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Gardening
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Author:  Vladimirr [ Tue Mar 09, 2010 8:38 am ]
Post subject:  Gardening
Maybe this should go in the rants forum, but argggghhh this winter has absolutely sucked for growing tomatoes :evil:

We had the coldest winter in at least 30 years down in Florida. A lot of the growers here have had severe crop loss (70%+).

I am down to less than a dozen plants and only five of them really have promise. Most of everything else made it but the tomatoes really took a hit this winter. It finally started warming up this week but it isn't too long until it gets too hot to grow them.

Since this is the food forum... do we have any other aspiring gardeners growing their own food? This (hopefully) will be my biggest year so far including green beans, squash, leeks, watermelon, corn, basil, rosemary, and arugula. With all the food scares in the news, and the extremely high prices of "organic" food in the grocery stores, it just seems to make sense that more people will start gardens in this economy.
Author:  LadyKate [ Tue Mar 09, 2010 8:49 am ]
Post subject: 
I'm so glad you brought it up.
I have no yard really, but my in-laws have a lot of land and always plant a small garden every year.
I was really hoping to get into it this year, and in fact I have a meeting this evening during Mom's Nite Out with some ladies from church and the subject is gardening.
My dad had a green thumb and everything he so much as looked at grew (this was in Oregon.) I live in Mississippi and I can't even keep a houseplant alive...hahaha!
What are some vegetables and herbs that you would recommend for a beginner? I know zuchinni grows well here and so do peppers. Tomatoes grow beautifully, but they are very hard to maintain.
Author:  Vladimirr [ Tue Mar 09, 2010 9:02 am ]
Post subject: 
I don't grow stuff in the yard either, too much of a pain with all the bugs and animals. I grow everything in pots on our screen porch believe it or not. I got a bunch of those PVC shelving units at home depot, the ones that are about 6 feet tall. I put them together in tiers, so the first row is 1 tier tall, 2nd row is 2 tiers, 3rd row I left a shelf out so taller plants could fit in there. 4th row I just put the top and bottom shelves and all of the poles to hold it up, the green beans/squash grow up that and over on to the top and kind of make a canopy. This is my first year trying that but it's working out so far.

If you're just starting out I would recommend sweet basil, at least here in FL with the heat and humidity they grow like weeds. They only take a few minutes of maintenance a day once the plant gets going, you just pinch off any of the ends that start to flower. It's easy to work this into your morning routine, just go out and check each of the plants and make sure nothing is eating them and they aren't flowering. Plus then you get to smell like basil all morning. If you're starting from seeds make sure you start the seedlings indoors somewhere sunny and warm.

The rosemary bush we recieved as a gift and it requires almost no maintenance at all, it tolerates overwatering, underwatering, heat and cold very well, but I'm not sure how hard they are to start. We got it when it was probably a foot tall and it's at least doubled in size. I don't know too much about the different varieties of rosemary though.
Author:  LadyKate [ Tue Mar 09, 2010 9:34 am ]
Post subject: 
That sounds really cool.
Do you have any pics? I can almost picture it...I have some of those shelves, but they are indoors being used for storage.
I wish we had a screened in porch, I've always wanted one. Unfortunately, I will probably be planting stuff over at my in-laws house in a huge yard with direct sunlight.
We have two dogs and a cat so I don't know how much potted planting I could get away with here without one of the animals either knocking it over, digging it up, trying to eat it, or pooping on it, hahaha!
Author:  Vladimirr [ Tue Mar 09, 2010 9:58 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Gardening
Tomatoes might work out for you then, as long as you get a determinate variety. Those are the ones that grow into a small bush, like a Roma tomato. The indeterminates are like a vine and can grow out of control in a hurry. The only investment you'd have to make is a buck a piece for some tomato racks and a few minutes of attention a day. They love full sun.
Author:  LadyKate [ Tue Mar 09, 2010 10:02 am ]
Post subject: 
Yeah my father in law has grown some tomatoes. The problem we have is those big tomato worm thingies.
I'm hoping to help him out this summer with the garden though so maybe I can pick some bugs off and do some weeding and watering and stuff.
Author:  Dash [ Tue Mar 09, 2010 10:22 am ]
Post subject: 
I'd like to do a garden this year. I have one pot with a couple of tomato plants in it and a few small plantings with herbs and stuff. We got a few good tomatoes last year.

My dad thinks I can get a pretty good one in my back yard and is going to help me. He has a rather nice one himself.

Would be great to get fresh veggies from the back yard.
Author:  Vladimirr [ Tue Mar 09, 2010 11:03 am ]
Post subject:  Re:
LadyKate wrote:
Yeah my father in law has grown some tomatoes. The problem we have is those big tomato worm thingies.
I'm hoping to help him out this summer with the garden though so maybe I can pick some bugs off and do some weeding and watering and stuff.


Are the worms eating the stem? Or are they eating the fruit and leaves? I have had good luck mixing a few drops of dish soap with water in a spray bottle and spraying the plant down. I don't think it kills the bugs, it just makes the plant unappetizing to them. Tomato leaves don't like being wet but it only takes 1 or 2 applications. My grandpa grows a lot of tomatoes and swears by Sevin but I don't want to put any nasty chemicals on my plants.
Author:  LadyKate [ Tue Mar 09, 2010 11:21 am ]
Post subject: 
I'll have to ask. To be honest, I didn't pay too much attention last year. I just remember them talking about it. The soap sounds like a safe idea. I wouldn't want to use pesticides either.
Author:  Jasmy [ Tue Mar 09, 2010 12:55 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Gardening
Plant pot marigolds (Calendula officinalis) with the tomatoes, it helps keep the tomato worms away. Also basil and garlic are good companion plants for tomatoes.

I have ten 22"-24" pots on the patio and along the side and back fence lines around the lawn. I plant zucchini, tomatoes, peppers (bell, cayenne, jalapeno), artichokes, and lettuce in them. I also have several smaller pots and a large wooden herb box on the patio that I plant garlic, basil, thyme, rosemary, sage, oregano, parsley, and chives. I'm thinking of getting a couple more large pots this year so I can grow some onions as well.
Author:  Aethien [ Wed Mar 10, 2010 1:44 pm ]
Post subject: 
That's so funny, Vlad, I was gonna post something about gardening here today, too. Guess you beat me to the punch.

I've never had luck with container gardening.

We have a garden, but really crappy, California-hillside soil. I amended it, and things grew well for one year, but the second year was very disappointing. Not sure if it's the salt content of the manure, or poor drainage.

We invested in raised beds this year, so we'll see how that goes. Of course, we're also going to sell the house, so hopefully we can find another place with some space to garden.

We usually grow tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, squash of some kind. Nothing better than a fresh tomato, really.
Author:  LadyKate [ Wed Mar 10, 2010 2:10 pm ]
Post subject: 
Went to Mom's nite out last nite with some homeschooling moms from church and we discussed gardening. Came home with 5 small pots with seeds of chives, mint, parsley, thyme, and sage. Hope they grow.
Author:  Elmarnieh [ Fri Mar 12, 2010 2:52 am ]
Post subject: 
I planted 28 blueberry bushes last year, planting raspberries along the edge of property this year. Have small patch that used to be our garden that I revived from 15 years + of groundhogs living and tossing up rocks. Will take a few years for asparagus to root well, transplanted a bunch of native berries (like raspberry but more tart).
Author:  damaged [ Fri Mar 12, 2010 9:22 am ]
Post subject: 
My wife wants me to build her some long planter boxes for the back yard. Currently we do basil, chive, and oregano. Keep trying to do rosemary, but we've had bad luck with it.

O' course, my idea of gardening boils down to "I hate that plant, it must be destroyed" and/or "well, I'm out here smoking already, time to water the plants".
Author:  Vladimirr [ Fri Mar 12, 2010 10:06 am ]
Post subject: 
I'm putting down more corn this weekend along with some bell peppers and onions.

Anyone have any tips for peppers or onions? The only peppers I've grown before are Datils and those are still a ways off from harvest.
Author:  Kirra [ Fri Mar 12, 2010 1:29 pm ]
Post subject: 
When I was younger, we had a garden and peppers were pretty much the only thing that grew well. We would go to the nursery in the spring and get green, red and yellow bell pepper plants, and then several of the hot peppers. My mom used to make salsa from the stuff we grew. It was so good!
Author:  Taamar [ Sat Mar 13, 2010 2:07 am ]
Post subject: 
Kate, you're in the south, right? Dig some dirt so it's all soft, grab random seed packs, mix 'em up and throw them by the handful. See what takes. That's what grows in your area!

As for me, I'm still two months from my frost date.
Author:  Micheal [ Sat Mar 13, 2010 8:01 am ]
Post subject: 
One of my town's nicknames is Sacratomato. California central valley is great for growing gobs of wonderful things.

Unfortunately, I'm a lousy gardener, I can get stuff planted, then forget to water it or set up the irrigation system entirely. Several of the gardeners at work bring in the overabundance of their gardens at various times during the years, its really nice to take home free food.
Author:  Vladimirr [ Wed Apr 14, 2010 9:57 am ]
Post subject: 
Garden Update:

Two dozen tomatoes in various stages of ripeness, six good healthy plants and another six stragglers

6 more pole bean plants growing about 2-3 inches a day, at 2 feet now

First batch of corn just passed knee height

Watermelons are still sproutlings, about 4 inches tall

Arugula are growing very slowly, never grown them so maybe that's how it goes? 2 inches tall with 4 leaves each

Put down another 9 cucuzza since the last ones all died off in the frost. It is a major goal of mine to get these growing in Florida. I only have another two dozen seeds left so this had better work.

Bell peppers just came up about a week ago, two leaves each

Datil peppers are finally thriving again since the frost. They are filling out nicely but I have no idea how long it takes for them to make me some peppers.

I let most of the basil go to seed so I can start them over

The leeks and onions are still short little strands. Not sure how long it will take these to mature either since I haven't grown either one in the past.

How's everyone else's gardening efforts coming along? I have to imagine the recent warm snap across the East has helped out.
Author:  Aethien [ Wed Apr 14, 2010 12:05 pm ]
Post subject: 
We've had a fair amount of rain this year, and some nice warm days, so our raised beds are going crazy. The soil they used must be super nutrient-rich: The bok choy went apeshit and started to flower within two weeks. Been eating a lot of stir fry lately.

The arugula, too, went crazy, so I've had to pinch the flowers and cut it back something severe.

We have radishes, small heads of broccoli and cauliflower, more lettuce than we know what to do with. Will probably pull up some lettuce and put in squash or something this weekend. I put in two tomato plants last weekend, one that ripens early, and an heirloom.

Peas are doing really well, about 3' tall, with a lot of pods on them.

In our kitchen garden (a space between two houses that doesn't get a lot of sun, things are going well. Had a few strawberries last night - 3 nice ripe ones. Can't make much with them though, since they all mature at different times, and I have to harvest them before the raccoons/skunks get to them.

I warned my wife last night that we're going to be eating a lot of chard and kale in the near future. The chard loves that spot - doesn't get too much sun, I guess. We have green onions, chives, parsley, and a lot of mint, there, too.

Finally, there's the orchard. The house had three large pomegranate trees when we moved in (probably really why we bought it); those are starting to flower right now. We transplanted the lemon trees, but they're never done well. We also planted fruit trees: peach, plum, lime, two apples, and a nectarine, I think. The peach and plum trees are blooming nicely, the nectarine has leafed out. One of the apple trees had some blossoms a week or two ago, but I don't know if they actually got pollinated. Neither has leafed out yet, so I'm concerned that they're not going to rebound after last year's hot and dry summer.

The lavender and roses are coming along nicely. Cut a couple of roses last night and put them on the table for dinner.

I think that's it. Oh, had the brush cleared from our hillsides (fire purposes), that put a good dent in the bank account. But, it looks nice.

Edit: D'oh, not quite it. I knew I forgot one section - the pepper garden. My wife planted about a half-dozen bells and Tabasco pepper plants, but it hasn't been hot enough, long enough, for those to take off yet.
Author:  Vladimirr [ Wed Apr 14, 2010 12:29 pm ]
Post subject:  Re:
Aethien wrote:
The arugula, too, went crazy, so I've had to pinch the flowers and cut it back something severe.


How big are the plants? How long did it take to get them to that stage?
Author:  Taamar [ Wed Apr 14, 2010 1:11 pm ]
Post subject: 
Frost date a month out... time to start seedlings indoors!

I'm so jealous of those who already have plants in their garden, I'm just getting over frozen ground.
Author:  Aethien [ Wed Apr 14, 2010 5:27 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Re:
Vladimirr wrote:
Aethien wrote:
The arugula, too, went crazy, so I've had to pinch the flowers and cut it back something severe.


How big are the plants? How long did it take to get them to that stage?

They got all spindly when I wasn't looking; some are a couple feet tall. We've only had these beds in for six weeks, and I thought they were getting tall in about three weeks.

We also put some beds in here at work, and they have arugula - Put them in as 3" seedling probably three weeks ago, but they're only about a foot high. I pinched them all yesterday, as the flowers had begun to come out. Seems to be the easiest thing in the world to grow. Next to rosemary, at least; we have that crap growing all over the place out here. Must be something odd about Florida - too much humidity? - that doesn't let it grow well out there.

Don't worry, Taamar - there are other advantages to living in a more northerly clime. Like, water. We had a (freak) storm last weekend, and I'm pretty sure that's the last major precipitation we'll see until October or, more likely, November. I lost a loquat tree last year, and almost lost a honeysuckle (it came back over the winter, but not the loquat).
Author:  Lenas [ Wed Apr 14, 2010 5:51 pm ]
Post subject: 
Bummer, loquats are f-ing delicious.
Author:  Jocificus [ Wed Apr 14, 2010 9:20 pm ]
Post subject:  Re:
Kirra wrote:
When I was younger, we had a garden and peppers were pretty much the only thing that grew well. We would go to the nursery in the spring and get green, red and yellow bell pepper plants, and then several of the hot peppers. My mom used to make salsa from the stuff we grew. It was so good!


I realize it's been a month since you said this, but really the best way to find out what grows well is to go to a local greenhouse and ask. Preferably a locally owned and operated place, at least in my area the people there are far more knowledgeable than the people at, say, home depot and lowes. Give the person you speak to an idea of your gardening experience, as well as vegetables you like, they should be able to recommend some things for you to try at about your level.

For the most part lots of plants are fairly easy to grow in humid/mild places, and the more dry and extreme you get the less you can grow without drastically increasing the work load. You really don't need much gardening knowledge for lots of plants, they'll either grow well or they won't. The only thing you need to worry about for lots of stuff is making sure they get watered enough or are in the right amount of sunlight. Lots of plants have a preferred amount, but do fine with others as well. Weeding once a week or so never hurts either.

Here in Utah it can be tough due to high summer temps and low humidity. This makes it easy for plants to get scorched no matter how much you water them, though you can get around this with various shading options for gardens and such.

I wish I could have a huge garden, but it's kind of hard to do that in an apartment. I'm planning on building a small planter this summer to grow some stuff though. We should be finally past freezes at night, which can also cause havoc if you plant to early. But just like everything else, this can be gotten around as well.

But yeah, the point was just to say that if you want to plant, go talk to some people at a local greenhouse, see what they have to say. You could even talk to other people there picking up seeds/starters, you can usually find a few people that garden heavily as a hobby that way as well.
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