# Cats and plants - show me your gardens



## Ferguson K (Mar 31, 2016)

Anyone else gardening this year?  Frank,  Gator,  and Micki have decided to be super helpful. Between Gator on my shoulders, Frank digging out all the plans I just put in, and Micki attacking all of my tools, gardening this year has been a fun experience.

Just this morning I was moving the habanero peppers out of their grow pots into the ground, and Gator decided it was time to hitchhike a ride from the greenhouse to the garden.

Managed to get them planted even with my "helpers". Habanero in with the ginger, everything else in the beds. Made sure they were far enough apart to not cross pollinate.


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## samssimonsays (Mar 31, 2016)

My cat is inside but my bean plants I started as well as my Peas mysteriously started to decrease in size... Oddly enough I found cat puke with plant matter in it. He is an indoor only cat due to being a chicken sh**. GEEE I wonder where it came from?!


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## Ferguson K (Mar 31, 2016)

Gator rides on shoulders like a bird.  She's only 3lbs of cat so it's not so bad until you start bending over and those claws come out.

My garden has quickly outgrown itself, we're having to expand it this weekend.


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## samssimonsays (Mar 31, 2016)

ALREADY!!! and here I sit... snow and frost still in the ground.... Sigh. There is such a thick layer of fog today that I can't see 4 buildings away. I may have 3 beans I can pick before I can even transfer them outside.... oops.


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## Mike CHS (Mar 31, 2016)

Nice start already.  I have some Red Bell Pepper seed that got a bit cross polinated with some of my hot peppers somewhere along the line.  They produce huge thick walled peppers with just a little burn.

We only have one bed built so far that we needed to transplant some of our Asparagus crowns.


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## Ferguson K (Mar 31, 2016)

I have two gardens going this year, and a third of you count herbs. That doesn't count my flowerbeds. My tomatoes are already trying to produce.

Trying eggplant this year. Don't know if I even like it.



 

My tomatoes a week ago. They're in cages now. I'll post pictures tomorrow if I can get out and take some. Work work the next three days.


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## Pamela (Mar 31, 2016)

Wow! We don't plant until the middle to end of may!  I haven't even begun to go there yet.


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## babsbag (Mar 31, 2016)

I could plant now but I have to fix the fence to keep the chickens and guineas out so it will probably be a few more weeks. On a "normal" year we could have a freak frost as late as mid April but this year with El Nino I have only seen frost twice all year. Watch me plant and there will be a third time.

This year only tomatoes, green beans, a few cukes for salads, Gypsy peppers, the token Zuchinni, and probably some winter squash. I usually try watermelon and cantaloupe and they never grow so I surrender. I found a little produce stand that has amazing ones so why bother to try anymore. I *might* grow corn for the goats more than for me, same with pumpkins.

If I get really ambitious and bored I will build two more horse trough planters and do carrots and beets and then in the fall I will do onions. I turned my last two planters into strawberry beds.


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## Pamela (Apr 1, 2016)

We got 12 inches of snow 2 days ago, and 60° weather today. We usually have hard frost potential until June.


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## babsbag (Apr 1, 2016)

Pamela said:


> We got 12 inches of snow 2 days ago, and 60° weather today. We usually have hard frost potential until June.



I don't know where you live but I would be moving soon.  

75° here today.   My kind of weather.


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## Ferguson K (Apr 1, 2016)

It was in the 80s yesterday and will bbbbw again today.


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## Pamela (Apr 1, 2016)

We are in south central Idaho. Been here for most of my life. Love it, but we do get very bipolar weather.


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## samssimonsays (Apr 1, 2016)

I am with you @Pamela Minnesota weather is insane too. It is snowing today... was 60 degrees on Tuesday. 

I am trying Eggplant this year too, just to try it out. I Have beans growing on my kitchen table with peas still as that is all the cat hasn't killed. A few of my egg plants and pepper plants have survived yet. I attempted Strawberries, blackberries and blue berries waaay back in January but they never came up through the dirt so I tried a different method and I had forgotten about them... THey are in plastic baggies in damp paper towels on top of the fridge. We have never used the garden that we have on the property, it has been vacant for about 5 years now (2 years before we moved in even) so it will be interesting to see how it does. Not expecting a good year but I have a bit of soil, a lot of rabbit poop that has been composting for up to 3 years and ash to till into it. 

I plan to plant lots of corn, zucchini, winter squash, cucumbers, carrots, the egg plant, okra, swiss chard, lettuce, kale, Beans, peas, tomatoes, peppers, pumpkins, watermelon, cantaloupe and basically anything I can get my hands on. 

Oh, and brussel sprouts even though I have no idea if I like those either.    

First year with a garden AND goats so we will be fencing that off as well as adding to the goat pen and possibly adding in chickens... All depends on how far we get. Garden and goat pen come first before a coop for chickens.


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## Ferguson K (Apr 1, 2016)

My goats are determined to harvest my crops before me. 

I let them clean up the plants and the pigs clean up the dirt.  Works wonders.


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## Baymule (Apr 1, 2016)

Fried eggplant is good! I peel, slice, dip in cold water, dredge in cornmeal and fry in hot oil. Or you can make a batter with egg, milk and flour, dip sliced eggplant in it and fry. Take fried slices and lay in a pan, spoon spaghetti sauce over them, top with cheese and bake in oven.


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## samssimonsays (Apr 1, 2016)

baymule that sounds yummy!


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## greybeard (Apr 1, 2016)

Yep. four 50' long rows of corn, 2 rows purple hull and two 50' rows cowder peas and and two 50' long squash are up now. 24 Tomatoes have been in the ground about a week and potatoes are just peeking up out of the dirt. Cool nights and brisk N winds aren't helping tho--keeps the ground temp just borderline for growing.


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## frustratedearthmother (Apr 1, 2016)

We love eggplant around here too.  Don't tell my kids but for years I sliced peeled eggplant into French fry size pieces, dipped in eggwash and then rolled in bread crumbs (we use Panko bread crumbs now) and oven baked.  We called 'em 'dipped fries' and to this day my kids still say they don't like eggplant but the love, love, love those dip fries!


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## Pamela (Apr 1, 2016)

Our garden fence is up, which means my 4 piglets get the run of it for the next 6 weeks. I can't wait to see how well they turn it up!


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## Ferguson K (Apr 2, 2016)

My potatoes are just now starting. I've got two or three popping up out of the ten we already put in the ground. I've got 30ish more to plant but this weather is insane. 

Everything else is trying to go. I'm not sure my footage yet. We're putting in a second garden.  At the moment it's about 400 square feet. Give or take.  Not very big. 

Putting in another 16x32 in the next few days. Going to plant more leafy veggies. I've mostly got peppers, corn,  carrots,  beans,  and pea. .. potatoes, tomatoes, onions. .. My herbs,  which are two years old now,  all the fruit trees, and the fruit garden. 

I'm going to fill my pantry back up after we flooded out last year. @greybeard y'all had to havw been nearly underwater last year at this time.  The rivers were higher then than they are now.


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## Ferguson K (Apr 2, 2016)

Overnight life exploded in the beds of my gardens.  Gator rode piggy back as we checked the rows. Managed to get a few pictures in the early morning sun,  my phone didn't like the dim light. 




 

Helping John check the patch job on the pig gate. 



 



 



 



 



 



 

I've got some thinning to do it seems.



 



 

My onions are really taking off.


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## Baymule (Apr 3, 2016)

Your garden is looking good! You will have lots of good things to eat!


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## Ferguson K (Apr 3, 2016)

I just put in my fourth garden. 

About to put in a melon garden. Watermelon, cantaloupe, sweet melon, and I'll like the edges with some extra berry bushes I have. 

I reiterate that I'll be canning until my fingers bleed in a few months.



 

After



 

Before. Stinging grass galore!

Planted garlic and chives in the middle... more corn, peas, and beans... sunflower...  uh...  I think cherry tomato in the far right... I forget. I've got my map zip tied in plastic baggies on the garden.

We lined the edges with marigold and sweet onion.

I've got more peppers and lettuce and make that still need homes, not including the berries.


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## Ferguson K (Apr 3, 2016)

Also, that tree on the ground is HUGE. It shook the house when it came down. Was a 100ft talk tree. It's 4 ft tall laying down.


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## Baymule (Apr 4, 2016)

Ferguson K said:


> Also, that tree on the ground is HUGE. It shook the house when it came down. Was a 100ft talk tree. It's 4 ft tall laying down.



Cover that dead tree with soil and manure, make a mound. Plant some melons on it and keep it watered. the dead wood will absorb the water and keep the roots moist. I have a hugel culture bed I built last fall, I'm planting either melons or pumpkins on it. Over time, the tree will break down and return it's nutrients to the earth, making a rich bed.


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## Sheepshape (Jun 22, 2016)

Here in Wales we do cool,wet and windy.  Grass green, trees blow over.

Here's one of my cats, Diva (What is it with cats and baskets?

 

And here's one of my back garden



 

And vegetable plots



 

Potatoes, strawberries, gooseberries, blackcurrants, onions, leeks, peas, pumpkins, courgettes, herbs etc



 



 

Sorry, the last two are more or less the same. Sleepy sheep in the background.


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## Baymule (Jun 22, 2016)

@Sheepshape you have a nice garden. Love the sheep in the background. You also have a beautiful view, the green hills are so pretty. Cats like snuggly places, I miss having a cat. Our son-in-law is deathly allergic to cats, so we don't have a cat. Your cat is pretty, give her a cuddle for me.


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## Ferguson K (Jun 22, 2016)

I agree with everything Bay said. Your view and your Gardens are gorgeous.


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## Raiquee (Jun 27, 2016)

Now this is my sort of thread! I don't have cats tho. I usually have to do a pano to get everything in, and this wont let me upload a pano. Soooo, this is most of the garden. Carrots, celery, onions and summer squash is all cut out.


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## GLENMAR (Jul 1, 2016)

We have a few garden areas on the farm. Way too many barn cats too. Here's a few photos.





 




 






 






 









 

And a few peacocks in the garden.


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## Ferguson K (Jul 2, 2016)

LOVE LOVE LOVE your gardens.

We are slowly starting to look like someone lives here again. LOL! I need to get more pictures.


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