YOUR GUIDE TO THE TWIN CITIES
In and out of the garden
Posted on April 7th, 2009 – 6:18 AMBy Robyn Dochterman
Quick…name three things you want in your garden this year, and three things you want out of your garden this year. Here’s mine:
In: Compost, pollinators, peppers that actually turn red instead of rotting.
Out: Plenty of tomatoes for fresh eating and sauces, micro-greens, weeds (okay, actually that last one is just wishful thinking)
31 Responses to "In and out of the garden"
In: Compost, weed free pathways, green lacewings ( because they eat aphids and they are prettier than lady bugs)
Out: The neighbors cat, pickles, and heirloom tomatoes that get ripe before frost.
Why all the tomato hating?
In: Manure, cherry tomatoes, cocoa bean mulch
Out: Squirrels, slugs, elm seeds
[…] Greengirls – […]
In: herbs, cocoa bean mulch, rabbit-proof plants
Out: rabbits, wood violet (yes - it is the Wisconsin state flower - but it can grow in the woods and not in my garden), rabbits
In ye old garden- flowers that attract butterflies, only veggies that we actually eat, and finishing the rain garden.
Out- every year I try to eliminate more of our grass area without my husband noticing, the ongoing battle with morning glory, and did I mention grass?
In: Native grasses, arctic kiwi and brussels sprouts
http://gurneys.com/product.asp_Q_pn_E_13153
Out: Wedding planning! I could have a really nice water feature or new patio for the money we are spending on our upcoming nuptials.
I’m with Cat on the tomato-hating question.
In: tomatoes, blooming perennials, cocoa bean mulch
Out: annuals (mostly), grass, those fugly bushes next to the house.
Cat and Mememom,
I don’t think that Robyn is anti-tomato, but more “tomato in moderation”. I’ve seen her garden (which is actually the size of a small CSA). By July, it is a tangle of tomatoes!
So Jaime - why don’t you just run away and elope and then just have a party? If you’ve already bought The Dress, you could wear it both times!
IN: orange and peach perennials for my “sunset” garden, paths, new pots
OUT: creeping charlie in the sunset garden, baby mulberry trees, buckthorn.
We did a major buckthorn project a few years ago, but it’s an ongoing battle.
Su, I totally agree with your sentiment!
PS: Bravo for all your buckthorn battles.
In: Peppers that ripen, herbs, colorful perennials.
Out: Rabbits, Squirrels, the dog (he likes to dig)
(Honorable mention Out — this time in the rocks and borders — Dill weed. That was a mistake I will never repeat!)
I don’t hate the tomatoes, I just would like to get some that ripen out there, not on my windowsill after the frost comes to kill the plant. But I do hate having the cat in there, I can only guess what he thinks my garden is for…
The dog is no help here as he is TOO nice and won’t chase them out.
I will throw in a honorable mention for anywhere in the yard: snow on the mountain. It takes over everywhere, and swells my eyes shut when I try to pull it out.
In: Blooms from all the bulbs I planted; gin and tonics; hummingbirds.
Out: creeping charlie, squirrels, merry bells (an annoying, wretched variety of campanula)
Jaime: ELOPE.
I love peoples’ ins and outs. I don’t hate my tomatoes either. I was trying to be clever (that’ll teach me!), by saying I wanted lots of tomatoes (to come) out of my garden.
in: rain barrel, compost bin, seedlings i started inside
out: squirrels who dig up bulbs, weeds from birdies tossing birdseed out of the feeder, buying plants
jamie- the wedding reception is for everyone who loves you (and family you only see at weddings, graduations and funerals)! the wedding itself is about you and the hubby- there’s a reason there are only 2 witnesses required to sign a marriage license! spend your time and money creating the marriage of your dreams, not the wedding of your dreams.
in: herbs, cucs, maybe a few tomatoes (Hey Robyn, I’ll take some of yours!)
out: heliopsis (they’re aphid magnets), my coneflowers (they have aster yellows, boo hoo!), phlox (it’s taking over the boulevard — aiyeeeeee)
Hey Connie. I’ll happily trade you some tomatoes for phlox!
In: strawberries, potatoes, roses
Out: weeds, rabbits, dead shrubs
Totally easier said than done. I just wish the rabbits could figure out that the deck they want to live under belongs to the dog that chases them!
In: Asparagus, Blueberries, Butternut squash
Out: Overgrown pumpkins, infected gladiolas, rabbits
In: Russian Sage, Karl Foerster Feather Reed Grass and Creeping Phlox
Out: Weeds, blank-slate front yard and side yard without fence.
In: Potatoes, mulch, zinnias (we’re growing our own flowers for our wedding)
Out: Creeping charlie, heirloom popcorn, bell peppers
In: Liatris, Julia Child Rose, Poppies.
Out: Bunnies, renegade buckthorn from the neighbors, daisies.
Jolene! Can I come eat at your house? Asparagus, blueberries and butternut squash sound so good right now!
In: pretty annuals, daffodils and tulips
Out: Rocks,weeds and rocks (yes, I am the one who has to remove landscaping rock this year.)
In: tomatoes (lots and lots), new pond, more herbs.
Out: knick-knack garden junk, over grown perennials and ground hornets!!
IN: wood chips, the apple trees I ordered (what was I thinking)and right now I just want some pretty bloom to look at outside my window.
OUT: creeping charlie (as usual), the grass (especially on the boulevard where I will have to think of some more IN’s), bunnies.
In: 1 Brandywine and 1 yellow globe tomato plants, cucumbers, guard duck (I hope the female mallard who nested under the arborvitae ~4 feet from the corner of my veggie garden last year comes back; she kept the rabbits away while she was incubating her eggs!).
Out: Rabbits, neighborhood cats, thistles
In: My cat (makes rabbits dead), railroad ties, strawberries
Out: Tall grasses/weeds at the back of my garden that I haven’t ever dug out yet (want expand my pumpkin and flower patches), snow peas - need a new variety or something, and rusty old nails in the soil. They turn up every year.
in: sweet corn, brussel sprouts, more pollinators
out: the quackgrass and crab grass that hitched a ride in some bad compost that i spread ALL over my garden 2-3 years ago and am still pulling out.
In: Tidal wave petunias (from seed! they’re so tiny!), acorn squash, going to try to grow Spanish Peanuts…we’ll see.
Out: Poppies, morning glory, bunnies. (Don’t dump an old pot of dirt into the garden that used to have morning glories in them. They’re all over the garden now.)
Argh, morning glories are totally prolific, Amanda. The same thing happened to me!
Greengirls Connie Nelson, Robyn Dochterman and Jaime Chismar are dishin' the dirt from the backyard garden and beyond. Whether you're a greenthumb or greenhorn, they're eager to learn from your misshaps, mistakes -- and most importantly, your sweet successes -- all growing season long.
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