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The Iron Fury posted:I was curious about why you grow sprouts in the ground for your mom? It's really easy and quick to do in a jar- does your mom know this? Or is it better to grow it normally? I'm assuming he is talking about Brussels Sprouts which are like small cabbages and taste like garden death.
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Dec 26, 2010 04:37
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Tonights slug harvest, tomorrow mornings dinner for the hens
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Dec 26, 2010 07:16
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Does anyone recommend any online seed or seedling companies?
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Dec 28, 2010 07:09
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Turkeybone posted:Does anyone recommend any online seed or seedling companies? This was the first time I ever bought seeds online, but I went to http://www.botanicalinterests.com/store/index_index.php. They seemed to have a nice selection with several variations for most plants. They also clearly marked which were heirloom or organic, and shade preferences. Shipping was reasonable, less than 5 bucks for the 10 different things I ordered and I received them in about 5 working days. So far I have only planted spinach and escarole from them, but every seed I planted sprouted. Edit: Also, according to thier website, they do not sell genetically modified seeds. El Bano fucked around with this message at 17:08 on Dec 28, 2010 |
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Dec 28, 2010 16:55
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Turkeybone posted:Does anyone recommend any online seed or seedling companies? johnnyseeds.com did right by me last year.
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Dec 29, 2010 14:31
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I've had good experiences with: http://www.pepperjoe.com http://www.territorialseed.com http://www.seedsofchange.com http://www.rareseeds.com - Bakers Creek (one of the coolest seed catalogs out there) http://www.cooksgarden.com/ http://www.seedsavers.org/
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Dec 29, 2010 16:34
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http://www.victoryseeds.com/ is my first choice for heirloom seeds. They have a good selection of hard-to-find open-pollinated seeds, are very reasonably priced, cheap shipping, and fill orders very quickly. I usually get my seeds within a week of placing an order through their website.
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Dec 30, 2010 15:28
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Ill put in a vote for eBay if you want cheapest possible price. I just got done buying more common (but open pollinated) seeds there and bought 3 hard to find varieties from High Mowing (they're a total ripoff but they were the only seller I found with the seeds I wanted)
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Dec 31, 2010 01:51
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Oh my how I want to start ordering seeds, but then I get too excited and inevitably try to start sprouting immediately, and it doesn't go well. I've been thinking about trying to use some giant, double barrel, florescent lights to help the indoor situation, really get a head start on my short Midwestern summer. Will regular lights work, or should I go buy fancy ones? Really the fixtures are the most expensive part, and I have one. I've googled around a bit, but answers seem nebulous and unstrustworthy. Senor Tron posted:I'm assuming he is talking about Brussels Sprouts which are like small cabbages and taste like garden death. Hah, how silly of me, thanks. Though I find that Brussels Sprouts taste pretty good braised, with a good amount of bacon and olive oil for flavor.
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Dec 31, 2010 16:02
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Well that's the "How am I gonna eat all of these courgettes?" problem sorted... It's been really windy here today, and the top of the vine has snapped off 
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Jan 1, 2011 06:26
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I got given a couple of mushroom growing kits. The instructions say keep them somewhere warm for 5 to 8 days for the mycelium (?) to grow, but its been about 2 weeks now and there's no sign of anything happening. Should I give up on them?
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Jan 1, 2011 17:09
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^^^From my basic understanding of mycology, the mycelium is a mass of hyphae, which is basically the body of a fungus. What's normally thought of as "mushrooms" are a specific type of fungal reproductive structure! So, does anyone have any particular tips when it comes to doing some balcony gardening? All I know is that it's apparently too late in the season to grow much, but when spring rolls around I'd like to get some vegetables going. I'm in Atlanta if that's relevant.
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Jan 2, 2011 03:16
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Dont know much about mushrooms (although Id like to) but the mycelia can be considered the roots. The mycelia will colonize into a dense block in whatever food source its given then in the right conditions, it will fruit producing mushrooms. One of the steps needs to be done in a high moisture environment and I think all the steps require there to be indirect mild light I'm still growing plenty of things in Northern California but don't know what Atlanta is like (seems like theres been some very low temperatures around there lately). What USDA zone? For cold weather, here's what does well: Brassicas like broccoli, kale, cabbage, turnip, etc Chenopods like chard, spinach, beet, lambs quarters, etc Alliums like garlic, onion Peas (snow peas, sugar snap, etc) Umbilifers like carrot, dill, parsley, coriander, etc)
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Jan 2, 2011 04:44
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my aunt gave me three of her blueberry bushes. and by bushes I mean a bucket with three sticks with roots wrapped in damp newspaper and plastic. what do I need to do with these? I'm in Memphis so there's a reasonable chance of frost until the end of February at least, but at the moment they are in the garage with south facing windows so they could be put in thier own buckets with some loose dirt. or should I leave them be and hope they stay dormant until March?
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Jan 2, 2011 06:14
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Blueberries go dormant (which yours are now) so they'll handle cold no problem then spring back to life when ready. They're acid loving plants so they'll need the right soil pH to be healthy. Most people keep them potted in specially selected soil for this reason
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Jan 2, 2011 07:48
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Atlanta is 7b, it seems.
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Jan 2, 2011 15:24
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I've used pinetree seeds, https://www.superseeds.com a lot in the past, and really like them. Their prices can not be beat. They tend to have small packet sizes which means you can buy three times as much stuff if you can't decide. I would not recommend them if you want to grow a lot of something, and their website is kind of annoying to navigate. But I don't think you could really go wrong with any of the other seed places that have been mentioned. Its not like shipping seeds is expensive and its probably good to order from more than one place. The Iron Fury posted:I've been thinking about trying to use some giant, double barrel, florescent lights to help the indoor situation, really get a head start on my short Midwestern summer. Will regular lights work, or should I go buy fancy ones? Really the fixtures are the most expensive part, and I have one. I've googled around a bit, but answers seem nebulous and unstrustworthy. I used just plain 4 foot long shop light fixtures that I got at Home Depot, and the 6000K cool white lights that cost barely more than a dollar each. There are three sizes of bulbs, T12, T8, and T5. The number refers to the diameter of the tube in Eights of an inch. The smaller the number, the more efficient and brighter the bulb, but T5 is a lot more expensive. If you are growing  it might be worth it, but I doubt it is for vegetables. I use T8, which seems to be in the sweet spot with price and output.I just hung them on a chain that allowed me to raise them as the plants got bigger. Just a warning, the tendency is to start things too early, and all that does is produce straggly old, top heavy plants that don't thrive when you put them out. I started my tomatoes too early last year and they ended up getting too tall because they competed with each other.
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Jan 2, 2011 18:36
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Speaking of grow lights, I was wondering if anyone has ever used them to grow tomatoes and other vegetables indoors during the winter? It is probably too late now to start something and have them available in a few months when I need them for flowers and vegetables, so I was thinking next year, maybe start plants next August indoors and by November hopefully I will start having fresh stuff again as everything else is shutting down. As far as varieties, I want to try Red Robin and Tiny Tim, both cherry tomatoes on short, determinate plants. Any ideas for larger fruits and other things worth trying besides tomatoes?
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Jan 2, 2011 23:52
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I skimmed the thread for this info and didn't see anything, but I apologize if this has already been discussed... I want to start composting my food and yard waste, but I'm not sure about what type of bin to use. My city provides these compost bins and I was considering the 'green cone' style but I'm skeptical since they apparently don't require turning. Can producing good compost really be as simple as filling up a plastic bin and then waiting 6 months? Has anyone had any experience with those things?
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Jan 5, 2011 16:27
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For food waste, have you considered doing a worm bin?
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Jan 5, 2011 17:18
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Alterian posted:For food waste, have you considered doing a worm bin? When you do a worm bin and you want to use your compost, do you filter out the worms before using it, or just throw everything in the gardens worms and all?
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Jan 5, 2011 18:33
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PickledFetus posted:I skimmed the thread for this info and didn't see anything, but I apologize if this has already been discussed... Just dumping food waste in probably won't give you good compost, because most of it will tend to be nitrogen-rich. For effective compost you need an appropriate ratio of carbon (most yard debris) to nitrogen (fruit and vegetable scraps), about 25:1 is what we were told in my composting class. If you just want to compost food scraps, a worm bin as said above is really great. It can be slow to start, but eventually you'll build up a big enough colony that it can take most of your food waste and it needs minimal maintenance. El Bano posted:When you do a worm bin and you want to use your compost, do you filter out the worms before using it, or just throw everything in the gardens worms and all? You put all of the food in one area of the bin, and the worms will slowly migrate over, leaving behind the compost. You don't have to worry about throwing a few into your garden, but for a sustainable colony you obviously don't want to throw too many away.
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Jan 5, 2011 18:37
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Honestly all the compost turning and layering and green/brown ratios and additives and all that is just intended to speed the process. Composting is really just controlled decomposition, it's going to happen no matter what you do. You could just dump a big pile of stuff in the corner of your yard and leave it alone for a year and get compost. Having a good bin just makes it easier to get compost at a rate which you'll use it in the garden.
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Jan 5, 2011 18:40
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Marchegiana posted:Honestly all the compost turning and layering and green/brown ratios and additives and all that is just intended to speed the process. Composting is really just controlled decomposition, it's going to happen no matter what you do. You could just dump a big pile of stuff in the corner of your yard and leave it alone for a year and get compost. Having a good bin just makes it easier to get compost at a rate which you'll use it in the garden. If you don't mind your garden smelling like rotten eggs then this is true.
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Jan 5, 2011 19:03
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Papercut posted:If you don't mind your garden smelling like rotten eggs then this is true. If it smells like rotten eggs, you did something wrong. Maybe too much “green” and not enough “brown”. Maybe trying to compost things like meat, oily things. But something went wrong. No one have any ideas about good indoor tomatoes?
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Jan 5, 2011 19:59
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Zeta Taskforce posted:Speaking of grow lights, I was wondering if anyone has ever used them to grow tomatoes and other vegetables indoors during the winter? My tomatoes did not do that well indoors. The roma type did worse than the lil' yellow and orange cherry/grape types. I had to move the last two years, and as a result, did a lot of container growing, which naturally led to me trying to bring everything (tomatoes, herbs, and various hot peppers) inside in the fall, in a piteous attempt to keep them alive for longer. Only my hot peppers did ok, and that was *just* ok. I've found the biggest hurdle is not so much the lack of light, but tendency to overwater, leading to root rot, and vexing insect infestations (whiteflies and other unidentified creepy crawlies). Also keeping an even and warm temp is crucial, it was too cold for me in that house, let alone my poor green babies. Warning: smelly hippie talk ahead. To add to the compost discussion, I've always just gone the lazy woman's way, tossing my yard and kitchen refuse into a pit in my backyard, well away from living areas and sensitive noses. You really can't use it for at least a year, though. I also like to keep a pee bucket under the porch, into which I force gentlemen to urinate, and then I dilute it and use as a cheap (free!) fertilizer. I don't ever use other people's bodily excretions on my edible fruits and veggies, though. Also menstrual blood. Though this is not really an option unless you own a vagina cup (I dislike the brand name "diva cup") or like to hover, naked, over your plants for that special week. Coffee grounds also add nitrogen and goodness, and are beloved by certain plants, but then again this isn't quite as free as the first two options.
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Jan 5, 2011 20:21
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The Iron Fury posted:My tomatoes did not do that well indoors. The roma type did worse than the lil' yellow and orange cherry/grape types. I had to move the last two years, and as a result, did a lot of container growing, which naturally led to me trying to bring everything (tomatoes, herbs, and various hot peppers) inside in the fall, in a piteous attempt to keep them alive for longer. Were you growing them under lights, or by the window? Did you start them for the purposes of growing them indoors, or did you bring in the pots that were growing outside the previous summer?
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Jan 5, 2011 20:37
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Zeta Taskforce posted:If it smells like rotten eggs, you did something wrong. Maybe too much “green” and not enough “brown”. Maybe trying to compost things like meat, oily things. But something went wrong. I'm saying that having a good bin and paying attention to what's going on in it doesn't just speed the process, it ensures the health of your compost. Just dumping a bunch of stuff in a corner will almost certainly lead to anaerobic conditions that hamper the composting microbes and lead to a horrible-smelling pile.
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Jan 5, 2011 20:58
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^^^ Eh, you can do it the fancy way with bins and ratios, or you can just dump (vegetative) stuff in a corner. You just have to wait a lot longer to ensure an un-nastified compost. My only rules are: stir every so often, add leaves and "brown" stuffs when available, and don't use meats/oils/cheeses/poops. Zeta Taskforce posted:Were you growing them under lights, or by the window? Did you start them for the purposes of growing them indoors, or did you bring in the pots that were growing outside the previous summer? I had lights, but they were just plain ol' 4 foot fluorescent tubes that I found in the basement so that, and the cold temperatures were possibly why they didn't do great, but the fact that they did all right is promising! Well, my main intent was sheer mobility, but part of the reason I vehemently engaged in containering was due to my packrat-like inability to let go, so I figured I'd inevitably attempt to bring them inside, since they were already in containers and all.
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Jan 5, 2011 21:19
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The Iron Fury posted:I also like to keep a pee bucket under the porch, into which I force gentlemen to urinate, and then I dilute it and use as a cheap (free!) fertilizer. I don't ever use other people's bodily excretions on my edible fruits and veggies, though. Also menstrual blood. Though this is not really an option unless you own a vagina cup (I dislike the brand name "diva cup") or like to hover, naked, over your plants for that special week. Coffee grounds also add nitrogen and goodness, and are beloved by certain plants, but then again this isn't quite as free as the first two options. Don't you have to worry about the salts in pee loving with your soil?
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Jan 5, 2011 21:21
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Alterian posted:Don't you have to worry about the salts in pee loving with your soil? The squeemishness aside, its not toxic and assuming you didn't just eat a can of pringles, its not that salty.
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Jan 5, 2011 22:09
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Zeta Taskforce posted:The squeemishness aside, its not toxic and assuming you didn't just eat a can of pringles, its not that salty. My husband likes to pee outside in our backyard if we've been drinking. I'll tell him to start aiming for the cabbages. 
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Jan 5, 2011 22:16
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I've heard of people peeing on their compost heaps all the time, I dunno if I'd want it directly on my plants though. Not that it matters much for me anyway, I don't have the proper equipment to pee anywhere in my garden. Also, I can't confirm this personally, but I have heard from other gardeners that you can get free used coffee grounds from Starbucks just for the asking. If that's true then it's just as viable and free as peeing all over your yard for nitrogen, without the possibility of having a neighbor catch a glimpse of you at an awkward moment.
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Jan 5, 2011 22:38
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I haven't asked at Starbucks, but independent coffee shops here have been happy to give me their grounds. People always talk about dog pee killing plants, is this because the urea concentration is too high?
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Jan 5, 2011 23:39
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I'm going away for 6 weeks. Tomatoes and Capsicums are just about to be ready to pick. What can I do so poo poo doesn't go belly up? Its summer here. Can get quite hot in January. I'm going to try and get my sister to come over and water/pick stuff but it might dry up...
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Jan 6, 2011 00:07
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Urine will kill plants if undiluted Re: worm bin discussion My favorite style of bin is the stacking type. You start with one layer, fill it with food scraps, then add another layer and continue to fill. The worms will move up through the layers as they deplete each levels food course. Makes harvesting much easier (although there still are a few worms sometimes in the bottom) Fists Up posted:I'm going away for 6 weeks. Tomatoes and Capsicums are just about to be ready to pick.
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Jan 6, 2011 05:53
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Papercut posted:I haven't asked at Starbucks, but independent coffee shops here have been happy to give me their grounds. I worried about that when I first learned that urine is an all right fertilizer (if you're a cheapo like me), but you dilute it a LOT. I should have mentioned that I use about a 15:1 ratio of water to pee. I don't do it that often, and I actually started doing it to try and deter animals from hassling my garden, but then those perimeter plants started blooming much brighter, and soon exploded into lush awesomeness. It seems to help with bunnies and deer and other skittish animals, too. Those goddamn squirrels are fearless, however. E: Ironically, I just had to put my oregano, sage, and chives out in the cold to die, due to someone peeing on them. My rear end in a top hat roommate has been a weird shut-in lately and neglecting his cat terribly (my b/f and I have been feeding and watering lil' Meatcat) and recently I caught the poor kitty pissing in my plants on a few occasions!! The thyme died first; only the wormwood was large enough to withstand his mighty stream. Ahh well. Just makes me long for spring all the more. The Iron Fury fucked around with this message at 19:21 on Jan 6, 2011 |
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Jan 6, 2011 14:48
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The Iron Fury posted:My only rules are: stir every so often, add leaves and "brown" stuffs when available, and don't use meats/oils/cheeses/poops. For meat, oily stuff, citrus, onions, and cheese I use Bokashi bucket. For the balance of my home's organic and paper waste I have a high volume worm farm, two stages of 270l stackable storage containers with a 50l worm tea capture stage as the base. ming-the-mazdaless fucked around with this message at 00:57 on Jan 8, 2011 |
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Jan 8, 2011 00:52
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ming-the-mazdaless posted:I'll agree with meat, oil and cheese though there are ways to compost those (Bokashi), but poop is awesome for composting with finely chipped wood. I compost my tree prunings (chipped with a bosch atx-25tc) with chicken and pet poop as well as my grass clippings. Do you have any more information on Bokashi buckets? I read a little on line that you can use them for composting animal waste on top of meaty and dairy type waste. We have dogs, cats, ferrets, and chickens at our house, and I'd love for an easy (and faster) compost system for getting rid of their waste. Right now we just throw the dog, cat, and ferret waste away and throw the chicken waste in with our large yard compost. A lot of places I read about composting dog and cat waste say you shouldn't use it on plants that you get food from, but its good for flowers and stuff like that. Is it different using a Bokashi bucket? We're trying to eliminate as much as we can as far as how much we throw away. We're down to about 2 bags a week between 3 adults living in our house. (its only one when its just my husband and me) If we could cut down to throwing pretty much nothing away and composting/recycling everything, that'd be awesome.
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Jan 9, 2011 15:49
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Alterian posted:Do you have any more information on Bokashi buckets? I read a little on line that you can use them for composting animal waste on top of meaty and dairy type waste. We have dogs, cats, ferrets, and chickens at our house, and I'd love for an easy (and faster) compost system for getting rid of their waste. Right now we just throw the dog, cat, and ferret waste away and throw the chicken waste in with our large yard compost. A lot of places I read about composting dog and cat waste say you shouldn't use it on plants that you get food from, but its good for flowers and stuff like that. Is it different using a Bokashi bucket? I don't use the Bokashi output on crops; that is what the worm castings are for. I don't see any problems though and haven't read of any problems from other Bokashi compost users who have used the output on food crops.
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Jan 13, 2011 03:53
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