Ok peoples!!! Who out their is in the garden planting at the moment and whats going in?
Is it time to put the potatoes in for Christmas or am i too late? What should we be putting down now.
"The biggest novice in the universe"
Kind regards
lisa

I've planted some tomato plants into bags of potting mix again this year.....planted some coriander, pineapple sage, varigated sage, bay, mint, beans, zucchini, rosemary.......have only a very small vege garden, so supplement space by planting into bags of potting mix and hanging baskets......still worth it...there's something very satisfying about growing your own vegetables etc

Lisa, my partners spuds are well through and have been moulded up twice I think, so we will surely have new tatties for Christmas. He informes me that the runner beans are through, and the silverbeet, and lettuces are looking awesome. Has tomato plants ready to pop in, that he has grown from seed. There are trays and pots all over the place with things growing in them. I think he said the capsicums were planted out last week also. Heaven help me when the harvest is ready!!!!! I'm usually up to my armpits in tomatoes and beans, freezing etc!!!!!!! Anyone would think I had nothing to do, but it does save the $'s which is great.
Regards
Raewyn G

Hi there - Ginny when you say you plant these things into bags of potting mix do you actually cut holes in the bag and plant that way or do you put the potting mix into pots ?:-(

Ginny, I agree their really is nothing like your own fruit and veg. Unfortunately with our lifestyle I doubt we would have time at the moment to look after anything much more than spuds and silver beet. But I am very keen to learn more for when were not working so much.
Mum was an awesome flower gardener. People would come to the door and ask mum if they could look round her entire garden. She could tell you the names of all the roses and was one of those woman you had to drag out of the garden because it really was too dark to see. She worked 10 to 12 hour days 7 days a week and then as soon as tea was finished she would sneak out into the garden!!!
My dream is to have a vege garden, a small orchard a pony for the kids and a coal range. Not sure how I will go with the garden, i just have to look at a pot plant and it dies!!!!!!!!
Kind Regards
lisa

Well Lisa, you aren`t too late to plant you vege yet.
I live in the Mackenzie Country and we had snow on Sunday and a frost last night. The experts say wait to after Labour weekend, but of course it all depends on were you live, but round our neck of the woods and yours later is better than early.

I moved into my new house last December and have slowly, very slowly, been breaking the ground and planting. Trouble is, I have a 1000m2 section and it's rock hard clay. So at last, the rotary hoe man arrived on Saturday and loosened the soil in the huge area at the back of the house. Guess what? Tomorrow is plant shopping day. I have contacted one of the plant wholesalers and I'll have to be careful that I don't cause an overdraft on my overdraft. I'm no gardener, but boy, am I going to have fun tomorrow. I'm buying mostly shrubs, natives & others, with flowers and berries for the birds, and lots of ground covers to suppress the weeds. At this stage, no vegie garden, but who knows. Once I've learned a bit more with the shrubs, maybe I'll move onto flowers and vegies which obviously need more attention. Expect lots of questions here.

Isn't it great to have a new forum for non-foodie discussion? Now we can spend twice as long on this site. Umm. Anyone got time for cooking and gardening?? :}

Lorna

This is sort of a gardening question ladies. I have a cat problem. Not my cat - other peoples. They like the look of my newly planted lettuces in that soft fluffy soil. Ooooh they say - a freshly dug 'convenience' just for us! And darn it I am just getting sick and tired of finding newly planted seedlings spread far and wide after the cats have 'been'. Not to mention what they 'leave' behind! I have tried the stuff sold in garden centres (Skunk something or other) that smell kept Me out of the garden, not the cats. Then someone suggested mothballs - same thing! Put chicken wire around the garden - those pesky cats walked atop the wooden fence and just jumped on in! Of course this did not happen when we had our beloved pet german shepherd. Unfortunately he is now in doggy heaven and our circumstances have changed - smaller property - no room for doggies. So HELP ladies. How do I keep the felines out of my veggie patch?

Lucy

Like you Lucy I have trouble with the neighbours cats. Every time I turn the earth next morning you can bet your cotton socks that the cats have been using it for their toilet. The problem is, my neighbours both go to work so don't garden any more. I keep on going to say something to them but I don't. I just curse the little beeeees!

Hi Lisa, I don't put the garden vegetables in until after Labour weekend. This is the main planting time. In the North Island anyway. I grow Silverbeet and lettuce all year round. I have cut my vegetable garden down to half that it was. Now where do I put the pumpkins?.

....Carolyn - you should plant catnip in the neighbours garden while they are at work........and providing another spot that the cats really love, under a shady tree at the bottom corner of the garden, worth a bag of cheap potting mix I reckon...........

I don't have any vegies, but its so lovely to see all the buds on my roses, with 2 standards already in full bloom. Love this time of year. We bought an obelisk the other week and have a Dublin Bay Rose in the middle and every night we both inspect it to see if the buds have opened yet.

Hi Cath - to answer your question - I actually plant right into the bags of potting mix!

I lay them lengthways - upright so there's good planting depth for roots and cut a panel out of the plastic so there's about eight inches (20.5 cm) wide potting mix exposed - then plant into that.

Make sure you have a high quality potting mix that has a wetting agent included to help retain moisture in the potting mix.
I usually plant three tomato plants into one bag and put tomato fertiliser spikes in around the newly planted tomato plants to aid growth.

There's usually enough food in the potting mix (provided it's good quality- and I've learned this the hard way!) to grow the tomato plants for the full season - often longer!

I have also planted courgettes into bags of potting mix as they take up too much room in my wee garden which really wee - only about 2.5 metres long by 1.5 metres wide!

I have had success keeping the neighbour's cat off my wee garden by placing jars 2/3rd full of water with lids on around the outside of the garden at about 20 cm intervals.....but really I think I would much rather get a water gun and drench the dratted cat if I had a chance!

Still on about cats(not really gardening). We have our own lovely cat that comes and goes through an open window. Taht was fine until a wild cat started to follow her. Now this wild cat will come in and eat her food and some times sprays in the house (lovely). It is usually at night and it is to quick to be able to get with a water gun. any suggestions

shut your cat up for the night - spread cayenne pepper around on the windowsill - cat will lick paws and not come back!

Wow Ginny - thanks, have something new to try now.

I love my garden and even though I cannot do most of the work in it now I love to wander around looking at all the new growth. It is great to see some buds on my roses now and the wisteria bursting into flower. Many things are about to burst into bloom now which is great timing as our house goes to auction on the 19th Nov!! Ross has planted some lettuces, red onions, garlic and jersey benes for me but whether we will be still living here to enjoy them who knows. I have some italian tomato seeds sprouting inside at the moment and I plan to plant them into pots this year so we can take them with us when we shift
Our neighbours cats seem to be in love with our kiwifruit vine, they roll around under it all the time and I often find them sleeping under it!!

I love my vege garden when I have enough space and time. My 'helpful husband put most of our backyard into lawn and the neighbours planted large trees that now shade my vege patch.
Last year I put in a garden at my son's nursery at Pukekohe but this year have not been out much, the cost of petrol and a family dog who does not like being left alone . The landlord at Puke does not like dogs.`
It is lovely being able to pick you own grown produce . Last year was able to grow and freeze enough for two house holds but am now getting to the end of this.
Having a vege gardern certainly saves money.
I hope to be able to do some planting at Puke in the next few weeks but have to weed and dig it first. I just hope the weather picks up and the rain stops.
Kay

Bev, kiwifruit vine roots seem to attract cats like catnip...they seem to get almost drunk on it dont they!!!
But what a good idea of Lynleys to plant a "catnip spot"...I'm going to try that myself!
Cheers,
Sandra.

When our cats used to persist in sitting on things in the garden I got some bamboo? kebab sticks and stuck them in around the plants, with the spikes pointing up.... strange but the cats lost insterest in those plants quite quickly... works until the plants are big enough tha the cat is no longer a problem. I guess a bit of chicken mesh bent over the plants would also help.
Kaye.

Well I thought I would start making the mint sauce to give away for Christmas as I had noticed that the Mint had sprouted and there was quite a bit of it. Well I went to pick it to find that my Husband had been playing with the electric weed wacker thing!!!!!!......I was not happy....no MInt Sauce for him!!!!!!!!! Jan

Sandra the funniest thing happened too, I had some dahlias under the kiwifruit and dug them up and gave some of the tubers to a girlfriend. No sooner had she arrived home and taken the tubers out of the car than her cat jumped on them and was practically making love to them, he then proceeded to sleep with them all night and was licking them and chewing them. The next day when she planted them out in the garden he dug them up!! She had to keep heaps of water on them to deter him from them. Obviously the smell from the kiwifruit vine had permiated through the dahlias. We still have a snigger about it everytime we think about it:}:}:}

Talking of catmint, I have to trim it back when I know the cat is sound asleep on our bed, otherwise she sits on the plants and tries to knock the secateurs out of my hand!!! She loves the catmint. Also Gypsophilia, and will lie on the new growth and I have caught her chewing the flowers. Do other cats eat Gypsophilia ??

Thanks Lynley will try the pepper

I just read about someone using vinegar to keep cats off their child's sandpit - suppose it works for gardens too!

She just pours some around the outside of the garden and it apparently works for about two months, and then she re-applies the vinegar:

[frugalliving.about.com]

Hi Lisa Dont worry about the taties for christmas they are up and growing well. Sure they will be ready for xmas as well as the lettuces and maybe the tomatoes which have just got their second flowers.on. Byee Doreen