May 24 weekend is the official safe date so this is one weekend early but coldest it's supposed to get is 38 tomorrow night and then not below 40. Worst case scenario is I throw a tarp over it if there's a frost warning.

Nice, where are you that you can grow cherries?

My basil grow-op is going nicely:

Toronto

Oooh I might get a cherry tree, I think they'd grow well here and I love cherries!

They make a big mess and attract all sorts of critters.

They also attract delicious cherries!

This.

I grew up nearish to Greg, but more country, and we never actually got to eat any cherries from the three trees.

We were lousy with delicious pears, tho


Open question: I was asked to be a sort of site director for a community garden in Northern MN, that is right on the divide between...no nice way to say this...
The right/wrong sides of the tracks.

It offers free plots to people with low income, and inexpensive plots to everyone else, but so far only 1 person has taken advantage of the free plots. We have ~two acres that is left as grass...which is a travesty, imho.

We're teaming up with a daycare facility on one side and the whole front row is going to be an open garden for food that anyone may take from. I am hoping that it will help a little right now, but also get people aware and involved for next year.

I need things that people like to eat, can easily recognize, are fun and safe for kids, prolific producers, and inexpensive for this test year.

All I can really come up with are cherry tomatoes and zucchini. Any suggestions?

If your looking to attract people from the low income side of town I would try to focus on whatever vegetables fit into the traditional dishes of people living in that area.

Anyone have much experience growing Meyer lemons? I live in the area on the maps that says I could grow one in the ground, but I have an apartment and am thinking about growing one in a big pot on my porch. All the stuff online seems to be beautiful pictures of trees covered in fruit, but that seems kind of unrealistic. Ideally I'd like to grow on porch for couple years and someday plant in a houses yard

Surf, Good way to think about it, thanks!

Peas and hot peppers might be useful.

How about a couple of rows of sweet corn and maybe some green beans? Maybe some pumpkins if you have extra space to fill? Watermelon?

some plants at home...

This may be own ineptitude, but despite several years of trying, I have never managed to grow a pumpkin.

Maybe too cold/short season here?

Kristy,

I think surf was spot on. I probably wouldn't grow hot peppers though if next to a daycare centre, even touching one of those could do the power of damage to a kids eye. I'd lean to beans, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, lettuce(type you can pick and keep growing), snow peas although not instantly recognisable are so sweet and flavoursome when picked it's hard to not put them in, another outlier that might be worth growing is nasturtiums(colourful flowers and totally edible leaves, flowers and all would brighten up the patch and kids love flowers). Oh maybe sunflowers too would be good. I was going to suggest strawberries but they can be expensive to buy, so maybe put a shout out and see if you can get someone to donate some runners. I often buy stuff and then am struggling to find room in my garden for everything and would love to donate them to a local cause rather than trying to cram them in.

Regarding the pumpkin I have the same problem and was told hand pollination is the key, but that could be a faff for this type of garden.

Greg,

Does your patch get enough sun? It looks as though it would be too shady but I'm probably wrong.

I am trying to grow plumeria here in the desert...

I got a spout on monday...




By saturday I had a leaf...

I love Frangipani and their beautiful fragrance. In regards to deserts the best oranges I have ever tasted were grown in the desert. Truly amazing flavour and juicy!

Rex,

Sunflowers are perfect! Huge return for kid's investment. Fantastic suggestion.

I should clarify that I was using the term "hot peppers" to mean not bell peppers, so...incorrectly.
I have some banana peppers started, going to use them. I promise not to be a menace to small children.



Modest brag compared to the super elites itt who get orchids to rebloom etc. But I've liked hibiscus trees for years, and have always been too cheap to buy one for myself. Yesterday I found a little one on sale for Mother's day ($19.00) and treated myself.

Kitchener isn't toronto.

I've never lived in Kitchener brah

Pretty excited to put in a lot of new native & perennials this year. Filling out more of the hugulkulture beds I built last year and adding in new ones.

Some of the new things going in this year:
Allegheney Serviceberry
lowbush blueberry
st johns wort, bushy not the woody
2 types of yarrow
russian comfrey
sorrel - so delicious!
anosmia blue star
asparagus
short tooth mountain mint

potatoes/kale varieties/strawberries/onions/eggplants/pea/tomatoes are all already doing super well.

Really been getting into natives more and more after attending and reading a lot of Doug Tallamy's work.

Just picked up a 330 gallon tote that will be excellent for rainwater catching, gonna add a ram pump to it for free no work water for life.

I live in Niagara, I wish I had planted this weekend, but plan to start May 24.

Last year I did 6 cherry tomato plants, 6 different peppers, some carrots, cucumbers, watermelon and midget melon, and a bunch of herbs etc.

Definitely doing the 6 cherry tomatoes again, they thrived last year and I was picking a bowl every couple of days. Going to do the peppers again as well and I liked having fresh peppers.

I'm going to stay away from vines (watermelon, melon, cucumber) they were more worth than the yield I got, also, I think I'll ditch the carrots and make room for some green beans or something.

I grew lettuce last year too, but with how hot it was it turned out pretty bitter.

Companion plant the lettuce w the carrots or the tomatoes/peppers and it'll be fine.

Try growing the cucumbers vertically, much better results if you can train them to climb.

That's something to think about. We had a pretty hot/dry summer last year, my cucumber Vine only yielded like 3 cucumbers.

I like to scatter my lettuce seed throughout my garden in spare spaces to make the most of space also as they then get shade and I have a better chance that at least some will do well. I agree regarding the cucumber, vertical is the way to go and it saves space plus I have found it makes them a little less susceptible to fungal problems.