2011 Garden Talk

MuslimahBarb

MuslimahBarb

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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.
 
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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!
 
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:


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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!

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2011_0224crocus-1.jpg
 
(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:

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

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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.
 
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.
 
^
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. :)
 
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?
 
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?
 
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.
 
^^ 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.
 
Tell the truth you all started this thread to make me jealous.

This morning's weather alert for us.

cold-1.jpg


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.
 
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.
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:)
 
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.
 
muhaba said:
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?
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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.
 
MustafaMc said:
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.
Click to expand...

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.
 
MustafaMc said:
Brother Woodrow, now that is cold!!!
Click to expand...

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.
 
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?
 
MustafaMc said:
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?
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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.
 
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.
 
Sounds like the approach of a true vegetable breeder to me, Mustafa! :)
 

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