My deck garden

dreadnut

Gone But Not Forgotten
Gone But Not Forgotten
Joined
Jun 15, 2005
Messages
16,082
Reaction score
6,442
Location
Grand Rapids, MI
Guild Total
2
I have an herb and tomato garden in pots on my upper deck, so I can just walk out of the kitchen to get fresh stuff. This morning I harvested basil: Spicy Globe. Lime, Lemon, Purple, Cinammon and a couple other kinds. They are currently slowly drying in my dehydrator, boy does the house ever smell good:drunk:
 

CA-35

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 14, 2011
Messages
2,111
Reaction score
19
Location
South Florida
Dread why do you dry it? Usually I chop it up fresh and add it to whatever Im cooking. Is there as benefit to drying it? I guess it would store better that way yes?
 

Opsimath

Senior Member
Joined
Apr 20, 2015
Messages
4,527
Reaction score
4,062
Location
North Florida
I started my very first garden this year. I called it experimental since I didn't know squat going in and didn't want to expect a lot and then be disappointed. It hasn't produced much, but I've learned a pretty good bit in the last few months, such as butterflies and moths are evil! (plant munching caterpillars) And so are rabbits! Anyway, my herbs are on my deck as well. They were supposed to go to the garden for companion planting to combat pests and produce better yields (theoretically per my reading/research), but never made it so my deck smells really good, too. Maybe some day I'll use some of them but even if I don't, the smells are wonderful. Mint, rosemary, basil, oregano and a few others. Next year I'm getting more herbs. They're worth it just for the aroma.

Cinnamon basil? Lemon? Lime? I don't think Home Depot (where I got my bedding plants) had those, or if they did I didn't see them. I'm making notes for next year's planning to see if I can find some of them. They sound wonderful! I've got purple. Not sure what my green basil is, but it smells good, too.

I think I'll go sit on the deck for a while and just breathe.
 

gjmalcyon

Senior Member
Gold Supporting
Joined
Feb 6, 2011
Messages
4,179
Reaction score
2,417
Location
Gloucester County, NJ
Guild Total
13
I started my very first garden this year <snip> Mint, rosemary, basil, oregano and a few others.

I'm growing those plus thyme and cilantro.

Do NOT put your mint in the ground unless you want to wage an all-out war every summer to keep it confined. My mint patch (started by one plant that escaped through the drain hole of a buried clay pot) would double in size every year if I wasn't pulling it out all the time.

If someone you really don't like buys a house, two of the nastiest housewarming gifts you give them are mint and/or Asiatic bamboo - both spread like crazy.

And I fence my raised beds to keep the critters out - when it gets hot here in the tropics of South Jersey, the squirrels (both tree and ground) will take single bites out of tomatoes. Not sure why.
 

Rich Cohen

Senior Member
Joined
Nov 22, 2015
Messages
3,145
Reaction score
2,274
Location
Charlottesville, VA
Don't mean to brag :), but my wife and I have a BIG backyard fruit and vegetable situation going on for many years now:
tomato, cucumber, eggplant, okra, bitter gourd, bottle gourd, green chillies (hot), blackberries, raspberries, two kinds of figs, two kinds of persimmons, two kinds of pears, and, of course rabbits (not appreciated, but appreciating in numbers as they munch on our stuff)...ground hog has moved away (I think).
 

adorshki

Reverential Member
Joined
Aug 21, 2009
Messages
34,176
Reaction score
6,790
Location
Sillycon Valley CA
And I fence my raised beds to keep the critters out - when it gets hot here in the tropics of South Jersey, the squirrels (both tree and ground) will take single bites out of tomatoes. Not sure why.
Because they keep forgetting that although they love the smell they can't stand the taste.
 

tommym

Member
Joined
May 5, 2013
Messages
894
Reaction score
315
I'm always fighting with slugs and snails in my garden; even when I elevate the planters off of the ground. Must be in the soil from day one.

Tommy
 

gjmalcyon

Senior Member
Gold Supporting
Joined
Feb 6, 2011
Messages
4,179
Reaction score
2,417
Location
Gloucester County, NJ
Guild Total
13
of course rabbits (not appreciated, but appreciating in numbers as they munch on our stuff)...ground hog has moved away (I think).

Our rabbit population was well-controlled thanks to my next-door neighbor (and little sister - that's a whole 'nother post) owning a Bedlington Blue Terrier (unimaginatively named "Blue"). Blue rained terror on rabbits, ground squirrels, tree squirrels, moles, voles for years until he entered his dotage. He's pretty deaf, mostly blind, and content to lie by the gas fireplace. Hence, the rabbits grow brazen: I planted African marigolds in my raised beds since rabbits purportedly do not like them. I walked out the back door and found two rabbits happily munching away on my marigolds. The fences around my raised beds went up that afternoon.
 

Opsimath

Senior Member
Joined
Apr 20, 2015
Messages
4,527
Reaction score
4,062
Location
North Florida
I'm growing those plus thyme and cilantro.

Do NOT put your mint in the ground unless you want to wage an all-out war every summer to keep it confined. My mint patch (started by one plant that escaped through the drain hole of a buried clay pot) would double in size every year if I wasn't pulling it out all the time.

If someone you really don't like buys a house, two of the nastiest housewarming gifts you give them are mint and/or Asiatic bamboo - both spread like crazy.

And I fence my raised beds to keep the critters out - when it gets hot here in the tropics of South Jersey, the squirrels (both tree and ground) will take single bites out of tomatoes. Not sure why.

Thanks for the warning about the mint. I'll be careful should I decide to put it in the ground. The plan was to take pots to the garden, but I never got around to doing that. I like having the greenery on the deck anyway.

I'm guessing the Asiatic bamboo is the running kind? I planted my garden late because I had to reclaim it from weeds, brush, and bamboo! I dug up bamboo roots for weeks. Some of them are still in there because I couldn't dig any deeper but I haven't seen a new sprout in a while. Maybe I got the worst of them. I don't know if it's really "bamboo". Some people around here call them reeds, but I know they get out of hand in no time. I've read that they are not a lot of little plants but instead are one big plant with a gigantic root system. If it's the same or even something similar, you're right - nasty stuff!

I have my fencing materials but unfortunately need to cut down some trees about 3 feet from where it's going to go and I think it would be prudent to remove trees before placing fence. I don't know what kind of trees they are. They start as a bush and grow like nobody's business then drop countless berries that sprout more seedlings to turn into more horrid bush/tree things. I've spent a lot of time pulling seedlings, too.

I am happy to report that my gardening kitty (also formerly the music critic cat) brought a small rabbit to the deck tonight. She offered to share it with me but I wasn't hungry. I told her she was a good kitty and to go back and get the rest of them! Then we can start on the squirrels. No doubt she will comply. This is a cat that tried to catch a hawk that landed in the yard - luckily it flew away before she got to it, and also shinnied up a tree to try to catch a buzzard. She's not a big cat. I don't think she always uses sound judgment.
 

Opsimath

Senior Member
Joined
Apr 20, 2015
Messages
4,527
Reaction score
4,062
Location
North Florida
Don't mean to brag :), but my wife and I have a BIG backyard fruit and vegetable situation going on for many years now:
tomato, cucumber, eggplant, okra, bitter gourd, bottle gourd, green chillies (hot), blackberries, raspberries, two kinds of figs, two kinds of persimmons, two kinds of pears, and, of course rabbits (not appreciated, but appreciating in numbers as they munch on our stuff)...ground hog has moved away (I think).

Brag all you want. I think that's terrific! I like to hear what other people are doing. I hope my gardening will be better with my fall efforts. Right now I have sweet potatoes, watermelons (3 kinds), cantaloupes, one squash plant by accident because it was in the pot with one of the cantaloupes, tomatoes (picked the first one today), peppers (hot and sweet), asparagus beans, dragon tongue beans, Asian melons, eggplant, okra, collard greens (also known as caterpillar food, unfortunately), radishes (new caterpillar food since they ate the collards down to the stems and leaf veins), carrots (which didn't do much because they were planted too late), and no beets because the rabbits ate all of them. There's a fig tree, too, but I can't take credit for that.

I've been watching Hollis and Nancy on YouTube. They have a nice garden and it's all so well planned and neat. I hope to copy some of the things he has built, like his strawberry cage, raised bed, and his rabbit fence. I had better get to the strawberry cage soon though because the strawberries are not liking their strawberry pot and I need to move them to the ground.
 

dreadnut

Gone But Not Forgotten
Gone But Not Forgotten
Joined
Jun 15, 2005
Messages
16,082
Reaction score
6,442
Location
Grand Rapids, MI
Guild Total
2
My back issues are not conducive to me going up and down the stairs and stooping over garden plants, so I decided to minimize last year, and started growing stuff in pots on my upper deck. I get my produce from the local markets, it's fresh and affordable, and a lot less work for me.

I do use a lot of fresh basil, but there is so much I have to store some. I tried chopping & freezing with a drizzle of olive oil, but I didn't like how that came out. Dehydrating works perfectly, and it retains the flavor too.

Another really good basil if you can find it: Spicy Globe, mmmmmm.
 

Opsimath

Senior Member
Joined
Apr 20, 2015
Messages
4,527
Reaction score
4,062
Location
North Florida
Our rabbit population was well-controlled thanks to my next-door neighbor (and little sister - that's a whole 'nother post) owning a Bedlington Blue Terrier (unimaginatively named "Blue"). Blue rained terror on rabbits, ground squirrels, tree squirrels, moles, voles for years until he entered his dotage. He's pretty deaf, mostly blind, and content to lie by the gas fireplace. Hence, the rabbits grow brazen: I planted African marigolds in my raised beds since rabbits purportedly do not like them. I walked out the back door and found two rabbits happily munching away on my marigolds. The fences around my raised beds went up that afternoon.

My marigolds were supposed to combat pests but when I saw zebra-winged butterflies flocking to the flowers I pulled all the blooms off. I do not need butterflies coming into the garden. I want those beasts kept far away! I am not convinced that the marigolds made any difference. The collard greens are gone and now the caterpillars are starting on the eggplants, sweet potatoes, and watermelon vines. I think I'll plant more collard greens throughout the next garden just as a trap crop to keep the little wigglies away from everything else.

As a side note, I planted asparagus beans just because I wanted to see if they really get to be a yard long. They were super easy to grow, just plant them next to something they can run on and walk away - and yes the beans do get long but they are recommended to be picked at about 18 inches, before the pods fill out. I picked our first batch last night and they were very good. If I can find seeds I'll plant more for the fall since they did pretty well with no effort at all. They're still flowering so I hope to get more before these plants give up.

And you've peaked my interest. I want to hear the story about the little sister next door!
 

Opsimath

Senior Member
Joined
Apr 20, 2015
Messages
4,527
Reaction score
4,062
Location
North Florida
What's wrong with butterflies?

They lay eggs on the leaves of the plants. The eggs hatch into plant-consuming caterpillars/worms, whatever you want to call them, and I could think of a few names. They will devour an entire plant in short order leaving only the stems and leaf veins. Just ask my collard green skeletons, there was not one survivor. Now they have moved on to other greenery so the sweet potatoes, eggplant, and watermelons are targets. They got the radishes, too, but they weren't doing well anyway since I planted them late and the temps were just too hot for them to make.
 

FNG

Enlightened Member
Joined
Feb 11, 2006
Messages
5,961
Reaction score
1,516
Location
Planet Earth
Guild Total
596
What do the catepillars look like?

I dont think they are zebra wing butterfly catepillars.
 

Opsimath

Senior Member
Joined
Apr 20, 2015
Messages
4,527
Reaction score
4,062
Location
North Florida
There are different ones. Some are tiny and yellow, some are tiny and black, and there are larger black ones with cream or yellowish stripes (I generally don't have my glasses when I'm out there). They could be different stages of the same pest or different pests. I'm certainly no bug expert. We also have some little moths, gray ones and white ones, and larger swallow tail moths around, too. It could be any of those but I prefer all the fuzzy winged things lay their eggs elsewhere. I have seen the zebra winged butterflies at the passionfruit vines at the house and also hovering around the herbs that are in flower. I haven't found any caterpillars munching around those. I don't know what's laying eggs in the garden but I would rather they didn't so I am hoping not to lure any of them there. Do you have any insight on insect garden pests? I'm new at this and welcome advice from real gardeners!

Thanks!
 

fronobulax

Bassist, GAD and the Hot Mess Mods
Joined
May 3, 2007
Messages
24,708
Reaction score
8,836
Location
Central Virginia, USA
Guild Total
5
They lay eggs on the leaves of the plants. The eggs hatch into plant-consuming caterpillars/worms, whatever you want to call them, and I could think of a few names. They will devour an entire plant in short order leaving only the stems and leaf veins. Just ask my collard green skeletons, there was not one survivor. Now they have moved on to other greenery so the sweet potatoes, eggplant, and watermelons are targets. They got the radishes, too, but they weren't doing well anyway since I planted them late and the temps were just too hot for them to make.

OK. In my world people are trying to attract butterflies. But they do separate the "butterfly gardens" from the food plants. We plant marigolds in with the food plants because some of the deer don't like marigolds. But much of what we plant gets eaten by something else before we enjoy it no matter what we do...
 
Top