So far, we've got peas & snow peas, purple carrots, regular carrots, a variety of lettuces, spinach, other salad greens, a variety of radishes and beets. To go in: pickling cukes, English cukes, beans, a couple of winter squash, a couple of summer squash, and an experiment with cantaloupe. It's a big garden, though, and there should still be room. The broccoli last year got really buggy, so that's out.

Okay, actually I just wanted to talk about the tomato pagoda.

It sounds fantastic so far, especially all those greens....mmmm. Do you can or pickle the cukes or anything else? What about some pumpkin - very easy to grow, and if you don't want to make pumpkin pie or butter you'll always just have ready-made halloween/fall decorations. Cauliflower too - very easy.

If you like to cook, what about herbs? Parsley, basil, thyme, tarragon, sage, chamomile, rosemary, dill...there are so many fantastic ones, and they're so ornamental and easy to grow. I keep dill, parsley and chives every year, just for my world famous potato salad, and I grow chamomile to dry for tea. You can make tea with the flowers and the leaves, and it makes nice gifts.

I always set aside a few feet for sunflowers. I dry the heads and share the seeds with the birds. One for them, two for me.

Please take a photo of the tomato pagoda? I want to see it!

Plant some asparagus, won't help you this year but next year-- watch out!

I'm leafing through my Burpee catalog right now and these are some really good-looking things I see:

big mama lima beans
fire 'n ice radishes
maple sugar sweet corn
wyatt's wonder pumpkin
gadzukes zucchini
crescent moon white eggplant
imperial star artichokes
broccoli rabe (YUM)
tasty nuggets brussels sprouts
joi choi bok choy
first white cauliflower

Hadn't thought of cauliflower, but would definitely consider it. I make killer cheese sauce...mmmm...

I've always been afraid of growing asparagus, though, AlexReynolds. Isn't it incredibly fussy and difficult? The corn and pumpkins were an abject failure last year, but I'm moving the squash & melon to the sunniest spot this year, so maybe that could work. Artichokes--now that sounds interesting! They could even go in the herb garden. Never had broccoli rabe.--hat's it like? The radish assortment I planted includes fire 'n ice, which I'm looking forward to trying.

We started a herb garden last year, and I've got some in pots from my last place--bay, rosemary, marjoram, oregano, thyme, chives, mint (in a pot), sage. One of the housemates weedwhacked the parsley, but I'm sure it'll be back.

I hope to pickle the cukes & beans, and beets if there are enough. I'd like to plant dill, but we have fennel self-seeding all over the place and I've heard they'll cross-pollinate. Although I'd rather have dill, to be honest.

No digital camera, iconomy, but next time Zack_Replica's over I'll ask him to take a photo of Tomato Manor. It's really cool.

Yay, garden talk!

Here's a shot of one of the containers by my door, though.

Those African daisies are gorgeous.

Most of my garden is in containers. I like cilantro, basil (mmmm, pesto), kale, chard. How about horseradish? Napa cabbage?

I, too, want to see pictures of the Tomato Pavillion.

The daisies are gorgeous! The colors are unreal. I don't have anything I planted looking good yet, but when things come up I'll take photos.

Broccoli rabe is more a green than broccoli - it's orgasmic. My absolute favorite veggie. I steam it in water and olive oil and salt and pepper and garlic. It's a bit bitter, and goes so well with all things Italian, but where it really shines is in omelets and scrambled eggs...it's heaven on earth. If you can find some at the market, try it to see if it would be worth your while to plant some. Steam/saute it on low heat for about an hour, until really soft. If you like it you love it, and it's one of those things where if you have one little bite you have to eat the whole bowl. I'm drooling just thinking about it! It's also part of the super famous Italian pork and broccoli rabe sandwich that's seen around these parts (Philadelphia) - broccoli rabe, roast Italian pork, and fresh, sharp provolone, all on an hard long roll. If you like that kind of thing, it's amazingly good.

Do you like to start things from seed? I live right around the corner from the famous Burpee company, and can get any seed known to man. I was just there today. If there's something weird or rare that you want I can see if they have it and send it to you. They have many heirloom tomatoes and roses that are just wonderful.

We composted everything we possibly could from last year's flower, herb and veggie gardens, plus the scraps of produce we bought at the store, and this year we're going totally organic. We're just going to have to share with the bugs if it comes to that, or I'll hand pick them off! Our soil is so rich from the compost that it's almost black...it's gorgeous! So I'm hoping that whatever we grow this year does really well, but we'll see. I never have any luck with broccoli either, but zucchini and tomatoes luv me. Good thing I like to make ratatouille.

I've yet to ever try onions, asparagus, or artichokes. Maybe I should experiment with one new thing this year too...hmmm...

We had rain north of us teasing us and I tried to take some photos of the clouds and later the lightning, but no rain arrived. Shame.

Asparagus probably should be ordered and planted earlier than this, I guess if where you live it is still really cool it might be okay, but by now any mail-order asaparagus has been sitting around bareroot for quite a while and might not be viable. I bought more this spring and some of it was pretty sad looking when I got it, I think all but a couple plants came up but I planted it two months ago too.

Brussel sprouts grow well. Needs sun, so exposure is important. Potatoes! Well drained soil and away you go. Yukon Gold. Apple trees.

Nice spread!

When I was on the 'shore as a kid, we had good luck with beans. Also had some good luck with corn (although it's cheaper just to buy Chiliwack corn when it's in season).

Sunflowers (pretty AND yummy)? I guess you've got the squashes so pumpkins might be overkill. The tomatoes thrived pretty well (any chance you can get your hands on cuttings/seeds for "ugly" tomatoes?).

Strawberries or blueberries? (You have to keep an eye on blackberries and raspberries otherwise they'll run wild and steal your children/small pets and eat them.)

Ah I would like to have an apple tree...

I had a feeling it might be a bit late for asparagus. I may try it next year, though, if it's not a prima donna plant.

There are lots of Italian markets around here, iconomy, so I'll take up your suggestion on the rabe. A major problem I have with trying new greens is not knowing how to cook them, and having them turn out tough or bitter or generally awful. I still haven't mastered gai lan, and I love the stuff.

I've tried starting things from seed, but I don't get nearly enough light (I'm in the basement apt), and don't have anywhere to set one up. Many thanks for the offer, though! The Burpee catalogue is total garden porn, but living in the great wet north I can't get plants from the states. (I'm hoping to plant an heirloom climbing rose against the fence by the compost pile, and am having a helluva time finding one I like here.) I've been ordering stuff from West Coast Seeds, who have a great organic selection and lots of interesting and heirloom plants, too.

I forgot to tell you, icon--I planted giant sunflowers last year, and they did marvellously. Some of them were over 8' tall. Definitely repeating them this year.

Brussel sprouts grow well.
Yeah, but I think the point is to grow things that are edible.

On posting: Hellooo, warbaby! Nice to see you (metaphorically speaking)!

We've got a couple of apple trees, but they didn't do well at all last summer. The fruit all fell off long before it was ripe. I don't know squat about fruit trees, so have no idea why. I think I proposed sprouts last year, but they were vetoed by one of the other households. Sprout-haters. (Nuts to you, dg!)

Hi, porpoise! Thought about blueberries, too, though you don't see fruit for a couple of years, and I'm renting so am not sure about the financial outlay. We've got some raspberries in a corner of the yard that we're keeping in check, but since you're from the same part of the world you know that here there is only one blackberry plant. She is known as "Big Mamma" and sends her tendrils everywhere, even under the Georgia Straight, choking the life out of anything that gets in her way. It is believed that she was left here by Chthulu to keep an eye on things. She is like a vampire--once you let her into your garden, you will never be rid of her. Ever. And your pets will start to disappear.

Hooray for veg! We've got 3 different kinds of tomatoes, 2 kinds of cukes, some peppers, beans, watermelon, canteloupe, zucchini, strawberries and blueberries this year. For mother's day, the mister built me raised cedar beds and fenced it all in. It's luxurious. It's freakin' agriculture. I'm in love with it. And, like ico, I'm nourishing it all with the black gold of the compost pile. Plus, we've got the herb garden off the kitchen. Only the spices I actually know how to use: sage, parsley, oregano, basil, thyme, and lavender.

Last year, I don't think a single tomato made it out of the garden. The kid would just eat them all right off the vine. She was so obsessed with "juicy reds" that she even dressed as a tomato for Halloween.

if you do plant asparagus, make sure and read about how to plant it.

the simple explanation is this:

mix in lots of manure, compost and/or other organic matter where you want to plant it. if you can, till it in. if not, pile it on top of the ground and then shovel it in the best you can. the deeper the better.

then dig a trench about 8 inches deep (deeper if you feel energetic) and mound dirt in the middle ever 30 inches or so until the mound is about four to six inches from the surface. asparagus is shipped bareroot and you want to spread the roots out over this mound, with the crown pointing up. then cover the asparagus with two inches of dirt and water well. leave the rest of the dirt to the side and slowly add it in as the asparagus grows. at the end of the season you can finish filling in the row if you have not already done so. if you plant the asparagus that deep to begin with, it might not come up, but after it is established in the garden it is good to have it that deep. which is why you fill the row in over time. you can find much more detailed instructions online.

We didn't get enough compost this year, so we're using good ol' manure. Your garden also sounds wonderful, jrossi4r--so many cool-sounding gardens here. We definitely have to share photos over the summer.

On preview: thanks, weretable. I'd read some of that and would be prepared to do the work, but does it continue to be that needy? One great idea I read about was from a guy who planted it on either side of his walkway, making beautiful and edible edging beds.

i keep mine heavily mulched with oak leaves, which feed it as it decays. it might be nice if you sprinkle some fertilizer on top of the ground around the bed and water it in every spring or something, but i never do.

you do have to be religious about keeping weeds out of the bed though. your spear harvests can suffer greatly if anything is competing with the asparagus.

Photos are definitely necessary elizard. I always love seeing the pictures of the things you grow, weretable, even if I don't always comment in the thread.

Now I really want to grow some asparagus.

non-permanent fruits/veggies i am growing this year:

yellow crookneck squash
cucumber
3 types of lettuce
2 types of ornamental corn
several types of pumpkins
several types of watermelons
canteloupes
several tomato varieties (one or two plants each)
ground cherries
bell peppers
red onions
garlic
some edible peas and beans but they are being grown for their flowers, foliage and pods. doubt i will eat any of them
carrots

um, i forget what else if anything. i backed out on some of the stuff i was going to plant, just too much already needing done.

You may want to ignore all zuccini stuff, but have you considered planting courgettes? They're really nice.

Yeah, seanyboy, but cillantro tastes much better on zucchini than it does on courgettes. If you want to grow courgettes, you really need to grow some corriander to go with them.

seconding the cantalope, potato, and blueberry suggestions!

When we toured the organic local farms, they talked about planting things the munching bugs like along with the stuff you like so there's something for all. They also said you can get ladybugs and mantis' to munch the bugs that munch the stuff you want. Sorry I can't remember what they said to plant for the munching bugs.

Also, I'm confused about the tomato pagoda thing. You don't want them to get rain?

Well, tricksy seanyboy, I thought about courgettes, but I hear they're not that prolific, and I don't want to give them space if it means leaving out the aubergines--I absolutely hate eggplant, but aubergines are delicious! I do wish I'd planted some mangetouts, though.

And also...coriander! Mmmm.....

chewy--over here on Canada's west coast, the problem is an excess of rain. If you don't shelter tomatoes, they get blossom-end rot and various nasty fungal blighty things every time. Taking a page from the local Italians and Portuguese, we built them a shelter and water them using soaker hoses around the base of the plants. It also gives them lots of warmth early and late in the season.

I feel about brussels sprouts the way iconomy feels about broccoli rabe, though the cooking method is different. I roast them in the oven with a bit of olive oil, lots of seasoned salt and pepper and pancetta. If pancetta is not available, bacon or polish sausage. They need at least 45 minutes and several stirrings about on their cookie sheet - they should be browned and wizened. Now I know what I'm having for dinner.

Oh! Thanks for the illumination, elizard. I'm hungry now.

I always thought asparagus took a couple of years to get established before you got any spears. I started some in Maryland but then I moved; I've always wondered if it stuck around and the people after us got to benefit. This year I have about 5 different kinds of peppers, cantelope (which never does well, but I'm hoping) tomatos (2 cherries, a Mr. Stripey, a local heirloom called Mountain Pride and a volunteer in the center of the corn - that will be interesting) corn, beans green & purple, eggplant, yellow squash, zucchini, pumpkins and tons of sunflowers - I put them in all over the place, randomly. Then there's the herb garden and the rose garden and the flower garden in the front, the mint, the hostas and the cherry tomato I'm trying upside down in a hanging basket. I'm also trying to take a picture a day, of the vegetable garden, or, well, every couple of days - by the fall hopefully I'll blend all the pictures together for a nice time lapse thing, or that's the plan anyway.

Oh and new plants - what about Jerusalem artichoke? I grew it one year and grew like you wouldn't believe. Actually, we didn't really benefit, because on the advice of a friend who said it was kind of invasive I had planted it out of the garden proper and down by the woods (this was also in MD, where our yard butted up against state forest) and the local groundhogs went absolutely berserk eating it. Watching them was really pretty cool - and it kept them out of the other vegetables, even the broccoli, which they adore.