It's become clear to me through posts and PMs that there are some gardeners here just waiting for the chance to discuss gardening!
So, I was thinking... how do you use gardening, or how does it affect you if you need a break, need some respite, need to relax, need inspiration....how do you use it as a therapy tool in caregiving?
What are your activities: Do you go out and pull weeds, read a magazine, design new beds? Look through garden catalogues? Go to garden stores?
And what interests have you added to your gardening? Visit estate or garden displays? Do you go to garden shows?
Does anyone design and plant Knot Gardens? Raised bed planters? Assistive gardens? Pollinator gardens (and have you thought of ways to help the bees and butterflies?)
Are your gardens primarily for pleasure or food, or a mix of both? Do you grow plants for medicinal purposes? Which ones, how do you harvest and process them? Any suggestions?
Do you grow plants that can be used in crafts, such as grapevines for wreaths and lavender for lavender wands? Do you make herbal products such as creams, lotions, chapstick?
What else can you share about gardening and the means in which it nurtures your soul?
I did have one by Pifco, with a CorningWare interior; but that was in the 80s and I've no idea where it was made.
If only houses were built with summer kitchens....
Becky, what variety of blueberries are you growing? I recall that we used to pick one variety for baking and another for eating. Bluecrop is the only one I remember now. But those were grown at commercial blueberry farms; I want something for my own garden.
The wife of a friend with whom my father grew up experienced an explosion and tomatoes catapulted up to the ceiling when she opened a cooker while it was still under pressure. The accident required ER treatment. These folks were farmers, so I was surprised that she wasn't aware of the restrictions for using a pressure cooker.
Here's to happy gardeners and homegrown food!
I read all these posts and get a little longing, it's over 100 most days here now, so my garden is in the compost pile, freezer or cupboards. September is my next planting month, still hard to wrap my head around it 🥥🙃
My container tomatoes, peppers and cucumber are HUGE - the best I've ever managed to grow in containers. They each need a pail of water every day but so far nothing is producing but the cuke. Wrong fertilizer? Too hot? 😕
MsMadge are these plants your neighbour is fond of, or rogue self-seeders that have invaded the blocks? And who is responsible for the upkeep of that boundary wall, you or him?
The heat has now turned everything brown overnight
I mentioned to the neighbor tonight that we'd need to do something - plants on his driveway are breaking the cement block wall on the property line
He didn't seem to think it was a problem
I guess I need to rethink this, and revisit this thread to answer all the good advice.
You could also look at the RHS, or the equivalent US gardening societies? For really serious gardening, you probably do want some of the bells and whistles like reinforced toes.
I've been meaning to explain about mine for a while, I'm sorry I didn't get round to it earlier. I do indeed have one remaining pair (through the family years, they go into the shed and multiply, usually in odd sizes and with children's names crossed out and re-marked in descending age order). I can't remember which celeb or minor royal was responsible for starting the fashion flare-up, but the last straw for me came when mid-teens Daughter 1 demanded a pair of Hunters to take to a music festival.
You have to keep in mind that wellies are salad-simple black or green rubber boots, high calf length, with a good stout tread to the sole, and that's it. There is *nothing* to them. They are part of every school uniform, like navy blue knickers and a duffel coat used to be. Utility is the name of the game.
Hunters, with the real logo and the exact correct style and everything: I can't remember what outrageous price was being asked but I do remember that my head swam and there were tears before bedtime.
I was a mother with a heart of stone. D1 was given two options: her brother's old ones, or wet feet.
Disaster. Her life was ruined. She would not be able to go to Bestival. How could I - !!!? Didn't I UNDERSTAND - ?!!!
She had a lovely time and came back with about three hundred pounds of drying mud coating her and all her possessions. I don't think even Hunter wellies could have made much difference. Perhaps you get a better class of mud stuck to them, I really couldn't say.
Anyway. Mainly for nostalgia, I still have one pair in the gardening shed, no brand that I'm aware of, almost certainly came from John Lewis. They are two sizes too big, but since two pairs of socks are essential in any weather when you'd really need them that is a good thing. I usually remember them just after I have sunk ankle deep in whichever flowerbed I am digging.
Wellingtons: Do you garden in Wellies? I promised to treat myself with a pair of Wellies, and I'm ready to look.
Are shoes typically worn in them or are they worn like shoes? Should they have snaps to close the tops (I'm thinking of keeping out unwanted insects)?
If you've bought Wellies here in the US, did you buy from a gardener's supply store, or regular clothing store? I've found a few - LL Bean, Target, but I doubt if the supply is as varied as it would be from a gardening store.
Any other advice on these quintessential British gardening staples? (I want to be another Vita Sackville West or Gertrude Jekyll!)
CW, the story of mulch in my city....
I was initially cited for having 3 cement blocks in my yard; I set seedlings and cuttings on them. Reason for citation: cement blocks attract rats. (Huh??? )
I used bricks in my landscaping; some were piled up as I gradually moved them into the garden. I was cited for that; same reason as for cement blocks. I didn't know rats could lift bricks and build rodent dwellings with them. I'll have to find out how they do that; bricks were always heavy for me. For an animal with a fraction of the weight and strength, they must have super powers. Maybe they're Superman rats?
I was cited for having grass clippings drying on the ground; same reason.
I was cited for having a pile of wood chips from trees cut down; gradually I was using them as mulch. Same reason. Maybe rats are natural woodworkers? I could have had them build some trellises for me if they were handy. May as well put them to work.
I have concluded that the most rats are in the city hall; that's why someone is so worried about them. In about 39 years, I've seen many birds, squirrels of 3 varieties, raccoons, an opossum, hawks, some large birds I thought were predatory (maybe some kind of vulture?) and most recently a deer. Never any rats (the 4 legged kind).
I'm convinced one of the city officials, and possibly a second, are of the 2 legged variety. Two were even caught embezzling, to the tune of almost $.5M. The first incident occurred over a 4 year period.
Perhaps the officials were more concerned about the green grass than the green money, and had not monitoring system in place to detect the embezzlement.
When I dug my garden, I did add a lot to the soil, compost, coffee grounds, dried vegetation (before code enforcement found I was drying foliage to compost), and that made a major difference. My soil was so fertile; I was so proud of my garden.
After the citations, I began composting in situ, freezing the compost then burying it and redesigning the garden so that a buried treasure could benefit the plants all around.
But you're right; tilth improvement worked, more than I expected. The plants in the buried treasure area were stronger and survived droughts much better than those that had previously been mulched (before it was banned). That was a major discovery, and decreased the need to water.
So from then on, I composted in situ. Since the alleged discovery of more rats, and since a realtor told me that rats have been using the freeways for the same purpose humans do, I realize that freeways are conduits for animal travel, so I'm not comfortable burying compost any more.
My long term plan though is to "get out of Dodge." Once I get Dad's house sold and his Trust settled, I can focus on mine. I want to live in a more rural area. Beyond the issue of obsessed scrutiny of private yards, there's a traffic problem that's accelerated but the police just ignore it. I haven't been able to open windows on the street side for years b/c of the smell from auto exhaust at rush hour times.
In the meantime, I've designed a hidden compost plan and hope to implement that later this year, when I can be outside for more than a few minutes before dissolving into a perspiring garden fixture.
Thanks for the insight; I appreciate the assessment and evaluation - it's a tough situation when the code enforcement people are so aggressive. Tax dollars at work I guess.