Welcome! Please introduce yourself here.

[Petra X]

The Caribbean mostly. I know Cardiff well. I'm from a tiny village between Caerphilly and Newport.

Excuse me for not being more specific.

[Lillianna]

Petra X wrote: "The Caribbean mostly. I know Cardiff well. I'm from a tiny village between Caerphilly and Newport.

Excuse me for not being more specific."



I go to Caerphilly quite often.
The climate change must have been a bit of a shock after Wales!

[Petra X]

I didn't go straight there. I was sailing around the world at the time and through force of circumstances I ended up in the Caribbean. My late mother's house in Newport is for sale so I have to go back every now and again to make sure everything is ok.

What's in Caerphilly that you go there? The golf clubs? Apart from the Castle I've never thought it was a particularly interesting place - always went to either Newport or Cardiff.

[Jo Ann]

Hi my name is Jo Ann I moved from Daytona Beach, Florida to Elkhart, Indiana in October of last year and had to leave my established 2 year old garden behind talk about feeling devastated. Any how it looks like spring is getting here in Indiana so I will probably be doing a vegetable container garden this year. I'm not familiar with this growing zone so if anybody has any pointers on what tomato plants I should try please let me know.

[Bloomin’Chick (Jo) aka The Eclectic Spoonie]

Welcome Jo Ann! I know how devastating leaving a garden behind can be, I left my first garden behind in 2005 & it was the only reason I cried my eyes out on the last day! We'll do what we can to help you get situated in your new garden! Make yourself at home here :o) I have a twitter friend who lives in Indiana (not sure if she's in the same Zone as you are, I believe she's Zone 5b) and she has an incredible garden blog about her garden so I'll be back a bit later w/the link to it. If you don't know your new Zone or want to check to see if it's changed, I've posted a link at the top of the group homepage to the 2012 Hardiness Zone Map, click on it then look for where you can enter your zip code on the left.

[Beth]

Hi all,
Brand new here. Just checking things out. :)

[Petra X]

Hi there Beth :-)

[Bloomin’Chick (Jo) aka The Eclectic Spoonie]

Welcome Beth! Make youself at home in the threads.

[Beth]

Thank you! :)

[Lise]

Kimberly wrote: "I'm so thrilled to find this group! For the last two years, I've been converting my back yard into a small farm, and was caught off guard when a neighbor I'd not met before knocked on my door aski..."

Wow, that's a really nice story. My vegetable beds are in my side yard. I was hesitant to put vegetable plantings in the front yard until I read Fritz Haeg's 'Edible Estates.' Then, I decided wanted to move everything front and center - and I hope to have the kind of impact in my neighborhood that you've described in yours. My major project right now though is to restore the woodlands on the north side of my house which were maimed by over-zealous tree trimmers earlier this year. I've put in a bunch of native trees and shrubs to bring the wildlife back. Not too many people can see the woods from the street - but if it makes a difference to the beautiful songbirds, then I feel good about it. Best wishes to you!

[Kimberly]

Lisa, thanks for the compliment. Please keep us informed of your progress and its influence upon your neighbors. I'd love to follow your yards' transformations and results. Whether or not others copy your ideas, it's a great feeling knowing that you've improved that little rectangle of ground that's yours. I wish for you all the joy that I've discovered in my little patch of ground.

[Maria]

Is there a place on this board for authors to post about their books (and keep these announcements out of the main threads?) I only have one book that has a gardener mage in it, but I wanted to let anyone who cared to know that I have a new book out (completely unrelated to gardening.)

If you don't want any kind of promo mentions, that's okay too, but I thought I'd ask in case there was a thread and I'm missing it...

[Crystal]

Hello,
I'm Crystal, and I live in the suburbs of Phoenix, Arizona. Yes, it's hot and dry--most organic gardeners nightmares, but I've found a way to make it work. If you want to see what my garden looks like right now, I posted some video footage and a pic today on my blog: http://crystalleeauthor.com/non-fic-b...

I love gardening. I've been doing it for about 10 years, read lots of books on it and talk about it to anybody that wants to listen.

I found that most of the books I read did not apply to the desert soutwest, and that everything is backward here, starting with our planting seasons. So,I started teaching local classes and wrote a book on it. It will be a series in the new future. Right now, I just have the one on basics but I think some of the information could pertain to any place at all, not just Arizona.

I'm happy to be here and see what other books are inspiring other gardener's to push themselves harder, grow something more colorful, more tasty, and more impressive. I love the challenge of the garden and how I never really know how it's gonna turn out.

[Michael]

Hello All
My name is Michael and I am a plant-aholic...lol. My wife and I are retired and live in Albuquerque NM. I have been gardening since I was a child out in my grandparents gardens where they would teach me while I wasn't just playing with the dirt. I grew up in Southern California where you can almost grow anything by dropping seeds on the ground, so it's been a bit of a learning curve here in NM getting used to things. I am interested in all types of gardening, from bonsai to permaculture to exotics, and looking forward to reading and conversing with like minded folks.

[Miriam]

Welcome Michael. This past summer, Iowa's conditions have resembled New Mexico's normal conditions, so you and I may actually have some gardening issues in common. Welcome to the group!

[Cheryl S.]

Hi Michael. Our plant choices may be a bit different as I live in Minnesota but I love hearing about what goes on in other climates. Welcome to the group!!

[MissJessie]

Hello Michael! You live in the state I intend to "come back to" if there is afterlife. Though I am aiming at Santa Fe/Los Alamo area in my dreams.

The people here are friendly and nice to chat with and it will be interesting to hear a different climate's problems. Though, with the drought this year, it may not be much.

Welcome.

[peg]

Welcome,Michael! I live near Philadelphia,Pennsylvania.It's interesting to hear from people in different parts of the country. I'm looking forward to hearing about your experiences in Albuquerque.

[Sybil]

I have gardened off and on since I was a little girl. It is in the blood! My father and his mother loved plants. One daughter is a soil scientist .

I moved to a rental house in an east tx town. We had lived in a rural area where our lawn didn't matter much. Love living in town. The front yard is mostly shaded and mostly BARE. Former renters were college kids And we had a bad drought last year. I want to get ajuga and wild violets and other ground cover to come up. Grass won't do well in shade anyway .

May container garden and try for lettuce thus fall ? I need ways to garden cheaply!!! Single mom with 2 high schoolers living at home plus 1,20 year old.

[Miriam]

Welcome Sybil. We have another regular, Maria, who is in TX and may be a resource for you here. And our newcomer Michael lives in a similar climate. Glad to have you here!

Now is a good time to plant fall crops. Down south you may need to keep them well watered and in a shady area for a while still.

[Bloomin’Chick (Jo) aka The Eclectic Spoonie]

Michael wrote: "Hello All
My name is Michael and I am a plant-aholic...lol. My wife and I are retired and live in Albuquerque NM. I have been gardening since I was a child out in my grandparents gardens where they..."

Welcome Michael!!!

Sybil wrote: "I have gardened off and on since I was a little girl. It is in the blood! My father and his mother loved plants. One daughter is a soil scientist .

I moved to a rental house in an east tx town. ..."

Welcome Sybil!!!

[Cheryl S.]

Hi Sybil--welcome to the group.

[Katy]

I've been trying to garden for several years. Some years are more successful than others and I am not always sure why. I retired as of September 1, 2012 so am hoping to garden a bit more successfully this coming year. I'd also love to build a greenhouse, but that may be a long future goal -- right now I'm trying to decide what type of greenhouse and where to site it.

I hope it is okay if perhaps those of us who truly just "play in the dirt" are invited in this group also. I'm hoping to be called a Garderner soon in my life though.

[Bloomin’Chick (Jo) aka The Eclectic Spoonie]

All are welcome here Kathy! We've all experienced both good & bad years in the garden, that's just part of it :o) I hope you'll make yourself at home in the threads!

[Cheryl S.]

Hi Kathy--nice to have you join us.

[Miriam]

Welcome Kathy! We were all beginners at one time! I still have failures, like my veggie garden this summer. I have not gotten very much off of anything! And I have been doing this for DECADES and am a master gardener to boot! So success is never guaranteed. We are dealing with Mother Nature and she has the final say!

[MissJessie]

Hello Kathy.

You'll find a nice group of people here, non judgmental and helpful, and supportive into the bargain.

It will be interesting to follow your greenhouse adventure.

I had one for 14 years, on top of a three car garage, complete with 2 story tall waterfall modeled after the one at Krohn Conservatory in Cinti, a large koi pond, immense stone edifices, etc. Planted directly into the soil instead of into pots, etc

The original owner built it in the late 1920's to house his orchid collection. It must have been spectacular in its heyday. It leaked like a sieve in a rain storm and cost an ungodly amount of money to heat but it was heaven to sit in in a snowstorm or in the spring/fall and sunbathe, etc. I certainly don't miss the hassles or expenses, but I sure miss the plants and playing in the dirt in the middle of winter.

[Petra X]

Hello Kathy, welcome. I don't garden really, although I used to a lot. Now I just fight nature and usually lose, although I have a few successes. I don't really mind because a rain forest is very beautiful and there are loads of (free) fruit trees around.

[Katy]

Thanks to all for the kind welcome! I am trying to garden in the high desert of the Idaho. Love it here, but each garden has its own trials and thorns.

[Miriam]

Kathy, where in Idaho? I lived near Melba, thirty miles south of Nampa, for 13 years. I did lots of veggies there (a half acre).

[Katy]

Miriam wrote: "Kathy, where in Idaho? I lived near Melba, thirty miles south of Nampa, for 13 years. I did lots of veggies there (a half acre)."

Way too amazing, my sister actually lives in Melba and has for the past 10 - 15 years ( times flies and I forget when she moved out there) and I live in Middleton. Big town girls here! So good to hear from you. And yes I can grow amazing plots of green beans -- they never seem to disappoint here.

[Miriam]

With the sandy soil and irrigation, so constant water, a lot of things do really well. I also never saw an iris borer the entire time I lived there, and I grew amazing numbers of iris. Also, no mildew problems. The first few attempts here in Iowa I planted things way too close, and they all got mildew and died!

Who are some of the native Melbans your sister knows. The town only has about 200 people so I probably know them.

[Katy]

Miriam wrote: "With the sandy soil and irrigation, so constant water, a lot of things do really well. I also never saw an iris borer the entire time I lived there, and I grew amazing numbers of iris. Also, no mil..."

Actually Gylda Webb was my husband's great grandmother. So most of the Webb's we are related somehow. I'll ask my sister who are the "natives" there in Melba.

[Miriam]

I don't think I knew any Webbs. If I did I would probably remember them since my nephew's first name is Webb. (I think it is a family name on his mom's side, but not sure.)

[Florence (Lefty)]

Hello everyone. My 2 addictions are books and gardens, can't say what order I'd put those in:) I live in Vancouver Canada so I'm blessed with a nice zone 8 growing season. Just got our 1st killing frost. I grow mostly perennials & grasses, wish I the room for more roses (love the old fashioned scented ones the best) Anyway - came here for gardening talk to get me through the winter:)

[Petra X]

Hello Florence, welcome.

[Florence (Lefty)]

Petra X wrote: "Hello Florence, welcome."

Hi Petra, nice to run into someone I know!

[Petra X]

Likewise. Very :-)

[Miriam]

Hi Florence! Somehow I never imagined any of Canada being a zone 8! I will have to do some research to discover what other misperceptions I have about Canada! Anyway, welcome! I am in Iowa, zone 5. But we have had several mild winters lately, so who knows! The weather prediction is 63 on Sunday- December! Weird! My addictions are books, gardening, and unfortunately ice cream. Oh well.

[Florence (Lefty)]

Miriam wrote: "Hi Florence! Somehow I never imagined any of Canada being a zone 8! I will have to do some research to discover what other misperceptions I have about Canada! Anyway, welcome! I am in Iowa, zone 5...."

Hi Miriam, it's the only part of Canada that is zone 8, the West (aka wet/it rains ALOT) Coast, Vancouver area, part of the Pacific N.W. There's only about 2 months where nothing is growing, I love it. Don't blame you for thinking that, the rest of Canada has long cold winters. I don't know much about Iowa, other than from Field of Dreams:) Nothing wrong with ice cream...

[Cheryl S.]

Hi Florence! I was lucky enough to visit Vancouver once and would love to go back. I was there in Sept. and everything was beautiful. I live in Minnesota, Zone 4, and surely envy your long growing season.

My addictions are watching my grandkids play hockey, gardening, reading and quilting. I retired a couple years ago and plan to spend some time scrapbooking this winter. We'll see how that goes.

[Bloomin’Chick (Jo) aka The Eclectic Spoonie]

Welcome Florence!!!

[Florence (Lefty)]

Cheryl S. wrote: "Hi Florence! I was lucky enough to visit Vancouver once and would love to go back. I was there in Sept. and everything was beautiful. I live in Minnesota, Zone 4, and surely envy your long growi..."

Hi Cheryl, I could have sworn I responded earlier, must have messed up my posting...Anyway nice to meet you. My mother-in-law has been a quilter all her life - pieces of art, I'm lucky to own one. I've changed to working part-time instead of full-time just this year. More time for reading & my garden, Life is good

[Florence (Lefty)]

Jo wrote: "Welcome Florence!!!"

Thanks bloomin' chick (like your moniker)

[Bloomin’Chick (Jo) aka The Eclectic Spoonie]

You're welcome and thank you! It's my moniker on other sites as well and my twitter 'handle' :-)

[Elena]

Hi Jo, I just discovered this group during my winter, reading, not gardening time. Posts seem old, is there action on newer titles?

[Bloomin’Chick (Jo) aka The Eclectic Spoonie]

Hi Elena! Welcome!

We have current posts here: http://www.goodreads.com/topic/group_...

And here: http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/3...

Many threads become less active as the gardening seasons wind down for members and the threads are moved to the Archives folder. Certain threads will stay put to be picked up again once Winter turns to Spring. Unfortunately, there isn't much here in the way of gardening themed reads. We've had some discussion on them throughout the years here but the focus of this group has been discussing gardening and other chats.

[Sheila]

Hi Jo, this is Sheila from CoL. I was just directed to this group by PetraX. Happy to join and chat with other obsessed gardeners. :o)

[Bloomin’Chick (Jo) aka The Eclectic Spoonie]

Yay! Welcome Sheila! So glad to have you here :-) Make yourself at home!

[MissJessie]

Hello Sheila! Welcome to our friendly group.