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Sillypickles
Member
06-29-2015
| Saturday, July 11, 2015 - 1:38 pm 
We thought of strawberries and are going to plant some of those, too. I want a low no flower ground cover and then I am going to have patches of color interspersed. I want to keep it as "foresty" as possible, planned but looking unplanned.
Thank you for the welcome Marysea!!!
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Biscottiii
Member
05-29-2004
| Saturday, July 11, 2015 - 5:17 pm
Great story Sillypickles & Welcome too! 
I'm not a gardener but love to check in on what is on other folks' agenda.
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Dipo
Member
04-23-2002
| Sunday, July 12, 2015 - 2:23 pm
I was just thinking that there are probably some natural ground covers that are good for you area, I would google to find out what your "zone" is and then see what the internet sites recommend.
I am sure you want drought resistant and you will want deer resistant, LOL, although my friends up in Sonora say there is no such thing as deer resistant.
In fact the only way they can have a garden is to build a cage around it, and then they didn't put anything across the roof so the squirrels can still get in, LOL. I think this year they are putting some screen across the top so that they can have fresh vegetables.
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Sillypickles
Member
06-29-2015
| Thursday, July 16, 2015 - 6:16 pm
Boy, I feel like an idiot. I have tried to find this thread a few times and I was actually in the right place, but for some reason I didn't see this thread, even though it was marked in blue!
Dipo, we don't have a problem with deer here. We live in Southern California in the San Bernardino National Forest, in zone 8a. I am not saying there isn't any deer, but I haven't seen any. They are very shy animals, so they avoid humans. I know we do have bears, mountain lions, raccoons, squirrels and chipmunks and an incredible amount of bird species.
We thought about putting in different types of berries (straw, blue, black etc.) but we really don't want to attract the bears. We are very diligent about our trash to not attract them to our property and so do our neighbors.
We are going to sow some Dichrondra and clover in, temporarily, in order to put some more nutrients in the soil, as it's like dirt now. Also, that will hold the soil in through the winter months when it snows and rains. We have another slope behind our home that leads down to a creek, and in the past the nice rich soil has flooded it's way down there, so we're going to heighten our retaining wall in the front and try and keep the soil from going to the creek.
I have not done a vegetable garden this year as I don't want the critters to eat it. I was thinking of building a couple of raised beds and then putting chicken wire or some other type of material to keep the little buggers out. They have seemed to stop eating the pansies, probably because there is not much left of them! They were actually eating the plan itself and now my pansies and violas are nothing but little stumps of once beautiful plants.
I was wondering if anyone else here start their plants from seeds? I don't buy plants from the nursery unless it's something unique or something I need in a pinch to make the property look better. Like my containers on the deck (that the critters are eating) as I needed some color out there and wasn't well enough last winter to start my flowers from seed for spring bloom. I was going to start approx. 350 seeds last weekend, but I didn't have any perlite and I refuse to pay $30 for a bag of it, so tomorrow we are going down the hill to pick some up. We go down the hill around once a month to pick up things that are too expensive or not available up here, so tomorrow is our day.
I am asking if people start from seeds as I was wondering what your seed starting mix is. I have a few ideas or mixes that I am going to try out and if anyone is interested I will post the recipe and give updates on what works best, but only if there is any interest. I don't want to bore anyone, ha ha ha. But, if you do make your own mix, I would be very interested in knowing what works for you.
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Roxip
Member
01-29-2004
| Monday, March 21, 2016 - 11:36 am
I'm considering a chicken coop myself. Amazon has several fairly inexpensive ones that will hold 2-3 chickens (no roosters please for me!), which is more chickens that I need!
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Dipo
Member
04-23-2002
| Monday, March 21, 2016 - 12:58 pm
Take a look at the tuffshed chicken coops, you need to be able to remove the floor for cleaning and not all of the sheds out there offer that.
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Grooch
Member
06-16-2006
| Tuesday, March 29, 2016 - 1:09 pm
If you're interested in chickens, a really good website is fresheggsdaily.com. It has everything you need to know about raising chickens.
I have 19 chickens (lil kim richards didn't make it). And I ended up with 2 roosters. I'm probably going to have to get rid of them soon. It's sad because I like them and the roosters have their purpose of taking care of the scatterbrained hens.
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Seamonkey
Moderator
09-07-2000
| Tuesday, March 29, 2016 - 2:47 pm
Hey, Grooch! Nice to see you!
What are the names of the chickens that made it??
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Juju2bigdog
Member
10-27-2000
| Tuesday, March 29, 2016 - 8:32 pm
Hi Grooch!!! Where you these days? Back on Long Island?
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Grooch
Member
06-16-2006
| Friday, April 01, 2016 - 6:16 pm
Hey, back at you, guys! 
The araucanas are named after the housewives of NY. Ramona is my favorite. All blonde and with an independent attitude. Dorinda ended up being a rooster, so we have a Dorinda-2.0. I call the barred rocks the Greek chorus because I can't tell them apart.
I also have a goose named Andy Cohen. He used to chase the girls around until the original Dorinda had enough of that nonsense and started harassing him.
Now Andy is penned up, left alone to swim in his very own lady pond all day.
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Grooch
Member
06-16-2006
| Friday, June 23, 2017 - 6:33 am
Ugh! Dog finally caught a squirrel. Thank goodness it's garbage day and the garbage men are late.
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Grooch
Member
06-16-2006
| Thursday, January 24, 2019 - 12:55 pm
Last spring (probably May) I planted carrot seeds. They grew but never turned color. They were some kind of New hybrid and I lost the packet. (Dog ate it.)
Around Thanksgiving I finally pulled a white one out and tried it and it sucked. And the texture was strange. The outer layer separated from the inside layer and it was woody.
Just now I was by the garden and noticed the remains of a top of a large carrot that some animal had pulled out and eaten. It was about 2 inches wide. Then I noticed that it had an orange color! I found another carrot in the ground and pulled it out. It was a normal orange color too.
I can't believe after all these deep freezes we've had for days and the ground being frozen they are still alive. And most importantly, I can't believe it took 9 MONTHS to grow a carrot to ripeness.
I'm thinking it must have been a raccoon to pull something that big out of the ground. Probably would have gotten more but I let the dogs out at 4 this morning and I heard them going after something. I thought it was a feral cat.
Taa Daa! My carrot!
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Wargod
Moderator
07-16-2001
| Thursday, January 24, 2019 - 1:33 pm
That's so cool, Grooch! I'm thinking about starting a veggie garden, but I'm so hit and miss with plants I'm a bit worried about it.
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Grooch
Member
06-16-2006
| Thursday, January 24, 2019 - 2:29 pm
Wargod, since you live in the desert and it's new to you, I would suggest starting off with one item so it's not overwhelming and you will stick to it.
I think you should try dwarf tomato plants. They only grow about 3 feet tall and you can grow them in containers, and if need be, you can move them to different areas of your yard depending on the sun situation. The tomatoes are full sized. They like arid conditions and dry leaves. Everyone can grow tomatoes!
I'm thinking if you go for this idea you'd need to start the seeds soon as the summer would get to hot for them.
But then, what do I know?
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Wargod
Moderator
07-16-2001
| Friday, January 25, 2019 - 2:48 am
When it comes to growing things, probably more than I do, lol. I have a couple indoor bamboo plants that I've done really well with, but managed to kill a little potted cactus by under watering it.
Something in a container might be a good idea for this year. We've got some work to do to get ready for a garden, including fencing in at least a small part to keep the dogs out of it. I also noticed when it rained, the area we had talked about using turned into a pond, so not sure if we can do something about that or if we'll have to choose another spot. I'm waiting on Caleb and my bil (they are the family gardners) to weigh in on that.
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Grooch
Member
06-16-2006
| Saturday, March 30, 2019 - 12:25 pm
Today was the first nice day outside. I saw bees for the first time on the Heather.
I need to check the hummingbird migration map to see where they are. Last I saw they were in North Carolina.
Wargod, how are your tomatos and peppers doing?
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Grooch
Member
06-16-2006
| Saturday, March 30, 2019 - 12:27 pm
Just checked. There is a sighting at the bottom of New Jersey.
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Wargod
Moderator
07-16-2001
| Saturday, March 30, 2019 - 3:39 pm
I decided against the tomatoes, we just don't eat them enough (moms allergic, I can't eat them, and Kota doesn't like them.) The bell pepper seems to be doing good, Kota's peppercini looks to be nearly dead.
I'm also doing a pot of mint, a pot of lemon balm, and a pot of lavender and those look good so far. We drink tea, hot and iced, so I'm really excited about those.
There is a garage sale tomorrow, I think it's a community thing, not just one family, because the flyer says they will have plants and experts there to give advice. Me and Kota are planning on going, because I am very interested in native, low water plants for xeriscaping the front yard. Something I can plant, water once in a while, and not worry, but would look beautiful in the yard would be awesome, lol.
I've seen a couple bees, but not too many. What we have seen is butterflys. OMG, they are everywhere. We've got the super bloom going on (I was just pointing out to Kota that one of the mountains in the distance is covered in poppies) and swarms and swarms of butterflys. They are beautiful, however, we went into town last weekend? and ended up cleaning the window 3 times between Lancaster and Cal City.
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Tntitanfan
Member
08-02-2001
| Tuesday, August 25, 2020 - 3:40 am
I am new to plant growing/tending of any kind! I have an orchid plant. Apparently it is happy as it has bloomed. HOWEVER, it is now taking up about 15 inches of my windowsill with air roots sticking out on all four sides! I don't mind they being ugly, cut they are definitely in the way. Can I trim a couple of the longest ones back?
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Dipo
Member
04-23-2002
| Tuesday, August 25, 2020 - 12:45 pm
I have no clue have you tried the internet for guideance?
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Juju2bigdog
Member
10-27-2000
| Tuesday, August 25, 2020 - 6:57 pm
We had a friend who was a master at growing orchids, even outdoors in San Francisco, where it is about 55-65 degrees F most of the year. I had another friend who had no sort of green thumb at all and was bound to kill every plant he had. We used to visit both of them when we moved to WA state, as we traveled back and forth to Texas each year. One year the black thumb friend had a lovely orchid he had probably received as a gift. Next time we passed through time, the orchid was on its last legs, so I announced I was confiscating it and taking it into protective custody and putting it in rehab with Mario. Next time we came back through SF, that orchid was blooming like crazy at Mario's.
So, Dogdoc, you apparently have excellent orchid instincts, and I don't know the answer and Mario passed away, and of course you can find out by Googling, but I would be willing to bet you can trim those roots, perhaps train them to grow downward rather than outward. But think about this - you might be able to propagate the orchid with those roots somehow, because you have the orchid touch. How cool would that be? Where is Mario when we need him?
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Juju2bigdog
Member
10-27-2000
| Tuesday, August 25, 2020 - 6:58 pm
Ha! Lots of answers among these: https://duckduckgo.com/?q=trim+orchid+air+roots+or+not%3F&atb=v65-6_d&ia=web
Well, and the first one at that link has a very lengthy article all about growing orchids. You will be an expert by the end.
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Tntitanfan
Member
08-02-2001
| Wednesday, August 26, 2020 - 5:16 am
Thank you, Juju! It is I, not DD, who needs orchid root advice!
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Juju2bigdog
Member
10-27-2000
| Wednesday, August 26, 2020 - 8:15 pm
Aaaaiiiiieeeeeee!!! How did Dogdoc become TNT?? Or is it vice versa? 
Post a before pic now (or e-mail to me if you don't know how to post pics), and we can follow your orchid. You know we once followed Abbynormal's sock-cam for months, so an orchid is definitely not beneath our level of interest.
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Tntitanfan
Member
08-02-2001
| Wednesday, August 26, 2020 - 10:41 pm
Vice versa actually!
Following my orchid at this point would be something akin to watching paint dry! I would be interested in learning how to post pics, however, so expect to hear from me soon.
I am planning to cut back a couple of my orchid roots, the two over 10 inches long in opposite directions from a five inch pot soon.
As I said I am new to plant nurture. I have two other succulents that are thriving as well. One that I received for my birthday (June) that was less than 2 inches tall now tops four inches and was recently repotted. I have definitely found my niche as a neglectful plant parent!
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Juju2bigdog
Member
10-27-2000
| Thursday, August 27, 2020 - 7:59 pm
TnT, get into Christmas cactus (there is also Easter cactus) if you have a knack for making succulents bloom. That is a pretty easy one and can be VERY rewarding when the whole thing bursts into bloom.
I have long been convinced plants have emotions. When I went off to 8 week federal agent school, Bigdog and I had a house with a sort of solarium, a small room with three sides of windows, and we kept the door shut to keep out the cats. I had always handled that room full of plants, so I told Bigdog he had to water plants while I was gone. I got to come home at 4 weeks, and I went into that room, and it was so sad. Everything was drooping, listless, dropping leaves. He immediately said he was watering faithfully, and I didn't doubt him. So I said, Oh, I bet you are not talking to them, and he said what? I told him plants are emotional, and you don't have to actually talk out loud to them, but you have to think about them and let them know you love them and want them to thrive. And you can do that when you water them, think about each one as you are tending to them. So I came home after 8 weeks, and the room was a jungle of riotously happy plants.
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Tntitanfan
Member
08-02-2001
| Friday, August 28, 2020 - 1:35 am
That is a good suggestion about Christmas Cactus, Juju. I will keep an eye open for one at the store.
I promise to apologize and explain the reason when I trim back the roots. I have a very limited "plant friendly" space, so want to be careful about crowding these three.
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Juju2bigdog
Member
10-27-2000
| Friday, August 28, 2020 - 6:28 pm
On the other hand, orchids have the longest lasting blooms of the flowering plants, so that is a reason to have orchids.
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Tntitanfan
Member
08-02-2001
| Saturday, August 29, 2020 - 12:39 am
You are absolutely right! I was amazed at how long my first blooms lasted. I felt the same way about my first succulent - who knows what it is - as the bloom stalk/spray/whatever lasted for almost three weeks.
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Dipo
Member
04-23-2002
| Wednesday, November 18, 2020 - 1:56 pm
Need help, LOL... I have inherited a cherry tomato plant that is green and still has some red cherry tomatoes on it.
Do I need to prune it? is it ok with our current weather, it is starting to get cold.
Any advice would be appreciated.
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Sadiesmom
Member
03-13-2002
| Monday, March 08, 2021 - 8:34 pm
Be careful with Mint, if it escapes the pot it becomes a weed everywhere. took me years to kill it off. But it does keep ants away from the house.
IN the ice storms a giant fir tree (15 feet tall) fell over (or was pulled over which I suspect). Now that the ground has thawed, can I just push it back up? does not look like damage to mail stem.
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Juju2bigdog
Member
10-27-2000
| Tuesday, March 09, 2021 - 9:04 pm
It would probably be worth a try, Sadiesmom. You could probably also try the method of three triangulated ropes and stakes in the ground to keep it stabilized until the roots take hold again.
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Sadiesmom
Member
03-13-2002
| Wednesday, March 10, 2021 - 1:02 am
I have a bunch of strong planter holders I can put in the ground around it. Tried today but not strong enough to lift it. Will have to get nieces boyfriend to help.
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