Posted on 03/01/2013 12:32:22 PM PST by greeneyes
The Weekly Gardening Thread is a weekly gathering of folks that love soil, seeds and plants of all kinds. From complete newbies that are looking to start that first potted plant, to gardeners with some acreage, to Master Gardener level and beyond, we would love to hear from you.
This thread is non-political, although you will find that most here are conservative folks. No matter what, you won’t be flamed and the only dumb question is the one that isn’t asked.
It is impossible to hijack the Weekly Gardening Thread ... there is no telling where it will go and that is part of the fun and interest. Jump in and join us!
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I am usually too much of a tightwad to buy plants, and don’t like to spend the effort, nor take up space indoors starting seeds. So I usually just sow outside.
However in 2011, I had ordered some plants at more than half price, intending to transfer them to larger pots and move indoors for the winter.
The company sent a card that I would not be getting the shipment till September. Then they said they were out, and back ordered. I actually got the plants the following spring (2012) at the reduced price. LOL.
Greetings from middle Tennessee. It’s cold here. Spitting snow periodically. Forecasting maybe an inch tonight. That is a big deal for these parts. Kids, teachers and parents are pissed that they will miss out on a snow day due to it being the weekend.
Broccoli, cauliflower and kale seedlings are an inch up. Spent an hour and a half whacking down our pampas grass specimen in the front yard last Sunday. Good heavens. Every year that thing gets larger and larger. Friend wanted some cuttings. Had to take a pick axe to the thing to divide off a piece. Whew.
Just a few more weeks until rosé pruning time. Wanting to grow a lot of vining fruits and veggies this year. I just need more garden space to make this happen. Sigh. Prolly should just till up the front yard. Lol
Your greens use up a lot of nitrogen, so it’s possible that you need some sort of fertilizer. If you check out the local extension service, they can assist you with a soil analysis to see what additives you need.
I use raised beds too. I plant cover crops in the fall to plow under in spring and add compost each spring before planting. It also helps to rotate your plants and not plant the same thing in the same space year after year.
My winter veggie seedlings under lights have their first sets of true leaves, and have grown quite a bit. I hope to start some tomatoes, peppers, okra, herbs, flowers, and more inside within the next week or so.
I am sorry for you my friend. This is one reason why I don’t like starting seeds in doors. Sometimes, I have success by using Mels Mix, planting the seeds watering well, then covering the container with saran wrap. With one or two tiny holes.
Then I just forget it and leave it alone. No additional watering-Lots of neglect! I’ve killed more plants with kindness than neglect.LOL.
Don't know. There was a blue aura in the air around my head as I spoke calmly but firmly about the wrath to be visited upon him, should I ever lay hands on him.
It's good that women and small children weren't around.
Haven't seen him for the rest of the day. For some reason.
/johnny
Our soil is still pretty hard from the freeze this week, so I am not doing anything right now, but I do have some carrots and onions that should be ready now or in a few weeks.
The ixia bulbs are starting to sprout all at once now, and the freesias are getting taller every time I look at them. Their stems are a little weak, though. My MIL, who is a master bulb gardener, suggests they need more sun so I'll see if that helps.
Kind of overdid trimming some bushes in the front yard this morning. I had to stop because my arms were shaky and worn out and now it's sitting there half done, which I hate.
Sorry to hear about you losing some of your plants to damping, JRandomFreeper. That's something I have to be careful with, but with me it's a lack of experience. I still am learning when a plant does and doesn't need more sun or water-- not to mention when to feed it, fertilize it or transplant it. So much to learn.
Turn those chickens out into your garden. They will help it greatly!
LOL. I'll have to remember that! :)
Roma 2.0 has been transplanted to bigger pots and is doing great, so far. 3.0 just came up today.
The tobacco plants are doing great. I've got more than 50 that are nearly large enough to go outside, and just waiting for the last frost of the season to set them out. I've lost about 2 out of the 54 I started, and those were due to rough handling during the transplant.
/johnny
Just wanted to clear that up. ;)
/johnny
That's always a danger with me too. I have such fat, clumsy figures I'm always bumping and bending and bruising and breaking the tender seedlings. I've found if there is any delicate pushing around or handling to do, it can best be done with an ice cream stick and a toothpick.
Ooops! “Figures” should be “fingers”. See?— I can’t even type!! :/
It is a constant battle to keep my flats of pepper plants safe from my four Siamese cats, who will mow them flat if given the opportunity. I caught one of them with his face in them last night...caught him just in time...had to clip a couple of chewed leaves, but they didn't get the main ones on top. I have a gorgeous tray of hots that I am guarding like a hawk...beautiful bhut jolokias, including the peach variant, trinidad scorpions, yellow devil's tongue, and such. If the cats get into those; we'll be having Chinese for dinner.
Greetings from Southern California!
Temp is 83F today but is supposed to “dip” into the low 60s next week. We have been very dry this year which is not good —meaning water restrictions again. Water police drive through my neighborhood every morning around 7 AM when I walk my doggies taking names and looking for wet sidewalks.
People here are pulling out their lawns, whole or 1/2 and planting either cactus or aloe gardens. I’ve dedicated a small space in my garden to California natives. Many garden stores now sell a lot of Cal natives or aloe-type plants that need little water. Yards here are starting to look like Tuscon, Las Vegas or Phoenix. One neighbor pulled out his lawn and put in gravel, which is too bad. But water prices keep rising and this year doesn’t look good.
Problem with hot weather this time of year is it forces my fruit trees to bloom — then if we get one good pounding rain and cold weather, all the blossoms drop and that means no fruit.
/johnny
I just started gardening about 3 or 4 years ago, so I’ll just throw my 2 cents in for what it is worth. Take it with a grain of salt.
I am not sure exactly what you are facing - A picture might help to visualize, but You will need to have about 8 hours of sun minimum to grow any veggies. You can’t really do much to increase the sunshine with out tearing down or moving obstacles.
Your planting beds will need to be located to take advantage of the longest sun exposure. Either that or plant in containers and move them as needed.
If the slope is located where you can do it, I like to terrace the area which gives me a level place to plant on each level.
Raised beds and/or containers will help to mitigate the drainage issue. As for your basement, I don’t think you should never have moisture if the basement has been constructed correctly.
One thing is that your yard should slope away from your house on all sides. You should also have guttering and downspouts with long extensions if needed to take the water far away from the house.
The best solution to basement moisture is to excavate the area. Paint the basement walls with tar (outdoors). Lay drainage pipe, and cover with large gravel/small rocks. Cover with sufficient soil for what you intend to plant.
Hope that helps.
What are the amounts of the ingredients?
Well, there have been problems in some places, when people dared to put in veggie gardens in their front yards, but there are plenty of edible flowers. LOL.
Maybe consider trellis or fences for your vining plants. This way they go verical and take up less space?
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