Hi from North Carolina!

[TexasGardenGirl]

Hi y'all! I'm Amber and I'm from Texas but have been living in North Carolina for a little over a year thanks to my husband's job in the Army. This is my first year gardening here. Or ever, at least on my own. I used to help my dad in the garden a little bit but not enough to say it was my garden. I don't have a ton of experience, basically. I'm hoping my garden is successful this year, especially my tomatoes. But...well, that is a different post for a different section.

 

[granjera]

Welcome, Homie. Enjoy your time away, enjoy in the differences. I had a friend who was a die-hard Texas native who swore this was the only place to live....until she started traveling for her husband's job. She sings a different tune these days.

I'm not at all a scientific gardener. The main thing is prepare good soil (I have a small raised bed and throw in a bag of cow manure, some compost material, and some Miracle Grow Moisture control that gets lots of morning sun and some afternoon sun...(I did tell you that I wasn't scientific, didn't I?) and all has gone well with me for some 5 years now. I grow 'maters, cukes, sugar snaps ('cause they're so easy and kids like it), and bells (this late in the season, I'd suggest you purchase small pepper plants because they are slow growers from seed). Okra was easy for me (I don't eat it, though), as was corn but that was just a joke; I was growing it on my driveway and I got a few small ears of corn).

I had a larger plot (three 5 x 5 beds) but this year, am going compact with a 6 x 8 bed. Just have fun. Something will grow.

 

[JBtheExplorer]

Welcome to the forum @TexasGardenGirl!

 

[TexasGardenGirl]

Welcome, Homie. Enjoy your time away, enjoy in the differences. I had a friend who was a die-hard Texas native who swore this was the only place to live....until she started traveling for her husband's job. She sings a different tune these days.

I'm not at all a scientific gardener. The main thing is prepare good soil (I have a small raised bed and throw in a bag of cow manure, some compost material, and some Miracle Grow Moisture control that gets lots of morning sun and some afternoon sun...(I did tell you that I wasn't scientific, didn't I?) and all has gone well with me for some 5 years now. I grow 'maters, cukes, sugar snaps ('cause they're so easy and kids like it), and bells (this late in the season, I'd suggest you purchase small pepper plants because they are slow growers from seed). Okra was easy for me (I don't eat it, though), as was corn but that was just a joke; I was growing it on my driveway and I got a few small ears of corn).

I had a larger plot (three 5 x 5 beds) but this year, am going compact with a 6 x 8 bed. Just have fun. Something will grow.

So far, I am enjoying it but still really miss Texas. It's just where my heart is at. Travelling is fun and all but I definitely look forward to getting back to Texas.


My dad, in Oklahoma, was never real scientific about gardening either. His idea of growing tomatoes (as far as I remember) was to amend the soil each year with some cow manure, add some miracle grow top soil if it needed it, and then from there I think his philosophy was all ya needed was dirt, sun, and water. He grew bushes of green beans, at least 4 tomato plants, okra, and zucchini every year. Sometimes even black eyed peas. And unless there was just a super hot summer that caused the tomatoes not to fruit they always had amazing tomatoes. I remember seeing tomatoes in my grandma's window sill. She always said it was so they could finish ripening and the plants could produce more 'maters.

I've got one 10x4 bed, 2 5x4 beds, and a couple triangular beds. It was my husbands idea. I've got bell pepper plants, hot pepper plants (three varieties), okra, pole green beans, various herbs, zucchini, and I'm trying to do tomatoes. I say trying because all of the other stuff is growing great but I can't seem to keep my 'maters alive. We live and learn, I'm guessing.

 

[Beth_B]

Welcome @TexasGardenGirl. I'm another not-scientific gardener but l mostly get lucky. Sounds like you're off to a good start. My best friend moved from here to Texas last month (near Killeen) and is already complaining about the heat lol.

 

[TexasGardenGirl]

Welcome @TexasGardenGirl. I'm another not-scientific gardener but l mostly get lucky. Sounds like you're off to a good start. My best friend moved from here to Texas last month (near Killeen) and is already complaining about the heat lol.

What do ya know, I lived in Copperas Cove which is 20 minutes from Killeen. And my own bff is from Michigan. When she came down for my wedding in the beginning of June 2012 it was a beautiful 88 and she was complaining it was "soooooo hot". I laughed and said nah, it's gorgeous! Northerners just aren't used to higher temperatures. But it's not hard to acclimate to higher temps. I find it harder to acclimate to cold temperatures than warm. But yeah, I'm not so scientific. I'm just hoping to get lucky. Especially with my darn tomatoes. I am having the worst luck with tomatoes.

 

[Beverly]

Welcome @TexasGardenGirl ...lots of information about growing tomatoes here...you can search the site for "tomatoes" and find all the related posts and threads. And of course you can always start a new thread. I'll bet this site has everything and more that you want to know about growing tomatoes.

 

[Beth_B]

What do ya know, I lived in Copperas Cove which is 20 minutes from Killeen. And my own bff is from Michigan. When she came down for my wedding in the beginning of June 2012 it was a beautiful 88 and she was complaining it was "soooooo hot". I laughed and said nah, it's gorgeous! Northerners just aren't used to higher temperatures. But it's not hard to acclimate to higher temps. I find it harder to acclimate to cold temperatures than warm. But yeah, I'm not so scientific. I'm just hoping to get lucky. Especially with my darn tomatoes. I am having the worst luck with tomatoes.

Too funny! They moved to Copperas Cove.

 

[TexasGardenGirl]

Too funny! They moved to Copperas Cove.

That is really funny! Almost makes me wonder where since our house there is being rented....haha! Wouldn't it be a hilariously small world if it was them? I know it isn't likely but it just seems too funny! I love Cove and can't wait to return, though. It's home even though I technically grew up in Oklahoma. Shhhh don't tell anyone. I'm Texan, plain and simple lol!

 

[Beth_B]

They're on Harrell....road, street, not sure. Right now they are renting a mobile home on an acre, but will buy a place probably within a year right around there. She says the soil is rock hard and not great!

 

[amelia88]

Hello there! Fellow military spouse here but we are in Japan right now - we are really enjoying it here!

The moving every 3-4 years sure does present some challenges when it comes to gardening but I guess learning about new climates and conditions for growing keeps things interesting!

 

[TexasGardenGirl]

Hello there! Fellow military spouse here but we are in Japan right now - we are really enjoying it here!

The moving every 3-4 years sure does present some challenges when it comes to gardening but I guess learning about new climates and conditions for growing keeps things interesting!

Nice to "meet" a fellow military spouse trying to garden! Moving all the time plus having to rent or live on post/base makes it so much harder to garden. You either have to have raised beds that you can disassemble or grow in containers. To grow as much as we want that's a lot of containers. Our landlord wouldn't let us clear a spot in the ground and amend that (as sandy as it is it's really only good for weeds, watermelon, and strawberries anyway). So my hubby built me raised beds. When we move in a couple years we'll use the soil to fill in any spots the dog dug and spread it over bare sandy spots that existed when we got here. Maybe they will get some grass with real soil lol

 

[Trellum]

Hi there! I grew up in Texas as well Welcome to the forum! I hope you enjoy your stay here, and find the forum very useful This is the right place to find garden inspiration and help.

 

[TexasGardenGirl]

Hi there! I grew up in Texas as well Welcome to the forum! I hope you enjoy your stay here, and find the forum very useful This is the right place to find garden inspiration and help.

It's been a huge help so far! And so friendly! I thought I was gonna get met with "ugh don't you know anything" attitudes with some questions I had. It's a nice, friendly community so far and I'm loving reading through different threads!

 

[Becky]

Great to have you here! Welcome