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madlilnerd posted:The ones in my garden can't. There's been an extensive bramble problem since before we moved into this property in 1995 and we've never managed to get rid of them all no matter what we throw at them- expensive weedkiller, fire damage, digging up as many as we can see. All it takes is a centimetre of root left in the soil, or some plants tucked away behind a neighbour's shed and suddenly- BAM- you're back to a thorny thorny garden. Ah, see I think that's where your getting a skewed view of blackberries. Most likely you have a wild cultivator, from the sounds of it. Those really can be a bitch to control and deal with. However, using known/chosen cultivators my parent's neighbor has grown less aggressive varieties for well over 20 years right along the fence line and no one has ever had a problem with her's. Also, most decent cultivators made within the last ~15-20 years are thorn-less varieties, eliminating the whole thorny bramble of doom issue. Comparing the wild cultivators to the engineered/specially bred cultivators is like comparing wild boars to farm raised piglets. Mmmm bacon...
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Sep 30, 2011 14:55
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Went out on a nice datenight with Dave to Hoy Yeung, our regular sushi place. We give Bill (the owner [family owned place]) 3 or 4 of our biggest bass when we go out fishing, because he's a dedicated client to Dave's dad's accounting firm, and he takes care of us when we go there to eat. Well, I asked him if there's any herbs I could grow that he would love. So in exchange for free sushi and chinese pizza, I'm growing him Siam Queen basil. I'm so excited, because it looks really pretty if grown right, and come on... free sushi.  Burpee has is for I think $3ish for 700 seeds or some figure like that.e: Also, has anyone tried http://www.botanicalinterests.com for their seeds? miseerin fucked around with this message at 15:49 on Sep 30, 2011 |
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Sep 30, 2011 15:06
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Anubis posted:Comparing the wild cultivators to the engineered/specially bred cultivators is like comparing wild boars to farm raised piglets. Mmmm bacon... Oh god I'm getting flashbacks of when I had to deal with the former  But yeah, we don't so much have blackberries as we have proper bramble weeds. Also feral raspberries (there were canes here when we moved in, we "removed" them), those tiny wild strawberries and millet and sunflowers seeded from birdseed. Our garden is unmanageable and probably will remain so until my mother retires and can dedicate more time to it. And as she's terrified that retiring will mean spending more time with the man she's been married to for 34 years, I'm pretty sure she'll work until nature stops her. In other news, I had a mange-tout mini haul today! I love picking peas, it's such a treasure hunt. 
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Sep 30, 2011 17:44
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miseerin posted:Went out on a nice datenight with Dave to Hoy Yeung, our regular sushi place. We give Bill (the owner [family owned place]) 3 or 4 of our biggest bass when we go out fishing, because he's a dedicated client to Dave's dad's accounting firm, and he takes care of us when we go there to eat. Well, I asked him if there's any herbs I could grow that he would love. Basil is stupid easy to grow and makes your whole backyard smell amazing. You win on both ends in my opinion. I had basil plants that were nearly 4 feet tall last year. The only downside is how much loving work it takes to use/preserve the stuff. Making that much pesto is exhausting.
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Sep 30, 2011 21:35
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Thai basil can quickly take over your yard. I grew it last year in the box in one corner and have been finding little purple sprouts all over the yard. It is pretty and smells awesome though.
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Oct 1, 2011 01:03
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My grandmother had a mint invasion and managed to clear it all out. It only took four years.
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Oct 1, 2011 01:06
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Pinterest has me hooked... look at this really off-the-wall (pun intended!) idea:
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Oct 1, 2011 04:30
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I figured it out! I figured out why my sad acorn squash plants weren't actually squashing... lack of fertilization of the flowers! So, now, every time I see new flowers, I pluck the male flowers and give the female flowers some squash sexing. Now, I have happy squash growing, finally! On the other hand, the cantaloupe plant my husband wanted is trying to take over the whole garden, the lawn, and part of the garage. Holy crap, I hope he likes cantaloupe as much as he says he does.
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Oct 1, 2011 19:33
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Cathis posted:I figured out why my sad acorn squash plants weren't actually squashing... lack of fertilization of the flowers! drat, I wish I had known that a few months ago. Here's a quick guide to hand pollination I just found: http://pollinator.com/hand_pollination2.htm I put down my sheet mulching in the flower beds today. Cardboard and alternating layers of straw and soil. I'm still trying to decide on a design for raised beds next year. I don't think the 1x6s look strong enough, and every guide I've seen calls for 2x6s. I know I want to do 4 feet wide, but I'm not sure on length. I have room to do a single 24 foot bed, or two 12 foot beds, or three 8 foot beds. I'm kinda leaning towards the 4x8s since it would be easier to do single crops in each one and rotate them as I build more beds.
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Oct 3, 2011 05:19
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I have 4x8 beds and they work out really well. Three of them get rotated and one is perennial (asparagus and rhubarb). It's definitely the easiest size to work with because lumber comes in 8' lengths anyway.
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Oct 3, 2011 12:47
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I remember growing spaghetti squash seeds I scooped out from a single squash from a store. When they started flowering, either I can't notice a difference between male and female flowers or I received a plant sausage fest. If I want seeds of different genders, I'll have to buy two different squashes? Is that how this works? I didn't get to keep my squash garden long after anyway. Downy mildew quickly ruined my vining plants and others with thin leaves (my roses...  ). I've never seen downy mildew until I grew those squash and even though I haven't planted in my backyard again, it's still lurking there.Edit: I love the idea behind the brick planter but do the ones hanging off the side have a plant pot put inside the brick or what? What's at the bottom of the brick to keep the plant there? ? EagerSleeper fucked around with this message at 16:55 on Oct 4, 2011 |
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Oct 4, 2011 16:48
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EagerSleeper posted:I remember growing spaghetti squash seeds I scooped out from a single squash from a store. When they started flowering, either I can't notice a difference between male and female flowers or I received a plant sausage fest. If I want seeds of different genders, I'll have to buy two different squashes? Is that how this works? You get both types on the same plant. It seems like there's always more male than female though. I think it's recommended that you try to pollinate between plants (male from one to female on another, and vice versa) but not always necessary depending on the type of plant.
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Oct 4, 2011 18:13
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miseerin posted:Pinterest has me hooked... look at this really off-the-wall (pun intended!) idea: Holy crap, that is awesome, I want to do that in the useless little corner space I have on my porch. Did they show how they blocked off the bottom of the ones that stick out? As for my garden this year, total bust. I let the weeds get out of hand, and while I had adequate fencing to keep the bunnies out deer and rodents ran rampant through everything. I got some squash and zucchini and that's about it. Plus I was counting on the soil having enough nutrients left (only the second year planting since we broke the ground) but the yield was pretty lovely even before the weeds choked it out. Anyone have any advice on what to do with all the weeds? Right now I'm thinking weed whack out all the excess growth and mulch it up, or would it be better to till it all into the ground or get as many of the plants out as possible and throw everything into the woods? After that, should I cover everything with black plastic (I'd have to find a 20'x40' piece and hope the sun bakes the soil enough to kill all the grass seeds, or should I try winter rye? I'm definitely doing a lot of planning for next year's garden, picked up a few good books at Border's closing sale to help: Tips for the Lazy Gardener - has a ton of great diagrams for trellises, tomato cages, etc. The Backyard Homestead - not so great for veggie gardening but has a lot on berries, fruits and herbs and whatnot, maybe going to try expanding a bit. Also covers grains and farm critters. Growing at the Speed of Life - some guy talks a lot, and then in the middle of the book does a thorough dossier on everything you could possibly want to grow in a garden - sun requirements, soil pH, best fertilizers... and then some recipes. Anyways, even though I failed completely this year thought I'd share these books with you all, I've got ten weeks of maternity leave coming up this winter and I'm gonna plan one hell of a garden for next year. =D
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Oct 6, 2011 23:42
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Lyz posted:Anyone have any advice on what to do with all the weeds? Right now I'm thinking weed whack out all the excess growth and mulch it up, or would it be better to till it all into the ground or get as many of the plants out as possible and throw everything into the woods? If it hasn't gone to seed then you should be fine turning it in. Try to pull out any annoying invasive stuff first (and kill it with fire). There are always going to be weeds, whether it's from the soil seed bank or blown in the wind or attached to clothing or animals. I did intensive planting this year and it worked pretty well to prevent weeds. You'll want a cover crop of some sort to help build up the soil and keep new weeds from taking over. I got a 2 pound bag of rye and vetch seed at the farmer's market for $2. Toss some on the garden and turn it in after a few weeks of growth, repeat until Spring.
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Oct 7, 2011 00:24
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Cpt.Wacky posted:If it hasn't gone to seed then you should be fine turning it in. Try to pull out any annoying invasive stuff first (and kill it with fire). Oh I would love to burn the whole thing but unfortunately the Communist State of Massachusetts only lets you burn certain things from February to April. So no fall burning. =/
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Oct 7, 2011 01:37
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Lyz posted:Holy crap, that is awesome, I want to do that in the useless little corner space I have on my porch. Did they show how they blocked off the bottom of the ones that stick out? It didn't say, but I'm sure if you somehow attached a cardboard/plastic liner or something, that would suffice.
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Oct 7, 2011 15:37
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I've done only a very very small amount of concrete work, but the way I'd do it is pour some sand down one of the holes in the cinderblock, wet it and build a small cone out of the sand in the middle, then pour concrete in until just the top of that cone is showing. Once it cures, you've should have a concrete bottom with a drainage hole.
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Oct 7, 2011 18:26
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Gardening goons, I need your advice! Now, I live in Los Angeles, in an apartment building, but I love growing stuff! I have a patio with pots of various sizes, and a window box. The window box is 1'9" long, 7" wide, and 6" deep. I'm wondering what I can grow during the winter? I have some camomile sprouts that are doing pretty good, and a sweet basil plant that's hanging on. What can I grow in this limited space that I have? I'd like to be able to grow my own food, but even just some pretty plants or something would be nice! Since this IS Los Angeles, winter really doesn't get any worse then the low 50's here.
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Oct 9, 2011 22:58
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Fall plantings (usually) include: Brassicas like broccoli, kale, mustard, radish, etc Chenopods like chard, beets, lambs quarters, etc Peas (snow, sugar snap, etc) Umbellifers like parsley, cilantro, carrots, etc
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Oct 10, 2011 01:24
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Lyz posted:Holy crap, that is awesome, I want to do that in the useless little corner space I have on my porch. Did they show how they blocked off the bottom of the ones that stick out? The jalapenos on the other hand... I'm looking into canning supplies for that hot poo poo.
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Oct 10, 2011 01:41
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I just used this recipe for my jalapenos http://louisa-eades.suite101.com/how-to-pickle-jalapenos-a183170 I'll see how it turns out in about a month!
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Oct 10, 2011 02:18
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I have 5 little basil sprouts in my basil planter!!! I'm soooo excited! Grow, my minions, grow!!! 
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Oct 10, 2011 16:17
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I turned one of these guys from my garden and 2 sugar pumpkins from the store... Into this...  The sugar pumpkins were 3.1 and 3.6 lbs each and made about 3.5 cups of puree. My pumpkin was the magic lantern variety from Territorial Seed. They claim 16-24 pounds but mine was only about 7.6. Still, it made 5 cups of puree that was only slightly lighter color than the sugar pumpkins. I saved the seeds and the juice drained from the puree too. The other one is going to remain intact, placed on the porch briefly for Halloween (uncarved) and then it will become delicious puree too.
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Oct 11, 2011 00:25
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(bad) News everyone! My sweet basil plant has started to droop over Not quite sure why. It's been kind of hot lately, but I water it when the dirt gets dry. Maybe it needs more direct sunlight?
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Oct 13, 2011 22:25
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Basil loves the heat and an adult plant can handle a lot of sun, I believe it's usually a sign of being waterlogged or rootbound when it droops. Are the leaves looking wilted or droopy, or just the ends of the plant itself? If the leaves look healthy and aren't turning brown at the tips etc, you may just need to give it a more regular haircut so its own weight doesn't drag it down.. Otherwise it may need a larger pot.
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Oct 13, 2011 23:28
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This thread is ginormous - what's the most recommended garden planning software (online, offline software, or android tablet/phone are all available to me) people like to use, preferably free? I started to try the Mother Earth News Garden Planner but it's $25/yr.
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Oct 15, 2011 01:11
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I like the mother earth news planner because it gives me a list of everything I need and when I need to plant it and info about all the plants I'm planting. Edit: if there is a better /cheaper planner out there I'd be interested!
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Oct 15, 2011 01:16
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Alterian posted:I like the mother earth news planner because it gives me a list of everything I need and when I need to plant it and info about all the plants I'm planting. I'm moving into the house I'm closing on, in 2 weeks, and the rain is going to start (and not stop for 7 months) any day now, so I'm mostly looking to hash out a garden bed map and stuff.
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Oct 15, 2011 03:25
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Part of my job at work is doing level design, first making a 2d version and then making it in 3d. I really really wish Google Sketch up had a garden planner plug in (maybe it does! I'm off to check!) because a lot of garden planners have really annoying interfaces that drive me nuts to use since I usually use similar programs for my job that are a lot more streamline.
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Oct 15, 2011 04:12
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coyo7e posted:(facing south from driveway. The raised box appears to've held a decent-sized apple tree for a while, there're random apple seedlings coming up in the grass, and a good-sized divot that looks a couple/few years old, and no apple trees to be seen anywhere in the neighborhood.) I've come down with a lovely little head cold while in the midst of a mad week of packing/cleaning/moving everything I own, but next week I think it'll be time to plot out my plans for the yard and how I will place some beds. Now I just don't know what to do with the roses (shown in the second and third pics), since I'd really prefer to reclaim the yard.. All the wood mulch will be gone eventually, it's just a quick and dirty way the sellers made the property look spiffy without dealing with any real weeding, etc. Also, I'm curious if anyone has ever seen or had one of these: http://www.savvyhousekeeping.com/herb-garden-spiral/ ? My yard has an overabundance of nice, large rocks which really have no place, but I would love to make a sweet herb garden out of them. My major concern is how this sort of thing would deal after 3-5 years, I suspect that some of the herbs in the spiral would really try and take over..?
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Oct 27, 2011 06:57
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This might not be the right place to ask, but hopefully it's close enough. My boyfriend surprised me with a Washington navel orange tree a while back and I need some advice. When he first got it, he let his dad do the initial potting. His dad who never reads directions and ignored the label that said it needed at least a 10" pot to start, putting it in a little baby pot. After I pointed it out, he begrudgingly re-potted it into the right size. Fastforward to now, the tree is getting awesome! I am so proud, it even has bark on the trunk and a million shiny leaves. I think it is pretty obviously the time to move it into a bigger pot. The boyfriend want to bring it back to his dad to have him re-pot it, but that sounds like a terrible idea considering he was way off with his estimate before. I want to just do it myself, but I am not sure what size I should go with. Is there some fancy math I can do by measuring the height or something? Is random guessing or getting the biggest one possible the way to go? We rent, so plunking it in the ground is not an option. The million shiny leaves are also mildly concerning; they look awesome, but am I supposed to be doing any pruning on those suckers? I am worried that I let it get way too wild. I don't want to strip it, but some of the leaves are growing in crazy directions to avoid being shaded by other leaves. Is this just an awkward phase it needs to grow out of, or something I need to take a shear to? Is there a good guide for that? I have only pruned big ol' trees, never babies.  Any advice at all is helpful, I am used to orange trees that live in the backyard and do their own thing. This whole indoor orange tree thing is a new one for me. Here is the green thing in question, please excuse the silly gold sparkle pot. 
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Oct 28, 2011 15:56
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coyo7e posted:Also, I'm curious if anyone has ever seen or had one of these: http://www.savvyhousekeeping.com/herb-garden-spiral/ ? My yard has an overabundance of nice, large rocks which really have no place, but I would love to make a sweet herb garden out of them. My major concern is how this sort of thing would deal after 3-5 years, I suspect that some of the herbs in the spiral would really try and take over..? Well, anything in the mint family is going to try and take over, that's just what they do. Herbs in general are weedy plants and tend to try and expand as much as possible, but the solution is easy: eat them. You cook enough to where this won't be a problem, not to mention your friends/coworkers are probably going to be begging herbs off of you if mine were any indication.
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Oct 28, 2011 16:06
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Asstro Van posted:My boyfriend surprised me with a Washington navel orange tree a while back and I need some advice What are your long term plans for the plant? Are you just keeping it alive long enough to eventually put it in the ground, or is this guy going to be indoor for life? If it'll go into the ground eventually, your goal is to prune it lightly to encourage strong branch growth, so nipping new branches before they can form. You don't typically prune citrus trees as heavily as other fruits. For pot size, I have a yuzu tree about the same size in a 10(? Maybe 15) gallon pot that the nursery attendant said would be sufficient for about 5 years of growth. If this is to be an indoor plant, you will have to be more heavy handed with pruning to control the size of it, so that it fits whatever space it is in. I'm not familiar with that specific variety, but if it isn't a dwarf species it will probably never flourish, and may eventually die. Just get the biggest pot that you have the space for, and hope for the best would be my suggestion.
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Oct 28, 2011 23:16
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ixo posted:What are your long term plans for the plant? Are you just keeping it alive long enough to eventually put it in the ground, or is this guy going to be indoor for life? The goal is to plant it in the ground in a few years, after we move back to a good climate. Right now he is back indoors for winter, since it gets well below freezing. Hopefully I can keep it happy in a container for three or four years. I read that its average full size is 10', though I am not sure how long it would take to reach that size under normal conditions. So is the basic pruning idea to encourage existing branches to beef up, instead of getting too lanky with new ones? Thanks for the advice, I'll look around for a new pot next week. I assume it will be happy to jump right into a large one rather than sizing up by degrees?
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Oct 29, 2011 20:59
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If it's going in the ground, then you probably won't have to prune much if at all. Just keep an eye out for sprouts near the base, and tame it a bit if it starts growing more out than up. Once it's in the ground and starts taking off, you'll change your approach to control the size, remove dead limbs, and manage light penetration to the inner part of the tree. And yes, there's no reason to graduate the sizes of pots, just put it into as big a pot as you can manage. Just be sure that it's still small enough that 2 people can actually move the thing when it's full of tree, dirt and water.
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Oct 30, 2011 20:01
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 Another indoor plant question. One of my coworkers brought in this plant that was given to them by a friend. It is supposedly a "rubber tree", but the pictures I find when searching for rubber tree do not have the lighter area in the center of the leaves. This thing is not very rigid at all. As you can see in the picture, it is hanging by the yellow rope right now. What should we do with it? Massive pruning? Put a bamboo stake in the pot and tie it to the stake at multiple points? We are planning on moving it to an area where it could lean against a bookshelf if it has to. Any advice is appreciated.
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Oct 31, 2011 17:33
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Its a dumb cane. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dieffenbachia Make sure you wash your hands well if you cut it and don't eat it!
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Oct 31, 2011 18:57
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Yep, definitely a Dieffenbachia. Your best bet would be air layering each of those stalks so you have a whole bunch of little baby Dieffenbacha! Just remember, the reason why they're nicknamed Dumb Cane (or mother-in-law's tongue) is that if you taste the sap it can paralyze your mouth, tongue and lips. It's kinda painful, but great at parties!
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Nov 4, 2011 05:20
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We bought some rooting hormone. It seems like everything we read points to the Dieffenbachia being easy to propagate. We weren't planning on doing air layering, just cutting the stalks into some sections, coating the end in hormone and putting in moist, warm soil. Will air layering work better or faster? We could do that if it is important.
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Nov 4, 2011 15:31
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Dieffenbachia are ridiculously easy to propagate so using rooting hormone should work perfectly. I personally like to air layer just so I have some roots on the stalk before I shove it into the ground, but I'm an old fogey like that. Rooting hormone will be fine.
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Nov 4, 2011 20:32
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