Gardening to Excess Anyone?

[rhodielady_47]

I suppose I should be embarrassed to say this but I planted SIX packets of chive seeds this week. I really do love using chives in my cooking and planting to excess seems to be the only way I know to make sure that I grow enough of them.
Does anyone else plant excessive amounts of certain plants?

Comments

[ladycelia]

I go nuts with eggplant and peppers.

[rhodielady_47]

Peppers are something I want to go hogwild on this year too.
:)

[eclips1st]

That's what I was going to say! I planted 6 in boxes 3 years ago and always have too much!

[rhodielady_47]

"I find my chives self-seed and spread like wildfire."
Now that's a happy thought!
(((Crosses fingers!)))
I caught up with some wild garlic last summer which I hope will grow for me.
:)

[dickgloucester]

We had courgettes coming out of our ears last year...

[eqfe]

Well let's face it, with them, either it's more than the entire neighborhood can eat, or none.

[virginiadear]

Took the words right off my fingertips! (You've heard---or read---that joke about people sneaking around in the dead of night leaving shopping bagfuls of courgettes or more mature zucchini on doorsteps and in unlocked cars...?)

[eqfe]

Virginia, I think that I was paraphrasing Ruth Stout.

[mcsassypants]

Last year, i was standing on our patio surrounded by 20 tomato plants and my husband turns to me and says "Sweetie, I'm really not all that fond of tomatoes..."

[virginiadear]

How many different varieties? And what do you do with your tomatoes beside eating them fresh? And do your neighbors still love you? (Maybe, if you're handing off fresh tomatoes instead of zucchini.)

[mcsassypants]

Well, let's see...
There was an amish paste, a pineapple, a couple of zebra, a cherry tomato, a berkey tie dye, and....oh man, that's all I remember. I know there were a few black varieties in there and some unknown varieties. OH! And probably about 5 black krims. My stepdad grew tomatoes specifically to give to me, and I grew about 5 of my own, and then my coworker ended up with about 20 extra that she needed to give away and I couldn't let them go homeless could I?

I made a ton of crockpot tomato sauce, oven roasted some and have been putting them on pasta all winter. And made up a bunch of ratatouile for the freezer. And my neighbors are still talking to me. Hooray!

[virginiadear]

Enough varieties, certainly!
Actually, this entry of Rhodie's and all the comments motivated me to get an accurate "head count" of packets of tomato seeds in my cache, and I came up with 17 (seventeen.) Considering I grow tomatoes only for others, either directly or indirectly, that's...excessive or worse, probably unnecessary. Almost inexplicably, I'm looking for my favorite varieties!

"and then my coworker ended up with about 20 extra that she needed to give away and I couldn't let them go homeless could I?"

No, indeed! Orphan plants can not be allowed to go homeless!

Now, if all those tomatoes you grew on and donated had been zucchini, your neighbors would be hiding from you instead of still talking to you.

[loveshercoffee]

I do canning, freezing and dehydrating. So long as I get one year's crop used up by the time the next harvest begins, I figure I haven't planted enough! Apparently I need more garden space.

[rhodielady_47]

I knew of people who trained their cucumber and pumpkin vines to climb up trellises.
Some people also use their front yards as veggie gardens. Most lettuce and kale varieties are extremely beautiful plants. Carrots look a lot like ferns to me.
Have you ever tried the German style of gardening called "Hugelbeet"?
It might provide you with a way of growing a lot more veggies.
:)

[loveshercoffee]

I have heard of "Hugelculture" which seems to be the same thing as "Hugelbeet". I haven't tried it myself, but it looks like a really clever idea.

I do trellis my vining plants but using my front yard is out of the question for gardening as it's completely shaded by oaks and is the only space where our dogs can run around. As we have chicken in our back yard as well, it's quite a struggle to find enough room for gardening without running the risk of the poultry tearing everything up.

[dickgloucester]

I'm going to try trellising some squash plants this year.