WEEKLY GARDEN THREAD VOLUME 1 JANUARY 4, 2013

Free Republic | Jan 4, 2013 | greeneyes

[Arrowhead1952]

I've got two areas I could use raised beds for gardens, but neither is more than 1/3 my current garden size. I also like the afternoon sun in the current garden location.

I wish we could get away with ignoring the rules, ordinances, etc., of the HOA. People used to do that until the city hired a code enforcement officer. Get a notice taped on the door, get a call from city hall and a fine in the mail.

[Ellendra]

Vine peaches are on my list of “things to grow someday”. I hope to make a dent in that list this summer now that I have time and space to grow more.

[rightly_dividing]

When we made the commitment to move to the Houston area, I thought “Texas, the land of personal freedom and smaller, less intrusive government” If you buy anywhere near Houston, you are about 99.9% guaranteed to be in an HOA neighborhood. We in Conroe 40 miles north of Houston, and we are 6 miles north of the Loop around the skirts of town, and we still have an HOA. It is an easy going one and the fees are small, but they still get finicky about some things, like they don’t want us to have a chicken coop with enclosed yard.

[greeneyes]

Is there a limit on the number of 50 gallon drums? Here’s a design for water storage that packs a lot in a small space. You’ could probably rig up some sort of gravity system to fill them from a collection drum.

I like the looks of this one, but this is more for you emergency water supply. Most of the systems I have seen have been a whole row of 50 or 55 gallon drums sitting upright with a link so that they equalize automatically as the diverter fills one of the drums.

http://www.everythingunderthesunblog.blogspot.com/2009_04_01_archive.html

[left that other site]

And for desert, dip strawberries, bananas, and alles into molten chocolate! mmm mmm mmm

[greeneyes]

To me that’s the only fondue that matters.LOL I love chocolate.

[Ciexyz]

Western PA here. Snow on ground and temps in the teens overnight. Deer tracks all over my back yard. Only gardening I’m doing is keeping alive three tabletop live Christmas trees. Two Richland pines and a third one that is more a shrub. I’m careful not to overwater so it doesn’t damage the roots. All three are doing well. Much better than the jagged pine needle ones from years past that would drop their needles by March and die.

[greeneyes]

Are you going to transplant them next spring?

[Ciexyz]

The grocery store where I bought the tabletop trees has a knowledgable group of workers who buy good healthy stock and they know how to take care of all their live stock so they stay healthy. They said the Richland fir trees wouldn’t last outside in the winter and I should look to repot them eventually and put the pots outside for the spring, summer and fall only. But I’ll check with the local garden store also for their advice.

[Nepeta]

There is nothing magical about "heirlooms". Some of them are very good, and have been preserved because they are unique and good. Others simply are older varieties that have been improved upon by later plant breeding, and do not offer anything superior to other varieties.

There is nothing inherently bad about hybrids. I have had Sweet Million reseed itself for 2 seasons, and the fruits were like the original first season growth.

GMOs are not evil. "Organic" is not holy and pure--it's a way of making people feel good about following ritual, like driving a Prius.

GMO crops supplying vitamins not found in the original plant are a BOON to the people who consume them. Starvation and malnutrition are not noble states, anymore than croaking of malaria is noble because do-gooders in the first world banned DDT.

I grow all sorts of plants--heirlooms, hybrids, etc--because they suit my needs, not my religion.

[gotribe]

Never heard of an aerogarden. What an interesting concept. What all have you grown in it?

[Arrowhead1952]

I failed to mention that we live on a golf course and the city does not want to have “unsightly” views for the golfers to have to endure while playing. The HOA is really nit picky about where you park a boat or vehicles. Lucky for us, we live on a street corner and have two entrances to the driveway.

No greeneyes, there is not a limit to the number of 55 gal tanks, but they need to be hidden with shrubs. My neighbor has several 55 gal drums, but they are a dark green so the city hasn't said anything - yet.

[chickpundit]

I’m from Missouri as well, but have nothing going garden wise currently. I am very excited to have received seeds I ordered, and hope to have a larger spring/fall garden this year, in addition to traditional summer vegetables. What kind of veggies were still growing outside for you around the holidays? Things like spinach, lettuce, kale or broccoli? In the past, I’ve had success with kohlrabi and spinach. Just curious what you’ve having the most success with outside with our recent cooler temps? Thanks.

[rightly_dividing]

I had heard the stories of HOA's that would not allow parking on the grass or even in the driveway, only in the garage. We are fortunate to have an easy going one. The rules here are not too bad. They mainly want to know in advance of any fences or changes to the footprint of the house or outbuildings, and to keep new structures the proper distance from the street or property line. All the HOA's in Houston just struck me as diametrically opposite of the freedoms usually associated with Texas. We are blessed with larger yards here than in Houston. There they would use as a selling feature, a large yard at 7000sq ft. Some yards did not have access for a vehicle to enter the back yard. We are blessed to have 2/3 acre where we are, about what we had inside the city in Mobile.

We really like it here, but Texas really is a whole 'nother world from life in the south, where the only HOA's are in the very richest neighborhoods behind brick walls, with guarded entrances.

[Arrowhead1952]

They mainly want to know in advance of any fences or changes to the footprint of the house or outbuildings, and to keep new structures the proper distance from the street or property line.

That is about the same we have here. Being on a golf course, you have to have a 50% see through fence that cannot be over four feet tall and outdoor structures must be set 25' from the property line.

[Free Vulcan]

Other than onions/shallots/garlic in the ground, 'bout all I got working is some sprouts and some root veggies I'm fermenting.

[Sarajevo]

We really like it here, but Texas really is a whole 'nother world from life in the south, where the only HOA's are in the very richest neighborhoods behind brick walls, with guarded entrances.

(Thread drift Alert!)I got saddled with an HOA when I bought my piece of serenity also. It's actually become fun to tell them to F.O. in various ways. I actually dare my HOA to push their limits.

(Note to self - this isn't about gardening.)

[greeneyes]

Hidden with shrubs? Really-does it have to be shrubs? How about lattice type trellis wouldn’t that work?

[greeneyes]

Lettuce and Spinach is my main crop for the winter garden. I also have carrots, onions, garlic, winter wheat, winter rye, and rosemary.

Warm weather stuff I grow inside next to the patio. Like green peppers, lemons, basil.

[greeneyes]

I am using the time to clear out the freezer. Canning and making jelly and stuff.