Jenny asks…
What kind of dirt to use in elevated planter for vegetable garden?
My wife wants a couple of elevated planters for a garden. These things are going to be about 3×3 with legs, so they will sit 2 or 3 feet off the ground. I am wondering if I can mix regular dirt with some sort of potting mix so that it is not so heavy.
I would appreciate help with this, I don’t really know much about gardening. How deep should the dirt be? should I line the box with something? Should there be gaps in the bottom for drainage?
I think she wants to plant things like carrots, green peppers, lettuce, etc.
Thanks for the help, I know this was a lot of questions.
GardenersCardiff answers:
Dirt: Yes you should mix regular soil but not heavy clay soil, with planting mix purchased from the store. Don’t be tempted to put too much manure in, it will burn young roots. Be certain to support the beds in the center. Wood rot will be a problem so use pressure treated wood for the frame.
Manure makes a great fertilizer if you use it to make “manure tea”. Soak some manure in a bucket of water overnight and irrigate the plants with the brown water.
Depth: 9″ minimum which means you can purchase pressure treated 2×12 for the sides. Come to think of it you could use those for the bottom and the space between the boards will provide drainage
Lettuce needs cool weather so you may need to wait until fall and next spring [depending on your climate zone.
If you plant French carrots which are stubby you will be ok, others are too long.
Sandra asks…
What are good flowers to plant in a New England garden?
I’ve decided to take up gardening in our new home and would like to spruce up the curb appeal. What kinds of plants should I incorporate into my New England garden that would withstand the climate? I would also like input on a pretty flowering bush that would be relatively low-maintenance. (I’m fine with trimming, but prefer a bush that doesn’t need constant trimming!) Also I would appreciate input on a bush/tree that might work well for privacy? Our yard is not very private, and I would prefer plants instead of a fence for privacy.
Right now, I have one lilac bush and a few daffodils, however I’m trying to get rid of the daffodils (I have infant triplets and two dogs who are in the yard often, and I’m afraid they will injest them – the triplets may come in contact with them as they get older). Does anyone have any suggestions? Thanks!
GardenersCardiff answers:
Hi.
It will depend on the zone in which you live. You will need to research that first. I listed a good site to help you do that.
Once you know the zone, then decide what you want. Flowering bushes are great, and are showy in spring or early summer (azaleas etc.) Lillies are amazing, when planted in bunches along the fence or walkways. Vinca (perrywinkle) is an awesome ground-cover and is pretty hardy, but so is phlox. Butterfly bushes and sage are beautiful as well. The longer you have any of these plants in your garden, the more lush they become. And of course,t here are the roses.
The best advice though will come from your local nursery (Lowes or Home Depot tend to be very general and therefore may not be your best option). Your local nursery can show you what to grow as well as when, where, and how.
Good luck!!
John asks…
What soil is best for a natural, organic vegetable garden?
What soil mixture is best for a natural, organic vegetable garden?
I want to grow:
-carrots
-radishes
-tomatoes
-cucumber
-peas
-lettuce
Should I use a mixture of peat moss and composted sheep manure?
GardenersCardiff answers:
Do you plan to put the peat moss and sheep manure in a bucket and plant the veggies in there? Or did you wish to mix in the p.m. And sh. Manure INTO YOUR EXISTING soil??
Big difference.
If you will be doing the latter, I suggest that you use a rather small amount first off – manure is HOT STUFF and too strong for a garden in its infancy. Peat moss is not toxic to plants.
Depending on where you live, you may be too late for peas. Get a gardening book and find out what “Garden Zone” you are in and follow the advice they give. The books are SO helpful.
And start a compost pile. I have four compost piles that are in different stages of decomposition and over the years i have amended my soil with compost, until I tell people you could EAT my garden’s soil, it is so good and rich.
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Jenny asks…
Is there such a thing as a garden hose that will not kink?
the label on the last hose I bought said it would not kink, it kinked the first time I used it. Don’t trust labels anymore. There must be high quality hoses out there somewhere that are made of materials that won’t kink…. Ideas?
GardenersCardiff answers:
Wallyworld has “professional landscape” hoses that don’t kink (eek, according to the label). They’re about twice the cost of other hoses, black, 75 feet long, and the female end is protected with a rigid plastic making it easy to attach/detach. Bought mine 2-3 years ago, hasn’t kinked yet.
Nancy asks…
Where are the best bars/cocktail bars in central London?
Me and a friend are going to London for the weekend for the first time, and on the Saturday night we want to go for something to eat then to a few bars and for a few cocktails.
Which areas are good for classy bars and are fairly close to the underground and easy to find? We are staying near Marble Arch so can get to anywhere central easily.
I’m 21, she’s 22 so we are legal!
Thanks!
GardenersCardiff answers:
Try booking a drink at the Ice Bar on Heddon Street. You wear coats provided and the whole bar is made of ice, even the glasses! A novelty thing so not something to do for long (too cold to stay too long) but still fun.
The Martini Bar at Christopher’s American restaurant in Covent Garden is lovely with a huge range of cocktails.
Others to consider are listed here:
http://www.worldsbestbars.com/city/london
James asks…
How do you make an easy compost pile?
I’m wanting to make a compost pile just to keep the landfills a little cleaner. I don’t garden or need soil I just hate throwing away things I know would be better off outside of a trash bag and would like to reduce the number of trash bags I use also. So I’m asking for a simple way to make a compost pile I dont need to turn and work on a lot but is also safe.
GardenersCardiff answers:
I might suggest building/purchasing a container above ground that is well aerated on all sides. If you search “compost bins” online, you can get a lot of really good bin design ideas. If you don’t feel like building something, however, you can also purchase pre-made plastic compost bins. At the very least, you could just pile your compost on the ground somewhere. If you are planning on eventually moving the material at some point, however, I would suggest using a compost tumbler so you can simply dump the contents into another container (e.g. Wheelbarrow or garbage can) without having to do a lot of digging.
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Mary asks…
What should cook for dinner? (beginner)?
okay so i put beginner cause i dont have much experience. yesterday I made some pasta garden salad for my family (it wasn’t the main dish) so tonight my mom wants me to cook something else. Any ideas? Nothing too hard please but nothing SUPER easy lol thanks
i hate mushrooms sorry
and no sloppy joes lol
my mom is already makin the soup
thanks anyways
GardenersCardiff answers:
Maybe some of my family’s favorite meals will inspire you to make something different for your dinner tonight. I know exactly how you feel when it comes time to make dinner, and you don’t have a clue what to make! The same meals all the time can get pretty boring after a short period of time. Here are some of our family’s favorites:
Pasta is something we always eat at my house in many different ways. Baked spaghetti, lasagna, stuffed shells, and ravioli are four of our favorite Italian pasta dishes. Chicken alfredo or chicken parmesan are two fancy dishes that we make every now and then too. Salad and bread sticks or garlic bread make the perfect side dishes for a complete Italian feast. Another good pasta dish is baked macaroni and cheese. You can grill hamburgers or hot dogs to go along with the pasta and maybe steam some fresh vegetables too.
Ground beef is another great ingredient that gets us out of a meal funk every now and then. Barbecue is one of our staple dishes. It goes great with roasted potatoes, pasta, or vegetables. Toasted bread serves as a great change to a standard roll too. We make homemade hamburger helper every now and then too when we have nothing else to prepare. Tacos are another ground beef favorite in our house. Get creative with your toppings for a fun dinner. Buttered corn is a great side for tacos. Refried beans would be good as well. Homemade meatballs and meatloaf are two other great meals. I like to stuff each one with lots of cheese for a change to the normal recipes. Baked potatoes are great with either one of those meals.
My final suggestion would be to get out your grill for dinner. Hamburgers and hot dogs are always good, especially throughout the summer. Serve standard barbecue side dishes like baked beans, pasta/potato salad, and chips/dip. It’s simple yet very good. You could grill marinated pork or chicken pieces as well. Even fish is great prepared on the grill. Grilled vegetables or fruit serve as great side dishes too. We even like to grill fresh sausage patties for dinner. The possibilities are really endless!
Maria asks…
Please help? FAST! Easy 10 points?
I was trying to drive on my MacBook on the highway while I saw a toaster running on paper which was made by the project I made in Grade 13! So then I was running away from the hungry creeper which nearly exploded with clay from the burning garden houses of the sky! I got scared, so I sprinted to the end and kindled, and rapidly ran away from the Enderdragon!
I do not have sufficient paint to continue working on the labels for my new door, so the window is not perfectly circular. What is the radius for the door so that the ‘J” button on my MacBook would run properly applications from the Dinosaur age?
Thanks in advance!
I tried that but I only have 1 USB port! Should I purchase a purple sparkle marker to help ease the pain from the cylindrical muffler?
GardenersCardiff answers:
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Daniel asks…
signs i have worms in my garden?
my garden really isn’t kept nicely i mean only time it gets water is when it actually rains other then that it dries up because of the heat.
now it isn’t my garden to begin with it’s my grandpa’s but i recently got into gardening so im trying to maintain the garden and clean it out .
my compost pile is pretty big because of the fact we have a lot of dead leaves blowing into our garage thats not even from out house this happens everyday and we rake and pile it up into compost piles and let it decay over the years. anyways i want to start a vermicompost but the thing is i have no money to buy worms and they don’t really sell them here cheap. i wanted to go out and get some in my garden but i tried wetting the soil and putting some news paper down and wet that nothing. did this in 2 different spots both shaddy. left it out for an hour at least.
i dug a few holes to make sure their were not worms and their was nothing the only thing i found were millipedes.
how do i know my garden has worms any sure signs or some easy simple ways to even get them to surface out during the DAY TIME. i cannot go out at night their are all sorts of bugs here at night like huge moths and rats and roaches,etc..
any tips on sure signs that my garden has worms and how i can get a few like at least 5-10 easily during the day time in my dry @ss garden.
i want to breed them and start a worm compost system in the near future as i said we have a shet load of compost piles i just made a new one and their not breaking down fast enough plus i want to try vermicomposting just for fun.
i live in Hawaii it doesn’t get very cold here. i was planning on making an indoor vermicompost small scale then get more tubs.
i don’t think their are any worms in my garden no more because it has been neglected for years. i think i will just buy some in a few months
GardenersCardiff answers:
Worms live in the top 4-6 inches of soil. Just take a shovel, and dig. If you find worms, you have worms.
Also – you don’t say where you live, but vermicomposting worms (red wigglers and the like) are southern worms. If you live where there is winter, those worms will not survive in an outdoor compost pile. They’re for an indoor worm bin if you live in the north.
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