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#1
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zone 5, what to do with south side house?
The south side of our house is the exterior wall of our garage.
There are no windows, and the edge of the property line is too close to put a lean to greenhouse or anything like that on there. Last year I tried establishing a blueberry hedge up pretty close to the house there. I used peat, coffee grounds, a small amount of aluminum sulfate mixed in to the soil, plus a slow release acidifier. (soil is rather alkaline here) I tried watering every day, but there was simply no rain for a couple of months, and it was so hot and dry. Only 1 or 2 plants made it out of 6 or 7. I am going to take the healthiest plant and put it in a pot. This is actually the first time I've tried growing blueberries and had one live more than 6 months. However, I think that spot would be better used for something else. Can anyone suggest something that is heat and light loving, which could be productive in such a spot? It will essentially get direct sunlight all day long, and the spot can really concentrate heat from the sun in spring and fall. Thanks! |
#2
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zone 5, what to do with south side house?
Ohioguy wrote:
The south side of our house is the exterior wall of our garage. [...] Can anyone suggest something that is heat and light loving, which could be productive in such a spot? Grape vine. Root it near a water downspout off the roof, and train it across the wall. Una |
#3
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zone 5, what to do with south side house?
Okra.
It loves heat. Once they start producing you will probably have to harvest every day. 5 or 6 plants will likely produce more than you can eat. "Ohioguy" wrote in message ... The south side of our house is the exterior wall of our garage. There are no windows, and the edge of the property line is too close to put a lean to greenhouse or anything like that on there. Last year I tried establishing a blueberry hedge up pretty close to the house there. I used peat, coffee grounds, a small amount of aluminum sulfate mixed in to the soil, plus a slow release acidifier. (soil is rather alkaline here) I tried watering every day, but there was simply no rain for a couple of months, and it was so hot and dry. Only 1 or 2 plants made it out of 6 or 7. I am going to take the healthiest plant and put it in a pot. This is actually the first time I've tried growing blueberries and had one live more than 6 months. However, I think that spot would be better used for something else. Can anyone suggest something that is heat and light loving, which could be productive in such a spot? It will essentially get direct sunlight all day long, and the spot can really concentrate heat from the sun in spring and fall. Thanks! |
#4
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zone 5, what to do with south side house?
"Thos" wrote:
Okra. It loves heat. Once they start producing you will probably have to harvest every day. 5 or 6 plants will likely produce more than you can eat. Okra for zone 5 ? I remember going to Disney World in March. It was sixty five degrees, I am from Michigan, I wore long pants with a long sleeve shirt no coat. The person in front was from Florida he wore a light jacket. The person behind me wore shorts and a tank top and was sweating, he was from Alaska. Ones heat is another's chill. Perhaps a variety of herbal plants. Rosemary, thyme, mint (put a hollow bottom bucket in the ground for mint. Herbs can act like weeds if not watchful. Camomile? -- Enjoy Life... Nad R (Garden in zone 5a Michigan) |
#5
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zone 5, what to do with south side house?
On Thu, 20 Jan 2011 16:37:11 +0000 (UTC), Nad R
wrote: "Thos" wrote: Okra. It loves heat. Once they start producing you will probably have to harvest every day. 5 or 6 plants will likely produce more than you can eat. Okra for zone 5 ? I'm in a warm zone 5 [NY] & never had any luck with Okra. Maybe one or two pods per plant. Just enough to remind me what I was missing out on. OTOH- I wasn't planting along the hot side of a building. My house is mostly shaded on the south so I have Hostas & such on that side. -snip- Perhaps a variety of herbal plants. Rosemary, thyme, mint (put a hollow bottom bucket in the ground for mint. Herbs can act like weeds if not watchful. Camomile? If I were the OP I'd stick with fruits- maybe plant the herbs amongst them as they grow. Blueberries, cherries, . . . peaches . . . Almond trees are gorgeous in the spring and feed the squirrels in the fall. [mine did- I used to get a quart of nuts- the squirrels got a bushel] South side is a lot easier than the north side. Jim |
#6
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zone 5, what to do with south side house?
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#7
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zone 5, what to do with south side house?
Nad R wrote:
"Thos" wrote: Okra. It loves heat. Once they start producing you will probably have to harvest every day. 5 or 6 plants will likely produce more than you can eat. Okra for zone 5 ? Since the location is hot and dry there's some sense in putting annuals for a higher zone number there. Since the location is subject to snow that approach won't work all that well with perrenials. It becomes a little like a hot house in the summer yet like a freezer in the winter. I solved a similar issue in Chicago metro by planting bushes and bulb forming plants. Hostas (already mentioned in another post) and day lillies did fine. Not edible so not sure how that works for rec.gardens.edible. Hostas aren't actually bulb formers but close enough. Perhaps a variety of herbal plants. Rosemary, thyme, mint (put a hollow bottom bucket in the ground for mint. Herbs can act like weeds if not watchful. Camomile? I like to grow herbs in pots on the deck. They grow great. Most don't survive the winter. So far I've never gotten a rosemary to make it through the Chicago winter. I have transfered plenty of herbs from the pots on the deck to the southern edge of my back yard. The thyme and the tarragon are the only ones that survived across the winter so far. The thyme lasted two years before it got overwhelmed by the size of the tarragon. |
#8
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zone 5, what to do with south side house?
Doug Freyburger wrote:
Nad R wrote: "Thos" wrote: Okra. It loves heat. Once they start producing you will probably have to harvest every day. 5 or 6 plants will likely produce more than you can eat. Okra for zone 5 ? Since the location is hot and dry there's some sense in putting annuals for a higher zone number there. Since the location is subject to snow that approach won't work all that well with perrenials. It becomes a little like a hot house in the summer yet like a freezer in the winter. I solved a similar issue in Chicago metro by planting bushes and bulb forming plants. Hostas (already mentioned in another post) and day lillies did fine. Not edible so not sure how that works for rec.gardens.edible. Hostas aren't actually bulb formers but close enough. Perhaps a variety of herbal plants. Rosemary, thyme, mint (put a hollow bottom bucket in the ground for mint. Herbs can act like weeds if not watchful. Camomile? I like to grow herbs in pots on the deck. They grow great. Most don't survive the winter. So far I've never gotten a rosemary to make it through the Chicago winter. I have transfered plenty of herbs from the pots on the deck to the southern edge of my back yard. The thyme and the tarragon are the only ones that survived across the winter so far. The thyme lasted two years before it got overwhelmed by the size of the tarragon. It was a thought that the garage might offer some protection for the Rosemary. I too have been unsuccessful at growing Rosemary. Herbs can get away from you Would that be the "French" Tarragon via cutting? Or the Russian Tarragon via seed? -- Enjoy Life... Nad R (Garden in zone 5a Michigan) |
#9
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zone 5, what to do with south side house?
Nad R wrote:
Doug Freyburger wrote: I like to grow herbs in pots on the deck. They grow great. Most don't survive the winter. So far I've never gotten a rosemary to make it through the Chicago winter. I have transfered plenty of herbs from the pots on the deck to the southern edge of my back yard. The thyme and the tarragon are the only ones that survived across the winter so far. The thyme lasted two years before it got overwhelmed by the size of the tarragon. It was a thought that the garage might offer some protection for the Rosemary. I too have been unsuccessful at growing Rosemary. Herbs can get away from you I get a little rosemary plant each spring since we moved to (zone 5) Chicago metro. They get pretty big by the first snow. Then they croak. Each year I try to trim it back and keep it on the deck out of the snow but some storm tips it over and spills it out. Would that be the "French" Tarragon via cutting? Or the Russian Tarragon via seed? I'm not sure which type of tarragon it was that has done so well out in the back yard with the hostas. Home Depot bred tarragon. Draws bees like crazy late in the season when it's in flower. |
#10
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zone 5, what to do with south side house?
In article ,
Doug Freyburger wrote: Nad R wrote: Doug Freyburger wrote: I like to grow herbs in pots on the deck. They grow great. Most don't survive the winter. So far I've never gotten a rosemary to make it through the Chicago winter. I have transfered plenty of herbs from the pots on the deck to the southern edge of my back yard. The thyme and the tarragon are the only ones that survived across the winter so far. The thyme lasted two years before it got overwhelmed by the size of the tarragon. It was a thought that the garage might offer some protection for the Rosemary. I too have been unsuccessful at growing Rosemary. Herbs can get away from you I get a little rosemary plant each spring since we moved to (zone 5) Chicago metro. They get pretty big by the first snow. Then they croak. Each year I try to trim it back and keep it on the deck out of the snow but some storm tips it over and spills it out. Would that be the "French" Tarragon via cutting? Or the Russian Tarragon via seed? I'm not sure which type of tarragon it was that has done so well out in the back yard with the hostas. Home Depot bred tarragon. Draws bees like crazy late in the season when it's in flower. Here is a hardy rosemary good to zone 6. http://www.ehow.com/list_7367161_har...ry-plants.html I've lost quite a few here in zone 5 but wall of water can keep it alive if the moles/voles miss them. One is perking along right now. One of 4 planted 2 years ago. OP may want to look into. South side solar gain maybe trapped. Look into "passive solar designs". -- Bill S. Jersey USA zone 5 shade garden |
#11
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zone 5, what to do with south side house?
Nad R wrote:
Would that be the "French" Tarragon via cutting? Or the Russian Tarragon via seed? I find French tarragon too fiddly, it likes excellent drainage and in my hands it dies at the drop of a hat. I don't think my climate (hot often damp summer) and soil (heavy) are suitable. If your climate and soil are more mediterranean it may be easier to grow. Russian tarragon grows more easily but has little flavour. I find a good compromise is winter tarragon (Tagetes lucinda). The flavour is nearly as good as French and it is much easier to grow. I don't know why it is called "winter" tarragon as it dies down in winter but reliably re-shoots from the roots in spring. You can harvest it fresh from spring to autumn and dry a bunch picked before the first frost in autumn. David |
#13
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zone 5, what to do with south side house?
In article ,
"David Hare-Scott" wrote: Nad R wrote: Would that be the "French" Tarragon via cutting? Or the Russian Tarragon via seed? I find French tarragon too fiddly, it likes excellent drainage and in my hands it dies at the drop of a hat. I don't think my climate (hot often damp summer) and soil (heavy) are suitable. If your climate and soil are more mediterranean it may be easier to grow. Russian tarragon grows more easily but has little flavour. I find a good compromise is winter tarragon (Tagetes lucinda). The flavour is nearly as good as French and it is much easier to grow. I don't know why it is called "winter" tarragon as it dies down in winter but reliably re-shoots from the roots in spring. You can harvest it fresh from spring to autumn and dry a bunch picked before the first frost in autumn. David Thought you were a zone 9, which is about as Mediterranean as there is. -- - Billy “When you give food to the poor, they call you a saint. When you ask why the poor have no food, they call you a communist.” -Archbishop Helder Camara http://peace.mennolink.org/articles/...acegroups.html http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth...130964689.html 20111812130964689.html |
#14
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zone 5, what to do with south side house?
Billy wrote:
In article , "David Hare-Scott" wrote: Nad R wrote: Would that be the "French" Tarragon via cutting? Or the Russian Tarragon via seed? I find French tarragon too fiddly, it likes excellent drainage and in my hands it dies at the drop of a hat. I don't think my climate (hot often damp summer) and soil (heavy) are suitable. If your climate and soil are more mediterranean it may be easier to grow. Russian tarragon grows more easily but has little flavour. I find a good compromise is winter tarragon (Tagetes lucinda). The flavour is nearly as good as French and it is much easier to grow. I don't know why it is called "winter" tarragon as it dies down in winter but reliably re-shoots from the roots in spring. You can harvest it fresh from spring to autumn and dry a bunch picked before the first frost in autumn. David Thought you were a zone 9, which is about as Mediterranean as there is. Thanks, I will look into that winter tarragon, spring is still a dream -- Enjoy Life... Nad R (Garden in zone 5a Michigan) |
#15
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zone 5, what to do with south side house?
Billy wrote:
In article , "David Hare-Scott" wrote: Nad R wrote: Would that be the "French" Tarragon via cutting? Or the Russian Tarragon via seed? I find French tarragon too fiddly, it likes excellent drainage and in my hands it dies at the drop of a hat. I don't think my climate (hot often damp summer) and soil (heavy) are suitable. If your climate and soil are more mediterranean it may be easier to grow. Russian tarragon grows more easily but has little flavour. I find a good compromise is winter tarragon (Tagetes lucinda). The flavour is nearly as good as French and it is much easier to grow. I don't know why it is called "winter" tarragon as it dies down in winter but reliably re-shoots from the roots in spring. You can harvest it fresh from spring to autumn and dry a bunch picked before the first frost in autumn. David Thought you were a zone 9, which is about as Mediterranean as there is. Yes I am about 9b according to minimum winter temperature. I can have rain all year round (not mainly in winter) but it tends to fall in concentrated bursts which can lead to waterlogging also summer can be very humid (like now). Many herbs from round the Med like lighter better draining soils. To grow rosemary I have to put it in a pot or the roots rot in any wet spell. D |
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