do people here who reef also like doing gardens?

[timdam]

just a curious question. b/c a reef to me is like an ocean garden. so do people on here that like doing reefs, also like doing real gardens and landscaping?

[billdogg]

I, for one, have my tanks to care for, but also have a rather large flower bed in front, and a large veggie garden in back as well. The flowers just to make the place look nice, the veggies??? well, lets just say that we are still eating last years crop! (and i have at least 12-14 quarts of spagetti sauce left as well)

[greggnyce]

I like gardening, vegatables mostly. Until I can convince the boss that we need a pond, with plants, lol

[ChadTheSpike]

I also like to play in the dirt...

I have found though, that I dont have time to fully devote to both, so the gardening is limited to a handful of planters and some very specific plants in the house (caudiciforms mostly).

[timdam]

i've been kinda planting some plants. i was kinda wondering if i could "frag" the overgrown ones. probably not, huh?

[Jah2707]

I enjoy gardening but i love reefing. Big difference.

[hoffy02]

Started a vegetable garden this year.. same as my reef. and new son just got here.... Coincidence???

[greggnyce]

Started a vegetable garden this year.. same as my reef. and new son just got here.... Coincidence???

You are going to be a busy man

[timdam]

Do any of yall that do gardens like to jam pack your garden like we do reefs? or do u do alot of spacing?

[carolina reefer]

Always a gardener. Jam packing in gardening helps keep the weeds out.

[sslak]

I definately look at growing SPS frags like planting a tree. My friends see my new frags and say "that's not very exciting".

Well no, but think how cool it's going to look a year from now!

I don't have any time for real gardening, it's too discouraging. I live in Wisconsin, anything I grow will die in October anyway.

[RA]

Aren't we all just saltwater gardeners.

[dogstar74]

Gardening = Sweaty work
Reefing = intellectual pursuit = more enjoyable

Now I'm not saying there is nothing intellectual about gardening. Please don't misunderstand. I just don't get the same mental challenge from turning on the hose that I get from adjusting a ca reactor or figuring out the mechansm of a sulfur denitrator. And kudos is, I didn't have to exert anything more than my mouse clicking finger to find out!

But I can see how it would appeal to both types of people.

Aaron

[scapes]

i got a horticulture degree ten years ago. So, yes, I LOVE to garden as well. luckily, i'm a stay at home mom who gets to have a nice garden that i can work on all the time and i still have time to maintain my 180g, 80g, and 75g. Even though i don't have a "real" job, i do keep the books for our company, pay the bills, mail out invoices, homeschool our daughter, afterschool activities, clean house, etc...

[timdam]

this may be girly, but i wanna see some pics of your gardens!

[CorkPullerPHL]

I grow 10 types of tomatoes, 3 peas, 2 cucumbers, 4 melon, 2 raspberry, 1 black berry, 2 strawberry, 4 blueberry, 4 squash (zucchini), 6 Pepper, 2 grapes, elderberry, maypop and about 8-10 types of greens and of course Brussel Sprouts!

So I guess yea, I like to play in dirt too.

[KJAhp098]

[khaosinc]

I don't even mow... no gardening for me unless you count the blackberrys taking over my back yard

[Untamed12]

I hate gardening. This translates to my reefkeeping as well....I dislike the "gardening" aspects of keeping my tank.

[Jamie1210]

it's funny, i was just thinking that the other day--reefing's pretty similar to gardening

unfortunately, I still live at an apt. w/o my own yard, so i'm forced to grow everything in pots right now. Nothing special--just growing avocado trees, orange trees from the pits that I've eaten lol. That, and I really like succulents and cacti ... my porch is practically turning into a nursery! haha

[xroads]

I agree.

I have a veg garden that is almost an acre & just planted a fruit & nut orchard

[Cozmo4]

Interesting question and i wonder how strong of a correlation there is if there were a poll with a good amount of votes. I was very into gardening and landscaping BEFORE I got into reefing - now I don't have enough time to do much other than maintenance on my yard. There are a lot similarities between the two...

- Appropriate lighting needs for both coral and plants
- The need to supplement for both (fertilize or alk/Ca/Mg/etc)
- The appearance...aquascaping/landscaping
- Understanding of growth habits and adjacencies

[timdam]

i'm just looking to plant and let it grow. kinda like i want to do with my corals.

i was thinking of squeezing some tomatoes in my garden. but then i got a phone call from the "tangmato police". LOL

[timdam]

Originally Posted by KJAhp098

that's a beautiful garden, ken. thanks for the pic.

[greggnyce]

Gardening = Sweaty work
Reefing = intellectual pursuit = more enjoyable

You must have a small tank. lol Reefkeeping gets just as sweaty, especially when things go wrong. Or if you have an inwall like me and have to work in there for an extended period of time.