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Cpt.Wacky posted:Except for the one little pot with the barcode on the front that photo looks like it came right out of a gardening magazine. I feel happier just looking at it. Thanks so much! I'm really lucky to be renting a place that used to be occupied by a horticulturalist, so there are all sorts of nice perennials sprouting about. I have a pot for the cilantro that I bought this weekend. When I get some more soil I'll transplant and take another photo 
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Mar 26, 2012 16:51
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It was 80 degrees on Friday, but I keep forgetting it's still March. They are predicting a frost overnight. I have everything growing in pots on my patio. Can I just push them all together against the house and cover them up? Or will I have to bring them inside?
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Mar 26, 2012 17:07
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What do you plan to cover them with? And is anything tropical?
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Mar 26, 2012 17:15
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I just went to check on my plants and someone ate the lettuce I'd transplanted in. I guess it's time to put up some fencing. I was hoping everything would magically stay untouched but I guess it's good that my lesson was learned this early in the season, and that they haven't touched the smaller plants yet.
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Mar 26, 2012 17:40
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Socratic Moron posted:What do you plan to cover them with? And is anything tropical? A tarp? I don't know if they are tropical, but I would expect them to die come winter.
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Mar 26, 2012 18:57
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I don't know how well a tarp would work to insulate, someone else will probably know though. I know using plastic is a bad idea. I personally use blankets I buy at garage sales as I'm too cheap to buy the proper covers and that works fine. I'd also water them really well before you cover them if you leave them outside as that can help avoid damage.
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Mar 26, 2012 19:28
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A month or two ago I asked about using plastic storage containers as planters, and I wanted to give a status update. Mid February I replanted last year's strawberry plants in a wide, shallow underbed storage container with a few drainage holes punched in the bottom. The plants instantly exploded into flowers and are now covered with green strawberries (ignore the bonus white petals constantly being shed by a nearby tree): I'm ready to call it a success. It feels like the semi-clear plastic helps the soil warm up in the sun so it's great for summer plants. I like using storage bins because it allows a bit more versatility to those of us who want shallow beds but are confined to container gardening, and because it is cheap as hell. I'm also really excited about this little guy:  In mid Feb I planted a bunch of kale seeds in an old salad container. Two beautiful kale plants sprouted, but the vast majority of the seeds did absolutely nothing and probably rotted since drainage wasn't great. Weeks after the main two plants grew and were ready to be transplanted, this third plant popped up. It was tiny with deformed and discolored seed leaves, which only made me more sure that all the other seeds were long since toast. I transplanted the two strong ones and left the container under a table on the patio. With no additional watering and very little light, this one kept going and managed to start producing leaves. It's still really small, but looking very healthy and getting better every day and I just transplanted it into its own plastic cup. Good luck, little buddy 
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Mar 26, 2012 23:07
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The last couple weeks I've started getting some wonderful nightly harvests. Here's tonight's stir fry: God I love farming
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Mar 28, 2012 01:00
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Been working on a little 5x5 raised garden in my parent's backyard in Atlanta and I'm pretty sure I have the sunniest spot, but there are still a lot of tall trees around. Just to be sure I'm getting enough light I'm looking into a sensor of some kind. Does anybody have experience with them? Right now I'm thinking of this one: http://www.amazon.com/Luster-Leaf-1875-Rapitest-Calculator/dp/B002XZLLXU/
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Mar 28, 2012 23:48
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Ugh, I've got a flat of vegies that need to get planted but the weather decided to hold on to winter for a bit. Lows down to -1 over the next four nights. The tray is out of vertical space for the broccoli but I need to wait until Sunday for temperatures to get above 4C.Zenzirouj posted:Been working on a little 5x5 raised garden in my parent's backyard in Atlanta and I'm pretty sure I have the sunniest spot, but there are still a lot of tall trees around. Just to be sure I'm getting enough light I'm looking into a sensor of some kind. Does anybody have experience with them? Right now I'm thinking of this one: http://www.amazon.com/Luster-Leaf-1875-Rapitest-Calculator/dp/B002XZLLXU/ cowofwar fucked around with this message at 01:20 on Mar 29, 2012 |
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Mar 29, 2012 01:11
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Does anyone have a good resource for someone who is starting with a lovely backyard patch that probably can't grow anything? I'd love to rejuvenate my backyard (its got a bricked-in planted area that is surrounded by concrete). So how the hell do I start, and how long would it take - should I let it go for a whole season before trying to plant? If so, how do I get started with containers, and where do I find out what will grow in my climate and with my exposure (sorta south west but shaded, in Toronto Canada). The weather is turning warmer and I would love to be on top of it once I'm in the clear, frost-wise!  I'm hoping there's an awesome how-to guide out there somewhere...
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Mar 29, 2012 04:07
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cowofwar posted:Waste of money. A better way is to just grab a thermometer and check the temperature of the soil in different areas of your yard in the early spring. Find some areas with the same soil type in direct sun and in shade to calibrate, then check the temperature at different areas where you'd consider planting. Pick the area with the highest temperature. That would really give me a good metric for how much light an area is getting? Wouldn't that change pretty quickly depending on whether there's direct sunlight on it at the moment? And if not, wouldn't it need to be measured at the end of the day, after all the sunlight? I would have thought that soil would do a pretty decent job of diffusing heat across an area. Also it's pretty much all red clay here, so I would imagine it has a pretty high specific heat.
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Mar 29, 2012 15:37
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Guitarchitect posted:Does anyone have a good resource for someone who is starting with a lovely backyard patch that probably can't grow anything? I'd love to rejuvenate my backyard (its got a bricked-in planted area that is surrounded by concrete). So how the hell do I start, and how long would it take - should I let it go for a whole season before trying to plant? If so, how do I get started with containers, and where do I find out what will grow in my climate and with my exposure (sorta south west but shaded, in Toronto Canada). The weather is turning warmer and I would love to be on top of it once I'm in the clear, frost-wise! I would start this weekend. You're in Canada so you have more time to prepare, but less time to grow. You need to focus on quick growing varieties and containers might actually be best for you. There is no such thing as a shaded veggie plants. Strawberry's are really the only thing I heard that can hand part shade when in pots. Could anyone recommend a good alphabetized book that has pictures of diseased plants and common pests? It's getting old going to Google for everything. cheese eats mouse fucked around with this message at 16:36 on Mar 29, 2012 |
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Mar 29, 2012 16:33
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cheese eats mouse posted:I would start this weekend. You're in Canada so you have more time to prepare, but less time to grow. You need to focus on quick growing varieties and containers might actually be best for you. There is no such thing as a shaded veggie plants. Strawberry's are really the only thing I heard that can hand part shade when in pots.
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Mar 29, 2012 17:07
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Guitarchitect posted:Does anyone have a good resource for someone who is starting with a lovely backyard patch that probably can't grow anything? I'd love to rejuvenate my backyard (its got a bricked-in planted area that is surrounded by concrete). So how the hell do I start, and how long would it take - should I let it go for a whole season before trying to plant? If so, how do I get started with containers, and where do I find out what will grow in my climate and with my exposure (sorta south west but shaded, in Toronto Canada). The weather is turning warmer and I would love to be on top of it once I'm in the clear, frost-wise! It depends on how much space you have in that bricked-in area and how much you want to grow. The best way to start growing now is containers or raised beds. That way you get soil with a known quality, but depending on how much you want to grow it can be expensive. You may not have a choice if you want to scale up growing and don't have any more open ground. The poor-quality ground can be rehabilitated with sheet mulching. There are a lot of variations on what the layers should be but the essentials are a weed barrier like cardboard, compost and thick mulch (typically wood chips). Beware of using straw for mulch because it could have seeds in it. You can usually plant something in it right away like squash by pulling the mulch aside to make a hole. It's best if it has time to sit for a while, like preparing it in Autumn and planting in Spring. Earthworms really love the cardboard and they will do most of the work tilling the soil as they go up to get food and then go back down.
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Mar 29, 2012 19:00
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Here is what I have had planned for a while. South is top and north is the bottom. Then I realized I have a giant hole after the spring crops are gone. I'm thinking of just growing them in containers anyway to be able to move them into shade from the southern heat since we have weird heat waves in the spring. What would you guys put there instead of the broccoli and lettuce? I was thinking a small, fast maturing watermelon variety or maybe expanding my peppers into the super hots like cayenne and habanero. I don't have a very eclectic vegetable pallet. I'm in the newly made zone 7a (6b last year). Just looked at melons and there's just not enough space. I think I'm just going to go with more peppers and probably another trellis of beans/peas. cheese eats mouse fucked around with this message at 20:02 on Mar 29, 2012 |
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Mar 29, 2012 19:47
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My wife and I are going to try some raised beds this year for the first time, but are not sure exactly how to handle the soil for them. The soil where our gardens are is pretty good, but we can't really dig out from one location for soil to fill all the beds (we are looking at 8 or 10 4'x4' beds). We would want to dig up a bit and mix in some store bought soil if possible. Any recommendations? We are in zone 7A if that matters. Thanks to whoever posted with the cinderblock idea. We are stealing the crap out of that.
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Mar 29, 2012 22:17
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Does anyone have any good price points on rear tine rototillers?
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Mar 30, 2012 01:05
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cheese eats mouse posted:What would you guys put there instead of the broccoli and lettuce? I was thinking a small, fast maturing watermelon variety or maybe expanding my peppers into the super hots like cayenne and habanero. I don't have a very eclectic vegetable pallet. Once the lettuce is done you can put in some root vegetables for the fall and winter. You could also fit a compact bush-type summer squash plant or two in there. Asnorban posted:My wife and I are going to try some raised beds this year for the first time, but are not sure exactly how to handle the soil for them. Most people doing raised beds like Mel's Mix from the Square Foot Gardening approach. It's equal parts vermiculite, peat moss and compost. The idea is too maximize the lightness and drainage of the soil. It's a fine mix but personally I have issues with using both vermiculite and peat moss. Coir (coconut husk fiber) is a reasonable replacement for peat moss, but there isn't really a good alternative to perlite or vermiculite. I would try to find someone local who makes compost and/or topsoil commercially to buy from. Make sure they can tell you specifically what goes into it, how it's processed and how long it sits before being sold. Buying in bulk is going to be a lot cheaper than bagged soils and compost. Beware of municipal compost because it can contain biosolids (aka sewage sludge) which is fine for ornamentals but not for edibles (just precautionary, not absolute). Municipal compost can also contain yard waste that was treated with chemicals you don't want in your garden. You could probably get away with equal parts compost, existing soil and either topsoil or bagged planting mix (not potting soil).
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Mar 30, 2012 02:58
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I think my tomatoes have early signs of blight. I'm thinking of taking them to the local nursery tomorrow to get a second opinion/their thoughts, but right now I'll ask the Internet.  Pretty much all my leaves look like this. No uniform color with white spots. Oh and gently caress caterpillars. I won this battle though.  cheese eats mouse fucked around with this message at 23:44 on Mar 30, 2012 |
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Mar 30, 2012 23:25
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So it's started snowing. I was going to start planting last weekend but we've had a week of <4C temperature and one more to go until it warms up. I can't put my stuff out. Running out of space. I need this poo poo out of the house so I can start my flowers. 15 tiny tim tomatoes (dwarf), 2 marconi peppers, 4 sweet cocktail tomatoes (vine).  12 marconi peppers, 4 sweetie tomatoes (vine), 5 tiny tim tomatoes. Now over a foot tall. Tiny tims are flowering.  5 sweet bell peppers, 12 marconi peppers, 20 leeks, thyme, parsley, oregano, basil, 24 broccoli (lol), 16 lettuce (head and leaf), 16 spinach, 12 pea (snow and standard). cowofwar fucked around with this message at 00:11 on Mar 31, 2012 |
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Mar 31, 2012 00:02
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cowofwar, you are my gardening idol. For content: gave up and got some basil starters today. My seeds germinated fine, and grew their first set of leaves, then just totally stopped. They're still alive, but they haven't gotten any bigger for over a month now. Last season I had two different varieties of basil from two different nurseries growing on different sides of the yard and both died from some sort of wilt. I just suck at basil. 
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Mar 31, 2012 06:13
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I had some company this morning.
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Mar 31, 2012 15:52
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I have 2 raised beds, 8x4. One is completely full of plants, one has a few squares of fallow area, waiting for some tomatoes, to go in. I've been noticing lately that something has been digging in my garden in the fallow plot, sometimes digging up a bunch of seedlings, but not really targeting them, per say... I just figured out that it is a cat, digging in there to take a poo poo. two questions: 1. This plot is surrounded by an 8 foot tall fence, but the cat gets in anyway.. which, isn't really surprising.. but I don't think another little rabbit fencing (which I have purchased but not installed) will do the trick to keep it out.. Will it? What are the other options, and what do you guys do? Looks like the cat is leaving the plot with the more mature plants alone, but who knows what will happen next. Are there any plants that cats hate and will make them go away? 2. Is the cat poo poo that'ts inevitably in the fallow bed harmful to my plants, or to me? There's probably only 1 or 2 logs in there.
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Mar 31, 2012 20:08
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gently caress, I've got mildew on my little pots. Am I boned or should these be OK if I transplant into new pots?
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Mar 31, 2012 22:16
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Should my sage look like this? ~3 week old starter plant. Didn't know if the leaves should be pointing up like that.  My chives are looking great though, third year. Gonna divide it into 4 smaller plants this fall.  Oregano, mint and rosemary    And my rose vine, 10+years old, cut it back significantly about 4 years ago cause it was crowding the eaves, and the trellis was broken. Filling in very nicely, need to get another trellis for that stalk growing off to the right. Also rhododendrons in front, just dropped their blooms a few days ago.  I'm training this stalk down the beam of the walkway. Wanted to do the handrail but with the thorns and growth it would make it unusable.  The roses should bloom in a week or two, I'll try to take more pictures. There are tons of buds setup on it, so should be quite a display. Traxxus fucked around with this message at 00:56 on Apr 1, 2012 |
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Apr 1, 2012 00:53
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Looks fantastic Traxxus, good for you I've had nothing but trouble with getting chives started. I think the seeds I got were bad. You've inspired me to try again soon. In other news, walking around my property today I found my Meyer Lemon tree to be VERY sick with some sort of disease. I'm going to take a cutting to the local extension office Monday. 
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Apr 1, 2012 03:41
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Cpt.Wacky posted:Once the lettuce is done you can put in some root vegetables for the fall and winter. You could also fit a compact bush-type summer squash plant or two in there. Thanks for this. We ended up nixing the raised beds as it was going to be more expensive than anticipated but are going to supplement our existing soil a bit.
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Apr 1, 2012 16:31
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dhrusis posted:I have 2 raised beds, 8x4. One is completely full of plants, one has a few squares of fallow area, waiting for some tomatoes, to go in. I've been noticing lately that something has been digging in my garden in the fallow plot, sometimes digging up a bunch of seedlings, but not really targeting them, per say... I just figured out that it is a cat, digging in there to take a poo poo. I used to have the cat problem until the plants came in thick enough to cover all the bare ground. I tried most of the remedies you can google, but they didn't work. I stuck a crapload of toothpicks in the ground until the plants came in, spaced about 2" apart over any bare ground. That worked. Cats don't like pointy. As far as the poo itself, I scooped it out. You don't want to give yourself Toxoplasmosis from digging in your garden (but if you have cats, chances are good you already have it).
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Apr 1, 2012 20:51
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dhrusis posted:I have 2 raised beds, 8x4. One is completely full of plants, one has a few squares of fallow area, waiting for some tomatoes, to go in. I've been noticing lately that something has been digging in my garden in the fallow plot, sometimes digging up a bunch of seedlings, but not really targeting them, per say... I just figured out that it is a cat, digging in there to take a poo poo. I put plastic forks in the beds, tines up. Space 'em evenly and the cats will stay out.
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Apr 1, 2012 21:02
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Traxxus posted:Should my sage look like this? ~3 week old starter plant. Didn't know if the leaves should be pointing up like that. Looks like its going to flower; tis the season. Very pretty flowers and the bees like them
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Apr 2, 2012 05:06
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dur posted:gently caress, I've got mildew on my little pots. Am I boned or should these be OK if I transplant into new pots? I wouldn't worry about it. Molds and mildews are usually particular about their host so what's breaking down your pots probably won't affect your brassicas. (Your seedlings are leggy though; need more light)
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Apr 2, 2012 05:10
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I think I'm going to sell my light. Anyone want it? It's a T5 Jumpstart light from Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/Hydrofarm-2-Foot-Start-Light-System/dp/B0006856EQ/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1333381728&sr=8-2 I'm willing to let it go for $40. Starter plants are so cheap it's not worth the effort for me with how small my garden is.
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Apr 2, 2012 16:50
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Has anyone had things come back after this mild winter that they didn't expect? My stevia is growing back. 
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Apr 2, 2012 18:25
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Alterian posted:Has anyone had things come back after this mild winter that they didn't expect? I had lemon balm and anise hyssop both re-seed themselves. I was lazy and still had the skeletal remains of what died off over the winter. After a week of this insane heat in Nashville, I have new lemon balm and hyssop growing over the dead poo poo. Of course my mint never really died, it appears to have gotten stronger. I pulled some roots out that were over a 13 inches and as thick as my middle finger. I started with just one little mint plant last year! I was playing with fire I guess.
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Apr 2, 2012 18:45
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Lemon balm isn't much of a surprise. Its a perennial down to zone 4 or 5. It'll die back in the winter and come back.
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Apr 2, 2012 18:51
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dhrusis posted:cats pooping The poop shouldn't harm you if you remove it now. If it were fresh on the fully grown veggies, there would be some concern. I've been keeping cats out of my garden with a couple of sheets of hardware cloth laid directly on top of the soil, with holes cut out for planting. Now just to keep them from pooping on the whole lawn 
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Apr 2, 2012 19:01
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Speaking of cats, my cat snuck under the deer netting and mowed my leeks down to half height. Also he got in to the spinach.
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Apr 3, 2012 02:24
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Alterian posted:Has anyone had things come back after this mild winter that they didn't expect? Every spring I go survey the ruins of last year's gardens and find a few onions I forgot to dig up, happily growing away. I'm starting to think that in order to get any good onions I'll have to plant them in the fall and let them sit all winter.
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Apr 3, 2012 14:11
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 this happened to half of my tomato plants. I think it was extra cold one night and they just didn't make it. I think I have 9 healthy plants left. Hopefully they last the 2 weeks until our estimated frost free date when I can put them in the ground.  We also built a "fence" to deter this pesky groundhog. It's not groundhog proof at all, but hopefully will be at least a small deterrent until we get a proper one built. I also have a question- I'm mixing in native soil with my compost/ perlite/ etc. and one of my raised beds had a ton of sandy soil beneath it. Are there any veggies that LIKE sandy soil? I can mix in some more rich dirt but I figured I'd see if there was anything that would do well in there.
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Apr 3, 2012 14:30
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