For food? I'm in the midst of a spat with dh about this. Here's my vent - I want to grow a garden of things we will eat or otherwise use. He makes me feel like I don't know what to do or how to do it and that all we need to grow are tomatoes. hey, tomatoes are great, and dd will eat the hell out of them - but come on?!? I'd like to live on more than tomatoes should the SHTF and money not be worth anything (or any good). I also don't have insurance, and I know I have some problems that require antibiotics now and then. I've spent the last 2 years reading about and educating myself on what I need to do for prevention, but if it hits, I'd like to know that I have the proper herbs/flowers to take care of it as best as I can. I have Native American ancestors - who were their doctors? Their gardens. I'm not crazy. I'm not upset. But I do feel a bit incapable now, since he chose tonight to be Richard Cranium.
What I really want is his advice and help, but I can't get the words out when he starts on a rant. I can't say anything without crying, so I don't say anything. Writing doesn't help, or even work actually, he rarely checks his email anyway. (Yes, we live in the same house and I have to email him if I want/need to say something important.)

So, since we can't seem to agree on what we need/I grow, what are y'all growing this year? And how will you be using it?
So far, I have Parsley, Basil, Nasturtium, Green Onions, and I'm getting some tomato plants. I'd like Green Pepper too, but I don't know how much they'll produce vs. how much we'll eat. Same goes for Eggplant, I think I'm the only one who eats it :( I'm in central KY, so anything in Zone 4? 5? is good, and I am open to just about everything. :)

TIA!

various peppers...some bell, some jalapeno.

herbs: basil, cilantro, parsley, mint

roma tomatoes (salsa!)

onions

potatoes

zucchini

cucumbers (bush and lemon)

beans

peas

spinach

various greens

probably a few more things i'm not thinking of right now...

Loads of tomatoes. And whatever my crazy gardening neighbor decided I'm growing (I have tomatoes, zucchini, yellow squash, cilantro, basil, and onions started). I'm planning to add mesclun, spinach, peppers, pumpkins, sugar snap peas, pole beans, short little carrots, cantaloupe and little watermelons, more herbs. I'm sure I'm forgetting a few things.

Oh, and I planted some blueberries, transplanted some blackberries, and I already had raspberries. I should get loads of peaches. My kids always pick the apples before they ripen. And the plum isn't producing yet. I still need to get strawberries, rhubarb, and asparagus out there.

I, too, would love to grow eggplant, but I'm not sure what the point would be if I'm the only one who will touch it. Still, I'm planning to plant asparagus, so maybe it shouldn't matter that nobody else likes my veggies. ;)

Hobbies of a Domestic Goddess: It rained today (http://goddesshobbies.blogspot.com/2006/09/it-rained-today.html)

The second pic in this post of mine is Echinacia. It is a pretty flower and if you are buying it, it is called "cone flower" for obvious reasons. :) But it is pretty enough so that if you don't use it, your dh will be none the wiser as to why you bought it. ;) Also, mints, comfrey, and other things you could use medcinally or in the kitchen can be nice boarders for your beds or put next to flowers (they are usually happiest there because these strong flavored things keep away pests.... so having a bed of Peppermint (http://www.gardeningtipsnideas.com/images/plant%20peppermint.jpg) under your peonies (mint is used for stomach ailments) or a light dusting of Johnny Jump Ups (http://mendocinoluxury.com/properties/yellowbird/photos/Johnny-Jump-Ups-Reign.jpg) under your chives and oregano (called Hearts Ease and the flowers are often used for heart conditions similar to asprin use) or Borage (https://home.comcast.net/~mygardensite/borage.jpg) (which is used to calm nerves even by GNC go'ers, and the flowers look AWESOME in lemonaid or raspberry teas) will look nice and he will never know if you use them or if you don't.

The beautiful thing about gardening is that it can be useful AND beautiful. I work for both... ;)

I have already (perennials):
Soral
Taragon
chocolate mint
peppermint
pear mint
spearamint
Chehalis River mint (a variety of cross polinated mint that only grows here)
chives
garlic chives
echinacia
salad burnette
rosemary
gladiolas
bergamont
lemonbalm
raspberries
strawberries
blueberries (a large bush)
Currents (black, sweet black, and red)
daliahs
rubarb
parsley
honeysuckle
johnny jump ups (self seeding)
Borage ("")
walking onions ("")
Calendula ("")
(and several more self seeding flowers)

I plant every year:
Tomatos
Mesclun salad mix
romaine lettuce
beets for greens
peas
beans
lemon cucumbers
long chinese cucumbers
crookneck squash
Delicata squash
zucchini
pumpkins
cilantro
kale
swiss chard
radishes
spinich
flat leaf parsley
Bell peppers
roasting yellow banana peppers
carrots (orange and purple)
red and yellow sunflowers
scarlet runner beans

These are the things I love to plant. Some varieties are just FUN to have... I mean really, who doesn't want RED sunflowers (http://www.pressomatic.com/middletoninn/upload/Red%20Sunflowers%20&%20Pond.jpg)! I made them into an entire corner of my yard this year, and boxed them off so the kids could climb inside like a house... and then I am putting scarlet runner beans (http://media3.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/photo/2006/07/05/PH2006070500351.jpg) around the flowers to grow up them and fill in with the little tiny flowers.

Basically what I am getting at, is you don't have to have all PURPOSE in your garden... you can just have some fun. Plant things you can't get in the store, like purple carrots, chocolate mint, scarlet runner beans, and purple tomatoes. Plant things that look nice and CAN be useful if you want to use them like calendula (http://www.herbsociety.org.uk/pictures2006/calendula_bee.jpg), or johnny jump ups. Don't even let him know they COULD be used for something. Just make a nice garden of picking flowers like echinacia or something... you know what I mean? Have fun with it... get creative, and don't let him know about all the things you arn't using. Becuase who cares? It looks nice. ;)

Val

Great ideas - thank you all!
"Richard" left and dh and I came to a compromise ~ I get to plant what I want this year! He has wooden wine boxes that we can make into growing containers :D
I'll turn this thumb green yet ;)

Val, I love your blog, thanks for linking it. You have a great variety there, that's what I'm hoping for too! This will be so much easier when we buy a house. I want to plant perennials but I don't want to leave them here :lol:

Trust me... most perennials are easy to move. I have moved most of these two sometimes three times and they still go crazy within a year... and that is just from cuttings. Don't hold back. Go crazy. It's worth it. ;)

Val

I, too, would love to grow eggplant, but I'm not sure what the point would be if I'm the only one who will touch it. Still, I'm planning to plant asparagus, so maybe it shouldn't matter that nobody else likes my veggies. ;)


oooh...i'd take an eggplant now and again ;) i could make it for me when i make the guys chicken! or...put it in soups and freeze for winter! or or or...:lol:


i forgot to list what i already have growing...i always have lavender, rosemary, wormwood and echinacea growing. my echinacea is not so happy this spring for some reason...it may need moving.

forgot to list that i've got watermelon and chamomile sprouting now too...

i also have HUGE GIANT elephant ears that come up every summer. more than i need.

What are elephant ears? Do you have a pic? I need to see those. :)

Val

What are elephant ears? Do you have a pic? I need to see those. :)

Val

lemme check :) BRB...

ok...here you go. not the biggest photo but here they are growing on my back deck. they grow at each corner...and then i have them in other places too.

they get over 6 feet tall and die back to nothing in the winter. they mulitply like mad.

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y121/snugglbond/house/yard2.jpg



emilycompost - Celebrating gardening, plants, and weeds (http://www.emilycompost.com/elephant_ear.htm)

Trust me... most perennials are easy to move. I have moved most of these two sometimes three times and they still go crazy within a year... and that is just from cuttings. Don't hold back. Go crazy. It's worth it. ;)

Val
Sweeeeet :D I know what i'm doing on Mother's Day, then!

ok...here you go. not the biggest photo but here they are growing on my back deck. they grow at each corner...and then i have them in other places too.

they get over 6 feet tall and die back to nothing in the winter. they mulitply like mad.
Mom used to have elephant ears when I was a kid. I loved those - great for hide-and-seek! She's moved on to Hostas, maybe one of each..... updating my garden list now :)

yep...we've got hostas too ;) more than i can count individually :D

So far I have peas with cilantro- I'm supposed to plant lettuces in that bed too. Then I have pumpkin and garlic, not sure what else is going in that bed. Another bed has fennel and nothing else yet and another bed is empty so far. I know we (meaning me with Val's direction) are putting lots and lots of tomatoes in. I'm going to have lots of strawberry plants and I definitely want some nasturtiams somewhere because I love them on salad. Then in the center bed I have a few different types of mint, chives, and I'm not sure what else (this is why I took notes! its all herbs) and then some more flowers. I'm getting some big wood boxes from a friend to plant all the carrots, radishes, potatoes and onions in. I need to make a worm bin for kitchen scraps and a chicken coop for fresh eggs :)

Sarah

Yeah... Sarah, today some of our tomato seedling babies got third leaves!!

Yeah... Sarah, today some of our tomato seedling babies got third leaves!!


WOOOOHOOOOOO!

ok I don't really know what that means or rather the implications of what that means but I'll sing and dance about it if you are :D :hahaha:

Sarah