Gardening!

[shann0]

So this year I decided to start growing some fruit that I can make preserves with. I've never made preserves, but I just bought an awesome brand new 15qt pressure canner on craigslist this spring, so I'm excited to try canning pickles, tomatoes and jams.

I put in Strawberries and Thornless Raspberries last year. I didn't get anything from them the first year, but I do have strawberries growing right now.

I'm excited about the fruits I got this year, Honeyberry and PawPaw.
Honeyberry is a blue (like blueberry) cylindrical berry native to Russia, I believe.
I probably won't get any fruit this year, but next year I will.

PawPaw are supposed to taste like banana custard. I've never had any, they are very perishable, so you never find them in stores. I hear they freeze well though. It will likely be several years before I get any fruit from them.
Both honeyberry and pawpaw need two for pollination.

My veggie garden is finally in. I grew extra tomatoes this year because of the canner. I just hope God gives me the energy to get all the produce processed before it goes bad. I'm hoping I didn't bite off more than I can chew!

If anyone is willing to share good tested, tried and true canning recipes I'd love to hear them.

How about you? Are you growing anything unusual in your garden?

[PrisonerOfHope]

Well, let's put it this way: I have a black thumb.

I really wanted fresh basil. I got a beautiful, healthy plant at Publix. It died. They replaced it. It died. They replaced it. About six plants later, I give up....I'm starting to feel like a serial killer!

I finally replaced the artificial flowers in the boxes on my porch rail with marigolds. Beautiful, healthy marigolds. Within days, they were looking shriveled. What am I doing wrong?

The only thing I seem to be able to grow with no problem is long, long vines from my potatoes! ;D

[shann0]

Without knowing any more details, I'd guess overwatering could be your issue. It's the most common mistake made with plants.

[finallyawake]

Hi Prisoner of Hope! (I know your name but I'll call you by your user name in here

We've been gardening now for about 4 years and are finally starting to really get it.....if you would like to see some of the pics of our gardens...both veggie and flower.....you can go into my photos on facebook and just click on my *gardning* album.....

It's become a real love of ours and we grow all kinds of fruits and veggies now. I will post some canning recipes as I have time.

Right now I am drying kale and spinach to powder and preserve for the winter for our green smoothies! The peas, broccoli, and all of our lettuces are bearing fiercly right now! The raspberries are bringing bumper crop quantities!

As for your killing plants.....I am with shannO....without knowing more...I am going to guess you might be over watering....we did it the first year.....we just paid way too much attention to the little darlings....lol.....we learned quickly that they will let us know when they are thirsty

[PrisonerOfHope]

I went both ways with the basil - at first I thought I watered too much, so I watered less on the next one. Neither one worked.

The marigolds might have gotten a bit shriveled from the heat, but they're outside and we've had lots of rain in the past week.

The only plants I have that thrive (besides the potato vines ) are the two different kinds of water plants I have in my frog/goldfish pond.

[perpetualbug]

Another black thumb here. It seems like such a delicate science keeping those little guys alive! I have had so many plants and all of them eventually bite the dust. The only ones I can seem to keep alive are those hanging down green plants with arms that just grow and grow. Eventually though - they outgrow the pot and I don't know what to do with it then. I'd really like to have a garden, but honestly - it just seems like so much work trying to figure out where in the sun to place different plants, how often to water them or feed them and don't even get me started on "cutting back!" I have lots of respect for you folks that can pull off gardening!!

[shann0]

I understand, I used to be like you guys, all I could grow was a spiderplant. I still kill things, but I kept trying. As for learning all the different requirements for each plant, I cheat. I have a book that tells me those things. Besides, you really only need to know it when your planting. Once the plant is in its spot, you don't need to remember anymore.

I love having a garden full of beautiful flowers that take practically no care and come back every year. And nothing beats the taste of a fresh home grown tomato. Store tomatoes tast like cardboard in comparison. That's true of a lot of fruit and veggies too. They all taste better when you grow them yourself! I get back much more than the effort, time and money I put in, so it's worth it too me.