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Jabronie posted:Does anyone make their own whitewash? I'm reading that any hydrated lime from the concrete section of the hardware store and water works as an organic recipe. I use latex paint diluted with water. In addition to that and lime, kaolin clay is another option. They all work for sun protection. They all have ancillary features against pests.
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Mar 2, 2022 13:51
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| # ? Jun 10, 2024 17:42 |
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anybody implemented drip irrigation systems in their garden? I'm just starting to research this - any suggestions at systems to look at would be very welcome.
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Mar 2, 2022 14:22
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Karach posted:anybody implemented drip irrigation systems in their garden? I'm just starting to research this - any suggestions at systems to look at would be very welcome. I finally did this last year. I can make a big post about it if you want, but my main advice is to skip the kits. They all kind of suck, mostly because they include too much random stuff that you probably won't need and nowhere near enough of the basic poo poo that you will need. I originally bought a kit and I still ended up spending about $150 on orders from Drip Depot (which I highly recommend) to cover 16 raised beds. Meanwhile, most of what came in my kit is still sitting in a closet right now. My only other two big pieces of advice are not to bother with the fancy, expensive screw-on fittings and also to buy a lot of fittings, especially for the 1/2" tubing. I used an absurd number of elbow, tee, and end cap fittings to cover 16 raised beds. I only used the screw-on fittings for my end caps, since I wanted to be able to easily remove them to expand the system later. Aside from that, the dirt-cheap compression (like this) or barbed (like this) fittings are perfectly fine. The compression fittings are supposed to be one use, but you can pretty easily get the old tubing out with some pliers if you gently caress up. It's also useful to buy a few in-line valves for the 1/2" tubing. They're pretty cheap and you can use them to selectively water parts of your garden. I've got a valve on each raised bed and I'm extremely happy I decided to do it that way.
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Mar 2, 2022 17:35
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awesome this is great advice. I was indeed just going to order a kit for a small part of the garden and see how it performed. if you want to write a big post, I'm sure lots of people would appreciate it!
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Mar 2, 2022 18:02
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Starting out with a small section of your garden is a great idea. Drip systems are pretty expandable, and (at least for me) it was way easier to visualize and understand things once I started playing around with parts. Starting small will give you a feel for the parts you'll need and how much time it takes to get everything together. If you're planning on taking that approach, buy some end caps like these: https://www.dripdepot.com/item/irritec-perma-loc-tubing-end-cap-perma-loc-size-half-inch The cap on the end lets you flush the system and the locking nut makes them relatively easy to take on and off, so you can replace them later with a simple coupling if you want to expand from that end without cutting into your existing tubing. While I'm a fan of the much cheaper compression fittings or barbed fittings for most stuff, the locking nut ones are useful if you know for sure that you'll need to remove them in the future. I'm not sure how much I can offer versus what's already out there on youtube, but I'll try to remember to come back tonight and make a big "I'm a big idiot and even I managed to install a drip system" effort post. edit- I thought I had more pictures of the completed system, but this will give you a rough idea of how I have things laid out for low raised beds:  That 1/2" line runs through the whole garden between the planters while also acting as a header for each bed. Paradoxish has issued a correction as of 19:51 on Mar 2, 2022 |
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Mar 2, 2022 19:45
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ive done a lot of dripline in the past and systems range in complexity from single input and output inline valves with a battery powered timer to an array of solenoid valves with control cables going to an irrigation controller, so what's appropriate kinda depends on your needs and scale if you're starting out and have a smaller area to water you can get by with a battery powered inline valve or two like this... they make inline valves that have 2, 3 or 4 outputs, i used a 4 output last year on my bucket garden but wasn't so impressed because the build quality was pretty poo poo and it was leaky next you'll need actual dripline, fittings, emitters and tools the dripline is simple, 1/2" dripline connects to the water source (no need for a pressure regulator unless you have crazy high water pressure), 1/4" dripline punches into the 1/2" dripline and delivers water to an emitter or two, there is also drip tape that emits water at regular intervals which i will be using the first time this year because i just want even watering in my beds underneath landscape fabric to keep air humidity and splash down i always get fittings that are twist-to-tighten because they're a lot easier to install, uninstall, reconfigure and reuse than barbed or compression fittings... you'll need at the least a fitting to convert from a standard hose bib to 1/2" dripline, probably a few t connectors and 90 degree elbows... i don't bother with terminal fittings, i just fold the end of the dripline back on itself and hold it there with a ziptie, i don't use filters or anything because there's a lot more silt back-flowing through emitters and connection points than coming through the tap, and again i don't use pressure regulators because they just gimp your system to lower capacity and add an additional failure point when most of the time the water pressure is fine to start with there's like bajillions of types of emitters, but in general i like adjustable emitters because i can modify flow rate easily during plant growth or weather changes, also some emitters come with the barb connectors to plug the other end of the 1/4" line into the 1/2" line, which saves you from buying one more thing, so choose those over others if they're otherwise similar for tools you basically just need a punch tool and a dripline cutter, which are often combined into 1 tool... i find zip ties also useful and these days i pin my dripline to the dirt with bamboo cooking skewers cut in half some additional tips: dripline is easier to work with after getting warm in the sun, dripline will also expand in the sun and contract again when cold, so plugging emitters directly into the 1/2" line is problematic because the 1/2" line will want to move somewhere else unless buried or anchored... in general i prefer to use lower flow emitters because you can run many more of them and you can always run the line a little longer but you can't increase the max flow rate
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Mar 2, 2022 21:06
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One thing I recommend is to split the area into more zones than you think are strictly necessary. This adds a lot of flexibility to expand or adjust the system later to accommodate new plants or plants whose needs you misjudged. It’s easier to adjust the time the interval that the zone drips for than it is to rework half the plot to have more or less drippers. What’s more important is that some things want water every day or every other day and some things really don’t.
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Mar 3, 2022 04:50
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Thanks guys this is good poo poo. I'm going to put together a plan this weekend.
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Mar 3, 2022 05:05
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also always make your 1/4" lines to your emitters a little longer than they need to be, so that if an emitter fails or you want to change it out you can just snip it off the end and put a new one in quick
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Mar 3, 2022 17:22
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it's no awesome hedge of ilex vomitoria but my yerba matte overwintered handily and even seems to have enjoyed spending a few months chillin out under a burlap cover. I feel infinitesimally closure to being self sufficient in caffeine production
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Mar 12, 2022 07:12
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The Voice of Labor posted:it's no awesome hedge of ilex vomitoria but my yerba matte overwintered handily and even seems to have enjoyed spending a few months chillin out under a burlap cover. I feel infinitesimally closure to being self sufficient in caffeine production Interesting. I have mine indoors because I’d read things suggesting that it couldn’t take the cold, not just freezing but even prolonged cool weather. If it can take cool, wet winters and potentially light frost, that makes it viable in a lot more places.
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Mar 13, 2022 07:37
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The Voice of Labor posted:it's no awesome hedge of ilex vomitoria but my yerba matte overwintered handily and even seems to have enjoyed spending a few months chillin out under a burlap cover. I feel infinitesimally closure to being self sufficient in caffeine production drat I'd like that as well but I missed the earlier chat, any tips? Did you start from seed and if so where did you get them
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Mar 13, 2022 16:19
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I tried getting ilex v. to start by seed, but could never get it to go. the local hippie nursery had yerba matte plants last year, picked up one on a whim. we put the avacado trees, the lime trees, the jasmine and the yerba matte against the side of the house tented with burlap instead of bring them in. some of the weaker jasmine plants bit it, I think one of the avacados might have too, but that's because its pot got too dry. the yerba matte just got bigger and healthier though. dunno if the local strain is super aclimatized (3-4 months under wraps, snow and a week with nights in the low 20s) or if reports about yerba mattes' sensistivity are exagerated
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Mar 13, 2022 18:52
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we had a couple of hard freezes and my limes aren't doing so good now, if they pull through they'll need to be wrapped up for future freezes... i have a key lime but i knew they were particularly sensitive to cold and i put it in a container so i could wheel it into the garage when needed, need to make a proper greenhouse at some point and park limes, avocado, lemongrass and a curry tree in there a guy i know decided to grow hothouse tomatoes through the winter, started in early december and was starting to yield well when a couple weeks back the breaker powering his heat lamps tripped and he didn't realize it and there was a freeze and everything died
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Mar 13, 2022 19:16
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If you want a lime‐like fruit that can take some cold, I highly recommend limequats, specifically the Eustis cultivar. As the name implies, they’re lime–kumquat hybrids. Kumquats are the most cold‐adapted of edible citrus, and limequats inherit a good portion of this. They don’t sacrifice on taste. They taste truer to key limes than Persian limes do.
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Mar 14, 2022 02:39
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Spoondick posted:a guy i know decided to grow hothouse tomatoes through the winter, started in early december and was starting to yield well when a couple weeks back the breaker powering his heat lamps tripped and he didn't realize it and there was a freeze and everything died if you grow some weed in there too you’ll always have a good reason to check in on things 
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Mar 14, 2022 05:03
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doing soil blocks for the first time, things seem to be going well got peppers, eggplants and tomatoes all started and looking good the mix for the soil blocks is 10 qts hydrated coconut coir, 10 qts peat moss, 10 qts compost, 10 lbs earthworm castings, 1/2 cup kelp meal, 1/8 cup ag dolomite... i make up a batch and mix it well without adding any water, pour some in a bucket, mix in water until it's a thick mud consistency, then shove it into a tool called a soil blocker that shits out the blocks when you squeeze it like a really messy playdoh toy advantages are: no need to buy plug trays, seedling starter pots, etc, plants do not become root-bound as the roots air prune when they reach the edge of block, reduced transplant shock because of minimal root disturbance, once seeds have germinated you can bottom water and the blocks wick the water to the top disadvantages: messy, time consuming... although with practice i might get quicker, takes me about 20 minutes with everything set up to make a tray of 32 blocks  im thinking these blocks won't be big enough to handle the tomatoes for 4 more weeks, will have to transplant then into bigger blocks and im probably going to have to make them with a homemade mold of some sort
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Mar 14, 2022 15:01
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tomatoes are now in the ground. a week earlier than usual. ground at root depth was, admittedly, still a little on the cold side, but if we get another week in the 70s and 80s I don't think it's going to be a problem. realized, as I'd gotten some stuff in the ground and repotted and generally moved around that I haven't gotten any peppers started yet
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Mar 26, 2022 22:37
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taters: growing squash: growing persimmons: nearly ready to pick, some picked already olives: brining oranges: magical second harvest coming in (wtf)
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Mar 29, 2022 01:36
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I've been looking a little into persimmons. Some of the cold hardy varieties are very tempting
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Mar 29, 2022 01:42
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i don't know anything about planting them--i moved into this rental and there's a couple of persimmon trees that are popping off. They will need some pruning though. there is a fuya tree and a hachiya tree, so far only the hachiya seem good to pick, but they will need ripen on the bench. I am going to skin one and hang it to dry for a few weeks
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Mar 29, 2022 01:54
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The Voice of Labor posted:tomatoes are now in the ground. a week earlier than usual. ground at root depth was, admittedly, still a little on the cold side, but if we get another week in the 70s and 80s I don't think it's going to be a problem. Meanwhile, I'm worried about the cold hardy plants that I direct sowed because they all started popping two days before temperatures dropped from 60 degrees down to 20 degrees. Crossing my fingers that my hastily erected row tunnels will keep my itty bitty greens alive.
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Mar 29, 2022 03:57
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started some successions of arugula, mustard and beets in buckets a month ago and the first succession got hit with a couple of freezes early, then the beets and arugula got loving annihilated by squirrels... the mustard is in baby leaf stage now and getting some yield when i thin, the second succession is looking better transplanted the nightshade soil blocks into bigger soil blocks i made with cardboard juice cartons and stuck them in my coldframe  growing a green manure mix in my beds now, mix of rye grass, hairy vetch, field pea and clover... gonna turn that under in 2 weeks then start planting out in 3
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Mar 29, 2022 05:42
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I've got a bunch of mustard greens, spinach, kale, kohlrabi, swiss chard, pak choi, peas, and cabbage all growing alongside my summer crops in flats under grow lights right now. I almost never grow that stuff indoors as transplants, but I had a bad feeling about this year so I decided to start a couple of extra flats for safety. Honestly glad I did. If my direct-sown greens make it through this freeze then I'll find space for this stuff and have a nice succession going, but at least I've got backups. This exact time last year I was worried about my greens bolting because we had a spat of freak 80-degree temps.
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Mar 29, 2022 16:27
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Buck Turgidson posted:taters: growing Is there any use in trying to make olive oil from your own plants, or is brining the only practical way to go?
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Mar 29, 2022 16:58
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Cat Puke posted:Is there any use in trying to make olive oil from your own plants, or is brining the only practical way to go? I was always planning to brine these so i didn't even look into whats involved in making the oil. Its probably a lot of mashing and straining but i bet it's doable with a bit of elbow grease
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Mar 30, 2022 04:10
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not sure what kind of yields you might get off a tree or two, but cold pressed olive oil is very easy to make and rudimentary extraction methods employed for thousands of years work just fine, basically just need to mash them up, collect the pulp in something porous like cheesecloth, put something heavy on it in such a way you can collect the runoff (inverted bowl in a bigger bowl or something), let the liquid rest for a bit then get rid of the water with a gravy separator
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Mar 30, 2022 15:39
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Karach posted:Do you find that home grown cumin has a different taste from store bought? dunno how it fares when it dries, but I sampled some green pods and it, unsurprisingly, has flavors that aren't in dried cumin seed. sursprisingly, they're real perfumey, not grass like. it's also super strong and two pods were enough to make my tongue numb
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Apr 18, 2022 21:53
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homegrown mint tea > store mint tea imo
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Apr 18, 2022 22:08
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“Store Mint Norman” is a good username.
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Apr 18, 2022 22:10
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The Voice of Labor posted:dunno how it fares when it dries, but I sampled some green pods and it, unsurprisingly, has flavors that aren't in dried cumin seed. sursprisingly, they're real perfumey, not grass like. it's also super strong and two pods were enough to make my tongue numb drat. that sounds dope. I put cumin in everything, we should grow some. if you ever have the chance to make tea from fresh wild bergamot, take it. it's life changing.
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Apr 18, 2022 22:12
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im always cumin'
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Apr 18, 2022 22:14
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tokin opposition posted:homegrown mint tea > store mint tea imo plus you’ll never run out of the stuff unless you set the bush on fire and dig it out
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Apr 18, 2022 22:17
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mint doesn't like sustained 110 degree days in full sun i found out... can still become a weed in the shade year-round easily though oregano is similar, it'll self propagate out of control if you let it
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Apr 19, 2022 04:33
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My catnip died over the winter. It’s a mint.
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Apr 19, 2022 04:38
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some friends and i rented this place next to a creek and blackberry and mint had completely overrun the back yard... the work to get that under control was a bitch but our beverages were great
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Apr 19, 2022 04:41
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I almost killed a potted blackberry by having it in unseasonable greenhouse conditions, but it bounced right back when put outdoors.
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Apr 19, 2022 04:46
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I planted a potted blackberry and a raspberry in the end of September, zone 5a, and they somehow survived and are now throwing out leaves. also very excited to see the rhubarb coming up again!
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Apr 19, 2022 04:59
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my catnip is fine but I think my coyote brush might've eaten my horehound
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Apr 19, 2022 05:22
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| # ? Jun 10, 2024 17:42 |
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As a PNWer I will never stop laughing at the idea of people growing blackberries intentionally instead of destroying them with extreme prejudice.
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Apr 19, 2022 05:34
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