How big of a garden do you plant?

[ExiledInIllinois]

16 hours ago, Boyst62 said:

Used to have a 70x200'r. GGrewverything 

 

Now just a 4x8 raised bed.  But have herbs and spices all over landscape. And have fruit and nut trees in the yard.  You can eat everything into he landscape except nandina and foxglow

"That summer fields grew high with foxglove stalks and ivy. 
Wild apple blossoms everywhere. 
Emerald green like none I have seen apart from dreams that escape me. 
There was no girl as warm as you."

~Stockton Gala Days, 10,000 Maniacs 

 

 

 

I am pretty sure you mean foxglove.  Yes, it's highly toxic, even the rainwater off of it.

 

BE VERY CAREFUL WHERE YOU PLANT FOXGLOVE!  You don't want to be ingesting heart meds!

 

"The sap, flowers, seeds, stems, roots and leaves of the foxglove plant are all toxic if ingested. The largest concentration of the toxin that makes foxglove poisonous occurs in vigorously growing shoots. Even if the plant parts are dried or boiled, the toxic ingredients remain active. While ingesting any part of this plant at any time during its life can be fatal, it is most toxic in the period just before seed ripening. The upper leaves and stems also tend to have a higher concentration of toxin than the lower leaves."

 

"Foxglove contains cardiac glycosides such as digitoxin, digloxin and digitalin, which become toxic when stripped of their sugar molecule, and this happens in the process of digestion. This plant is the source of the heart medication digitalis, which can be poisonous if taken without monitoring by a physician because the therapeutic dose of this medication is dangerously close to the lethal dose."

 

"Poisoning by foxglove plants typically only occurs when animals or humans ingest any part of the plants, such as when children or pets eat the appealing flowers or drink rainwater or runoff from the plant. It is also possible to be poisoned by using foxglove in an herbal preparation. Symptoms of foxglove poisoning vary depending on the amount ingested, but typically include pain in the mouth or throat, usually followed by nausea, severe headache, irregular heartbeat and breathing, dizziness, vomiting and hallucinations. If the poisoning is severe enough, convulsions and cardiac arrest may occur and can be lethal. If you suspect that you or someone you know may have ingested foxglove, do not attempt to treat at home. Contact your local emergency number or call the National Poison Control Center at 1-800-222-1222."

[mead107]

Yuck

[Fan in San Diego]

18 hours ago, sherpa said:

Also a 1000 vine vineyard, but not sure that counts in this thread.

Where is your vineyard? I used to have over 8000 vines in Ramona, Ca

[Augie]

On 4/17/2018 at 6:04 AM, plenzmd1 said:

only herbs for me..basil, rosemary, thyme, mint, cilantro

 

Same for me. I’ve tried tomatoes several times....and finally gave up. That’s what the Farmers Market is for, I guess. 

[mead107]

19 hours ago, sherpa said:

Also a 1000 vine vineyard, but not sure that counts in this thread.

Has chef Jim been to see you?

[sherpa]

1 hour ago, Fan in San Diego said:

Where is your vineyard? I used to have over 8000 vines in Ramona, Ca

 

Charlotesville, VA.

[Mr Info]

My veggie garden is 2.5' x 15'. I should qualify that as I only grow tomatoes now. But I typically plant about 10 different varieties and keep track of which grow the best. The soil where we live is great for tomatoes. There is a nearby annual tomato fest.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanover_tomato

I also have a small herb garden, some blueberry bushes, and a gigantic (10 foot) fig tree. I dump coffee grounds around the blueberry bushes as they like acidic soil. That seems to work well.

[mead107]

25 minutes ago, Mr Info said:

My veggie garden is 2.5' x 15'. I should qualify that as I only grow tomatoes now. But I typically plant about 10 different varieties and keep track of which grow the best. The soil where we live is great for tomatoes. There is a nearby annual tomato fest.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanover_tomato

I also have a small herb garden, some blueberry bushes, and a gigantic (10 foot) fig tree. I dump coffee grounds around the blueberry bushes as they like acidic soil. That seems to work well.

So what is the best tasting tomato ?? 

[RochesterRob]

2 hours ago, Augie said:

 

Same for me. I’ve tried tomatoes several times....and finally gave up. That’s what the Farmers Market is for, I guess. 

Got to have a rotation where tomatoes are concerned.  The soil builds with blight and other disease so on average tomatoes in a given spot once every seven years and sometimes that is not enough.  Soil needs to have ample calcium and potash and pH near neutral.  Marigolds around the edges helps with tomato worms.  Plenty of Cornell data to help plan conditioning the soil or other university sources as well.  Water roughly an hour after sunup or an hour before sundown to minimize mildew.

[Augie]

37 minutes ago, RochesterRob said:

Got to have a rotation where tomatoes are concerned.  The soil builds with blight and other disease so on average tomatoes in a given spot once every seven years and sometimes that is not enough.  Soil needs to have ample calcium and potash and pH near neutral.  Marigolds around the edges helps with tomato worms.  Plenty of Cornell data to help plan conditioning the soil or other university sources as well.  Water roughly an hour after sunup or an hour before sundown to minimize mildew.

 

I wish I’d read all that BEFORE my three summers of failure! I don’t know if I would have been successful, but it couldn’t hurt....

[plenzmd1]

1 hour ago, mead107 said:

So what is the best tasting tomato ?? 

As Mr. INfo stated..a Hanover Tomato is hard to beat!

 

His wife also grows the best crepes...they go great with craft beer!

 

And Sherpa..where the hell is the invite for us Richmond folks and a wine tasting>>>Mr. INfo got the crepes, you got the wine, i got the Uber!!!

[Mr Info]

2 hours ago, mead107 said:

So what is the best tasting tomato ?? 

Well...I have tried all types of exotic tomatoes but the best have been the beefsteak types like  Big Beef or the hybrids like Better Boy.

But I do like the Mountain Fresh Plus for the size and flavor and I am going big on that one this year.

1 hour ago, plenzmd1 said:

His wife also grows the best crepes...they go great with craft beer!

Thank, Paul. I wish she grew them but she makes a great crepe. Her family is French so that helps. She left the corporate world to create he own crepemobile and I traveled with her to Brittany, France to join her for training on crepe making.  She uses different batters for savory and sweet crepes and most places in the US use one batter for both. Crepe making is in my future when I quit my job.  

Sherpa - she will be at First Colony in C'ville fairly soon for an event. I know they outsource some of their wine. 

[Saxum]

On 4/17/2018 at 8:15 AM, Boyst62 said:

Used to have a 70x200'r. GGrewverything 

 

Now just a 4x8 raised bed.  But have herbs and spices all over landscape. And have fruit and nut trees in the yard.  You can eat everything into he landscape except nandina and foxglow

 

Familiar with nandina which has medical uses and useful for deterring deers but foxglow?  Do you mean foxglove, another medicinal plant?

[boyst]

53 minutes ago, Limeaid said:

 

Familiar with nandina which has medical uses and useful for deterring deers but foxglow?  Do you mean foxglove, another medicinal plant?

Whatever. I never know what it's called. Just know what it is. Foxglove. Yes. It'll kill ya.

 

They're not bad bad. Just dangerous

 

If you wanna trip balls eat some of that whatchamacallit from Lowe's they always have a ton of.

[Buffalo716]

My father used to have a 12x20 garden growing up in our yard

 

He grew tomatoes, spinach, onions , squash. Etc... Had a mulberry tree

 

it was awesome

[ExiledInIllinois]

Our family plot while growing up in the wilds of S.Cheektowaga was about 20'x20'.

 

Quite the Victory garden.  You name, we planted it.

 

Pickling season, making dill pickles from the ingredients grown in the garden, still hold a special place in my heart. Nothing like a big kosher dill from the crock...  

[Augie]

Many of your “gardens” are bigger than my yard. 

[ExiledInIllinois]

3 minutes ago, Augie said:

Many of your “gardens” are bigger than my yard. 

Bigger than my current humble abode.