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Oof yeah this climate change. I'm used to a long growing season where I'm at, but last year it got broken into 3 sections: *Grow *Everything tries to die from the heat *Grow That middle section was less than ideal, though my basil loved it. (Emerald Towers, highly recommended for flavor too.) Usually that middle section is only a week long and everything bounces back, but last year it was a month. On the good side this year, weather-wise it looks like I'll be able to get my cool weather stuff in a few weeks early, then just be prepared for a freak frost in April or something.
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Feb 24, 2024 14:23
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Ah good point about it staying warmer later. Thanks!
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Feb 24, 2024 14:32
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Anyone else have a grow shed? My wife plants a tremendous amount of flowers every year, including lots of beautiful tulip varieties. Last year she lost lots of blooms by them blowing too fast and too early.  We decided to turn half of our small garden shed into a cooler for the coming season. It was insulated with batt insulation and foam on all six sides and I ran some power through it. We framed in a window air conditioner to prepare for DIY "Cool Bot" controller.  During the fall she decided to attempt to force some tulips for Valentine's Day this year. Using a small electric heater and an inkbird controller we kept the shed at a steady 16 degrees C and kept grow lights on 16 hours per day. The shed hold temperature very well. So well that the LED lights were raising the temperature too much when the weather turned milder. Now we run the air conditioner in the day to counteract the heat buildup and the heater at night. It worked great and she put out some amazing tulips on our farm stand for Valentine's Day.  Managing the moisture in the room has been the greatest challenge and we are still trying to come up work a strategy. How to manage the moisture in the room without a bunch of wasted energy? If you have done something similar, what worked for you?
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Feb 27, 2024 04:36
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I have not, but UMass extension says it's a carefully-timed combination of heating and venting, which you could probably arrange if you can get an electronically-activated vent. You will definitely need fans if you don't have those set up yet. https://ag.umass.edu/greenhouse-floriculture/fact-sheets/reducing-humidity-in-greenhouse
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Feb 27, 2024 09:47
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Lead out in cuffs posted:I have not, but UMass extension says it's a carefully-timed combination of heating and venting, which you could probably arrange if you can get an electronically-activated vent. You will definitely need fans if you don't have those set up yet. Very interesting reading! I knew warmer air held more moisture but I did not know it was that significant. I think the thing to do is simply an exhaust fan controlled by a humidistat. With a good damper it may help control unnecessary heat loss.
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Feb 27, 2024 15:42
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Are there some good guidelines somewhere on filling raised beds? I'm going to be making some this year that should be ~2 feet tall. I have some sand and a bunch of fallen branches and old firewood I was going to throw in the bottom, but that still leaves quite a bit of space. Presumably not all of that needs to be top quality amazing soil, right? If it matters, I'll mostly be growing things like tomatoes, green beans, zucchini, and cucumbers in them. I never remember planting any of these very deep when helping out as a kid.
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Feb 27, 2024 16:31
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Tomatoes benefit from planting somewhat deep, so they can grow extra roots along the stem. They also root fairly deeply on their own. Maybe not 2 feet deep though...
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Feb 27, 2024 17:00
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Dr. Eldarion posted:Are there some good guidelines somewhere on filling raised beds? I'm going to be making some this year that should be ~2 feet tall. I have some sand and a bunch of fallen branches and old firewood I was going to throw in the bottom, but that still leaves quite a bit of space. Presumably not all of that needs to be top quality amazing soil, right? Know any farmers or horse owners? Compost is a great way to fill raised beds for cheap or even free if you're willing to do a little work.
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Feb 27, 2024 18:09
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yeah see if your city has compost pickup locations or somewhere where you can collect arborist's mulch if not, landscaping companies that will deliver soil/compost will be vastly cheaper than buying bags from a big box store
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Feb 27, 2024 18:40
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This is amazing I had no idea gardeners could grow so many flowers like that. I’ve only seen that many at once on big farms.
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Feb 27, 2024 18:50
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Those flowers really are stunning. Every year we have the same discussion and swear we're going to use some random corners of the garden to grow flowers and I never get past anything more than marigolds.
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Feb 27, 2024 19:09
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mischief posted:Those flowers really are stunning. Every year we have the same discussion and swear we're going to use some random corners of the garden to grow flowers and I never get past anything more than marigolds. Plant some perennials and you only have to do it once!
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Feb 27, 2024 20:01
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goatse guy posted:Plant some perennials and you only have to do it once! This is wise advice. I have a row of peonies and every spring I'm thankful for that one day of effort.
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Feb 28, 2024 00:09
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Dr. Eldarion posted:Are there some good guidelines somewhere on filling raised beds? I'm going to be making some this year that should be ~2 feet tall. I have some sand and a bunch of fallen branches and old firewood I was going to throw in the bottom, but that still leaves quite a bit of space. Presumably not all of that needs to be top quality amazing soil, right? The general recommendation for starting a raised bed is to put down a layer of cardboard or mulch as a barrier to kill whatever is already growing in the bed's footprint, and then fill with the soil you plan on growing in. Two feet is a fairly deep raised bed and you can absolutely grow everything you listed in less soil, but if I wanted to do that I'd use smaller containers instead of putting stuff I didn't want to grow in in the bed itself. Of the crops you listed, most bush/pole beans will grow in pretty much anything and so I wouldn't worry about them (unless you're planting some specific cultivar known to be picky about soil quality). Cukes, zukes, and tomatoes care more about nutrient balance and soil pH.
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Feb 28, 2024 00:27
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They're heeeeerrreeeeee.
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Feb 28, 2024 00:46
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Thanks everyone for soil advice. I'll look into some local companies and see what my options are to at least fill the top half with good stuff and try to find resources on filler for the bottom.
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Feb 28, 2024 02:21
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Tremors posted:They're heeeeerrreeeeee.
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Feb 28, 2024 03:05
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Dr. Eldarion posted:Thanks everyone for soil advice. I'll look into some local companies and see what my options are to at least fill the top half with good stuff and try to find resources on filler for the bottom. You can usually buy high-quality soil/medium by the truckload if you have a lot of raised beds. If you have a buddy with a pickup, it's even cheaper then getting it delivered.
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Feb 28, 2024 06:17
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Dr. Eldarion posted:Thanks everyone for soil advice. I'll look into some local companies and see what my options are to at least fill the top half with good stuff and try to find resources on filler for the bottom. We have had good luck with filing the bottom half of raised beds with raw cardboard then filling with garden soil and topping with compost. Straw can be a filler too. Ghost Cactus posted:This is amazing I had no idea gardeners could grow so many flowers like that. I’ve only seen that many at once on big farms. Thanks! She has done a tremendous job of carving out our half an acre on into a small, dense flower farm! I help with some organizing and building things but it greenery is all hers. 
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Feb 28, 2024 07:29
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SubG posted:I looked them up because of that "bioengineered for health & nutrition" bit and their filing with the FDA specifically claims that the purple tomatoes are not materially different from other available tomatoes. So lol about that. for health (of the tomatoes)
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Feb 28, 2024 07:32
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SubG posted:I looked them up because of that "bioengineered for health & nutrition" bit and their filing with the FDA specifically claims that the purple tomatoes are not materially different from other available tomatoes. So lol about that. I think the claim is that the vast increase in anthocyanins means more health benefits. If you believe, contrary to evidence, that anthocyanins have health benefits. I'm sure the tomatoes are pretty though.
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Feb 28, 2024 10:00
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Thank god they sell healthy produce, for once
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Feb 28, 2024 11:10
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The goddamned squirrels dug up most of my carrot seedlings burying their stupid acorns. Little shits. I think I'm done trying to direct sow in containers as long as we live on this property. At least in the back yard. When I was refreshing my potting mix a few weeks ago I must have found a dozen germinating acorns and even a few pecans stashed in my grow bags.
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Feb 28, 2024 13:54
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therunningman posted:Thanks! She has done a tremendous job of carving out our half an acre on into a small, dense flower farm! I help with some organizing and building things but it greenery is all hers. This looks like heaven. Hot tip for anyone looking for affordable trees, shrubs, and native plants - check out your local soil and water conservation district to see if they have a tree sale. I just purchased three 36-plant kit trays for less than $200. The same kits purchased through the nursery would be $350 plus shipping. Your local SWCD is also a great resource if you want to go back in time and remember what the pinnacle of web design looked like in 2005. I don't know what plants the kits will contain until they show up, but they will be a mix of plants native to my area. Here's what I picked up:    And now we wait two to three months for everything to show up. Please say a prayer for me in hopes that this order doesn't show up on the same day as my other large order, and that I get my site prep done well in advance.
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Feb 28, 2024 16:55
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Unfortunately, many prairie wildflowers like coreopsis, cone flower, gaillardia, etc prefer to be seeded in the fall and exposed to winter freezing temperatures to help activate the seeds. Good luck, may still turn out fine.
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Feb 28, 2024 20:44
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Having seeded some of those only to see a warm winter with only ~200 chill hours, I can confirm that germination has been poo poo. Some of the Mexican hat/coneflower appears to have germinated, but nothing else is identifiable from the weeds yet. Thankfully, I elected to stratify my milkweed and rudibeckia* in the fridge and am doing an emergency speed run of coreopsis to try sowing in early March. * I also bought some bare-root from Lowes, and they appear to be dead as a doornail. Honestly, no surprise there.
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Feb 28, 2024 20:50
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Keep an eye out for soil on local buy-nothing groups, etc., if you have neighbors. We've had a lot of luck picking up a car-load here and there when people do big landscaping projects and have piles left over that they want to get rid of.
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Feb 28, 2024 21:19
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Therunningman, that is one glorious yard. Congratulate your wife from an Internet stranger.goatse guy posted:Know any farmers or horse owners? Compost is a great way to fill raised beds for cheap or even free if you're willing to do a little work. Rabbit dung is fine. * Don't bother with the joke, it's obvious
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Feb 28, 2024 22:13
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I will pass it on! Manure will most likely come with a literal shitload of weeds too, unless perfectly composted. Check your local landfill. Ours (used to) sell some very nice composted solid waste at a very reasonable post and made really good top dressing in flower beds and on the grass.
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Feb 28, 2024 23:28
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therunningman posted:I will pass it on! yeah ours has free "compost" but since it's almost exclusively arborist clippings and leaves and not that old, it's not exactly the ideal homemade compost (still, a great filler and it'll all become good soil sooner or later)
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Feb 28, 2024 23:40
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Looks like I could get free compost around here but I have no vehicle appropriate for it and the minimum for them to deliver is 10 cubic yards so  Another place will do $35/yard for compost and $45/yard for compost/topsoil mix with pretty reasonable delivery prices (they're only 3 miles away...) which doesn't seem too bad though! I suppose I could rent a truck or something and do the first place but it's probably worth the money just to save all that time and effort and have some delivered.
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Feb 29, 2024 00:22
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Every time I think "oh it's just $20 to rent a truck/van" I forget about all the time spent inspecting for damage, cleaning, etc just to do one drat run. And that's just for moving boxes around, I'm sure a bedful of compost would suck to clean up. Also, a conversation that just happened: Me: Hey I found a nursery about 45 minutes away that has a ton of native plants, I'm gonna take the kiddo to check it out on Saturday Her: Fine, have fun, I don't want to go anywhere Me: Their "our staff" page has a bunch of cats with job titles Her: Don't you dare go without me
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Feb 29, 2024 01:47
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We've used almost exclusively municipal compost from High Point, NC for over a decade. It isn't perfect but it is dirt cheap ( ) and only takes a little bit of picking through to remove random little pieces of trash. I've bought tons of the stuff.
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Feb 29, 2024 15:12
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Yeah I feel like free compost is a wash unless you have a truck. A nursery near me will do free delivery for orders of over $100. So every year I get my Valentine's roses from them to ensure I get free delivery on a couple yards of compost or mulch or whatever I need that year. It's a good system.
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Feb 29, 2024 15:27
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Dream big
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Feb 29, 2024 15:54
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Fitzy Fitz posted:Dream big That is awesome. I woke up this morning to a quiet and confused rooster outside my bedroom window, around 0500 or so. He pillaged a bird feeder and settled down on our porch. I don't have a rooster. Or chickens. All of my neighbors do, this guy is a rogue rooster. I assume he was dumped? Is this how I end up with chickens finally?
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Feb 29, 2024 22:41
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If so, you got the worst chicken possible.
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Feb 29, 2024 22:50
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I suspect he's a real cock but I haven't met him much. Kind of in between looking at hens and coq au vin recipes, honestly.
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Feb 29, 2024 23:33
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mischief posted:I suspect he's a real cock but I haven't met him much. Come over to the Backyard Chicken Keeping thread and we can help you make up your mind. I keep hens and roosters (which I eat) but most of the group keep only hens.
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Mar 1, 2024 00:01
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I have a friendly soul coming to pick him up tomorrow. It is impressively difficult to give away a rooster.
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Mar 1, 2024 15:31
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