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grow a garden


 

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How to grow a garden by Seafolly3

"My biggest tip to gardener's on a budget: the sad plant table!"

How I did it: My mother has kept the best garden in our development for as long as I can remember. When I bought my first home, Mom provided me with bulbs and seedlings to landscape our property; those plants always held a special place in my heart. So much that when I left the house, I dug up all of the plants and gave them to dear friends, so they would prosper under proper care and I knew they would be well looked after.
After moving overseas for my husband's job, we spent year after year in unit blocks with a few pot plants, but our new townhouse is the first place where we have had a bit of of green. I had to be a bit creative, due to bylaws and lease agreements, but I removed the existing landscaping which was already dying (shady plants in full sun = numbnuts landscaper!) and placed the salvagable plants into pots.

The fence to our back garden has slats and I wanted a bit more privacy, so I planted canna and helicona plants along the perimeter. I splurged on the cannas, being a bit of a snob, because of what I learned from my mother. The bulbs on Ebay ran me about $10.00 a plant, but it was well worht it. The "filler" cannas I bought a the local garden center were only white and I absolutely plan on getting rid of them, once my beautiful cannas propegate. A few creeping frangipini (plumeria) plants to cover in the holes in the fence and we should have the coverage we are hoping for.


The front garden was well landscaped with indiginous plants that are almost fully grown. I don't love them, but I can live with them.

I wanted to grow vegetables, but I didn't have the patience to turn over the soil in the back garden and they would not provide the coverage we desired, so I bought a few large pots and a few sytrofoam coolers (with holes drilled in the bottom) and filled them up with winter vegetables: strawberries, broccoli, brussel sprouts, lettuce, carrots, etc.

Fingers crossed.

Lessons & tips: Don't go for the cheap potting soil. It contains a lot of wood chips/product. It will attract bugs way before the wood decomposes; it also does not hold water in the way new plantings need.

Resources: Ebay, my Mom.


 

Feb 05, 09:05PM PST | 1 comment | 4 cheers



More "How I Did It" stories

Dioni is laughing at herself

It took me
21 days
It made me

How I did it: I picked several packets of seeds that I wanted to plant. I looked to see what kind of light they all needed. Most of them were partial shade, with a few full sun. So I found a spot in our yard that gets sun about 75% of the day. I raked the leaves away, pulled out all the weeds and transplanted any other plants that I want to keep. I loosened the soil a bit, and left it for a while.I started most of my plants in pots so I could tell what… Read how I did it…

May 06, 02:48PM PDT | 1 comment | 1 cheer


monet1182

It took me
3 months
It made me
Happy!

How I did it: I started with small plants. I watered them regularly and they grew! IT was like a miracle. I had to use netting because there are a lot of deer that would have eaten the plants. Read how I did it…

Jan 27, 11:44AM PST | 0 comments


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    People doing this are also doing these things:

    Entries

    PunkyBruiser feels healthier then I have in a while.

    Untitled 1 month ago

    Arizona heat and sun are not condusive to green growing things. Neither is apartment living, even with a patio. I suppose I’ll never have here what I used to have as a kid in Seattle and San Fran. Sigh.

    May 15, 09:47PM PDT | 0 comments


    oliviaezra Not eating ANY sugar

    Planted the seeds this week 1 month ago

    ...and I sure hope they produce something. I’m having a hard time fending off the deer when I’m on a budget. I need to get it together today, this deer fence. I wish I could just sit outside with a bb gun, that would show them.

    May 13, 09:53AM PDT | 1 cheer | 0 comments


    MacBuglet more coffee

    And not in containers 1 month ago

    Arizona soil sucks. I have some pottied lovies that go outside a lot- but they are not a garden. I own plants, but they are NOT a garden. I want rows of plants, nerly enough to feed a family. I’d like to pull things out ofnaturally ocurring healthy soil and not something that I either bought or mixed up previous (I do so love compost) I don’t mind improving soil, but this STUPID. AZ’s sandy freakin’ desert acid crap can bite me.

    May 12, 10:10PM PDT | 1 cheer | 0 comments


    Dioni is laughing at herself

    Started my garden!! :) 2 months ago

    I started my garden on April 18. I am growing arugula, romaine lettuce, tomato, nasturtium, morning glory climbers, coriander, parsley, strawberry, and wildflowers. They are doing very well!

    I made a big mistake though. Usually, anything I try to grow dies, so I figured that I would plant all the arugula in the packet. Well, they all came up. 200 of them. Ha! So I am planting them in rows, giving them to my friends in groups of 20 or so. I could not bring myself to pick the little seedlings. But I ended up having to.

    May 05, 04:34PM PDT | 0 comments


    kaden what are you doing today?

    Seeds are planted 3 months ago

    I got my seeds sprouting under the grow lights, i wanted to take a pic and post it cuz i’m excited, but can’t find my camera.

    Apr 07, 09:09PM PDT | 2 cheers | 6 comments


    oliviaezra Not eating ANY sugar

    Cucumbers 3 months ago

    I planted inside my cucumbers and they grew right away and are dying right away. What the hell? I put a light on them and gave their dying homes water….however the cucumbers might need a new start.

    And why in the hell is it snowing in April several inches??? I wanted to start my garden this weekend!!!

    Apr 03, 08:47AM PDT | 0 comments


    stampadhesive

    failing 3 months ago

    SO I bought this flower bulb thing, where I just put the bulb in the pot, add water to the dirt the pot provided, and water it.

    It’s failing miserably.

    Mar 22, 07:59PM PDT | 0 comments


    brickhorse has all the swirling plates in the air!

    Watered 2 pots of cacti on my front steps! 3 months ago

    My big gardening accomplishment!

    Mar 19, 10:41AM PDT | 1 cheer | 0 comments


    Natalie Malkovska is thinking

    First steps 3 months ago

    Today me and my husband turned the soil over and planted sunflower, carrots, radishes and parsley. I also plan to plant cauliflower or broccoli. So the beginning is made.

    Mar 18, 05:23AM PDT | 3 cheers | 0 comments


    oliviaezra Not eating ANY sugar

    Cucumbers 4 months ago

    It snowed again, making my boyfriend really think I was crazy when I wanted to shovel the snow out of my “spot” and have him start ripping the grass out for me. Come Spring!
    Anyway, I planted my cucumbers inside and even put a little heat pad under their tray. I can’t wait to put these little guys in the ground.

    Mar 11, 11:29AM PDT | 1 cheer | 0 comments


    → See all 219 entries

    Ask for advice: Get help from people who've accomplished this goal


    Ohio
    		 Dioni asks, “How can I keep critters from eating my plants?”
    — 2 months ago


    		 1 answer

    Atlanta
    		 qwerty43 asks, “Any simple, basic advice for a first time gardener? I live in Georgia and would like to get started this weekend. Nothing too complicated, just basic tips please. Thank You!!”
    — 16 months ago


    		 0 answers

    Beaukiss
    		 Stephen Frick asks, “When is a good time to start a fall\winter garden in Texas?”
    — 3 years ago


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