Vegetable gardening on the rise

Waterbury Republican-American ^ | April 12, 2008 | Brigitte Ruthman

[HiramQuick]

Neighbors tend to hide when the zucchini comes. Funny. Doors no longer opened to my knocks even when I saw eyes peaking out through the blinds. Same thing halfway through tomato season. Neighbors avoided me like the plague. Green beans? They make good mulch after awhile. The zuchinnis love them... but alas a perpetual problem.

When I first started gardening at this house (5 years ago) I bought lumber for raised beds, mushroom compost, hours building the beds ..... see where this is going? I raised 30 dollar a pound tomatoes that first year. I'm probably down to 10 bucks a pound now. (and round up took care of the zuchinni)

But oh my .... that first tomatoe of the season ... that first small batch of tender asparagus .... that first mess of green beans.....I tell you is better than S.E. _ ... no never mind ... I won't go that far. I'm just an old tired Master Gardener on the twelve step program. "Hi .. I'm Ned and I am "sniff sniff" ..... a plantaholic ...sigh"

[kalee]

We planted some asparagus a few years ago but havan;t gotten more than a spear or two. Any advice?

[AGreatPer]

"I live in the woods, so I don’t garden. I tried, and tried, but I just don’t get enough sun. Even my open space has tall trees around it, so I give up. That, and the deer (who are just rats with antlers) will even come up to my front porch and eat my hostas. They act like I have planted a salad bar just for them."

I haven't laughed that hard in quite awhile because you just described my place perfectly. In fact the tv dish company told me to forget it, keep your cable. LOL

I tried 3 big pot tomatoes last year with somewhat success until the oak leaves decided to stop the growth.
I am fortunate though since I live next to a farm, Stritesorchard.com, and they have all the good stuff available year round.

The most fun though is to go to the Amish Markets around here. They are a few miles away but worth it. My favoriate is, Rootsmarket.com. I go every Tuesday.

I figure by doing business with the locals I am accomplishing many good things.

[HiramQuick]

Asparagus is temperamental, but once started well it supplies well. Basics. Insist on 2 year old crowns from your nursery. Asparagus requires rich, well drained loamy soil. Plant each crown deep using a lot of well rotted manure. First year let the shoots come up and go to seed (fern stage) Feed well with high nitrogen fertilizer. The crowns are developing. The second year refrain from harvest and again let everything go to Fern Stage and stay that way through summer. Again high nitrogen fertilizer is needed. The third year harvest aprouts lightly. 4th year harvest as sprouts develop little finger in size, 10" .. don't cut them they will snap off at the correct height, but never take more than half. Our 5 year bed (20 initial crowns) will keep 4 asparagus lovers fed daily for about 4 weeks straight. Hope this helps

Yum ...

[Grammy]

Hiram..... baby.....

Knock on my door... I will answer in a heartbeat! I have learned to take *anything* from anybody if I ever want more. I have been given stuff that needed to be eaten soon that I didn’t get to. So, my compost pile loved it. But my friend was happy that he gave away his excess, and I was happy with what I did get to, so every body wins.

Now, as to why I have a compost pile when I don’t garden... that’s a really good question.

[Grammy]

I agree with you about amish markets. They have really good produce and I didn’t have to grow it.

I have an organic farm that I have purchased from for a few years. They send out an email on Sunday night and tell you what is available. You order what you want and they deliver to central spots where we pick it up. It is wonderful to have produce that was just picked.

[La Enchiladita]

Chuckle, chuckle...

[HiramQuick]

My dear one ... for you I’ll do anything! “Back that truck up Larry, we’ve got zuchinni, maters and spargus to unload ...!”

OK ..I’ll bite ...why do you have a compost pile? lol
For me it is obvious .. I generate 10 yds of “blackgold” yearly

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Due to lack-o-time, I am turning over a portion of the garden to Husband to do with what he will. He’s going to put in scads of asparagus, because we only have a small bed now, and it’s his favorite veggie.

We’ll be adding about 60 crowns, so we’ll have plenty for us and pretty much everyone in our COUNTY in a few years, LOL!

I’ll still grow the tomatoes, peppers, herbs, flowers and chickens. I’ll MAKE time for those! :)

New baby chicks are arriving this week. 50 of them. A mixed bag of brown egg layers and some lah-di-dah “Partridge Couchins” I’m raising for a girlfriend.

When I can figure out a way to raise more than 50 chicks at a time, I’m going big time with specialty breeds. They’ll sell like hotcakes around here.

Nice to see ya, BTW. What did you catch, and how quickly can you ship some to me? LOL!

[girlangler]

Thanks Grammy. I fished for several days here on Norris Lake with some friends visiting from Ohio, but we only caught a few bass. This lake is the top in the TVA chain, and this time of year the water levels are rising rapidly. It’s almost at full pool, and once there, things will stabilize and fishing will get better.

Things have been hectic here, and I haven’t been feeling well. Today is the first time I’ve been on FR in a while.

I’ll freepmail you later, going to hit the bed early tonight.

[Grammy]

As I said, why I have a compost pile is a good question! I am not sure I know the answer.

I started it when I *thought* I was going to be gardening.... before the deer started decimating even the hostas. Now it is just a nice thing to do with veggie parings.... it saves stinky garbage and if’n I get a hankering to kill something in a pot I don’t have to go buy potting soil to try.

Did I mention I am also a very *bad* gardener? It took me a few years to finally admit it. That is why I make flowers in sugar for wedding cakes. You can’t kill them and you can eat your mistakes.

I love zuchinni!!!!! Have you ever had zuchinni soup? It is the Italian version of a Jewish mother’s chicken soup... good for what ails ya.

[OB1kNOb]

I wonder if modern Democrats grow "defeat gardens".

I think they raise "cut-n-run" gardens. ;-)