Author Topic: Planting/Growing Your Own 2019  (Read 93713 times)

RetiredAt63

  • CMTO 2023 Attendees
  • Senior Mustachian
  • *
  • Posts: 20747
  • Location: Eastern Ontario, Canada
Re: Planting/Growing Your Own 2019
« Reply #100 on: February 06, 2019, 03:09:23 PM »

I found this in my exploration/dreaming a couple of days ago: http://www.conqueststeel.com/products-2/garden-beds/low-rise-garden-beds/

I am dreaming of gardens as the ice pellets and freezing rain falls.

Right now we have snow, your freezing rain will be here soon. I am also garden dreaming, and looking at new borders for raised beds.  I used spruce (cheap for experimental beds) and it is starting to rot.

Your web site had a pretty picture and this:
FULL PRODUCT DESCRIPTION AND AVAILABILITY BEGINNING SUMMER 2013

Maybe someone should point out to them that we are past summer 2013?   ;-)

jengod

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1219
  • Location: Near LAX
Re: Planting/Growing Your Own 2019
« Reply #101 on: February 09, 2019, 07:26:03 PM »
* Husband and I hauled four more wheelbarrow loads of the Chip Drop wood-chip mulch. It's already composted down quite a bit in the three months we've had it. I'm starting to find worms in the bottom layers.

* Watered all the houseplants with ice cubes as usual

* Used a one-gallon jug I'd been saving to create a "bottle garden" after learning about them on Reddit; the worst that can happen is nothing :D

* My 2yo daughter helped me scatter lots of dried eggshells in the yard; calcium supplement for the trees

Our almond seedling is blossoming, and the pomegranate and goji berry trees are starting to leaf out ever so slightly
« Last Edit: February 09, 2019, 08:38:45 PM by jengod »

WhiteTrashCash

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1983
Re: Planting/Growing Your Own 2019
« Reply #102 on: February 09, 2019, 08:54:42 PM »
I saved a lot of the leaves we raked up from our backyard last Fall and also saved up a ton of free newspapers that we found, so I'm planning to use them this year as free mulch for the vegetable garden and blackberry patch. For the front yard, I'm going to use our little wood chipper to shred all the fallen limbs from our backyard trees that I've saved over the past year and that should provide some attractive wood chip mulch for the front ornamental garden like we did last year. I may not plant corn and sunflowers in the front garden this year because we have had problems with neighbors stealing them from us.

Trifle

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 5902
  • Age: 57
  • Location: Outside, NC, US
    • In The Garden
Re: Planting/Growing Your Own 2019
« Reply #103 on: February 10, 2019, 03:27:01 AM »
I may not plant corn and sunflowers in the front garden this year because we have had problems with neighbors stealing them from us.

:(

Trail camera?  They don't cost much, and then you'd know who's doing it.  Unless you already know?

Frugal Lizard

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 5583
  • Age: 57
  • Location: Southwest Ontario
  • One foot in front of the other....
Re: Planting/Growing Your Own 2019
« Reply #104 on: February 10, 2019, 07:45:42 AM »
@WhiteTrashCash  - that is awful. 
I can't grow corn - way too many 4 legged creatures in my 'hood.

I am slowed down from the fall on the ice two weeks ago.  My entire right arm from wrist to neck is hurting more now.  I don't think I took enough care.  So my grow lights are still in their boxes and no seedling soil is warming in the basement. Got my seed order planned.  Got my planting schedule in my head.  Have not drawn up a sketch of garden to see how much I can fit in it.  Have been researching extending the season because I have a whole bunch of concrete pavers and steps that I could use to make mini cold frames.  If I was to have two or three of these I could rotate tomatoes, peppers and cukes/melons between them and overcome the cold and extend the season. 

Anygivenlindsay

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 10
Re: Planting/Growing Your Own 2019
« Reply #105 on: February 10, 2019, 09:47:01 AM »
Newbie gardener here
I’ve tried a couple years to get a garden going but my timing was way off and I just didn’t devote enough daily time to weeding and making sure I was watering correctly.
This year I’ve actually got some of my seeds started (yay!) and have been working on getting my bed prepped. We also built a fence to keep out the deer. My goal is to grow more than a few radishes and turnips to have this year.
I’m sure this has been answered in the past but do y’all have any recommendations for reference sites or just tips in general for someone who is getting started?

A frugal millennial

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 5
Re: Planting/Growing Your Own 2019
« Reply #106 on: February 10, 2019, 10:27:40 AM »
I have some really neat plants that I'm excited to plant out this year, but my main focus will be on turning a grassy, bind weed and Himalayan blackberry infested area in to a vegetable garden.

For the exciting, I got some yuzus, which are lemon-like citruses that are hardy down to about 0* Fahrenheit, so should sail through our zone 8 winters. I also got a mulberry tree, and a loquat. I have to wait until the snow melts and the ground thaws to plant them, but I already know where I want them.

I have been steadily making progress with the blackberries. The current plan is to do one more pass of clipping and digging out the roots, lay down a few layers of cardboard, and then plant potatoes over the top and just keep adding mulch through the summer. That'll be for the worst sections. I also intend to grow a large vegetable garden aside from that.

Trifle

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 5902
  • Age: 57
  • Location: Outside, NC, US
    • In The Garden
Re: Planting/Growing Your Own 2019
« Reply #107 on: February 10, 2019, 12:18:38 PM »
Newbie gardener here
I’ve tried a couple years to get a garden going but my timing was way off and I just didn’t devote enough daily time to weeding and making sure I was watering correctly.
This year I’ve actually got some of my seeds started (yay!) and have been working on getting my bed prepped. We also built a fence to keep out the deer. My goal is to grow more than a few radishes and turnips to have this year.
I’m sure this has been answered in the past but do y’all have any recommendations for reference sites or just tips in general for someone who is getting started?

Hi there!  Welcome.  I'm partial to motherearthnews.com, and I get their hard copy magazine in the mail as well.  They have a vast archive of articles with information on gardening, composting, cooking and preserving, raising bees and animals, building things, etc.  You name it and they've probably got how-to articles on it.  Great resource.  A friend of mine also likes Grit -- which is geared more toward farmers with four legged livestock. 

jengod

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1219
  • Location: Near LAX
Re: Planting/Growing Your Own 2019
« Reply #108 on: February 10, 2019, 01:12:17 PM »
Trying to start another pineapple top; I currently have four growing and we even harvested a pineapple from one last year. They seem to do well in this climate. This particular top might be too far gone to set roots but we’ll see.

Cgbg

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 142
Re: Planting/Growing Your Own 2019
« Reply #109 on: February 10, 2019, 02:27:20 PM »
Newbie gardener here

I’m sure this has been answered in the past but do y’all have any recommendations for reference sites or just tips in general for someone who is getting started?

There are lots of websites for gardeners, and some will mesh with your style and some won’t. I like permies.com’s growies as a resource. I don’t particularly like the new Houzz version of gardenweb forums but I still look at certain sub forums there if I have a specific question.

If you’re starting from seeds, my best advice is to water seedlings from the bottom, don’t be afraid to up pot if they get too big before they are ready to set out and finally, make sure you harden things off before you plant them out. Ask if any of that doesn’t make sense!

Gardening is best look at as a big experiment, with some years being better than others. Some years my tomato plants (started from seed) are awesome and some years they are duds. Overall, I’ve moved from buying starts at the nursery and instead buy open pollinated/heirloom seeds. I’m slowly saving seeds - figuring out how to select for the best seeds and saving those and trying to start them again the next spring. It’s going to be a lot of trial and error and it isn’t something that takes a year to perfect.
« Last Edit: February 10, 2019, 02:29:31 PM by Cgbg »

coffeefueled

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 188
Re: Planting/Growing Your Own 2019
« Reply #110 on: February 12, 2019, 07:17:16 AM »
How worried do I need to be about pressure treated lumber? Is this an ideally don't use it situation or I should really be concerned situation?

We built our beds with pressure treated wood because it was cheap and available. We don't have the spare funds to replace it with cedar anytime soon. I've thought about digging down around the sides and adding a layer of garden plastic to keep the lumber out of contact with the soil at the sides of the box, but that doesn't prevent it from affecting the soil beneath the box.

Thoughts?

Tris Prior

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 3012
Re: Planting/Growing Your Own 2019
« Reply #111 on: February 12, 2019, 08:08:56 AM »
Just found this thread today, as I look out the window at some gross mix of ice/snow/slush/sleet/I dunno, maybe plague of locusts is next? haha.

So.... we had the polar vortex here. -50 wind chills, temps in the -20s, for 2 days. What do you all think the chances are of my blueberry and raspberry bushes surviving that and coming back in the spring? I've only had them for a couple of years and our last couple of winters were relatively mild, for us. Two of the 3 blueberry bushes are rated for zones colder than where I live, the other is for my zone. Same for my 3 raspberry bushes.

I am scaling back my gardens this year (I have a 4 x 8 plot in a community garden, a 4 x 4 raised bed plus some big tomato plant-sized containers in my building's very small yard that my landlord graciously lets me use). For a couple of reasons:

We have new kittens (well, I guess not all THAT new any more, it's been a few months) who take up a lot of our time and attention, and I'm not certain that I can keep them alive AND also start everything from seed like I usually do. I don't really have a good catproof place in our apartment to keep the grow light and these little guys are into EVERYTHING. Plus, starting seeds here is such a PITA. Our spring weather is so iffy, and I end up potting up the seedlings several times over because they're getting huge and want to go into the ground.... except, oh wait, it's still snowing in late April or 40 degrees in late May so they can't! :P So I'm cramming stuff under the grow light, rotating things daily because the stems are bending toward the light, propping up some plants on whatever I can find that's tall, so that everything's the right distance from the light and nothing's growing spindly and weak. Maybe I put too much effort into it but every year this takes up SO much time and I just don't see myself doing that, kitten-wrangling, and, oh yeah, going to work every day, haha.

So I'm thinking of - gasp! - giving myself a break this year and mostly buying seedlings, at least for the warm weather crops - tomatoes, basil, peppers, maybe eggplant. $$$$. Which means, grow fewer plants. That's fine. Last year I had 22 tomato plants crammed into those 2 spaces and that was really too much - both for the plants and for my own sanity.

I'm also thinking of getting some of those garden bags to plant tomatoes in, rather than putting them right into the community bed. Someone with a bed near mine did that last year and their yields were insane! I've had that plot for 5 or 6 years now. I'm not able to totally replace the soil (which was initially provided to us), though I top it off with compost each year and have tried various amendments. Yet, I've noticed more disease and less production in the past couple of years, compared to my backyard which has fresh soil/compost but otherwise the same growing conditions, and the experts at my garden org tell me I should take a few years off of growing tomatoes in that spot. Which is, like, the main thing I grow! So this seems like a possible solution - still grow the tomatoes but keep them out of the soil that's exhausted from having tomatoes in it for multiple years. Does that seem logical? Has anyone had success with these bags?

At any rate, buying starts and garden bags is going to involve more money than I typically spend on gardening so it seems logical to grow fewer things this year. I'm going from free seeds to minimum $3/plant, which is painful to me! On one hand that makes me sad because I love growing a wide variety of weird tomatoes. My garden org does a free seed swap where I can get access to all sorts of bizarre varieties I've never heard of! I really did bite off more than I could chew last year though.

I can still direct sow stuff like greens and peas. Assuming it doesn't snow well into April like it did last year, ARGH.

Vasilisa

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 114
  • Location: Santa Cruz, CA
Re: Planting/Growing Your Own 2019
« Reply #112 on: February 12, 2019, 08:57:42 AM »
@Tris Prior brr! Do not envy you that weather! I see that a lot in my community gardens where the thing people love to grow are tomatoes, and it's the same soil, same crop over and over. Can't be good for the future plants. I haven't tried the bags but my other thought in your small beds is maybe just switching where in the bed you're planting them from year to year? Might not make a huge difference but a thought.

I think "splurging" on seedlings is a great idea. To me, gardening is one of the most joyful things in my life. Why not fill it with flowers and plants? In one of the MMM articles he talks about making decisions as if money doesn't matter. If you were FIREd would you drop a $50 on veggie starts? Is there a non-big box store nursery in your area? We have a great weird selection of tomatoes and veggies at our local nursery. I made the best decision ever, to marry one of the nursery employees and get a family discount. HA!

I just ordered a bunch of seeds from Pinetree Garden Seeds and Floret Farms for a community garden project that needs to stand some neglect. I'm going to direct seed one bed of cut flowers and two beds of vegetables during our wet spring and see what can survive some minimal summer watering. Day dreaming about bunches of flowers.

Tris Prior

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 3012
Re: Planting/Growing Your Own 2019
« Reply #113 on: February 12, 2019, 09:13:25 AM »
I haven't tried the bags but my other thought in your small beds is maybe just switching where in the bed you're planting them from year to year? Might not make a huge difference but a thought.

That would work if, um, I hadn't filled the entire thing with tomatoes last year, other than the squares that have perennials in them. ;) (Yes, I know you are not supposed to do that - but it actually went pretty well, all things considered!)

I think "splurging" on seedlings is a great idea. To me, gardening is one of the most joyful things in my life. Why not fill it with flowers and plants? In one of the MMM articles he talks about making decisions as if money doesn't matter. If you were FIREd would you drop a $50 on veggie starts? Is there a non-big box store nursery in your area? We have a great weird selection of tomatoes and veggies at our local nursery. I made the best decision ever, to marry one of the nursery employees and get a family discount. HA!

The thing is, I have a ton of seeds, for varieties I like (there's one that's just called "heirloom cherry" that my mother picked up on clearance somewhere for 5 cents like 7 years ago and even with old seed those plants produce GREAT). And I LIKE starting from seed. I'm good at it. I just don't think that I have the time or energy while the kittens are still small and wild.

We have a great local nursery that's within walking distance of me = dangerous! Everything there is obscenely, horrifyingly expensive. I try to limit what I get from there because it's easily double what the big boxes charge. I do buy my soil and compost there - and last year my landlord gave me a compost bin so I'll have some of my own to put down in the spring. My garden org also does a plant sale, but again, way more expensive (though for a good cause). And honestly, I've not had much luck with most starts I've bought from them? Though the basil I bought from them last year did great!


Frugal Lizard

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 5583
  • Age: 57
  • Location: Southwest Ontario
  • One foot in front of the other....
Re: Planting/Growing Your Own 2019
« Reply #114 on: February 12, 2019, 09:57:43 AM »
How worried do I need to be about pressure treated lumber? Is this an ideally don't use it situation or I should really be concerned situation?

We built our beds with pressure treated wood because it was cheap and available. We don't have the spare funds to replace it with cedar anytime soon. I've thought about digging down around the sides and adding a layer of garden plastic to keep the lumber out of contact with the soil at the sides of the box, but that doesn't prevent it from affecting the soil beneath the box.

Thoughts?
I personally wouldn't eat anything grown next to PT lumber.  For my garden, I grow on the ground.  I find it too hard to keep raised beds irrigated.  Why don't you just remove them? 

chasingthegoodlife

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 340
Re: Planting/Growing Your Own 2019
« Reply #115 on: February 12, 2019, 02:24:58 PM »
Tris, I think it’s a great idea to give yourself a break from starting seeds this year. Just remind yourself it doesn’t have to be forever and enjoy the increased time to sit about and enjoy your garden.

I too love starting from seed but this year I had a bit of a fiasco with tainted mix that killed everything that came near it :/ yes, I felt a little bit sad shelling out for seedlings that weren’t as interesting as what i had been planning to grow, but tomatoes take so long that I’ve forgotten all about it and just enjoying the delicious taste of home tomatoes :)

WhiteTrashCash

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1983
Re: Planting/Growing Your Own 2019
« Reply #116 on: February 15, 2019, 09:20:09 PM »
I may not plant corn and sunflowers in the front garden this year because we have had problems with neighbors stealing them from us.

:(

Trail camera?  They don't cost much, and then you'd know who's doing it.  Unless you already know?

That might be a good idea. I've also had problems with people stealing the roses from the bush in the front garden. That's part of the problem with choosing to live in a low-middle income area. You end up with problems you wouldn't face in a gated community. It's unfortunate that people around here don't seem to respect other people's property. That's why we installed six foot high privacy fencing with locked gates around our backyard.

Roadrunner53

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 3570
Re: Planting/Growing Your Own 2019
« Reply #117 on: February 16, 2019, 06:12:33 AM »
For years I have grown tomatoes, cukes and jalapeno peppers in raised gardens. Seems every year my yield gets less and less. I get black bottom tomatoes and used stuff that helped fix the problem. But it takes so much water, cost of planting mix, plants or seeds and then get very little for the effort and cost. Last year I became disillusioned with it all and went to a local farm the town manages and bought beautiful tomatoes, peppers and other veggies. It kind of broke my heart not to grow stuff. I have this nice trellis that is inside a huge oval galvanized container. It is for watering cattle. I would like to grow some flowers that will grow up the trellis but have not had much luck there either. I put in morning glories but they only open up for a short time till the sun comes out blazing. Does anyone know what kind of colorful flowers will grow up a trellis? I also grew a bunch of green beans on my deck and they did really great! That was two years ago. I might try that again. Oh, and for whatever reason, I used to get a lot of cukes when I grew them now it seems if I get three or four that is it! Talk about Mrs. Black thumb!

Trifle

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 5902
  • Age: 57
  • Location: Outside, NC, US
    • In The Garden
Re: Planting/Growing Your Own 2019
« Reply #118 on: February 16, 2019, 06:55:08 AM »
@coffeefueled re: the pressure treated lumber.  I have the same questions.  At our current place the raised beds are made with old railroad ties.  My DH is a chemist and read up on the chemicals used in those old ties (primarily chromated copper arsenate, which is now banned).  CCA does leach out of the wood over time, and judging based on the extreme degree of rot in these particular ties and how old they are, we didn't think there was much to be concerned about.  So yes -- although I would rather they were made of something else, we have been eating produce from those beds. 

PT lumber sold in the US since 2003 is safer and uses copper or chromium as the primary preservatives.  From what I've read online the preservatives do leach out and are taken up by plants, but in extremely tiny amounts.  The general consensus online FWIW is that those amounts of the new preservatives are safe for consumption. 

Personally, for the future I'm going to mostly plant in the ground or maybe try the sheet metal route.  But I also think it is very reasonable to use the modern (post 2003) pressure treated lumber. 

@Roadrunner53 -- I don't know anything about flowers -- sorry, but you could do scarlet runner beans (pretty little flowers) or cucumbers up a trellis.  They would both be very happy in your nice container I would think.  I always grow cukes in containers up against a fence.     

 

CalBal

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1155
  • Location: US
  • Dont Panic
    • Journal
Re: Planting/Growing Your Own 2019
« Reply #119 on: February 16, 2019, 07:58:17 AM »
@Roadrunner53 I don't know your climate to make an very educated suggestion, but cucumbers should work, or very small melons, with some support once the fruit start growing. The caveat is that both melons and cucumbers need consistent water, and a fair amount. Cucumbers can be bitter if not given enough water.

There is an annual called Cypress Vine (Ipomoea quamoclit - same genus as your garden variety morning glory) that supposedly takes full sun. I bought seeds last year but didn't get a chance to plant them. I'm trying them this year. Blooms early summer to fall, 6-20' vines, and is a hummingbird attractor. Full sun.

Re: your black bottom to tomatoes, etc., This is (probably, without seeing it) blossom end rot. Blossom end rot is caused by a calcium deficiency. However, some areas (like where I live) there is plenty of available calcium in the soil. It is in this case caused by inconsistent watering - calcium is a heavy element and it is difficult for the plant to transport if sufficient water (and enough of it, but consistency is the key) is not available. If you are growing in raised beds, and the roots are never going past the bottom of the bed, and you are not amending enough, it's probably lack of calcium in the soil. It's recommended to get a soil test even for raised beds to determine exactly what you may need to amend (send to your local University Extension office, their prices are reasonable (basically cost) and they know your particular geography best.

CalBal

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1155
  • Location: US
  • Dont Panic
    • Journal
Re: Planting/Growing Your Own 2019
« Reply #120 on: February 16, 2019, 08:13:11 AM »
We have germination! Starting peppers and eggplants now.

horsepoor

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 3497
  • Location: At the Barn
  • That old chestnut.
Re: Planting/Growing Your Own 2019
« Reply #121 on: February 16, 2019, 09:09:34 AM »
We have germination! Starting peppers and eggplants now.

Nice!  I'm two weeks behind already, but I'm about to make a second cup of coffee and get to seeding a couple trays this morning.

Also on the agenda for this morning is building a dedicated bench for the seedling trays, and hanging my lights above it.

Rural

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 5051
Re: Planting/Growing Your Own 2019
« Reply #122 on: February 16, 2019, 12:46:52 PM »
My great-grandmother's jonquils, some of which I transplanted here to our property last year, are coming up.

CalBal

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1155
  • Location: US
  • Dont Panic
    • Journal
Re: Planting/Growing Your Own 2019
« Reply #123 on: February 16, 2019, 12:53:32 PM »
My great-grandmother's jonquils, some of which I transplanted here to our property last year, are coming up.

How lovely!!!

RetiredAt63

  • CMTO 2023 Attendees
  • Senior Mustachian
  • *
  • Posts: 20747
  • Location: Eastern Ontario, Canada
Re: Planting/Growing Your Own 2019
« Reply #124 on: February 16, 2019, 03:55:17 PM »
My great-grandmother's jonquils, some of which I transplanted here to our property last year, are coming up.

I'm envious.  Mine still have at least 3' of snow and ice over them.

Rural

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 5051
Re: Planting/Growing Your Own 2019
« Reply #125 on: February 16, 2019, 05:02:17 PM »
My great-grandmother's jonquils, some of which I transplanted here to our property last year, are coming up.

I'm envious.  Mine still have at least 3' of snow and ice over them.


Sorry. It's a couple weeks earlier than I like to see here; hopefully they won't be killed by a hard freeze.

Trifle

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 5902
  • Age: 57
  • Location: Outside, NC, US
    • In The Garden
Re: Planting/Growing Your Own 2019
« Reply #126 on: February 17, 2019, 03:35:56 AM »
My great-grandmother's jonquils, some of which I transplanted here to our property last year, are coming up.

:)

Frugal Lizard

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 5583
  • Age: 57
  • Location: Southwest Ontario
  • One foot in front of the other....
Re: Planting/Growing Your Own 2019
« Reply #127 on: February 17, 2019, 09:19:18 AM »
My great-grandmother's jonquils, some of which I transplanted here to our property last year, are coming up.

:)
+1

Frugal Lizard

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 5583
  • Age: 57
  • Location: Southwest Ontario
  • One foot in front of the other....
Re: Planting/Growing Your Own 2019
« Reply #128 on: February 17, 2019, 09:41:07 AM »
@Roadrunner53  - I second scarlet runner beans.  Hummingbirds like the red flowers and the beans are tasty if you pick them early.  I have also had good success leaving a few beans on the plants until they are overripe and collecting the seeds within for next years plants. 

If the soil in your planter has been in there for a couple of seasons, I wouldn't be surprised if it is completely depleted of organic matter.  Planter soil mixes come with a lot of fertilizers to give them a great boost for the first season. But they are readily water soluble so they deplete pretty quickly. A topdressing of compost or manure before you start in the spring and a few applications of fertilizer throughout the growing season will 'renew' the planter soil.  For the cost of a soil test, a bag of manure and another of fertilizer will get your planter sorted.  Your soil may only be missing one component, and if your space was a large garden it wouldn't make sense to pay for more fertilizer than you need.  If your planter is pretty small, a 1L carton of a general veggie fertilizer will last a while.  Adding the organic matter will help with moisture retention and add some of the micro-nutrients into the soil more slowly.

I wouldn't try cucumbers and tomatoes every year - a limited 'crop rotation' strategy will help with disease resistance.  I would also look for varieties that are better suited to planters.  Seed growers will indicate if they are suited to container gardens on the package. I have cherry tomato varieties much better for the patio than others.  I have not had great luck with tasty cukes grown in containers.

Roadrunner53

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 3570
Re: Planting/Growing Your Own 2019
« Reply #129 on: February 17, 2019, 10:26:41 AM »
Thanks Frugal Lizard good points to consider.

Since I have tried container gardening my cukes are crap. I am lucky to get 3 scrankly ones. Maybe I need deeper containers.

RetiredAt63

  • CMTO 2023 Attendees
  • Senior Mustachian
  • *
  • Posts: 20747
  • Location: Eastern Ontario, Canada
Re: Planting/Growing Your Own 2019
« Reply #130 on: February 17, 2019, 11:37:52 AM »
Thanks Frugal Lizard good points to consider.

Since I have tried container gardening my cukes are crap. I am lucky to get 3 scrankly ones. Maybe I need deeper containers.

It may also be the plants.  I  bought my cucumbers at a nursery last year (I was not going to buy seed for 3 plants).  One produced masses of cukes, one produced a few, and one produced nothing.  All in the same garden, from the same pot of seedlings.

WhiteTrashCash

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1983
Re: Planting/Growing Your Own 2019
« Reply #131 on: February 17, 2019, 02:00:55 PM »
I stopped by the dollar store today and they are selling seeds for 25 cents a pack. I'm going to spend tomorrow planning my garden beds for the spring and then walk over there and pick up seeds. I'm going to graph things out and make sure everything is spaced correctly so I can maximize my garden space this year. Last year went okay, but I know I can do much better this time around now that I have a little more experience with vegetable and fruit gardening.

Frugal Lizard

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 5583
  • Age: 57
  • Location: Southwest Ontario
  • One foot in front of the other....
Re: Planting/Growing Your Own 2019
« Reply #132 on: February 18, 2019, 11:46:07 AM »
I went out into the greenhouse this morning to see if there was any potting soil so I could start some seeds today. No soil but it sure was nice to be out there.  The sun was strong and was warming the house up really nicely - the thermometer was showing 14C.  I took off my hat, mitts and parka - it felt amazing. The snow we got last night /early this morning had slide off the roof and everything outside was sparkly.  I decided to putter around in there and enjoy the smell of the soil.  I have a pile of white jugs of water that are frozen solid at the moment.  They will heat up better if they are covered with the black plastic and root barrier cloth that I have kicking around in there.  I fold all the black clothes up in the late spring so that the house doesn't get warmer than 40C.  I also covered some of the planters so that they can warm up as well. 
The floating row covers got taken outside for a shaking.  The oldest one is in very poor condition. I will buy a new one this year.  They extended my growing season and really increased the amount of produce so they are totally worth the $15. 
I also have a small piece of vapour barrier plastic that I would like to try as a cold frame cover so I can get some super early peas and beans.
A disgusting shower curtain from the kids bathroom has been repurposed for the growing lights liner and humidity tent.  Hopefully I won't have to buy any new trays or covers with this set up.

Indio

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 471
Re: Planting/Growing Your Own 2019
« Reply #133 on: February 20, 2019, 08:52:17 PM »
Work has been keeping me busy so I'm a little behind on my garden chores and plans. However, this weekend I started making my sweet potato slips. I bought 4 organic, pesticide free sweet potatoes, put toothpicks in the sides about halfway up the spud and then placed each one into its own a canning jar of water. In 4 weeks, tiny shoots should be coming out of the sides above the water line. When the shoots are about 10 inches high, I will cut them off and stick them in their own water container to grow roots until I can transplant outside. Last year I tried this for the first time and had over 50 sweet potato slips from 4 starter spuds. They need a long growing season to get big so I want to plant and put them under frost cloth in April. This will give them an extra 4 weeks to grow in my hardiness zone.
They are sitting on the kitchen windowsill in the sun so every day I get to look at them and dream about Spring.

Tris Prior

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 3012
Re: Planting/Growing Your Own 2019
« Reply #134 on: February 21, 2019, 08:05:33 AM »
I stopped by the dollar store today and they are selling seeds for 25 cents a pack. I'm going to spend tomorrow planning my garden beds for the spring and then walk over there and pick up seeds. I'm going to graph things out and make sure everything is spaced correctly so I can maximize my garden space this year. Last year went okay, but I know I can do much better this time around now that I have a little more experience with vegetable and fruit gardening.

You might find this site really useful: https://www.gardeners.com/how-to/kitchen-garden-planner/kgp_home.html
It is a really cool garden planning tool that lets you drag and drop various vegetables onto a square foot garden plan, and it automatically shows you how many plants you can fit into one square foot. I've been using it for years.

coffeefueled

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 188
Re: Planting/Growing Your Own 2019
« Reply #135 on: February 21, 2019, 09:16:42 AM »
I broke down and bought untreated fir to redo my raised beds so I don't have to worry about chemicals. I got 2x10s. I think it was worth the $80 to have peace of mind. Here's hoping they will last at least 5 years. I'm planning to burn seal them and put them out during some warmer weather this weekend. I also want to sow some hardy kale and spinach seeds.

Daffodils (I think) are poking through our back garden beds despite the couple inches of snow. I didn't know we had them. Discovering what the previous owner of our house planted is a joyful surprise. When we moved in during the summer there was a lot of deer eaten echinacea and hostas.

Trifle

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 5902
  • Age: 57
  • Location: Outside, NC, US
    • In The Garden
Re: Planting/Growing Your Own 2019
« Reply #136 on: February 21, 2019, 09:28:17 AM »
I broke down and bought untreated fir to redo my raised beds so I don't have to worry about chemicals.


Good for you @coffeefueled -- peace of mind is awesome.

Another wood that's quite naturally weather resistant is chestnut.  We have a bunch of chestnut planks from our house remodel.  We're going to use the nice ones to build some doors and a farmhouse style dining table.  The not-so-nice ones I could maybe eventually repurpose for garden construction projects.  Though this spring I'm planning to plant mostly in the ground.   

jengod

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1219
  • Location: Near LAX
Re: Planting/Growing Your Own 2019
« Reply #137 on: February 21, 2019, 08:17:44 PM »
Got three Allen Chickering sage plants in the ground today and cleared out the second boysenberry bed. I have to get the irrigation redone before replanting.

I rescued seven little boysenberry rootlings and will share them with a local garden-share group.

horsepoor

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 3497
  • Location: At the Barn
  • That old chestnut.
Re: Planting/Growing Your Own 2019
« Reply #138 on: February 21, 2019, 08:31:24 PM »
Work has been keeping me busy so I'm a little behind on my garden chores and plans. However, this weekend I started making my sweet potato slips. I bought 4 organic, pesticide free sweet potatoes, put toothpicks in the sides about halfway up the spud and then placed each one into its own a canning jar of water. In 4 weeks, tiny shoots should be coming out of the sides above the water line. When the shoots are about 10 inches high, I will cut them off and stick them in their own water container to grow roots until I can transplant outside. Last year I tried this for the first time and had over 50 sweet potato slips from 4 starter spuds. They need a long growing season to get big so I want to plant and put them under frost cloth in April. This will give them an extra 4 weeks to grow in my hardiness zone.
They are sitting on the kitchen windowsill in the sun so every day I get to look at them and dream about Spring.

Thank you for the reminder to do this.  I usually buy a couple varieties, because I never know which ones will sprout well.  However, I'm lazy and just put them right into potting soil.  I might have better luck if I followed your method.

They make a beautiful ground cover, and apparently the leaves can be used like spinach.  Haven't tried it yet, since I didn't want to stunt those tasty tubers.

Trifle

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 5902
  • Age: 57
  • Location: Outside, NC, US
    • In The Garden
Re: Planting/Growing Your Own 2019
« Reply #139 on: February 22, 2019, 03:38:58 AM »
Work has been keeping me busy so I'm a little behind on my garden chores and plans. However, this weekend I started making my sweet potato slips. I bought 4 organic, pesticide free sweet potatoes, put toothpicks in the sides about halfway up the spud and then placed each one into its own a canning jar of water. In 4 weeks, tiny shoots should be coming out of the sides above the water line. When the shoots are about 10 inches high, I will cut them off and stick them in their own water container to grow roots until I can transplant outside. Last year I tried this for the first time and had over 50 sweet potato slips from 4 starter spuds. They need a long growing season to get big so I want to plant and put them under frost cloth in April. This will give them an extra 4 weeks to grow in my hardiness zone.
They are sitting on the kitchen windowsill in the sun so every day I get to look at them and dream about Spring.

Thank you for the reminder to do this.  I usually buy a couple varieties, because I never know which ones will sprout well.  However, I'm lazy and just put them right into potting soil.  I might have better luck if I followed your method.

They make a beautiful ground cover, and apparently the leaves can be used like spinach.  Haven't tried it yet, since I didn't want to stunt those tasty tubers.

Yes thanks for the reminder @Indio.   Sweet potatoes are fascinating -- love them.  I grew the Beauregard variety in an in-ground bed the year before last, and then last year didn't get around to planting any.  That bed stayed bare all summer.  Nothing would grow on it -- not even crab grass.  That was my first glimpse into the mighty allelopathic/natural herbicidal power of sweet potatoes.  Wow. 

Teachstache

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 228
Re: Planting/Growing Your Own 2019
« Reply #140 on: February 22, 2019, 03:58:27 AM »
Posting to follow. We have had over 3 feet of snow since December.  I'm imagining my veggie garden to get through these long cold months. Will try my first attempt at seed starting next weekend.

RetiredAt63

  • CMTO 2023 Attendees
  • Senior Mustachian
  • *
  • Posts: 20747
  • Location: Eastern Ontario, Canada
Re: Planting/Growing Your Own 2019
« Reply #141 on: February 22, 2019, 08:36:38 AM »
That bed stayed bare all summer.  Nothing would grow on it -- not even crab grass.  That was my first glimpse into the mighty allelopathic/natural herbicidal power of sweet potatoes.  Wow.

That's scary, my garlic is overwintering in the bed that has sweet potatoes last year.  However last summer the vegetables where the sweet potatoes were the year before did fine. 

I buy varieties from a sort-of-local nursery that do well in our short season.  I would never try using grocery store potatoes, they are probably grown in a totally different climate to mine.

Indio

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 471
Re: Planting/Growing Your Own 2019
« Reply #142 on: February 22, 2019, 09:48:47 AM »
@Trifele I never noticed allelopathic properties of sweet potatoes probably because I add so much composted chicken manure to beds each year that the soil composition completely changes. Thanks for mentioning it. Did some quick reading on it and now I'm going to plant the slips in spots that I'm always weeding. It would be nice to minimize that chore, though the bunnies will have easier access to the leaves. Its a small price to pay for less weeding.

It's fascinating to me that sweet potatoes would fight for space by using allelopathy rather than evolve into more of a bushy condensed plant. I'm usually against GMO, but this would be a ideal plant to genetically modify. :)

In pollinator related news, did you see the article about this new giant bee discovered in Indonesia?
https://www.cnn.com/2019/02/21/world/giant-bee-megachile-pluto-found-trnd/index.html

Trifle

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 5902
  • Age: 57
  • Location: Outside, NC, US
    • In The Garden
Re: Planting/Growing Your Own 2019
« Reply #143 on: February 22, 2019, 10:17:24 AM »
In pollinator related news, did you see the article about this new giant bee discovered in Indonesia?
https://www.cnn.com/2019/02/21/world/giant-bee-megachile-pluto-found-trnd/index.html

Wow!  That's so cool!  She's beautiful. 

jengod

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1219
  • Location: Near LAX
Re: Planting/Growing Your Own 2019
« Reply #144 on: February 23, 2019, 04:05:20 PM »
Got all the tree collards and artichokes in the ground so that’s progress at least.

Need to excavate the second boysenberry bed and then head to the sprinkler/irrigation store for help.

WhiteTrashCash

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1983
Re: Planting/Growing Your Own 2019
« Reply #145 on: February 23, 2019, 06:09:27 PM »
I stopped by the dollar store today and they are selling seeds for 25 cents a pack. I'm going to spend tomorrow planning my garden beds for the spring and then walk over there and pick up seeds. I'm going to graph things out and make sure everything is spaced correctly so I can maximize my garden space this year. Last year went okay, but I know I can do much better this time around now that I have a little more experience with vegetable and fruit gardening.

You might find this site really useful: https://www.gardeners.com/how-to/kitchen-garden-planner/kgp_home.html
It is a really cool garden planning tool that lets you drag and drop various vegetables onto a square foot garden plan, and it automatically shows you how many plants you can fit into one square foot. I've been using it for years.

Wow! Thanks for sharing. I'll check that out.

krmit

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 109
  • Location: Portland
Re: Planting/Growing Your Own 2019
« Reply #146 on: February 23, 2019, 07:22:48 PM »
I have a pepper sprout!

Next week I'm really going to get going on starting my tomatoes, kale, and planting peas.. I'm also shopping around for a good bean/pea trellis...anyone have a good product and/or DIY?

Cgbg

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 142
Re: Planting/Growing Your Own 2019
« Reply #147 on: February 24, 2019, 02:56:34 PM »
For bean and pea trellises, I use bamboo poles in a tripod/teepee shape. I have a huge stand of narrow bamboo on my property so I just harvest from there. At a different house I just used fallen branches tied up against a fence. (Also used a huge hula hoop against a fence for climbing cukes- just laced string on it!)

horsepoor

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 3497
  • Location: At the Barn
  • That old chestnut.
Re: Planting/Growing Your Own 2019
« Reply #148 on: February 25, 2019, 05:53:21 AM »
I also have pepper sprouts! 

For trellis wire remesh panels are my favorite.  It makes great tomato cages too.  Beans like to spiral up long verticals, while peas need horizontal structures to grab with their tendrils.

Trifle

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 5902
  • Age: 57
  • Location: Outside, NC, US
    • In The Garden
Re: Planting/Growing Your Own 2019
« Reply #149 on: February 25, 2019, 06:21:49 AM »
Congrats on the sprouts everyone!!

Hardware cloth is my favorite for both peas and cucumbers -- their little tendrils can grab right on to it, and it's strong so it can support even those heavier cuke vines and fruit.