/* */

PDA

View Full Version : 2011 Garden Talk



MuslimahBarb
02-24-2011, 01:16 AM
Since the 2011 gardening season is upon us, I thought I would begin a gardening thread for this year. We can share what we are doing in our gardens share photos etc.

Br. Mustafa & I are hoping to get seeds for our tomatoes, peppers, herbs and flowers started soon in flats. I will be sharing pics as things progress,inshaAllah.
Reply

Login/Register to hide ads. Scroll down for more posts
glo
02-24-2011, 08:41 AM
Thank you for starting a new gardening thread, Barb! :)
I will join you here when I have some pics.

My hubby has started sowing flowers and vegetables indoors, but it will be a while before the weather is reliably frost-free around these parts.
We are also thinking about getting some chickens. Your fb pictures have inspired us!

Today we will sort out the flower beds in the church yard. Hubby bought me a ton of summer flowering bulbs - anemones, lilies, dahlias, irises and gladiolas. Hopefully they will bring some joy and colour in the summer months!
Reply

glo
02-24-2011, 04:45 PM
Here is what we did this morning.
The flower bed looks quite bare at the moment, but hidden in the ground are dozens and dozens of summer bulbs! :shade:






Apart from digging it over and adding plenty of compost, we edged the bed with willow sticks. I think it looks quite nice. Natural and a little informal - just how we like it!






Reply

glo
02-24-2011, 04:52 PM
(Apologies to Mustafa and Barbara who know these pictures already ...)


After growing our fruit and vegetables in our garden until now, we took over and allotment at the end of last summer. Hopefully we will be able to grow most stuff there from now on - it has more space and better sunlight exposure.
And hopefully we will be able to keep a couple of chickens in our own garden, now we are more space there.

Here is what the allotment plot looked like, when we took it over:












We started building some raised beds and improving the soil, so by the end of October it looked like this:








It has changed much since then, and we have added raspberry canes and more strawberries and have sown garlic, peas and broad beans.

I will update the pictures next time I remember to take our camera.
Reply

Welcome, Guest!
Hey there! Looks like you're enjoying the discussion, but you're not signed up for an account.

When you create an account, you can participate in the discussions and share your thoughts. You also get notifications, here and via email, whenever new posts are made. And you can like posts and make new friends.
Sign Up
MustafaMc
02-25-2011, 04:05 AM
God willing, we will all have successful gardens this year. Last year the green bean plants died and did not produce a single bean. This is a parable for our lives in that we can plant the seed but it is Allah (swt) who gives the increase, or not.
Reply

glo
02-25-2011, 06:46 AM
^
Very true, Mustafa.

We had sown broad beans in the autumn, but they caught a fungal disease (chocolate spots) and finally we had to pull them out.
We have resown and are hoping for better success this time round. :)
Reply

Muhaba
02-25-2011, 08:39 AM
i love to garden. but i need some lessons. how deep are we supposed to plant the seeds? how much water and how soon should one water the plant?
Reply

glo
02-25-2011, 02:29 PM
Muhaba, the answer to your questions depends on many things.

Where do you live?
What kind of plants are you hoping to grow?
How much space do you have?
Reply

PouringRain
02-25-2011, 06:42 PM
I actually did not plant a vegetable garden this year for the first time in a long time.

Last fall I planted bulbs along the side of our one walkway and they are all sprouting up now. Recently I planted just a few bulbs and plants. I have some seed I want to put in our front pots, btu other than that I am just working on weeding and watering this year.
Reply

Muhaba
02-26-2011, 11:27 AM
^^ i don't have much space right now but plan to move to a house with a yard. i plan to grow mostly flowers and a few vegetables. the climate will probably be cold, cold winters, moderate summers.
Reply

Woodrow
02-26-2011, 02:54 PM
Tell the truth you all started this thread to make me jealous.

This morning's weather alert for us.



I do enjoy these garden threads because they do remind me that snow does eventually melt and Insha Allaah I may soon see the ground again after the snow melts. The day will come when I see something beside icicles growing.

I don't think we are going to have a spring or summer this year. Any plans for a garden are very far in the future. But, I will at least see what I can indoors with pots.
Reply

glo
02-26-2011, 03:43 PM
Woodrow, I am happy to trade pictures of vegetables with your pictures of horses, snow and open country any time!

Have a carrot on me.thumbnailaspx?q409423517716&ampid7add07b2ac2fece6d35332707fa956a5 -

:)
Reply

MustafaMc
02-26-2011, 04:24 PM
Brother Woodrow, now that is cold!!! I don't think that I would fare very well in your area as I am used to the mild winters down south. God willing, this weekend we will plant tomato and pepper seed into flats to be ready for transplanting in about 6-8 weeks.

Last week was the first we saw of the purple martin scouts returning from Brazil. Today, was the first time they visited the new gourds that I had prepared for them :-) We saw at least 6 flying around with a pair checking out the different housing options. They are such joyful little birds, alhamdulillah.
Reply

MustafaMc
02-26-2011, 04:30 PM
format_quote Originally Posted by muhaba
i love to garden. but i need some lessons. how deep are we supposed to plant the seeds? how much water and how soon should one water the plant?
The depth of planting seed is proportional to the size of the seed. For a seed like beans or peas about 1 inch or 2 cm is good. If the soil is moist when you plant, then you don't have to water. After planting the soil should be lightly packed for good seed-to-soil contact. An important consideration is to first prepare the soil like Glo did by tilling it and adding organic matter to improve the soil structure.
Reply

Woodrow
02-26-2011, 04:47 PM
format_quote Originally Posted by MustafaMc
The depth of planting seed is proportional to the size of the seed. For a seed like beans or peas about 1 inch or 2 cm is good. If the soil is moist when you plant, then you don't have to water. After planting the soil should be lightly packed for good seed-to-soil contact. An important consideration is to first prepare the soil like Glo did by tilling it and adding organic matter to improve the soil structure.
That is an excellent rule of thumb for planting any seeds. To fine tune it a touch. It is nearly always safe to plant a seed 10 times the thickness of the seed, don't bother measuring, lay 10 seeds side by side and that is a visual view of the best depth for almost all seeds. In odd shaped large seeds if you do not know which end should be planted down, plant the seed on it's side. The depth to plant a seed has considerable leeway for error. The biggest danger is in not planting small seeds deep enough. Small seeds will generally sprout a root within 3 days. If it rains before then the seed needs to be deep enough not to wash away. Plant small seeds in damp soil at a time you do not expect rain for 4 or 5 days. Begin watering them in either early morning or late evening on the third day. Water daily lightly and gently. Light daily watering is better than periodic heavy watering. Evening and night watering is the best.
Reply

Woodrow
02-26-2011, 04:56 PM
format_quote Originally Posted by MustafaMc
Brother Woodrow, now that is cold!!!
March is often our coldest month and we generally get our last Blizzard in April. This winter has been rather unusual. Last Saturday the temp got up to 55 ABOVE zero, This morning's low was 45 below Zero. A 100 degree temperature change in one week.

It will be a while before it is warm enough to plant. But we will have more than a few farmers begin planting the day after Easter. There is kind of an old wife's tale that the last freeze always occurs before Easter. Some out here even after loosing their first planting for 50 years in a row, will still insist it is safe to start planting the day after Easter.
Reply

MustafaMc
02-26-2011, 05:37 PM
Brother Woodrow, you provided excellent suggestions on planting.

How are you able to cope with being cooped up like that for so long? Does the reduced amount of daylight lead to SAD - seasonal affective disorder?
Reply

Woodrow
02-26-2011, 05:54 PM
format_quote Originally Posted by MustafaMc
Brother Woodrow, you provided excellent suggestions on planting.

How are you able to cope with being cooped up like that for so long? Does the reduced amount of daylight lead to SAD - seasonal affective disorder?
Brother Mustafa,

Because of our weekly doctor appointments in Fargo we are in the car more than we are in the house. It actually becomes a pleasure to have to stay in the house for a few days at a time. But SAD is a reality and for that reason there is a very high suicide rate among those who do not adapt to the limited sunlight. The key to surviving is to find things that force you to be active out doors. Raising horses is a strong prod to push a person out side. The horses need to be fed and watered twice a day no matter what the weather is like and even if you have to do it with a flash light. To avoid SAD outdoor activities are a must even if it is just for an hour a day. The key is to have something that forces you to go outside, because no sane person is going to want to even open the door in this weather.

It also helps to hang up a lot of bright colored pictures of scenery like forest scenes, Seascapes and desert views.

Reading Garden threads is also a big help.

There is a plus side, it gives plenty of quiet time for undisturbed prayers.
Reply

MustafaMc
03-01-2011, 06:25 AM
Yesterday, we planted seed of 12 different varieties/hybrids of tomato and 6 pepper varieties into trays. I have been selecting an open pollinated variety of sweet corn from a commercial hybrid. Last year was the 4th generation and I selected 66 plants based on ear type. This weekend Barbara and I counted out 100 seed of each and weighed them to get an average kernel size. I selected the 12 lines with the largest kernels to be planted this year.
Reply

glo
03-01-2011, 06:50 AM
Sounds like the approach of a true vegetable breeder to me, Mustafa! :)
Reply

Woodrow
03-01-2011, 07:38 AM
format_quote Originally Posted by glo
Sounds like the approach of a true vegetable breeder to me, Mustafa! :)
I was thinking Burbank now has some stiff Competition. My Brother Mustafa has been given a remarkable insight into the principles of plant breeding.
Reply

Muhaba
03-02-2011, 12:29 PM
thank you for the tips. i knew there was a reason why the plants didn't grow when i planted seeds.
Reply

piXie
03-02-2011, 12:39 PM
I am not much of a gardener but I would love to grow some lavendar and roses, especially for my mum, may Allaah bless her abundantly.
Reply

MustafaMc
03-02-2011, 01:24 PM
Thank you Glo and Brother Woodrow, but really I am just playing with the sweet corn breeding. Since corn is open pollinated I am able to really only select the female with it being pollinated at random. I have kept track of the pedigree over the years. Since I had been selecting until last year only on plant and ear type, I was surprised at how similar the kernel size was on plants from related rows. I want to maintain as much genetic diversity as I can and yet have as uniform plant growth and flowering as possible. My intention is to develop a good open pollinated type that I can use instead of having to buy hybrid seed each year.

Insha'Allah, my next project is to cross an excellent pole lima bean that has a maroon seed (Persian) with other varieties with a green or larger seed. We have grown 4 other varieties that we like, but they don't produce nearly as much as the Persian. Last year we saved seed and I noticed a few green seed that could have been derived from an unintentional outcross (bees). I am hopeful that these seed produce productive plants.
Reply

Woodrow
03-02-2011, 08:11 PM
format_quote Originally Posted by MustafaMc
Thank you Glo and Brother Woodrow, but really I am just playing with the sweet corn breeding. Since corn is open pollinated I am able to really only select the female with it being pollinated at random. I have kept track of the pedigree over the years. Since I had been selecting until last year only on plant and ear type, I was surprised at how similar the kernel size was on plants from related rows. I want to maintain as much genetic diversity as I can and yet have as uniform plant growth and flowering as possible. My intention is to develop a good open pollinated type that I can use instead of having to buy hybrid seed each year.

Insha'Allah, my next project is to cross an excellent pole lima bean that has a maroon seed (Persian) with other varieties with a green or larger seed. We have grown 4 other varieties that we like, but they don't produce nearly as much as the Persian. Last year we saved seed and I noticed a few green seed that could have been derived from an unintentional outcross (bees). I am hopeful that these seed produce productive plants.
Going back to the farmer's of old. (My grandfather's era) they swore by when planting corn for eating, not for seed purposes. To plant a row of popcorn every 4th row Actually a thin row with the plants about a foot apart. They claimed it made for better pollination, better tasting and fuller ears with bigger kernels. But, such corn was only good to eat, very poor germination if you tried to plant them and poor ears if they did grow.
Reply

Zuzubu
03-02-2011, 08:14 PM
yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!!! The snow is melting here!!!!!!!!!!! =D

We got some raspberry trees outside... They are awake in summer only though...
Reply

MuslimahBarb
03-04-2011, 02:00 AM
format_quote Originally Posted by glo
Here is what we did this morning.
The flower bed looks quite bare at the moment, but hidden in the ground are dozens and dozens of summer bulbs! :shade:





Apart from digging it over and adding plenty of compost, we edged the bed with willow sticks. I think it looks quite nice. Natural and a little informal - just how we like it!





Peace Glo
I Think your flower bed looks quite nice and I really like the use of the willow as the border, that is so creative! I do hope you will continue to post pics as the flower bed progresses, God willing.
Reply

glo
03-04-2011, 07:00 AM
Thank you, Barbara.
Unfortunately, the quirrels - which are abundant in the church yard - have cottoned on to the hidden bulbs and are trying to dig them out. Every day we find a few dug out, sometimes nibbled and then discarded ...

Any ides of how I can squirrel-proof the flower bed?
Reply

Woodrow
03-04-2011, 10:32 AM
format_quote Originally Posted by glo
Thank you, Barbara.
Unfortunately, the quirrels - which are abundant in the church yard - have cottoned on to the hidden bulbs and are trying to dig them out. Every day we find a few dug out, sometimes nibbled and then discarded ...

Any ides of how I can squirrel-proof the flower bed?
This may sound strange, But it works. Sprinkle hot Cayenne pepper over where the bulbs are. You may have to repeat after each rain for a while. But it does discourage them. To further discourage them set up a squirrel feeder far from the flower bed and quite soon you will have both a happy flower bed and happy squirrels
Reply

glo
03-04-2011, 03:22 PM
format_quote Originally Posted by Woodrow
This may sound strange, But it works. Sprinkle hot Cayenne pepper over where the bulbs are. You may have to repeat after each rain for a while. But it does discourage them. To further discourage them set up a squirrel feeder far from the flower bed and quite soon you will have both a happy flower bed and happy squirrels
Thank you, Woodrow. I might just try that.

Squirrel and cayenne pepper ... now that's giving me another idea ... pink5E 5Earial5E 5E45E 5E05E 5EYum!!5E 5E -
Reply

S.Belle
03-04-2011, 03:45 PM
format_quote Originally Posted by member X
I am not much of a gardener but I would love to grow some lavendar.


Do you grow your lavendar from seeds or do you buy them as plants? I tried growing them from seeds and failed they got to a certain point and just died tips please

found an old pic they got a lil taller then this and then died :(



Sine we live in the city we usually grow a few veggies and fruit on our patio inshallah if we do it this year ill post pics

here are some from last year

spinach




strawberries





Salad Mix



onions (we got not one onion though)



tomatoes



carrots

Reply

sister herb
03-04-2011, 06:19 PM
Your pictures put me miss summer even more I missed it before - specially when I saw that one about carrots I swear I smelled how they smell at summer morning in my own little garden...

And here is now tons of snow left on the ground and cold raining outside. :cry:
Reply

gladTidings
04-02-2011, 10:51 AM
Salaam =)

So we now have a baby peach tree to add to our collection of trees. I'm not sure it will survive English weather...Any advice ?
Reply

Little_Lion
04-02-2011, 04:21 PM
Our garden is still covered with snow . . . with the spring snows and rains and cold weather, it will be around the end of April before I can consider planting. But insha'Allah the flowers that dropped their seeds last fall did most of the job.
Reply

MustafaMc
04-11-2011, 01:56 AM
This weekend my wife and I planted 994 linear feet of our garden including:

1) 2 plants each of 12 different tomato varieties/hybrids in a raised bed
2) 120 ft of pole lima beans mostly one variety (Persian), but a few seed each of 6 other varieties
3) 180 ft of bush lima beans - 4 varieties
4) 180 ft of bush green beans - 4 varieties
5) 180 ft of cowpeas - 4 varieties
6) 80 ft of bush dry-shell beans - 4 varieties
7) 18 ft of peanuts - 2 varieties from Virginia
8) 165 ft of sweet corn - 24 selections I have made from a hybrid
9) 28 ft of colored (purple and red) sweet corn from a contact in Utah
10) 4 collard plants

Our temperature today was in the low 80s and sunny. We had perfect moisture and soil conditions. It is forecast to rain tomorrow and turn cooler. Insha'Allah, it will not affect our seedling emergence. Insha'Allah, we will plant the rest of the garden next weekend.
Reply

Hey there! Looks like you're enjoying the discussion, but you're not signed up for an account.

When you create an account, you can participate in the discussions and share your thoughts. You also get notifications, here and via email, whenever new posts are made. And you can like posts and make new friends.
Sign Up
British Wholesales - Certified Wholesale Linen & Towels | Holiday in the Maldives

IslamicBoard

Experience a richer experience on our mobile app!