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I have 2 4x8 beds I built and it always ends up with wild tomatoes and peppers and then herbs that I try in pots that mostly die the first time there's a massive rain storm. Looking at that I might try growing the herbs and some other vegetables in the that square foot style. I'll do some reading up on it. I have a vague plan to try and keep my tomatoes from going all jungle next year by just building trestles along 3 sides of the bed and growing the plants up them, leaving the center free for pots or me to move around in. Not the best use of space but better than a giant jungle I can barely get into to pick or prune. I might try building a third bed next year for the peppers and some other vegetables. I don't know. Its not expensive to build or anything but I just don't have much space. For now I should probably figure out something to throw down on the gardens before everything freezes and figure out composting. My main problem last year was that I built a fence to keep the deer out after the devastated my garden early in the spring but I built it so tight I couldn't do poo poo around the edges without taking the whole thing down. I'll have to spring for a wider fence this year or something. I dunno. Gotta plan.
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Jan 2, 2019 03:37
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Speaking of carrots, I have some that I planted late spring that are still in the bed. They're starting to look pretty huge. I'll pull one out tomorrow and take pictures because why not?
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Jan 2, 2019 05:02
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Harvest pictures are always good
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Jan 2, 2019 05:23
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STAC Goat posted:I have a vague plan to try and keep my tomatoes from going all jungle next year by just building trestles along 3 sides of the bed and growing the plants up them, leaving the center free for pots or me to move around in. Not the best use of space but better than a giant jungle I can barely get into to pick or prune. I found that learning how to prune tomatoes (pinching out the new developing stem between a leaf and the old stem) helped a lot to keep them under control, as long as I was diligent about it. Trellises, stakes, and tying up are also critical. I've found it really easy to grow a jungle using the square foot system if you're not careful. I been running two rows of tomatoes in a bed with the plants at 24" spacing. Next year I'm going to run a single row per bed - I don't need that many tomatoes and maybe I won't end up stepping on tomatoes all through August. Squash are going to be banished outside the fence to take their chanes with the deer; some parts of my garden this summer were no-go zones after the spaghetti and hubbard squash got going. My trellises were too short for square foot density.
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Jan 3, 2019 06:47
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How big were your trellises? I have some plans for squashes and cucumbers and am a little concerned they'll take over.
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Jan 3, 2019 07:22
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I had some great success growing cukes on one of these: https://www.gardeners.com/buy/deluxe-cucumber-trellis/8587083.html I think I trained 4 plants on each side, and it was way too much. They didn't start growing beyond the trellis until pretty well into the summer in zone 5/6. I had far fewer bitter cucumbers with this trellis, but I'm not sure if it's because I used a different variety or because of the equipment or because of the weather.
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Jan 3, 2019 21:13
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Grand Fromage posted:How big were your trellises? I have some plans for squashes and cucumbers and am a little concerned they'll take over. They probably will Fitzy Fitz posted:Harvest pictures are always good ^^^
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Jan 3, 2019 21:16
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Grand Fromage posted:How big were your trellises? I have some plans for squashes and cucumbers and am a little concerned they'll take over. They are basically this: Made out of heavy wire concrete reinforcing mesh. When bent in half to span a 4' bed they stand about 3' high. They worked really well in previous years when all I had on them was pickling and English cukes but the squashes took over this year and I kept finding cukes the size of wine bottles when I took everything apart this fall.
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Jan 4, 2019 00:17
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Hexigrammus posted:I found that learning how to prune tomatoes (pinching out the new developing stem between a leaf and the old stem) helped a lot to keep them under control, as long as I was diligent about it. Trellises, stakes, and tying up are also critical. Yeah, the key to avoiding the jungle is generally how easy I make it to get access to them in a tight space. The first few years of growing I did cages around each tomato plant and it was kind of hit and miss but it never got out of control. The last couple of years I used these 3-4 foot trellises that V to stand (similar to what was just posted, just wooden). It was much easier to set up and tie, best growing, and arguably even prune on the outsides, but what inevitably happens is the center becomes this jungle I can't really manage. And this year I set up a fence which made the outsides hard to prune and it just went completely out of control. Basically this.  Tomatoes on the left on trellises, peppers/radishes/carrots on the right in cages or stakes, at the center top a 4 tier shelf for potted herbs. This year I built a tight 4 ft fence around the perimeter kind of desperately when deer devastated my garden very early after ruining my grow season all last year. While it was very successful at keeping out deer as you can imagine it made tending to the edges extremely difficult. My tomatoes went insane and became a jungle and while I got a lot I also lost a lot rotting around those edges and in the center. The peppers actually grew better than I've ever had but I think that was basically because it was the first time I did well growing them from seed indoors. This year I'm just going to seed them very early. Like next month. Radishes were fine but no one really cared for them, carrots were small but I probably planted them too late/pulled them too early. I'm gonna try them again this year. Also, in reality I just plant too many tomatoes. I end up with hundreds sitting in bowls that I desperately give away to people and make a ton of tomato sauces and chilis. And my V trellises are kind of coming apart from weather so this year I intend to just take them apart and set them up along the edges of that fence. I'll grow less tomatoes but they should be easier to control and harvest. And I'll still have some room in the center for pots or something as long as I leave room not to walk on them. I also had bad results with the herb rack. Besides the fact that the rack itself started to warp over the summer I got uneven sun and water, and four days of rain wiped out half them. So that square foot idea sounds appealing on the right. I've tried a lot of different ways with herbs but always had the most luck in ground. So this is vaguely what I'm thinking of for next year.  Its ostensibly 4x8 but really its smaller than that so I figure rows of 3. I haven't read enough to know if the "square foot" is actually dependent on it being a foot, but I'll read up on that this winter. Peppers and carrots in maybe 6 of them and then different herbs in each. I'll have to think it out, figure what I want to plant, and figure out how many squares I need. Like I said, I'm thinking of building a third bed (maybe smaller) but there's space issues. I might try lifting the bed out of the ground and turning it vertical and adding a smaller one to its side. I dunno. That's probably too much hassle than just finding a spot for a smaller bed. That's something for spring. I figure these approaches should also make mulching/weeding easier, which is an area I always have trouble with. So mainly I just gotta figure if I should be doing something to my ground now before snow hits (right now the beds just have sheets over them to cut down on weeds) and figure out how early is too early to start seeding indoors. STAC Goat fucked around with this message at 01:32 on Jan 4, 2019 |
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Jan 4, 2019 01:14
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Protip: Quarter radishes and fry em in a cast iron skillet in some olive oil with a light pinch of salt until lightly browned. Mellows the pepper flavor, adds a bit of roastiness. My rule of thumb for tomatoes is only 2-3 plants per person, 1-2 pepper plants per person, and 0.5-1 summer squash plant per person. Any more than that and it's near impossible to keep up with their output. Especially the drat squash. As for what to do to your beds now, horse or cow manure or compost on top now would be good. Will give it time to age and mellow before you actually plant.
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Jan 4, 2019 02:40
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Yeah, if I do that square thing I'll definitely try a harvest or two of radishes again. They grew pretty easy so it seems worth another try. With peppers I just always have a hard time getting a harvest. I have a kind of short growing season here in the North East US and I don't tend to get many mature peppers by summer's end. And then they rot as soon as the cold hits. I seeded indoor this year in March and transfered them to bigger pots and kept them indoors until May (I think). I had much better luck but still like maybe 20 peppers from a dozen plants. But there were a LOT growing when the plants died so I just think I need an earlier start time and maybe some more controlled attention. Which the squares would probably help with (I tend to plant pretty disorganized and messy so just those lines and barriers would probably help a lot). And yeah, its time to just cut back on the tomatoes. I over did it this year because I bad luck last year. But aside from my very bad 2017 I've always had way more tomatoes than the house, my mother, my sisters, friends, neighbors, and mother's church can handle. So cutting back makes sense and should open up some room.
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Jan 4, 2019 04:15
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If you're in the NE, you should check out Four Season Harvest by Eliot Coleman. Big on how to get a bunch of stuff even in Maine. Big on hoop houses, row covers, etc anything to extend the growing seasons. And this YouTube channel is chill, no bullshit, and in Michigan or Minnesota I think. Lots of good ideas on how to grow a buncha poo poo year round. https://www.youtube.com/user/OneYardRevolution Crakkerjakk fucked around with this message at 04:34 on Jan 4, 2019 |
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Jan 4, 2019 04:30
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Duck and Covers super fancy guide to growing indoors. Buy a grow light.
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Jan 4, 2019 05:07
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I've been pretty lazy this year about cleaning up plants from the summer and it has been interesting to see what is surviving so far through the winter in my climate. A couple eggplants that were planted very late just recently died after some snow but one plant is still surviving. Tomatoes which popped up from the compost in September are still surviving and I am occasionally harvesting unripe fruit from the plants for stir fries. Most surprisingly my birdseye chilies have also not died off completely yet. In my main garden I've cut back two of my chili plants and one of the younger tomatoes and covered them with a plastic bottle just as an experiment to see how long I can keep them going. Winter where I am is relatively mild and so far all are nice and green so it will be interesting to see how they do. On an unrelated note has anyone grown oak(?) from fallen acorns? Last spring I gathered a lot of them from a forest intending to make a jelly with them but I never got around to it and now I noticed that pretty much all of them have sprouted. I don't think I have space anymore in my main bed for another tree but was thinking about trying to replant a few of them in big containers.
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Jan 4, 2019 14:29
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I've tried to shepherd little oaks before. Squirrels love to dig them up though because there's a guaranteed acorn underneath.
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Jan 4, 2019 15:14
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The old advice for planting an oak is ‘look up.’ They are long lived trees that will grow to be quite large, so think about what want in 50 years. Don’t plant it right next to the house or under a power line, for instance, and I wouldn’t plant it too close to your garden because tree roots like nice rich garden soil just as much as vegetable roots do. That being said, I think planting a long-lived tree is about the best thing anyone can do for the world and their local community. They’re super easy to grow but they do need protection for their first few months. I planted a bunch of Chinese chestnuts in pots one year that we’re doing great until the squirrels found them and mowed them down in an afternoon. Make a little chicken wire cage to go over the pots and plant the acorns a few inches deep. White oak acorns sprout in the fall of the year they drop and then put up top growth in the spring-red oak acorns don’t sprout until the spring and benefit from cold stratification (stick them in the fridge for a 3 months) You can probably grow them in 3 gal plastic pots for 2-3 years but then they’re going to need to go in the ground somewhere-give them to you friends!
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Jan 4, 2019 15:38
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Nice. Where they were in my house it was probably about equivalent to being in the fridge but maybe I'll still try putting a couple in there. My actual garden space is also pretty limited so I'll just give it a go with large containers. My workplace is more out in in the countryside so I'll bring some also out there try planting. Thankfully where I am I don't have to worry about squirrels digging them up or anything.
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Jan 4, 2019 15:58
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Over time, my family and I (because it's been 20 years), have successfully gotten two oaks to grow (maybe more, they may have been planted somewhere else). They both came from a young oak my grandparents bought the year I was born and is still growing on the path from the garage to where the barn used to be (as it's since been torn down). We just took a bunch of the acorns and kept them cold over winter in the garage, then left them in the spring in a snowy covered container for them to sprout and root in the spring/summer. I'm sure more would have made it, but we didn't have space for a grove of oak trees, just the few. So that second was planted at my parent's house. The third was a volunteer and we dug it up from the base of the first and I think it too was planted at my parent's house. The first tree is 35+ feet tall now, I don't actually know for sure because I haven't measured. It's almost as tall as the house, and the house is 7' above where the house is built. The second is somewhere between 15-20' tall now and it's about 15 years old. It's starting to work above the spruce that are to the south of it, but has another 10 years before it will start pushing out the ash tree. The nearby birch doesn't really stand a chance. One thing I'd say is give them some time to start putting down that taproot in a big bucket. We used something at least as deep as those old 2 gallon ice cream buckets. It doesn't hurt to try now, but they may have more luck if you take care of them for a year or two and then move them. If you care about them a lot and have deer that like to eat young saplings, you might want to look into a wrap for them after you put them in the ground. Otherwise, just do as the squirrels do and plant them randomly all over the place. Chances are decent that a couple might make it.
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Jan 4, 2019 18:27
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I left my swiss chard and rocket seedlings on the window sill for a week over Christmas and they have thrived with neglect (I'm a little hurt that they don't seem to have missed me at all).
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Jan 4, 2019 22:51
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Hello. I'm a total newbie gardener, and I've just got an allotment. (5 rod - which is about 10m by 8m). Location is South East England. I can have a shed on it, and green houses/poly tunnels. There's a tap right by the plot, so I don't have to carry water very far. I want to do a mix of vegetables, herbs, and flowers. The previous owner put on a lot of manure last year according to the site manager. Where start? What are essential starter tools - Spade, Fork, Hoe, Rake, Trowel, and cutting things? Ideally I want to be able to get something going that'll be ready at the end of March
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Jan 6, 2019 17:26
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Spade, fork, soil rake, I get more use from a hand hoe than a full size but that's down on your knees rather than standing. String, watering can, gloves. Bucket or trug or wheelbarrow depending on size/budget/need. Is there anything on or in the plot right now? There's not a great deal you'll plant in January and have ready in march, Jan/Feb is just to cold without a poly tunnel or greenhouse. The only things I know will grow that quick in the right conditions are peas, dwarf beans, lettuce. I'm a big fan of spinach beat, not quick but a handful of plants will keep a family in iron-rich greens for months, and the leaves freeze well. E: I'm cribbing from the allotment book by Andi Clevely, it's been helpful. There are others obviously.
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Jan 6, 2019 17:52
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I had a digging hoe/azada from amazon for my allotment and it was amazing for turning over the soil and digging trenches.
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Jan 6, 2019 18:12
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cakesmith handyman posted:Is there anything on or in the plot right now? There's not a great deal you'll plant in January and have ready in march, Jan/Feb is just to cold without a poly tunnel or greenhouse.
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Jan 6, 2019 19:05
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It won't be ready by March (more like July) but you can plant garlic now.
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Jan 6, 2019 19:21
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These are some of the things I want to grow. Sweet peppers Onions Garlic Mushrooms - is this possible? Carrots Salsify Chillies Tomatoes Potatoes Courgettes Lettuces Strawberries Jerusalem artichokes Edible flowers like Nasturtiums - what else is there in this category? Some fruit trees - apples and pears I guess, though if more Do you have to harvest all your plants (e.g. all your potatoes) at the same time, or can they be left in the ground? I don't have a lot of storage in my flat. Angrymog fucked around with this message at 21:43 on Jan 6, 2019 |
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Jan 6, 2019 21:40
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mushrooms grow in the dark - you can grow them in a warm dark cupboard in your house
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Jan 7, 2019 02:54
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If it was me starting off with dug soil my priorities would be a rake (for forming raised beds), a composter (for weeds, clumps of sod, and other "refuse"], and a Ho-Mi digging tool. I'm no-dig so once a bed is formed I don't need to disturb it and the spade could wait until I have to plant trees or move compost and mulch. There are hand hoes and trowels that do the same job as a Ho-Mi, but the Ho-Mi is one of those tools that feels like a natural extension of my arm. If you can find a digger that feels like that grab it.cakesmith handyman posted:Spade, fork, soil rake, I get more use from a hand hoe than a full size but that's down on your knees rather than standing. String, watering can, gloves. Bucket or trug or wheelbarrow depending on size/budget/need. I'll second this list, once things get going. The only thing I'd add is a set of pruning shears. Angrymog posted:These are some of the things I want to grow. Very easy to grow, but plan now for how you're going to contain them. Mere paths will not stop their spread into neighbouring allotments and they're a pain in the arse to have to weed out of your beds. They'll need a metal or concrete barrier before they go in, if you value your sanity. How do I know this? Well.... Angrymog posted:
If you can find wood chips to mulch some dwarf fruit trees this is a good pairing. Stropharia (Garden Giant) is large, tasty, light tolerant, and is supposed to do well under trees and berry bushes in a garden. I want to try some under my blackberry hedgerow but the people I want to buy the spawn from are old-world hippies with a relaxed attitude towards people trying to hand them money. Which reminds me, it's time to send them another email. Angrymog posted:Do you have to harvest all your plants (e.g. all your potatoes) at the same time, or can they be left in the ground? I don't have a lot of storage in my flat. In your climate (similar to our west coast Canada climate) a lot of things will stand in the garden. Potatoes will sometimes rot but I've had them last longer in the garden than bringing them inside where it's too warm and they sprout - we dug them throughout winter into April last year. If you select the right varieties of brassicas and time the planting right you'll be picking kale, brussel sprouts, broccoli, and cabbage throughout the winter. If you do go down the winter gardening rabbit hole you'll need to make sure you have a good supply of leafy mulch and keep an eye out for "Beast from the East" forecasts. Angrymog posted:Strawberries Look for local varieties whose berries aren't found on the commercial market (don't store well, can't resist more force than your 7 kph car bumper). I have one of these that tastes like it was rolled in sugar. I'm sure it can't be good for my health. No idea how well they store, they rarely last long enough to make it to the kitchen. Since you're British (even if you weren't, but especially when you are) I'd recommend getting to know Charles Dowding's books and YouTube channel.
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Jan 7, 2019 04:57
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Angrymog posted:These are some of the things I want to grow. Sweet peppers and chillies need a greenhouse or polytunnel, which will also help you start other things early like salad leaves. Courgette flowers are edible apparently, which will stop you drowning in courgettes. Strawberries are weds and will grow anywhere, if you've a fence by your plot I know people who grow them in gutters full of soil so they don't take floor space and cascade fruit downwards. As others said, plant garlic now, mushrooms are an indoor crop. I've just placed an order for 5 dwarf patio fruit trees, in pots they should stay under 1m high, 0.5m wide. £40 from Thompson and Morgan, 2 apples, a pear, a cheery and a plum. All will need protecting from various pests and birds but I've wanted these for years. Will update when they come in.
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Jan 7, 2019 08:28
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I've ordered Dowdings "How to create a new vegetable garden" book.
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Jan 7, 2019 09:41
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cakesmith handyman posted:I've just placed an order for 5 dwarf patio fruit trees, in pots they should stay under 1m high, 0.5m wide. £40 from Thompson and Morgan, 2 apples, a pear, a cheery and a plum. All will need protecting from various pests and birds but I've wanted these for years. Will update when they come in. Please do. I've had my eye on the exact same collection and am hoping it's still available next month after I've been paid. If not, there's always Mystery Supermarket Fruit Trees that may or may not be the fruit on the label. If I could swap out the cherry or plum for a peach tree it would be perfect.
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Jan 7, 2019 23:08
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I'm gonna stick some garlic in my back bed tonight after work and see if I get something good later this year from random organic garlic from the store. Starting to get twitchy, need to plan out what I'm going to do this year and actually figure out what's gonna go where and when I need to start stuff. Big goal for the year is to actually start seeds indoors instead of buying starts or just direct sowing. Our springs are just way too short for my typical slack rear end "direct sowing two weeks late" when it comes to poo poo like tomatoes, beans, and peppers.
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Jan 7, 2019 23:19
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Lady Demelza posted:Please do. I've had my eye on the exact same collection and am hoping it's still available next month after I've been paid. If not, there's always Mystery Supermarket Fruit Trees that may or may not be the fruit on the label. It's been available for a few years +/-£10 so I can't see it disappearing. I need to pick up 5 big pots and get them prepped now, don't want 5 sticks turning up and nowhere to put them. I love fresh cherries, I'm ambivalent about the plums. A peach would go down well that's true. Re: supermarket fruit/veg I had fantastic luck last year from Aldi's pepper and chili plug plants and a friend bought the hops plants when they were available, he's made beer from them already and is over the moon with them.
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Jan 7, 2019 23:39
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Crakkerjakk posted:I'm gonna stick some garlic in my back bed tonight after work and see if I get something good later this year from random organic garlic from the store. Ugh same. Being two weeks late will be fine this year! I say before the end of summer when I'm wishing I had a few more weeks
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Jan 8, 2019 00:40
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I'm starting pepper seeds in paper coffee cups on my desk at work. Four varieties sprouted so far!
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Jan 8, 2019 00:57
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A Pack of Kobolds posted:I'm starting pepper seeds in paper coffee cups on my desk at work. Four varieties sprouted so far! Hot! What kinds? Seed mat heater? What kind of light? I want to be a pepper growing monster I need all the info I love the burn
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Jan 8, 2019 01:03
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It's still loving 15c in January in Ohio so I have no idea when the gently caress to think about planting anything.
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Jan 8, 2019 01:07
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I take my Christmas tree down Feb 4th and I'm debating seeding peppers in the same spot that week.
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Jan 8, 2019 01:14
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Grand Fromage posted:It's still loving 15c in January in Ohio so I have no idea when the gently caress to think about planting anything. Well it's January and so you should have delicious tomatoes ready to harvest and maybe considering starting strawberries? I think strawberry roots start to be sold in December. https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3856830 I don't though because I'm lazy and don't presently have an easily accessible source of water in the winter.
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Jan 8, 2019 01:32
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Only got two cloves in. Grounds mostly frozen in all my raised beds from the cold snap we've been having. I'll keep checking once it warms up, see if I can get them in. Plus do some serious planning and scheduling this weekend. And find a closet I can stick a wire rack in, set up some lights on chains, etc.
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Jan 8, 2019 03:33
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Harry Potter on Ice posted:Hot! What kinds? Seed mat heater? What kind of light? Here's a pro tip. Don't keep the spray bleach on the same shelf as the pyrethrum spray. My Carolina Reaper didn't appreciate that little oversight. If it survives, I'll have the most anti-bacterial chillis ever.
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Jan 8, 2019 15:33
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