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coyo7e posted:Dandelions aren't a great nitrogen fixer because the nitrogen gets stored in the root itself, iirc. They return some to the soil after their second season when they've died naturally and begin to decompose, but they don't have helpful microbes and stuff doing it, I believe.
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May 6, 2013 22:35
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This is the first year I've planted veggies. Had to switch from a proper bed to containers when I found out the soil in my backyard was septic. It was a bummer because I had spent the winter prepping the soil, but alas, if you can't eat the veggies what's the point? The problem was, I had started a ton of broccoli, spinach, and pepper plants in my house over the winter, and they needed a home. I ended up putting the broccoli and spinach plants in 3 gallon bags. I put two broccoli plants to a bag, and four spinach plants to a bag (seemed to correspond with the spacing recommendations I read online). I put alot of plants out after the last freeze. The pepper plants I put in 3 gallon buckets. I know that's a bit small, but I'm not going for a record-breaking yield, just a large variety. I made a potting mix made of mostly pine bark with a little peat and perlite mixed in. I've been following a Fox Farm fertilizer schedule for the plants. So far the broccoli plants have really been responding well. They're growing very fast and they smell great. The spinach plants less so. I've had a couple problems with snails, slugs, and earwigs, but some coffee grounds and beer traps seem to have gotten it under control. Unfortunately, the bugs made some holes in the leaves, and we had some heavy rain this week that tore the foliage to pieces. Many of the broccoli plants lost whole leaves, and about half the spinach plants were completely destroyed. I am hoping that the survivor's bounce back. Will let you know. Sporadic dips in temperature have frozen my pepper plants in their tracks (Zone 7b), though some seem to be putting out flowers anyway. I have actually been snipping the buds of the plants, hoping to get them to a foot or two before letting them set fruit, but after doing some more research I think I am just going to let them go to fruit and make sure they get the nutrients and support they need. Will post some pictures this weekend after everything has recovered from last week's unfortunately heavy rain. I think the plants could have handled the pests OR the heavy rain, but both in combinations did some real damage.
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May 7, 2013 02:06
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Desmond posted:I finally planted my garden last weekend. I had wanted to do permaculture type stuff, but don't know where to look to get some of the plants (sorrel, for example) that work well with gardens. I did keep one dandelion plant in the garden, due to it being a nitrogen-fixer. You just have to keep it under control. West Coast Seeds has sorrel. They're also usually my first stop for heirloom/BC-adapted seed. Here are some other suppliers in BC: http://www.fullcircleseeds.com/product/sorrel-french-or-garden/ http://www.saltspringseeds.com/catalog/index.cfm?categoryid=3 And here is a list of small seed growers in Canada which you can use to look up anything particularly rare: http://www.seeds.ca/rl/rl.php But yeah, if you want nitrogen fixers, grow peas and beans, not dandelions.
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May 7, 2013 05:34
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Lead out in cuffs posted:West Coast Seeds has sorrel. They're also usually my first stop for heirloom/BC-adapted seed. Wow, thanks for the great resources! I am growing both peas and beans. I like to experiment too. Dandelions get a bad rep due to people hating weeds in lawns, and it appears if infesting agriculture it is also a bad weed. Otherwise, dandelions are probably more beneficial than people realize. The good and the bad, from Wiki: The dandelion plant is a beneficial weed, with a wide range of uses, and is even a good companion plant for gardening. Its taproot will bring up nutrients for shallower-rooting plants, and add minerals and nitrogen to soil. It is also known to attract pollinating insects and release ethylene gas which helps fruit to ripen.[28] Taraxacum seeds are an important food source for certain birds.[29] As a noxious weed The species Taraxacum officinale is listed as a noxious weed in some jurisdictions,[30] and is considered to be a nuisance in residential and recreational lawns in North America.[31] It is also an important weed in agriculture and causes significant economic damage because of its infestation in many crops worldwide.[30]
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May 7, 2013 17:35
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San Jose, CA. We planted a whole shitload of stuff about a month ago, and I put a layer of compost that was probably over a year old, on top of the soil and watered it in (yeah I know it's not ideal). Our stuff is all in pots outside, in our backyard. it's been pretty hot a couple of days. -We have some lettuce that is starting to just look lovely. The leaves are there but they're decaying or something. Maybe we just need to pick it? -We have some mint that has half of its leaves all brown and dying, but new leaves are showing up without a problem. I picked off all the half dead leaves -we planted some eggplant from the starter six pack things, and ALL of them went yellow and died. -I planted some green bean in a new pot (this one from the seed) and it never made an appearance so I presume it's dead First we thought we were over-watering, now I think we are under watering. Most of our stuff is looking really lovely. It's been very hot some days so that might be part of it, but yeah we definitely suck at gardening. The tomatoes and strawberries (I think) and cucumbers are looking ok. Nothing is looking super great.
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May 7, 2013 18:55
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I have beets and radishes that I grew from seeds in two long planters. What will happen if I don't start thinning them out? And if I do need to thin them out, how much should I take out? Left is radish, right is beet. As a side note, these were soo easy to grow. Warm weather, planter full of a bag of potters soil, add seeds, water, 3-5 days later, sprouts! edit: I tried growing rosemary from seeds in the same way as above, and this is all that has shown up:  That doesn't look like rosemary, is that a weed, or did I mix up my seed and this is some else that will be awesome? Fozzy The Bear fucked around with this message at 19:47 on May 7, 2013 |
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May 7, 2013 19:41
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Rosemary is slow to come up and has low germination efficiency. The little one on the bottom right of the picture might be one.
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May 7, 2013 20:12
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Yeah that little one might be. The others look like some kind of thistle to me. But wait until they come up some more. Rosemary eventually gets needle-like.
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May 7, 2013 21:37
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Desmond posted:Otherwise, dandelions are probably more beneficial than people realize. The strong taproot is a good thing in more compacted soils. They also bring up a lot of potassium which is the K in NPK. redreader posted:it's been pretty hot a couple of days. Assuming you used potting soil last year and didn't add anything but commercial compost, most of your problems are likely nutrient deficiencies. Some fish emulsion and complete liquid fertilizer might help. The lettuce is probably wilting from the heat. Move it somewhere that gets partial shade. The eggplant might have just been lovely starts, it happens sometimes. For watering, stick your finger in the soil 2 inches. Does it feel wet? Does it come out with little bits of dirt stuck on? Then it's fine. Of course you'll need to water more often in hot weather but it's best to do it in the morning or evening. Watering pots in the midday sun can cook the roots to death. Some mulch will also help moderate temperatures and retain moisture. Bark, shredded paper (not crosscut), round stones, etc. Fozzy The Bear posted:I have beets and radishes that I grew from seeds in two long planters. What will happen if I don't start thinning them out? And if I do need to thin them out, how much should I take out? The radishes will get bigger and bigger. Some varieties get hollow while others stay solid. Some get milder and others get much hotter. Both radishes and beets just won't get as big if they are overcrowded. Think about how big you want them to be and thin them enough that they have at least 1.5 times that much space to expand. Keep in mind the denser they are the more they will compete for nutrients and water.
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May 7, 2013 21:59
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Put my tomatoes in today, hope they do well, 6 Romas, and 6 Sweet Baby girls. Peppers are still going to have to wait for a while, it isn't getting above 10C at night yet. Next weekend, maybe, but I'll be heading for Victoria BC for a week, so the'll have to wait. drat it, no, they are going in, I need them under an irrigation system of some sort. I need a timer, guess I'm going to Lee Valley soon.
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May 7, 2013 22:03
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Cpt.Wacky posted:Assuming you used potting soil last year and didn't add anything but commercial compost, most of your problems are likely nutrient deficiencies. Some fish emulsion and complete liquid fertilizer might help. The lettuce is probably wilting from the heat. Move it somewhere that gets partial shade. The eggplant might have just been lovely starts, it happens sometimes. For watering, stick your finger in the soil 2 inches. Does it feel wet? Does it come out with little bits of dirt stuck on? Then it's fine. Of course you'll need to water more often in hot weather but it's best to do it in the morning or evening. Watering pots in the midday sun can cook the roots to death. Some mulch will also help moderate temperatures and retain moisture. Bark, shredded paper (not crosscut), round stones, etc. Thanks!!! -Yes it was soil from last year  -added home made compost but it ran out, so don't have anything else -ran out of soil and used some soil recommended by gardening people for some other plants -yes, we were adding water right in the middle of the blistering hot days (hurf durf) Good advice, will look into the rest of it and see if it can be fixed.
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May 7, 2013 22:19
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Cpt.Wacky posted:shredded paper (not crosscut) Why not crosscut?
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May 7, 2013 23:30
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It's burgin' time! 
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So speaking of permaculture and sorrel and all that, I've been letting my yard go wild for a few years now, and I've got some really crazy rear end plants coming up. Anyone have a link on hand that could help me identify them?
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May 8, 2013 00:14
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SniperWoreConverse posted:So speaking of permaculture and sorrel and all that, I've been letting my yard go wild for a few years now, and I've got some really crazy rear end plants coming up. Anyone have a link on hand that could help me identify them? I think there is a subreddit called "whatsthisplant" or something like that, might be useful to you.
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May 8, 2013 01:01
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Rogue posted:I think there is a subreddit called "whatsthisplant" or something like that, might be useful to you. Thanks, looks cool. I was looking for something else, but I think I found out the name of something that's been plaguing me: Winter Creeper. Apparently I'll have to just pull that poo poo out by hand. God damnit. The only thing is, every picture of it looks different. Some look like what I have, but a lot don't.
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May 8, 2013 03:01
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Desmond posted:Wow, thanks for the great resources! Just as it infests agricultural crops, so it infests your vegetable patch. Don't get me wrong, you can certainly eat the stuff, both roots and leaves, but I would just eat whatever you weed out, and not actively cultivate it. Cpt.Wacky posted:The strong taproot is a good thing in more compacted soils. They also bring up a lot of potassium which is the K in NPK. I think daikon is a better option for this (and is mentioned explicitly in Gaia's Garden, the permaculture book of a few pages back). The taproot is deeper and the plant doesn't go to seed anywhere near as easily (and if it does, doesn't spread across your whole garden). If you want to keep the minerals in the soil / use it to prepare hard ground, you can just let it grow, cut the tops off, then let it compost in the ground.
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May 8, 2013 06:31
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cowofwar posted:Rosemary is slow to come up and has low germination efficiency. Aint that the truth.
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May 8, 2013 17:41
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I heart bacon posted:Why not crosscut? Depending on how finely cut it is it could end up matting up like grass. The longer strips are less likely to do it, but still can too. Wood chips are best in my opinion, but shredded leaves or straw are good too. I need to run some cardboard scrapper through my chipper/shredder and see how that comes out for mulch. Lead out in cuffs posted:I think daikon is a better option for this (and is mentioned explicitly in Gaia's Garden, the permaculture book of a few pages back). The taproot is deeper and the plant doesn't go to seed anywhere near as easily (and if it does, doesn't spread across your whole garden). If you want to keep the minerals in the soil / use it to prepare hard ground, you can just let it grow, cut the tops off, then let it compost in the ground. Jeavons mentions it too. I'm planning on using daikon in a food bank plot at the community garden specifically to break up a layer of compacted gravel. We're trying to do it as a no-till, low-effort plot and so far all I've done besides covering it with a compost, cardboard, leaf mould and straw is build a few potato towers on top. We've got some soil coming out of a plot where the compost bins will go so I think I'll spread some of that on top of the straw to help it break down faster. The potato towers are in a row along the north end so I think I'll put in a few staked tomato starts I have left over since it should be a good sun trap for them.
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May 8, 2013 18:34
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Lead out in cuffs posted:Just as it infests agricultural crops, so it infests your vegetable patch. quote:I think daikon is a better option for this (and is mentioned explicitly in Gaia's Garden, the permaculture book of a few pages back).
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May 8, 2013 18:36
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Cpt.Wacky posted:Some mulch will also help moderate temperatures and retain moisture. Bark, shredded paper (not crosscut), round stones, etc.  How would that do for that purpose? And would mixing some of that with the potting soil help retain moisture? Or have any effect at all, for that matter? Because I held on to that after my mice died and it would be great if I could repurpose it in a horticultural context.
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May 8, 2013 18:59
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Flipperwaldt posted:I've got two big unopened packs of woodshavings of this type: It might work as a mulch depending on how big the shavings are. Those closer they get to sawdust the more they will matte up and the faster they break down, tying up nitrogen in the process. Mixing into the soil would be a bad idea for that reason. If they don't work for mulch then they would be fine for mixing in with food scraps in a compost pile. Has anyone heard of grinding up old wine bottle corks and using it as a soil conditioner? I just read about it in passing today. The claim is that it will retain moisture.
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May 8, 2013 19:14
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Cpt.Wacky posted:Those closer they get to sawdust the more they will matte up and the faster they break down, tying up nitrogen in the process. Mixing into the soil would be a bad idea for that reason. If they don't work for mulch then they would be fine for mixing in with food scraps in a compost pile. I guess my next project is going to be a compost bucket or something.
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May 8, 2013 20:50
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Flipperwaldt posted:Thanks, that's exactly the sort of answer I was looking for. One idea I really like that I haven't actually done yet is the food scrap digester. Take an old metal garbage can, drill a bunch of holes in the sides and bury it at least half way in the ground. Toss food scraps in and occasionally some carbon material like sawdust or whatever. You can put it near a favorite plant and it will get a boost from the composting nearby.
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May 8, 2013 22:04
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Desmond posted:I finally planted my garden last weekend. I had wanted to do permaculture type stuff, but don't know where to look to get some of the plants (sorrel, for example) that work well with gardens. I did keep one dandelion plant in the garden, due to it being a nitrogen-fixer. You just have to keep it under control.
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May 9, 2013 01:10
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dwoloz posted:Dandelion is not a nitrogen fixer. It is however an edible (greens and root) and its flowers are attractive to insects Desmond posted:I think dynamic accumulator is the more appropriate term. Fixed already (at the top of this very page, even). Here's more info on dandelions: Maine Organic Farmers Garden Know How Pesticide.org
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May 9, 2013 01:21
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Cpt.Wacky posted:One idea I really like that I haven't actually done yet is the food scrap digester. Take an old metal garbage can, drill a bunch of holes in the sides and bury it at least half way in the ground. Toss food scraps in and occasionally some carbon material like sawdust or whatever. You can put it near a favorite plant and it will get a boost from the composting nearby. That's an interesting idea- I wonder if it will work on a smaller scale as well. I'm thinking like a bunch of coffee cans strategically placed in my raised beds.
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May 9, 2013 03:00
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All I'm doing this year are some sunflowers along my back fence. They're coming along pretty well too despite the fact that I planted them in the dirt that just happens to be in my yard. Next year I'm going to do some raised beds for vegetables and build the frame for growing hops just to see if I can. Fun stuff.
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May 9, 2013 06:03
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I hate double posting, but does anybody know of a plant that can be planted along the edge of a run of bamboo that will prevent it from spreading? Or are the only options barriers or pruning the roots?
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May 9, 2013 09:06
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I have aphids on my lettuce again. Does neem oil really work?
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May 9, 2013 14:27
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Tomatoes are in. These are self starts from seeds that I started in February. So, yeah, a little out of hand. And this little thing is one part of a two part wireless probe that tells me a) the temperature and b) how wet the soil is. I think it was less than $10 at Princes Auto, for other citizens of Soviet Canuckistan. 
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May 9, 2013 15:03
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Marchegiana posted:That's an interesting idea- I wonder if it will work on a smaller scale as well. I'm thinking like a bunch of coffee cans strategically placed in my raised beds. Personally I'd take that idea and cut the bottom out, so worms could come and go.. Godsavethefritos posted:I hate double posting, but does anybody know of a plant that can be planted along the edge of a run of bamboo that will prevent it from spreading? Or are the only options barriers or pruning the roots? SpannerX posted:Tomatoes are in. These are self starts from seeds that I started in February. So, yeah, a little out of hand. coyo7e fucked around with this message at 15:28 on May 9, 2013 |
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May 9, 2013 15:24
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coyo7e posted:You sort of want to keep a certain minimum mass, and coffee cans wouldn't be varmint-proof at all. Close to that, probably closer to 20 inches. That'll be fine for the vine types, they are going to go upwards. Around here the plants don't get that large, unless it's a fantastic season, to be honest. We'll see, I guess. Peppers are going to be a problem though, I've got too many. I'm going to concentrate on the Habaneros, and Jalapenos. The birds eye and Seranos that I started from seed... I'll put a couple/3 of each in but I don't think I'll do them all. That's just an experiment anyway.
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May 9, 2013 16:07
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Ugh. Night time temperatures going down to 1C on Monday and 2C on Tuesday. I'm going to have to buy some pipe and plastic for my tomato raised bed because without a poly tunnel I don't think they'll survive. Last frost was two weeks ago 
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May 9, 2013 21:22
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Y'all are planting, I'm harvesting! We've gotten 3 Juliet tomatoes and one Stupice so far,(this is a hand full of small tomatoes) I expect it to ramp up quickly. I'm definitely going to space out my tomatoes more next year, they are already a tangled mess that's mostly filled up the bed. The local guru is doing 30-40 inches between rows, 1 foot between plants, mine is 1 foot between plants 18 inches between rows. Obviously, that's a little too close, instead of going over and out, the plants are just going up, and I want them close to the ground so more fruit will set.
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May 9, 2013 21:24
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cowofwar posted:Ugh. Night time temperatures going down to 1C on Monday and 2C on Tuesday. I'm going to have to buy some pipe and plastic for my tomato raised bed because without a poly tunnel I don't think they'll survive. Last frost was two weeks ago We've been lucky here. It was up to 25C the last 2 days, now it's back down to around 12 to 14C during the day, no lower than 7C at night. And it's raining.
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May 9, 2013 21:34
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cheese eats mouse posted:I have aphids on my lettuce again. Does neem oil really work? Yes, neem oil really works. It kills indiscriminately, though, so will harm beneficials as well. It's also good for fungus.
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May 10, 2013 06:21
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I got rid of my lovely aphids with a little squirt of dish washing detergent in a spray bottle full of water. You just give them a mist, checking the undersides of leaves especially. The detergent dries them out (and probably anything else on the plant at the time), but it won't stick around and kill stuff you haven't sprayed. As far as I can see in mine anyway.
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May 10, 2013 20:19
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cowofwar posted:Ugh. Night time temperatures going down to 1C on Monday and 2C on Tuesday. I'm going to have to buy some pipe and plastic for my tomato raised bed because without a poly tunnel I don't think they'll survive. Last frost was two weeks ago This is my problem this weekend. I planted most of my tomatoes since the forecast was saying no lower than mid forties (~7C) through May. Of course as soon as I planted them they changed the forecast to say lows in the low thirties (~0-1C) this weekend for Saturday and Sunday night. I just went and doubled up a floating row cover on mine and I'm hoping they'll survive with that.Shithouse Dave posted:I got rid of my lovely aphids with a little squirt of dish washing detergent in a spray bottle full of water. You just give them a mist, checking the undersides of leaves especially. The detergent dries them out (and probably anything else on the plant at the time), but it won't stick around and kill stuff you haven't sprayed. As far as I can see in mine anyway. This is how I've dealt with aphids in the past and it works really well with no obvious harm to the plants.
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May 10, 2013 21:38
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What's the recommendation for planting peppers? We've heard two things: -planting multiple plants close together in a circle -space plants minimum 18-24 inches apart to allow for room to grow.
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May 11, 2013 19:46
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AxeBreaker posted:Y'all are planting, I'm harvesting! We've gotten 3 Juliet tomatoes and one Stupice so far,(this is a hand full of small tomatoes) I expect it to ramp up quickly. I'm definitely going to space out my tomatoes more next year, they are already a tangled mess that's mostly filled up the bed. The local guru is doing 30-40 inches between rows, 1 foot between plants, mine is 1 foot between plants 18 inches between rows. Obviously, that's a little too close, instead of going over and out, the plants are just going up, and I want them close to the ground so more fruit will set. Wait, what? I thought keeping them off the ground was supposed to make them more productive.
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May 11, 2013 21:13
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