Gardening . . . really blows my hair back!!!!!!!!

[longwinters]

ALL RIGHT!!! I really like to garden.  My problem is that where I was going to put my garden (after the kids were old enough that we got rid of the sandbox and swing set) got turned into a basketball court.  Now all I have is 2 strips about 18" wide and 15' long.  I did tomatoes last year (7 plants) and got about 30qts of stewed tomatoes (my favorite) and a ton of summer squash from 2 plants.  This year I have to figure out how to produce more in my strips.

Long

[jvs]

Pole Beans, Bush Beans, Zuchinni, Lettuce, Scallions, Tomatoes, Peppers....

They all do pretty good in single rows like you have.  

When I had single rows like that I ended up putting permanent plants in like Rhubarb, Horse Radish, Red Currants and Elderberrys.

I like home made concoctions like Rhubarb Custard or Strawberry/Rhubarb  Pies, Currant Jelly and Elderberry Wine.

Right now I can't wait for the end of April to get here so I can pick some Rhubarb.

[earschplitinloudenboomer]

half_inch_group has it pretty well covered. You can also try some container gardening, tomatoes, peppers, even lettuce can be grown in a large container. Strategically place around the patio, porch, deck, walk or even by the pool. Look for varieties that lend themselves to this kind of gardening. Enjoy!

best to you and yours...
ears-

[longwinters]

I did the container thing for a couple of years, worked ok, except they had to be watered everyday.  So if I was going to be gone for a few days it did not work well.  Up here we can't plant anything until Memorial weekend. . . just too cold yet.

Long

[jvs]

I never tried it but I hear Spinach and Peas can go in as soon as the sun melts the snow or as soon as the very top layer of soil can be worked.  They plant the seeds here on the warmer days in Feb.  Cold doesn't bother Spinach or Pea seeds.

[willysjeep134]

Yeah, a lot of types of beans and peas can be trained to grow on a lattice or chicken wire frame. We grow green beans and peas in our garden out in Chandler. We train them on a few stakes with wires stretched between them.  

Some other options would be to use some garden plants for decorative plants in other places. At my parent's house in happyrock they line the side of their driveway with tomato plants. There is a small bush about every 20 feet with a garden bed between them. They just use the unused space for tomatos instead of purely decorative plants.

If you were looking to comit a part of your garden permanently to some perrennial crop, Asparagus is good. Asparagus takes a few years to establish, but it produces for most of the season. You can continually harvest for quite a while. If you don't like asparagus this is no good, but if you do the comitment might be worth it.  

Any crop that bears all season can be a big producer. We never have any luck with spinach, but Swiss Chard is a lot like it and grows very well up here. If you even planted a small block of swiss chard at one end it would make quite a few side dishes.

[SBF]

If you even planted a small block of swiss chard at one end it would make quite a few side dishes.

That's the truth!  I planted too much Swiss Chard last year  :eek:   It was my first time dealing with it and I didn't realized how much each plant could produce.  Thankfully I introduced my neighbor to it and they all wanted more.  This year I'm going to plant 1/2 as much.

Never tried Asparagus (growing it that is).  I never really liked eating it until a few months ago.  Turns out all the Asparagus that I had tried growing up was overcooked and mushy, it really turned me off.  My wife decided to try some a few months ago and cooked it just right.  Now I can't get enough of the stuff.  

[longwinters]

Willys,

So your parents live in Gladstone eh?  I work in Esc but live in Kingsford.

Long

[WD45]

I think you need to get rid of that place and buy something you can sink a plow into :grin: