Worst gardening tool??
Art Institute
8 years ago
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emerogork
8 years agoRelated Discussions
your best (and worst!) cheap, thrify, and diy garden tips?
Comments (72)One good tip I learned (from trial & error, then much research) is to plant and harvest things at the proper time for your growing zone- even in places like california where people might tell you "oh you can grow anything there all year round"... not true! some plants are warm season, some are cool season, some like to overwinter, some are annual, some are perennial, some are biennial, etc. Research each plant, and also don't assume plants that seem similar will have the same needs, for example peas and beans both come in bush and vining varieties and grow in pods, but peas like cool weather while beans like it hot- except for a few certain beans that actually do prefer it cool... Also, potatoes can tolerate cool weather while sweet potatoes don't. Kale & lettuces grow best in cool weather while chard seems to do fine in hot or cool. You get the idea. If you plant things at the wrong time you'll be wasting your time and the seeds- I tried lettuce when it was too late to be planting it and in the heat of summer it went straight to bolt. I've planted zucchini and tomatoes when it was too cold for them and they grew poorly and didn't produce fruit. Harvest times are just as important as planting times- I planted radishes once and they didn't seem to get big enough by harvesting time so I thought I could just let them keep growing for a while longer- but found out that if you leave them in the ground too long they get tough and too spicy and shrivel up instead of getting bigger! Also it may be tempting to let a zucchini get huge, thinking it will just provide more food when you let a fruit get 2 feet long... No! Harvest them young & tender and about the size they sell them in the grocery store (or smaller), any larger and you get a hard shell, lots of seeds, and very little (and quite tasteless) flesh. Moral of these stories is to research each fruit or veggie you want to grow & follow the "directions", it will mean the difference between success & failure! Also- healthy soil is #1 important thing for plants - no chemical fertilizer! Compost is your best friend. Mulch is your other best friend- use what is available & free- leaves & pine needles are what I use. Good luck!!!...See MoreWorst (and funniest) Garden Mistakes and Legends
Comments (20)Last year was my first year to get dirt under my nails in WCentral TX. - The most expensive mistake was planting a full afternoon sun front bed of approx 15 1-3g shrubs in the middle of June. I thought that watering them every day would help, so they either fried or I drowned them or a combo of both. - Not remembering that quite a few things were perennials and throwing them away once they started to fade - Not realizing what sq feet equals, I was still used to metric. So my little patch of wildflower seed I sowed in the fall really should've been spread out a bit more, okay a lot more. - Just because the garden center sells it, doesn't mean A) that it will 'work' here B) that it is the correct time to plant it...See MoreOur worst gardening habits
Comments (21)Kathy, I know the plant for you (while you wait impatiently for your daylilies) Salvia Mystic Spires. It's a blue perennial salvia that's supposed to be hardy to zone 7 and supposed to grow to about 2 feet tall and wide, but didn't live up to any of the claims. It didn't overwinter here in zone 7a (very harsh winter) but it grew to 4 feet tall and 3 feet wide and was spectacular. Your friends will think you're a gardening genius. You can check it every 15 minutes and it will actually be bigger each time. It's more like a shrub. When it gets out of control, whack it back by 2/3rds. Christine...See MoreWhat has proved to be your worst enemy in your garden this year?
Comments (30)Oh my goodness, Donnie! It's happening on your side of the world, too? Now I'm really nervous about the 7 pots of 'August Moon' sitting in my whole new planting area, in front of my house tonight. I purchased two full pots of it today, and divided them up with at least 2-3 eyes each and came up with the 7 at a final cost of around $4.28 each pot! I chose the 'August Moon' for the color and also because it can usually be found reasonable in cost these days and I had hoped that no one might be as tempted to dig them up, since they are so inexpensive by comparison to so many!! I'm thinking I might run out and bring them in now! LOL My biggest enemy this year is definitely the lack of rain! They are all doing fine, because I am able to keep up with watering but it has been a real task this year due to the watering restrictions and the extremes I've had to go to, to harvest water to use on them! janice...See Moreemerogork
8 years agoemerogork
8 years agoemerogork
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoalbert_135 39.17°N 119.76°W 4695ft.
8 years agolast modified: 8 years ago
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