Hi, Hope it's OK to join on in the convo?

Well, out of memory and respect for my late grandfather, who I always got "stuck" working with?/for? in his vast gardens at his old house up in northern N.J. all day, every day, all summer long, starting from age 5, til he passed on at age 92 when I was 12, I have kept it going from Spring til Autumn each year ever since, no matter where I've lived, and it has sorta become my seasonal "hobby" and "therapy and I really do thoroughly enjoy it all very much.

And mind you I am NOT really a veggie eater, never have been, but I'll usually grow, and give away too friends and family, loads of Beefsteak (some years my plants are as tall as 16 to 20 feet high! I will often set up rope between some long lengths of pipe for them to cling to and grow along horizontally once they reach 10 feet or so), Big Boy, Better Boy, Roma, Plum and Cherry Tomatoes, Cucumbers (some 2 feet long), Eggplants, Bell Peppers, and some herbs like Oregano, Parsley, Basil, Rosemary, and Thyme, as I am growing this year, and if I have any space left over I'll also throw in Kale, or Jalapeno, or whatever I can possibly find at the nurseries and fit in, like this year I am trying a few Yellow Corn plants, since I couldn't find a couple other plants I has hoped to grow this year.

The only thing I ever feed the veggies is a light, bi-weekly dose of "Miracle Grow" for edible veggie plants and the only pesticides I use are Diatom. Earth powder, Neem oil and live Praying Mantis, they are great for keeping Aphids and some other harmful insects away.

While I don't have the huge property my Pop-Pop had, I make do with what little space I have quite well.

One year I also grew "seedless" Watermelon they didn't have the hard black seeds, but they did have the soft small white seeds in them, they were the size of bowling balls, and almost as heavy as one, they were very juicy and sweet, but they took up and needed lots of room.

One year I tried doing Romaine Lettuce, but that was a huge failure, they attracted zillions and zillions of those nasty little Pincher? bugs, or whatever they are called, and they just tore it all up on me and I ended up pulling it all out halfway through the growing season.
(I tried Diatomaceous Earth, Sprays, Powders, even live Praying Mantis' to rid the problem, unfortunately nothing helped.)

One year I tried doing a Strawberry patch, they were very large and sweet, but really got out of control and took over my entire yard and rooted everywhere!

Three years ago I tried "Black Cherry" Tomato for the first time, the plants grew to around 6 or 7 feet tall and yielded at least 150+ fruit on each and they were very moist and tasty, they were great for everything and everyone loved them.
It's kinda sad that I have been unable to find them again.

I tried Carrots one year, but they didn't do so well in my soil and came out at harvest time looking like short, scrawny, pale, little orange mummy fingers and were hard as stone! lol
Naturally I gave up on those and have not tried that again.

I have wanted to try growing Potatoes for a number of years, but I know nothing about growing those, nor what they need (soil-wise) to grow successfully.

I also grew "Gagootz" (Italian Squash) a few times, I just can't seem to find those anymore.
You cn't find stuff like that at Lowe's, nor Home Despot, and since they only sell the "popular" stuff and they've also pretty much killed the "mom and pop" nurseries near me I am stuck growing whatever I can get around here.

I do have a lone self-polinating "Celestial" Fig tree, but this is only it's 4th year now and he's still kinda small (he's only around 7 or 8 feet tall) and doesn't give too much fruit, yet, just about a dozen or two small figs the past two years, none yet this season, and it looks as if he is only now growing new foliage along one side, oddly on the side that isn't facing the sun.
Is that weird? Because it normally is in full bloom by June, or could it be due to the very long, rough Winter we had here in NY?

I do give it a minimum of 5 gals. of water per day from March til Oct. and feed the tree every 4 weeks with "Dr.Earth's" "Organic Fruit and Nut tree food", but I feel "Figgy" needs something else or more.

I also have an 18' wide, but 3' narrow flower and shrub bed/garden along one portion of the back of my property, in there I have a couple Azalea and Hydrangea that I planted around 30 years ago, a load of Day Lilly, Calla Lilly, Tiger Lilly, Easter Lilly bulbs that always come back, Hosta, Geranium, Pansy, Posies, Daisy, Viola, Dianthus, Rhododendron, Gerberer Daisy, Tulip, Daffodils, Mini Daffodils, and a couple other perennial flowers.
I keep a bird bath at one end and a small fountain at the other.

Wish I could post some photos I have of past gardens and harvests, Maybe I can add some shots to my profile photos?

Anyway, I hope I haven't bored everyone to death with too much info and I do wish all you fellow green thumbs out there the best of luck this year!

Hey!
I know you!
Didn't you play "Hyancinth's" sister "Daisy" on Keeping up Appearances"?

I loved that TV show!
(Or "Programme" on the "Tele" as our neighbors across the pond say!)
lol

Agreed!

A330 Air-bust....errr...ummm...Airbus planes=most accident/catastrophic failure prone hunks of junk in the sky, doubt that would get you any "coochie" points, since most are too a'scared to climb aboard one.

lol

Now if you stood in front of one of them lame old millionaire's toy Lear jets, you may gain some points, since chicks retardedly go nuts over those!

lol good luck!