Gardening From Seeds is a Growing Pastime

77 Square ^ | April 24, 2009 | Chris Martell

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Shameless plug: Dick Zondag is my Boss. He's running the family business his Grandpa started 102 years ago. :)

[Diana in Wisconsin]

And Karen Johannsen WOULD be my arch-enemy if she wasn’t so darn nice and didn’t know so much, LOL! Our businesses compliment one another very well; we constantly trade customers. :)

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Self-Interest Garden Ping, Please! :)

[Blogger]

I have found those peat pellets are good ways to start the seeds growing. Have some little patio tomato plants started right now.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

We sell thousands of those. People really like them for starting tomatoes and peppers. :)

[Arrowhead1952]

Diana, I had to LOL at this:

“The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Vegetable Gardening”

Growing up on a farm in the 50’s / 60’s, everyone knew how to grow everything. I’ll never forget the time I stopped by a small nursery on the way home from the farm about three years ago and $.25 (1/2 teaspoon) worth of leaf lettuce seed. We ate lettuce for more than two years.

So far, my best tomatoes are from seeds I harvested from last year’s crop. I have plants with 5 - 8 tomatoes that are quarter sized. Just waiting for the fresh salads.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

You’re so far ahead of me! I only have salad greens to appease me for the time being...but all of my seedlings are doing great; I’ll be picking tomatoes by late July. ;)

[newhouse]

Well let me tell you about your nursery catalog- sometimes when my daughter goes to seminars etc I tag along- we have plenty of after meeting time to explore whatever city we are in. But during the day I often wait in the hotel room- early this March I had my Jung catalog with me. I spent a couple days engrossed in reading (every catalog teaches me something new about individual plants so I read alot of them),and planning our warmer weather gardens.

Jung is one of my favorites, both for the quality and the service. And I am rather quick to recommend the company.

[Blogger]

My cucumbers took off too, but I think they may have peaked too soon. The leaves shriveled up. I still have a bit of what looks like a bean sprout, and have put them in pots with rich soil, but I don’t hold out a lot of hope for them.

[USNBandit]

Anybody know how hard it is to grow Asparagus. I just moved to NW Washington, 7 miles off Puget Sound and everthing else here seems to grow with little to no effort.

[girlangler]

Thanks for the ping Diana. I’m adding NellieMae to the ping list (gabz, can you add her?). We had a freeper’s meeting last week and I had the chance to meet her in person.

She even raises her own worms. INTERESTING lady. I, of course, have bragged about Diana and all the gardeners on this list to Nellie Mae. She will love you all.

Gardengirl, my heirloom tomatoes are doing great. I have them planted everywhere (containers, ground, etc.) Also the hybrids are growing in the veggie garden. My garden is BEAUTIFUL so far this year (crossing fingers). And my LIAM is coming up everywhere!!! Hope yours is doing well.

I have lettuce ready to pick, green onions, and some big brocholli I started in the mini greenhouse. While most folks around here are just plowing up their ground, I am harvesting.

I have an idea, a plan to turn my garden into a greenhouse this winter. This is a great article. I have learned (the hard way) most of these lessons.

I have a window box with herbs, and my biggest problem is I just can’t get Thyme to grow!!!!

I owe you mail Grammy, was thinking about you and your grandkids today. I spent the day on the lake (on the pontoon boat) and told hubby I HAVE TO get you and those kids fishing with me this summer.

[girlangler]

I have some asparagus growing.

Like many of the lessons I’ve learned over the years I learned the HARD way not to put out too little. It takes a LONG time to spread.

So I have enough for about one meal, although I planted it three years ago (LOL). I tried to find some sets this year and can’t find it anywhere. Next year I am ordering my seeds and sets from Jungs.

So, my advice would be to order it from Jungs, and LOTS of it.

[leftyontheright]

"Some vegetables can be started from a portion of the plant itself"

Do you know if most grocery stores sell produce from non-hybrid seeds? I am relatively new to gardening and wondering if the potatoes (did I spell that right? having a Dan Quayle moment) that we have growing in our compost will affect our seed potatoes if they pollinate as hybrid corn does.

[Viking2002]

I got tired of the poor soil around these parts, so I went with the Topsy-Turvy planters this year. So far, so good. Got cherry and Bush Goliath tomatoes coming in like crazy already. The squash and zucchini seem to be digging hanging upside-down like bats, too. The peppers are still trying to overcome vertigo. LOL The long-established fruit orchard is kicking, too. The Granny Smith tree is promising another bumper crop of fried apples, apple pie in a jar, applesauce, apple butter, and so on. The Texas muscadines have budded like crazy, as usual. The Chenault strawberry patch is already keeping the grandkid entertained with ripe berries. Last year, I put in a fall gold raspberry plant and two blueberry plants. The raspberry plant already spawned a huge shoot, and the parent plant is over 2' tall and flowering already! The blueberries are taking a growth spurt, too, so blooms won't be a surprise. The wife went on this fruit sherbet kick this year, and I told her it won't be long before she's out picking fresh berries to mix in her bowl.

Yeah, I'm a lifelong gardener. There's something satisfying about growing your own food. It just tastes better.

[Orange1998]

Interesting website. May order soon.

[agrarianlady]

What’s LIAM?

[Red_Devil 232]

Good advice! I started small my first year. Just two raised beds. Last year I discovered the little tiller my Dad had in storage for years actually worked and added three tilled rows to my raised beds. This year I have expanded more.

I will post pictures on my home page in a few days.

[Arrowhead1952]

After church today, I stopped at the local hardware store and got two Jalapeno pepper plants. I got the last two they had at half price. My buddy gave us bags of them last year and he had four plants. Our heirloom tomatoes are doing great this year. I wish I had about five acres for a garden.

[stefanbatory]

wish i wasn’t trapped in the city...sigh...

[Gabz]

GArden Ping...............Especially for Diana, just ‘cause she’s so CUTE........LOL!!!!

Good article, glad to see Diana’s boss getting a plug in for their business.