https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Thu, 16 Apr 2026 10:49:09 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/2016-gardening-season/page/2#post-2543988 Sun, 08 May 2016 19:03:40 +0000 regberadaisy 2543988@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Amorini: omgosh - I'm so jealous!!! We are starting brand new which is a little sad because we had established soil we worked hard for at our last house. :/ Oh well, we plan to be here for a very long time so we will be spending some money amending the soil and making sure we start off our garden the right way!<br /> Getting about 4 cu yards of compost + soil delivered this week for our raised beds and filling in areas in the lawn. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/2016-gardening-season/page/2#post-2543859 Sun, 08 May 2016 08:19:28 +0000 Amorini 2543859@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I agree with just diving in. It's amazing how much nature takes care of on its own (assuming there's some soil and water and sunshine involved)!</p> <p>I grew up with large family gardens. Except for a brief stint in with a 10x10 veggie plot, I've only had container gardens in adulthood...until now. We bought our first house a couple of months ago and it has been "gardened" for the past 60 years. Every week new surprises are popping up all over! Our main goal this year is to observe and thin and reduce and figure out what we have. We are in the south and our 1-acre property was once part of a large farm. So we have an old fig tree, a half dozen pecan trees and too many azaleas and camellias to count. Plus lumpy pasture land that is a mix of clover, weeds and a little grass. The most recent owner started a random "Mediterranean" xeriscape with succulents, Russian sage, lilies, the odd perennial and maybe a Meyer lemon tree. For veggies, we started tomatoes, basil and rosemary -- all in pots still until we can figure out where they go! That might be good enough for this year. We'll also get an opportunity for fall planting because we are so far south. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/2016-gardening-season/page/2#post-2543830 Sun, 08 May 2016 03:51:06 +0000 SugarplumsMom 2543830@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Looking at your picture again, I realize that it's upside down. It's not packing material, it's the root. Just soak it into some water before planting and you're good to go. Soon you'll be enjoying some yummy strawberries! 🍓 </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/2016-gardening-season/page/2#post-2543829 Sun, 08 May 2016 03:47:58 +0000 SugarplumsMom 2543829@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@regberadaisy: it looks like a bare root plant. From the picture, I'm not sure if it's surrounded in packing material or if that's the actual root. Feel around if there's anything to "unpack". Then submerge the plant into a big bowl of water for a good 30 minutes (or more) before planting it in a nice and sunny location. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/2016-gardening-season/page/2#post-2543770 Sat, 07 May 2016 20:16:12 +0000 regberadaisy 2543770@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Halp! My strawberry plant came today and I wasn't expecting it to come like this??</p> <p>What do I do??? </p> [attach=1325/16/o6u3j0.450x600.image.jpeg] https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/2016-gardening-season/page/2#post-2515381 Mon, 04 Apr 2016 20:01:45 +0000 SugarplumsMom 2515381@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@looch: Our local deer apparently avoids walking on gravel. All our walkways are gravel and it somehow saves our veggies. Last year, a succulent that I planted in a new raised area suddenly disappeared - nothing else was missing and there was no trace of it left. It took me forever to realize it was the deer since all our veggies in the area beside it weren't touched. However, the succulent was surrounded by grass, while the veggies are close to a gravel path. They also seem to love our tulips also planted around grass. It all makes sense now and I don't know why it took me so long to realize it :silly: </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/2016-gardening-season/page/2#post-2515358 Mon, 04 Apr 2016 19:46:31 +0000 SugarplumsMom 2515358@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@winniebee: My advice is to dive right into it and experiment. Don't feel too intimidated by all your options and don't expect to create the perfect growing conditions on your first try - it takes a lot of trial and error to figure out what works best for you (especially with a new home and garden). I wish someone told me that when I first started gardening! </p> <p>With that in mind, start with a sunny spot and a few bags of compost and organic fertilizer. My advice is to buy a cheap (or DIY) a raised bed. It's best to keep it simple (and movable) when you start because you will likely change it up along the way. The easiest and fastest way to start off is with plants from your local garden center. </p> <p>A great starter plant are tomatoes - they're easy to grow and highly rewarding! Dig a deep hole, add compost and fertilizer and dig down your tomato plants (they grow roots as far up as you plant them). Cut the leaves off the stalk that you bury, making sure no leaves touch the ground, while leaving a few leaves on top. Support them with a tomato cage or just a stake. Water them infrequently yet thoroughly to establish strong roots (as opposed to shallow frequent watering). Do not water the leaves, just the soil to avoid any pests, mold or mildew. Good luck! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/2016-gardening-season/page/2#post-2515279 Mon, 04 Apr 2016 18:15:07 +0000 regberadaisy 2515279@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@looch: we have quite a few deers that roam around our neighborhood. Last year they didn't bother our garden. I thought for sure we would have some issues. We also have a family of bunnies and they seemed to leave the plants alone as well for the most part. We'll see how this year goes. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/2016-gardening-season#post-2515270 Mon, 04 Apr 2016 17:45:25 +0000 LindsayLou 2515270@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@regberadaisy: I'm in the Pacific Northwest, so we're in a prime spot for apples. They're a pretty low maintenance tree, but I have read that they get more fruit when you have more than one tree. They do take a few years to produce much if anything, but a mature tree can provide a ton of apples.</p> <p>@winniebee: I grew up in a family big on gardening, so it's always seemed normal to me. My advice is to talk to other local gardeners to see what they grow, what does well, etc. Gardeners love to talk about their gardens! I'd recommend to start small, with a handful of raised beds, try a few different things, and grow the things you love. I find I'm much more invested in my garden when I grow my favorite fruits and veggies. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/2016-gardening-season#post-2515120 Mon, 04 Apr 2016 15:19:59 +0000 looch 2515120@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>What do you guys do about deer? I would love to have a small garden, but we get deer and I am concerned I'd be setting up a salad bar for them! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/2016-gardening-season#post-2515108 Mon, 04 Apr 2016 15:15:03 +0000 josina 2515108@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>DH keeps making our garden bigger each year to my disdain, lol since It's my job to up-keep it and results in a lot of time spent canning/freezing!<br /> We will do several tomatoes, broccoli (last year the rabbits got ALL of it), Kale, peppers, and zucchini for sure... </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/2016-gardening-season#post-2514990 Mon, 04 Apr 2016 14:04:53 +0000 BananaPancakes 2514990@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@winniebee: I grew up with a gardening family, so I always just do what they're doing, but this is the time of year that there should be a lot of gardening shows popping up and they almost all have seminars on getting started. I usually attend our city's Master Gardener festival and a nearby botanical garden's annual garden show. There are vendors/nurseries selling plants and supplies and everyone loves to chat and help out. Florida is already well into planting season, but I'm sure yours isn't for a while, so they're probably going to start happening here in the near future for you. Look into local events.</p> <p>And I really feel that as long as you have good 6-8 hours of direct sunlight, and some sort of compost/manure tilled into your soil, it's really not that difficult. Water daily in the morning or evening, and things will just grow. You can do it! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/2016-gardening-season#post-2514912 Mon, 04 Apr 2016 13:24:18 +0000 LuLu Mom 2514912@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'm doing it for the first time this year. I'm doing a raised bed that has zucchini, squash, cucumbers, red peppers/tri peppers, jalapenos, spinach, and romaine lettuce. And then doing a container with strawberries and blueberries. </p> <p>I'm going to do an herb garden with Mint, Cilantro, Basil, Dill, Oregano, and maybe Parsley </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/2016-gardening-season#post-2514905 Mon, 04 Apr 2016 13:20:37 +0000 SugarplumsMom 2514905@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@regberadaisy: I'm in Sweden (corresponds to US hardiness zone: 7a (normal winter) to 4b (at its coldest). I find that apples are really hardy. My advice is to check what kind of apples your neighbors have and get those, or find a variety that you especially like. Some are better suited for pies as opposed to eating fresh but mature a lot faster. We inherited our apple tree from the previous owners (it was tiny back then) and we had to transplant it to a more suitable location. We don't know what variety we have. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/2016-gardening-season#post-2514406 Mon, 04 Apr 2016 07:40:49 +0000 honeybear 2514406@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'm still planning for the summer. My spring crop includes lettuce, radishes, arugula, kale, chard, and tomatoes--all are doing well and our kale and chard in particular are already super productive and taste great. The tomatoes are taking their sweet time, although we got a few early ones and they were very tasty. And for some reason the seed company sent me a New England cabbage seed packet, so I tossed some into pots and--lo and behold--I'm growing cabbage. I'll try to get them through to maturity, but their days are probably numbered unless we have an unusually cool month. I think I'll move over to Asian greens and flowers for the summer and focus my efforts on my fruit trees, cutting flowers, and pollinator garden, because the summer gets hot and veg plants just don't really dig it. </p> <p>@winniebee: Your local extension service is usually a good bet! They're online, just search for "extension service" and your county. You'll have to look for their gardening advice/research once you find them, because they do other things too. I've found nurseries to be spotty in terms of knowledge about vegetable/fruit gardening, because they mostly tend to focus on ornamental plants. If you've got local small farms you can talk to, they can provide decent info. Try out square-foot gardening to start--there's a book on it and </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/2016-gardening-season#post-2514376 Mon, 04 Apr 2016 07:07:54 +0000 LCTBQE 2514376@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>this is so inspiring :) all I have is my potted fire escape garden in NYC. I grow rosemary, basil, geraniums, and cherry tomatoes. wish I could have a real garden like you all! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/2016-gardening-season#post-2514370 Mon, 04 Apr 2016 07:03:15 +0000 regberadaisy 2514370@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@LindsayLou: @SugarplumsMom: which part of the country are you ladies from? I know we have apple orchards around here for picking. But I'm not sure how well an apple tree will do in my backyard for home gardener? We also have a lot of critters/animals! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/2016-gardening-season#post-2514367 Mon, 04 Apr 2016 06:54:14 +0000 regberadaisy 2514367@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@winniebee: we've been gardening off and on for a few years and I still am a novice! I always think a reputable nursery is a wealth of knowledge. They'll know your growing conditions best, when plants can go into the ground, etc. I also joined a local vegetable gardening FB group and they've been very helpful.<br /> I think the first year it'll be the easiest to go to a nursery and pick up established plants and put them into the ground. My girls love sugar snap peas, cherry tomatoes, and peppers fresh off the plant! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/2016-gardening-season#post-2514348 Mon, 04 Apr 2016 05:40:33 +0000 winniebee 2514348@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Where would you suggest as a good place to start learning about this? We have a new house and a good yard for it but I don't know the first thing about a vegetable garden. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/2016-gardening-season#post-2514345 Mon, 04 Apr 2016 04:53:20 +0000 SugarplumsMom 2514345@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We're sowing from seed heirloom tomatoes (2 varieties), 3 types of pumpkin, sugar snap peas, and a bunch of little flowers (that I don't think will make it because we started too early and it's still too cold outside).</p> <p>Our new additions from last fall are a Haskap berry bush, garlic, and a bunch of different flowering bulbs. The garlic is spouting like crazy and it looks like the bulbs have all made it (crossing my fingers the deer won't get to them). I have high hopes for the new berry bush.</p> <p>As for our establish plants: rhubarb (popping up), chives (flourishing), oregano (like a weed), blueberry bushes (that are still so small), sunchokes, strawberries (we just moved these, so hopefully they like their new home), and the apple tree (that's still recovering from being moved) and DH's beloved plum tree that we hope will give it's first fruit this year. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/2016-gardening-season#post-2514338 Mon, 04 Apr 2016 02:26:10 +0000 LindsayLou 2514338@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We have two apple trees, which I hope start producing this year, and lots of strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries. </p> <p>We're also growing tomatoes, red and Yukon potatoes, snap peas, green beans, pumpkins, zucchini, artichokes, cabbage, celery, carrots, radishes, jalapeños, bell peppers, watermelon, cantaloupe, lettuce, mixed greens, Swiss chard, kale, sage, parsley, basil, cilantro, thyme, and mint. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/2016-gardening-season#post-2514322 Sun, 03 Apr 2016 23:27:40 +0000 ALV91711 2514322@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We have seeds started inside since we have a short growing season. </p> <p>Some of what we are growing includes: tomatoes, cucumber, zucchini, pumpkins, peppers, onions, potatoes, cantaloupe, sunflowers, a variety of flowers, herbs, strawberries, radishes, beats, carrots, cabbage and more that I can't think of right now. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/2016-gardening-season#post-2514263 Sun, 03 Apr 2016 21:05:38 +0000 regberadaisy 2514263@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@snowjewelz: I found Japanese eggplant seeds online! I'm stoked! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/2016-gardening-season#post-2498735 Thu, 17 Mar 2016 19:40:33 +0000 BananaPancakes 2498735@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@regberadaisy: It's a disease that's a big problem for the citrus industry right now. There's no cure and it's spreading like crazy. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/2016-gardening-season#post-2498713 Thu, 17 Mar 2016 19:20:33 +0000 sunny 2498713@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Cherry tomatoes, strawberries, blueberries. Not sure if we will do any more veggies. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/2016-gardening-season#post-2498707 Thu, 17 Mar 2016 19:15:54 +0000 GreenThumb 2498707@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We will grow tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, peas, green beans, kale, lettuce, spinach, radishes, beets, zucchini, summer squash, butternut squash, eggplant, bell peppers, hot peppers, cucumbers, strawberries, rhubarb, and garlic. Oh, and herbs - oregano, basil, chives, maybe some others... I love to garden, are you surprised :wink: ?! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/2016-gardening-season#post-2498703 Thu, 17 Mar 2016 19:11:56 +0000 youboots 2498703@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I tend to neglect/kill everything and I like the farmers market 3 blocks away so I'm going to plant windflowers in my raised beds this year. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/2016-gardening-season#post-2498698 Thu, 17 Mar 2016 19:10:30 +0000 Tanjowen 2498698@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Starting over at our new place, but want to plant zucchini, squash, okra, roma tomatoes, blackberries, and red and green bell peppers. I usually aim to grow only what we can pick fresh and eat weekly, and only grow an excess of the bell peppers to freeze for Winter. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/2016-gardening-season#post-2498631 Thu, 17 Mar 2016 18:23:37 +0000 regberadaisy 2498631@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@BananaPancakes: what is citrus greening? And that's so sad! :( </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/2016-gardening-season#post-2498144 Thu, 17 Mar 2016 13:19:08 +0000 BananaPancakes 2498144@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@regberadaisy: Our trees are officially crap now. Citrus greening got our entire neighborhood over the past 2 years. The fruit was basically inedible on 3 of our 4 trees. It's sad because they're like 30+ years old, so I hate they went out this way. Boo. </p>