The Gardening Thread: 2018 season.

[UnusualAttitude]

27 minutes ago, tater said:

Every 'tater I have in the pantry sprouts. 

Life finds a way...

 

[Tex]

For some reason, I've always pictured having a garden in my home in the future. My grandmother, on my mother's side (well, on my dad's side too, but my mom's mom's is way bigger), even into her 90's now, I believe, has an enormous garden and she still keeps animals. By herself. She's a pretty incredible lady.

Anything I should know before starting a garden? Like a gardening 101 thing?

[tater]

@Tex, I have no idea what I'm doing, I just plant stuff and I see what grows. Some things I have thrive on a sort of benign neglect (rosemary, for example---mine is already flowering and covered with bees, and it briefly snowed yesterday (it was shorts weather the day before---but that's life in the mountains).

Edited March 25, 2017 by tater

[Tex]

27 minutes ago, tater said:

@Tex, I have no idea what I'm doing, I just plant stuff and I see what grows. Some things I have thrive on a sort of benign neglect (rosemary, for example---mine is already flowering and covered with bees, and it briefly snowed yesterday (it was shorts weather the day before---but that's life in the mountains).

I know mountain weather all too well.

[Dman979]

If you want stuff that grows when neglected, try mint. We have a raised box in my backyard that's overrun by the stuff.

[0111narwhalz]

We tried an aquaponics setup once. You know, pump fish poop water through a shallow tray full of rocks and plants. It worked well for things like lettuce and basil.

Then we introduced a bit of mint.

Shortly thereafter, nothing but mint was left. Its roots clogged the rocks and the drain. We tried to pull all the plants out, but they kept growing back from the tiny nodules we couldn't get. Eventually it started suffering from rot, so we ripped all the lava rock out and hosed the tray down.
Never again...

Also, we planted morning glories near our shed. After cultivating them for a few seasons, we stopped bothering with them. It wasn't until several seasons later that we stopped seeing their seedlings. Maybe we just have good soil, or maybe they're just hard to kill.

A word of advice: If you have a grapevine, do not, under any circumstances, plant a rosemary beside it. The rosemary will invade and kill the grapevine.

[tater]

My mint has not taken over, and I actually want it to for tea and mojitos, lol. Along with some food I cook with mint. Oregano fills that role here, I have to give away large, shovel sized clumps of plant to people. My thyme spreads, but needs to be cut back in winter or it dies in the middle (like the chamisa bushes I hack down to nothing every year that end up the size of a VW by October).

Herbs are a good place to start I think, as you can eat them, but you only need a small crop to be successful in that regard, and the bees like the flowers when they get to that point (my friend keeps bees, nd he got me to bump up the flowers around the house).

[TheKosanianMethod]

I had a "garden" back when my grandmother was alive. It was a few cheap pots from store. We grew mint, oregano, and dill. Within two years, the mint took over the oregano side of the pot, and the dill had its own pot, which grew very well,  and  didn't die until last year.

[klesh]

I get all my seeds from these guys.  Lots of heirloom varieties with long histories of being grown in the US.  Real funky stuff too.

http://www.rareseeds.com/

[TotallyNotHuman]

I live in a high-rise, so gardens aren't really a thing. Instead, all 'gardening' (for lack of a better term) is performed in flower pots on the household's main balcony. Inefficient? Yes. Amateur? Definitely. Does it work? Absolutely.

A variety of plants are grown on the balcony, most of which are purely decorative flowers. Round here, sweet potato slips are a delicacy, which is one of the (edible) plants grown in our 'garden'. Mint is another, along with various other vegetables.

No pics for now. Hopefully I will be able to obtain some SoonTM.

[tater]

http://imgur.com/ggjTgdw

Partially inspired by this thread, I decided to cut out one of my "spear suckers" from the dwarf banana. There he is, transplanted. If I can keep it alive, I will move it outside as soon as I am sure it won't get too cold at night for it. My goal is to see how well it grows in full NM summer.

On the right is one of many jade plants (impossible to kill), and on the left is a pretty manky poinsettia.

Edited July 21, 2017 by tater

[Dman979]

Congrats on the TOTM, @UnusualAttitude!

[adsii1970]

Yes, congrats on getting thread of the month! I'm working on a badge for it, as the request of @Dman979, and once it's done, I'll give you the link.

And in the spirit of the thread, I am an apartment dweller and can't have a formal garden. Anything I do has to be in a flower pot, as @TotallyNotHuman_ has pointed out that he/she doe. Here's who I use to get my really neat seeds and growing things:

• Michigan Bulb Company
• Burpee Seed Company
• Willis Orchard Company
• Piedmont Farm and Garden Company

Depending on what local nurseries have available, I do buy locally. Right now I have two miniature lilac bushes in flowerpots , and a miniature lime tree, also in a flower pot, by the front door. It's been in all winter and is now in full bloom and gaining it's long term summer leaves.

In the back, on the deck, I plan to plant Zebra Mallow (a type of flower) once the weather warms up. They attract butterflies and bees for those of you unfamiliar with them. I'm also planning to put in some Roman tomatoes, too.

Edited April 1, 2017 by adsii1970

[UnusualAttitude]

On 4/1/2017 at 7:38 PM, Dman979 said:

Congrats on the TOTM, @UnusualAttitude!

Thank you. I did not expect that to happen... 

On 4/1/2017 at 8:16 PM, adsii1970 said:

Yes, congrats on getting thread of the month! I'm working on a badge for it, as the request of @Dman979, and once it's done, I'll give you the link.

Ooh, looking forward to it. 

On 4/1/2017 at 8:16 PM, adsii1970 said:

Burpee Seed Company

...this made me chuckle. I'm considering ordering beans from them. 

[UnusualAttitude]

Lo and behold: Solanum lycopersicum tontonjimus.

And verily on the thirteenth day did it sprouteth! 

[UnusualAttitude]

Today: melons, sweetcorn, carrots, leeks, lettuce, chard...

Fortunately, I have my Little Helper, Woppit.

Edited April 5, 2017 by UnusualAttitude

[NSEP]

Spring is coming. Time to plant some radish plants and produce dead plant wood stuff because it fails all the time. Its time to breed a new superior species of radish plants that is going to take over the world! Muahhhahahahhaa!

[MatterBeam]

I have a massive garden, UK weather (without even any snow) and nice soil.

However, I've got a student's schedule and thumbs made for keyboards.

So I'll just follow this thread with wonder and a faint sense of guilt.

[UnusualAttitude]

19 minutes ago, MatterBeam said:

However, I've got a student's schedule and thumbs made for keyboards.

And I have (in no particular order) a full-time job, a second freelance job, a son, two teenage step-children, a rock band, an unhealthy interest in the physics and history of aviation and spaceflight, a time-consuming RSS mission report to write, and a wife who likes to see me (from time to time...).

The trick is to sleep less.

22 minutes ago, MatterBeam said:

So I'll just follow this thread with wonder and a faint sense of guilt.

If it helps, here is a picture of my chickens silently judging you.

[MatterBeam]

@UnusualAttitude A rock band and kids?! 

That's a dad band.

The chicken are silently judging you.

[UnusualAttitude]

45 minutes ago, MatterBeam said:

@UnusualAttitude A rock band and kids?! 

That's a dad band.

The chicken are silently judging you.

Wotchit, son. This dad was shredding when you were still in junior school. 

[MatterBeam]

23 minutes ago, UnusualAttitude said:

Wotchit, son. This dad was shredding when you were still in junior school. 

Is that you? If yes... serious respect.

[StrandedonEarth]

For all you gardeners and would-be gardeners, I recommend the book Carrots Love Tomatoes: Secrets of Companion Planting. Lots of tips on what plants work well together, attract beneficial insects, repel pests, and so on. Also what plants not to grow together.

Zucchini is one of those easy things to grow. If you dare to grow it, it'll be coming out your ears! 

At my old house we had a few garden boxes, with mixed results. It was very difficult to stay on top of the weeds, which took over every chance they got. We never did get a truly impressive crop of anything. except tomatoes and zucchini. Now we've moved to a townhouse, so our growing space is much more limited.

Soon we'll get our first hanging basket of strawberries, which we've had mixed success with growing in the ground.We'll also plant our usual one or two tomato plants, maybe we'll try grape tomatoes this year!

I'll also be laying out a few rolls of sod for the dogs to do their business on. Our attempt at seeding grass last year was rather patchy, and then the dogs and winter killed it. Laying sod may end up being a yearly thing; see how it goes this year.

Edited April 6, 2017 by StrandedonEarth

[UnusualAttitude]

41 minutes ago, MatterBeam said:

Is that you? If yes... serious respect.

Yes, that's (a slightly younger) me. 

27 minutes ago, StrandedonEarth said:

We never did get a truly impressive crop of anything. except tomatoes and zucchini

The good news is that you can use tomatoes and courgettes in so many different dishes: ratatouille, curries, bolognese, couscous, salads, soups... 

Never tried, but apparently you can even make jam out of zucchini.

30 minutes ago, StrandedonEarth said:

I'll also be laying out a few rolls of sod for the dogs to do their business on. Our attempt at seeding grass last year was rather patchy, and then the dogs and winter killed it. Laying sod may end up being a yearly thing; see how it goes this year.

I've found that having a nice lawn and having domestic animals isn't really compatible... 

[StrandedonEarth]

32 minutes ago, UnusualAttitude said:

I've found that having a nice lawn and having domestic animals isn't really compatible... 

True, that. But we're not really after a nice lawn, just somewhere for the dogs to do their thing. Although one of the mutts, a rescue dog, seems to prefer the concrete....

Nice guitar work!