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Melissa
  • 33, Female
  • Mystic Island, New Jersey
  • United States
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My grandmother has a pear tree that has 4 kinds of pears grafted on it.... but... only one part makes fruit because they need a male tree. I suppose it would make sense if you were low on space. We did an orchard of dwarf trees, they also take up le…
on Thursday
Ways to garden with small children, fun ways to get kids interested in gardening and how to teach them to love and care for our Earth.
January 5
Renee Mellor joined Melissa's group
Ways to garden with small children, fun ways to get kids interested in gardening and how to teach them to love and care for our Earth.
December 31, 2009
John joined Melissa's group
Ways to garden with small children, fun ways to get kids interested in gardening and how to teach them to love and care for our Earth.
December 10, 2009
Sally Parrot joined Melissa's group
Ways to garden with small children, fun ways to get kids interested in gardening and how to teach them to love and care for our Earth.
November 25, 2009
Joanne Roach joined Melissa's group
Ways to garden with small children, fun ways to get kids interested in gardening and how to teach them to love and care for our Earth.
November 13, 2009
A mud garden!!! What a fantastic idea! We put a pool in this past summer & the kids enjoyed digging in the dirt all over our yard . However, the dirt mounds will soon be replaced by lawn & gardens. What a great way to keep a place where it is OK to…
November 10, 2009
Hi, I have just joined this group and thought I'd share a little... I have two kids, Jasper who is five and a half, and Sequoia who is almost three years old. This year we have just moved the vegie patch closer to the house and the kids were totally…
November 10, 2009

Profile Information

Where do you live and garden?
New Jersey coast
How long have you been growing food?
4-10 years

Melissa's Photos

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Comment Wall (19 comments)

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At 8:09pm on August 9, 2009, Melanie Robertson said…
Hi Melissa, I'm new to the whole gardening thing. I read where you ( i think it was you, I'm new to this site also and still figuring it out) Planted potatoes in bags... or under newspaper. Could you tell me how exactly to do this? I'm lost!! lol - also is it possible to grow potatoes in the winter? I'm in Tennessee...
At 11:42am on June 26, 2009, Kitty said…
Wow, you do have a lot growing! I bought most of my seeds (Bountiful Gardens, Baker Creek, Horizon Herbs) very early this year. Though I was successful with most of my starts, that late cold snap we had mocked my amatuerish grand plans. Oddly, the heat loving cucumbers survived, stunted, and now seem to be doing well. Most of my strawberries I only put in-ground this year and I've been pinching runners & buds this first year, to get the roots happy. The exception are the 2 Alpines I planted 2 years ago. Though the berries are tiny I manage to pick a handful everyday. My lettuces are doing good too, but there was an early problem with aphids that resolved itself (ladybugs & predator wasps). The snow & snap peas are really kickin butt! I bought an old heirloom variety called "blue podded) but didnt have time this spring to get 'em in-ground. I have raspberries as you do too, Heritage, but they've only been in the ground 3 months after spending a year containerized, and I don't think they know it's ok to put flowers out. Maybe by the fall season. I did surround them with Walla Walla onions that are going really good. The squashes (San Pasquale Zucchini, White Fortna Pumpkin, Cinderella Pumpkin) are very happy, watermelon not so much. Let me know how you "wing" your monster watermelons & pumpkins. I put most of my trailing squashes in the front beds so they would meander down the lawn and all the kids walking by could see them. Tomatoes (6 heirloom types) are doing as expected, though one succumbed to a mysterious bug. Most of the pepper seedlings were pilfered by the Starlings & Grackles. Only 5 left that still need to get grounded. I'll post some current pics soon. Keep yours coming as well, please.
At 11:05am on June 26, 2009, Kitty said…
Thank you for the nice compliments. No, never entered any competitions. Technically (by technically I mean what I put on my tax form and what my paychecks are compensating for, you know... JerseySpeak) I am a chef. Official titles like Chef Manager, Food & Beverage Director, Executive Chef, Consulting Chef... nothing even close to Photographer. Although I have always wanted to take pics of people's companion animals, having done mine as well as friends for years. I just don't know who'd be willing to pay for that from someone who's not a ProPhotoTaker, yanno? Well, I do love to shoot food, hmmmm, you might be onto something. I'm gonna have to check into this.
At 9:41am on June 25, 2009, Michelle W. Flannery said…
Wow!! Melissa, your garden is really flourishing! Everything looks wonderful! It's amazing to see the changes through the photographs, and how great you must feel! From anticipation to excitement, to worry, to pride! At least that's how I know I've felt this season. Congratulations on all the good work!
At 9:23pm on June 24, 2009, Kitty said…
Hi Melissa! We're practically neighbors! I'm just a bit up from you in Beachwood, that lovely little burg nestled between South Toms River & Pine Beach. I'd love to see more photos of your garden, given that we share the same zone. What are you growing right now?
At 1:15pm on June 4, 2009, Diana said…
I see this is a more common problem than I thought! My DH is only allowed to mow in the back weedy area, and only with the old push mower. 20 years, and he's finally learning to ask first. Victims have included a five foot high maple tree, with stakes and wires; a row of inkberry holly, and others.
At 10:01am on May 21, 2009, Michelle W. Flannery said…
Hi Melissa. I was reading about your husband mowing down your blueberry bush. Years ago, when my sister was landscaping her property, she would plant things and her husband would mow right over them. She got the idea to surround the plants with bricks and showed her husband, telling him to mow around the bricks. Later, when he mowed, he just moved the bricks and mowed. It wasn't a deliberate act of meanness. He just ... I wouldn't say men don't think, but they sometimes seem to not be thinking about what they should be thinking about. lol
At 2:06pm on May 19, 2009, Ian said…
I have banned Elite Hrealth from the network...Ian
At 4:33pm on May 18, 2009, Angie Knost said…
Melissa,
Just wanted to invite you to join the new group I just started:: "Preserving the Harvest".
Also, invite others you know who may be interested.
Angie
At 6:37pm on May 11, 2009, Scott " Spuddy" Bebry said…
iBTY my product is finished and the web site will be update dnext week. if you have any questons you can call 516 628 3212. # 1. ill answer any questions that you may have and that i can answer. ill send you one NC to try and get the word out. whats your address, i started this project 1/1/2 years ago and im 3 years ahead of the schedule. i was in Edison 3 weeks ago for the Abilities Expo and had a GREAT WELCOME for my new product, if you want to try it send me your address and ill send it no charge. no postage now thats a $ 77.00 savings. ill be harvesting some potoates next they have been in flower for 1 1/2 weks now. i want 2 weeks them i dig.

t also make the HERB-EEZE tower, a Gro-Eeze Brand made Spud-Eeze Gro you gro on the sides and the top
 
 

KGI's Book of the Month

Latest Activity

Hi Maya Maybe you could contact Jude and Michel Fanton they started a Seedsavers group and seed bank many years ago. They have a great book on Seed saving they have written and they tour many countries helping people set up seeds banks and gardens.…
7 minutes ago
23 minutes ago
The turmeric flower is beautiful, I hope ours flowers.
25 minutes ago
1 hour ago
Hi Everett I found this article on Mycorrhizal Fungii which i think is quite interesting. I am sure the production of this stuff is one of the benefits of the "hugelkultur pile" that you describe. I know on the TV gardening programmes they advocate…
3 hours ago
No its still giving me an error message !!!
4 hours ago
Martha Hill added a discussion
I tried to add a reply to two posts and got an "error on page" note !! But then it asked me to sign in again !! Would that be the reason my posts did not work ?? Sign in was negated ?? Or is it common to have to do this occassionally ??
4 hours ago
kimmy miller, Ludovic, Julie and 2 more joined Kitchen Gardeners
8 hours ago
trowel, fork, seeds with planting directions tailored to the area. harvesting and preserving information. drip irrigation system?
8 hours ago
8 hours ago
Wow Sandra! You've asked for an awful lot of information! Start by checking for your "predicted" last frost date. There are frost charts online, but the quickest way for you, I think, is to call your county extension agent. He'll be listed in the ph…
9 hours ago
11 hours ago
thanks, Katherine, I will try to seek it out... It would be interesting to see where their info came from... stay warm wherever you are...
11 hours ago
Hmmm... we are having lots of sacred snow these days in Baltimore... can't wait for some of it to melt down... can't wait for spring to get my fingers back in the soil...
11 hours ago
13 hours ago
18 hours ago
Mary Riekert joined Gillian's group
Those interested in growing gemsquash - a very typical South African vegetable that we miss!
18 hours ago
Had no luck with gem squash last year - it was just too hot! So I didn't try this year. Maybe next summer.
18 hours ago
18 hours ago
Oh gosh, that is rare to get humidity that far south! That is where all our moisture went - we havnt had any rain for over a week :) I started that gemsquash group as I discovered a new member (Margaret Flett) who had gemsquash as her favourite vege…
18 hours ago

Notes

HOW TO - ADD A LINK

Several people have experienced difficulty putting working links into comments and blogs etc and I know it is clumsy.... so here is how you do it.....

First type the text you want to appear....  ie  IAN'S PAGE

Then go back and highlight the link text.

Then hit the hyperlink button...a pictogram of a chain link.

Your browser may intervene and request permission to allow temporary scripting or some similar message.   Allow it and go back and highlight the text again

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Created by Ian Jun 7, 2009 at 7:28pm. Last updated by Ian Jun. 8, 2009.

Forum Policy

Hi, I'm starting to put together a few guidlines on using the discussion forum on here.

I would be happy to hear any comments you may have.  This is very much a work in progress so plese feel free to ask me to add anything you think is needed.

I don't want to make our community hide bound by rules and regulations but I think that, as the community has grown, some explanation of what is expected is needed.

Administration

You can refer any que

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Created by Ian May 23, 2009 at 1:55am. Last updated by Ian May. 25, 2009.

Climate maps

Hi following recent discussion I have put climate maps of the USA, Australia and Europe on here for reference..

 Climate map of the USA

Climate map of Australia

Climate map of Europe

 

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Created by Ian Sep 12, 2008 at 6:20pm. Last updated by Ian Apr. 14, 2009.

Recipes, Recipes, Recipes

Hi Everyone,  I've started to collect together recipes from various posts on the site and put them all together here.

If you have a recipe you want to add on here, just post it on the site and leave a comment on my page telling me where it is and I'll go and fetch it back here.

They are organised in Contributor Order but I'm open to better suggestions!

BEVA'S RECIPES

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Created by Ian Jun 2, 2008 at 9:54am. Last updated by Ian Apr. 13, 2009.

US STATES ABBREVIATIONS

 

US STATE ABBREVIATIONS

AK - Alaska               AL - Alabama              AR - Arkansas
AZ - Arizona              CA - California           CO - Colorado
CT - Connecticut          DC - Dist of Columbia *   DE - Delaware
FL - Florida              GA - Georgia              GU

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Created by Ian Jan 27, 2009 at 4:27pm. Last updated by Ian Jan. 27, 2009.

HOW TO - MAKE COMPOST

Recently there was an excellent discussion about composting. I’ve pulled together all the various comments here. You can also watch KGI's video on composting here.

 

 

KATE’S ADVICE

I used to have a tumbler that we made from a wine-barrel but

1 you have to fill it up all at once

2. it seemed mostly

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Created by Ian May 30, 2008 at 5:29am. Last updated by Roger Jan. 15, 2009.

Notes Home

Welcome to Notes.

To view notes that are in the system hit the "all notes" button above.

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Created by Ian May 28, 2008 at 12:10pm. Last updated by Ian May. 30, 2008.

A Note about Notes

I have just written this note so that I can see what we can achieve by using this new feature.

If you read this and have any suggestions then please leave a comment on my page or email me.

Ian

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Created by Ian May 28, 2008 at 6:19pm. Last updated by Ian May. 28, 2008.

 

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