What do you Grow?? The Garden Thread

Post Reply New Topic

I realize many of you have a winter season to deal with. But our Australian gardeners could let us know what they are doing.

What do those of you who live in temperate zone do in the winter?

My mango season is officially over. Three months of eating fresh mangos which is outstanding. I still have two green ones ripening in a basket. Here is what I have put by:

18 pounds of mango leather
4 pints of mango jam
17 pints of mango chutney

I also froze a lot mango, but have not counted those.

And at least half went to waste. I had to choose between preserving mangos or passing my state audits and I made the responsible choice.

So there was a fantastic mango harvest, and probably more than I need.

I have one space in my garden for another tree. I was going to plant a mango tree there, but maybe I should choose something else in view of all the mangos I already have.

If you could grow a subtropical fruit tree, what would you plant?

Pomegranates.I’ve read there are Russian varieties that might be hardy in my zone.I have a few seedling poms, one ordered, and the other are from seeds I planted.Supposedly they winter well indoors.We will see.
Mangos for sure.That’s quite a harvest you put away!!
In the winter I cut lots of brush,plant dormant stuff, prune dormant shrubs, work on my trails in the woods ,and work with rocks.I leave the rocks alone in the warmer months.You never know who might be living under one.

What a great idea, Pomegranates! I never would have thought of it on my own. I read up on them by googling. Looks like they are used a lot in Iranian and Indian and other cooking. Even the seeds are used as spices. And so many health benefits.

It looks like they will even grow in zones 7-10. Now I have to research the varieties and where I might get some.

I love it you have trails through your woods. I love walking on woods trails.

I will hit the trails as soon as tick season is over.In the spring there are so many wildflowers,in the winter, rocks and interesting tree shapes.I avoid the woods during deer season but when that’s over it’s fun to explore.There are some cool old rock walls.
Every fall I think about flagging the sugar maples and trying my hand at tapping them in the spring.I have saved up enough jugs so only laziness is stopping me.
The weather has turned nice, a taste of fall with a nice breeze and it finally stopped raining.Maybe I have mowed for the last time.

We are headed for five days on the Buffalo River in Arkansas and have been told this is tick heaven. I grew up in Illinois and the ticks were thick in the woods. Here, where I live now, not so many ticks, but fire ants are a real problem.

I love exploring the woods in winter. Even when I lived up north with the woods full of snow.

My key lime is bearing now. The one stalk of banana is done, but I have three stalks full of green bananas coming on. Will plant some veggies when I come back from the Buffalo.

I am excited about the pomegranate possibilities. Their flowers also attract humming birds. I'm research which variety to try and where to get them. I haven't found anyone selling them except the cheap places like Gurney's, etc.

What part of the Buffalo?I live on the Little Buffalo.You must be putting in on the lower part, it’s better floating this time of year.
The gravel bars are tick free, avoid the weeds.

Because of the low water, we will be putting in at Rush or possibly about five miles upstream at Dillard (?) Ferry, paddling down to the White and then take out about five miles downstream from the confluence. I’ve not paddled a SW River, so this will be quite new.

I ordered from this nursery and they had nice plants.I can’t believe how huge they got.The hardy banana is head tall!!
https://floridahillnursery.com/plants/
There is a cool old ghost town at Rush.I haven’t floated the lower river, just the upper part.
It was actually chilly last night and I had to put on a sweater.Great camping weather.
If you like to fish you can get a visitors license for a few days.

Back from the Buffalo River and working on the garden again. I will check out the nursery you recommended, Misslizard.

Meanwhile, I have a bit more time off work and am focusing on my garden. In another thread I talked about how to set priorities and in thinking about how to spend the time in the garden. I am going to attempt to show how I am doing a rough estimation of what is now called guilds.

This is the first section of garden I planted when we moved here about 10 years old. I tried to do the regular rows and veggies and had a lot of failures. Here is what is there now.

[url=]Guild1[/url]

Going clockwise from the lower left, you are looking at Cuban Oregano, a tropical vine whose name escapes me right now, Swamp Lily, more of the tropical vine and the beginning of sweet potato. In the background are primarily bananas. Along the right side are two young avocado trees. Peeking around here and there are Aloe, Cranberry Hibiscus and pepperdew pepper. There is peppermint in the bird bath. Between the bananas, not visible, are many pineapple plants. Also behind the bananas are four moringa trees, but I cut them way back and you can't see them. Except for one moringa which I had to leave tall because there is a vanilla vine growing up it.

I also took a photo of another guild based on macademia nut, but it did not upload. It has macademia nut, ice cream bean tree (N fixer), pineapples, Coral bean bus (another N fixer), walking iris and some bromeliads.

A tropical paradise!!
It’s so lush,it looks just like an escape on a tropical island.I can just imagine a hammock hanging out there.
I bet the birds and other wild life love it, so natural looking.Do you have the little green anole lizards?They are so sweet.
Hope you enjoyed the Buffalo, the colors are changing now and it’s just lovely.

We do have hammocks, too. And the little green anoles. They have been largely overrun by the Cuban anoles, but I love sighting them from time to time. I try to encourage native plants and pollinator plants so as to improve the area for wildlife in general.

I am harvesting now key limes and pepperdew peppers. One new stalk of bananas coming on. Planting pigeon peas to improve the soil.

That poor tomato plant that survived so many setbacks earlier in the year is now five feet tall and starting to bear.

[url][/url]

[url][/url]

The Buffalo River was awesome. Water was very low, but we scraped by. This photo is of another couple of canoes and I took it to show the scale of the bluffs. The water in the Ozarks is as clear freshwater as I have ever seen.

[url][/url]

That tomato is amazing!!The ones here are on there way out and look really rough.No frost yet but the nights are getting chilly and the hot weather plants don’t like it.
I glad you had a great time on the river.Usually the water is very nice but a few years back we had an algae bloom on the river.A hog farm was blamed and has since been shut down.
This nursery had me drooling, lots of items that would be hardy where you live.
https://urbantropicals.com/

Luckily for my pocketbook, they are closed till spring.

Love all the wonderful gardening photos and green fingers in this thread ...

We’ve had a good Summer here with plenty of growth in the gardens. The squirrels from the neighbouring forest visited daily to munch on the nuts and any seed, suet balls they could find in the feeders. Pheasants and hedgehogs also stopped by occasionally. Vege crops thrived, and the roses needed daily watering in the English heat.

The bleeding heart emerged in the Spring and continued to thrive throughout the Summer ...


The tomatoes have been turned into salsa, used in Italian pasta dishes and the Great Aussie Burger...


The iceberg roses(David Austin) are now at their 4th year since planting from bareroot growth at either side of the arch in the front garden. They are very fragrant, and the scent follows youdown the path to the front door ...


A group planting of 3 Molineux roses is still blooming well now, in the Autumn ...


Rhapsody in Blue Rose ...


Teasing Georgia Rose ...


Darcey BussellEnglish ballerina had a rose named after her) Rose...


Will post some more from the Japanese Garden in the back yard, and more of the roses next time ... happy gardening

Juliette, your roses are stunning! When I lived in the midwest, we had bleeding hearts. It was good to see them again.
What is an aussie burger? Please post recipe.

I have started some of the fall crops. I have long beans starting up the trellis. A have resurrected some of the purple sweet potatoes and am trying to train them up a cage. I read that if you let the vines sprawl too much, the plant produces tiny potatoes and not big ones. My Florida Survivor tomato is producing good tasting tomatoes on a slow but regular basis. This is just about right for my eating. My husband won't eat a vegetable unless is deep fried.

I also have a couple of Black Krim tomato plants growing, but no producing yet. I have started some of those huge red peppers and seedlings should go out soon. I have resurrected several of the peppadew peppers and all are producing.

Peppadew peppers are quite small, the taste is hot but it has an interesting flavor that hits before the heat. It is very long season.

I need to get some tomatillo seeds and see if they will be more successful if planted in the fall.

Those roses are just amazing.Its a challenge to find a rose that thrives here.So many diseases.Some of the newer landscape roses do well, but no fragrance.I’ve had good luck with some antique cultivars, but they usually just bloom once.The fragrance is worth it.
No frost yet, so I have summer flowers blooming with fall colors.
Lantanna, marigolds, zinnias and morning glories.The hardy banana and elephant ears are huge!! !
House plants have all made the journey inside and I have the plant lights up for them.
Just some kale, lettuce and other assorted greens in the garden.
I have bulbs to plant, hyacinth, ziva paperwhites for indoors, daffodils and oriental lily.So excited about the lilies!!