[Hummingbird]

Does anyone in TV have an underground cistern? I have one in my vegetable garden area here in NH and was wondering if TV will allow putting one in at time of construction???

Does TV allow a small vegetable garden or is that a no-no?

We're looking to build in Sanibel and just want to prepare myself for the things I can have and cannot have.

[birdawg]

How about rain barrels

[Hummingbird]

Along with the cistern I also have a rain barrel up North but it doesn't hold as much water.
If a cistern isn't aloud in TV could a rain barrel be used instead?

[cybermuda]

I was looking for rain barrels on-line (WalMart and Lowes) and could not believe that they cost $250+

They are just moulded plastic so, apart from being bulky so quite costly to transport, why so expensive?


Regarding vegetable plots, what you do round the back of your house is your own business - it's only the front that has rules on how much grass you must have - rules that appear to be ignored anyway

And to keep the bugs off your veggies you may want to keep them in the Florida room rather than outside

[nussbaum]

I had a rain barrel in my courtyard villa and planted several tomato plants.
Gardening down here is not as easy as back north for me. Not sure what is allowed at a home without a courtyard. I have a couple tomato plants in pots, but between critters and the summer heat, they have not done well. My rain barrel was from Home Depot and cost $99.

[cybermuda]

Originally Posted by nussbaum

I had a rain barrel...My rain barrel was from Home Depot and cost $99.

...sound of Cybermuda heading to Home Depot in his golf cart...

[JenAjd]

Unless you "must" get your hands in the dirt and LOVE to garden...I'd wait until you're situated in your place here to decide what you want to do. The "grower's markets" sell produce here at really great prices so it might be worth it to let them do it for you!

[JAV0108]

Gardening is one of my passions. I have been in FL since 2003 and TV since 2007 and I am still having a very hard time with veggie and flower gardening. The dirt is horrible here, either sand or clay or both and needs a lot of amending with manure, peat, and anything else you can think of to make it plant friendly. I don't mean to say it is impossible as I keep trying and some things work and some don't and I love every minute of my efforts. I have to agree with one of the posters about tomato plants, I have had the best luck with planting them in pots and keeping them in the bird cage. Other veggies work real well mixed in with my flower gardens. I don't have a designated veggie garden as I just mix plants up in all of my flower gardens. All that being said, good luck and keep trying different things you will soon find your favorites to plant and your favorites just to go and buy.

[runnermi]

I would love to garden more but lack of time and a short growing season in Michigan are discouraging. I am in a condo but have a large deck. I have grown pole beans in pots on my deck. Not much luck with zuchinni in pots. Despite my best efforts, they end up over watered and rot.

I have one question about rain barrels, do you have any issue with the standing water and mosquitos?

[Ohiogirl]

I have a rain barrel here in Ohio (2nd year) and am bringing another back to TV this September. They have lids which solves the mosquito problem. In Ohio, we live in an old (61 years) home which has only one outside spigot - on the other side of the house from my little veggie patch and a cutting garden. Probably didn't raise it enough when installing, so the water pressure is poor.

I have a soaker hose attached and moved it up to the higher spigot (mine has 2, one at the bottom and one about midway up). Helped a little but seems to take forever to empty half the barrel thru the soaker hose.

I have found it easier to just remove the lid and dip a bucket or watering can and manually water. Still lots easier than dragging a long hose around the house or thru the porch. Plus, rainwater is better for plants.

I'm planning on raising it higher (maybe 2 concrete blocks) in TV and putting a splitter and 2 soaker hoses. In the winter, the grass really doesn't need watered much so I will probably turn off the rear sprinkler system and just use the soaker system, depending on rainfall.

Sumter County extension has a rainbarrel class (I think every month), so check that out. There's a discount on a rainbarrel, but I didn't like it as much as the one I'm bringing. Mine is prettier and also larger. Looks like a terra cotta colored plastic pot, just bigger with a lid.

I will be doing more soil amendment - this year, just added a bucket full garden soil (bought by the bag) for each tomato/pepper plant. My timing for planting was all off this year as we moved down in November, but I did plant in March. Left in early May for Ohio (brought some green tomatoes back to ripen) but came back in June and harvested some peppers and tomatoes, so even with neglect it satisfied my need to grow stuff. My neighbors and caretaker (and probably birds) are partaking with my blessing this summer.

Going back in early-mid Sept. this year and plan to plant then, after reading up again on Florida veggie gardening. Also easy to grow herbs. Am trying blueberries, but think I overwatered and only 1 survived. Need 2 varieties to cross-pollinate, so will be working on this.

Of course it's work, and of course you can buy veggies locally, but we gardeners understand it's the process, not the savings. Also nice to just go out and pick what you need for the day.

[Hummingbird]

I purchased my rain barrel through "Gardener's Supply CO. many years ago. I have it elevated and under a gutter pipe on our shed. It does fill up quickly after a heavy rain and not enough water to water my garden (25'x60'). We had a cistern buried which hold lots more water and you can't see it because it's underground. I leave the small pump in the cistern and water when the soil looks dry. I do keep an organic mulch on my garden beds to keep the moisture in the soil from evaporating. That leaves me to mu next question but I'll start another thread on that subject...Composting in TV.

[cybermuda]

Originally Posted by Ohiogirl

I have a soaker hose attached and moved it up to the higher spigot (mine has 2, one at the bottom and one about midway up). Helped a little but seems to take forever to empty half the barrel thru the soaker hose.

Changing from one spigot to the other won't affect the water pressure. It's the head of water that determines this. You need to raise the barrel.

[Ohiogirl]

Thanks for the info. However, the grade slopes upward on one side that I need to water here in Ohio (where I have the soaker hose) and I thought I needed to give it some slope. Good to know for Florida, though, and I'm going to be sure to elevate it more.

[zcaveman]

If interested, there is an article on page E-3 of today's Daily Sun (8/20) about a rain barrel workshop in Bushnell. $40 - which includes an unpainted rain barrel.

Z

[graciegirl]

Originally Posted by JAV0108

Gardening is one of my passions. I have been in FL since 2003 and TV since 2007 and I am still having a very hard time with veggie and flower gardening. The dirt is horrible here, either sand or clay or both and needs a lot of amending with manure, peat, and anything else you can think of to make it plant friendly. I don't mean to say it is impossible as I keep trying and some things work and some don't and I love every minute of my efforts. I have to agree with one of the posters about tomato plants, I have had the best luck with planting them in pots and keeping them in the bird cage. Other veggies work real well mixed in with my flower gardens. I don't have a designated veggie garden as I just mix plants up in all of my flower gardens. All that being said, good luck and keep trying different things you will soon find your favorites to plant and your favorites just to go and buy.

I agree with Java.

Hummingbird,

I LOVE to garden too. When it comes to growing tomatoes in Florida, my father said "That is why God created Ohio". They don't do well here. But other things flourish. We have friends who pick lemons off their tree. (WHY are lemons so expensive at Publix?) You can plant a bush like a Bottlebrush as a little tiny thing and in two years it is giving you privacy. Flowers like Petunias and Impatiens do well but have to be protected from too much sun.

It is fun to learn the growing ways of Florida. The water in the irrigation systems is brought from retention ponds and is not the kind that comes from the tap. You can water with your hose as much as you like. The water restraints are Florida wide. I have been thinking about something like a rainbarrel too. But sometimes it rains EVERY day, like now and than we have dry seasons with almost NO rain.

Hope you stop by our house when you get here. I love to talk to gardeners!