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mAlfunkti0n posted:Thanks for the info from both of you! I will be heading out tomorrow to a local nursery to browse and buy some seeds. Indeed. I container garden as I can for specific things I and my wife want to eat, and we're members of the local CSA as well. I do indeed do these things because I want to remember how to grow my own food; keep in touch with my farmer heritage, know exactly where my food comes from, support local growers, etc... but my main focus is far less hippy-dippy than that. I just loves me some good food. Wait till you eat your first truly fresh carrot or parsnip. Mind? Blown. I seriously cannot stand to use the carrots from the CSA IN things, they're so good. Raw or roasted. That's it. Oh and the peppers. You know that "green" flavor a fresh bell or chile pepper can have? That gardeny taste? Ones from the garden are like that on steroids. We got some serious beets and some green garlic from the CSA harvest last night that smells divine. Off to make some borscht.
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Mar 17, 2011 00:40
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Is there a general recommended equipment repository, such as specific brands/models of hoes, rakes, shovels or other garden tools? This year I'm going to try some 'speedling' trays which are seedling trays that are shaped like an upside-down pyramid with holes in the bottom for 'air pruning'.
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Mar 17, 2011 03:14
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I highly rate anything made by Fiskars. Their tools are fantastic. Light, sharp, simple.
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Mar 17, 2011 04:23
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I've recently become aware of a "Japanese Razor Hoe" which seems to be sold as a "Japanese weeding sickle" in the US. Looks like a pretty awesome tool, but I've never seen one in person. Anyone here have any experience with something like that? I was considering picking one up to give it a try.
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Mar 17, 2011 15:18
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I seriously love this weeding tool. It's much better than the standard straight pronged weeding tool, especially for tougher roots in clay. http://www.amazon.com/Garden-Works-Weeder-Classic-handed/dp/B0026Y59CW/ref=sr_1_5?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1300372157&sr=1-5 Also, for some reason I much prefer using a sharp pointed masonry trowel to the standard shovel-shaped gardening trowel.
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Mar 17, 2011 15:45
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I think I have decided on "hiring" someone to till the land I am going to use for the garden this year. I can't afford to buy a good tiller yet, and a front tine will beat me to death. I think I can get it done for about $50. Edit : Got a call today and for the size I want to start with (probably 20' x 40') he said $70 total for three passes with a tractor, probably about 6-8" deep. Looks like that's what I am going to do. mAlfunkti0n fucked around with this message at 20:19 on Mar 17, 2011 |
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Mar 17, 2011 15:47
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Anyone have a good recipe for home mixed potting soil? I'm gonna try growing some tomatoes and peppers in pots on the patio this year. I used to live next to a guy that would take dirt from orange groves and mix it with sand and compost; he claimed it worked better than the store bought stuff, I was thinking of giving that a try.
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Mar 18, 2011 15:28
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Honestly if you live in a metro area go buy a bag of Fox Farm Ocean Forest potting soil and watch your tomatoes grow happy. It's about $15 for 1.5cu/ft Otherwise his recipe sounds decent. I wonder what the orange grove dirt has that makes it special?
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Mar 18, 2011 16:46
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mintskoal posted:Honestly if you live in a metro area go buy a bag of Fox Farm Ocean Forest potting soil and watch your tomatoes grow happy. It's about $15 for 1.5cu/ft Zest. Zest makes everything better. EVEN DIRT.
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Mar 18, 2011 17:05
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a handful of dust posted:Anyone have a good recipe for home mixed potting soil? I'm gonna try growing some tomatoes and peppers in pots on the patio this year. I've never tried it, but Cornell has a potting soil Recipe quote:
http://www.ehow.com/way_5779313_cornell-potting-soil-recipe.html
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Mar 18, 2011 18:20
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a handful of dust posted:Anyone have a good recipe for home mixed potting soil? I'm gonna try growing some tomatoes and peppers in pots on the patio this year. It actually sounds plausible, I get incredibly strong and healthy tomato seedlings popping up in the worm castings I spread under my Orange tree.
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Mar 18, 2011 19:31
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a handful of dust posted:Anyone have a good recipe for home mixed potting soil? I'm gonna try growing some tomatoes and peppers in pots on the patio this year. For potting soil I mix coconut coir, compost fines and worm castings. For succulent mix I use mostly coir, small amount of compost and cat litter (diatomaceous earth). Perlite is good for aeration and keeping weight down but Im too cheap to buy it. $15 for 2cu ft of coir and the compost and castings are free. You can substitute peat for the coir but coir is a better choice ecologically dwoloz fucked around with this message at 21:11 on Mar 18, 2011 |
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Mar 18, 2011 21:07
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Can I ask where you get your coir? I've tried local nurseries but none sell it and I can only find it online with ridiculous shipping charges that I'm unwilling to pay.
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Mar 19, 2011 06:32
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My friend has a neighbor that was bush hogging and burning a 50+ year old bamboo forest that was causing problems on his property. I've been after some good bamboo for bean trellises, but this bamboo is unreal. They were all easily 50' tall and some were so big you couldn't wrap your hand around them. Needless to say I filled the truck with as much as I could. I don't belong in the suburbs. 
mischief fucked around with this message at 21:52 on Mar 19, 2011 |
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Mar 19, 2011 21:46
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Pluto posted:Can I ask where you get your coir? I've tried local nurseries but none sell it and I can only find it online with ridiculous shipping charges that I'm unwilling to pay. Look up any hydroponics stores in your area. I get mine from a local outfit called Complete Garden Supply in Emeryville, CA; top notch business. Still hard to find at garden centers but I feel like with time we'll be seeing better availability mischief posted:
Nice score! Bamboo like that actually sells for a decent amount around here.
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Mar 19, 2011 22:39
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Well I have several of my seed packs planted (peppers, tomato, etc) and have them in little "green houses". The room I have them in has a window facing south, the window is pretty large (about 4' x 5'), will I need a growing light? If so, will a light from home depot or such be sufficient?
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Mar 20, 2011 02:41
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An unobstructed south facing window with the plants right up next to it should work. Only one way to find out for sure though, give it a shot and see if they get leggy
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Mar 20, 2011 02:57
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dwoloz posted:An unobstructed south facing window with the plants right up next to it should work. Only one way to find out for sure though, give it a shot and see if they get leggy I take it leggy means long stem, very few branches, correct? Again, I am a total newbie to this. I need to pick up a book from the library or something.
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Mar 20, 2011 03:14
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Any tips for keeping chipmunks away from newborn planties? I've considered making a cage to go over the bed out of chicken wire, maybe putting an even finer mesh on the sides. Shooting and getting a cat aren't possible options. edit: Death by water trap! icehewk fucked around with this message at 04:41 on Mar 20, 2011 |
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Mar 20, 2011 04:27
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So the bells and the chiles went out into the earthboxes today, and the little pricks are trying to scare the poo poo out of me again by laying down on me. They pulled this crap when I transplanted them from the seedling tray as well, but recovered. Oh well, I have two spare san marzano's in 4 inch interim pots that are about to grow arms, legs, hop the pots and go join a ska band. They were my shock backup, but none of the tomatoes have shocked. I guess if enough of the peppers lose their will to live it's mad 'mater time. As for growing flowers in seed starts: gently caress that. Biggest goddamn pain in the rear end I've ever dealth with. You wanna talk about shallow, weak as hell root systems. I'm looking at you Zinna, Gazinnia, Coreposis and Rudbeckia. Oh well, took the remaining seeds I had and hit the big bed directly with them. Also got two baskets built with some trailing vincas and some carnation clove drops. Looks like the three big planters out front re-seeded themselves with vincas as well and are coming back right now. We lost both of our dwarf hibiscus though (mad AZ freezes this year), so methinks those are getting replaced with some flowering rosemary. Never thought I would need to find architectural plants hardy to 0F in freakin Arizona, but oh well.
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Mar 20, 2011 20:48
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Weeded and ready for summer growing here! Just planted two nice looking blueberry bushes and saw all my good perennial herbs are growing back! Yay lavender!
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Mar 20, 2011 21:44
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To lessen transplant shock, disturb the roots as little as possible and keep it out of direct sunlight for a day (transplant on an overcast day or make a shade tent)
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Mar 20, 2011 22:46
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Also keep in mind that you need to water the gently caress out of plants the first few days they're transplanted.
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Mar 20, 2011 23:00
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dwoloz posted:To lessen transplant shock, disturb the roots as little as possible and keep it out of direct sunlight for a day (transplant on an overcast day or make a shade tent) Difficult to do when the soil literally crumbles off of the transplant. The roots on the peppers this year on the whole have been major weaksauce. They don't even try to hold their own dirt. These are all variants I've never grown, so this may just be indicative of that. Who knows. At the moment though, should I grow these again next year, I'm bypassing the seedling trays completely and starting them in 4-inch bottom-watered pots... in November. I want these things begging to get out by the time last frost passes. As for the sun thing... I've never had that problem at all with tomatoes or peppers. Other things, sure, but that's usually if I haven't tempered them at all with some gradual time in full sunlight. All of these guys have been. By end of day they're all standing back up again. I think these guys just like to do this or something. It's contrary to previous experience completely. Marchegiana posted:Also keep in mind that you need to water the gently caress out of plants the first few days they're transplanted. Earthboxes. Set them up right and this happens automatically. Edit: Oh well, the birds got to them last night. Snipped practically at the ground. Looks like I'm going to have to run cages and nets on everything this year. Didn't have to last year. Oh well, no time to germinate new starts; going to have to go retail. Alleric fucked around with this message at 15:38 on Mar 21, 2011 |
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Mar 21, 2011 03:40
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The only outdoor space I have is a 5'x9' balcony. This is surrounded by a fence that doesn't let light through. I've got a couple of 16" round flower pots on a table, and 2 24" long window boxes to sit on the railing. Are there better ways I could be making use of my space? I don't plan on growing more than some tomatoes, peppers, and some herbs.
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Mar 21, 2011 19:55
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Does anyone have a dependable supplier that sells triple crown blackberries? We've determined that we are going to put in a row of them to supplement our Apaches (we put in 4 more this last weekend) and I want to get them from somewhere reputable. Unfortunately the only place I've purchased from before is an individual seller on Amazon, and who knows if he's selling the real thing or a different variety. Thanks in advance anyone who can help.
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Mar 21, 2011 22:12
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FogHelmut posted:The only outdoor space I have is a 5'x9' balcony. This is surrounded by a fence that doesn't let light through. I've got a couple of 16" round flower pots on a table, and 2 24" long window boxes to sit on the railing. Are there better ways I could be making use of my space? I don't plan on growing more than some tomatoes, peppers, and some herbs. If it wouldn't blind anyone I'd purchase or build an inexpensive multi-tiered plant shelf and then maybe set up some light reflectors to help get more sun on them. Maybe a stand like this: http://www.jcpenney.com/jcp/X6.aspx?DeptID=59556&CatID=59556&Grptyp=PRD&ItemId=1a68af6 maybe? Or even just normal shelving if you can get enough light reflected in. It kinda depends if you have an overhang blocking sun on your balcony or not, since things like tomatoes and peppers are both very dependent on getting a lot of sunlight.
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Mar 21, 2011 22:17
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What does "as soon as the ground can be worked" mean anyway? Last week was delightfully springy so I planted my earliest seeds - spinach, radishes, etc. Now it's snowing again.  The ground hasn't frozen - it keeps getting just cold enough to snow - but it is no longer springlike. Are my poor seeds goners?
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Mar 23, 2011 16:46
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I take it that was from a seed packet, ya? Take any of the wording on a seed pack with a huge grain of salt. The US is broken into many, many different climates and microclimates and a seed packet being produced for everyone may not have the best information for your region. My interpretation of "the ground being able to be worked" is when it is not covered in snow or frozen. But hey, what do I know, I'm from temperate California. For planting times, try to find a local planting chart or maybe an almanac. SF Bay Area has a decent chart http://www.ecologycenter.org/factsheets/eastbayplantingguide.html Or ask some local gardeners or even better, just try things, you'll learn what works and be well prepared for next season
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Mar 23, 2011 18:46
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Yeah, the local extension office has a .PDF planting chart that I'm relying on. And I won't be bankrupted if my dollar or so in seeds doesnt make it. I want to succession plant my greens anyway.  Just curious what that phrase means to y'all.
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Mar 23, 2011 19:41
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VikingKitten posted:What does "as soon as the ground can be worked" mean anyway? Its not like there is one magic day when it can finally be worked after a season of not being able to be worked. What you are looking for is the soil to dry out enough that when you turn it over and dig through it, you are not causing it to clump or pack together. A good guide is if you take a handful and make a fist, the resulting ball of soil will crumble apart easily. If it sticks together, it is still to wet to work. Even cool weather crops need temperatures of about 40 to 45 before they will reliably sprout. You might find that if you do succession crops and start too early, the first ones might take 70 days to mature and you start the same exact seed a month later it will only take 50 days, so if you are starting them every 2 weeks, everything ends up still maturing at about the same time.
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Mar 23, 2011 21:21
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I bought a heating pad from Amazon two days ago and have been using it to heat our seeds. I have two plastic "greenhouse" type trays with multiple batches of seeds going. We planted them all on Saturday, as of today we have germination from Cucumber and Romaine lettuce. Now that some of them have germinated, would it be proper to take those out and place them in a separate tray for better sunlight, or leave them with the others that havent sprouted yet? Also, I bought the Veg. Gardeners Bible book, really awesome so far!
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Mar 23, 2011 22:57
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Oh, I forget about clay. I have almost entirely sand. Any time it's not frozen it's crumbly I'm in Reno, NV, which just adds to the challenge.
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Mar 23, 2011 23:48
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VikingKitten posted:Oh, I forget about clay. I have almost entirely sand. Any time it's not frozen it's crumbly I'll trade you a dozen cubic yards of clay for a dozen cubic yards of sand!  Stupid soil here always clumps. I keep telling myself if I keep adding a little river sand and a lot of compost and till it in every year, eventually I'll have something decent in my big garden.
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Mar 23, 2011 23:58
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I'm starting my first garden this year, and read this whole thread. There wasn't that much good info on germinating seeds, but I went looking and found this. It helped me a lot, maybe its good or maybe its crap. http://ddr.nal.usda.gov/dspace/handle/10113/41278 http://ddr.nal.usda.gov/dspace/handle/10113/41279 http://ddr.nal.usda.gov/dspace/handle/10113/41277 Its an ebook on germinating plants. I don't know if the Ziploc bag method it recommends is the best, but it worked for me. The book was issued in 1993 so it might be outdated for all I know.
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Mar 24, 2011 01:22
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Okay, so I went out last night and bought some florescent lights from home depot ($9 each!) to do my growing because my window doesn't let in enough light. I have found that the cucumber and lettuce sprouts have done REALLY well. I left the light on for a couple of hours after I got home last night and they seriously perked up. I will get some pictures of the temporary setup I have right now, going to be building a good stand for a more perm. structure. So the "pots" I currently have them starting in are pretty small (the standard planting trays, ones you get small flowers in, etc), I was considering buying a set of 6" dia. pots to move them into to grow a bit more before we transplant them into the garden. Are 6" plastic pots a good size to use for cucumbers/peppers/lettuce? Here are the pots : http://www.amazon.com/Green-Plastic-Plant-Pots-Dia/dp/B0017YB6TW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1300973483&sr=8-1 mAlfunkti0n fucked around with this message at 15:03 on Mar 24, 2011 |
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Mar 24, 2011 14:43
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Does anyone know of a good place to get cardboard? I need a bunch for my garden.
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Mar 24, 2011 18:40
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Alterian posted:Does anyone know of a good place to get cardboard? I need a bunch for my garden. Liquor stores, grocery stores, Craigslist free section, Ikea Ikeas the best if you have one nearby. Very large sheets of plain brown cardboard
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Mar 24, 2011 18:54
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mAlfunkti0n posted:Okay, so I went out last night and bought some florescent lights from home depot ($9 each!) to do my growing because my window doesn't let in enough light. Lettuce (generally) has a very small, shallow root system and does fine in tiny pots Cucumbers and peppers need large containers, at least 5 gallon. I'd really recommend against buying pots, there are seemingly MILLIONS of plastic pots floating around from when people buy nursery plants. Just ask your neighbors if they have any lying around; chances are they do.
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Mar 24, 2011 18:57
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dwoloz posted:Lettuce (generally) has a very small, shallow root system and does fine in tiny pots Will cucumber grow that quickly that it would need to be in that large of a container by say, mid/late april when it will/should be planted in the ground?
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Mar 24, 2011 19:03
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