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kedo posted:If you just stick that in some dirt and water it, it'll probably root and survive. Should I snip off the current leaves or does it not matter?
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May 9, 2016 21:42
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How tall is it? I'm no tomato expert, but I'd probably just bury 3/4 of the thing without causing it any further trauma. It only needs a leaf or two poking out the top to get some sun in order to survive. You could also plop it in a cup of water and wait until some roots sprout and then plant the thing.
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May 10, 2016 16:26
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kedo posted:How tall is it? It was maybe 6 inches tall, but pretty wide. Ended up burying the whole thing w/ a little sucker branch point up and 2 of the 3 true leaf branches poking out of the soil. I'll see how it goes!
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May 10, 2016 16:30
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We're having an issue with mice in our backyard veggie garden area. Small field mice. Any suggestions for an outdoor mouse trap? I'd prefer to avoid the snap traps since we have all sorts of other animals that visit our yard.
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May 13, 2016 20:22
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There's a type of mousetrap called a spin trap, it's an enclosed piece of plastic you load with bait that can only be reached by crawling in a tiny mouse-sized entrance. When the bait is touched the trap springs shut, mouse dies. We used them in the house when we got insane (and probably infected with toxoplasmosis) mice who figured out that our cats can't get them inside the cupboard under the sink.
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May 13, 2016 22:32
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So this year I didn't start any seeds in trays - has anyone had any success with direct-seeding peppers and tomatoes? On one hand I know the peppers will probably be slowpokes because they like warmer soil for germination, but on the other hand it's too late to start indoors and get any real benefit out of it and I'm curious to see how cheap and lazy I can be this year and still get a productive garden out of it. I don't want to buy greenhouse plants if I don't have to. Edit: Also, every year when I pre-start my tomatoes I transplant them and they take a good 2 weeks to get over the shock and really start growing again so I figured the later start date and direct-seeding might balance that out a little bit?
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May 13, 2016 22:41
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Faerunner posted:So this year I didn't start any seeds in trays - has anyone had any success with direct-seeding peppers and tomatoes? On one hand I know the peppers will probably be slowpokes because they like warmer soil for germination, but on the other hand it's too late to start indoors and get any real benefit out of it and I'm curious to see how cheap and lazy I can be this year and still get a productive garden out of it. I don't want to buy greenhouse plants if I don't have to. What zone are you? (maybe that's just US, can't remember) I've read tomato transplants like soil temps of around 55-60 or more and will be shocked for a bit if it's too cool. I think you want pretty warm soil to direct seed peppers or tomatoes. Like 70-75? Warmer the better anyway. dedian fucked around with this message at 23:38 on May 13, 2016 |
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May 13, 2016 23:30
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extravadanza posted:It was maybe 6 inches tall, but pretty wide. Ended up burying the whole thing w/ a little sucker branch point up and 2 of the 3 true leaf branches poking out of the soil. Last year I rooted quite a few tomato suckers and for those that had quite a few leaves, I found it helped a little to have a plastic bag over them to hold in a little moisture and to prevent wilting (air it out once a day or so, so you don't get mold or anything growing though). That's obviously easier to do indoors, so if this one doesn't make it, know that you'll get more very soon! Rooting them in water can definitely work, but roots also need air so as soon as you see some coming out, it'll probably do well to move it into soil.
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May 13, 2016 23:44
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dedian posted:What zone are you? (maybe that's just US, can't remember) I've read tomato transplants like soil temps of around 55-60 or more and will be shocked for a bit if it's too cool. I think you want pretty warm soil to direct seed peppers or tomatoes. Like 70-75? Warmer the better anyway. Eh, I don't ever use a heat mat under my seedlings and my tomatoes have germinated indoors at room temp (60s) just fine. The soil temps outside are another matter but I'm putting everything in raised beds with fresh dirt and the heat-loving plants are going on the side of the house next to the brick wall which radiates a LOT of heat back at them all day. I'm in the far north of zone 7b. If I direct seed, I'm going to have to do it soon or risk having only green tomatoes by October.
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May 14, 2016 01:48
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Last fall my cousin and I walked by a cool old church that had a huge orange tree growing out front so I figured that whatever variety it was must do pretty well in the local climate. I picked up a fallen orange, planted the seeds in starter pots, and now have a bunch of babby trees! I am gardening-dumb, so where do I go from here? The biggest ones are 3-4" tall and they're in 4" tall pots - is it time to move the healthiest looking two or three to bigger planters? How big should I let them get in pots before putting one permanently out in the yard?
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May 14, 2016 02:09
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PDP-1 posted:Last fall my cousin and I walked by a cool old church that had a huge orange tree growing out front so I figured that whatever variety it was must do pretty well in the local climate. I picked up a fallen orange, planted the seeds in starter pots, and now have a bunch of babby trees! I can tell you that they're definitely not navel oranges.
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May 14, 2016 05:15
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PDP-1 posted:Last fall my cousin and I walked by a cool old church that had a huge orange tree growing out front so I figured that whatever variety it was must do pretty well in the local climate. I picked up a fallen orange, planted the seeds in starter pots, and now have a bunch of babby trees! I don't know about the planting but you might be interested to know that fruit trees are very rarely true to their parent. I don't have any experience with citrus but I know that if you plant the seeds of, say, a honeycrisp apple... none of the new trees will produce honeycrisp apples. And most will be pretty awful to eat - lots of tannins etc. (although that might make them better for cider). So my guess is that you are going to end up with seven new varieties of oranges. Which I think is pretty drat cool. I hope your trees survive their transplant. edit: Actually I just googled it and I'm an idiot, orange trees are often true to their parent. But they won't be exactly the same so maybe you will end up with an improved variety.
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May 14, 2016 21:53
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Well, nurseries often keep their trees in pots until they're 2-3 years old and at least a few feet tall. I guess it makes them hardier and less likely to die off and/or get eaten when transplanted? I'd go by that metric and just keep potting up so as not to let them get rootbound. Just guessing but probably the bigger seedlings will need that pot upgrade soon. Good luck with your future oranges. I hope they are delicious.
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May 15, 2016 05:15
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Marchegiana posted:There's a type of mousetrap called a spin trap, it's an enclosed piece of plastic you load with bait that can only be reached by crawling in a tiny mouse-sized entrance. When the bait is touched the trap springs shut, mouse dies. We used them in the house when we got insane (and probably infected with toxoplasmosis) mice who figured out that our cats can't get them inside the cupboard under the sink.
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May 15, 2016 20:26
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Currently in the last bits of buying a house in East London. The house has a South East, East facing rear garden with neighbouring relatively open gardens to the south. I know that east facing gardens are not considered brilliant for growing apples and pears. What could be considered good varieties that could thrive in conditions where frost and sudden heat of the morning damage the buds of mere weakling fruits? And if not apples, what other fruits should I be considering? (I have time, as it stands I need to tear down some bastard conifers that block all sunlight from the east.) Asomodai fucked around with this message at 14:38 on May 25, 2016 |
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May 25, 2016 14:20
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What is the climate like? If there is not a substantial amount of late spring/early summer rains you could consider apricots or peaches, maybe? Plums, other stone fruits? If it's too moist your risk of fungi might be too great.
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May 26, 2016 04:23
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jvick posted:What is the climate like? If there is not a substantial amount of late spring/early summer rains you could consider apricots or peaches, maybe? Plums, other stone fruits? If it's too moist your risk of fungi might be too great. East London = Polluted, dry and zero wind. But who knows in England! Say variable.
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May 26, 2016 11:18
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Hello intimidatingly-intrepid gardening folks! I have bought a house with a backyard and I'm excited to try my hand at producing vegetable matter from seeds and sunlight. I remember mom's extensive gardens from my youth, and my daughter is pretty enthused about planting things, and perhaps even caring for them. I'll be living in Toronto (Canada zone 6, US zone 5). I have some questions, if you might indulge me. Quick-cycle fall plants: I'm moving into the new house in the first half of August, and it's realistically going to be mid-August before I can get things in the ground (containers because I won't have time to build beds). I know there are fall-planted crops, but I'm not sure if there are any that turn around fast enough that I could harvest them this year. I'd love to have some produce to show for it, to preserve my kid's enthusiasm (and because, yeah, fresh produce). Garden planning software: Am I mistaken, or do all the garden-planner programs sort of suck? I've tried a handful at the cost of about $30 and a deepened disappointment in the state of the software industry. An iPad one would be especially great, because it'd be easier to do with the kid, but I know an unfulfillable wish when I see one. June-July Zone 9b: my kid is in fact so excited about the prospect of gardening that she doesn't want to wait for us to move. What crops would you recommend if I had to plant them in containers in zone 9b now and want to harvest them by the end of July? Is that even possible? I have a deck with partial sun, and ideally they wouldn't require daily watering because I have occasional travel. Herbs and some sort of wicking system for when I'm away? The world's most eager tomatoes? Thanks for any help you can offer. I know savagely little about this stuff, but I'm quite eager to learn more. I'm looking for good books on companion gardening and SFG and so forth as well, to fill in my knowledge.
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May 26, 2016 22:31
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Hello, all! I got my daughter a mini garden thing for Easter that came with radish seeds. We planted them late April and they began growing well. The container is tiny (and glass so you can observe the roots. Educational~) so after they began to sprout, we removed all but one. The roots looked good, there was a nice thick stalk, and many green leaves. But after checking it today, there's still no bulb. What did we do wrong? It got plenty of sunlight. I thought radishes were supposed to be easy?
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May 27, 2016 01:55
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Subjunctive posted:Hello intimidatingly-intrepid gardening folks! I have bought a house with a backyard and I'm excited to try my hand at producing vegetable matter from seeds and sunlight. I remember mom's extensive gardens from my youth, and my daughter is pretty enthused about planting things, and perhaps even caring for them. I'll be living in Toronto (Canada zone 6, US zone 5). I have some questions, if you might indulge me. I would put some herbs in containers: basil, rosemary, mint. These will likely survive a move as they can be put in small containers and are pretty hardy. Plus, if you grow from transplants instead of seeds, you can start harvesting pretty much immediately. Lettuce is pretty simple to grow, and can be harvested whenever. I would pick up a packet of mesclun mix, it includes a couple different colors and shapes of lettuces. You can eat it at any size, so it might be fun to have some tiny salads. As for getting your daughter excited, moving in around August is perfect for choosing your bulbs for planting in Sept - Oct. Pick out some daffodils and tulips together and plant them, then next spring you will have something cool to look forward to so she gets excited for next year.
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May 27, 2016 15:51
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vonnegutt posted:I would put some herbs in containers: basil, rosemary, mint. These will likely survive a move as they can be put in small containers and are pretty hardy. Plus, if you grow from transplants instead of seeds, you can start harvesting pretty much immediately. I'm moving internationally, so taking the plants will be a no-no, but herbs are a good idea. I can give them to a neighbour when we go. Mesclun sounds like fun, and I hadn't been considering flowers at all! Thanks!
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May 27, 2016 17:05
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Subjunctive posted:Quick-cycle fall plants: I'm moving into the new house in the first half of August, and it's realistically going to be mid-August before I can get things in the ground (containers because I won't have time to build beds). I know there are fall-planted crops, but I'm not sure if there are any that turn around fast enough that I could harvest them this year. I'd love to have some produce to show for it, to preserve my kid's enthusiasm (and because, yeah, fresh produce). If it's not too hot where you'll be, you could try radishes. Arugula seems to grow pretty quickly, though I won't swear it's that fast. Basil and some other herbs can get big enough to use pretty quickly. Garlic is planted in the fall for the next year, and you can plant fall onions for the next spring, though I've never done that. I think I read that they grow fine, but don't keep as well as onions planted the same year. You might also look into planting some green manure to overwinter. Subjunctive posted:June-July Zone 9b: my kid is in fact so excited about the prospect of gardening that she doesn't want to wait for us to move. What crops would you recommend if I had to plant them in containers in zone 9b now and want to harvest them by the end of July? Is that even possible? I have a deck with partial sun, and ideally they wouldn't require daily watering because I have occasional travel. Herbs and some sort of wicking system for when I'm away? The world's most eager tomatoes? Much of the same as above - radishes, maybe some greens. There are some things that are supposed to be left until after the first frost to pick. The only ones I can think of off hand are rutabaga and parsnip, and I think those take too long, but there may be others that you could try to squeeze in. Subjunctive posted:Thanks for any help you can offer. I know savagely little about this stuff, but I'm quite eager to learn more. I'm looking for good books on companion gardening and SFG and so forth as well, to fill in my knowledge. Here's my unsolicited advice: 1) Plants have been growing for a long time, and people have been growing plants for a long time. Almost any method will let at least some stuff grow, so don't get too caught up in weather you're organic enough, whether you should really be using a raised bed, hugelkultur, permaculture, no-till, or <insert your ideology here>. The fundamental joy of gardening is that you throw some seeds in the ground, water them, and food happens - everything else is details. Don't let yourself lose site of that because you aren't following the instructions in a gardening book exactly right. 2) Similarly, never let the gardening become work or a chore. Start small, and only take on an amount you can comfortably do and enjoy. You can always expand next year, but you won't want to do anything at all next year if you hated it this year. 3) Make sure you have enough sun for what you're growing. You can fix poor soil, dry weather, and even pests, but if you don't have enough sunlight, you're done before you start. (Some crops will grow better than others with less sun, but generally the more the better.) If your new yard won't have any really sunny places, start looking NOW for a community garden nearby. 4) Start out your first season by picking 2 or 3 things that are easy to grow in your area, and 2 or 3 that you really want to eat, even if they're less likely to produce well. That way, you should get enough success from the former to stimulate the reward center of your brain and keep going, and the latter will keep you passionate about what you're doing, even if it doesn't always produce well. If everything you want to eat is stuff that grows well, so much the better!
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May 27, 2016 18:15
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Subjunctive posted:
I've tried both Gardena which might be mainly meant for sprinkler system design and Garden Planner by smallblueprinter.com. I've liked Garden Planner better, but I've just been using the trial and I really don't want to fork out the $34 they want for the full version. It's still pretty clunky, but so far I've been able to get it to do what I want. I'm so used to CAD systems, so all of these absolutely suck. If anyone has any others that they've found, I would be all for switching it up.
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May 27, 2016 20:05
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Do websites count? http://www.zukeeni.com/ has been pretty nice. Enter in all your plants, decide if you're starting indoors/transplant or outdoors and then design the garden - drag and drop the plants where you want them, etc. It suggests the number of plants to grow for your family size, and you can get a plug in that adds succession planting reminders. Emails you reminders for your weekly garden chores, including soil amendments before putting the transplant/seed in the bed. Only thing that bugs me about it sometimes is it splits your gardens into Spring/Summer and Fall/Winter, so you have to switch between gardens to get the whole year, but it's not too bad.
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May 27, 2016 22:33
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Subjunctive posted:Quick-cycle fall plants: I'm moving into the new house in the first half of August, and it's realistically going to be mid-August before I can get things in the ground (containers because I won't have time to build beds). I know there are fall-planted crops, but I'm not sure if there are any that turn around fast enough that I could harvest them this year. I'd love to have some produce to show for it, to preserve my kid's enthusiasm (and because, yeah, fresh produce). People have mentioned greens, and if you use transplants you probably have time for most. But if you like kale, it's really cold hardy. We had a weirdly mild winter last year, but I still had kale in the Toronto area in December.
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May 29, 2016 00:09
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I posted a little while back about starting tomatillos. They've grown, I've been hardening them and I think it's time to plant, but it looks very thin and scrawny compared to the tomato plants. Is this to be expected? I was planning to plant them a little deep. (I know they're started too close and it's going to be a bitch to transplant  )
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May 29, 2016 17:28
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From what I can see they aren't getting enough light. They are super leggy and leaning. It's not likely you can separate them successfully. They damage you will have to do to the roots will kill both plants. Just transplant them and cull whichever one thrives more in a couple weeks.
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May 30, 2016 02:15
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I moved and had to abandon my garden. The blueberries came with us though, and they Luke the new place a lot. 
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May 30, 2016 02:36
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Motronic posted:From what I can see they aren't getting enough light. They are super leggy and leaning. Bah, I guess it's not as easy to start tomatillos without a grow light. The tomatoes managed okay by the windowsill, though. I went ahead and transplanted them -- it was overcast and calm. Now, a few hours later, it's sunny with 30km/h winds. 
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May 30, 2016 22:16
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Jan posted:Bah, I guess it's not as easy to start tomatillos without a grow light. The tomatoes managed okay by the windowsill, though. Were they always behind the tomatoes like in the pic? Those few inches make a hell of a difference in front of a window.
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May 31, 2016 00:47
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Motronic posted:Were they always behind the tomatoes like in the pic? Those few inches make a hell of a difference in front of a window. Yeah, but last year I had a similar layout, only all tomatoes... And one of the small pots closer to the window had tomatillos in it but still ended up leggy. Next year...!
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May 31, 2016 13:28
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Jan posted:Bah, I guess it's not as easy to start tomatillos without a grow light. A fan blowing on your starts is also supposed to help strengthen them and keep them from getting leggy. Of course, it also dries their soil out faster, so you need to keep an eye on them.
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May 31, 2016 21:13
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Unforeseen development: After accidentally snapping one of the tomatillo seedlings while handling it by the windowsill a week back, I'd just abandoned the top leaves in the pot. Today I noticed they look strangely healthy and are standing upright -- it turns out that the stem underneath rooted itself and I accidentally planted a tomatillo cutting.   Now I kind of regret chucking out the seedling that snapped while I was transplanting it. But I'll be sure to hold on to any fresh transplants that snap or otherwise die off...
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Jun 1, 2016 16:45
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I planted asparagus crowns in a raised bed a few days ago and I discovered I planted them wrong. I dug a hole and stuck the roots straight down instead of spreading them. Should I dig the crowns back up and replant them?
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Jun 1, 2016 20:25
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kedo posted:How tall is it? Just checking back in regarding my broken tomato situation. (Broke off the tip where it was growing from) Buried the whole thing except 2 of the large branches with leaves and it has quickly sprouted a new stalk and you can hardly tell it apart from the other tomato plants in my garden (except for the unusual potato leaves). I think it helped a lot that it basically rained non-stop the 2 weeks after I buried it. Actually the way that I buried it with 2 branches sticking out caused it to sprout 2 trunks. Probably best to snip the smaller trunk off just under ground level, correct?
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Jun 2, 2016 15:02
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Is it too late in the season to find/plant blueberry bushes in 6a? I just cleared out a spot beside my garage that's essentially a huge hugel bed, since the ground underneath is crossed with huge rotting roots from a big mulberry that used to occupy the edge of his property. Until a storm blew it onto his garage, that is. This spot gets hours of direct morning sun until the garage shades it in mid-afternoon. I have no illusion of getting berries this year; I simply want to get a start on growth to support a crop for next year.
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Jun 2, 2016 15:11
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Shame Boner posted:Is it too late in the season to find/plant blueberry bushes in 6a? I just cleared out a spot beside my garage that's essentially a huge hugel bed, since the ground underneath is crossed with huge rotting roots from a big mulberry that used to occupy the edge of his property. Until a storm blew it onto his garage, that is. This spot gets hours of direct morning sun until the garage shades it in mid-afternoon. I have no illusion of getting berries this year; I simply want to get a start on growth to support a crop for next year. If you are angling for a crop next year, I don't think anytime during the spring/summer is too late to plant. I'm in 6a and my local Kroger still has berry bushes for sale out front... I imagine nurseries will be selling them all spring/summer
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Jun 2, 2016 18:16
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extravadanza posted:Actually the way that I buried it with 2 branches sticking out caused it to sprout 2 trunks. Probably best to snip the smaller trunk off just under ground level, correct? It's personal preference really. Some people like having a single, strong, central stem while others let the plant go wild and do what it wants. There are arguments that you get more tomatoes both ways and honestly I have no idea which way is better. Google "pruning tomato plants" and go with whichever article resonates with you the most. I tend to keep the bottom six inches or so of the plant free of branches or additional stems and then I prune suckers occasionally to keep the plant balanced. Otherwise I'll barely touch the thing.
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Jun 2, 2016 19:27
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Strictly pinching off all suckers this year after last year tomato plants took over the greenhouse, resulting in lack of ventilation and, way too sentimental to cut back viable looking branches, having no other option to water on top instead of at the bottom because we couldn't get through the jungle. We thought this was amusing and reveled in this marvellous success until everything suddenly died within a week when some mould took hold. Basically had no tomatoes that year. So, that would be a reason to keep things in check. Otherwise, don't worry too much. edit: Also, tomato plants in pots might require a stricter management of input/output resources. Flipperwaldt fucked around with this message at 00:59 on Jun 3, 2016 |
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Jun 3, 2016 00:56
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Made a delicious eggplant squash parmesan from my own veggies. It was awesome!
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Jun 3, 2016 00:59
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