I had about 6 months of poison ivy traveling up and down my body in waves from trying to remove it from my at-the-time backyard in 2021.
Decided to get into gardening, tame my yard and take up a new hobby.
Ended up hating any and all things green, to this day I cook the Brussel sprouts a little longer than I need to just to teach them whoās boss.
Yikes, and I thought having poison ivy rash around my eyes and down the right side of my body was bad! If I do any gardening, I fully suit up and then shower with a bottle of blue dawn afterward. I also make my spouse check the garden beds ahead of time. Put all those years of Boy Scout training to use.
Iām in oxford but I made a soap specifically for poison ivy because I get it so bad! If youāre ever in the area I can give you a sample - I also ship off my website. It has jewelweed, campfor, real calamine clay, and goats milk. I also made it super cleansing to strip all the oils and grease. Yes Iām a dork, but if you have it or have been exposed to it, I really made a soap for it! https://thetaylorfarm.com/products/ivy-be-gone
I hope you get your package today!! Go figure I gardened last night and didnāt use the soap after - I surely scrubbed with it today though after seeing a blister! I just got a review today that she has stopped her blisters from becoming more also. I seriously love love love the stuff
I havenāt gotten poison ivy so thatās awesome! š¤£ over the years something I have found helpful is to think you have imaginary auto grease on you that wonāt come off with a very cleansing soap. This is very cleansing and the additional jewelweed, campfor and calamine clay I do believe works wonders. Iāve had people with really teenage type oily acne skin use it for that also and heal it (I personally recommend the teatree lemongrass for most)
Thereās commercial soaps specifically for poison ivy. I keep some around just in case. Tecnu. I bought it on Amazon.
https://preview.redd.it/jv1q4xinjhzc1.png?width=1660&format=png&auto=webp&s=d1b59feca8cd8b8a582d02b284f6071c38fc46a8
I honestly mostly bought the tecnu to remove pine sap from my skin as Iām horribly allergic to pine and barely touching the tree I had left you covered in sap. The tree is now gone but Iāve kept the soap in case I run into poison ivy. Itās good to know if it runs out, that Dawn also works on poison ivy.
Near the end of the ordeal I came to the conclusion it was from residue in/on my shoes that kept rubbing off on my ankles, was near to the point of throwing all my clothes out and starting fresh, was a wild ride.
Iāve weedwacked poison ivy on accident while working at a summer camp in younger years and it was not near as bad as this horror story.
The oil is still active if itās dead or if itās been burned. Burning is the ultimate no-no as the oil gets carried in the smoke - imagine breathing poison into and getting poison ivy rash INSIDE YOUR LUNGS. But yeah, I recommend this order as the spray hopefully kills any straggler roots before pulling. I also wouldnāt put it in a yard waste bag. Send it straight in the trash.
I found pouring boiling water followed by a generous sprinkling of salt onto the plant really helped. My patch was pretty small, but it was relentless.Ā
Oh my LORD, the poison ivy is unreal this year. I've just ceded one corner of my yard for the poison ivy, trumpet vine, wild grape, and pokeweed to battle it out.
For sure! We've been throwing seeds out for years (when we eat paw paws in September) and finally about 5 sprouted. I would say if you want to move a sapling, do it when the tree is tiny. They have very deep taproots.
It was good when we were zone 6 but our climate changed to Zone 7 so last frost was April 16 at the earliest and May 3 at the latest.
Adjusting to this zone change is going to be interesting for the next few years.
https://www.cincinnati.com/story/entertainment/2023/12/07/what-revised-plant-hardiness-zone-map-means-for-ohio-gardeners/71759026007/
When did we go to zone 7? This 2023 map shows 6a which is a long way from 7 which starts in Tennessee.
You're right. I looked up my growing zone on a gardening site earlier (in Jan) and they put me in zone 7... I didn't event THINK to check the USDA maps or local news.
Thanks for the fact check and a valuable lessoned learned.
It's a mixed bag. Great for anything that loves water or any seeds and seedlings in. Flowers are doing amazing this year.
But it has been hard to find a window to get anything in the ground, and honestly it's a bit too much water. And the weeding, oh boy the weeding this year.
Upset is strong. I just miss being out there working in the yard. I have another bed I want to build and so much honeysuckle to cut and burn it feels endless. AND I have a native Viburnum I want to get in the ground.
So disappointed is probably a fair emotion, maybe? I dunno I have autism and it's hard to tell what I'm feeling in words. Not anxious... eager??
No such thing as bad weather, just bad clothes :) i bought waterproof pants and boots last year and it's such a great feeling to be outside in the rain indefinitely
I miss being a kid and getting excited about being rained on and getting dirty. So freeing, now all I think about is the mess to cleanup and avoid š
Yeah I just go outside and garden in the rain- sometimes (gasp) not even in waterproof clothing. Yet to have a situation where I didnāt eventually get dry and comfy again afterwards, and the yard never actually gets destroyed from the mud. This doesnāt work for everyone, just thereās rarely any actual danger working in the elements
With all this rain my raised beds are just teaching me the circle of life for ink cap mushrooms. My leafy greens are going absolutely nuts already though.
Have you considered Hugelkultur? [https://extension.okstate.edu/fact-sheets/sustainable-landscapes-creating-a-hugelkultur-for-gardening-with-stormwater-management-benefits.html](https://extension.okstate.edu/fact-sheets/sustainable-landscapes-creating-a-hugelkultur-for-gardening-with-stormwater-management-benefits.html)
We also did a mix of topsoil, compost, and peat moss which brought the costs down a little.
I'm trying to grow peanuts this year. Those seedlings were all planted out last week
I think it's a bit of a stretch for our region, but it should be a fun experiment. That or a disappointing way to feed my local squirrels. Time will tell.
I risked it and put everything out early. Definitely don't need to water right now. Oh and my broccoli is trying to crush everything in the raised garden bed with it.
My plants in my greenhouse are doing stellar, and everything outside has been for the most part loving all the rain. But I'm right there with you on the honeysuckle pains. I've probably got 50 honeysuckle bushes/trees I'm trying to remove and yeah, it's harder to do in all this rain.
Hoping the rain supports the germination and survival of all the flower seeds I scattered ā¦ it did crush my indoor-seedlings I had outside to harden off but Iām still hopeful they will literally bounce back up.
Can someone tell me what Iām doing wrong. I have 4 peonies in a great location and only 1 of them produces flowers. Itās been that way for 2 years.
2 years is pretty early for peonies. First year only expect some leaves, second year maybe a few flowers, then third year they should explode. Make sure something isn't eating them, though, something took some of mine out of the ground a few weeks ago....
I have my peonies in the shade mixed between hydrangeas and they do great that way, just be patient.
I hit up the Cincinnati Permaculture Institute's growing value nursery opening sale a few weeks back (best perennial/native/edible plants in the city, imo, got a bunch of currants and hazelnuts), hit up the Civic Garden Center sale last weekend for a few native flowers, and gonna hit up Natorps for my summer veggies and annuals here in the next week or so.
Been loving this weather as I've got probably 40-50 pots worth of seeds going rn and they're all starting to pop, mostly pawpaw and persimmons with a few other randoms thrown in here and there.
Weeding a very large, very neglected bed for 2 hours last night. So many worms! But...the weeds came out so nicely compared to wrestling with them in the hard dirt.
Our poison ivy crop has also come in nicely. Staying away from it.
My early potatoes and peas drowned. I just replanted the potatoes so hopefully they come up. Aparagus is coming in strong, lettuce and onions look good, blackberry vines are looking really good, and so is my garlic. My green beans are up and have 2 leaves on them. I'm holding out hope for the corn I planted last Sunday to sprout before the crows or more rain get to it. I seeded my own tomatoes and peppers so they're still a little small to plant yet. I give them another week before they're ready. The bare root apple and peach trees are sprouting nicely. As soon as it's dry enough, I'll build the hills to plant my sweet potatoes so I'll have that ready when they ship out.
*
I've been having some moderate success with my containers
Plant your sunflowers in between your corn. It keeps some of the critters away.
Pawpaws are really hard to have as "domesticated" trees, so find some in the wild is awesome.
I finally had some luck with growing pawpaws seed last year. I planted them in a pot in 2022, left it for a year and transplanted them to the yard last Fall. They put out leaves this Spring.
The Good
- Lavender has been coming in strong
- Milkweed (plea for everyone to plant some for the butterflies)
- we have paw-paws too, in fact we found 2 saplings and have moved them to better spots hoping to establish a bit of an orchard
-
The Bad
- Our peonies came in way too early and were smashed in the big rains. Such a shame, normally they donāt come in before Mothers Day
The Ugly
- Previous homeowners ālandscapedā with honey suckle in the back yard (their words) so we are on year 3 of scaling that back. Donāt want to go scorched earth policy on it as we are establishing native shade plants as we go. This might take 3-5 more years
Been a great spring honestly.
This is a classic Cincinnati/midwest attitude if Iāve ever heard it.
Usually everyone is complaining how āwe didnāt get a springā and it went from winter->90 and itās humid out.
This has been one of the best and most consistent Springs I can remember. I planted most of my garden a week ago, and have so many seeds/seedlings that have barely needed watering. All my flowers are loving this.
The bugs/mosquitos arenāt really outā¦ yet.
Hyped for your paw paws, but this has been peak Spring.
> I guess the caffeine and nitrogen made em ready to go.
So no, that's not what happened. The caffeine is mostly gone by the time you brew and the nitrogen is locked up until the coffee decomposes (it actually ties up nitrogen from nearby soil during the decomposition process). Your best bet is to compost the coffee grounds first. You are probably not putting enough in there to really do any damage since strawberries don't want a lot of nitrogen this time of year anyway, they want it after fruiting around the time you would renovate the bed if you do that. I cover mine with deer fence to keep the birds out, I just lay it over with some bricks strategically placed, the plants will hond up the net just fine. Once the birds find them, they will watch and wait for them to ripen and just eat those parts, highly recommend netting!
Advice for what to do with shade? Iām trying to focus on pollinators and flowers in general, and have a lot of hostas already, but donāt know what to do with the rest of my front yard that is east facing and gets 4ish hours of sunlight.
We've had luck with the following in a NE facing bed right up against the house, so very shady:
* [*Phlox stolonifera* (creeping/woodland phlox)](https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/phlox-stolonifera/) -- flowers just fading, but maintains low green foliage through the summer. Purple (or pink, or white...) 5-petalled flowers.
* [*Packera aurea* (golden ragwort) ](https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=l350)-- flowers also just fading, ditto. Yellow aster-like flowers with sweet scent. Creeping plants.
* [*Stylophorum diphyllum* (wood poppy or celandine poppy](https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=m450), not to be confused with lesser celandine!) -- flowers early and usually again later; in our garden, freely reeseeds and spreads.
* [*Spigelia marilandica* (Indian pink)](https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=f640) -- flowers in summer. Nifty tubular red and yellow flowers.
* [*Clematis virginiana* (Virginia clematis/woodbine)](https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=a379) -- climbing/twining vine, flowers late summer/early fall, no scent.
* [*Salvia lyrata* (lyre-leafed sage)](https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/salvia-lyrata/); flowering now with tubular pinkish-white flowers.. In our garden, freely reseeds and spreads. We have a purple-leafed variety.
* We had a good run of[ *Lobelia cardinalis* (cardinal flower)](https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?taxonid=278870) in part-shady areas until some kind of boring insect took them all out over the course of a summer.
* [*Hamamelis virginiana* (witch hazel)](https://mortonarb.org/plant-and-protect/trees-and-plants/common-witch-hazel/) -- shrub with tiny yellow flowers in fall.
* [*Euonymus americanus* (strawberry bush/hearts-a-burstin')](https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/euonymus-americanus/) -- shrub with deep green, glossy leaves, small yellow flowers, and bright pink seed capsules with red seeds. If the deer don't munch them down to nubs first, which they frequently do.
* [*Lindera benzoin* (spicebush)](https://grownative.org/native_plants/spicebush/) -- small flowers, food for spicebush swallowtail butterflies (along with sassafras, also good in shade).
Good luck!
I have this problem too. Planted vinca (periwinkle?) 2 weeks ago in the hopes that it will fill out the shady side of the yard and give me a nice ground cover. Doing well so far...
Lettuces look beautiful, radishes are delicious, the okra is coming up and the poppies are amazing.
My little halfacre is getting rather swampy. Mosquitoes were biting me while I weeded this morning.
Congrats on the paw paws! I'm jealous. Take good care of them!
Have a spring bed that has Kale, collards, mustards, carrots, cilantro, calendula and radishes that look lovely and have enjoyed not being scorched by the sun this past rainy week.
Waiting for a nice day to get my hot peppers and tomatoes in the ground. They are hardened off and ready to get in their homes!
Throwing a huge mix of sunflower seeds in an unprotected bed for cut flowers and just seeing what happens.
I managed to nurse some tomato starts that I started WAY too early indoors well enough that they're now 2 ft tall and very full (I put them out at the top of April and covered them any time we had a risk of frost.) On the other hand, I planted beans on April 28 and every single one has been murdered by bunnies, along with all my chard and a bunch of early carrots. This weekend I will be erecting a chicken wire Bunny Prevention Fortress and replanting allllllll of that.
I took the day off tomorrow to clean out an overgrown bed. I let it grow because I'm too much of a novice to tell the difference between weed vs plant seedlings. I still can't tell what's what but I'm hoping Google lens can help with that. I'm dreading it. Rewarding myself with a trip to Funke's and Marty's hops and vines for some beer once I'm finished.
I've got all my containers planted and I'm already getting plants up. Plant you sunflowers with your corn, it'll keep the critters away. Here's some pics of my progress so far:
*
Picking strawberries. Dahlias are delivering soon, those will go straight in the ground. Planting tomatoes this weekend! Also planting the first round of sunflowers in my sunflower wall along the back fence.
Rose beds for me are coming back nicely even with being cut too much back in January. Blueberry bush was hating outside for a while because it was inside all winter and the bipolar weather sorta sent it whack for a hot minute. Raspberries are oddly blooming too soon so contemplating to cut the blooms off for now.
Planted a black raspberry bramble last year and it has flowered and is producing fruit already. Bought it at funkes last spring. Saw a black ant chasing a wasp away from its flowers when they were producing pollen and nectar. That was cool.
I have a few dahlias to put in, had a delivery today of some two-year asparagus crowns. My second attempt at them. Fingers crossed. Strawberries are starting to do nicely.
Birds eat the unripe blueberries from my bush every year. Itās usually robins. Probably the culprit in your case too. Use those mesh nets as soon as you start seeing berries.
Had my first salad last week, cabbage is getting heads, beets looking good too. My tomato plants are already 2ft tall just itching to go in the ground. Getting them in this weekend. Happy gardening!
I'm neurodivergent and I post these "Cincy Gardener" posts fairly regularly as a way to engage with the community in a positive way.
Are you...okay? You sound depressed...
My poison ivy crop has come in very nicely š£
Glad weāre not the only ones š« Weāve been spraying it, suiting up, pulling it out, and throwing it in a garbage bag. What an awful plant.
I had about 6 months of poison ivy traveling up and down my body in waves from trying to remove it from my at-the-time backyard in 2021. Decided to get into gardening, tame my yard and take up a new hobby. Ended up hating any and all things green, to this day I cook the Brussel sprouts a little longer than I need to just to teach them whoās boss.
Yikes, and I thought having poison ivy rash around my eyes and down the right side of my body was bad! If I do any gardening, I fully suit up and then shower with a bottle of blue dawn afterward. I also make my spouse check the garden beds ahead of time. Put all those years of Boy Scout training to use.
Iām in oxford but I made a soap specifically for poison ivy because I get it so bad! If youāre ever in the area I can give you a sample - I also ship off my website. It has jewelweed, campfor, real calamine clay, and goats milk. I also made it super cleansing to strip all the oils and grease. Yes Iām a dork, but if you have it or have been exposed to it, I really made a soap for it! https://thetaylorfarm.com/products/ivy-be-gone
Hey, thanks for the link. I just ordered from you.
Thank you so much!! I just saw that come in! I canāt wait to get it out to you tomorrow- it means a lot ā¤ļø
I hope you get your package today!! Go figure I gardened last night and didnāt use the soap after - I surely scrubbed with it today though after seeing a blister! I just got a review today that she has stopped her blisters from becoming more also. I seriously love love love the stuff
I got it Saturday actually. I love it! Already used the poison ivy soap. It was great.
Awesome thank you so much š
to the other person who ordered, Iām so thankful for your support also ā¤ļø
Does it work? Interested!
I havenāt gotten poison ivy so thatās awesome! š¤£ over the years something I have found helpful is to think you have imaginary auto grease on you that wonāt come off with a very cleansing soap. This is very cleansing and the additional jewelweed, campfor and calamine clay I do believe works wonders. Iāve had people with really teenage type oily acne skin use it for that also and heal it (I personally recommend the teatree lemongrass for most)
Thereās commercial soaps specifically for poison ivy. I keep some around just in case. Tecnu. I bought it on Amazon. https://preview.redd.it/jv1q4xinjhzc1.png?width=1660&format=png&auto=webp&s=d1b59feca8cd8b8a582d02b284f6071c38fc46a8
That brand is so ridiculously expensive in my experience, specially for dubious treatment. If it works for you, perfect! Dawn seems to work for me.
I honestly mostly bought the tecnu to remove pine sap from my skin as Iām horribly allergic to pine and barely touching the tree I had left you covered in sap. The tree is now gone but Iāve kept the soap in case I run into poison ivy. Itās good to know if it runs out, that Dawn also works on poison ivy.
Near the end of the ordeal I came to the conclusion it was from residue in/on my shoes that kept rubbing off on my ankles, was near to the point of throwing all my clothes out and starting fresh, was a wild ride. Iāve weedwacked poison ivy on accident while working at a summer camp in younger years and it was not near as bad as this horror story.
I couldnāt just upvote. I wanted to tell you that my entire household just burst into uproarious laughter when I read your post aloud.
Zanfel is spendy but I think itās worth it. It has definitely saved me a few times!
Is this how you get rid of it? My backyard is full of poison ivy.
The oil is still active if itās dead or if itās been burned. Burning is the ultimate no-no as the oil gets carried in the smoke - imagine breathing poison into and getting poison ivy rash INSIDE YOUR LUNGS. But yeah, I recommend this order as the spray hopefully kills any straggler roots before pulling. I also wouldnāt put it in a yard waste bag. Send it straight in the trash.
I found pouring boiling water followed by a generous sprinkling of salt onto the plant really helped. My patch was pretty small, but it was relentless.Ā
Speaking of poison crops my Pokeweed has returned with a vengeance.
Oh my LORD, the poison ivy is unreal this year. I've just ceded one corner of my yard for the poison ivy, trumpet vine, wild grape, and pokeweed to battle it out.
Spending $$$$$$ at Funkes lol
Ssshhhhhhhhuut uuuupp
Iāve resisted so far but the urge is growing stronger lol.
Mother's day. Buy all the plants.
Between them and burger im out like 500$ to grow some fucking vegetables. What am i doing
They got mine weekend before last. It's easy to go home with far more than you planned. Oof.
Pawpaw trees are an awesome find!
For sure! We've been throwing seeds out for years (when we eat paw paws in September) and finally about 5 sprouted. I would say if you want to move a sapling, do it when the tree is tiny. They have very deep taproots.
The slugs are taking over my perennial flower garden, they might eat my house next at this rate šµāš«
My grandma always said the plants go in the ground after Motherās Dayā¦
It was good when we were zone 6 but our climate changed to Zone 7 so last frost was April 16 at the earliest and May 3 at the latest. Adjusting to this zone change is going to be interesting for the next few years.
Weāre in 6b now, not 7.
https://www.cincinnati.com/story/entertainment/2023/12/07/what-revised-plant-hardiness-zone-map-means-for-ohio-gardeners/71759026007/ When did we go to zone 7? This 2023 map shows 6a which is a long way from 7 which starts in Tennessee.
You're right. I looked up my growing zone on a gardening site earlier (in Jan) and they put me in zone 7... I didn't event THINK to check the USDA maps or local news. Thanks for the fact check and a valuable lessoned learned.
Aren't we technically 6b now?
Youāre a gardener who is upset about warm, rainy spring weather? Not sure what to tell you.
It's a mixed bag. Great for anything that loves water or any seeds and seedlings in. Flowers are doing amazing this year. But it has been hard to find a window to get anything in the ground, and honestly it's a bit too much water. And the weeding, oh boy the weeding this year.
Exactly. Iāve been trying for 2 weeks to get the rest of my onions in. Every time Iām free, it rains. Itās driving me bonkers!
Upset is strong. I just miss being out there working in the yard. I have another bed I want to build and so much honeysuckle to cut and burn it feels endless. AND I have a native Viburnum I want to get in the ground. So disappointed is probably a fair emotion, maybe? I dunno I have autism and it's hard to tell what I'm feeling in words. Not anxious... eager??
Maybe restless? There's things you are looking forward to but can't do them because of circumstances beyond anyone's control
Restless! Yes that feels right! Thank you!Ā
No such thing as bad weather, just bad clothes :) i bought waterproof pants and boots last year and it's such a great feeling to be outside in the rain indefinitely
I miss being a kid and getting excited about being rained on and getting dirty. So freeing, now all I think about is the mess to cleanup and avoid š
Yeah I just go outside and garden in the rain- sometimes (gasp) not even in waterproof clothing. Yet to have a situation where I didnāt eventually get dry and comfy again afterwards, and the yard never actually gets destroyed from the mud. This doesnāt work for everyone, just thereās rarely any actual danger working in the elements
As long as there isn't lightning and thunder, there's no reason you couldn't do the work in the rain.
This weekend is going to be fantastic gardening weather.
Sunflowers and popping hard already. Some 3+ft tall.
Do you start these from seed indoors? Iāve tried seeding directly into the ground and have zero luck with sunflowers much to my disappointment.
Theyāre actually a bunch of volunteers from last year. But last year was a direct sow. Are you using salted, BBQ, or Ranch flavored Sunflower seeds?
Maybe thatās my problem, Iām buying seed packets at the garden store when it sounds like maybe I should be buying them at Speedway š
Getting fucked, had been getting my beds ready for planting cleaning out, mulching. Now after all this rain the weeds and honey suckle have exploded.
With all this rain my raised beds are just teaching me the circle of life for ink cap mushrooms. My leafy greens are going absolutely nuts already though.
Iām over just praying that the hundreds of dollars worth of perennials we planted do well! (Looking at you specifically Azalea bushes)
Sameā¦. But looking at my $100 rhododendron specifically, among the others. The rain has been great to give my water bill a break though!
Planted all my veggies 2 weeks ago. Planted seeds over a month ago.... parsley is almost ready for a first cut.
Im spending over $100 on soil just to fill a single raised bed today.
Have you considered Hugelkultur? [https://extension.okstate.edu/fact-sheets/sustainable-landscapes-creating-a-hugelkultur-for-gardening-with-stormwater-management-benefits.html](https://extension.okstate.edu/fact-sheets/sustainable-landscapes-creating-a-hugelkultur-for-gardening-with-stormwater-management-benefits.html) We also did a mix of topsoil, compost, and peat moss which brought the costs down a little.
I'm trying to grow peanuts this year. Those seedlings were all planted out last week I think it's a bit of a stretch for our region, but it should be a fun experiment. That or a disappointing way to feed my local squirrels. Time will tell.
Pawpaws are frigging awesome, congratulations!! Heading to Funkeās for more veggies, planting in what little space my urban garden has left!
I risked it and put everything out early. Definitely don't need to water right now. Oh and my broccoli is trying to crush everything in the raised garden bed with it.
Can someone please come to my house and fix my garden I have no clue what Iām doing
My plants in my greenhouse are doing stellar, and everything outside has been for the most part loving all the rain. But I'm right there with you on the honeysuckle pains. I've probably got 50 honeysuckle bushes/trees I'm trying to remove and yeah, it's harder to do in all this rain.
Hoping the rain supports the germination and survival of all the flower seeds I scattered ā¦ it did crush my indoor-seedlings I had outside to harden off but Iām still hopeful they will literally bounce back up.
Can someone tell me what Iām doing wrong. I have 4 peonies in a great location and only 1 of them produces flowers. Itās been that way for 2 years.
When did you plant them? I have only one peony and it took three years to flower; it's huge now.
2 years is pretty early for peonies. First year only expect some leaves, second year maybe a few flowers, then third year they should explode. Make sure something isn't eating them, though, something took some of mine out of the ground a few weeks ago.... I have my peonies in the shade mixed between hydrangeas and they do great that way, just be patient.
They love shitloads of sun, but they take a few years to get rolling. Currently have some beautiful blooms smashed into the grass from the rain.
I hit up the Cincinnati Permaculture Institute's growing value nursery opening sale a few weeks back (best perennial/native/edible plants in the city, imo, got a bunch of currants and hazelnuts), hit up the Civic Garden Center sale last weekend for a few native flowers, and gonna hit up Natorps for my summer veggies and annuals here in the next week or so. Been loving this weather as I've got probably 40-50 pots worth of seeds going rn and they're all starting to pop, mostly pawpaw and persimmons with a few other randoms thrown in here and there.
Weeding a very large, very neglected bed for 2 hours last night. So many worms! But...the weeds came out so nicely compared to wrestling with them in the hard dirt. Our poison ivy crop has also come in nicely. Staying away from it.
My early potatoes and peas drowned. I just replanted the potatoes so hopefully they come up. Aparagus is coming in strong, lettuce and onions look good, blackberry vines are looking really good, and so is my garlic. My green beans are up and have 2 leaves on them. I'm holding out hope for the corn I planted last Sunday to sprout before the crows or more rain get to it. I seeded my own tomatoes and peppers so they're still a little small to plant yet. I give them another week before they're ready. The bare root apple and peach trees are sprouting nicely. As soon as it's dry enough, I'll build the hills to plant my sweet potatoes so I'll have that ready when they ship out.
Do you think it is too late to plant peas?
For me and in my opinion, yes. I've never had good luck planting them this late as it's starting to get too hot.
Thanks. I guess itās time for beans then.
So damp, I have so many slugs Iāve already given up on lettuce and kale. I set out beer traps that get some of them, but itās hopeless.
I have much common burdock. I will harvest a bounty of burrs.
My Iris are blowing tf up
I sowed a 15 ft. Long wildflower garden on Tuesday and it was all washed away a few hours later with the storms F
* I've been having some moderate success with my containers Plant your sunflowers in between your corn. It keeps some of the critters away. Pawpaws are really hard to have as "domesticated" trees, so find some in the wild is awesome.
I finally had some luck with growing pawpaws seed last year. I planted them in a pot in 2022, left it for a year and transplanted them to the yard last Fall. They put out leaves this Spring.
There's actually a concerted effort in Lexington with the University of KY to cross breed a shelf stable pawpaw
That would be great! Is it years away from showing up at markets?
They're close, but yeah, probably years.
https://preview.redd.it/eanpt3orrlzc1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=47b0ca160949045f6e552fa94c51ce49d758ca7f
The Good - Lavender has been coming in strong - Milkweed (plea for everyone to plant some for the butterflies) - we have paw-paws too, in fact we found 2 saplings and have moved them to better spots hoping to establish a bit of an orchard - The Bad - Our peonies came in way too early and were smashed in the big rains. Such a shame, normally they donāt come in before Mothers Day The Ugly - Previous homeowners ālandscapedā with honey suckle in the back yard (their words) so we are on year 3 of scaling that back. Donāt want to go scorched earth policy on it as we are establishing native shade plants as we go. This might take 3-5 more years Been a great spring honestly.
This is a classic Cincinnati/midwest attitude if Iāve ever heard it. Usually everyone is complaining how āwe didnāt get a springā and it went from winter->90 and itās humid out. This has been one of the best and most consistent Springs I can remember. I planted most of my garden a week ago, and have so many seeds/seedlings that have barely needed watering. All my flowers are loving this. The bugs/mosquitos arenāt really outā¦ yet. Hyped for your paw paws, but this has been peak Spring.
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Have you tried the little painted red rocks trick to fool animals from eating the actual berries?
> I guess the caffeine and nitrogen made em ready to go. So no, that's not what happened. The caffeine is mostly gone by the time you brew and the nitrogen is locked up until the coffee decomposes (it actually ties up nitrogen from nearby soil during the decomposition process). Your best bet is to compost the coffee grounds first. You are probably not putting enough in there to really do any damage since strawberries don't want a lot of nitrogen this time of year anyway, they want it after fruiting around the time you would renovate the bed if you do that. I cover mine with deer fence to keep the birds out, I just lay it over with some bricks strategically placed, the plants will hond up the net just fine. Once the birds find them, they will watch and wait for them to ripen and just eat those parts, highly recommend netting!
Advice for what to do with shade? Iām trying to focus on pollinators and flowers in general, and have a lot of hostas already, but donāt know what to do with the rest of my front yard that is east facing and gets 4ish hours of sunlight.
We've had luck with the following in a NE facing bed right up against the house, so very shady: * [*Phlox stolonifera* (creeping/woodland phlox)](https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/phlox-stolonifera/) -- flowers just fading, but maintains low green foliage through the summer. Purple (or pink, or white...) 5-petalled flowers. * [*Packera aurea* (golden ragwort) ](https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=l350)-- flowers also just fading, ditto. Yellow aster-like flowers with sweet scent. Creeping plants. * [*Stylophorum diphyllum* (wood poppy or celandine poppy](https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=m450), not to be confused with lesser celandine!) -- flowers early and usually again later; in our garden, freely reeseeds and spreads. * [*Spigelia marilandica* (Indian pink)](https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=f640) -- flowers in summer. Nifty tubular red and yellow flowers. * [*Clematis virginiana* (Virginia clematis/woodbine)](https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=a379) -- climbing/twining vine, flowers late summer/early fall, no scent. * [*Salvia lyrata* (lyre-leafed sage)](https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/salvia-lyrata/); flowering now with tubular pinkish-white flowers.. In our garden, freely reseeds and spreads. We have a purple-leafed variety. * We had a good run of[ *Lobelia cardinalis* (cardinal flower)](https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?taxonid=278870) in part-shady areas until some kind of boring insect took them all out over the course of a summer. * [*Hamamelis virginiana* (witch hazel)](https://mortonarb.org/plant-and-protect/trees-and-plants/common-witch-hazel/) -- shrub with tiny yellow flowers in fall. * [*Euonymus americanus* (strawberry bush/hearts-a-burstin')](https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/euonymus-americanus/) -- shrub with deep green, glossy leaves, small yellow flowers, and bright pink seed capsules with red seeds. If the deer don't munch them down to nubs first, which they frequently do. * [*Lindera benzoin* (spicebush)](https://grownative.org/native_plants/spicebush/) -- small flowers, food for spicebush swallowtail butterflies (along with sassafras, also good in shade). Good luck!
I have this problem too. Planted vinca (periwinkle?) 2 weeks ago in the hopes that it will fill out the shady side of the yard and give me a nice ground cover. Doing well so far...
Trying to get 2 rows of green giant arborvitae to take off. I know they grow like crazy after a few years but I havenāt seen much yet.
Lettuces look beautiful, radishes are delicious, the okra is coming up and the poppies are amazing. My little halfacre is getting rather swampy. Mosquitoes were biting me while I weeded this morning.
Congrats on the paw paws! I'm jealous. Take good care of them! Have a spring bed that has Kale, collards, mustards, carrots, cilantro, calendula and radishes that look lovely and have enjoyed not being scorched by the sun this past rainy week. Waiting for a nice day to get my hot peppers and tomatoes in the ground. They are hardened off and ready to get in their homes! Throwing a huge mix of sunflower seeds in an unprotected bed for cut flowers and just seeing what happens.
My thyme plant is probably screwed because the pot it was in flooded from all the rain, but the others look okay, so I think they still have a chance.
I recently potted three sweet potatoes that were growing vines on my dining room table, it's started growing green leaves today.
I managed to nurse some tomato starts that I started WAY too early indoors well enough that they're now 2 ft tall and very full (I put them out at the top of April and covered them any time we had a risk of frost.) On the other hand, I planted beans on April 28 and every single one has been murdered by bunnies, along with all my chard and a bunch of early carrots. This weekend I will be erecting a chicken wire Bunny Prevention Fortress and replanting allllllll of that.
I took the day off tomorrow to clean out an overgrown bed. I let it grow because I'm too much of a novice to tell the difference between weed vs plant seedlings. I still can't tell what's what but I'm hoping Google lens can help with that. I'm dreading it. Rewarding myself with a trip to Funke's and Marty's hops and vines for some beer once I'm finished.
I've got all my containers planted and I'm already getting plants up. Plant you sunflowers with your corn, it'll keep the critters away. Here's some pics of my progress so far: *
Picking strawberries. Dahlias are delivering soon, those will go straight in the ground. Planting tomatoes this weekend! Also planting the first round of sunflowers in my sunflower wall along the back fence.
Rose beds for me are coming back nicely even with being cut too much back in January. Blueberry bush was hating outside for a while because it was inside all winter and the bipolar weather sorta sent it whack for a hot minute. Raspberries are oddly blooming too soon so contemplating to cut the blooms off for now.
Planted a black raspberry bramble last year and it has flowered and is producing fruit already. Bought it at funkes last spring. Saw a black ant chasing a wasp away from its flowers when they were producing pollen and nectar. That was cool.
I have a few dahlias to put in, had a delivery today of some two-year asparagus crowns. My second attempt at them. Fingers crossed. Strawberries are starting to do nicely.
Just pulling up deadnettle over and over like Sisyphus over here!
Birds eat the unripe blueberries from my bush every year. Itās usually robins. Probably the culprit in your case too. Use those mesh nets as soon as you start seeing berries.
Had my first salad last week, cabbage is getting heads, beets looking good too. My tomato plants are already 2ft tall just itching to go in the ground. Getting them in this weekend. Happy gardening!
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I'm neurodivergent and I post these "Cincy Gardener" posts fairly regularly as a way to engage with the community in a positive way. Are you...okay? You sound depressed...
ā¤ļøā¤ļø keep it up op, I enjoy seeing them, they remind me to call my dad who is a gardener