When I am in my vegetable garden and looking at a growing potato sprout or a deep green bunch of thick-leaved spinach, or measuring the growth of my 3 types of carrots, I feel like I am involved in something important, something fundamental. My carrots stretch towards the sun; they want to live as much as I do. I feel deep satisfaction helping them towards their destiny (my stomach). In the garden, my work and personal problems pale to insignificance. So do President Trump's alleged Russia problem, North Korea's missile program , and the riddle of creation and it's original cause. I wish I had the youth, strength and energy to grow things in the garden all day long. Grow something. It helps.
I used to enjoy fishing. Then I got an aquarium and made pets out of my fish. But I had a fish sandwich at Wendy's today, so ....
Outdoor activities are good for distracting from too much information. It actually seperates us from it. These days there is just too much info available. The world can be a frightening place and now all these scary things can be condensed and presented over the internet.
I agree. I have three small green tomatoes on one of my tomato plants. A few weeks, and I will have my first tomatoes. My greens (mezclun) should be ready before then. I need to plant the zucchini soon.
Man, I could watch tomato plants grow all day. Sometimes I go and check mine 3-4 times a day. I am surprised that my mezclun doesn't suffer more from bugs than it does. Just out of curiosity what do you do to control birds? I grew up in Louisiana and can never remember birds eating our tomatoes, perhaps because there are so many more fat juicy insects and worms for their eating pleasure. Here in north Texas, it's a real problem. I hand tin pans in the branches and have even resorted to partially covering a particularly big and nearly ripe tomato with a piece of aluminum foil. No, I don't like doing that, but sometimes it's the only thing that saves them.
I still have my tomatoes and peppers in Styrofoam cups. I have late cabbage planted, broccoli, savoy cabbage, and my late corn planted. I also have potatoes and green peas coming along. We have had a lot of rain and it is slowing progress. But we have plenty of time. I will eventually have crowder peas, purple hull peas, okra, sweet potato, green beans, cantelope , watermelon, and even large gourds. And anything else I can make room for.
I've heard Americans were not allowed to grow their own food. Or may be it was about growing food on the front porch/lawn, not sure. Obviously not true.
Unless there's a local ordinance, we can grow whatever food we'd like, wherever on our property we'd like. Even many landlords have little problem with the practice.
A few pointers: 1. There are many natural remedies to common plant failures. Aphids for instance despise dishwashing liquid in warm water with chilli flakes. Start with the least drastic measure and work your way up (pesticides and the such may still be necessary, but this rule of thumb ensures you don't over-prescribe). 2. Grow from seed. Many plants won't fruit from seed in the first season, but it's worth it. Plants someone else has planted are not your plants. Do both if you need fruit immedietly. 3. For ****'s sake, put your plants in the dirt. Ensure your soil is of high quality and continue to work to improve its quality. 4. Start worm farming. There simply is no substitute for worm castings. Plus, it removes some of the smelly green waste from your trash and puts it in your garden. This is a great job for your kids if you have any. You can even sell excess castings to your friends and family for a small fee. That'll get your kids into Capitalism, two birds with one stone 5. Your own food might not be as big or taste better (though it often does if you do it well), but it will always be fresher. Freshness is 90% of cooking. 6. Don't proselytize. Let people do their own thing. If they want 3 day old GMO tomatoes from the supermarket there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. GMO foods are a valid alternative when you can't just go outside and pick fruit yourself. Don't be "that guy". People hate "that guy". Be the guy people like, who minds his own business and spreads the fruit of his labor around his community. If you have excess limes on your tree this summer hand out baskets to friends and family. Here in Australia we have a pretty simple rule: "don't be a sh*t c*nt". Works for me. 7. Automate if necessary. I would say this is necessary for most. These days you can buy sticks you put in the soil and it'll send you notifications to an app when the soil needs certain nutrients, is too dry, etc. Set up some retic which automatically waters your plants, all you need is some piping, a two-way link and a drill. Drill holes in the pipe, connect it up to the mains with the two way valve, and turn it on for 5 minutes each morning. Simple. Do it while your coffee is percolating. 8. Use mulch FFS. You save a lot of water, and the mulch will seep nutrients in over time. Use soil wetting agents. Don't be "that guy" with dry soil and welted plants.
Fishing and hunting are the sports of Kings (Horse racing is for chumps). One thing left and right agree on is that hunting off the land is the way to go. We all appreciate fresh food and sustainably caught fresh fish. Geez, I can feel a peace circle coming on already!
Let us know where you heard this. I'm 64 and am hearing it for the first time. I did have a hippie-ish poet friend who complained once that "they won't let us grow food!" in the vast tracts of untilled land along and between the interstate highways, but that's a safety issue. And I don't really know too many people itching to plant things there anyway, mostly because the state's giant lawn mowers would make salsa out of the tomatoes and cilantro. Pass the salt.
We only have a raised flowerbed, but it holds tomatoes, several varieties of peppers, herbs, a cucumber plant ( we like Armenian yardlongs), and some odds and ends. It works great for our needs. Surprisingly, playing in the dirt as I call it, is an addiction for me. I can't help myself.
I'm trying with tomatos again this year. They tend to do well until we hit high 90s and 100s. I lose the will to stand out in the heat after a hard day's work to water them. Sad, but I let them die....so gardening might not be my outlet.
There is no national law against it. Some local ordinances prohibit or restrict it in some ways, and some developers put restrictions on property within the development regarding such things. Houses under the control of Home Owners Associations are fairly notorious about such dumb butted rules. My city was going to pass an ordinance requiring a permit for it, and people went ballistic at the thought of having to have a permit to put a tomato plant out, so it was modified so that you only have to have a permit if you are growing more than 2 acres or are growing it commercially. There is still no logical reason for it other than the city likes to require permits so they can churn fees.
After years of living under a no-gardening HOA, I finally have a house where I can garden. Right now, I just have a handful of herbs, but I'm just about ready to get a raised bed and start planting. I haven't gardened since I lived in Chicago, so I have to learn how to garden in South Florida. I think I'm probably already too late for tomatoes. Love this thread! Keep posting tips, please. I've lived under HOA and was forbidden to have a garden. They policed this, because part of the association fees went to mowing the lawns, so if there was a garden, it would be reported. I think HOAs started out with good intentions, and I agree with their core purpose, but it has gotten ridiculous to the point of absurdity. Imagine getting a note on your door that your hibiscus is over 3' and needs to be trimmed. Oy.
You're doing fine! No one can grow tomatoes in the high 90's and 100's. That's why we plant tomatoes in March and April here in Texas and harvest until mid June, but rarely beyond that. If you put them in pots you can bring them inside in July, but otherwise they're supposed to die.
I seriously doubt you are too late for tomatoes in South Florida. It has a very long growing season. I have planted tomatoes in the mid-Atlantic in the middle of summer. As for the HOA, yep, I would never, ever live in one of those. My neighborhood has restrictive covenants, but no HOA to enforce them. I have effectively skirted them much to the chagrin of many of my neighbors by buying several lots along the perimeter that are not subject to the Declaration as they are in a different development. My house is subject to them but all my fun time land is not. I own a piece of commercial property that is in a historical district. Now that is a royal PITA to deal with, especially when the building was built in 1987 so there is absolutely nothing historical about it.
The mezclun is getting eaten up. I may not be able to eat it. No problem with birds, but I have outside cats and an outside dog. I also have mockingbirds and cardinals in my trees, and they are feisty, and keep most other birds out.
