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Good thing I deliver chips and can get cardboard for days. I had planned on laying out the soil this Saturday (2,560 lbs of dirt/manure  ) but its going from 71F on Thursday, to 50F on Friday, to 32F on Saturday with snow. This has been the dumbest winter.
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Mar 8, 2017 08:41
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Unless you are going for organic I would also cut a line in the grass where the edge your bed will be and then spray the grass inside of it with glyphosate (roundup). The cut line is both to keep the glyphosate from moving along runners and killing grass outside the bed and also to keep those runners from working their way upwards and growing grass in the bed. I've seen grass coming out of the top of stop sign posts so I doubt a layer of cardboard and a foot of soil is going to present that much of a challenge to it. Roundup is only effective when it is sprayed to contact leaves and is broken down by soil bacteria so it won't affect the bed at all. Be sure to do it when there is zero wind and don't step in areas you spray or you could track it around leaving trails of dead grass footprints that show up in a few weeks.
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Mar 8, 2017 15:42
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Got two unrelated questions: Got a whole pot of Thyme, and Spring is arriving here. Not a single plant more like a mat of Thyme. Should I cut it all down or just cut off the brown sections? I just did the latter yesterday evening. I could actually rip up the sections that are overwhelming brown too. The plants are definitely alive, there is plenty of green. With hot peppers, my experience is Capsicum annuum cultivars are always larger and more aggressive than Capsicum chinense cultivars. Is that a general rule or not really? I'm growing Carribean Red Habanero, "Dragon Cayenne", Trinidad 7 pot, Scotch Bonnet this year. I am going to put the cayenne ones in their own larger pot.
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Mar 8, 2017 16:02
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 Zucchini, summer squash, peppers, eggplant, broccoli, carrots, potatoes, pumpkins, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, spinach.  Basil, chives, cilantro, garlic, scallions, lavender, onions, parsley, oregano, spearmint. Some of it will be planted at different times, different harvest times, etc. Is this going to be too complicated to keep up with? I'm in Zone 6.
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Mar 8, 2017 19:53
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Is that sectioned off into... square feet? Good luck keeping your zucchini from taking over all of the area zoned for peppers, summer squash and some of the broccoli area. I guess it's possible with a lot of pruning and attention, but in my opinion, that's packing a lot of plants in a small space.
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Mar 8, 2017 20:00
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Do not grow more than 1 zucchini plant.
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Mar 8, 2017 20:02
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So, replace a zucchini with another pepper, would a trellis help to keep it grow up instead of out? EDIT: Yes, square feet. I'm fairly new to this, is it a bad idea?
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Mar 8, 2017 20:10
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Comb Your Beard posted:With hot peppers, my experience is Capsicum annuum cultivars are always larger and more aggressive than Capsicum chinense cultivars. Is that a general rule or not really? I'm growing Carribean Red Habanero, "Dragon Cayenne", Trinidad 7 pot, Scotch Bonnet this year. I am going to put the cayenne ones in their own larger pot. Always is a bit too much I'd say. Annuum plants can get pretty big, but in my experience c.baccatums tend to be king when it comes to size. (Well, height more specifically, c.chinense plants are usually shorter and wider.) I had Caribbean Reds last year and they were awesome! Super tasty and not overwhelmingly spicy. E: Joeslop, you might want to plant your mint in a pot instead or its roots will spread absolutely everywhere. Mints gone wild are real bastards. Catpain Slack fucked around with this message at 20:18 on Mar 8, 2017 |
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Mar 8, 2017 20:12
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  Back row of veggies will all get a trellis sized to their plots, as will the pumpkins. I'll have to guide the vines when they start growing it seems. Mint into some pots that we've got laying around.
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Mar 8, 2017 20:23
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What app are you using to plan out your garden? That looks pretty rad. Edit for content: These are the plants I sprouted. I'm putting them into the ground this weekend! https://www.instagram.com/p/BRY4s8uA8u0/?taken-by=cyclesleeprepeat LunaSky fucked around with this message at 20:35 on Mar 8, 2017 |
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Mar 8, 2017 20:24
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LunaSky posted:What app are you using to plan out your garden? That looks pretty rad. http://www.gardeners.com/on/demandware.store/Sites-Gardeners-Site/default/KGP-Design It also gives you information about planting everything, I've been using it with cross references to other things.
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Mar 8, 2017 20:25
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Catpain Slack posted:E: Joeslop, you might want to plant your mint in a pot instead or its roots will spread absolutely everywhere. Mints gone wild are real bastards. Mint is a loving weed and it doesn't die. It's almost impressive.
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Mar 8, 2017 20:32
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Look man I just want some mojitos this summer.
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Mar 8, 2017 20:35
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I don't know what's crazier: that you're going to spread out sixteen basil plants out over eight square foot or that you might mean eight square foot full of basil. Apart from the zucchini, pumpkin and eggplant madness, that is. One of each will easily fill up all the squares in your top picture. You're not going to force all of that up in the air. Especially with the pumpkins where the fruit is so heavy you'll have to fabricate a hanging basket for every one of them. e: Forgot about the summer squash!
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Mar 8, 2017 20:53
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Our community garden won't let anyone grow mint. They also suggested not growing broccoli because there is a thief in the neighborhood. Gardening is weird sometimes!
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Mar 8, 2017 20:55
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I probably won't actually be planting four pumpkins, maybe just one or two in that spot. And my girlfriend really really loves basil. 
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Mar 8, 2017 21:04
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Admiral Joeslop posted:http://www.gardeners.com/on/demandware.store/Sites-Gardeners-Site/default/KGP-Design if this is your first year growing this stuff, probably best (imo) to underfill a little so you can get an idea of what works, what doesn't, and what goes loving insane and takes over everything
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Mar 8, 2017 21:06
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awesmoe posted:if this is your first year growing this stuff, probably best (imo) to underfill a little so you can get an idea of what works, what doesn't, and what goes loving insane and takes over everything  Gotta learn somehow. EDIT: I'm probably going to buy already started plants from the store, instead of trying to nurse seeds along. Unless some of this grows just fine being planted in a bed instead of inside?
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Mar 8, 2017 21:16
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Tomatoes peppers basil and eggplant would be the only ones I would start inside, everything else should be fine as long as there isn't frost. Check the seed packets, and it should say if they're fine to sow outside
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Mar 8, 2017 21:38
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You can always just pull up or transplant things if it gets too crowded. Sometimes stuff dies and it's nice to have a backup.
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Mar 8, 2017 22:28
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  My beds arrived! Now I just have to kill the grass, level them out, and wait for the loving rain and snow to stop. And maybe get something to make the gutter drain a bit further away.
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Mar 9, 2017 00:11
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I moved into an apartment with a decent patio, so I'm attempting to grow some stuff. I started some radishes about a week ago in 2 14" pots. A few questions about growing radishes: How frost tolerant are they? I've been reading that they can be planted several weeks before the last average frost in winter. When they're in a container are they a little less hardy? What temperature should I take them inside at? Any idea if they'd get totally messed up by taking them inside for a weekend? I'll be gone this weekend and it will be fairly cold, so I figured I'd give them a good watering and take them inside so they don't dry out too much.
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Mar 9, 2017 00:20
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Grow mint in a 2 gal bucket from Lowe's if you want to do it on the cheap. Mine still grew enough for dozens of mojitos per week in regular potting soil, last year. Edit. In my opinion, you have twice as many plants as you need, especially with your bed up against the house. It will be hard to read h the plants in the back in july/August. Totally my opinion, and worst case scenario you end up with a really really dense garden, kill it over the winter and start over. extravadanza fucked around with this message at 00:43 on Mar 9, 2017 |
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Mar 9, 2017 00:39
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I advise putting a foot or two between your beds and house at minimum. You need to be able to maneuver around the garden sure, but more importantly you need to be able to clearly see and walk around the foundation of your home and it needs to be clear of plants and other obstructions so that water can drain and evaporate away appropriately.
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Mar 9, 2017 00:48
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It's actually against the garage but fair point. They're not set in place yet.
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Mar 9, 2017 00:52
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awesmoe posted:if this is your first year growing this stuff, probably best (imo) to underfill a little so you can get an idea of what works, what doesn't, and what goes loving insane and takes over everything Fitzy Fitz posted:You can always just pull up or transplant things if it gets too crowded. Sometimes stuff dies and it's nice to have a backup. Yeah I take this back. Plant lots, but be prepared to thin out as it becomes necessary. And don't put beds directly against walls. (I'm currently waiting for a concrete slab to be laid so that I can put my greenhouse up, so I'm jealous of your beds arriving)
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Mar 9, 2017 01:18
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Admiral Joeslop posted:It's actually against the garage but fair point. They're not set in place yet. At least you are doing raised beds instead of double digging a large chunk of yard. Also, this is going to be the first time for me in awhile, zone 8 and today put in some late veggies, its been raining a lot on my days off.Leaf Lettuce in a partial shade corner, carrots, onions and some radish. I have seed starts ready to go a bit after our last frost date which is unironically March 15th. Beware the Ides of March!
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Mar 9, 2017 01:23
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You mentioned your girlfriend likes basil. How much basil does she like, exactly? I'm in zone 6 and plant 2 basil plants each summer. It is enough for fresh basil whenever I want it, plus several batches of pesto, to the point where we freeze quart-size bags of leftover pesto every summer. The key is to never trim more than 1/3 of the plant at a time, and always trim off about that much any time you see flower buds starting. Every time you trim it, it will branch and double the amount of shoots from that stem. You will end up with a basil bush. Also, I would do more like 4 tomato plants. If you cook at all, you can make and freeze tomato sauce very easily.
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Mar 9, 2017 03:06
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For comparison I have two beds exactly the same size as yours. In the first I have three tomatoes and a ring of zinnias spaced every 6" around the edge. In the second I have four cucumbers, two eggplant, two jalapeņos, and six sunflowers. I am only able to fit this in there because I am going to train the cucumbers up a trellis and I don't really care if the zinnias get overrun. I'd start by dropping the pumpkins. Vining varieties of pumpkin need absurd amounts of space (approximately 25-50sqft per plant), and are often pretty underwhelming as to get good sized ones you need to limit each vine to two fruit or so. Next drop the broccoli for now, it likes cold weather so you'll plant it in the fall (or already have it in for the spring). I could be wrong though , try searching -city name- planting calendar to see when things should be planted where you are. Here's pretty much what I went with on my first trial garden a few years ago and it worked decently well.  It wouldn't let me put them on the intersection lines so basically shift all the individual plants down and right so they are one door from the edge. Yes, two zucchini and two squash. Ignore what others are saying about one being too much - this is your first garden and you'll want that if only to experience the joy of giving other people fresh produce and seeing their faces light up over something that you are absolutely sick of eating for every drat meal because oh god why did I plant two zucchini and two squash?! The eggplants won't sprawl as much giving you room for a single line of potatoes at the end of the bed. You can replace one of the squash (which are less versatile than zucchini) and eggplants with pepper plants if you want some more variety- jalapeņos are great if you like a little heat and taste much better from the garden. Once the zucchini and squash are done (or you are done with them) rip them out and start thinking about fall crops like broccoli and carrot. If you don't mind only being able to get in from one side you can place a line of three or four cucumbers on the bottom side as long as you train them up trellises and keep on top of the watering.  Ok this was the advanced stuff. You said your GF loves basil so here you go. Plant the basil in waves every two weeks or so and same with the spinach, that way you've got it arriving not all at once. Plant the cilantro all in one go and by the time it starts to bolt you should be in need of more basil room. By the time the spinach is done the tomatoes should be starting to really get sprawling. Three rows of onions spaced 4 inches apart should be fine at the end. Just my suggestion. And don't you dare put mint in the ground in your garden. Once it gets established it will spread and will never ever stop. Put it in a large pot instead and be careful to keep a saucer under it - my neighbors in Virginia accidentally forgot to stick one back under their pot-o-mint when they moved the pot and the mint got out by sending a root through the hole in the bottom of the pot. It somehow managed to outcompete bermudagrass. Shifty Pony fucked around with this message at 03:43 on Mar 9, 2017 |
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Mar 9, 2017 03:15
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I will make her sick of basil. And probably plant other things; I went ahead and bought some seeds while I was at the store today, so we can wing it a bit. I plan to get some trellises, I can just throw a few more in for them to grow up.
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Mar 9, 2017 03:17
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Shifty Pony posted:And don't you dare put mint in the ground in your garden. Once it gets established it will spread and will never ever stop. Put it in a large pot instead and be careful to keep a saucer under it - my neighbors in Virginia accidentally forgot to stick one back under their pot-o-mint when they moved the pot and the mint got out by sending a root through the hole in the bottom of the pot. It somehow managed to outcompete bermudagarss.  I also like the rest of your advice!
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Mar 9, 2017 03:20
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Admiral Joeslop posted:
Mint is evil. It even plays the long game and will do just ok in a pot for years until you think that people have to be exaggerating and you transplant it into the ground at which point hahah sucker the yard in the mint's now. But on the plus side it smells amazing when you mow it.
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Mar 9, 2017 03:47
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POOL IS CLOSED posted:I advise putting a foot or two between your beds and house at minimum. You need to be able to maneuver around the garden sure, but more importantly you need to be able to clearly see and walk around the foundation of your home and it needs to be clear of plants and other obstructions so that water can drain and evaporate away appropriately. I'm considering putting a 2' wide bed up against part of my back house, is this still a bad idea? The ground is all sloped and countoured away from the house and is pretty hard clay - the consequences of bulldozers rolling over everything but shaping the land so drainage goes outward.
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Mar 9, 2017 04:05
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I got a funny mint story. Back in FDR's tenure as president, they put chicken coops in an under-utilized area of the white house lawn, and taught local city slickers how to raise poultry for the president's dinner table. Everything went great, but the chickens tasted weird. They couldn't figure out what was wrong, until a gardener went back there and saw the chickens eating out of a huge mint patch. Turns out Teddy Roosevelt loved Mint Juleps, and planted a few mint starts 27 years before. So they had to rip up the whole lawn. One of my local community colleges is infested with mint. They stopped fighting it years ago and now just revel in their great smells. Suspect Bucket fucked around with this message at 04:41 on Mar 9, 2017 |
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Mar 9, 2017 04:39
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Rogue posted:I'm considering putting a 2' wide bed up against part of my back house, is this still a bad idea? The ground is all sloped and countoured away from the house and is pretty hard clay - the consequences of bulldozers rolling over everything but shaping the land so drainage goes outward. It's still a good idea to give your foundation that space. If something goes wrong, you want a better shot at noticing it. Good air circulation also reduces the risk of stuff like algae, mildew, etc growing on your siding. Give it like a foot if you're hurting for space, at least.
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Mar 9, 2017 05:08
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Admiral Joeslop posted:
I wouldn't do that because most of the plants in stores have them hopped up on nutrients and or nitrogen. Ask the people working at the store what they are feeding/ spraying their plants with. You can always start the seeds then transplant them. That's what I do!
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Mar 9, 2017 05:12
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Suspect Bucket posted:I got a funny mint story. Back in FDR's tenure as president, they put chicken coops in an under-utilized area of the white house lawn, and taught local city slickers how to raise poultry for the president's dinner table. Everything went great, but the chickens tasted weird. They couldn't figure out what was wrong, until a gardener went back there and saw the chickens eating out of a huge mint patch. Turns out Teddy Roosevelt loved Mint Juleps, and planted a few mint starts 27 years before. So they had to rip up the whole lawn. Are there other weeds/fast growing plants that are useful/edible to us? I know we can eat dandelions, though I've never tried, but besides being known as weeds do they actually grow with the tenacity of mint?
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Mar 9, 2017 08:42
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IIRC amaranth is pretty weedy. Arugula can spread surprisingly far if it goes to seed.
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Mar 9, 2017 13:38
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100YrsofAttitude posted:Are there other weeds/fast growing plants that are useful/edible to us? I know we can eat dandelions, though I've never tried, but besides being known as weeds do they actually grow with the tenacity of mint? Dill can grow pretty vigorously and gets quite tall as well, my parents had some that managed to survive and grow back every year in a bed of mint and lemon verbena. Lemon verbena also grows pretty similarly to mint and in the end managed to out compete the mint in the bed! Rosemary as well can grow into a pretty big bush if left unchecked.
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Mar 9, 2017 13:38
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| # ? May 29, 2024 02:18 |
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 This year's project. This used to be a huge pile of rubble about 1/8 acre large. The upper area will be seating and the lower "walled" in area will have veggies on either side of the path. Still working out the logistics of irrigating it.
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Mar 9, 2017 16:14
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