
keskedgell.blogspot.com
I think my problem is under watering too much, and the dry indoor air. I don't think orchids like the dry air. And I have this bad habit of forgetting to water my indoor plants...the few that I have anyway. The cats chew any plant I bring in the house into nothing in short order.

The orchid is named after the town Chadd's Ford. I bought mine through an online nursery called Lazy SS's, it is one of THE best online nurseries anywhere, and though their prices (and especially their shipping costs) are a bit high, their plants have done well so far for me, and the way they ship their plants is superb. The plants and dirt stay in the pots and I have yet to receive a broken plant. There might be other places that carry that orchid, but they are the only ones that I can think of at the top of my head that does. Dave's Garden, if you haven't heard of that site, has The Garden Watchdog which has an extensive list of vendors that members of the site can review. I always refer to that site when deciding to order from a company to find out if my money will be wasted on a vendor or not.
 

blacbird

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Mar 21, 2005
Messages
36,987
Reaction score
6,158
Location
The right earlobe of North America
My veggie garden is now entering its last phase. I still have a little lettuce and other greens, and had an excellent salad last night from these. Kale, I got lots of, and it is the hardiest green of all; I've picked good kale in November with snow on it.

But, I do have excellent potatoes, and should have some carrots, but I haven't checked the latter. Also some beets, and two rutabagas the size of canteloupes, which means they are way too woody to eat. I'll throw 'em in the woods for the mooses to deal with.

Managed a few hot cherry peppers, but no other peppers or tomatoes, because it was way too cool and rainy here this summer. And my peas got largely destroyed in a windstorm that blew over the frames they were growing on.

Next year I try mangoes and coconuts.

caw
 

Hip-Hop-a-potamus

My rhymes are bottomless
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jul 28, 2009
Messages
1,695
Reaction score
327
I finally got my gardening mojo back this past summer. Dealing with what we thought was MS for five years (no energy or strength, especially in 100 degree Texas heat), then a move from there to Wisconisn, and then to Alberta... there was quite a bit I needed to adjust to!

My health is now perfect, and I have now done enough reading to learn when to plant, not to start anything from seed unless I'm doing it indoors six weeks before the Victoria Day holiday, and I've also found an amazing garden center east of Edmonton. I planted OODLES of stuff, even though I didn't get it in until late July or early August. I also put in lots of gorgeous bulbs (narcissi, red and yellow striped tulips, and some others) for spring to have something pretty to look at during melt.

I'm very excited to see that woodruff does very well here (I can make May wine!), and I can finally grow delphiniums, which I couldn't in Texas. I'm cleaning up now and pulling out all my doo-dads so they don't freeze, but I'm really looking forward to tilling and putting in more in May. It's only a rental, but at least I'm getting my legs back, and can do something pretty for this place besides weedeater weeds every week.
 

jennontheisland

the world is at my command
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jul 17, 2006
Messages
7,270
Reaction score
2,125
Location
down by the bay
I have now done enough reading to learn when to plant, not to start anything from seed unless I'm doing it indoors six weeks before the Victoria Day holiday
Welcome to the Canadian prairies. lol People thought I was nuts putting tomato seedlings in the ground before May-long (did it the first weekend of May actually), but I've found that if you get ones with at least 8 leaves, and tuck them in at night under a sheet, they will make it through that last frost or two and you'll have a 3-4 week jump on everyone. Works at the end of the season too.

Congrats on getting your garden up and running. Glad you're feeling better. :)
 

sunandshadow

Impractical Fantasy Animal
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Apr 17, 2005
Messages
4,827
Reaction score
336
Location
Pittsburgh, PA, USA
Website
home.comcast.net
Tonight is projected to be the first frost where I am, so we harvested all the rutabagas (we wanted to eat the greens, the roots would have been fine in colder weather). This is the first year we grew rutabagas. They did not turn out as big as the ones at the grocery store, but here's the biggest one we got, held up by my housemate while I took the picture.
rayrutabaga.jpg


We kept thinking of Mario 2:
116382_2.jpg
 
Last edited:

Fenika

Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jun 3, 2007
Messages
24,311
Reaction score
5,109
Location
-
Nice! And so that's what those things were in Mario 2.

I also had to cover my garden for the frost. I am regretting not covering or taking in my peppermint but am not going out for it. Maybe it wont care.

My in ground garden is covered in a plastic greenhouse. It's terrible at holding heat unless the sun is shining on it, so I hope it is enough protection for the peppers as the nights get colder. They still have plenty of peppers to give.
 

Fenika

Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jun 3, 2007
Messages
24,311
Reaction score
5,109
Location
-
Shakey, if you email me that pic, I can post it tomorrow. And where did the rest of your post go?
 

L M Ashton

crazy spec fic writer
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Mar 26, 2005
Messages
5,027
Reaction score
518
Location
I'm not even sure I know anymore...
Website
lmashton.com
I'd love to garden more than I do, but I don't go outside for longer than a couple of minutes because I can't handle the heat or the sun. So I'm at the mercy of nature and whatever decides to pop up out of the ground.

Luckily, in a tropical climate, that's just about everything.

We have a volunteer papaya tree in our front yard. The papaya tree is about eight or ten feet high and has at least 30, probably closer to 40, baby papayas growing on it. This picture is from two months ago. I should take another soon. :)
cpdqk.jpg


The big leaf at the bottom is thebu, or Costus speciosus, or crepe ginger, and is edible. I make it into a sambol - sliced finely, then mixed with freshly shredded coconut, Maldive fish flakes, minced green chillies, salt, pepper, and lime juice. Very delish. :) They also have pretty flowers.

We also have curry leaf trees that pop up everywhere - a neighbor has a tree that flowers and puts forth seeds, so the curry leaf trees are everywhere. The curry leaves are used in curries.

We have a jambu tree. The fruit is a bit like crabapples, but less dense. The neighbors have a star fruit tree with branches that are in our yard, so we get starfruit - lovely, lovely starfruit - from that. The neighborhood monkeys also love starfruit. And mangos and papaya and every other kind of fruit you can imagine.

We have ornamental palms and other ornamental plants as well. For the most part, none of these plants require any work on my part other than for harvesting.

We also have neighborhood chameleons, frogs, snakes, lizards, cats, and birds that visit our yard. Across the road is a bit of a pool in the drainage ditch where tadpoles are growing happily.
 
Last edited:

Fenika

Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jun 3, 2007
Messages
24,311
Reaction score
5,109
Location
-
Low 25 and minor winds. Here's hoping:

b9b97482.jpg
 

Fenika

Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jun 3, 2007
Messages
24,311
Reaction score
5,109
Location
-
And LM, needless to say that I am very jealous ;) I'm glad you have such richness.
 

L M Ashton

crazy spec fic writer
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Mar 26, 2005
Messages
5,027
Reaction score
518
Location
I'm not even sure I know anymore...
Website
lmashton.com
Fenika, I think, sometimes, that I lead a charmed life. Or, at least do now. I didn't used to. :D

My mother in law has a garden plot behind their house where she grows all manner of, well, everything. She has a mango tree in the front yard and in the back, banana plants, papaya trees, green chillies, manioc, eggplant, okra, a curry leaf tree or two, kataramarunga (a green leafy vegetable), and a whole lot of other stuff, some of which I don't recognize or know what to do with. :D

She sells quite a bit of the fruit and vegetables. When her mango tree bears fruit, she always brings us some - and her mangoes are the best, most flavourful mangoes ever. And she brings us bananas, too, also the best, most flavourful bananas ever. I could never eat Dole bananas that y'all have in the west ever again - they're awful compared to these ones. Sorry!
 

Fenika

Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jun 3, 2007
Messages
24,311
Reaction score
5,109
Location
-
Sounds very charmed :) have you tried some moonlight gardening of low maintenance plants?

It's 35 in my quilted cold frame, give or take a degree, just before dawn. Thank the heavens, because it's 26 out and not supposed to warm up fast. High of 51, so I can harvest some peppers today.
 

L M Ashton

crazy spec fic writer
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Mar 26, 2005
Messages
5,027
Reaction score
518
Location
I'm not even sure I know anymore...
Website
lmashton.com
I haven't, and - here's where I sound like a real whiner - I can't because that's when the mosquitoes are out in full force. And full force doesn't begin to describe how bad the mosquito situation here can be, especially when you consider that they carry nasty diseases like malaria, dengue fever, and chikungunya here. I've had chikungunya - it's nasty. And it has nothing to do with chickens. :p
 

Fenika

Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jun 3, 2007
Messages
24,311
Reaction score
5,109
Location
-
I know for a fact that bugs rule in the tropics. They are everywhere. And if they keep you from enjoying gardening then it doesn't help, so I don't think you're a whiner for avoiding disease carrying mosquitoes.

Do you get star fruit trees there? My landlord in the Caribbean had one and it was awesome.
 

Tepelus

And so...
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Sep 18, 2008
Messages
6,087
Reaction score
413
Location
Michigan
Website
keskedgell.blogspot.com
I saw star fruit at our grocery store this past winter and was intrigued by it, but never bought one because I had no idea how to eat it! How does one eat one so if I see these things again I can try it? Does the skin need peeling, or can it be eaten whole, raw or cooked?
 

L M Ashton

crazy spec fic writer
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Mar 26, 2005
Messages
5,027
Reaction score
518
Location
I'm not even sure I know anymore...
Website
lmashton.com
First, you want to buy star fruit that yellow, as little green as possible to no green, and barely any brown on the edges of the stars. It should be firm to the touch, not mushy.

We don't peel it. We wash it, then slice it so that the star shape is fully visible. At least, that's how I do it. My mother in law slices it into five pieces of the point and removed the seeds on the inside. The seeds are small enough and soft enough that, honestly, they're inconsequential and I can't be bothered to dig 'em out.

My mother in law sprinkles sugar on her starfruit, but that's commonly done here. I eat them as is.

We haven't cooked star fruit, which isn't to say it can't be done.
 

Fenika

Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jun 3, 2007
Messages
24,311
Reaction score
5,109
Location
-
Seconding what LM said. It's so hard to get realllly good starfruit in the US though. But it's still good if you pick carefully.