Capt N did I ever answer this maybe in a pm…I thought I did but can't find it. Let me know?

No I don't think so. I'd love some help if you can offer it! I was reading online and seems like there are over 50 varieties that are sold, so depends on the type if it would ever flower or bear fruit. But I bought mine with fruit already on them, so obviously these will. The flower is white and purple.

I know I started writing it. Sometimes i think I've clicked to submit…and no :)

Feed a bloom boosting formula in the early Spring and early Fall one with say: an NPK of like 5-10-5 enough nitrogen to promote growth, Phosphate for bloom push and Potash for health, absorption etc. The feeding shoulduld take place BEFORE blooming that's why early spring early fall ….They are heavy drinkers ;) but they don't want to be waterlogged. I usually use a really good quality soil in my containers here in AZ because they take such a beating. I know yours is already planted but if it doesn't end up doing well after the weather gets a little cooler I'd replace at least 1/3 of the soil w/ this:
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Kellogg-Patio-Plus-1-5-cu-ft-All-Natural-Outdoor-Potting-Soil-681/100160888
This is GOOD stuff and not to expensive. The reason the soil is important is that that is what your vine will need to uptake micronutrients and have your fertilizer get transported to your roots…it's always about the soil. Now some vines take several years to bloom. Yours had bloomed because it had fruit and they may have pushed it with fertilizer so it would 'show' at the nursery. Be patient use good soil and good fertilizer with lower nitrogen like 5 and a bump of 10 for the Phosphate and enough potash to keep the plant healthy. You can feed additionally with 5-5-5- AFTER it starts blooming use something like Maxicrop which is organic and you can get it in granule form at Amazon: Amazon.com : Maxicrop Soluble Powder : Hydroponic... get the 10.7 oz size (it's the only size that comes in granules. This is a great general fertilizer for all of your plants) But a flowering vine, roses etc need a boost of Phosphate PRIOR to the time they normally bloom…It is what will give them the energy to push out those flowers. Right now it is probably too hot for them to bloom. But I would definitely give them a 5-10-5 fertilizer at the beginning of September. Then every couple of weeks later switch to 5-5-5 Maxicrop through October.

How is everyone's garden doing this spring? Lots of my plants came back recently. All my silk trees, wisterias, and others came back after the cold winter. I planted my edibles and some are doing ok but some not. :( How about you guys?

I have gardens all over my yard.. The key is the dirt. amend it well

See alot of birds this year

Good dirt and good help. These are all last year pics. In my area I just started working on my gardens last week and this weekend.

My new helper

Wow, that is so cool!!!! I wish we had more humidity here in the desert...every time I've tried to grow something like veg, it just dies. It's tough here.

Lol...love your little "assistant", she really gets IN THERE :D!

My husband has "box" gardens like yours, Mike. Unfortunately I have an uncanny ability to kill all plants. So he prefers I just stand back and watch during planting. He started with two and they are slowly growing in our side yard. I just love the way they look. He put the gardens in boxes because we have very poor soil. I love your line of shrubs/trees to provide some privacy.

Gardening??? I haven't even thought of that yet. It was 27 degrees here in NJ this morning. Yes, it's the end of March but they are predicting close to 60 by the end of the week??

Mike, your helper is adorable. I have seen signs that mine are starting to dig.

I have my shrub line all the way from the back to the front. ~6ft from the side walls. With either a chain link so they can ventilate or a wood fence but have some distance. I just replaces a fence last year. With 12" of drain under to help keep the diggers and weeds out. I hedge every other year and keep them ~ 7ft

I do all the building and most of the "new" soil but my Wife keeps it up and does the planting. I just build what she wants. I wouldn't have any grass if I didn't have dogs. If I can't smell them or eat them they take up space.:)

Dang, Mike, your whole yard / landscaping looks luscious, wow! I love it. In the first pic, is that a vine wall/fence? Do you know what vine you planted there? Do you have a lot of humidity where you live? Now living in the desert, I sure do miss the lush green of elsewhere...but I do NOT miss winter, lol.

It is so difficult for me to get down on the ground and crawl around, weeding and planting....so I put all my veggies in pots....BIG containers.....but when I see your success with your "Victory Garden" beds, my container garden is woefully inadequate and pathetic. Maybe I have my soil mixture in those pots all wrong....I was not even successful growing cucumbers last year.....they all got about 1-2 inches long, then yellowed and died on the vine. I had an enormous container......36 inches high, 40 inches in diameter....I planted a "Salad Bowl" in there....mixture of greens, 3 different types of lettuce, some green onion, etc......when SOMETHING finally came up in that pot, I was thinking it was a variety of lettuce......it was weeds....and I was about to serve those weeds to my family calling it salad! My tomatoes...Big Boy, which are supposed to be large, MAY develop to the size of tennis balls.....of course they are cracked and have a wide grey or crapey line that goes around the tomatoe....

I dont give up easily though! I ordered a new seed last year for a bush egg plant....specifically for containers....got to remember where I put those seeds....got some okra that grows on a bush only getting 3 feet high....and got some "fail proof" cucumbers.....we will see how these things come out.....I will just come in here and pull up YOUR pics of your "victory gardens" and get all enthused and excited again!

Soil is most important and make sure to grow something that is easy for your area. The Vine I forget what it is and can't find a picture but it has alot of Orange flowers. I've been trying to kill it for years now. I need to replace that fence. Project for this year. I live in the Pacific Northwest. So we get 4 seasons. I like that. I get tired of it all. But mainly lost of work here with new growth. I just do a project a year. The when its all done the Boss has me rip it all out and replace everything:confused:

Oh don't kill that vine, it's so gorgeous and lush! Lol...on ripping out and replacing :D. That happens in our house too...oopsie.

I have a vine I planted all downthe side of my yard that the juvinile delequents live on...it has large thorns on it, so it keeps thugs from climbing my fence....but better than that, it is stunning and smells WONDERFUL....Rangoon Creeper is the name of the vine.....I get the double flowered one....absolutely gorgeous flowers in pink and red and white!!!

Oh man, that is the garden of my dreams! We have a tiny tiny back yard, so all my edibles are just confined to a small 5x5 raised bed.

Tomato still hasn't started coming in. Flowers yes, but no fruit coming in. Same with the lime and lemons (they had fruit last year). So far I put in eggplant (something ate all the leaves the first few days, but it's coming back), shis**to pepper (same with the leaves :mad:), some basil, oregano, jalepeno, and cucumber. All seem to be growing very very slow.

I started some chinese long beans indoors a few weeks ago and they were so tall and happy. I put them outside and within a few hours were wilted and shriveled up. Only thing that seems to do well is lemongrass and mint. Which is fine bc I cook a lot of southeast asian food, but I wish the others would grow.

What do you do about pests? I don't want to have to use pesticides. I have a bird feeder out now, and I see birds (doves and pigeons) everyday outside. Hoping they will patrol my tiny garden.

I was just going to ask what part of the country you live in. Now I know why it looks so lush in your pics! I buy plants that are specific for the desert. Even the tomato variety I got is supposed to love the heat. Everyday I go out there in the noontime sun it's all soft and wilty. Then comes back when it cools down. It's not even hot here yet. Hardly in the high 80s/low 90s. That is nothing compared to what we will get. I got lots of tomatoes last year.

My garden bed has soil from the nursery, not our crappy native soil. The guys we had do our backyard put in that soil but I don't think it's the best. Maybe I need to change out the soil. I've also been thinking about composting but I don't know where I'd put the bucket. Like I said our yard is tiny.

every year just add stuff to the soil compost , mulch ect....You don't need to remove. Mix it well. You can also make something that will filter the sun for your beds. latices or something. Put it up on the side the sun is the hottest...if thats an option. It will help....well if your getting alot of stuff may not matter. My wife likes to dehydrate and jar he stuff so she grows alot. Also over the winter you can add mulch or chicken manure or whenever the growing season is done. it will help break down the soil for next season

Your garden is gorgeous Mike. I've been showing your pics to my husband who I think would rather I quit watching this thread. I'm definitely wanting to start some shrubs by our chain link after seeing your pics.

This made me laugh out loud, literally. I could so see me doing that.

A pic of the vine trumpet creeper. I tore it all out. 3rd time . i need to build a fence there this year. You can't kill it. Not recommended for small yards. it will take over. Some squash..I don't like. And some little Flowers

Yes from the garden. My dogs love the garden .

How do you deal with the pests?

Pest??? Bugs Plant enough so yo still get yours. I learned when you spary you kill the good that theres less of and the bad just take over. Slugs. wife picks them everyday. 100's.Not much else

Aw well that sucks for me. I have a very small container garden. Last year a gang of hornworms decimated my tomatoes. Before that I saw two of them eating a regular plant. I don't understand where they come from. I think I read that moths lay the eggs from the year before?

There's something else eating a few leaves here and there this year. If it were the caterpillars they would have eaten the whole damn thing.

I don't spray. Just hoping the birds help me out. Whenever I kill a caterpillar I leave it on the wall as a bird offering and they are always gone the next day. So hopefully they know.

I love gardening so this is definitely my thread. Unfortunately my tulips didnt come back or they havent yet. My crocus did and the sedum and water plants. My koi are out swimming in the pond and also saw a tadpole swimming so that always tells me its spring. My japanese maples havent started budding yet so I hope they are coming back it is just too early. Im going to plant lilys and mixed perienials this yr so Im hoping for good things from them. I cant wait untill pansies come out I love pansies and decorate my whole yard and around the pond with them. Im not going to buy my summer flowers untill June this yr I usually buy them in May. I love this time of yr it is the time of yr for new beginnings

We have not planted anything yet. . . . It snowed last night :( . . It is so bad we can\'t even get the peas in the ground. It really stinks