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madlilnerd posted:I'm in south east England so zoning doesn't apply. We have a temperate climate, similar to Seattle. It rains a lot. The soil is very fertile. Highs of about 25 degrees C in summer. I can tell you from experience gardening in SE England that pretty much everything will be wanting full sun. Since there aren't the same high temperature extremes as there is in temperate US there isn't any crops that need sheltering in the summer, and there isn't as much sun in general. The upside is being able to have successful lettuce and spinach and even peas for most of the summer. The downside is it can be difficult to get tomatoes and peppers to ripen. Bottom line is I wouldn't put any vegetables in the shade there.
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Mar 26, 2009 21:46
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madlilnerd posted:I'm in south east England so zoning doesn't apply. I wouldn't say that...
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Mar 27, 2009 01:01
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HeatherChandler posted:I can tell you from experience gardening in SE England that pretty much everything will be wanting full sun. Since there aren't the same high temperature extremes as there is in temperate US there isn't any crops that need sheltering in the summer, and there isn't as much sun in general. The upside is being able to have successful lettuce and spinach and even peas for most of the summer. The downside is it can be difficult to get tomatoes and peppers to ripen. Bottom line is I wouldn't put any vegetables in the shade there. I'm in Stoke-on-Trent, which means everything is grey - the sky, the clay 2" under the surface... Hence the container plants.
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Mar 27, 2009 21:37
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My snap pea plants are almost 2" tall after only being planted 7 days ago 
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Mar 27, 2009 23:08
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Do squash stems work like tomatoes? IE, can you plant squashlings right up to the bottom leaves for the same reasons?
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Mar 28, 2009 01:33
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ChaoticSeven posted:Do squash stems work like tomatoes? IE, can you plant squashlings right up to the bottom leaves for the same reasons? If it is a vine type, yes, if it is a bush type, I don't think so. Re. Growing veg in England--I don't blame anyone for sticking to conatiner gardening there. Best results I had were in the little grow bags crammed up outside my flat, practically on the pavement. I hope whoever took tomatoes as they walked by would agree, assuming they figured out to force ripen them.
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Mar 28, 2009 04:33
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madlilnerd posted:Okay guys, horrible shady area next to a massive conifer tree and my neighbours 4ft fence. I've dug out most of the brambles and removed a ton of roots, and will finish this at the weekend. There were lots of bulbs (most likely bluebell) that I've removed to replant later. From what you describe its going to be hard to grow a lot. It will likely be an uphill battle just keeping the area free of roots. My boyfriend tries to maintain a flower bed under his maple tree and every year he digs out the area, shakes all the soil off the roots, mixes in compost and horse manure. And every year the roots have grown back to the point where the ground is solid and it's hard to get a shovel a couple inches deep. Your best bet might to replant those bulbs now, this fall plant some tulips and daffodils, get some hostas, and ferns, and if you want to experiment, in some of the deeper, richer patches away from the trunk, try growing things that might have a shot like leaf lettuce, spinich, or chard.
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Mar 28, 2009 16:16
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ChaoticSeven posted:Do squash stems work like tomatoes? IE, can you plant squashlings right up to the bottom leaves for the same reasons? The reason you can plant tomatoes deep is because their stems will produce roots whereever they are buried. Most plants, including squash will not do this. You should plant them a little deeper, perhaps half an inch deeper than they were as a transplant, but you don't want to go right up to the bottom leaves. For this reason, tomatoes are somewhat forgiving if they didn't have enough light as seedlings and they got leggy, but squash isn't forgiving at all.
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Mar 28, 2009 16:21
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Zeta Taskforce posted:From what you describe its going to be hard to grow a lot. It will likely be an uphill battle just keeping the area free of roots. My boyfriend tries to maintain a flower bed under his maple tree and every year he digs out the area, shakes all the soil off the roots, mixes in compost and horse manure. And every year the roots have grown back to the point where the ground is solid and it's hard to get a shovel a couple inches deep. Honestly, I think your boyfriend is going to too much trouble with his flowerbed. Just plant some full shade perennials under that tree and be done with it. Feel free to call in the heavy artillery when digging near a tree. Trees can survive quite a bit of root damage without any problems. I usually keep my set of loppers and a knife close by when digging under a tree. madlilnerd, my advice to you would be to actually make yourself a rock screen and sort out the rocks. You can leave the pea-sized stuff without problems. In fact, a couple years of winter freeze and thaws should take care of those.
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Mar 28, 2009 16:31
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kid sinister posted:Honestly, I think your boyfriend is going to too much trouble with his flowerbed. Just plant some full shade perennials under that tree and be done with it. Feel free to call in the heavy artillery when digging near a tree. Trees can survive quite a bit of root damage without any problems. I usually keep my set of loppers and a knife close by when digging under a tree. I think he is too. This year when he dug it out again he put some special fabric that is supposed to stop the roots. That's the thing about gardening. No matter what happened last year, no matter what died, what became overgrown, what never made it, this time of year hope springs eternal. Edit to say that he's a teacher. They get so much time off; hacking away at tree roots keeps him out of trouble. Zeta Taskforce fucked around with this message at 18:05 on Mar 28, 2009 |
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Mar 28, 2009 16:39
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Amateur pro-tip: tomato and pepper seedlings don't "harden-off" well in 30mph winds. Time to start over. 
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Mar 28, 2009 17:50
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Zeta Taskforce posted:The reason you can plant tomatoes deep is because their stems will produce roots whereever they are buried. Most plants, including squash will not do this. You should plant them a little deeper, perhaps half an inch deeper than they were as a transplant, but you don't want to go right up to the bottom leaves. For this reason, tomatoes are somewhat forgiving if they didn't have enough light as seedlings and they got leggy, but squash isn't forgiving at all. Ah, I thought I might be able to because of something I read about squash pests. Whichever one that burrows into the stem and basically hollows it out, you can dig the bug out and then bury the stem all the past the affected area and it's supposed to root from there.
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Mar 28, 2009 21:31
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http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/2000/2153.html It is true that if you find damage and physically pull out the larva, you do want to bury the stem and it will form roots at the leaf joints (it does form roots to some extent anyway, without intentionally burying the stems) I just don't think squash benefits from intentionally buring the seedling deep though, nor will that part of the stem form roots since it doesn't have any joints.
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Mar 28, 2009 22:01
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Since I can't grow Cannabis anymore, I've turned my focus to the things my girlfriend likes to eat. I grow indoors with LED, but I have some outdoor space that I planted some grapes and berries in.  Ignore the labeling, left over from my cannabis days, they are in fact strawberries.  Some Broccoli Plants  Chives, Onions, Lettuce and Spinach  Seedlings and Smaller Plants are Grown with this light  When plants get real big they go under the UFO, Going to have Hydro Tomatoes under this later on I own my own LED Light company, and I don't want to derail too much from the original purpose of this thread, growing things. But I've got a 10% off coupon for goons: goon10 You can read about LED at my website https://www.hortiglow.com or if no one minds a derail I can field questions here. As for the garden, I've got a lot of seeds germinating right now, those pictures are just some things I threw together to have for the Cincinnati Flower and Garden show, since I'm getting a booth there this year. edit, I'm also going to try and make it more zen like, cleaner and more efficient of a set up, not so lazily half assed, I want to be able to chill in the big closet and relax, but for now it'll do. RizieN fucked around with this message at 22:41 on Mar 28, 2009 |
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Mar 28, 2009 22:31
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I am having a tomato problem--they have turned totally purple on the stems and underneath the leaves. They don't have true leaves yet so I know I shouldn't fertilize, and the internet tells me they are too cold. The internet also says optimal temperature is 60-75 for seedlings and that room fluctuates between 65 and 70. I thought they might not be getting enough light with my ghetto fabulous setup but the peppers, which are supposedly more temperamental, are just peachy. Now I can't decide if I want to stick a heating pad underneath them or if I want to be patient and wait it out.
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Mar 29, 2009 00:44
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Not sure if I'm hitting the right thread, but I'll try here. Can somebody recommend some flowers that will grow indoors, without too big of a work investment (as in, I can care for them, but because they're indoors, I can't do much about soil, fertilizer, etc)? I have a huge window here that will provide light pretty much all day. Or, if it works better, are there any flowers that can't be grown? I'm in California, so it stays fairly moderate, even indoors. Never gets blistering hot, or cold as all gently caress. What sorts of things should I make sure I have to start?
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Mar 29, 2009 00:45
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Kai was taken posted:Not sure if I'm hitting the right thread, but I'll try here. Depends on what you want to grow, what kind of look you are going for. You do have to fertilize houseplants sometimes. You don't really need anything special, I use an old empty water bottle for watering most of the time. Potting soil, pot, plant. My personal favorite is growing orchids indoor even though people think they are difficult. If you have a bright window that is fine for light, the blooms last ages, and a lot of varieties only like a little water so if you are forgetful they will be ok (mine only died when I went away for a bit and my husband watered them every day thinking he was being helpful, despite my sticky note warnings) They are a PAIN to repot but otherwise there are easy varieties. I think I might have gotten into them simply because most aren't poisonous to cats. The easist one I can think of is the kalanchoe. A lot of indoor flowers are easy to take care of generally, but once they are out of bloom might need special conditions to get them back into bloom again. Bromeliads and African violets are like that.
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Mar 29, 2009 01:25
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HeatherChandler posted:Depends on what you want to grow, what kind of look you are going for. I think I'll give Orchids a shot, I've always liked them. Is there anything special I should know before I do it? Are they easy to grow this time of year?
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Mar 29, 2009 10:04
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I finally turned out our compost bin, some 3 years after we started it. Seeing as we never did it properly, just drilled some air holes in the side of a plastic dustbin, it's never had the good stuff turned out, so it was powdery black/brown, the only recognisable stuff was eggshells, which the wife assures me is normal. I mixed it about 1:2 with potting compost and planted carrots & parsnips, so I now have 3 troughs of potatoes, 1 of carrots, 1 of parsnips. Chillies, tomatoes & peppers germinating on the windowsill. Also, about 2lb of potatoes turfed out when I emptied the old troughs  Question - I have about 2lb of bbq ash, should I put this in the compost bin?
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Mar 29, 2009 12:51
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Kai was taken posted:I think I'll give Orchids a shot, I've always liked them. Is there anything special I should know before I do it? Are they easy to grow this time of year? They grow indoors any time of year. They require some maintenance though. A good place to start learning is the phalaenopsis orchid, it is the one you see everywhere, at the supermarket and stuff. I think you will get more concise information on google than from me, but I can definately say that they are the easiest, and have the longest lasting blooms. The quick and dirty is water once a week, feed once a month, cut stem down when blooming dies. Repotting and getting it to rebloom are the tricky part, but for phalaenopsises you only really need to stick it somewhere a bit darker and chillier for a week and stick it back out and wait. Like I said, all indoor flowers really have some special needs, and will need to experience a mini winter to bloom again. My grandmother used to get her African Violets to bloom all year, but she also spent a lot of time and effort fussing with their light cycles and I don't think that is what you are looking for. For winter you can force bulbs to last until spring. Since you have all that wonderful sun, don't discount growing herbs. They have pretty little flowers too. Cakefool, you can put barbeque ash in the compost bin, but check the label on the briquettes you used and make sure they they didn't have additives, like in the instant lighting stuff.
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Mar 29, 2009 16:04
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Cakefool posted:I finally turned out our compost bin, some 3 years after we started it. Seeing as we never did it properly, just drilled some air holes in the side of a plastic dustbin, it's never had the good stuff turned out, so it was powdery black/brown, the only recognisable stuff was eggshells, which the wife assures me is normal. I would add the ash directly to the garden and mix it directly in the soil. Ashes are rich in potassium and other trace nutrients. I would avoid the areas that you already planted so it doesn't burn your tender seedlings.
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Mar 29, 2009 16:07
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Be careful with ashes, they can cause your soil to become too alkaline if you're not careful.
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Mar 29, 2009 18:06
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Cakefool posted:I finally turned out our compost bin, some 3 years after we started it. Seeing as we never did it properly, just drilled some air holes in the side of a plastic dustbin, it's never had the good stuff turned out, so it was powdery black/brown, the only recognisable stuff was eggshells, which the wife assures me is normal. You're lucky- my mum has this fascination with composting old cotton clothes, so occasionally I'll go out to turn the bins and end up with a pair of granny panties swinging from my garden fork.  Gardening Which did a great article last year, trialling different compost myths and mixes. The quickest way to get compost, better than any additive, was simply turning it every week and throwing on a bucket of water if it was in a bin without a lid. They managed to get usable compost in 3months, IIRC.
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Mar 29, 2009 18:28
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I just made a worm bin. Should I have just done a regular compost bin? Does it breakdown faster with worms or what are the advantages of one over the other? I think I just really wanted pet worms :3
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Mar 29, 2009 18:35
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HeatherChandler posted:My personal favorite is growing orchids indoor even though people think they are difficult. If you have a bright window that is fine for light, the blooms last ages, and a lot of varieties only like a little water so if you are forgetful they will be ok (mine only died when I went away for a bit and my husband watered them every day thinking he was being helpful, despite my sticky note warnings) They are a PAIN to repot but otherwise there are easy varieties. I think I might have gotten into them simply because most aren't poisonous to cats. Technically, most Bromeliads never rebloom, each plant only flowers once, makes a few offsets, then dies. Other than that though, they are bulletproof and perfect for a newbie. Just remember, most bromeliads are epiphytic and only use their roots as anchors. For those you put their water in their central "cup" instead. You're right about African violets though. Seconding kalanchoes. If you want easy flowers indoors, I'd try peace lilies, or any of a number of succulents. Becktastic posted:I just made a worm bin. Should I have just done a regular compost bin? Does it breakdown faster with worms or what are the advantages of one over the other? I think I just really wanted pet worms :3 Depends on some conditions. Do you have space for a proper compost bin? They need to be at least 3 feet X 3 feet X 3 inches in order to be able to start breaking down material. Of course, the larger it is, it will have more material to break down and then should be more able to generate the heat that bacteria love. There could be so much heat that it could be too hot for the wormies and they'll leave if able. Bacteria really are necessary and will break down stuff much faster than worms if there's enough heat for bacteria to thrive. In fact, there is some stuff you can compost like sticks and branches that worms won't touch until bacteria has done its job. Another condition is that depending on what you add, compost bins can stink, bad. You may want to locate it away from yours and your neighbors' houses. kid sinister fucked around with this message at 20:23 on Mar 29, 2009 |
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Mar 29, 2009 19:54
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kid sinister posted:Another condition is that depending on what you add, compost bins can stink, bad. You may want to locate it away from yours and your neighbors' houses. I was thinking of storing my worm bin in the carport. Do you think it will still get too hot and kill my worms? There's also the laundry room, but it's probably warmer in there at least when the dryer is running. It gets 100+ degrees F out here in the summer. But I can't think of a better place to keep them :/
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Mar 29, 2009 20:52
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kid sinister posted:Technically, most Bromeliads never rebloom, each plant only flowers once, makes a few offsets, then dies. Other than that though, they are bulletproof and perfect for a newbie. Just remember, most bromeliads are epiphytic and only use their roots as anchors. For those you put their water in their central "cup" instead. Well poo poo, I am retarded and got my wires crossed, sorry. I was thinking begonias if you keep them indoors. Although, my mother in law has a massive bromeliad that I think she has had for 10 years or something ridiculous, I wonder if she is just letting it reproduce within the pot it is in, the pot is like 3 feet high and 4 ft across. Is that even possible? She has them in pots all over the conservatory, I bet they are all off the same start. Compost smells the worst if it is really really wet. Make sure you turn it and that it gets air.
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Mar 29, 2009 21:05
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If your compost smells, you're doing it wrong. The smell is produced by anaerobic bacteria-- compost done right is turned often, providing oxygen to the microorganisms that break it down. Material that is composting aerobically shouldn't stink. Also, the warmer compost is, the better, since the little critters like warmth and work faster when they're warmer. Don't worry about the earthworms... Unless you're specifically after worm castings, you won't really need them, and if it's too warm for them in the pile they'll just leave.
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Mar 30, 2009 01:52
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Magipp posted:if it's too warm for them in the pile they'll just leave. ...if they can leave.
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Mar 30, 2009 03:30
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kid sinister posted:...if they can leave.
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Mar 30, 2009 06:38
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Well, I've been busy. Transplanted tomatoes:   I've tilled. My God how I've tilled. Also I've picked out thirty billion grass root balls. First picture is my tomato patch. I get restless and wasted money on tomato seedlings from Lowes about a week ago. Planted them out, and we promptly experienced torrential rains that had 12 of them under water for 3 days and the others leaning over with dirt over the leaves, sometimes leaves buried under the dirt. I kept going out and brushing the dirt off and propping them back up, dug a drainage ditch that got most of the water off the south end. Then we had two nights of 35 degree temps. Sweet.  Still, for the horror show they've been through most of them still look at least "not close to death".  Here be beds of the following: cabbage, broccoli, leaf lettuce x 2, carrots, kale, 1 row of kohlrabi because I didn't realize how little those 20 cent packages contained, and something I forget the name of offhand, another leaf vegetable cultivar was "neon lights" or something.    Finally, my big ole' pile o' mulch. I can get as much of it as I want from a nearby city for free with them loading it and me providing the trailer and forking it out by hand. That part sucks cock. This is one 16 foot trailer load. Looks to be a pretty good mix of hardwood and pine needles/conifer trees. It's all from limbs so no heartwood that would take a long time to break down. I've heard thats good.  I've started working on the newspaper then mulch thing for the pathways between beds and rows, I'll have an update on how that looks tomorrow if it doesn't pour down rain all day. ChaoticSeven fucked around with this message at 02:55 on Mar 31, 2009 |
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Mar 31, 2009 02:52
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Got some pictures of my snap peas today since they are going nuts in my float tray. They have been in soil for 10 days now.  Some of my Kentucky Wonders have come up, and all the carrots have sprouted so far. I'm gonna wait a couple days before I prune out the weak ones. Nothing yet from the watermelon, honeydew, or cucumbers. My onion and kohlrabi seeds and strawberry plants should be here soon.
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Mar 31, 2009 07:54
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ChaoticSeven posted:Well, I've been busy. You used a rototiller...right? If not you are far tougher than me. You know, you can rig up some cloches from empty milk cartons and 2 L soda bottles if you are expecting any more chills. Guess this isn't too helpful at the last minute unless you happen to drink a whole lot of milk and soda or have a recycle bin that's full. With all that room are you planning melons? I am stuck looking for a dwarf cantaloupe, I'm turning green over all that space. Well, I decided to jump the gun and plant one section of my mesclun, since I do it successionally it won't matter if one bit dies, I can replant. It took all of 24 hours for some cheeky birds to find it. I need to get some netting but until then, I can't decide if I should put out some seed on the far side of the yard to distract them. Are birds that dumb? We have a lot of trees so birds are an inevitability.
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Mar 31, 2009 14:15
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HeatherChandler posted:Well, I decided to jump the gun and plant one section of my mesclun, since I do it successionally it won't matter if one bit dies, I can replant. It took all of 24 hours for some cheeky birds to find it. I need to get some netting but until then, I can't decide if I should put out some seed on the far side of the yard to distract them. Are birds that dumb? We have a lot of trees so birds are an inevitability. While the birds would certainly eat the seed my guess is that the extra food would attract more birds and they would eventually run out of seed and move on to your mesclun. A quick fix option would be a scarecrow or plastic/concrete owl, which might keep the little birdies at bay.
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Mar 31, 2009 14:25
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ChaoticSeven, I'm seething with jealousy over all that amazing land. I can only dream of having that kind of garden space. I have the shadiest yard imaginable, and the only spot with any decent sun is right up against the street. Still, I dug out a couple of beds and I'm ready for tomato time! I even built a little woven branch fence to deter people from letting their dogs on the beds. Gotta make do with what we have...but oh, for all that land and hours to spend gardening...that's really my dream.
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Mar 31, 2009 17:15
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ChaoticSeven posted:Well, I've been busy. That's not a garden, that's a farm. And also, I would like to commend you for being crazy enough to manage all that land.
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Mar 31, 2009 18:59
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I'm loving all the info here, guys, thanks! I have a question, though. My boyfriend and I started our first porch garden last year, and everything was going swimmingly until an evil little poo poo squirrel discovered our bounty and went about digging everything up and killing it. Everything. I tried putting gravel all over the top of the soil, thinking it would hurt his paws to dig through, but he was not dismayed. A coworker suggested sprinkling chili powder all over the soil, but I'm concerned that it might seep in with watering and affect the plants. We live in a little one-bedroom, so I can't just bring them inside, and the porch is far too small to build some sort of plant fortress. Besides buying a BB gun and camping out in the living room (it's definitely crossed my mind), do you have any suggestions?
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Mar 31, 2009 19:23
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Chili powder shouldn't hurt the earth in your garden. It's just organic material. It only affects us the way it does because of the chemistry of our mouths and taste buds. Alternatively you could put a mesh cage around your plants since it's just on a porch. Small enough to keep the tree rat out, but big enough that it won't block the sun.
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Mar 31, 2009 21:27
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I've started cooking a lot of Indian recipes - I go through a fair amount of cilantro, but the bunches I buy from the store always start to wilt and rot before I finish them  I'm going to attempt to grow my own cilantro (coriander) from seed this season. Does anyone have any information on what friendly Midwest US animals would want to eat my crop that I need to defend against? Has anyone grown cilantro before that can give a few tips for effective culturing and harvesting of the leaves and seeds?
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Mar 31, 2009 23:35
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csammis posted:I've started cooking a lot of Indian recipes - I go through a fair amount of cilantro, but the bunches I buy from the store always start to wilt and rot before I finish them I don't know about animals, but growing cilantro is very similar to growing lettuce. It doesn't like really hot temperatures (it will go to seed, although if it does happen grab a mortar and pestle), and you can sow it in batches because it doesn't last that long. Grow it close together and preferably somewhere that has some shade in the hottest part of the day, but morning sun. It is another thing I do in a container and move around depending on the weather. Anubis posted:While the birds would certainly eat the seed my guess is that the extra food would attract more birds and they would eventually run out of seed and move on to your mesclun. A quick fix option would be a scarecrow or plastic/concrete owl, which might keep the little birdies at bay. That actually works? I feel like a div, I always thought scarecrows were made up for movies. I guess the little cutesy ceramic squirrel I've got out there just isn't threatening enough.
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Apr 1, 2009 00:44
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