|
Zenzirouj posted:While we've got this tomatochat going, does anybody have suggestions for pruning? I picked up a Roma plant on impulse because I like tomato sauces and wanted to give it a try. It's done great in terms of settling into my bed and branching out, but I seem to recall being told that having too many branches will heavily hinder fruit productivity. Is the idea the same as on fruit trees and you want to limit the number of blossoms, or is there a way to tell that a branch probably won't blossom and will just suck up water and nutrients? A fun aspect if you have a long growing season is that you can pinch off a sucker during peak season at the end of one production cycle, stick the sucker in the dirt, and it will grow in to a new plant that you can use for your second cycle. cowofwar fucked around with this message at 00:19 on Apr 11, 2012 |
#
?
Apr 11, 2012 00:15
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 17, 2024 04:15 |
|
|
cowofwar posted:A fun aspect if you have a long growing season is that you can pinch off a sucker during peak season at the end of one production cycle, stick the sucker in the dirt, and it will grow in to a new plant that you can use for your second cycle.
|
|
#
?
Apr 11, 2012 01:54
|
|
|
Socratic Moron posted:Whoa whoa whoa! Really?! If I do that with a hybrid variety do I assume that the sucker plant will be that hybrid as well? I can't see why not. This is super exciting to me! http://webcache.googleusercontent.c...a&client=safari You have to be really careful not to let them dry out and die the first few days as they will have no roots initially. cowofwar fucked around with this message at 02:25 on Apr 11, 2012 |
|
#
?
Apr 11, 2012 02:23
|
|
|
Has anyone ever tried to make their own planter box? A larger sized one? My half oak barrel has inspired me to want to go BIGGER and I have plenty of room in my back yard to go nuts. However, I've never built anything in my life and have NO idea what I'd need to do other than: buy wood, use nails to hammer wood together in a square shape, plant.
|
|
#
?
Apr 11, 2012 03:10
|
|
|
Lackadaisical posted:However, I've never built anything in my life and have NO idea what I'd need to do other than: buy wood, use nails to hammer wood together in a square shape, plant. Skip the nails. Dirt is really heavy and eventually it will pull apart, if you have a large enough planter. Use long wood screws instead.
|
|
#
?
Apr 11, 2012 03:25
|
|
|
Zenzirouj posted:While we've got this tomatochat going, does anybody have suggestions for pruning? I picked up a Roma plant on impulse because I like tomato sauces and wanted to give it a try. It's done great in terms of settling into my bed and branching out, but I seem to recall being told that having too many branches will heavily hinder fruit productivity. Is the idea the same as on fruit trees and you want to limit the number of blossoms, or is there a way to tell that a branch probably won't blossom and will just suck up water and nutrients? Roma is a determinate (bush) variety that's best left unpruned. Determinate varieties set one flush of fruit so pruning the plant back will just diminish yield. Indeterminate (vine) varieties bear fruit all the way until the end of the season. You can prune them to focus energy where you want
|
|
#
?
Apr 11, 2012 03:53
|
|
|
Lackadaisical posted:Has anyone ever tried to make their own planter box? A larger sized one? My half oak barrel has inspired me to want to go BIGGER and I have plenty of room in my back yard to go nuts. However, I've never built anything in my life and have NO idea what I'd need to do other than: buy wood, use nails to hammer wood together in a square shape, plant.
|
|
#
?
Apr 11, 2012 05:28
|
|
|
Sounds do-able! Does the wood need to be treated or anything first? Will the water cause it to rot? Also, if I decide to make a standing box, is it just as easy?  Thanks for all the advice!
|
|
#
?
Apr 11, 2012 05:53
|
|
|
Lackadaisical posted:Sounds do-able! Does the wood need to be treated or anything first? Will the water cause it to rot? Also, if I decide to make a standing box, is it just as easy? If you want a standing box just make sure the supports are well designed. A lot of people would just put in on four 2x4 legs but you'll end up with a top heavy, wobbly death box if you're not careful. Dirt is really heavy and you'd probably be best keeping a large planter on the ground or at least on cinderblocks or something. Keeping wooden planters on two stone feet is always useful to help extend their lives as wood kept in contact against earth will rot exponentially faster (it will rot much faster outside-in than inside-out if placed directly on the ground). There are tons of plans on the net and you can even just look at example planters to get some ideas. I like this one, they charge $95 but could be built cheaply with wood purchased and cut at homedepot. http://www.backyardcity.com/garden/containers/ATC-Planter-Box-PL30.htm http://www.woodworkersworkshop.com/resources/index.php?cat=449 cowofwar fucked around with this message at 06:17 on Apr 11, 2012 |
|
#
?
Apr 11, 2012 06:04
|
|
|
Lackadaisical posted:Sounds do-able! Does the wood need to be treated or anything first? Will the water cause it to rot? Also, if I decide to make a standing box, is it just as easy? Cedar fence pickets are super cheap, and reasonably rot-resistant. Here are some ideas for ultra cheap planter boxes: http://ana-white.com/2010/05/hack-natural-rustic-cedar-raised-beds.html
|
|
#
?
Apr 11, 2012 12:10
|
|
|
Do yourself a favor and use some square-drive (Robertson) screws. You'll fall in love and never go back to Phillips-head.
|
|
#
?
Apr 11, 2012 13:45
|
|
|
dwoloz posted:Roma is a determinate (bush) variety that's best left unpruned. Determinate varieties set one flush of fruit so pruning the plant back will just diminish yield. Aw, I was wondering what exactly that meant. So then there'll be just one crop that all comes out about the same time?
|
|
#
?
Apr 11, 2012 14:15
|
|
|
I really want to start growing my own fruits and vegetables, but I have no space to do it, as my parents yard is reserved for dogs and various flowers. I was looking into community gardens but I'm not sure if that's a good idea. Does anyone here have any experience with community gardens/ Public gardens? Also, what is a good starting vegetable or fruit for a beginner in a Mediterranean climate? I Live in Ventura County, California, so I know I can grow a pretty wide range of stuff.
|
|
#
?
Apr 11, 2012 14:17
|
|
|
GD_American posted:Anyone have any experience with dewberries? I've got a patch of them growing wild on my property line, but they're not as productive as they could be due to a mess of old dead vines, as well as some weed competition. I'd love to trellis them in some way, but I don't know how far up they're capable of going. I think dewberries are a type of trailing blackberry, and they have a tendency to grow out of control and turn into an impenetrable mass. The plants can get quite big. For people planting them from scratch, the recommendation is to plant them 5 or 6 feet apart along a trellis. They bear fruit on one year old canes and require lots of pruning to keep them in control. At the beginning of the growing season, prune them back to 4 to 6 canes per plant. They will send up new canes in the spring that will become next year’s fruiting canes. When they get done bearing fruit, prune out the old canes. They will die anyway. Depending on how out of control your patch is, it might be easier to dig up individual plants and start from scratch in another location. If you didn’t mind sacrificing this year’s fruit, the easiest thing might be to mow the entire thing flat to the ground and then dig up plants as they emerge, or leave them there and dig out any stumps, weeds, and massively thin out the dewberry plants, and bring the trellis to them.
|
|
#
?
Apr 11, 2012 14:24
|
|
|
If you are short on space, try using 5 gallon buckets. A few of my UBS swear by them. They prefer growing in buckets opposed to in the ground. I myself am trying it out this year, and I can say having their location closer to my home and the ease of watering is already making this years gardening attempt more enjoyable.
|
|
#
?
Apr 11, 2012 14:25
|
|
|
antronics posted:If you are short on space, try using 5 gallon buckets. A few of my UBS swear by them. They prefer growing in buckets opposed to in the ground. Do they not worry about drainage? Or do they drill holes in the bottom and elevate them on the lids? My mom used to do this with some of her plants, so I'm thinking about it.
|
|
#
?
Apr 11, 2012 14:52
|
|
|
I drilled five dime sized holes in the bottom of the buckets. They are draining very well so far.
|
|
#
?
Apr 11, 2012 15:19
|
|
|
Lackadaisical posted:Has anyone ever tried to make their own planter box? A larger sized one? My half oak barrel has inspired me to want to go BIGGER and I have plenty of room in my back yard to go nuts. However, I've never built anything in my life and have NO idea what I'd need to do other than: buy wood, use nails to hammer wood together in a square shape, plant. I wouldn't try build something on legs if you've never swung a hammer in anger before, though. GD_American posted:Do yourself a favor and use some square-drive (Robertson) screws. You'll fall in love and never go back to Phillips-head. coyo7e fucked around with this message at 15:36 on Apr 11, 2012 |
|
#
?
Apr 11, 2012 15:34
|
|
|
Foran posted:I was looking into community gardens but I'm not sure if that's a good idea. Community gardens can vary a little in how they are run from area to area. Seattle is pretty famous for the P-patch model where you get your plot of land and do whatever you want with it. They tend to have pretty long waiting lists for some of the gardens. The community gardens in the next county over from me are run on a communal model where there aren't individual plots. Everyone pays their fee, decides on what to plant together, takes their share of the work and everyone shares the produce. They may also sing Kumbaya at harvest time or have a drum circle. If it's close enough to be convenient then I'd say go for it. It is a good experience to meet new people you wouldn't normally interact with, and you can learn a lot by seeing how other people garden and asking them questions.
|
|
#
?
Apr 11, 2012 18:09
|
|
|
I know this is the veggie thread, but I'm betting someone here knows a bit about trees. Sorry for the links, I didn't realize tinypic doesn't let me do thumbnails (and why are they all sideways, when my iphone and computer both say they're fine? I do not know). I've got two trees in my backyard, side-by-side, I'm not even sure what kind they are. One is perfectly healthy looking, the other is...well, check out the pictures. http://i44.tinypic.com/2hmpl6v.jpg http://i40.tinypic.com/bj7exs.jpg http://i42.tinypic.com/112bxgk.jpg http://i41.tinypic.com/8ys6lk.jpg http://i43.tinypic.com/1zf79ci.jpg (for identification) The bark is cracking and rotted looking. Many of the limbs feel very brittle and weak; branches that are two inches in diameter feel like a slight tug could snap them right off. Anyone know what's going on? Whatever's happening, it's sprouting leaves and blooming like crazy. I'm worried that whatever's wrong with this tree could spread to the other - their trunks are only about 12 feet apart.
|
|
#
?
Apr 11, 2012 18:14
|
|
|
A couple questions: 1. When cloning a tomato, is it best to use the suckers or can I cut off any healthy portion of the plant and stick it in the ground? A couple tomatoes that made it through our mild winter are short on suckers but have plenty of healthy plant still. 2. Those of you who use BT, do you have a favorite brand you trust and a good place to purchase it? Thank you! Socratic Moron fucked around with this message at 20:34 on Apr 11, 2012 |
|
#
?
Apr 11, 2012 18:24
|
|
|
So like we do every year, my family picked up a bunch of seed packets of stuff we'd like to try and grow. This year we grabbed beans, lettuce, two kinds of squash, pumpkin, carrots, turnips, and watermelon. This is the space we've got in the backyard:  Some cleanup is still being done, of course. The dirt there isn't so much dirt as it is rocks and various roots, so we were thinking about buying some raised bed kits (or building them, though our tools and skills are very lacking). Maybe this year we'll get more than pretty plants that maybe produce one or two edible things. Any tips would be appreciated! I live in southeast PA.
|
|
#
?
Apr 11, 2012 19:04
|
|
|
KariOhki posted:So like we do every year, my family picked up a bunch of seed packets of stuff we'd like to try and grow. This year we grabbed beans, lettuce, two kinds of squash, pumpkin, carrots, turnips, and watermelon. This is the space we've got in the backyard: i'm in SE PA too. We built raised beds with 2x4s and long screws and wood glue, it was super easy. Definitely cheaper to DIY than to buy "kits" at home depot or whatever, and the assembly is basically the same. Buying the components for good soil was definitely more expensive than I wanted it to be, but you don't necessarily have to go as far as I did. I planted lettuce a while ago, and carrots a few days ago. I'm not sure where in SE PA you are, but the most helpful place I found was Mostardi nursery in Newtown Square. Everyone there is super nice and they have tons of different kinds of soils and composts and things, and one called Bumper Crop that basically has all the good components for soil for growing vegetables, and they give you a discount if you buy more than 5 bags from them.
|
|
#
?
Apr 11, 2012 19:30
|
|
|
KariOhki posted:The dirt there isn't so much dirt as it is rocks and various roots, so we were thinking about buying some raised bed kits (or building them, though our tools and skills are very lacking). Maybe this year we'll get more than pretty plants that maybe produce one or two edible things. Any tips would be appreciated! I live in southeast PA. Building your own is much cheaper than buying a kit. You'll get a bigger, deeper bed for less. Don't forget you'll need to buy soil to fill them too. coyo7e's description is pretty much all you need, but I'd say you can get away with a handsaw for cuts if you don't already have a circular saw. There are some minor details like laying out the locations with stakes and strings, and leveling the ground before putting the raised beds in, but none if it will make a huge difference in such a small space.
|
|
#
?
Apr 11, 2012 19:32
|
|
|
Raised beds would certainly work there, but have you considered renting a tiller and breaking up that soil? I'm not exactly sure what size area that is, but it might be worth looking into. What kind of sun does that area get? Tilling would probably be a good idea regardless of whether you put raised beds in or not, depending on how compacted the dirt is. That would give water somewhere to drain and let roots move down more easily. It would also make it pretty clear whether the area is too rocky/rooty to bother with. I would guess that tilling would be cheaper overall, but harder work and lower yield (depending on the existing soil's quality and what you fill the hypothetical raised bed with). If you go the tiller route you'd probably want to do some soil amendment, which someone else would be more qualified to tell you about. But if you have a compost pile that's been sitting for a while it would be a good start. Other than that, you're looking for spongy stuff that will hold onto moisture and nutrients. So long as you never walk on the growing areas of the plot, it shouldn't take more than a hand-tiller to work up the soil for future years. For the raised garden route, I'd fit as many 4 foot wide raised beds in there as I could, extending as far as sunlight allows for (shadows from those trees being the main problem). I say 4 feet off the top of my head because 2 feet seems like a reasonable distance to reach from each side, but that's personal preference.
|
|
#
?
Apr 11, 2012 19:35
|
|
|
Zenzirouj posted:
My compromise was to hand-dig down 1 foot, put the raised beds over that area, add a bunch of compost/ soil/ moss/ perlite/ etc. and mix it in with the native soil. Tilling would probably be easier but I just had a 20'x4' area so it wasn't too bad.
|
|
#
?
Apr 11, 2012 19:40
|
|
|
Cpt.Wacky posted:I'd say you can get away with a handsaw for cuts if you don't already have a circular saw. There are some minor details like laying out the locations with stakes and strings, and leveling the ground before putting the raised beds in, but none if it will make a huge difference in such a small space. We have a couple handsaws, and an ancient circular saw. But cheaper is better, and I like building things. Plus_Infinity posted:I'm not sure where in SE PA you are, but the most helpful place I found was Mostardi nursery in Newtown Square. Everyone there is super nice and they have tons of different kinds of soils and composts and things, and one called Bumper Crop that basically has all the good components for soil for growing vegetables, and they give you a discount if you buy more than 5 bags from them. Sounds great. I'm about a half hour away from there. Zenzirouj posted:Raised beds would certainly work there, but have you considered renting a tiller and breaking up that soil? I'm not exactly sure what size area that is, but it might be worth looking into. What kind of sun does that area get? It's about a 16' by 15' area at the largest points. It gets some sun, there isn't too much tree above the area, mostly dead branches. We were gonna clear out some more tree this year anyway to get some more sun back there. There's some sunnier areas around the backyard, but all the edge areas are taken up by bushes and the patio.
|
|
#
?
Apr 11, 2012 20:17
|
|
|
We had a freeze last night that I didn't know was coming. Haven't been able to go and check everything but hopefully it all survived.
|
|
#
?
Apr 11, 2012 20:27
|
|
|
jackpot posted:Anyone know what's going on? Whatever's happening, it's sprouting leaves and blooming like crazy. I'm worried that whatever's wrong with this tree could spread to the other - their trunks are only about 12 feet apart. Looks like some kind of canker fungus infection. It would probably help narrow it down if you knew what kind of tree that is; I do not.
|
|
#
?
Apr 11, 2012 21:19
|
|
|
jackpot posted:I know this is the veggie thread, but I'm betting someone here knows a bit about trees. I'm only a novice forestry student, but they appear to be a variety of cherry. Your photos are terrible for plant ID, so I'm basing mainly on the horizontal striations on the bark, and the flower/leaf. If you want a better ID you have to get a clear photo of a stem with leaves attached. I'm guessing the problem is a canker, was it like this when you moved in/planted it, or was it injured? There's no slime coming from the wound is there? If you have one, call your local extension office and they can probably give you more help than I.
|
|
#
?
Apr 11, 2012 21:25
|
|
|
Pretty sure it's a cherry, they're all over the place around here. I'll try to get a better picture and do some more digging. I've only been in the house for three years, and I don't remember it being like this (or at least this bad) last year. No slime, and I'll check the extension office. Thanks!
|
|
#
?
Apr 11, 2012 21:45
|
|
|
KariOhki posted:We have a couple handsaws, and an ancient circular saw. But cheaper is better, and I like building things. One thing that a lot raised bed plans leave out is putting a board on top of the edges for a bench. It's a lot nicer than trying to sit or kneel on the edge of a 2-by-whatever.
|
|
#
?
Apr 12, 2012 00:27
|
|
|
I got one (of about 4ish) of my larger vegetable plots in my garden ready to go. Of course tonight and possibly tomorrow its going to frost  I'm hoping its the last frost of the season.
|
|
#
?
Apr 12, 2012 01:12
|
|
|
All of the people who are thinking about doing the raised bed set up-- DO IT! Literally on my birthday this year, im getting old, I decided to build a garden with 0 prior knowledge. It took me 6+ hours clearing the land behind my house that is filled with bamboo, trees and other various plants. I ended up doing an 8x6 raised bed garden and could not be happier with how it ended up. I would suggest going to a local gardening shop before lowes to buy the actual gardening items like compost, seeds, transplants etc.
|
|
#
?
Apr 12, 2012 01:33
|
|
 This zucchini plant is only a few weeks old, is the stem supposed to be so weak that it can't hold itself up? For the last week it's been flopping around a lot, growing straight up one day, then flopping completely horizontal, then back up again... I decided to tie it up to the stake (which isn't too strong cos the pot is so small) but is this indicative of a weak/unhappy plant? Does it need more fertiliser (so far I've just been giving it water and the soil base, I've added some slow release fert. just now and will be using seaweed extract to water it from now on..), or does it need transfer to a larger pot?
|
|
|
#
?
Apr 12, 2012 02:05
|
|
|
Sulla-Marius 88 posted:
Put it in a bigger container with better light and bury it up to the cotyledons. You will be able to save it. cowofwar fucked around with this message at 02:21 on Apr 12, 2012 |
|
#
?
Apr 12, 2012 02:19
|
|
|
cowofwar posted:It's not getting enough light. It's 'leggy'. Alternatively wait until its warm enough to and direct seed it outside. Zucchini grows so fast once it gets warm and has ideal conditions. My guess is if you plant a weak leggy transplant right next to a seed, the direct seeded one would outperform.
|
|
#
?
Apr 12, 2012 02:30
|
|
cowofwar posted:It's not getting enough light. It's 'leggy'. Damnit. It's on the windowsill that gets the most light anywhere in the apartment. It gets a few hours' direct sunlight in the morning, but nothing really past that. Anywhere else in the apartment, balcony included, just gets permanent shade. Is it a goner, even if I add it to a larger pot? Is it cost effective to get a row of lights and string them up above the windowsill for the zucchini plants I grow there, or should I just cut my losses and switch to non-fruiting plants that can survive in shade, like ferns or taro or... mushrooms?
|
|
|
#
?
Apr 12, 2012 02:31
|
|
|
jackpot posted:Pretty sure it's a cherry, they're all over the place around here. I'll try to get a better picture and do some more digging. What you have looks to me to be a Kanzan cherry (Prunus serrulata 'Kanzan'). They're very thin-barked which supposedly makes them notoriously susceptible to bark splits. If you've had a long dry period followed by unusually heavy rainfall you get splits like that just from the sudden swelling caused by massive uptake of moisture. Sudden freezes after a warm, wet period can do the same. The splits themselves aren't harmful to the tree, but they do become an avenue for secondary infections.
|
|
#
?
Apr 12, 2012 02:33
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 17, 2024 04:15 |
|
Zeta Taskforce posted:Alternatively wait until its warm enough to and direct seed it outside. Zucchini grows so fast once it gets warm and has ideal conditions. My guess is if you plant a weak leggy transplant right next to a seed, the direct seeded one would outperform. Unfortunately we're going into winter here, not summer, and we're in an apartment block so there's nowhere to plant. I was hoping that I could build a shelf along that windowsill and place all our plants on it, but if even that is getting insufficient light, we'll just have to deal with buying some full-grown ferns and whatever else to brighten the place up.
|
|
|
#
?
Apr 12, 2012 02:38
|
|