|
I too once thought I could kill a mint... My GF keeps wanting to dig it out and replace it because she thinks it will look crappy for a long time. She refuses to believe that in a month it'll be back to trying to suffocate it's rosemary neighbor.
|
#
?
Apr 23, 2015 14:35
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 31, 2024 16:01 |
|
|
Low of 36 today, low of 34 tomorrow Guess I'm hauling plants inside at night
|
|
#
?
Apr 23, 2015 14:52
|
|
|
what, don't you want to risk it on those 2 degree variations?
|
|
#
?
Apr 23, 2015 15:46
|
|
|
We had a frost warning last night, so I put the row covers back on, and covered my pots with landscape cloth. I don't think it actually frosted, but better safe than sorry. Tell me about beets, fellow gardeners. I'm trying beets for the first time; I sowed them, they sprouted quickly, and have been growing sloooowly ever since. Do they have to hit a certain point, then take off or something? I planted and harvested an entire row of radishes in the amount of time it's taken the beets to hit about 3 inches tall with 4 real leaves a piece. The seed packets said 55 days, so I guess I was expecting them to take off quicker? (They're in my root veg bed with the carrots and radishes. Lots of compost and some sand; the soil is soft and drains well. My carrots love it; I didn't figure beets would be any different.) My lettuce looks great, and we've been picking loose leafs for a couple weeks now. The romaines are perfect little petite heads; they just need a bit more time. My spinach also took some time to get it's first real leaves, but now that they did, they've really taken off. Also, fall planting seed potatoes was a total success for me. All but 2 plants are up and growing quickly now. Hooray! So I would encourage anyone in a midwest zone (maybe 4-7; we're 5b or 6, depending on what map you see) to give it a try and take something off of your spring to-do list. 
|
|
#
?
Apr 23, 2015 15:52
|
|
|
Your soil temp needs to be about 50 F or higher before beets really blow up. There are shorter days to harvest varieties out there, which might be more the speed you're looking for. If you're in zone 6 - 5, your soil is probably not quite warm enough yet on average. Also thanks for the tater reminder! I need to go plop some down now that my tater tower is ready again. ROUND TWO.
|
|
#
?
Apr 23, 2015 16:22
|
|
|
AlistairCookie posted:Tell me about beets, fellow gardeners. I'm trying beets for the first time; I sowed them, they sprouted quickly, and have been growing sloooowly ever since. Do they have to hit a certain point, then take off or something? I planted and harvested an entire row of radishes in the amount of time it's taken the beets to hit about 3 inches tall with 4 real leaves a piece. The seed packets said 55 days, so I guess I was expecting them to take off quicker? (They're in my root veg bed with the carrots and radishes. Lots of compost and some sand; the soil is soft and drains well. My carrots love it; I didn't figure beets would be any different.) I grow them all the time. Most varieties take longer when the soil temp is low. I often don't even both starting them for another few weeks so they can outcompete the weeds with less manual intervention 
|
|
#
?
Apr 23, 2015 16:56
|
|
|
My seedlings are sprouting, and in a month it will be time to transplant. I have a bag of potting soil that I used a quarter of a few years ago. It's just been sitting outside, but it should be fine to use and not kill my plants, right?
|
|
#
?
Apr 25, 2015 16:54
|
|
|
An update to my half-rear end hydroponic system of Burpee Sweet Pepper Carnival Blend plants. Not as good as I'd hope. I've made several mistakes from the very start that I plan on correcting next year when I try again. I'll explain details after some pictures. This is my second best plant so far after almost 60 days of growth from seed.  My best plant with about 50 days of growth from seed.  This is second worst plant I have, and I'll probably soon prune off the lovely leaves in hopes to save it. It's hard to identify exactly what's causing this to happen to some of my plants, but there's probably multiple reasons.  At least one of the problems I've had. Thankfully these guys didn't get very far before I found them and executed them. They were situated on just one plant, but I sprayed all 24 plants just to make sure. Couple other plants had a single fat aphid, so I'm glad I took the time to carefully get rid of them. I haven't seen any since.   My best plant had this guy looking after it for a bit  Some of the biggest changes that I'd make for next year: 1. Start seeds indoor starting late December, rather than mid February. 2. Instead of planting them outside right after they sprout, I'll buy an LED grow light and let them grow indoors for 8 weeks before transplanting. Most seeds germinated and sprouted by the beginning of March. It never got below 50F during the night, but temperatures swung from 50F at night to 85F during the days which I imagine can be pretty harsh on such a young plant whose true leaves haven't even been developed. 3. Strengthen the fertilizer a bit sooner, a lot of leaves were curling or had bumpy texture, probably due to lack of Potassium and other nutrients. 4. Don't let reservoir go completely empty for half a day in the heat! Yep, I did accidentally while half my plants didn't even have adult leaves developed. Some of them wilted a bit and slumped over a bit. I'm worried that I've maybe stunted them a little. 5. React quicker to bugs. Several times I checked my plants and saw some types of bugs. Most seemed harmless, such as the ants. It turns out ants suck and attract/guard aphids. I first saw ants hanging out by the one aphid infested plant before the aphids arrived. So I'll probably shoo of any bug I see, unless they're Mantis or Ladybugs. 6. This is a big one, germinate twice as many seeds as I did this time around. I bought a packet of 30 seeds for 24 spots in my system. I should have bought 60 seeds, grown them indoors for a while and thin out any stragglers. ijii fucked around with this message at 19:00 on Apr 25, 2015 |
|
#
?
Apr 25, 2015 18:52
|
|
|
My plants have issues and I don't know what to do http://imgur.com/I8GjHWr http://imgur.com/q0L3Meg http://imgur.com/abgefwO http://imgur.com/oS8dKBw http://imgur.com/jtLxTGe http://imgur.com/WEsyNBc http://imgur.com/HVdbfL4 I water when the soil is dry, it has drainage, soil has feed mixed in. It all might not be getting enough sun if anything. Adult Sword Owner fucked around with this message at 20:53 on Apr 25, 2015 |
|
#
?
Apr 25, 2015 20:50
|
|
|
Trying something a bit different this year. I have a bermuda and johnson grass yard and it's just a bitch trying to keep a nice looking garden. It starts out well enough but we always lose around August. It still produces of course, it just looks like a crazy jungle. This year I decided to lay down strips of 3' landscape fabric across the 50 foot width of the garden, then cover that with wood chips for paths. The beds are permanent now, and I'll rotate plantings from bed to bed. This way we have much less area to contend with weeding, and the soil improvements are also much more focused. I've been wanting to go to mostly "no till" and this should help a lot with that. We're also laying down a nice thick layer of newspaper on each planting row followed by pine needles. I've done this in the past with good results keeping down weeds. Put in the drip lines on a few rows today. 
|
|
#
?
Apr 26, 2015 01:07
|
|
|
Adult Sword Owner posted:My plants have issues and I don't know what to do
|
|
#
?
Apr 26, 2015 01:18
|
|
|
Adult Sword Owner posted:My plants have issues and I don't know what to do My best guesses: Some of those plants appear to have either verticillium wilt (a fungal infection that goes through the roots) or a bacterial wilt. Both are pretty common for nightshade family plants and cilantro. One thing you should start doing is sanitizing your hands and tools between plants/patches to prevent the spread of disease. Dispose of any dead plants, afflicted prunings, and dropped dead stuff. Don't compost it, just chuck it. Your spinach is probs being nommed by slugs; not a whole lot you can do about that besides trap slugs and murder them.
|
|
#
?
Apr 26, 2015 02:02
|
|
|
I don't think its bugs though, I'm on the 10th floor and I don't see anything around the plants. Bacterial/fungal it could of course be. Should I cut off affected parts?
|
|
#
?
Apr 26, 2015 03:22
|
|
|
Adult Sword Owner posted:I don't think its bugs though, I'm on the 10th floor and I don't see anything around the plants. Bacterial/fungal it could of course be. Should I cut off affected parts? It might not be, but they could have ridden in on one of your newly purchased plants. (One time I found a big ol' fat slug nestled down in an orchid... Why?) I would trim off anything wilted so the plant doesn't have to keep trying to support that part. Make sure you clean your tools well between plants. Rubbing alcohol works pretty well. I don't care to use bleach on steel or iron tools due to rusting.
|
|
#
?
Apr 26, 2015 03:27
|
|
|
ChaoticSeven posted:Trying something a bit different this year. I have a bermuda and johnson grass yard and it's just a bitch trying to keep a nice looking garden. It starts out well enough but we always lose around August. It still produces of course, it just looks like a crazy jungle. This year I decided to lay down strips of 3' landscape fabric across the 50 foot width of the garden, then cover that with wood chips for paths. The beds are permanent now, and I'll rotate plantings from bed to bed. This way we have much less area to contend with weeding, and the soil improvements are also much more focused. I've been wanting to go to mostly "no till" and this should help a lot with that. Wow, the dream! I am in 6b, got two raised beds set up today, going to get my topsoil/composte mix this week sometime. Looking for plant ideas for reach bed. Bed 1: 8'x8'x6" Bed 2: 8'x4'x1' I know I want at least 2 Tomatillo plants, and then grow another Tomato varietal as well. Cilantro is a must, as are a bunch of different peppers and some bell peppers. I think my girlfriend will grow the rest of the herbs in pots.
|
|
#
?
Apr 26, 2015 21:08
|
|
|
There seem to be a few of us in the thread who are in zone 6. Parsley and chervil are very nice. Parsey is a biennial so you'll have it in year two. Corn salad/mache is really good. So is sorrel; as a plus, it will grow well in shade. Chervil can self-seed quite readily. For cuteness points (and edibility!) you can grow violets and Johnny Jump-Ups (a.k.a. heartsease). It's starting to get just a tad late to do so, but you can still start a spring planting of peas. Champion of England is a nice variety but there are tons of others. I'm growing asparagus and horseradish; they take a while (2 - 3 years for an asparagus crown!) to get established, but are worthwhile. Salad radishes are great because they are ready for harvest quickly compared to anything else you seed into your garden. Bunching onions (scallions!) are also lovely. Spinach, arugula, crinkled/Persian cress, and lettuce are all excellent early crops too.
|
|
#
?
Apr 26, 2015 21:57
|
|
|
Well gently caress. I went away for the long weekend to take care of some business, and when I got back I found that my wife had killed all my indoor seedlings. She did not water them at all, and left them in bright direct sunlight. They are all wilted to gently caress. Now i need to figure out if i should bother with the remaining seeds I have, and start growing them again indoors or simply plant them outside in a few weeks and hope. So long tomato, tomatillo, bell pepper and rosemary.
|
|
#
?
Apr 26, 2015 23:38
|
|
|
It is a bit groverhaus for sure and not yet covered in netting but hopefully it will keep the drat squirrels out.
|
|
#
?
Apr 27, 2015 03:14
|
|
|
Load bearing netting.
|
|
#
?
Apr 27, 2015 03:14
|
|
|
I figure I'm good as long as the squirrels don't gang up and jump up and down on the top of it. But then again they are crafty bastards.
|
|
#
?
Apr 27, 2015 03:35
|
|
|
Black cherry aphids. From Hell's heat, I stab at thee... Seriously, my little cherry has finally, really taken off, and I see this poo poo. I had a moment of rage and hosed them all down with some Sevin I had in the garage, and later today I'm going to hand wipe/wash off all the affected leaves. (There will be no fruit this year, so I'm not concerned about treatments affecting edibles right now.) But moving forward, I know prevention is always the best practice. Neem oil, starting during dormancy? Order ladybugs? (Which seems funny to me, considering we have tons in the yard already. I'm pretty sure we have a colony that sleeps in our attic during winter. Every spring, for a solid couple weeks, our upstairs, and only upstairs, gets dozens of lady bugs from no apparent source. I think they make it down the exhaust fan vents in the bathrooms. In non-rage inducing news, our indoor tomato starts are all about 12 inches tall and have taken over the top of the long dresser.  I love spring (except for the part where I discover new pests to hate. Those black aphids can go right up the list along with squirrels, chipmunks, and moles.
|
|
#
?
Apr 27, 2015 15:08
|
|
|
Shifty Pony posted:It is a bit groverhaus for sure and not yet covered in netting but hopefully it will keep the drat squirrels out. It won't Not making GBS threads on the construction because that's neat but squirrels are shifty bastards.
|
|
#
?
Apr 27, 2015 15:59
|
|
|
Shifty Pony posted:I figure I'm good as long as the squirrels don't gang up and jump up and down on the top of it. Yeah, I think that will be the biggest challenge. One idea to strength the structure up very easily though: plywood triangles. Put them in the corners, and then it won't "rack" under load. This is a lot nicer/easier/less wood than putting cross bracing on. Here's an example:  That will pick up a lot of side loads so you don't have to worry about it falling over when something start crawling up the netting/fence you put on it, a branch or something falls on the top or you have a windy day (don't underestimate how much wind netting will catch).
|
|
#
?
Apr 27, 2015 16:30
|
|
|
Good idea. I was planning on putting some cross bracing up once I got the hex netting in place, screwing the braces on after the hex wire was mounted so I didn't have to fight with getting the wire around the bracing. Triangles of plywood is super easy.
|
|
#
?
Apr 27, 2015 17:48
|
|
|
The squirrels will win. The folly of man continues.
|
|
#
?
Apr 27, 2015 17:49
|
|
|
Catch 5000 squirrels and line either side of your driveway with their crucified bodies
|
|
|
#
?
Apr 27, 2015 19:20
|
|
|
Sulla-Marius 88 posted:Catch 5000 squirrels and line either side of your driveway with their crucified bodies post/av combo right there
|
|
#
?
Apr 27, 2015 23:34
|
|
|
I wanted to do that with a bunny I killed but my wife wouldn't let me.
|
|
#
?
Apr 28, 2015 00:04
|
|
|
I have deliberately left a dead rat in a trap for a day by our chicken coop (out of the reach of chickens, of course) to serve as a Warning to the Others. THERE IS NO HONOR IN THIS PLACE, ONLY RUIN. I may be insane.
|
|
#
?
Apr 28, 2015 01:51
|
|
|
Squirrels do not care for your displays of gore and would steal a tomato and eat it while standing on the heads of their fallen comrades.
|
|
#
?
Apr 28, 2015 03:12
|
|
|
Shifty Pony posted:Squirrels do not care for your displays of gore and would steal a tomato and eat it while standing on the heads of their fallen comrades. Thats why we feed the local stray cats. they like to lounge around on the back patio and serve as good squirrel guards.
|
|
#
?
Apr 28, 2015 15:56
|
|
|
How frigging long does it take for potato seeds to sprout? I planted them almost a month ago and not a drat thing has come up. GRRR.
|
|
#
?
Apr 29, 2015 03:49
|
|
|
Oh my god I hate my loving cats. After 3 weeks the chili seeds have finally sprouted and are doing quite well. I wake up this morning and find out that the cats have just eaten them all. But I already have cat grass, there are four goddamn pots full of fresh cat grass on the same balcony - didn't touch the cat grass, oh no thank you, just my tiny motherfucking seedlings. I'm so cranky with them right now Sulla Faex fucked around with this message at 08:29 on Apr 29, 2015 |
|
|
#
?
Apr 29, 2015 08:05
|
|
|
Sulla-Marius 88 posted:Oh my god I hate my loving cats. After 3 weeks the chili seeds have finally sprouted and are doing quite well. I wake up this morning and find out that the cats have just eaten them all. But I already have cat grass, there are four goddamn pots full of fresh cat grass on the same balcony - didn't touch the cat grass, oh no thank you, just my tiny motherfucking seedlings.  I better put the cover back on mine as soon as I get home. No telling when mine will figure out that there's precious baby starts in the basement.
|
|
#
?
Apr 29, 2015 12:38
|
|
|
I've had to start a couple jalapeņo, habanero, poblano, and cabbage seedlings over because a field mouse is sneaking around in my basement where I have everything set up. I've started putting them on the porch overnight while the lights are off and that's lessened the damage, but I think he's getting braver about sampling the goods while I'm at work. I found some nibbles taken out of the cot of one of my cukes. Tonight I'm going to try surrounding the trays with duct tape, sticky side up.
|
|
#
?
Apr 29, 2015 13:57
|
|
|
My cucs are looking sad as all hell (basically no growth since I planted them from seedings) and I think the issue is that they need 8 hours blistering full sun and they're getting maybe 4 hours of direct. I put way too little dirt in their big container so they don't really peek over the edge and my condo faces west so most of the sun is during setting. Should I haul them inside and set up my one grow light over them until they start to vine out enough to get over the pot ledge?
|
|
#
?
Apr 29, 2015 14:45
|
|
|
The spinach in my garden tower is failing to thrive, and all the romaine bolted. I had to buy salad greens today 
|
|
#
?
Apr 29, 2015 15:40
|
|
|
Adult Sword Owner posted:My cucs are looking sad as all hell (basically no growth since I planted them from seedings) and I think the issue is that they need 8 hours blistering full sun and they're getting maybe 4 hours of direct. I put way too little dirt in their big container so they don't really peek over the edge and my condo faces west so most of the sun is during setting. Would it be possible to have them leaning on something like wood or a dictionary so they are getting more sunlight?
|
|
#
?
Apr 29, 2015 17:10
|
|
|
Cimber posted:Would it be possible to have them leaning on something like wood or a dictionary so they are getting more sunlight? I can definitely tilt them to the west but I was afraid that was somehow inadvisable. The dirt's well packed so I don't feel like they'd fall out or anything. If that's just the way to go I'll give that a shot
|
|
#
?
Apr 29, 2015 17:14
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 31, 2024 16:01 |
|
|
Zone 6 we ready Topsoil/compost mix comes tomorrow, I know I want to grow tomatoes and tomatillos, so I want to get some cages, will I get a better deal on amazon than at like home depot or something? Also what height do I need? E- if your neighbor offers to rototill your spaces before you build raised beds, do it and plant grass after on the outside lol, I'm real tired. I have a bunch of that black weedblocker fabric, would anyone recommend putting that down on top of the dirt before the soil just in case? always be closing fucked around with this message at 01:06 on Apr 30, 2015 |
|
#
?
Apr 30, 2015 01:04
|
|