@J.Musser Nah, but parents had a big garden (mine is a lot smaller) and one picks up a thing or two over the decades. Two thirds logic and one third experience, I'd say.
@J.Musser more than about trees in the garden - it's much more manageable. my mum has a reputaton of planting a broomstick and getting it to bloom. Still not sure how she does it, because she neither waters nor fertilizes regularly.
@J.Musser And that with a mother that has switched to plastic flowers (yuck!) because she could drown algae and dry out cacti. That late? Oh, 7 pm here.
Hubby had insectivores for years and might start again once we're done with renovating the house. Current pland projects are on a much larger scale, e.g. trying to decide which apple tree(s) we want. And I'm searching for a dwarf cherry - 4-5m tops.
@J.Musser Every winter my boxwood elders throw a fit and lose branches and I daydream about chopping the whole line lot. Haven't done it yet, but if they get much more dead-looking I might have to
@J.Musser not even good for burning. I asked a relative that heats with a wood stove, they said it would take 2 years to dry it and they'd still be really bad at producing heat.
@J.Musser You typed faster than me... I had Gisela on my "shopping list" already. Just need to figure out what I want on top - I don't think Reinier (such fond memories...) would do well here. Need something a tad more robust. But I have a distant relative I can ask. He did a lot of grafting in his time and should know what grows well here.
And as I'm not going for "commercial" or "high-yield"... But as I said, only if I can't get the combination I want. (And which I still have to decide on.)
We are slowly replacing the purely ornamental stuff with plants that are both decorative and useful in our garden. But it's a slow process. An overgrown hedge went first, now it's currants, some heirloom lilac, sea buckthorn and elder. The amelanchier was allowed to stay...
@J.Musser Very! And tedious. No veggies, but my parents live nearby (a few houses away) and we share the veggie plot. Kids have their own square meter or two where they may plant whatever they like.
I do have a few tomatoes, though, mostly I have just the right spot for them.
@J.Musser I must admit it's often "what's on sale at my organic store". Either seeds or plants, depending on how chaotic our early spring is. Typically cherry tomatoes, because the kids pick them and eat them in one bite. Good for lunchboxes, too.
I put them next to the house wall, under a balcony (-> no drips, no rain and hence no fungal problems). Lots of sun, moderate wind, generally sheltered. Needs some fertilizing though, like the entire garden. But you can't remedy years of neglect in two summers, especially if you go the organic / compost route.
@J.Musser So what do you choose? Tomato-wise, that is.
@Stephie For hybrid big tomatoes, I used Better Boy (it's also the one that got in guinness book of world records at 342 lbs in one year, from one plant) I like them they taste great
Looks like there's a new record
1151.84 lbs from one plant in a year, Florida, USA
that's insane
for cherry tomatoes I like sweet million and sun gold
I think I average 60 lbs/plant/year ... nothing near those records
The Garden Shed
The Garden Shed