What should I grow in my garden?

[Spunky]

So cool. I can't wait to see how your loofah crop comes along! I have never had luck with gourds. I don't know why. I lived in California the first 50 years of my life, so it's not the lack of a temperate climate. Anyway, I gave up on them after a few failed attempts. Herbs, leafy greens, tomatoes, hardy things like that were always my best crops.

We have not done gourds before but we have done squash and I think they are pretty close to the same. They grew well, so I am hoping for the same this year!

My boys really want to soap with me (may or may not have to do with the hours of YouTube soaping vids they have watched with me.) So I am hoping to get them involved by doing things like growing and harvesting items to put in the soap. 'Cause you know, if they are having fun with it it can't be child labor, right?

 

[earlene]

We have not done gourds before but we have done squash and I think they are pretty close to the same. They grew well, so I am hoping for the same this year!

My boys really want to soap with me (may or may not have to do with the hours of YouTube soaping vids they have watched with me.) So I am hoping to get them involved by doing things like growing and harvesting items to put in the soap. 'Cause you know, if they are having fun with it it can't be child labor, right?

Great plan. For the first few years of my granddaughter's life, my son & DIL lived in apartments, but she would come visit us for overnight stays quite often. So since I had a very huge garden at the time, we made one just for her. My husband & nephew made a sign & I painted a hummingbird & flowers on the sign with her name on it, "Sarah's Garden" and put the sign in the small fenced in area that was her garden. She chose the plants for her garden and cared for it whenever she visited. Because I spent so much time in my garden she loved having one of her own.

Now they have their own house and she is a teen-ager, but she often talks of wanting to design the garden for their next house and I believe that having that first garden of her own has contributed positively to her future as a gardener.

And she really enjoys all the soaping we have done together. So far I have not done any herbal additions to the soap when we are together. I should think about what herbs my son & DIL are growing that we can use in soap next time I visit. Thanks for the idea!

 

[Spunky]

I'm glad I could pass on some inspiration! You have done the same. We are trying gardening from DIY earth boxes this year (besides the vine plants) and if all goes well, the boys will have to have their own next year. They will love making their own sign!

 

[Spunky]

I've done a little shopping. Now my garden will include:
loofahs
marigolds/calendula
chocolate mint
apple mint (it gets 3' tall and has 4" leaves!)
pineapple mint (small version of apple)
spearmint
stevia
cinnamon basil
lemon basil (need to pick up tomorrow)
lemon verbena
curry (I've heard the leaves are good for hair)
jewelweed (seeds are in the mail)

I am going to our local nursery tomorrow so I might be adding a few I'm a tad late in planting, but we just had a hail storm last night so it might be for the best!

 

[Kamahido]

Grow soap. :-D

 

[Steve85569]

Every spring I plant at least 4 basil plants and some tomato plants, b/c I love tomatoes and fresh basil! I also grow sage, rosemary, several mints, several thymes, and oregano. I don't grow cilantro b/c once it bolts (has flowers and seeds) it tastes yucky.

Cilantro seed are called coriander. When it bolts I just wait for the seed. We grow a patch that reseeds (with help) three times a growing season.

Garden starts off with strawberries and spinach, lettuce etc and runs through tomatoes, corn, squash with herbs and spices mixed in. The fennel and dill are pretty much on their own since they grow everywhere. The mint doesn't actually live in the garden but it does have it's special patches along the creek.