Curious,... Are there many gardeners here?

[PiedPiper]

I suppose that, as "avid gardeners" go, I'm pretty extreme,...... only vegetables, mind you,.... cooking and eating being two other favorite preoccupations, along with being a cheapskate. And I also get into the agricultural science end of it,... a street-corner horticulturist, if you will, with an emphasis on technology.

For example, I've devoted my summer to four specially-constructed raised bed plots for "intensive" plant production,... about 85 square feet in all, but it's amazing how much stuff you can get out of it if you're crafty. I'm tending 18 tomato plants (6 varieties), 7 pepper plants in 2 var., 4 squash "emplacements," 4 eggplants, 12 ft rows of peas and beans, plus spinach, lettuce and kale,... and a modest spice & herb plot. Got an apple tree, too. Pumpkins with an ETA of Halloween. Early spinach, broccoli and snow peas played out long ago.

It's a Mother Earth News wet dream.

Trust me, this puts a serious dent in my grocery bills. And it's a calming sort of a hobby,.... a certain zen to it, really. Been doing this for 35 years.

So,.... who else out there reserves time for their little green and yellow buddies? Any ultimate home grown tomato wizards? Canners? Amateur vintners? I've never seen this mentioned in the TMF,... really curious as to whom else might indulge.....

 

[Bugman]

I'd love to have a garden but alas as an apartment dweller it is not possible. It seems like a relaxing activity. Our friend Kered is quite the gardner. He's not been around much lately but perhaps he will notice this thread next time he drops by. You two share some common ground, pun intended. 😉

 

[socktickler86]

I wish I had the time to do stuff like that. As a physicist, the possibility to experiment with something at home, even if it's something so down to earth like gardening, is extremely alluring.

Oh, no pun intended.

 

[kered]

I've been in the garden since I was a kid. My father found it a way to just stop thinking for a while and just enjoy the work as well as the benefits. He taught me those things and I have had a small garden whenever I've had the space to grow something. This year it's two kinds of onions, Big Bertha bell peppers, broccoli, carrots, and two types of cherry tomatos. With Indy's heat and humidity this has been a good year for my garden.

And yes, I do have Gnomes.

 

[PiedPiper]

Nice photos, Kered,.... I'm at the stage of life where it has to be kept at a manageable level; 30 years ago, my girlfriend and I operated a 2700 sq ft greenhouse and four acres of plantings as a "cottage industry" along with our regular jobs,.... and the commercial angle is never far from my mind. In fact, I've just made an agreement with a small local bistro to provide 5 lbs of tomatoes each week, along with a few other odds & ends,.... my informal accounting method projects this arrangement being worth a bottle of scotch and a bottle of cream sherry on a weekly basis. Well worth it.

 

[socktickler86]

my informal accounting method projects this arrangement being worth a bottle of scotch and a bottle of cream sherry on a weekly basis. Well worth it.

Currency back east sounds confusing.

 

[PiedPiper]

Currency back east sounds confusing.

___________________________

It's even more so after collecting. Obviously I'm a strong proponent of liquidity.

 

[unit5610]

I have numerous small flower gardens scattered around including a tiny japanese-themed garden and a model train garden. I love my high-
maintenance annuals but I'm trying to do more with perennials so I can have decent color without having to water stuff every day when we
have our annual dry spell (in progress now!). I've added a little bit most of the 25 years I've lived here so stuff is pretty well established by now.