Thanks! I’ve been running into issues with my spinach, especially the past 5 years or so. I’ve also had a lot more problems with my tomatoes in August, and I think it’s likely to be due, at least
partly, to climate change.
I have had luck with a Malabar spinach, a vine which isn’t technically a spinach.
Most of the Spinach varietals I’ve been planting have not been prolific the way the way they were in the late 90s.
Just started seedlings today. Been so insanely busy at work, I barely have energy to think about planting. Excited to see all positive reviews of the Black Krim tomatoes, as I bought seeds for that too. We’ll see how they go and if I can keep the bunnies at bay. They’re already been and getting my blueberry bush stubs again.
I’ve been distracted from the veggie gardens, with trying to find hardy flowers for the front of the house. I find growing flowers much harder than veggies; need to get some help from our flower enthusiastic members.
I love sweet peas but Zinnias and Sunflowers are easy! I’m also growing Verbena Bonariensies for the first time.
Wonderful space! Ours used to look so neat and tidy. 
The snow makes everything look clean and fresh🤣
Are you interested in annuals or perennials, and what kind of growing conditions do you have? I also love zinnias, and cosmos and marigolds (all very easy to do from seed!). Coneflowers and yarrow can also be durable and easy to grow.
I prefer perennials so I don’t have to replant or dig up bulbs at the end of every season. I do this with some tulips and hyacinths now. I’m mainly using big generic planters (planters might only be second to curtains as a rip-off and a scam, but I digress…). I’m in the Northeast US so flowers need to tolerate extended cold temperatures and snow/ice, and only part of my front yard gets a good 12 hours of sunlight. I usually have to look for shade tolerant flowers. A plus is anything squirrels, skunks, and bunnies won’t dig up or eat.
While I like attracting bees, and some butterflies…too many caterpillars and aphids is a hard no. Tough life as a wannabe gardener with a fear of bugs and worms.
I’ve had to fight off the deer and rabbits too! Apparently daffodils are toxic and squirrels will leave them alone. They also do not bother our crocus. Likewise plants from the mint family like agastache (hummingbird mint) are less appealing as is lavender. My last house had some English lavender planted in part shade (afternoon sun only) and it did quite well and the deer never bothered it. Some varieties of fuchsia are very cold hardy and good in shade. I also think of cyclamen and hellebore as being very cold tolerant and thriving in shade. I’m in the Pacific Northwest where it doesn’t get as cold as the northeast though. I like the search tools on the White Flower Farm website that let you sort through flowers by your growing zone and conditions.
I loved the White Flower Farm catalog! I need to re-visit the website.
You might want to keep an eye on that one; it got a bit invasive in our climate, with hundreds of seedlings popping up all over.
Rosemary also repels critters, and they’ve left my basil, arugula, fennel, and jalapeños alone
Those of you fighting rodents, especially rabbits, may want to try “Bogman’s Pizza Seasoning & Rabbit Repellent”. Mix equal parts cayenne pepper powder and black pepper powder in a jar with a shaker top. I get the bulk sizes at Costco, Sam’s, etc. Sprinkle it over the plants subject to attack (or on your pizza). It has worked for parsley, young peas, and my Mom in Florida has used it with excellent results to keep rabbits from munching her bromeliads.
Reapply after rain and when a lot of new, unprotected growth appears. The smell of black pepper lingers around the plants, even after getting washed off, a warning to would-be trouble-makers. Just remember to wash it off produce before use.
I’m not sure how it works on deer, but those powders are pretty irritating to mammalian sinuses; don’t inhale it or get it in your eyes!
Also iris and marigolds
I use old cayenne to keep deer and rabbits away.
We have had a lot of displaced deer destroying my tulips the past 5 years due to some new subdivisions being built, which has destroyed the green belt around my city. Most of my life , we had hundreds of tulips.
The deer started eating them around 10 years ago.
I planted about 80 bulbs 9 years ago, and most years at least 30 tulips would bloom. Last year, only one tulip bloomed. I planted around a hundred bulbs last fall. I also planted protective daffodils and narcissus nearby, since the deer leave those alone.
I sprinkled the ground with chicken manure this spring, which is supposed to keep squirrels and other small animals from digging up bulbs.
I shake baby powder on my eggplant and kale leaves to keep caterpillars off. Not attractive, but seems to help.
A farmer friend recommended I add alfalfa to my raised beds.
“Is alfalfa good for my garden?
The meal of Alfalfa contains a growth hormone (triacontanol) that helps stimulate plant roots’ growth . Furthermore, it increases beneficial soil microbes and enhances photosynthesis. Adding alfalfa pellets or meal to your soil can also help reduce nematodes.”
I live in an apartment now so I just have herbs growing in pots: basil, parsley, cilantro, sage, oregano, mint, chives, tarragon, dill, and thyme. I planted rosemary but that never germinated.
I used to have 2 10 x 10 raised vegetable beds. I always used one for cucumbers, yellow squash, and zucchini. In the other one I would grow different types of peppers, green beans, and experimented with other things like okra (for my parrot), snow peas, sweet potatoes, carrots, celery, Swiss chard, etc. I also had a separate bed on the other side of the yard for tomatoes. Tons of pots of herbs too.
I miss having a yard. I’ve been diligently saving to buy a house but the market is absolutely insane these days so I think I’ll be stuck with container gardening for a couple more years.
From a culinary standpoint, though, herbs are probably the best thing you can grow if you’re limited on space. They would be my first choice, at least.
If you grow on a balcony, an Earthbox or Patio Picker might give you a few more options.
I don’t have a balcony and am not officially allowed to put anything out on the landing. Maintenance is cool and doesn’t say anything about my Mexican pots with flowers and big pot of basil. The rest of the stuff is on a table next to the front window. Luckily my cats leave everything alone.
