Great site for gardeners!

[dgibby]

This is a great site for organic gardening. I ordered their "Companion Planting Garden Wheel", as I wanted to try to grow a variety of fruits, veggies, herbs, edible flowers, as well as ornamentals. I'm trying to get the most bang for the buck in a small yard, and do not use any chemicals.

This wheel is amazing. It's laminated, has a movable wheel front and back and lists plants which can/cannot be planted together. It's a great reference (especially for beginners) and can be carried out to the garden for ready reference. There are 3 other wheels available, which I am going to order as soon as I get my tax rebate.

Here's the link, with pictures of the wheels. Happy gardening!

http://calendulapublishing.net/


Almost forgot: I have 6 blueberry bushes, 2 thornless blackberries, 3 thornless raspberries, 2 pink seedless grapes,, 4 kiwi vines, and a large strawberry container garden.

I planted the blackberries and raspberries in 1/2 whiskey barrels placed against a 6 ft. privacy fence to keep them from taking over the yard. The kiwis are also trained against the fence. I'll be planting Dahlias along the fences,too.

Will be planting tomatoes, potatoes, salad garden, herbs, melons, squash, and pumpkins this week (all raised square foot beds). I'm still waiting for the dwarf cherries to arrive so I can get them in the ground before it gets too hot here (I'm in the SC lowcountry). As for ornamentals, I'm planting flowers, trees, and shrubs that will attract bees, butterflies, and song birds. Hopefully, by the time I'm done, I'll have both yards covered in edibles and ornamentals, with a cover crop of clover. I am sooo done with grass! Wish me luck and keep your fingers crossed! I'm either going to have the best small space garden in SC or the biggest mess you ever saw!

[bvar22]

1. Sounds delicious.

Bookmarked the site you linked.
I would like ALL the "wheels" they are offering, especially the Companion Guide, but find them a little pricey.
My wife (Starkraven) has one of those in her head anyway.

We have many of the same beliefs....no chemicals, raised beds, companion planting, and lots of Berries.
Since we can't grow Citrus here, we are looking to Berries for vitamins and other health resources. They are easy to preserve for eating over the Winter months, and are great natural sweeteners for almost anything.

I'm a lover of Strawberries, but have found them to be High-Maintainence, and (so far) Low Production....mostly my fault, but I'm learning. Its easy to let the plants get too crowded.
Last year's Strawberries were disappointing due to heavy April rains with a late frost, so we went bigger this year with 3 different varieties. So far, looks like a bumper crop. Lots of early fruit, and still many blossoms.

We are also big Blueberry fans...one of the healthiest Berries, last a long time on the fridge shelf, and freeze well. Our plants are still young (3 years), but are proving to be Low Maintainence/High Production....very few pests or special needs, our soil is naturally good for them....just give them some water and let them grow. We're going to try Sun Drying some Blueberries this year.

Good Luck with your garden.
"best small space garden" and "biggest mess you ever saw" may not be mutually exclusive.
One of our most productive and most interesting gardens was totally Out of Control.
:hi:

[dgibby]

2. The pictures you've posted of your garden have inspired me to keep trying.

I have a bad back, as well as 4 dogs and more cats than I'm willing to admit to, so am doing all raised bed/container gardening, except the blueberries and flowers. Everything else is off the ground and fenced off!

I'm using the wheels mostly because I'm not well versed in companion planting and, unlike Starkraven, don't have a wheel (or much else, for that matter!) in my head. I'm lucky if I can remember what I had for breakfast! I figure they'll save me money in the long run by preventing what could be costly mistakes.

As for citrus, I haven't tried any of that yet, but have friends who have dwarf citrus trees. They move them out for summer, but overwinter them in the house. My neighbor keeps his lemon and orange trees out all year, but drapes them in mini Christmas lights and covers them in the winter. So far, so good. Yum!

Have you tried honeyberries? Similar to blueberries, but even healthier. I'm seriously considering planting some, if I don't run out of space first!

I started some watermelons and cantaloupes from seed (varieties you can't find in the stores), and they're almost ready to transplant. Found some heirloom tomato plants, brandywine and a Russian variety, so will be planting them as soon as it stops raining here. I'm hoping rain is all we'll be getting, but Charleston is on the fringe of the storms that are producing tornados. Hope you're not going to get them, but the weather maps don't look great for your neck of the woods. Good luck!:hi:

PS: Speaking of natural sweeteners, I'm trying to grow stevia for the first time. Keep your fingers crossed!