Gardening Fast Five | Pad Patter 6.1.22

[bestcee]

I splurge bought some strawberry plants yesterday. Totally random, but they were on sale, and I wanted to try out the company before I buy trees from them. I'd like to turn a decent amount of our yard into pollinator garden and edible plants/trees. How about you?

1. Do you garden?
2. What is your favorite plant to grow?
3. Do you grow a lot of edible plants?
4. Do you enjoy gardening?
5. Are you a container or in the ground person (Or something else that I don't know)?

Bonus: Do you have any fruit trees? Are they hard to take care of?

 

[Cherylndesigns]

1. Do you garden? Yes
2. What is your favorite plant to grow? I have lots of flowers and herbs
3. Do you grow a lot of edible plants? So far, just tomatoes and herbs
4. Do you enjoy gardening? I love it
5. Are you a container or in the ground person (Or something else that I don't know)? I have two front gardens, one 3 tiered raised planter and several containers. I have annuals in two of them and herbs in the others.

Bonus: Do you have any fruit trees? Are they hard to take care of? We don't have any fruit trees

 

[HavaDrPepper]

Nope to all! Between allergies, knee and back problems I just can't do anything outside.

I paid to have the landscaping done with the request that it be low maintenance. So I have lots of bushes, small trees and perennials. When I do anything outside I have to wear a mask and only work for short period of times. Started some cleanup of the patio yesterday but didn't get done. Will have to do that tomorrow or Friday as long as it doesn't rain.

 

[jk703]

1. Do you garden? No... and I probably shouldn't. I kill things, unintentionally, every time.
2. What is your favorite plant to grow? Hmm.... I don't have one. Many perish. Maybe tomatoes since we usually get those to grow. All my husbands doing though. We also got one jalapeno last year!
3. Do you grow a lot of edible plants? We try to grow tomatoes, peppers, grapes, strawberries, cucumbers, and... I feel like I'm forgetting something.
4. Do you enjoy gardening? I am not a gardener, and I don't enjoy it much. I think it's my track record. It is a challenge, lol! We keep trying.
5. Are you a container or in the ground person (Or something else that I don't know)? We have raised beds in our back yard.

 

[Memaw2Wm]

Nope, not a gardener. It's about all I can handle mowing the yard, edging the sidewalk/street curb, trimming the azalea bushes and picking up all the sticks and pine cones that my trees litter.

I did get two small Redbud tree seedlings from a neighbor that I need to keep alive until I decide where to plant them and how to mark them so I don't run the mower over them.

 

[Angela Toucan]

1. Do you garden?
no, my husband does
2. What is your favorite plant to grow?
lavender, but struggling to grow it at this house, it was abundant in our old house.
3. Do you grow a lot of edible plants?
all our plants are edible
4. Do you enjoy gardening?
I don't know
5. Are you a container or in the ground person (Or something else that I don't know)?
mixture of the two.

Bonus: Do you have any fruit trees? Are they hard to take care of?
we have 9 fruit trees. Our little orchard is my husband's pride and joy.

 

[amien1]

1. Do you garden?
kind of. We used to have planter boxes in the backyard, but the deer literally ate EVERYTHING except the onions. So now I keep a few pots up on the deck that they can't get to- I usually do a salad pot with different lettuces and then a cherry tomato. We do also have a section of our flower beds on one side of our house where we have raspberries & strawberries, but again, the deer & birds too I think love them.

2. What is your favorite plant to grow?
Spinach is probably the easiest thing I've ever grown- and so easy to harvest & eat!

3. Do you grow a lot of edible plants?
If you add all my flowers & other plants around the house, then no, but I do enough for our little family- I just wish the deer knew what they weren't supposed to like!

4. Do you enjoy gardening?
Yes, but I couldn't do a huge giant garden. I like that it takes a few minutes a day to water & harvest & that's it.

5. Are you a container or in the ground person (Or something else that I don't know)?
We've always done containers, just so we know what's what.

Bonus: Do you have any fruit trees? Are they hard to take care of?
No we don't but where I grew up we did, I think you can take care of them & they produce more, but my dad is at the point of his life where he cares very little for his and they still do okay- mostly I think because they are WELL established now!

 

[dawnmarch]

I garden a little bit but it's a challenge here in the Phoenix area. The seasons for gardening are completely different -- most things are planted in the fall or late winter because it's too hot for most plants in the summer. My favorite thing to grow is probably zinnias since they are easy and do really well in full sun. Also, jalapenos and other hot peppers grow like crazy here. I also have two enormous rosemary bushes that grow in our front yard. I don't really "garden" them since they just happily do their thing out there -- the lawn guys trim them back or they'd probably be 4 feet tall. I hear that you can grow cateloupe in the summer here so I've actually started a couple by seed. We'll see how it goes.

Aside from landscape plants that we just kind of maintain, we grow flowers and veggies mostly in pots. The soil here is awful and mostly covered with gravel so it is a lot of work to try to grow in the ground.

I do really enjoy it. I am on a Phoenix area gardening forum on FB and we often joke about how it "only" cost us $75 dollars to grow a tomato plant with all the pots, potting soil, fertilizer, compost, drip irrigation, bird netting, etc. So, I'm definitely not doing it to save money -- I just enjoy the process of planting and growing things. It's kind of magical really.

 

[bcgal00]

1. Do you garden? Not a lot. I like a low maintenance garden.
2. What is your favorite plant to grow? This year it is a honeysuckle bush that I just planted and next year should fill in the corner of our little yard.
3. Do you grow a lot of edible plants? No.
4. Do you enjoy gardening? Not really, I just like to enjoy them, not work at them.
5. Are you a container or in the ground person (Or something else that I don't know)? I've done container tomatoes that were easy to grow and used to have planters on the porch but it became too much work with deadheading them all the time.

Bonus: Do you have any fruit trees? Are they hard to take care of? No idea what we might need to do. Here at our new house we have what we think are a plum and maybe apple tree.

 

[gonewiththewind]

1. Do you garden? No, but my hubby loves working in the yard and it's so beautiful!
2. What is your favorite plant to grow? I love my gardenia that is huge now as well as several hydrangea bushes.
3. Do you grow a lot of edible plants? No
4. Do you enjoy gardening? No.
5. Are you a container or in the ground person (Or something else that I don't know)? Our tomato plants were in a planter last year and they did so well. I loved just grabbing them off the vine, slicing them up, and making a tomato sandwich. But again, all my hubby's doing.

Bonus: Do you have any fruit trees? Are they hard to take care of? We don't have any fruit trees, but my MIL has a Meyer lemon tree (she shares when it produces abundantly). My mom has some grape vines as well as scuppernong vines. She makes jellies with those. Mama also has a garden with strawberries, cucumbers, tomatoes, squash, green onions, cantaloupes, watermelon . . . a bunch of stuff!

 

[3BluEyedBabies]

1. Do you garden? Yes! It's one my favorite things to do! Right up there with reading and scrapping!
2. What is your favorite plant to grow? I love geraniums because they remind me of my grandmother. This year, I'm looking forward to see how my dahlias do!
3. Do you grow a lot of edible plants? Right now I only have some lettuce and sweet peas growing. Our crappy clay soil it not good for growing much and the raised beds we had the last two years really didn't produce well, either. I also have a ton of herbs, but I don't actually cook with them much. I think I'm taking a break from veggies this year and just doing flowers!
4. Do you enjoy gardening? It's like therapy for me! I wish I had a bigger budget to buy all the pretty flowers!
5. Are you a container or in the ground person (Or something else that I don't know)? I do both!

 

[IntenseMagic]

1. Do you garden? I wish I had a good place for a vegetable garden, but I don't. I do potted tomatoes and peppers on my deck I have lots of flowers, perennials and annuals, in big flower beds around my house and in pots and hanging baskets on my deck.
2. What is your favorite plant to grow? Cherry tomatoes...I just call them my snack vines lol I pretty much just pick and eat. As for flowers, I adore my Day Lilies
3. Do you grow a lot of edible plants? Just the tomatoes and peppers. I do have a bunch of wild black raspberry bushes if I can keep the deer out of them. I've tried a few other things and the animals always get to them.
4. Do you enjoy gardening? I do, a lot. My happy place is in the dirt.
5. Are you a container or in the ground person (Or something else that I don't know)? Mostly containers for edibles. I have lots of flowers, ferns, and hostas in the ground and in pots.

 

[michelepixels]

1. Do you garden? No, the only plant for which I've been responsible that has lived longer than a couple years is the Sunset Maple Tree in the middle of my front yard, which my husband and I planted (it looked like a 5 foot twig) when I was newly pregnant with my first child, who just turned 21 last week. . . .
2. What is your favorite plant to grow? . . . . It's a huge tree now, as tall as the house, and I'm kind of proud of it, and love how it makes concrete the passage of time. Once in a while (most recently just a couple days ago) I'll just look at it and be awestruck about how it represents 21 very full years. I'll miss it someday (because we don't want to live in this house forever). Good thing I've photographed it hundreds of times.
3. Do you grow a lot of edible plants? About two times I've tried to grow food. I've had a handful of cherry tomatoes and a few carrots.
4. Do you enjoy gardening? I think I would enjoy helping someone else garden. I absolutely LOVE the idea of growing food for oneself. I guess I just didn't have enough gumption to figure out how to do it, and/or other priorities. Maybe someday I'll try again.
5. Are you a container or in the ground person (Or something else that I don't know)? All my gardening has been in containers. My biggest garden was a 3 or 4 foot square, using the ideas in a book called Square Foot Gardening (or something like that). I set up in 2006 using boards for each of the four walls, atop some kind of material, filled with soil. That's where I got the carrots. Nothing else made it though, as far as I remember.
The time I tried to grow tomatoes it was a rectangular pot on the porch.
From 2018 through 2019 I had a desk plant that was a gift from one of my kids' friends. I watered it regularly and it seemed to thrive for a year and then died.
I managed to neglect an aloe vera plant enough to kill it while my kids were preschoolers. So you see I haven't done well with plants.

I do love nature though and have lots of respect and gratitude for gardeners of all kinds. I prefer more natural wild stuff though, not highly cultivated plants. I love my lawn the most every May when it is full of buttercups.

Bonus: Do you have any fruit trees? Are they hard to take care of?
I love fruit, so if I had any fruit trees that would be awesome!

 

[djp332]

1. Do you garden? Not as much as I used to. Since moving to FL, I'm limited to what I can grow my Aerogarden and in pots on my lanai. The rest of the landscaping is taken care of by our community HOA gardeners. Lots of palm trees and tropical plants. It's beautiful, but I can't take credit for any of it.
2. What is your favorite plant to grow? I have a lot of succulents, including a turtle topiary. They are hard to kill.
3. Do you grow a lot of edible plants? I have a lot of herbs - basil, parsley, thyme, and oregano.
4. Do you enjoy gardening? Yes.
5. Are you a container or in the ground person (Or something else that I don't know)? I have at least 10 pots on my lanai, and most of them have multiple openings.

Bonus: Do you have any fruit trees? Are they hard to take care of? I just recently bought a patio lemon tree. I'm really looking forward to when the fruit is ripe. I also just grew and avocado tree from seed. I started it in a glass and transplanted in into a pot last month. It's about 8 inches tall now. I don't even like avocados, but I thought it would be fun to see if it would grow.

 

[Scrapping with Liz]

1. Do you garden? A little bit.
2. What is your favorite plant to grow? Any kind of flowers. I do love watching squash grow. The vines are so pretty & they are my fave!
3. Do you grow a lot of edible plants? We try.
4. Do you enjoy gardening? Yes! I wish I had more time & somebody to come to my house and really teach me how to do it well.
5. Are you a container or in the ground person (Or something else that I don't know)? I usually focus on the container stuff and my hubby and kids focus on the ground garden.

Bonus: Do you have any fruit trees? Are they hard to take care of? We have blueberry bushes. Not sure if that counts. We just planted them last year. We got a few blueberries last year and they are blooming now. So far they have been super easy to take care of. We just have to keep the deer away from them.

 

[jk703]

That's it... @amien1 mentioned Onions... and that was the veggie I forgot!

And I must google turtle topiary. Can you tell me about your experience? I'm determined to find a plant I cannot kill. @djp332

Thank goodness my husband has the greener thumb to my brown one!

 

[bestcee]

several containers. I have annuals in two of them and herbs in the others.

Do you keep the herbs going during the winter? Or just summer?

 

[bestcee]

So I have lots of bushes, small trees and perennials.

That is super smart!

Maybe tomatoes since we usually get those to grow. All my husbands doing though. We also got one jalapeno last year!

Yay for getting a jalapeno!!

It's about all I can handle mowing the yard, edging the sidewalk/street curb, trimming the azalea bushes and picking up all the sticks and pine cones that my trees litter.

I feel that! This year we've been able to move the mowing to munchkin. It's also what I want to replace some of the grass with edible plants.

we have 9 fruit trees. Our little orchard is my husband's pride and joy.

That's awesome! I'm trying to figure out if I have room for 6 trees. 9 must be a huge blessing!

 

[bestcee]

I usually do a salad pot with different lettuces and then a cherry tomato.

That's a cool idea!

e often joke about how it "only" cost us $75 dollars to grow a tomato plant with all the pots, potting soil, fertilizer, compost, drip irrigation, bird netting, etc. So, I'm definitely not doing it to save money -- I just enjoy the process of planting and growing things. It's kind of magical really.

It's so true. Not to mention labor. So, you must love it!

Here at our new house we have what we think are a plum and maybe apple tree

Oh fun new discoveries!

I loved just grabbing them off the vine, slicing them up, and making a tomato sandwich. But again, all my hubby's doing.

Yum! Fresh tomatoes are my favorite.

I think I'm taking a break from veggies this year and just doing flowers!

A break is always a good thing. Enjoy the pretty flowers!

 

[bestcee]

Cherry tomatoes...I just call them my snack vines lol I pretty much just pick and eat. As for flowers, I adore my Day Lilies

Yum! I love your snack vines. lol!

I guess I just didn't have enough gumption to figure out how to do it, and/or other priorities.

Because it's not like you are busy...

I love my lawn the most every May when it is full of buttercups.

Oh! Buttercups sound beautiful! I should see about planting some!

I have a lot of succulents, including a turtle topiary. They are hard to kill.

Succulents are pretty hard to kill. We have a succulent that was snacked on by the dog and ripped out of it's pot. It's hanging in there though. It looks healthy this year.

We have blueberry bushes. Not sure if that counts. We just planted them last year. We got a few blueberries last year and they are blooming now. So far they have been super easy to take care of. We just have to keep the deer away from them.

Totally counts! Blueberries and Raspberries are on my list to investigate. Just gotta figure out the sun part.