Gardening : Gardening

[Riggs413]

Hey Hodge and Moonshadow, thanks for the info/tips.

I will admit that after reading your suggestions, I thought geeeez, why didn't I think of that. I guess it's because I am a bit (okay a lot) intimidated by the thought of having a water garden. I am so much the novice, that all I know is that plants are generally green and dirt is brown (lol).

Anyways, thanks again for the suggestions and I will update as I do my research. Already found that I am in Zone 5a, thanks Moonshadow.

 

[kers]

After deadheading my blanket flowers and snapdragons a few weeks ago, they are all back in bloom again. How lovely. And the Japanese maple tree I transplanted finally has two leaves! Perhaps it will make it after all.

 

[Moonshadow]

Riggs, where are you in Canada, that you're a zone 5? You don't have to tell me the town, just the general vicinity. I'm in Wisconsin, and it's a full-on zone 4.

 

[Riggs413]

Hey Moonshadow. I am in southern Ontario. If my geography classes from high school served me well, I believe that we are further south than most of Wisconsin. The map I looked at from Environment Canada shows almost all of southern Ontario as either zone 5 (a or b ) or 6.

 

[Moonshadow]

I find that interesting. It must be a maritime effect, that keeps you slightly warmer. Winter must be slightly less harsh than it is here. (I hate winters here.)

 

[kers]

I tried to prune my first young pine for bonsai training. It was like the first time I plucked my eyebrows. By the time I realized I'd taken far too much, it was too late! I tried again with a couple of junipers and had better luck.

 

[dust]

I have always said/been told that I have brown fingers - it is true - I can even kill geraniums. So started working as a horticulture volunteer at a local city farm today. It was great! I planted rows and rows of Chard seedlings. I was told to only plant the strongest, but I slipped a few weaker ones in, just because it seemed like a good idea at the time. After bending over, making little tiny holes in the soil and shoving in seedlings for 2 hours I moved onto leaf raking on an industrial level, where me and my rake came face to face with a hornets nest! I haven't been stung by a wasp since I was a child - gosh, the sting really hurts doesn't it?

On the way out I picked some fresh Kale, chard, leak and fennel for my tea.

Back next week and very much looking forward to it. A lovely day and lots more to learn.

 

[dust]

I think I am the only one with gardening fever right now. Perhaps it is too cold - but I am enjoying preparing the gardens for the spring. This week I prepared some sweetpea seeds for sewing: scratched the seeds on sandpaper before putting them in warm water over night and then potting up. I'm working on a community farm/garden, so there is always lots to do: thinning out chard, getting rid of nettles (I NEVER knew they had such big roots), more leaves, pulling out dead stuff, cutting back plants and storing their seed heads for planting.

 

[dust]

I prepared a piece of land today - I think I must have spread 12 wheelbarrows of manure on the plot. Didn't have the energy to dig it in. I've been digging up Lemon Balm and Mint and splitting off the roots and re-potting for the farm to sell to visitors in the spring. It is really easy to plant mint, the roots are very strong and it is (apparently) enough to just split off a bit of mint and pot it for it to grow!

 

[jeapea]

So... Lots of people still in the throes of winter? I'm seriously longing for springtime. My chickens have started laying.... anyone else ready?

 

[jeapea]

wake up little groundhogs! I'm going out to burn brush. It's nice out, sunny. And, I'm going to save the branches I can use to make twig trellises or an arbor with. Good therapy... working with hands.

 

[Leda]

My chicken have started laying too - but when it comes to gardeing I will have to wait.I live in Norway and we normally have alot of snow - but this year it´s more than normal . Bu I´m planning - sooner or later the snow wil dissapear.