I live next to the Ashokan Reservoir in Ulster County. Rock country. The pic ax is the tool of choice here. I have a fenced-in, raised bed garden to keep the deer out, and gardens against the house which are a constant source of tears when the deer get everything. I'm trying to make it deerproof, but these buggers are eating everything.

Lately, the rodents (voles, moles, chipmunks) are eating everything like peas, beets, and roots, which is making my gardening very frustrating this year.

I live in a clearing in the woods, with meadows, quarry ponds, etc., all around, plus lots of nice hiking trails.
I grow perennials, bulbs, annuals, veggies, and a few shrubs. I've really given up on the shrubs because the deer never let them grow.

I'm a retired elementary school teacher, self-taught horticulturist/gardener, quilter, dancer, hiker, and lover of volcanoes and unusual geology. I love to travel.

My partner of 12 years is a compost queen. I just tell her where to put it and she makes it and brings it to the garden. Digs all the holes and mows the 'weeds', too. Lucky me.

My son is grown up and I am ready for grandkids...he is not.

I'm in northern Dutchess county - the home of the deer, the deer tick and Lyme disease. My garden has a deer fence around it - the only way to go. This afternoon dog and I were walking out in the woods and started up three big does - deer took off tails waving, dog stood still and you could see her thinking - 'What is that? It is moving. Maybe it wants my bone' And with that she picked up the bone and trotted back to the house. Fat lot of good she is!

I live along the Hudson north of Kingston. We moved here two years ago from the woods of Esopus (a little further down in Ulster county) where you couldn't put a shovel into the ground without hitting a rock and the deer ate just about everything that was green. So we moved from shade, oaks, huge pines and clay to sun, reasonable soil, and black locust trees but also sumac, tree of heaven and multiflora rose.

We're still experimenting with what grows here - not used to dealing with this much sun (or any lawn). I ordered a bunch of stuff on e-bay and will see what takes (and if I can find it next spring - it's become a standing joke about how small some of the 'trees' are).

Jon

I live in Beacon Hills right now, lived here since Feb. 2002. I have almost an acre of this great clay soil with rocks running through it for the ultimate pain in the neck. I have several small gardens, but being new to gardening, I have had several problems along the way. With my help from the Hudson Valley forum, I have managed pretty well. I am soon moving upstate to Fultonville in Montgomery County, we just bought 37 acres of farmland with an existing small cottage on in, complete with a barn and natural pond. We are having a house built in the spring and my fathe-in-law will be living in the cottage. In one way, I can't wait to move there next summer, in the other respect, being a NYC girl from birth until 7 years ago, I am a little nervous. My goodness, 37 acres is a LOT of gardening!

I live in the town of Beekman Dutchess County. Youth member of the Hudson Valley Iris and Daylily Society. Absolutely love Iris. Deer don't seem to bother me, they are lazi so if if you make it difficult to eat something they are not likely to go out of their way for it unless it is winter or early spring. I use fine netting around soe of my more deer sensitive areas especially my speciosum rubrum. I graduate High School this year hopefully to become a chemical engineer and later on a more plant related profession.

Hi, All!

I am in the charming village of Cold Spring in Putnam County, nestled in the hills of the Hudson Highlands. In the wintertime I can see the lights of West Point twinkling across the river (and get woken up at 6:30 a.m. when the cannon goes off!). In the summertime the trees get in the way.

My garden, slipshod as it is, is a combo of roses (HT's and floribundas mostly, but I'm looking to diversify into OGR's), clematis, various perennials, herbs and vegetables in season, slightly too much lawn (do I see more roses in its future? heh-heh), and some very very large conifers.

My worst gardening heartbreak was the loss of many lovely hemlocks to the dreaded wooly adelgid (sp?). My dumbest gardening mistake was English ivy as groundcover, which ended up being everything-else-cover, too (what was I thinking?). But's that's being ripped out bit by bit.

Susanzone5 and oldroser, I greatly sympathize with your deer troubles. This past summer for the first time in 19 years (!!!) I had two deer regularly invading my property at night (and this in the middle of a built-up village) who devoured roses, hostas and daylilies.

I live with several cats and have a pachysandra-covered feline graveyard for my deceased ones.

Susan, I garden around the corner from you near Woodstock. I can certainly relate to those who deal with deer, rocks, and clay soil; I dug my garden this summer and hauled off rocks, from thimble-sized to 30 pounds and more, by the wheelbarrow-load. Next came amendments to lighten the soil a bit, and a deer fence before a single plant went in the ground! Tom, I'm imagining your feline graveyard  a restful spot for your retired mousers.

The garden's on a gently sloping hillside in full sun, and after the work of preparation has been a great source of pleasure. The focus is culinary herbs, with some flowers for decoration and to please my near neighbors. I couldn't resist planting a few tomatoes, which took off despite a late start, and will probably make a return appearance next year. Hardneck garlic is in the ground and I'm looking forward to harvesting scapes in the spring.

After a couple of years of container gardening in the city, this is my first "real" dirt garden since childhood. What a great feeling to be elbow-deep in rich, earthworm-filled soil that hasn't been touched in a century or more!

My bride and I, (15 years this coming Friday the 17th) live in LaGrangeville. Perennial Garden and a Koi Pond... Check it out below...

Definately will organize a plant swap this spring...

W

Here is a link that might be useful: Check out Pics of Our Gardens

I live in Albany. I used to live in Wappingers Falls, so all your locations are familiar. I am a retired social worker. I've been gardening since I was a kid. My favorite things to grow are vegetables. My husband and I put up about 40 to 50 quarts of sauce each summer/fall, so I grow lots of tomatoes, garlic and basil, along with peppers, cukes, beans, lettuce and whatever will fit. We live in the city so thankfully don't get any unwanted visitors except squirrels. Ugh! However, I'm sorry for all your deer problems. I use the square foot method, as we have a small yard and it allows me to fit a lot more in less space.
Happy gardening.

Nice to find a board just for the Hudson Valley! I'm a practicing Social Worker and equine photographer and garden in northern Dutchess (Stanfordville). Our property is carved out from the woods, and I grow primarily perennials, specializing in daylilies. I dream of some water features and 8 foot deer fencing. I also volunteer at the Institute for Ecosystem Studies Greenhouse (open to the public) - IES, for those of you not familiar, also has wonderful spring and fall plant sales.

Here is a link that might be useful: Institute for Ecosystem Studies (IES)