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dwoloz posted:I've picked up and used plenty of compost from my city. Ask them if they do any tests on it. Ours is tested to meet organic certification; I feel pretty safe about it That spacing is just what the planner said would be fine. I can't remember if I got determinate or indeterminate seeds, but if it becomes a problem I can just remove every other one. I'm going to be making the soil for the beds fresh this spring, so I don't think soil nutrition will be an issue. Crowding for sunlight could come up. I just called the landfill the compost comes from. They said the compost is made from customer's yard waste. That makes me feel a little better since it cuts out highway clearings and other things like that, but there could still be something nasty in there.
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Feb 2, 2011 18:46
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I'd be worried about it coming from people's lawns that spray/fertilize their yard a lot. I don't know how well that stuff breaks down.
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Feb 2, 2011 18:53
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There is a substantial risk of gross chemicals in that compost more than likely. I'm trying to cut my garden budget this year and I'm really tempted by a similar offer but it would be a real bummer to get a serious herbicide in the ground in my lovely garden dirt. Tentative plant selection, pending expansion for variety: code:
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Feb 3, 2011 01:21
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What program was that Alterian.. that mother earth thingee?
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Feb 3, 2011 10:18
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Yeah. Its pretty easy to use. The thing I really like about it is it'll make a chart for you based off of where you live and tell you when you should start planting your seeds for different vegetables/transplant outside or start seeds outside/expect harvests. My husband started teaching CC full time this past semester instead of us both having jobs where it seems like during the growing months we're both working 50 - 60 hour weeks. Since he'll probably only be teaching one or two classes over the summer (if any at all) He's going to have loads of time to keep an eye on the gardens this year!
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Feb 3, 2011 13:43
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dwoloz posted:I've picked up and used plenty of compost from my city. Ask them if they do any tests on it. Ours is tested to meet organic certification; I feel pretty safe about it Wow, really? Ours gives no such guarantees or certifications, and I really don't trust it at all. People are pretty careless about what they put in their composting here as it's just part of the regular garbage pickup, and there's plenty of people complaining about it because their utility bills went up to cover the new service. It's not specially motivated citizens or anything who are contributing to the compost. Weather's been so warm for at least two weeks now (SF Bay Area) I was thinking of running some early carrots or something.
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Feb 3, 2011 19:50
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hepscat posted:Wow, really? Ours gives no such guarantees or certifications, and I really don't trust it at all. People are pretty careless about what they put in their composting here as it's just part of the regular garbage pickup, and there's plenty of people complaining about it because their utility bills went up to cover the new service. It's not specially motivated citizens or anything who are contributing to the compost. I'm also in the Bay Area. The compost I pick up is from Berkeley, free to residents (or if you say you're a resident and know an address in the city), last Saturday every month Feb through Oct at the marina We're officially in spring now; fruit trees are flowering and aphids are already out.
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Feb 4, 2011 02:16
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dwoloz posted:I'm also in the Bay Area. The compost I pick up is from Berkeley, free to residents (or if you say you're a resident and know an address in the city), last Saturday every month Feb through Oct at the marina gently caress all you Californians! We have been getting Nor'easters and blizzards every 5 days like clockwork. Another 6 inches on Saturday.
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Feb 4, 2011 02:26
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Hi goons- new gardener here. In the past I've been known to have a brown thumb - managed to kill a mint plant, Rosemary, several cacti, and lemongrass. So for a couple of years I just stopped trying to grow things but all the white snow is getting me itchy to start again. In the name of sustainability, I've been trying to start a container garden and although the last frost date isn't until the beginning of may, I thought I'd try to grow some lettuce, spinach, and green onions inside while I waited for the weather to grow warmer- I figured I could get an indoor harvest before spring really started? Anyway, things seem to be progressing ok but lately I've been seeing some tiny silver bugs in the soil - like the size of a needle eye - really really small. And this morning there are small White specks all over the soil. A quick search on the Internet didn't lend to any definitive answer and my small germinating plants seem to not be affected by this at all so far. So goons should I be worried? Is it time to just toss in the towel or can I do something about this?
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Feb 7, 2011 19:43
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Are you growing them with a grow light or by a window?
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Feb 7, 2011 19:58
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They're by the patio door so they get full sun during the day - although it's been cloudy lately.... and then I use cfl in the evening till around 11. The books I've been reading seem to suggest they need 12-18 hours of sun everyday while theyre sprouts so that's what I've been doing. It's been about a week since I planted the seeds and all of the lettuce have sprouted and the green onions started to sprout about 2 days ago. I might have been overwatering (with a spray bottle) hoping the seeds didn't dry out but I stopped watering them so often since the seeds have begun to sprout. I am just scared that these bugs will be harmful but so far I haven't seen any damage....
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Feb 7, 2011 21:49
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noodlesinabag posted:They're by the patio door so they get full sun during the day - although it's been cloudy lately.... and then I use cfl in the evening till around 11. The books I've been reading seem to suggest they need 12-18 hours of sun everyday while theyre sprouts so that's what I've been doing. It's been about a week since I planted the seeds and all of the lettuce have sprouted and the green onions started to sprout about 2 days ago. I might have been overwatering (with a spray bottle) hoping the seeds didn't dry out but I stopped watering them so often since the seeds have begun to sprout. I am just scared that these bugs will be harmful but so far I haven't seen any damage.... I was thinking fungus gnats and now that you say that you might be overwatering, I think that even more. They don’t eat the plant directly, but instead will eat the fungus that is in very wet, very high organic matter soil. They are not harmless though. They spread disease and will eat the roots while they are eating the fungus. Let the soil dry between watering. I was looking online, and saw that you could bury chunks of potato in the soil. They are drawn to it and then you can discard after a few days.
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Feb 7, 2011 22:10
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Fungus gnats huh. Ok i just did a search and I think you may be right. I'm surprised no one else is having this problem - I looked through part of the thread and didn't really find any other info... Not too many container gardeners?? I'm finding online though that cinnamon is a natural fungus deterrent. Just sprinkled some on Mmmmmmmm haha love the smell. It's like having cinnamon air freshener. Hopefully this works. I'll give another report on the situation later in the week. I hope it works!
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Feb 7, 2011 23:26
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More research has led me to nematodes!!!!!! I hate to think my plants (and consequently my dreams of harvesting salads from my garden) are going to be killed by some stupid bugs so I think I'll get me some nematodes via amazon (thanks prime!). If theyre in my plants now... There must absolutely be more living in the bags of potting mix I have yet to pour into my other containers come spring...
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Feb 7, 2011 23:41
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Update: I have stopped watering my seedlings - no matter, the container is still quite heavy so I think there is enough water to last a while, sprinkled cinnamon on top of the soil to act as a natural fungicide, and nematodes have been ordered. I'm seeing a few silvery bugs once in awhile but not as many scuttling around - although this may just be imagination and false hopes. Still waiting for two more sprouts to show up in the container. On another note, hubby has planted a few dragonfruit cuttings with the bottoms rubbed in honey and I watered them with liquid seaweed.
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Feb 9, 2011 16:43
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Just moved in to a new house and have a rooftop/ patio area. I am growing some things in containers as there is no yard here. Does anyone have any ideas about creating a wind block that won't break the bank? I already lost one tomato plant (broke off right at the base even though it was staked)  We're on a hill and the neighbors that live above us will get pissed if we block their view or have something that looks too ghetto. I was thinking about some shrubs or maybe a pallet fence, but really am open to anything. 
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Feb 9, 2011 18:36
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Loving this California spring-time. I just threw down a bunch of seed yesterday, and I've already got buds getting ready to take off on my raspberry shoots and on my pomegranate tree. Also, I learned that cilantro survives California winters, just like parsley. The basil, not so much. So I've got some year-round herbs available here, which is pretty exciting. Gardening here is SO much better than the few months of gardening weather I had back in Washington. Fun!
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Feb 9, 2011 19:08
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noodlesinabag posted:Update: I have stopped watering my seedlings - no matter, the container is still quite heavy so I think there is enough water to last a while, sprinkled cinnamon on top of the soil to act as a natural fungicide, and nematodes have been ordered. I'm seeing a few silvery bugs once in awhile but not as many scuttling around - although this may just be imagination and false hopes. Still waiting for two more sprouts to show up in the container. I can see how they used to think that life spontaneously generated because I swear those things do, but if the potting mix came from a reputable source, I doubt the gnats found there way via the soil you bought. But I was going to tell you to just water less and maybe try the potato trick before you got the nematodes. That might have brought them to a more manageable level. The goal is never to bring pests down to zero. You can’t. Even the nematodes won’t bring them to zero. But if you have healthy plants, they will be able to withstand some pressure and still thrive. You want the soil to dry out between waterings. Roots need to breath too and if they are always wet they will drown.
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Feb 9, 2011 19:40
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SpockandRoll posted:I was thinking about some shrubs or maybe a pallet fence, but really am open to anything. The size and amount of shrubs to act as a wind screen might be more expensive than you think. The pots would have to be heavy enough that they wouldn't tip as well, so that's a good amount of weight in a small location. You'd have to feel secure in the weight capacity of your rooftop. One thing to consider would be to buy a cheap roll of reed fencing, something like this: http://www.amazon.com/Natural-Bamboo-Reed-Fence-High/dp/B0040QP14K/ref=pd_sbs_ol_7 Obviously it comes with no structural support, so you'd have to build a frame to staple or wire it on. But if you have access to some free pallets, they'd be perfect for building that.
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Feb 9, 2011 19:40
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noodlesinabag posted:Fungus gnats huh. Ok i just did a search and I think you may be right. I'm surprised no one else is having this problem<snip> Oh I got this problem, and now I have a name for it, previously I had just just figured that they were just trash gnats or whatever the hell swarms those bushes we get down here in Florida (the ones that stink like week old beer when they blossom.) I had been sitting out a shallow tupperware dish with some cider vinegar in it, covered with saran wrap that had some 1/4" holes punched in it and it seemed to be picking up the adults at least. Going to start watering less, cinnamon the soil in the peat pots and look into some bt and/or nematodes. I mean, how can you not help but love little guys that do this: http://www.nysaes.cornell.edu/ent/biocontrol/images/pathogens/nem_diagram.jpg
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Feb 10, 2011 05:23
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Any tips on keeping seed starting medium moist? I'm using a mix of screened compost and coconut coir in plastic containers placed in the sun. They seem to dry out typically in 1-2 days. If I place them in the shade, they don't dry out but I have to make sure to move them in to the sun once sprouting occurs so they don't get leggy (which I always seem to forget) I was thinking maybe taking a cue from sub irrigated planters and have a large basin filled with a small amount of water (1/4in or so) then place the containers in the basin. The soil should wick moisture upwards giving a little more time between waterings
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Feb 10, 2011 18:09
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jovial_cynic posted:Loving this California spring-time. I just threw down a bunch of seed yesterday, and I've already got buds getting ready to take off on my raspberry shoots and on my pomegranate tree. We are predicted to get a high in the low 20s today in the midwest... I hate you so much. So, we have to get our large tree removed tomorrow so we can get work done on our sewer line. This means two things, 1) My garden won't be shaded in the afternoon (yay!) and 2) I need to plant 2 more apple trees to appease the wife. The cost is totally worth not having to deal with helicopters and the resulting little trees anymore, though.
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Feb 10, 2011 18:17
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Anubis posted:We are predicted to get a high in the low 20s today in the midwest... I hate you so much. So, we have to get our large tree removed tomorrow so we can get work done on our sewer line. This means two things, 1) My garden won't be shaded in the afternoon (yay!) and 2) I need to plant 2 more apple trees to appease the wife. If you don’t mind me asking, how much will it cost to remove? I have a black walnut growing in the corner of my property that I hate. It’s a nice looking tree, but it also shades things in the afternoon, makes a mess, I can’t use the leaves for compost, and because there is only one of them, I don’t even get edible walnuts. Its about 5 feet from a train station; I’m not cutting it myself. I don’t want to cut it and be “that guy” on Chanel 7 Action News. I don’t know if I can afford to do anything this year or not.
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Feb 10, 2011 18:56
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dwoloz posted:Any tips on keeping seed starting medium moist? I use the ghetto approach of keeping my seed starters in a plastic tupperware bin with saran wrap on top to make a mini greenhouse. I usually have to take the plastic off the top once they start sprouting, but by the time they've sprouted it doesn't need to be kept uniformly wet constantly anyway.
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Feb 10, 2011 21:47
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For starting off the little plastic window greenhouses you can buy at any home supply store work beautifully, they're just a little constrained on space. I picked up two 72 cell Hydrofarm heated germinators for this year. My peppers and tomatoes are going to be awesome.
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Feb 11, 2011 01:16
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Zeta Taskforce posted:If you don’t mind me asking, how much will it cost to remove? I have a black walnut growing in the corner of my property that I hate. It’s a nice looking tree, but it also shades things in the afternoon, makes a mess, I can’t use the leaves for compost, and because there is only one of them, I don’t even get edible walnuts. Its about 5 feet from a train station; I’m not cutting it myself. I don’t want to cut it and be “that guy” on Chanel 7 Action News. I don’t know if I can afford to do anything this year or not. This sucker is a bit bigger than a typical black walnut would be, but is running $1,000 to take everything down, chip all the small stuff, haul that away and cut the large stuff into manageable bits. I'll finish off the 2-4' logs myself with my chainsaw and give the wood away to friends with wood stoves... or I could make them do that work, we will see how generous/cold I feel.
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Feb 11, 2011 01:19
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I've not rolled back through the whole thread to see if I've piped up in here before now, but I've no recollection of seeing this thread before and that makes me sad. I'm one generation out of pure redneck and spent the better part of my childhood summers on my grandmother's farm fishing her lakes and working on the "truck patch" (what people where my family is from call a "big honkin garden that'll hold enough stuff to feed us the season"). Anyway, I'm displaced to Arizona these days and I'm getting acclimated to the growing seasons. This year I've decided to bring my full gardening skills to bear on the back yard and the dinner table. Here's the germination rack I built this afternoon with a 3 shelf wire rack from Target and a couple of 24 inch under-counter lights from Home Depot.  In there I've got starts of sweet basil, genovese basil, thai basil, thime, parsely, dill, tomatoes, red italian sweet peppers, yellow italian sweet peppers, hungarian paprika chiles, and indian and french chiles I don't remember the names of offhand. This is the other three germination cells I'll be setting up this weekend for the cut flower starts and for a few other ornamentals.  After the veggies and herbs go through their replants to beefen them up a bit, they'll eventually end up out here in the EarthBoxes.  I'll be doing 4 tomatoes on the left two boxes, a box of bells and a box of chiles on the right. At the moment you can see what's left of the winter crop. We've already harvested the cauliflower and broccoli (and then some varmit promptly ate the leaves and stems to the ground other than one broccoli plant). The front box has our brussel sprout attempts going right now, but methinks we got them in the ground too late in the season for them to stalk before it gets hot. They're showing early sprouts but I'm not holding my breath. The leeks are all fine though. As for the cut flowers and other pretties, they'll eventually be taking up the real estate in this monster bed in front of the three bouganvilla. We got many self-seeding plants this year to have a go. I'm pumped to see how it will turn out. 
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Feb 11, 2011 02:58
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Anubis posted:This sucker is a bit bigger than a typical black walnut would be, but is running $1,000 to take everything down, chip all the small stuff, haul that away and cut the large stuff into manageable bits. I'll finish off the 2-4' logs myself with my chainsaw and give the wood away to friends with wood stoves... or I could make them do that work, we will see how generous/cold I feel. That includes grinding or pulling your stump, right?
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Feb 11, 2011 04:02
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Costello Jello posted:That includes grinding or pulling your stump, right? No, that will be an extra $150-200 separately (it will be a huge stump). The sewer people included that in their bid, so the tree people didn't include it in theirs.
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Feb 11, 2011 14:32
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Anubis posted:No, that will be an extra $150-200 separately (it will be a huge stump). The sewer people included that in their bid, so the tree people didn't include it in theirs. I'd say the 1,000 is a little bit steep, but I don't know where you live. It's a shame those chips will be too toxic to use as mulch. Black walnut does make a decent firewood, and is EXTREMELY easy to split, which is always nice. I don't know if it's worth it to you, but you could do some investigating and see if anyone wants that black walnut for furniture making, and make a little money off it, if you leave the logs in large enough sections.
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Feb 11, 2011 17:04
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Costello Jello posted:I'd say the 1,000 is a little bit steep, but I don't know where you live. It's a shame those chips will be too toxic to use as mulch. Black walnut does make a decent firewood, and is EXTREMELY easy to split, which is always nice. I’m the one with the black walnut. I live in Boston. If anything, I would expect to pay more. It is in a weird spot, and many of the branches are over MBTA property. I thought about the wood, and black walnut is supposed to be beautiful wood. It is a nice, healthy tree, but most people who work with wood avoid trees that grew in urban areas due to the higher potential for injury, metal and other garbage that might have imbedded in the wood. But still, I would gladly give the tree away to anyone willing to cut it down.
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Feb 11, 2011 17:37
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Zeta Taskforce posted:But still, I would gladly give the tree away to anyone willing to cut it down. That could be an option for you, offering it on Craiglist and seeing what happens. I'd only do that if there's plenty of space for the tree to fall though. It doesn't matter so much that the tree is 5 feet from MBTA property. What matters is having clear space on your own property for it to fall on. If the tree is the center of a circle, I'd want at least a 90 degree angle of clear space coming from the tree, especially if it had a bushy crown. Learning how to direct a tree's fall isn't difficult, as long as you account for a little margin of error in the amount of space you have available for it to fall on. If you don't have a lot of space, I definitely wouldn't trust some random stranger to come and cut it down. But you could cut it/have it cut yourself, and see if someone wants to pay to take it away. If there's no good space for it to fall, I'd definitely hire a professional who has the experience to climb up it and limb it down in a confined space.
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Feb 11, 2011 18:06
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Costello Jello posted:That could be an option for you, offering it on Craiglist and seeing what happens. I'd only do that if there's plenty of space for the tree to fall though. It doesn't matter so much that the tree is 5 feet from MBTA property. What matters is having clear space on your own property for it to fall on. If the tree is the center of a circle, I'd want at least a 90 degree angle of clear space coming from the tree, especially if it had a bushy crown. Learning how to direct a tree's fall isn't difficult, as long as you account for a little margin of error in the amount of space you have available for it to fall on. I hope no one stalks me, but its' in a tight spot. It will need to be taken down limb by limb.  I will eventually cut everything down. The other trees are silver maples, and they send out roots from hell and the lawn is littered with branched every time its windy. I would replant everything with fruit trees and things that are more shrubby in size. I already have a dedicated savings account for it. Zeta Taskforce fucked around with this message at 18:29 on Feb 11, 2011 |
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Feb 11, 2011 18:23
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Yeah that's definitely a job for the pros. Good idea about the savings account. Maybe you can plant some evergreens behind the fruit trees, something skinny like Emerald Arborvitae. Seems like that MBTA building (bus station?) will be an eyesore when you take the mature trees down.
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Feb 11, 2011 18:55
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Last night I went to the store and picked up some goodies for my balcony garden. I was pleasantly surprised when the big box store by my house had 18 gallon totes on sale for $3.50!!! These will make great home made earth boxes.  I also started 10 Trinidad Scorpions and 10 Szegedi Giants. 
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Feb 12, 2011 21:31
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Check out thrift stores for old heating pads; they work very well and usually are 50W or less
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Feb 12, 2011 22:32
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Update on gnat issue for container gardeners. It's been about half a week since liberally sprinkling cinnamon on top of the soil. I have to say, the situation seems to be under control. The containers are not completely devoid of bugs but there has been a reduction of the little scuttling bugs. I may put in some nematodes for good measure since I've already ordered a batch in my freak-out episode but I'm giving a thumbs up to cinnamon for a cheap and effective way to keep insect populations under control.
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Feb 13, 2011 17:44
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Bigdee4933 posted:Is that coiling a fire, or electro magnatism hazard or something. I can't really remember my electric/wire based lessons from school.
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Feb 13, 2011 20:24
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Bigdee4933 posted:Last night I went to the store and picked up some goodies for my balcony garden. I was pleasantly surprised when the big box store by my house had 18 gallon totes on sale for $3.50!!! These will make great home made earth boxes. What kind of light is that? It doesn't seem to be bright enough. Also you will want to have the light closer to your plants, and put the pots in a tray to facilitate watering and make sure you don't ruin the carpet
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Feb 13, 2011 23:49
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Just out of curiosity what happens when the light isn't bright enough? I have 4 16W cfl bulbs to supplement the sunlight that comes through the window but sometimes I worry that it isn't strong enough. Also I ran out of reveals so the spectrum might not be exactly the same as the sun. I figured I'd just have a bit of stunted growth but nothing worse than that.... Right?
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Feb 14, 2011 00:24
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