# My other passion in life



## Neal (Jun 18, 2011)

Besides family and tortoises, gardening is my other passion. 

We moved into a current house in March which was a little late in the planting season, but we did it anyways. We didn't have time to prepare the soil properly so the plants don't look very impressive, but they are all producing surprisingly well. 







Right now it's just greens in the front (primarily for the tortoises). Moving towards the back we have a variety of peppers, squash, onions, and tomatoes. 






Zuchini grows really good this time of year. Here is my stupid foot as a size reference (size 12)






This is our smallest zuchini of the season, it only takes about 3 - 4 days for it to get this big. 






Black mission fig.


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## Kristina (Jun 18, 2011)

Nice  I grow tortoise eats as well, summer is definitely nicer on the pocketbook! No heat lamp electric bills, lower food bills...


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## October (Jun 18, 2011)

Good looking stuff Neal. I try to garden here as well. I have a ton of bell peppers, jalapeÃ±os, cayenne peppers and cherry tomatoes I need to go harvest. Trying luffa this year for the heck of it. My spinach and lettuce is about done for the season. Lots of herbs growing, my lawn is riddled with volunteer basil plants. LOL

I use raised boxes, and while squash and melon does really good for me, they just take up SOO much room. 

I was actually just telling my husband that I need to get some shade screen up over my maters. Did you make that shade screen or buy it? If you made it I'd love some pointers.


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## dmmj (Jun 18, 2011)

I like to grow radishes myself mainly, they are small and take don't take a lot of space and they are great for tortoises ( the tops) and I eat the bottoms. They do require a lot of water though to turn out right, but hey they are good little snacks, BTW I like the fig plant good choice to grow they can eat the leaves, and if you have any boxies they can also eat the fruit.

Oh and stupid foot? are both stupid or is one smarter than the other?


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## Missy (Jun 18, 2011)

Nice garden. I grow tort food too  I use their poo as fertilizer.


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## Maggie Cummings (Jun 18, 2011)

The rats ate all my lettuces. I still have my potatoes grown for me and I've got several different squashes growing in pots on my deck. The blooms are for Bob I don't let them go to fruit. I grow one huge pumpkin for me and Bob eats all the blooms. I grow them all on my deck and I'll take pix when they start to look good. The last 2 nights the raccoons have dug into a tub that I had 4 plants growing in. They just dug all the soil out and flung the plants around. Messed up my deck had the substrate flung all over...Pisses me off...


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## GeoTerraTestudo (Jun 18, 2011)

Very nice. Gardening and "turtling" go well together.


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## Turtulas-Len (Jun 18, 2011)

I use the tortoises as an excuse to try to grow different plants, I really enjoy working-playing with them.Don't know the names of half of what i grow but usually can figure out what family they're in. Len


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## Neal (Jun 18, 2011)

October said:


> I was actually just telling my husband that I need to get some shade screen up over my maters. Did you make that shade screen or buy it? If you made it I'd love some pointers.



I used to run a landscaping company so I always had PVC around and use it for everything. The frame is made of 1 inch PVC and is about 10*4 if I remember right. If you use PVC be sure to use sch 40 (thicker walled type) Otherwise you will be chasing your shade screen every time a gust of wind blows around. The frame probably cost 10 bucks all together. The shade clothe though was about $30.


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## ALDABRAMAN (Jul 18, 2011)

Nice.


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