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eonwe posted:Does anyone have any experience growing on a patio? I'll be living on the 2nd floor and one thing I was thinking, the soil could end up being pretty heavy on a 2nd floor patio. I was thinking of doing a small-ish raised bed or something. The porch looks sturdy, seems to be concrete and its a fairly large-ish porch, but I wasn't sure how I'd even deal with this. How much weight you can have on it probably depends on the construction of your patio/balcony. Are you in an apartment? If so the building management or your landlord might be able to give you an idea of what sort of load it can handle. I know my previous building had rules about the amount of weight allowed on balconies. I had good luck doing things in small to medium sized pots. I played with the idea of doing a raised bed and in fact got one of those big half-barrel, wooden pots (which is roughly equivalent to a small raised bed in terms of quantity of soil) and planted a grape vine in it. Honestly it was more of a chore than it was worth. My balcony was pretty small and it was nearly impossible to move if and when I needed to move it. Also dealing with that quantity of soil in an apartment was a hassle. When I eventually got rid of it I had to pack the soil into half a dozen trash bags and walk it down the hall to my trash chute, spilling plenty along the way. So my recommendation would be pots and vertical growing if and when you can. I made a narrow bench out of old pipes and wood from Craigslist, and was able to increase my growing space substantially by putting pots on top and below. Hanging pots may also be good for herbs and flowers if you have anything above you can attach some hooks to. A tip about watering – if you have anyone living below you who likes to use their patio, be careful when you water. You're always going to overwater something enough that it'll drip down onto their porch, and getting covered in dirty water doesn't make for happy neighbors.
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Jan 24, 2018 20:05
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Good ideas! I like the idea of making the bench. I could probably make my own thing similar to that. I think if I do pots and such I'll probably be way less concerned about the weight. I'm thinking I could probably make something pretty decent out of PVC pipe that can hold a fair amount of weight and allow space above and below (as long as I make sure to put in some supports). I used to do a bit of plumbing work in high school, so I'm comfortable with getting one of those together. That might be a way better option than the raised bed, especially the first year I'm trying this out.
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Jan 24, 2018 22:04
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One last question, is there a pretty decent site for when I might start growing something from seed / start from transplant for a given zone? Literally every website I've gone to has different dates, sometimes wildly so
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Jan 24, 2018 23:38
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Johnnys seeds has a good calculator for when to start seeds, you just have to enter a "frost free date". http://www.johnnyseeds.com/growers-library/seed-planting-schedule-calculator.html
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Jan 25, 2018 00:27
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boraxlorax posted:Johnnys seeds has a good calculator for when to start seeds, you just have to enter a "frost free date". This is perfect
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Jan 25, 2018 00:39
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eonwe posted:Good ideas! I like the idea of making the bench. I could probably make my own thing similar to that. The important thing with container gardening is to use potting medium, not regular garden soil. It drains better, and is much, much lighter.
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Jan 25, 2018 05:56
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Also although you can make your own, mixing stuff in to large amounts of compost to make it seedling friendly is a huge pain in the arse and you don’t save much money.
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Jan 25, 2018 07:21
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Great stuff guys, much appreciated.
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Jan 25, 2018 17:09
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In North America, peat moss is pretty cheap, and I've used some good potting mixes that were basically just peat with a bit of perlite and vermiculite. Since you can buy compressed bales of peat moss, this can be a cost effective (and not too fiddly) way of mixing up a whole lot of potting soil yourself. e.g. see the "frequently bought together" section of this rather large bag of vermiculite at Home Depot:https://www.homedepot.com/p/Vigoro-2-cu-ft-Vermiculite-Soil-Amendment-100521092/205655205 (That's people making their own potting soil. 7 cubic feet of it for about $50, which is enough to fill up a deep freezer, or as many pots as you'll likely fit on your balcony.) You may want to add a little dolomitic lime to neutralise the acidity of the peat, but a lot of vegetables do well in acidic soil. A little compost and/or fertiliser is a good idea too. If you want to nerd out a bit, here's a reference, but I don't think you need to be too precise about the ratios: http://www.greenhouse.cornell.edu/crops/factsheets/peatlite.pdf Oh yeah, also seconding the suggestion to go with pots rather than one big raised bed. Pots are much, much easier to pack up and take with you. I've moved twice now, and been able to take (at least part of) my container garden with me each time.(And they're easier to carry to an outdoor space for filling/repotting, if you have access to one.)
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Jan 25, 2018 22:22
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5-gallon buckets make good pots for big plants like tomatoes. Gotta drill holes in them obviously.
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Jan 26, 2018 01:28
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i was considering making my raised bed easy to take apart (screwed square frames of wood that just be stacked/zip-tied together) and lining it with plastic. i might still make a smaller one that can be put on top of a table so i can have a wide flat area of soil to plant lettuces and stuff in the spring  stuff that doesn't need over 6 inches of soil to thrive. i'm definitely gonna yoink compost from my parents for a few things.my tomato plant last year (5 gallon bucket) kept falling over because it was extremely top-heavy and taller than me, even with a lot of pinching and pruning. this year i'm gonna get some bricks and add some weight to some of the pots i know will have super heavy foliage/growth so they won't blow over as easily during a storm.
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Jan 26, 2018 01:35
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Fitzy Fitz posted:5-gallon buckets make good pots for big plants like tomatoes. Gotta drill holes in them obviously.
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Jan 26, 2018 02:04
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How’s the self-watering part work? It got stupid hot here last summer and I couldn’t even take a weekend trip because my tomatoes would shrivel and die. I like to add some busted crockery, half-bricks, etc to the bottom of my 5gal tomato buckets. Helps with the center of gravity and improves drainage.
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Jan 26, 2018 06:54
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You all need some cordening in your lives  String wires, or string string, across your wall or balcony and tie the tomato plants to them as if they were vines.
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Jan 26, 2018 07:10
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For those looking at container gardening on a patio like eonwe, I wanted to offer one reference point for weight so I went out and weighed one of my fully laden 24" (taper to 16") terra cotta pots that I use to grow tomatillos and ground cherries in (but would be perfect for tomatoes). It tipped the scale at 120 lbs (~54 kilos) and though it's winter and I can't tell how much water is frozen in the soil, I wanna say this is closer to the dry weight than the watered-in weight.boraxlorax posted:Johnnys seeds has a good calculator for when to start seeds, you just have to enter a "frost free date". Thanks so much, your timing is perfect for me. Every year tree tappin' season starts and I'm busy AF for 4 - 8 weeks, then when the smoke clears I go, "oh gently caress it's mid-March and I haven't started a drat thing indoors or out" and miss the window for quite a few cool-season crops, end up setting my transplants out much later than I like, etc. This year I'm determined to set a schedule and stick with it. Now to find a good soil blocking media recipe. I switched from using those plastic 72-count plug trays and I'm a believer. The "air pruning" thing really works out well, especially for plants like cucurbits and squashes that are particular about root disturbance. Big Nubbins fucked around with this message at 15:43 on Jan 26, 2018 |
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Jan 26, 2018 15:33
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I'm moving in to my apartment on 2/15 and I think by the next weekend I plan on starting my seedlings indoors, which is about perfect based on that site. Also - ty for the weight measure on that.
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Jan 26, 2018 16:03
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I got my shalott sets and garlic planted in my new veg bed in the back garden   Large stuff like Potatoes, onions and loads more garlic are going in my small allotment patch, this will be for the fiddly stuff that needs watering and babying as it’s 4ft away from my hose tap.
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Jan 26, 2018 16:29
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elise the great posted:How’s the self-watering part work? It got stupid hot here last summer and I couldn’t even take a weekend trip because my tomatoes would shrivel and die.
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Jan 27, 2018 00:44
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A silly experiment is happening, if you wish to join me in it feel free to do so I’ve ordered two (dwarf) rootstocks from a very reputable nursery (http://www.blackmoor.co.uk/m/?cPath=320) Quince C and St Julien A I’m going to plant them and let them grow alongside a newly grafted peach and a wild peach seedling (currently at 12 inches) grown from seed out of sheer curiosity. If you just want any old fruit tree for a pot as a decorative piece is it really worth getting grafted? How fast will rootstock turn into a tree? Will it be a obvious type or a hideous mutant? For under £3 are you going to get more value for money than the standard stick in the ground for £19? Google has no answers, I have to find out.
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Feb 1, 2018 22:07
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learnincurve posted:A silly experiment is happening, if you wish to join me in it feel free to do so I'm not entirely sure I parsed this in its entirety, but I would note that their "dwarf" root stocks grow to be 3m tall, which may be a little large for most pots. Growing up, we had a lemon tree that was grafted, and the rootstock grew its own branch or two and even bore fruit, but the scion branches produced far superior lemons. Over in Vancouver, some of the municipal cherry trees have had their rootstock grow a few branches, which you can tell by the fact that the rootstock has white flowers, while the scion has pink (so you get these cool multicoloured cherry trees). I doubt you'll get a weird mutant, just a suboptimal tree, possibly with fruit that's inferior in some way (smaller, not as sweet, etc), and likely bearing less fruit (if any). Ultimately what you should probably do is graft the wild peach seedling onto the rootstock for full 
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Feb 1, 2018 23:40
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Would it be unwise to pot-up some peppers which are just starting to bud? I want to replace the soil they're in with a different mixture to improve aeration around the root zone. Both are between 18-20" in height. Picked up Bush Sugar Baby Seeds, Sativa and Mammoth Sunflowers for a combination melon patch/flower garden. What kind of soil/care do watermelons like? Gonna sow 3-5 directly into the ground, with possibly 2 more in outdoor plastic tubs in soil and mulch.
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Feb 5, 2018 14:41
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Pillow Armadillo posted:Would it be unwise to pot-up some peppers which are just starting to bud? I want to replace the soil they're in with a different mixture to improve aeration around the root zone. Both are between 18-20" in height. I've repotted peppers which are in fruit before with no problems. I'd try to do it of an evening once it's cooled down, though. Watermelon like lots of water. Mine don't seem to care much about the soil. I did find that I need to protect the fruit when they're little, though. I'd probably shelter them from the wind a bit next time around. They vines don't really anchor themselves to anything so they blow around a lot if it's really windy. I'm going to pick my first one this week. I've thrown out countless baby ones because they got damaged.
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Feb 8, 2018 02:33
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Picked my watermelon today. It was OK but I wouldn't grow sugar baby again - way too many seeds.
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Feb 9, 2018 08:38
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Does anyone have any recommendations for grow lights/stands like this Jump Start one? I'd like to try starting seeds indoors this year, but unfortunately the only room I could do it in is a no go for hanging anything from the ceiling.
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Feb 11, 2018 08:20
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Ape Has Killed Ape posted:Does anyone have any recommendations for grow lights/stands like this Jump Start one? I'd like to try starting seeds indoors this year, but unfortunately the only room I could do it in is a no go for hanging anything from the ceiling. Someone gifted me that stand a while ago. It's fine but seems kinda pricey. The 4' one needs a lot of space. Mine sat awkwardly on my dining table until I could buy a dedicated wire shelf for hanging lights. e.g. for a bit more, if you have the cash & space, you could get a double light fixture and entire shelf: https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=wire+shelf https://www.amazon.com/DL842S-Fluor...s=t5+grow+light Fitzy Fitz fucked around with this message at 13:29 on Feb 11, 2018 |
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Feb 11, 2018 13:18
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I also just use wire shelving like the above poster linked + ratcheting hangers to move the light up as my seedlings grow.
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Feb 12, 2018 17:39
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If you want to be really cheap use e27 bulb desk lamps. The bulbs are 6500k or full spectum LED, look for aquarium lighting. You can even use the stick on aquarium led strip lighting - source, has planted fish tanks.
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Feb 12, 2018 18:16
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I got inspired by this thread and just placed an order for my seeds for this year. I'm also stoked to make some self-watering planters! I live in region 6B and got... Lettuce, boring but I eat a lot of lettuce Basil because it's impossible to have too much pesto Cucumbers Tomatillos, which I'm hoping are easy to care for Tomatoes Strawberries, which I'm pretty stoked to grow in a container and overwinter inside my house I'm going to stop by Home Depot next weekend to get soil and seed starters - I already have a 3 grow light setup in my house. My plants turned out pretty leggy last year so I'm hoping that this year will be more "fruitful" (please don't hurt me).
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Feb 12, 2018 18:29
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Gonna be interested in comparing my first season's results to yours. Started container cherry tomatoes, carrots, purple basil, strawberries and watermelon last weekend. Trying to find some heirloom broccoli and collards to plant in a couple months once I have some finished compost. Good luck!
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Feb 12, 2018 19:49
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I’m probably going to splurge out this year and get a garland grow light garden, have a lovely heated propagator but last year everything got murdered to death by a wicked late frost in late April so things are only going in the cold frame when big.
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Feb 12, 2018 20:37
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I just started some shishito peppers indoors a month or so ago, and my cat decided to eat the tops off of all the seedlings and then immediately puke them up in front of me. The seedlings were about 4"/10cm tall with about 3-4 sets of leaves before he got to them, now down to 1 or 2 pairs each. I've moved them to containers outside since it was about time to do that anyway. I'm hoping at least one of them survives, but uh, how resilient are seedlings generally/where should I set my expectations?
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Feb 13, 2018 03:10
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Ordered my seeds for this year! Johnny's Selected Seeds had a nifty new product: I got a variety pack of herb wheels. Looks like they're just seeds pressed into filter paper, one paper for each type of herb (cilantro, basil, thyme, oregano, chives, and one I forget). The idea is you just plant the whole paper and get a container worth of herbs. I don't have an herb garden established so I bought a pack rather than buying starts or a bunch of different seed packets.
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Feb 13, 2018 03:52
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I found a video of a guy making seed starting grow box on Youtube. Has anyone started seeds like this? I have all the materials for this just laying around, but I'd like to know if this is a viable seed starting method before I cut up a storage bin.
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Feb 13, 2018 07:06
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I recoiled in horror when he got the lightbulbs wrong. You can even see he got it wrong when he was pointing at wiki. 6500k is daylight, 5000k won’t do diddly poo poo. Also blue light is what stops plants going leggy. His plants are going to germinate just because of the heat coming off the wrong lightbulbs, unless you put them outside right after they are going to wilt.
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Feb 13, 2018 07:58
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Ok having been down the horrible wormhole that is hydroponics for the last few days I got my set up for this year sorted out. Turns out it’s really hard to find good lights that are not used for industrial scale weed production. (Already had this) Stewarts premium heated propagator https://www.amazon.co.uk/Stewart-Premium-Thermostatic-Electric-Propagator/dp/B007BFF1IS X 2 Root!t grow lights. https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B078WJMLL1/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&psc=1 You can run the grow lights linked and they sit on top of the propagator lid - having hunted down the exact specs the light range is for seedlings and salad. American equivalent for your salads and saplings with the good and correct light + build quality is Root Farm LED Grow Light 45W https://www.amazon.com/Root-Farm-LED-Grow-Light/dp/B074SG33M2
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Feb 13, 2018 16:34
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I'm thinking about putting together a cheap germinating setup that I can convert into a mini greenhouse once it warms up. Will this and these work? I would also put a heating pad in there. I know nothing about grow lights, and would need something that could provide 100% of the necessary light since this would be going downstairs in the laundry room.
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Feb 13, 2018 16:47
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I have two of the first green house frames you listed. Been using it for 2 months, with the cover on it's been trapping hot air, and I'd think it needs some battery-powered powered fan, but my peppers have been happy and started to flower/fruit since going in the frame from partial shade. I'm new to this though, and it may turn out to be a fungus incubator in the coming weeks, so you might want some additional opinions.
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Feb 13, 2018 17:20
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That light strip is too red and the seller refusing to say what the LEDs are is throwing up red flags. You need blue light or otherwise seedlings start craning their necks looking for it. This is the one other people like: https://www.amazon.com/SOLMORE-Flex...4RDDHYZ97KGRT9J
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Feb 13, 2018 18:01
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I have a shelf setup like that. I also added like some little USB fans like these: https://www.amazon.com/Coolerguys-Dual-80mm-Cooling-Fans/dp/B002NVC1DS?ref=ast_p_ep Circulating air helps with mold and overheating.
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Feb 13, 2018 18:08
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Cool, thanks everyone! Do you typically need more than one strip of LEDs per tray of seeds, or would one strip per shelf be ok?
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Feb 13, 2018 18:28
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