Garden thread
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I love the pictures, looks very nice @moonangel12 and @earlnabby !
I am very naive in the world of gardening. I'm not a spring chicken, just probably late to the game. I did not know you could grow stevia or honeysuckle and I'm hearing other things thrown around I'd like to try one day.
Screwed up. So I went outside this morning to look at my seedlings and in the one egg carton of Bell Pepper there were Roly Poly bugs. Not in anything else, so I got all visible bugs out. I did some research on those bugs and they eat decaying plants so they help aid in decomposition but they also eat seedlings. I can see some of my seeds have popped out of the soil to the top so I did not plant them correctly, not deep enough. Lots of trial and error going on but I'm glad I have plenty of seeds and soil, although, I need to buy some more pots. Everything else looks good, as good as any dirt or soil could look...
Oh my gosh, I'd bought a stevia plant before and if you're growing one be careful, aphids love it and took it out even though I was constantly spraying it with soap and water. I bought seeds about 2 months ago and it's supposed to be hard to start so I started all of them. I have about 8 seedlings but they're tiny! Good luck with your bell peppers!2 -
kshama2001 wrote: »My gardening efforts are a little pathetic compared to everything I see here. However, I am happy with progress on pea and popcorn shoots being grown for microgreens (day 15 after sowing). I planted a slice each of a cherry and plum tomato on the weekend that will hopefully germinate in a week. The roasting tin is out on the balcony as i have switched to bottom watering because I noticed water collecting within the fragile tubular corn shoots.
@acpgee clearly you are in a city...when all I had was a balcony, I was less ambitions than you
Where did you get your peas? Pea shoots were a staple somewhere I used to live, and I always wanted to try them. Back then, it was hard to get the proper peas for making sprouts.
I grow pea shoots from dried marrowfat peas sold for cooking. Easiest to find in a health food store although some mainstream supermarkets stock them here in London. Probably because mush peas, classic accompanimentto fish and chips are made from dried marrowfat peas. I actually got my last batch online from amazon. They do need soaking for 24 hours. My popcorn shoots are from soaked popcorn kernels also sold for eating. I now deviate from these instructions a little in that I cover my compost trays during germination for warmth and darkness.
https://verticalveg.org.uk/how-to-grow-pea-shoots/3 -
I think everyone's endeavors look great!!!
If I had experience, I would be more likely to spend more money on a better garden. But since I have no experience, I bought minimal supplies to get started. Once I know what works for me, I'll spend more.
What's normal? Or better question, what has your experience been like planting seeds? I have 100 bell pepper seeds, 100 rosemary seeds, 200 lavender, and I'm not sure how many parsley seeds. I am not planting them all at once. How many do you usually plant and what does your success or lack of usually look like? Plant 15 seeds and one succeeds... that's the response I'm looking for with your own experience.
@Katmary71 Thank you! No, I'm not planting any stevia plants any time real soon. If I did, though, I'd probably keep it in the house to avoid the bug issue. Even if they're small, I'm glad the seeds took off for you!
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I think everyone's endeavors look great!!!
If I had experience, I would be more likely to spend more money on a better garden. But since I have no experience, I bought minimal supplies to get started. Once I know what works for me, I'll spend more.
What's normal? Or better question, what has your experience been like planting seeds? I have 100 bell pepper seeds, 100 rosemary seeds, 200 lavender, and I'm not sure how many parsley seeds. I am not planting them all at once. How many do you usually plant and what does your success or lack of usually look like? Plant 15 seeds and one succeeds... that's the response I'm looking for with your own experience.
@Katmary71 Thank you! No, I'm not planting any stevia plants any time real soon. If I did, though, I'd probably keep it in the house to avoid the bug issue. Even if they're small, I'm glad the seeds took off for you!
This is completely opinionionated. Others will disagree.
Unless you use parsley like a twee restaurant (one little ornamental sprig per plate, not really for consumption) , I'd recommend direct-sowing all the parsley in a band (seeds on 2-4" centers, basically a non-fussy grid pattern in a square, rectangle, or pot). If you like, you can phase them (a few bands, a few weeks apart, or some early then some late for fall (they're pretty tough cold-wise). For germination, soil over 50F outdoors should do fine.
Even though they're kind of slow to germinate (10+ days, probably), the maturity time is 70-90 days, and you can start thinning it and using the thinnings waaaayyy before then. It's possible to start some plants a couple of months before last frost date to get a head start on the season, but in most of the US, it's already too late for that to be meaningful anyway.
When they come up, you can start thinning them for use when small if you like, but they'll also do fine if you let them crowd. There's a bit lower yield from that, but IMO not enough lower to be worth planting them out out for the recommended elbow room. They tend to be heavy feeders, so richer soil, or some fertilizer along the way, could be good.
It's a bienniel, comes back in year 2 but IMO is kind of ratty the second year, not worth the bother. I'd treat it as an annual. Just plant swaths of the stuff, time-phased if you like, and use it.
This is really curmudgeonly advice on my part. I don't understand the tendency that's common now to grow relatively short-season annual herbs, especially those grown primarily for foliage (vs. flowers or seeds) as precious little individual plants in little individual seedling pots. I personally like these herbs a lot - parsley, cilantro, basil, dill, others - so if I bother, I want plenty. A seed packet is pretty cheap. For these kinds of things, I'd just set aside a 1'x4' band or even 2'x2' block, or bigger, just sow them all in there about twice as thickly as the packet says to thin them to, and let them go. For the very short maturity things like basil, I think I mentioned earlier that the planting band can be the outer edges of a square set aside for a tomato plant or similar thing, because the herb will be bolting before the other plant needs all the edge-space or shades out the herb.
Others' mileage may vary.
On the other things like peppers and tomatoes: The few times I bothered, I usually put 2 seeds per starting thingie (cube, pot, egg carton, whatever) a little bit apart, and after they germinated and got a good start, I'd snip the one that looked less robust. It wasn't super unusual to get only 1 seedling from the 2 seeds, but quite rare to get zero from two. That's if nothing systemic happened (damping off fungus, say), in which case pretty much everything is toast, and germination rate doesn't matter.
In general, I've found the germination data on the packets (usually present) to be reasonably accurate, as long as the seeds were for the current planting season (not old). Whether things do well after germination is more a matter of conditions and care, so I'm not sure others' results will generalize, but I can understand why you'd ask.2 -
To be honest, I gave up doing much of anything from seeds. The plants are really cheap around here, typically $4 for most herbs and veggies like tomato’s and peppers are 4/$10. The only success I had from seeds is my forget me nots. Now that they are established they spread so fast I have given mature plants to 5 different people in 2 years.
I guess it would be different if I had the space for a large garden but for my space plants are perfect.2 -
@AnnPT77 Lots of knowledge, thank you very much... To be honest, I really did no research whatsoever on what herbs to buy. It was an impulse buy and I bought herbs I know how to use. I saw others, like thyme, but I have no idea how to use it even though it's common.0
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Last dirt pot, I promise but this one has parsley seeds in it. I'm done now and just going to see what comes about...
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@AnnPT77 Lots of knowledge, thank you very much... To be honest, I really did no research whatsoever on what herbs to buy. It was an impulse buy and I bought herbs I know how to use. I saw others, like thyme, but I have no idea how to use it even though it's common.
You may want to sort out in your mind which herbs are perennial (long-lived) and hardy in your area, so will over-winter and live many years, vs. annual (set seed the first year and don't come up next year) or biennial (vegetative growth in year 1, set seed in year 2, then they're done) - though some in any of those groups may self-seed and grow new plants the next year on their own.
Your rosemary and lavender are almost certainly perennial, but may not be Winter hardy in your area (don't know; most aren't here, though some lavender varities are marginal here so sometimes last through less intense Winters). Ideally the seed packet will likely give a hardiness zone (I think you're in the US) or a minimum temperature for hardiness. A hundred or two seeds is quite a few, probably.
If you're growing everything in pots, hardiness in a pot outdoors may be less than in the ground (because the roots get more cold with less soil-insulation, basically). (You can sink the pot in the ground in Winter in some random spot for protection; the pot may crack). Some things not hardy can be grown in big pots and brought indoors - I do this with rosemary here in Michigan - but it depends on things like their light needs & your indoor conditions.
A few perennial herbs are invasive thugs: Most things in the mint family (mints, lemon balm, monarda/bee balm/lotsa other names) are an example. Chives and garlic chives can be invasive (by seeding), but a little less hard to beat back than the mint fam. Confine the mint family!
Generally, you want the perennials in some area of their own, because you probably don't want/need to rototill them up every year and start over; you just deal with them like perennial flowers and such, weeding, feeding, maybe pruning, etc. Mature size is relevant here for planning spacing/light. You can mix them in with ornamental beds: I do. Most hardy perennial herbs I've grown, it's a longer-term investment, so I buy plants so I know they have the scent/flavor I want, they're usually only a few bucks a plant, and for many common types a plant or two is plenty. (Possible you may want more lavender than 2 plants, dunno.)
Most annual herbs - unless they're too long-season for your area & you're pushing your luck - I'd suggest buying seeds and planting a bunch by direct-seeding outdoors, in general. Seeds are inexpensive.
Have fun!2 -
You all are an inspiration and just being here is helping me to learn and do more!
I have a question...
First of all I just bought my first sprouted plants - cherry tomatoes and jalapenos. I bought three types of herb seeds - lavender, parsley, rosemary plus I bought bell pepper seeds.
Here's the question: have you ever bought a piece of fruit or a vegetable from the store and were successful in planting the fruit's seed to watch it grow? I can't plant an apple tree in my tiny backyard. But even if you did, I'd love to hear about it. I'm looking for something that doesn't take up much room. Thank you!
I don't have a green thumb at all but I've had really good luck sprouting scallions, onions, celery, and lettuce from scraps that I would otherwise have thrown out. Celery bases that looked really old and dead were doing really well in pots and are now thriving in my garden. Not fruits of course, but an easy way to get some garden success. The scallions grow well indoors. There's a video that I found helpful https://lifehacker.com/how-to-grow-vegetables-from-kitchen-scraps-1842858616
I've tried to plant seeds from my grocery store Meyer lemons and they never grow. I figure I'll eventually get some good seeds if I keep trying. I want a free lemon tree. lol
Do you put your scallions in water in the sun? I just started some in the house but don't have a sunny window. They come out real thin in the house so I'm thinking of keeping them outside and later planting in a few pots, I go through a lot in my salads.
If you all can find it I found a new-to-me mint in Green Acres, not sure if it's in other places aside of this area. It's berries and cream and it's amazing in water. I had a chocolate mint but rarely used it and normally use my other mint in water, should've bought peppermint too but already went crazy buying every basil variety. Also have stinky catnip but my cats don't care for it, only one who does is one of the ferals I feed.
I've been growing the scallions in soil, both outdoors and indoors. The ones that are outdoors might be doing a bit better than the indoor ones now that the weather is warming up. That mint sounds wonderful!1 -
Question: I planted green/red pepper seeds from a couple peppers we'd had. None of the seeds planted in dirt have poked through and it's been well over 3 weeks now. But I also put some in a plastic bag in the window, with a wet paper towel and they're sprouting so I can plant those. Why the difference?? I'm hoping putting the seedlings into dirt won't kill them.
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Question: I planted green/red pepper seeds from a couple peppers we'd had. None of the seeds planted in dirt have poked through and it's been well over 3 weeks now. But I also put some in a plastic bag in the window, with a wet paper towel and they're sprouting so I can plant those. Why the difference?? I'm hoping putting the seedlings into dirt won't kill them.
The difference is likely that the soil was either too dry or too cool for germination.1 -
It also could depend on the dirt. Starting seeds in something like Miracle Grow potting soil doesn’t work well, I learned that years ago. There is just too much fertilizer/stuff for tender plants.Question: I planted green/red pepper seeds from a couple peppers we'd had. None of the seeds planted in dirt have poked through and it's been well over 3 weeks now. But I also put some in a plastic bag in the window, with a wet paper towel and they're sprouting so I can plant those. Why the difference?? I'm hoping putting the seedlings into dirt won't kill them.
The difference is likely that the soil was either too dry or too cool for germination.1 -
Anyone else have a problem with seedlings jumping into your cart at the garden center? I went for potting soil and came home with 6 more plants, I went from 2 to 4 tomatoes for three containers plus hauled 5 gallon buckets out and now have a good day's worth of drip-system extending to do!5
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yes i do have that problem. i try to avoid garden centers just for that reason. i always end up with extra stuff @Katmary711
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To be honest, I gave up doing much of anything from seeds. The plants are really cheap around here, typically $4 for most herbs and veggies like tomato’s and peppers are 4/$10. The only success I had from seeds is my forget me nots. Now that they are established they spread so fast I have given mature plants to 5 different people in 2 years.
I guess it would be different if I had the space for a large garden but for my space plants are perfect.
Yes, I use to have a shelf with grow lights for starting seeds indoors, and now that I don't, have no qualms about buying seedlings. I got some kale and spinach seed from Mom and direct sowed it, but it's not doing anything, while I'll be starting to harvest the kale seedlings I bought a few weeks later any day now, and the spinach seedlings are way ahead of the seeds as well.
Peas and beans are the only thing I like to do from seeds these days.1 -
Question: I planted green/red pepper seeds from a couple peppers we'd had. None of the seeds planted in dirt have poked through and it's been well over 3 weeks now. But I also put some in a plastic bag in the window, with a wet paper towel and they're sprouting so I can plant those. Why the difference?? I'm hoping putting the seedlings into dirt won't kill them.
In dirt outside? You're north of me, in VT or NH, right? It was too early to plant those seeds outside:
https://todayshomeowner.com/how-to-measure-soil-temperature-for-planting/
Garden Vegetable Seed Germination Temperatures
The soil temperature for planting vegetables should be:- 40° F or warmer: Lettuce, kale, peas, spinach.
- 50° F or warmer: Onions, leeks, turnips, Swiss chard.
- 60° F or warmer: Broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, carrots, beans, beets.
- 70° F or warmer: Tomatoes, squash, corn, cucumbers, melons, peppers.
If in dirt inside, then likely you over or under watered them.3 -
Yes I have that problem, same just going online. ;-)
It's likely to be below freezing here on Friday, I'm hoping that's the last day. Going to add my tomatoes and peppers (seedlings) next week.0 -
Anyone else have a problem with seedlings jumping into your cart at the garden center? I went for potting soil and came home with 6 more plants, I went from 2 to 4 tomatoes for three containers plus hauled 5 gallon buckets out and now have a good day's worth of drip-system extending to do!
My garden center provides wagons for shopping, and also give you a plastic tray to carry your plants out to your car. I put the tray back in the car and carry it in the next trip, effectively limiting me to what I can carry in the tray
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Freeze warning starting tonight into Saturday
it’s almost the second week of May! Our frost date is May 1, I patiently twiddled my thumbs and waited until this past (gorgeous and warm!) weekend to plant things other than chard and lettuce... I just hope i can cover things well enough for them to survive. Also moved chicks outside because they were outgrowing the small tote I was using in the house (and we have no room for anything bigger)... hoping the heat lamp will be enough! I used plastic tote lids to help block excess air flow. Blah.
I also wonder the long term impact on commercial crops, even more of a concern given the times...2 -
Yes I have that problem, same just going online. ;-)
It's likely to be below freezing here on Friday, I'm hoping that's the last day. Going to add my tomatoes and peppers (seedlings) next week.
Looking at the 10 day forecast, next week from Wednesday on should be safe to put in plants. 4 of the next 6 nights are supposed to be below freezing, then get back into the 40's. I am 90 minutes north of you so you may not get quite as many freezing nights but it should still be too cold.
I have my plants but they are in a wagon so I can move them outside during the day and in the garage overnight. I will probably plant them midweek next week.1 -
I like this thread- I am a very amateur planter compared to most here lol!
Still to cold here to plant (3b), however I have my line up ready.
I do have a question though- how do you get rid of strawberry plants? The house we bought has a contained little tree with so many strawberry plants it seems to be starving the tree
those are the only thing that are currently growing so far despite the 30-low 40 temps last week. Hardy buggers. 1 -
Not sure if you want to get rid of them entirely, or just tame the patch, but came across this video and thought I would pass it on (disclaimer, I have not watched it, but skimmed the article).MeganD1704 wrote: »I like this thread- I am a very amateur planter compared to most here lol!
Still to cold here to plant (3b), however I have my line up ready.
I do have a question though- how do you get rid of strawberry plants? The house we bought has a contained little tree with so many strawberry plants it seems to be starving the tree those are the only thing that are currently growing so far despite the 30-low 40 temps last week. Hardy buggers.
https://lovelygreens.com/reviving-overgrown-strawberry-patch/1 -
Yes I have that problem, same just going online. ;-)
It's likely to be below freezing here on Friday, I'm hoping that's the last day. Going to add my tomatoes and peppers (seedlings) next week.
Looking at the 10 day forecast, next week from Wednesday on should be safe to put in plants. 4 of the next 6 nights are supposed to be below freezing, then get back into the 40's. I am 90 minutes north of you so you may not get quite as many freezing nights but it should still be too cold.
I have my plants but they are in a wagon so I can move them outside during the day and in the garage overnight. I will probably plant them midweek next week.
Yeah -- I think tonight is the only time it's actually supposed to be below freezing here. Still going to wait a bit longer to be safe.0 -
moonangel12 wrote: »
Not sure if you want to get rid of them entirely, or just tame the patch, but came across this video and thought I would pass it on (disclaimer, I have not watched it, but skimmed the article).MeganD1704 wrote: »I like this thread- I am a very amateur planter compared to most here lol!
Still to cold here to plant (3b), however I have my line up ready.
I do have a question though- how do you get rid of strawberry plants? The house we bought has a contained little tree with so many strawberry plants it seems to be starving the tree those are the only thing that are currently growing so far despite the 30-low 40 temps last week. Hardy buggers.
https://lovelygreens.com/reviving-overgrown-strawberry-patch/
I'm going to have to try this!
"Before we get to how to clean a strawberry bed, let’s talk about keeping it maintained. Though I let mine run wild each year, it’s recommended to give June-bearing varieties the chop after they fruit. That means cutting the plants back, runners, leaves, and all, to two inches above the ground. Pruning them encourages new leaves to form and fewer runners."1 -
MeganD1704 wrote: »I like this thread- I am a very amateur planter compared to most here lol!
Still to cold here to plant (3b), however I have my line up ready.
I do have a question though- how do you get rid of strawberry plants? The house we bought has a contained little tree with so many strawberry plants it seems to be starving the tree those are the only thing that are currently growing so far despite the 30-low 40 temps last week. Hardy buggers.
@MeganD1704 yes, my strawberries sure do spread like weeds
Every spring I give them away on freecycle.org and my gardening group on Facebook. I've also planted some at two neighbors'. At the one, we planted in large pots with the intent of letting them die over the winter, but one jumped overboard and two years later has now planted itself all around her mulch bed
I segregated some against the fence with modular fencing and will add some bird netting when the berries get ripe so they don't all go to the squirrels and birds.
At my last place I had enough to share with the critters, but my gardens are smaller here and I have to protect my berries.2 -
Careful new gardeners!
Queen's Brian May rips glutes while gardening
Brian May has said he is in "relentless pain" following a gardening mishap during lockdown.
"I managed to rip my Gluteus Maximus to shreds in a moment of over-enthusiastic gardening," the Queen star explained in an Instagram post on Thursday.
May said he had to go to hospital for a scan and would not be able to walk without assistance for a while.
He said he would "need a complete break" while he recovered from the injury.
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I've been looking and looking and do not see an official diagnosis and am wondering about rhabdomyolysis.1 -
kshama2001 wrote: »Careful new gardeners!
Queen's Brian May rips glutes while gardening
Brian May has said he is in "relentless pain" following a gardening mishap during lockdown.
"I managed to rip my Gluteus Maximus to shreds in a moment of over-enthusiastic gardening," the Queen star explained in an Instagram post on Thursday.
May said he had to go to hospital for a scan and would not be able to walk without assistance for a while.
He said he would "need a complete break" while he recovered from the injury.
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I've been looking and looking and do not see an official diagnosis and am wondering about rhabdomyolysis.
Sir Brian is, after all, a scientist, so I wouldn't expect him to say "rip my Gluteus Maximus to shreds" when he meant rhabdo, after a scan at the hospital. (Yeah, he's an astrophysicist, not a medical or physiology type, but still.) He's also no longer a mere youth (age 72), and gardening potentially involves serious lifting, prying, etc., if one starts digging beds, pruning trees, moving rocks, and that sort of thing.
Gotta be careful out there, fer shure. 1 -
Just discovered the scraps of my Romaine lettuce I popped in a cup with growing scallions is growing, so cool!
I thought this might make some of you tomato/pepper growers smile. I was cleaning out old storage bins I'd made into self-watering containers to throw away and kept coming across an interesting caterpillar so I'd move it into the next container and kept going. It eventually ended up on my watering can so I placed it in a bucket I had a pepper plant growing in and watched it for a few minutes. Then I noticed on it's tail there was a curved spike! Yep, hornworm! That baby was tossed a good 15 feet into the greenbelt, I hate those things!1 -
So far, after two nights of covering, things are looking OK. We got quite a bit of rain last night so the plastic ended up squishing a couple plants as puddles formed, we’ll see if those rebound (one was a watermelon, the rest mainly sunflowers and onions). A father and daughter duo from church stopped by, had a quilt frame of his moms to give me, and he said he doesn’t usually plant anything until Mothers Day... good to know for next year! Last year I got lucky... but probably won’t be as eager next year (I am learning from seasoned gardeners that many don’t plant until two weeks after the listed frost date. My husband’s grandmother was the same way).2
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moonangel12 wrote: »So far, after two nights of covering, things are looking OK. We got quite a bit of rain last night so the plastic ended up squishing a couple plants as puddles formed, we’ll see if those rebound (one was a watermelon, the rest mainly sunflowers and onions). A father and daughter duo from church stopped by, had a quilt frame of his moms to give me, and he said he doesn’t usually plant anything until Mothers Day... good to know for next year! Last year I got lucky... but probably won’t be as eager next year (I am learning from seasoned gardeners that many don’t plant until two weeks after the listed frost date. My husband’s grandmother was the same way).
Here in 6b, two weeks after the last frost date is about the date for warm annuals like tomatoes. We can plants hardened-off cold annuals like kale a month before the last frost date.
I start planting pea seeds between St. Patrick's Day (March 17) and April 1, depending on how organized I am and how much snow we have - irrespective of temperature, if the soil is too wet, the seeds can rot.
I use a kitchen thermometer to measure soil temp:
https://todayshomeowner.com/how-to-measure-soil-temperature-for-planting/
Garden Vegetable Seed Germination Temperatures
The soil temperature for planting vegetables should be:- 40° F or warmer: Lettuce, kale, peas, spinach.
- 50° F or warmer: Onions, leeks, turnips, Swiss chard.
- 60° F or warmer: Broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, carrots, beans, beets.
- 70° F or warmer: Tomatoes, squash, corn, cucumbers, melons, peppers.
The seed germination temperature is often much warmer than the plant’s growing temperature. Once established, many veggies can handle much cooler air temperatures as long as the soil is warm enough. To get a head start on spring planting, plant seeds indoors or use plastic row covers to warm the soil more quickly.
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