SparkPoints: (4,167)
Fitness Minutes: (4,095)
Posts: 210
4/29/09 8:26 P

2 days a week! What heaven! I work 40hrs but will probably be going to Public Health next year which is 37.5/wk. Actually looking forward to a bit more time off.

SparkPoints: (88,523)
Fitness Minutes: (58,406)
Posts: 27,435
4/28/09 9:46 P

Hi EL10X42 - I work as an LPN in Pain Management at our local hospital. I just went down part time - 2 days a week and am enjoying a little bit of freedom.

Sunny

May Minutes: 120

0 41.25 82.5 123.75

165

SparkPoints: (4,167)
Fitness Minutes: (4,095)
Posts: 210
4/28/09 9:09 P

I'm not your typical gardener! If it's not a weed, I let it grow so it's very much a hodge podge. Sort of like my mind I guess! lol

Posts: 58
4/28/09 9:58 A

I love seeing what pops up every year too! It's really amazing when a tomato pops up almost on the other side of the house. My spinach, lettuce and swiss chard are coming up too. I'm kind of a crazy gardener because I like to sow flower seeds in my perennial beds but can never remember what I put there. I can't weed until I'm sure it is not something I put there. However, I enjoy the surprise when something I didn't have starts blooming. Last year I planted some perennial seeds and one of the plant did really well, but never flowered. Hopefully it will this year and I'll be able to tell what it is!

current weight: 224.0

225 208.75 192.5 176.25

160

SparkPoints: (4,167)
Fitness Minutes: (4,095)
Posts: 210
4/27/09 9:44 P

Sunny, I'm a nurse too. Work for the county in long term care in the community.
Momingarden, are you sure the onions are not missed onions that are coming back? That happens to me all the time. The onion won't be any good but will go to seed this year and if it isn't a hybid, then you are in business to collect seeds! If it's a hybrid variety that you planted last year, it won't come back true. I always love seeing what all pops up in the garden from the year before. I have had some real surprises. One year, I had all these squash (I thought) come up so I left them be and they turned out to be cantaloupe which was just fine. Never had so many. Last year it was dill and tomatillas that took over. Lots of lettuce is coming up this year. Never a dull minute in the garden!

Posts: 4,753
4/27/09 1:05 P

hi mom, i just love your bg garden pictures they are very lovely even the froggie. you must have interesting birds come around.i,m so glad i dropped in.

Posts: 5,797
4/26/09 10:04 P

Welcome to our garden team!
Did someone say 'almost reached your goals!?!" WHY TO GO!!!!!

My containers of lettuce and spinch are doing great. Have you ever had onions come up from last year? I was out tilling the veggie garden today and found a bunch of onions that have re-seeded themselves. HOW EXCITING!!!

Do you grow flowers in your garden?
Stop by my page sometime - I would love to show you my garden here on sparks ( in my photos) or click on my signature below.

WELCOME!!!!

Pounds lost: 25.0

0 13.75 27.5 41.25

55

SparkPoints: (88,523)
Fitness Minutes: (58,406)
Posts: 27,435
4/26/09 9:23 P

No - I do not work in a Garden Center although I would love it. I am a nurse.

The information came from the WWW! I just love being able to look something up. I used to read Encyclopedias and now I have the WWW at my fingertips.

Have a great week. Sunny

May Minutes: 120

0 41.25 82.5 123.75

165

SparkPoints: (4,167)
Fitness Minutes: (4,095)
Posts: 210
4/26/09 8:18 P

Wow Sunny, you are a wealth of imformation! You must work in a garden center and if you don't you should! Great tips!

Posts: 4,753
4/26/09 4:57 P

hi sunny thanks for posting that it will help alot.specially the size of pots.

SparkPoints: (88,523)
Fitness Minutes: (58,406)
Posts: 27,435
4/26/09 3:49 P

Katie - I found an article on the web about growing spinach in containers.

Here you go. Good luck! I can't wait to hear how your spinach does.

RAISING SPINACH IN CONTAINERS

The number one reason for growing spinach in containers is so you actually get the harvest. Rabbits and other four-footed creatures like spinach but they cannot reach it if you grow it in pots up on a deck or steps. The second reason is space; if you live in a townhouse or apartment, in suburb or city, a balcony or rooftop may be your only access to a garden.

Grow spinach in 6-inch to 12-inch diameter containers, in windowboxes or rectangular planters. Because the soil in small pots dries faster, select larger containers to cut down on how frequently you need to water.

To plant spinach with decorative, flowering plants, combine it with annuals or herbs that prefer or can survive in fairly moist soil. Plant it with summer-blooming annuals, such as petunias or marigolds, which keep the container attractive through midsummer after you have harvested the spinach. To do that successfully, space the spinach plants far enough apart that you can tuck in young, small transplants of the summer-bloomers as the weather warms up. The transplants take over as your spinach harvest comes to an end. Contrast the large, somewhat coarse leaves of savoyed spinach with more delicate-looking curly-leaf parsley, which grows well in cool weather. Set up a tepee for pole beans in a large container and plant spinach around it; by the time the weather is warm enough to sow the beans, the spinach season will be waning.

Some of the smaller spinach varieties, such as 'Baby's Leaf Hybrid' and 'Melody,' are particularly good in containers.

May Minutes: 120

0 41.25 82.5 123.75

165

Posts: 4,753
4/26/09 3:45 P

hi welcome to the group. i can,t wait to get into the garden. it will be at the end of may anyways but i can get the gardens ready anyways turning over the dirt and adding more.i want to do patio tomatoes, and i,m going to add more yellow beans this year we eat lots of yellow beans and swiss chard white and rhubarb kind.and spinach and gold zucchini and if i have any more room have some cucumbers. i only have a small gardens.have anyone tryed spinach in a big pot?

SparkPoints: (88,523)
Fitness Minutes: (58,406)
Posts: 27,435
4/26/09 3:14 P

Welcome to the Team. I am in Zone 5 also - Northeast Missouri and am also ad avide hummingbird watcher. I have several feeders and want to get some more.

Congrats on reaching your goal weight. You are an inspiration!

Nice to meet you. Sunny

May Minutes: 120

0 41.25 82.5 123.75

165

SparkPoints: (4,167)
Fitness Minutes: (4,095)
Posts: 210
4/26/09 2:52 P

Love to garden and watch birds, almost time to put out the hummingbird and oriole feeders. My onions, peas and spinach are in the garden and the plants I started from seed are doing very well this year. I have almost reached my weight loss goal and excited about that. Looking forward to getting to know you all.