Do you have a garden this year? What is growing in it?

Garden Food - Gardening for food and pleasure
United States
June 2, 2009 1:10pm CST
I love gardening and used to have a large one when I lived in the courtry-side. Now I have an apartment in the city, and we are not allowed to plant things directly in the ground. I have pursued my love of gardening my keeping large pots of flowers, and a large tomato plant, also in a pot, on the patio. It brings me joy. Do you have a garden each year? What do you plant in it? Does gardening bring you joy?Karen
4 people like this
29 responses
@Colmuc (707)
2 Jun 09
hi peacefulWmn9, I have a very large garden in which I grow a lot of fruit and vegetables. Lettuce, cucumber, peppers, tomatoes, onions, chives, leeks, beetroot, carrots, turnips, parsnips, cauliflower, broccoli, radishes, pumpkins, courgettes, blackcurrants, redcurrants, gooseberries, raspberries, apples and damsons. On my balcony I also grow a lot of salad crops. I get great pleasure from gardening and satisfaction when I have a good crop. I also have a few flowers but my main interest is fruit and vegetables.
1 person likes this
@webeishere (36313)
• United States
2 Jun 09
Golden Sweet COrn - About 50 stalks I planted this year.
Good luck with yours. In my response below I forgot to mention I also have some Japanese or Chinese Chives in a flower box and Atlantic Giant Pumpkins growing. This photo is of my 50 or so corn stalks this year. HAPPY POSTINGS FROM GRANDPA BOB!!~
• United States
2 Jun 09
How wonderful to have such a huge garden and grow such a variety of things. I do miss that. We always had one when I was a child growing up, and then also when I was raising my own daughters. I loved planting and tending the garden, and so did they. We always had fresh food from it in the summer and fall, and I would can and freeze the extras. Happy gardening! Karen
• United States
2 Jun 09
There is nothing to beat the taste of fresh herbs and fresh sweet corn! How do you get the pictures into a comment, Grandpa Bob? I can put one with a discussion I start, but cannot seem to find any way to add one to a response.
• United States
3 Jun 09
I have a small garden this year because we just bought our house. But I have corn,tomatoes,watermelon,pumpkins,onions,green peppers and cucumbers planted. We have been getting a lot of rain here though and not to much sunshine lately. I love to garden every year. my grandmother use to have a garden half the size of a football field. That to me is a lot of gardening. She had one very year to. And she canned many foods from it. I love flowers and have them all over the place around my house.
• United States
3 Jun 09
Your welcome for the response. Yes I agree grandmas are the best. I tried to learn a lot from my grandmother before she passed away. She taught me how to make blackberry jelly and can it. It was the best blackberry jelly I have ever had. I use to go picking blackberries so she could show me how to make it. I picked enough to make 20 jars of it. Now I want to make pickles and other stuff like that she did.
• United States
3 Jun 09
Many people today think canning or putting up your own food is a lost art, but I've noticed since the economy has gotten so difficult, many of us are going back to some of the money-saving techniques are elders used. Others of us just plain do it for the love of it. Enjoy making the pickles : ) Karen
• United States
3 Jun 09
Flowers definitely add beauty to the outside of a home. I could not stand having none. Your garden sounds just right for one who's just moved in. And aren't grandmas just the best when it comes to growing and preserving good food? I hope you enjoy your new home to the maximum, and thank you for responding. : ) Karen
@shaggin (71659)
• United States
6 Jun 09
I love gardening. I love getting my hands in dirt and growing things. I like flowers because they are beautiful but growing vegetables are my favorites! Every year I grow potatoes! We have wild strawberries that grow in the garden. I have a small garden so I dont have to terribly much room but thats ok because I dont really have to much time to devote to a garden either. This year so far I have peas and string beans growing in the garden as well. Pretty soon I will have the tomato and corn sprouts big enough that I will be able to plant them in my garden as well. I have a bunch of red pepper seeds that I am going to start getting to sprout so I can grow them. They are really expensive to buy and I love them! Being able to grow my own will be so fun and will save me a lot of money as well. I just bought 4 red peppers at Wegmans yesterday and it cost me over $8.
• United States
6 Jun 09
Like you, I love the feel of the soil. I'm glad you have the veggies, and yes, red peppers are delicious, but expensive. Have a good summer with the garden and all else. Karen
@mammamuh (582)
• Sweden
5 Jun 09
This year I grow potatoes, onions, carrots, lettuce, spinach, radish, garden beet, dill, parsley, ruhbarb, chives, garlic, cucumber, tomatoes and three different kind of peas. I mainly grow vegetables since I like to eat them :) I grow several kinds of flowers as well, along with fruit and berries. It's great to get to eat food you've grown yourself - I wish all people could do that some time!
• United States
5 Jun 09
It is indeed satisfying to enjoy food you've grown and tended yourself. Your garden is full of yummy things! I miss having a large garden, but do content myself with the little garden I've put into pots on my patio. Thank you for sharing this. Karen
• United States
4 Jun 09
i have 2 big gardens 1 in my back yard that has cucumbers, peas, lettuce, beans and i am not sure what else then we have a really big front garden that has tomatoes,cherrie tomatoes, green pepers, peas, beans, grapes, strawberries, potatoes, onions, and corn, on the other side we have 4 diffrent roses tulups and a few others we keep making the garden bigger.
• United States
4 Jun 09
I think that most people who love gardening do tend to keep enlarging them. Your gardens sound fantastic! Full of good healthy food and beautiful flowers. They must be a joy to look at, work in, and enjoy the food from : ) Karen
@kalaga (547)
• United States
3 Jun 09
we started gardening this year.we planted eggplants,roses,tomatoes,watermelons,and some other flowering plants.all are coming really good.iam already plucking tomatoes and eggplants from my plants.iam really happy and proud of my garden.i daily enjoy walking through it and look for flowers and fruits that are ripen and insects that want to have my fruits and flowers and remove them.it is a really nice experience.i am enjoying it a lot.
• United States
3 Jun 09
It is truly pleasurable to tend and walk through one's garden. Yours must be very pretty with color, given the variety of things you have planted. Karen
@tanjam420 (228)
• United States
3 Jun 09
o yes we have a veggie garden. my husband extended it this year and it is now 150 sq. ft. we have 10 rows of sweet corn, 50 ft. of peas, 2 rows of beets,2 rows of carrots, 2 rows of turnups, 3 cherry tomatoes, 8 different typs of big tomatos, 2 rows of potatos, 3 rows of snap beans, 1 row of broccoli, 2 squach and 3 cuccumbers, 3 rows of sweet peppers, and 1 row of hot peppers.. yes it is big, maybe i wont hav eto spend so much on groceries this summer... i also have flower beds too. in those i have.. 10 hostas, 2 brown eyed susans, 2 long stem rose bushes, 4 day lillies,4 foxgloves, a bunch of daffadils, and 2 peonys..i just bought two more plants and can not remember what the name of them are but they look like elep[hant ears and one has purple leaves and one has pink leaves they will have beautiful flowers in late summer.
• United States
3 Jun 09
That is a huge garden full of yummy things to eat! I imagine it really will cut down on your grocery bills the whole growing season. The flowers, too, sound gorgeous. : ) Thank you for sharing about your garden. Karen
@glesil_00 (1142)
• Philippines
3 Jun 09
I love gardening too, but i haven't had now. I am fond of flowering plants from small to big. It makes me happy and have a smile if i am in my garden seeing flowers and cleaning it is a nice feeling. Taking care of plants is soothing and i love being with nature. Another kind is that i love leafy vegetables. If i have a chance i take care of it and watering it every morning is a good hobby and it can bring a smile too not only because you can benefit from having a vegetable garden. I am living in a city and there is no enough land or soil to plant and no space too. I have my vegetable and flower garden in my hometown.
• United States
3 Jun 09
I miss having a big garden, too, since moving into the city. You are right. There is a lot of satisfaction, a lot to smile about when gardening : ) Have a lovely day. Karen
• Philippines
3 Jun 09
I like gardens.. I like plants, but I'm lazy to do the gardening and the watering.. At home my parents have their own garden in the frontyard.. They have set of plants and flowers, I'm not sure what are those, but I've seen rose... My dad tried planting the okra and took care of it, and now it's all healthy and the okras are really nice to eat.. I love greeny stuff, trees, flowers and everything, but I'm not really a type of person to really take care of it.. Am I strange or what?
• United States
3 Jun 09
LOL, no, you're not strange : ) Everyone has things they love to do and things they just plain don't, but hey...the next best thing to having your own gardens is knowing someone else who does...and will share the goodies. Happy day to you, Karen
@derry123 (610)
3 Jun 09
Yes I have a garden and it is such a joy now I have retired from full time work . Its mostly evergreen shrubs with bulbs and summer plants to brighten it up .. I dont have a large lawn but grass pathways all round the garden that i can cut with a scrimmer . I to have some large pots and enjoy looking after them to .. Im pleased to hear you have some pots and I hope you will have a great garden in the country again some day *
• United States
3 Jun 09
Hello Derry, Your garden, lawn, and paths sound peaceful and beautiful. A great thing to do in retirement. I also hope to have a larger garden again someday, but for now, the things in their pots on the patio are satisfying in their way : ) Karen
• United States
3 Jun 09
for the first time in my life I have a vegetable garden it was the kids' idea they have lettuce, beets, eggplant and tomatos growing and one cabbage that is actually a school project I will say that now that I am doing it I do kinda like it
• United States
3 Jun 09
I'm glad the kids talked you into it : ) There is a sense of satisfaction in tending a garden and seeing how it grows. Plus, it's yummy food. When my kids were young, they also loved helping in the garden or having their own plants to take care of. Karen
• United States
3 Jun 09
I have planted a container garden this year. I have tomatoes, chives and basil. I plan on adding some lavender when the seedlings I ordered arrived. I tried to plant a garden last year at my old apartment but it was ruined by some of the children who stayed near me. They decised it would be fun to dig up my plants and throw them at my window. I have moved from that complex into another one that has an enclosed patio that you access from the inside of the apartment, so no chance of anyone messing it up but me this time.
• United States
3 Jun 09
Aww, that wasn't nice of those children. I am glad your little garden is safe this year. It sounds similar to my own patio garden. Enjoy! Karen
@Daae92 (75)
• United States
3 Jun 09
My family have planted our very first garden this year :] We planted watermelon, zucchini, cucumber, tomatoes, beans, squash and onions :DGardening brings me a lot of joy, knowing that my work is gonna help benefit the family, it's a nice feeling :]
• United States
3 Jun 09
Yummy! You've planted some wonderful foods. It is a good family project, yes? Enjoy that first garden. : ) Karen
@ymmno6 (1)
• China
3 Jun 09
some years ago, I have a garden too, I like growing some flowers, and also plant some vegetables, I love contry side, and I feel very well when I have a walk in my garden.
• United States
3 Jun 09
Oh yes, there is nothing quite like walking in your own gardens and seeing all the work produce lovely things : ) Thank your commenting and have a great day. Karen
@cudamani (996)
• India
3 Jun 09
I had a garden in the past and I used to maintain it myself by watering the plants. Now i am not in that house. I hope to go back soon.
• United States
8 Jun 09
I know you probably miss your garden. Since moving, I have a tiny one, which I love, but I do miss the bigger one. I hope you can go back to that soon :) Karen
@thedaddym (1731)
• United States
3 Jun 09
We just hav a couple of tomatoe plants and a couple of pepper plants. We were going to have an addition put on the back of the house and thought the construction would be harmful for a garden so we didn't start one, now we are not doing the addition because of the economy.
• United States
8 Jun 09
The economy has changed so many things! You'll still enjoy your tomatoes and peppers. Have a wonderful summer. Karen
@mikeysmom (2088)
• United States
3 Jun 09
i am just growing tomatoes. i have not had a garden in years but we need something to help supplement our food bill and i can make homemade sauce and tomato salad and use them on sandwhiches so they are very versatile and rather easy to grow. i do not have alot of time to dedicate to a garden so just doing the tomatoes will have to suffice for this summer.
• United States
8 Jun 09
I have flowers in large pots, but this year, like you, my only food plant is a tomato plant as I have very limited space. It was my choice because you're right...it is about the most versatile veggie there is. So much can be made with it : ) Karen
@kaguvkov (1305)
• Davao, Philippines
3 Jun 09
I have a garden right now. I planted "Ampalaya", eggplant and many other vegetables on my plot. I love planing vegetables because I love to eat them especially if they are my own grown vegetables. I can really assure that there are no chemical sprays on it and I love to eat them fresh from my garden!
• United States
8 Jun 09
You are so right about knowing just what is or isn't on the vegetables we plant ourselves : ) And nothing is as fresh from the store as what you can pick from your own garden. Have a happy day, Karen
@senoj90 (22)
• India
3 Jun 09
well, i have started to set up a little garden infront of my house. All thsese days, clay pots were the breeding ground for my blants but from now on, its gonna be mother earth. Planning to keep a big christmas tree....
• United States
8 Jun 09
My garden this year is in pots, but I do miss being able to plant it directly into the ground. It is allowed, though, at my apartment. Enjoy the Christmas tree, too. Happy gardening, Karen
@Bradpete (822)
• Philippines
3 Jun 09
I love gardening I do plant vegetables like chili and eggplants. Today because of economic downfall and pandemic is safe to plants gardening. teach children to plant gardening of vegetables at backyard and flowers in the front yard. Is so useful in our daily life. It's also clean the air.
• United States
8 Jun 09
Hello...you've made such good points. The food helps our budget and the plants help clean the air. : ) I hope you enjoy your garden! Karen