611738 Mon Apr 13 14:15:05 -0700 2009 20 30 Site Talk 0 4592369 There's a new Gardening Board on Chowhound. You can check it out here: http://chowhound.chow.com/boards/62 It's not in the menu bar quite yet, but should be shortly. The welcome message for the new board is here: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/611737 but here's what it says: Welcome to the new Gardening Board on Chowhound This opens up a whole new subject area for Chowhound, one we hope you'll enjoy. With the focus on fresh, local food and the economies of gardening, there has been a lot of interest in discussing gardening here. We'd ask that you keep the focus on raising food, rather than on other gardening topics like landscaping, lawncare and flowers, which are beyond our scope. If you have specific questions on local sources ("Where can I buy heirloom tomato plants?", etc.) you can ask those questions on your local board, but please ask gardening questions, even ones with a local angle, ("What's the best time to plant tomatoes in zone 4?") here on the gardening board. Discussion of beekeeping, raising laying hens other food for personal use are also fine here on gardening. We don't aim to be the place to discuss large scale agriculture or even running the family commercial farm, but if you're raising food for you and your family, it's probably okay. There will be natural overlap between here and Home Cooking, but we ask that when the topic moves on to specific recipes and discussions about what to do with your produce that you start new threads over there so everyone, even non-gardeners, can benefit from the conversation. You can paste a link to the new thread into the discussion here to help everyone find their way over. If you've got questions or comments on the new board, please post them here. -- Jacquilynne, Community Manager for Chowhound Mon Apr 13 14:15:05 -0700 2009 10021 Jacquilynne 1 4592378 I'm looking forward to it. Much appreciated for the add. Mon Apr 13 14:19:58 -0700 2009 4592369 232829 kchurchill5 2 4594534 I'm glad there's a new board. One of my posts was pulled recently because it was too much about gardening. Since it's okay to talk about where one buys their produce I think it's time that we can also talk about growing our own produce and what we plan to do with it. Tue Apr 14 09:41:29 -0700 2009 4592378 13546 dfrostnh 3 4594963 I agree, I grew up with a garden and also grow tomatoes and other veggies even now with a small greenhouse at my apt. Tue Apr 14 11:35:44 -0700 2009 4594534 232829 kchurchill5 1 4595164 Glad to see you are adding this board. More and more people are gardening because the food tastes better, you know how it has been treated (or not), and it is much less expensive. Kudos to the Chow team :-) Tue Apr 14 12:24:55 -0700 2009 4592369 67100 DMW 2 4595753 Also, so many great varieties now that make it even easier for the apt grower or home or inexperienced grower. More and more people are growing many of their own vegetables, herbs, etc. Tue Apr 14 15:06:19 -0700 2009 4595164 232829 kchurchill5 1 4595785 What a civilized and wonderful addition to the boards! I just tripped over it today and am so pleased, as I'm finally able to do some sun gardening. Veggies here I come! Thanks Chowhound, for your responsiveness to the zeitgeist. Cay Tue Apr 14 15:14:51 -0700 2009 4592369 49525 cayjohan 2 4604118 Right there with you on your first sentence, Cay. I can't wait to have so many fresh herbs right outside my door again--and it will be fun to talk and share tips and link back to recipes. I know we have purchased certain herbs in the past and didn't use them to their full potential, so I'm really looking forward to "hanging out" on the new board and learning more. Really nice addition, Chowhound! :) Fri Apr 17 08:10:27 -0700 2009 4595785 249664 kattyeyes 3 4604409 Herbed jellies are great, herbed drinks (lemonade, sodas ... Mojitos, etc), fruit salads. One simple herb can make an entire dish. It will be fun. I love the herbed oils and vinegars too Fri Apr 17 09:44:03 -0700 2009 4604118 232829 kchurchill5 1 4604637 So delighted that this board was added. It is perfect for the foodie gardener who, in the extreme case, like me, has actually wondered aloud why anyone bothers to grow anything they can't eat! There are gardening chat forums, but they tend to be very flower oriented...this is MY kind of gardening. I am also impressed that you have provided enough definitional leeway to allow the "bee hive" thread to stand. Thanks again for this! Fri Apr 17 10:48:27 -0700 2009 4592369 24738 LJS 2 4605022 "...like me, has actually wondered aloud why anyone bothers to grow anything they can't eat!" Heh, preaching to the choir. I eventually relented and planted purely decorative stuff like clematis, creeping phlox and flowers, but I usually have a bunch of left over herb and pepper seedlings each year that I sneak into the flower bed when my wife isn't looking. Fri Apr 17 12:43:43 -0700 2009 4604637 227406 JohnE O 1 4614273 It'll be great to get the combined wisdom of chowhounders on this topic... Tue Apr 21 07:33:23 -0700 2009 4592369 109450 Smorgasbord 1 4622451 *standing ovation!!* Thanks so much for the new board!! :DD --Dommy! Thu Apr 23 12:31:37 -0700 2009 4592369 10659 Dommy 1 4628744 Another "Two Thumbs Up" for the new gardening board! Thank you. All of us who've quietly grown food for our tables now have this great forum to trade hints, share success and try to learn from mistakes. Sat Apr 25 18:26:38 -0700 2009 4592369 15743 Sherri 2 4629361 Ahem, make that two GREEN thumbs up. ;) Serious biz, the new board is very informative and lots of fun. Can't wait to go pick out my new lemon tree--a purchase decision inspired by reading the board! Sun Apr 26 06:22:06 -0700 2009 4628744 249664 kattyeyes 1 4634234 holy half-rotted chicken-shit/hay compost atop my blue heirloom potatoes!!! way to go on this new board, chowhound crew! :) :) :) Mon Apr 27 18:32:02 -0700 2009 4592369 46030 soupkitten 2 4634497 Err, thanks! (We think.) Mon Apr 27 20:07:03 -0700 2009 4634234 10021 Jacquilynne 2 4652294 Careful with half rotted chicken poop! it can still be 'hot' ! Pretth high nitrogen. My friend's Portuguese grandpa liked to make "Chicken Poop Soup" which is safer. Simply put a shovel of CP into a gunny sack, put it in a 5 gallon bucket of water. Let sit for about 8 hours, lift out the bag o' poop (put it in the compost pile) and use the CPS to drizzle lightly around or spray on the foliage of your plants. Stinky. Also called Manure Tea, but I like Grandpa Rocha's CPS name!! p.s.: to introduce myself, I'm toodie jane from the West Coast (Central Calif ), retired from 30 years in the retail nursery business. (I'm used to answering gardening questions) I now work part time in the seed business, servicing the Central Coast's independant nurseries, so if you have seed questions, fire away. Many unusual varieties which don't sell enough volume to be included on seed racks are available online, but you'd be surprised what you can find in stores nowdays. Mon May 04 08:07:43 -0700 2009 4634234 11234 toodie jane 3 4655219 :) thanks for the CPS recipe Toodie Jane! i love that we have this new gardening board for recipes like this, because it just wouldn't fly on the "home cooking" board--LOL Tue May 05 06:10:50 -0700 2009 4652294 46030 soupkitten 1 4663841 Jfood thanks the team. Already received great advice on the tomatoes Thu May 07 14:42:07 -0700 2009 4592369 11290 jfood 1 4669906 Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I asked for this board several years ago and had pretty much written off Chowhound until now. Anyone who is truly interested in food eventually finds themselves HAVING to raise food; there is no way around it. I am very grateful that you have "legitimized" the only real way to find exquisite flavor and connection to food. Sat May 09 20:02:28 -0700 2009 4592369 12823 Junie D