Gardening and seed exchange

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  • Arielnesika
    Arielnesika Posts: 87 Member
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    For chickens we have a Barred Rock, a Golden Sex link, and a Indian Runner duck an Anacona duck. Duck eggs are actually pretty awesome, like super-eggs.

    In my hippy town, everyone seems to be an urban farmer. There are something like 25 backyard chicken keepers in my small neighborhood. Not to mention veggie gardeners and even some beekeepers. I hope it's not just a fad!

    What is a living wall and can I see it?
  • kayemme
    kayemme Posts: 1,782 Member
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    i'm in zone 6b and am willing to help wherever needed

    avid independent foodie / urban homesteader here... i run a large comm. garden, a school comm garden and am building another for a senior center this summer.

    i forage and am growing a living wall in my apt.

    I want to start school community gardens in my area, but the schools don't seem too interested in it. Have you heard about the recent uproar in Urban Homesteading. The Deveres family wants to trademark the term, urban homesteading, and want recognition when the word is used. If you have a facebook there is a page, Take back urban home-steading that dicusses much of what is going on. It is a shame. Many people looked up to them for their accomplishments and now they are aggraevating many urban homesteaders.
    screw them - homesteaders are kind of anarchistic and usually pretty broke, so even if they sue, they'll just get a handful of eggs.

    i've been calling myself an urban homesteader for the last 5 years. if it's that important to them, i'd say they weren't much of a homesteader at all.
  • kayemme
    kayemme Posts: 1,782 Member
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    when i get the living wall going i'll post images. it's basically a system where you grow plants vertically in your kitchen. i'm planning on growing all my culinary herbs... i'm so excited.
  • kayemme
    kayemme Posts: 1,782 Member
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    i would also like to exchange sourdough starters or other bread starters .... or have discussions about fermentation.

    we're tapping our first maple tree this season. so far we have about a gallon and a half. next week we'll put in two more taps to hopefully get 2-4gals a day.

    i love living like this. it makes me feel so sad for those who don't! they're truly missing out!
  • kayemme
    kayemme Posts: 1,782 Member
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    I would love to have some heirloom tomatoes, but how do you grow them from seeds?
    Watching a video would be easier than telling you. Start them 4-6 weeks before average last frost date in your area. Put some potting mix in a small pot and cover the seed just a little bit. As is sprouts and grows cut off the bottom leaves and add more dirt. This makes the roots stronger because the roots grow along the stem. Praxxus and some others on yourtube and good videos that can show you.

    when i grow them from seed, i let them get about 6" high, then i build a "newspaper condo" around them. The stems of tomatoes are kinda hairy; those hairs are potential roots. the thicker and stronger you can make the roots, the better! so for about every six inches or so i build them another little condo, fill it with soil and let the roots get stronger. Then when it's time to plant them, i bury them all the way to their top leaves.

    they will look sad and small for a couple weeks, then BOOM! They shoot up like tomato rockets!
  • cindaroses
    cindaroses Posts: 117
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    i would also like to exchange sourdough starters or other bread starters .... or have discussions about fermentation.

    we're tapping our first maple tree this season. so far we have about a gallon and a half. next week we'll put in two more taps to hopefully get 2-4gals a day.

    i love living like this. it makes me feel so sad for those who don't! they're truly missing out!

    Yummy, I love bread starts. A friend of mine tapped maples about a month ago. Got 45 gallons of sap and it made about a gallon of maple syrup. Good stuff. I agree, living this way you get the most out of life.
  • Grokette
    Grokette Posts: 3,330 Member
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    i would also like to exchange sourdough starters or other bread starters .... or have discussions about fermentation.

    we're tapping our first maple tree this season. so far we have about a gallon and a half. next week we'll put in two more taps to hopefully get 2-4gals a day.

    i love living like this. it makes me feel so sad for those who don't! they're truly missing out!

    Want a scoby for Kombucha??? My husband calls my gallon jars a chemistry experiment, LOL

    I will have some seeds I can send out soon for maters and cukes and possibly bell peppers.
  • BifDiehl
    BifDiehl Posts: 474
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    bump - would love to get a decent garden going this year....
  • kayemme
    kayemme Posts: 1,782 Member
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    I agree, living this way you get the most out of life.

    not to mention the inherent exercise!
  • cindaroses
    cindaroses Posts: 117
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    i would also like to exchange sourdough starters or other bread starters .... or have discussions about fermentation.

    we're tapping our first maple tree this season. so far we have about a gallon and a half. next week we'll put in two more taps to hopefully get 2-4gals a day.

    i love living like this. it makes me feel so sad for those who don't! they're truly missing out!

    Want a scoby for Kombucha??? My husband calls my gallon jars a chemistry experiment, LOL

    I will have some seeds I can send out soon for maters and cukes and possibly bell peppers.

    I love Kombucha. I use to drink it when I was little and my parents told me it was fermented tea. Would you just ship the SCOBY?
  • cindaroses
    cindaroses Posts: 117
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    duplicate post
  • fitnesspirateninja
    fitnesspirateninja Posts: 667 Member
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    I love gardening! Awesome thread!

    My biggest issue is that we are unable to grow tomatoes. We live on the coast and it's overcast and foggy in the summer. Last year, our plants were doing amazingly well and then turned black and moldy. I asked a friend of mine - he's a garden coach - and he basically said that you can't grow tomatoes here. My mom lives about 40 miles south of us and she has trouble growing tomatoes, but hers don't up and die completely.

    Our strawberries, artichokes, bell peppers, lettuce, beets, and squash all did really well (we are in artichoke and pumpkin country). I don't know if tomatoes are a lost cause, or if I should try growing them in big pots. We're on a watershed so I think that could have contributed to their untimely deaths last summer.
  • melkneec
    melkneec Posts: 309 Member
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    Bump. Getting my seeds out today. :)
  • cindaroses
    cindaroses Posts: 117
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    I love gardening! Awesome thread!

    My biggest issue is that we are unable to grow tomatoes. We live on the coast and it's overcast and foggy in the summer. Last year, our plants were doing amazingly well and then turned black and moldy. I asked a friend of mine - he's a garden coach - and he basically said that you can't grow tomatoes here. My mom lives about 40 miles south of us and she has trouble growing tomatoes, but hers don't up and die completely.

    Our strawberries, artichokes, bell peppers, lettuce, beets, and squash all did really well (we are in artichoke and pumpkin country). I don't know if tomatoes are a lost cause, or if I should try growing them in big pots. We're on a watershed so I think that could have contributed to their untimely deaths last summer.

    There are so many varieties of tomatoes now. Many are suited for different areas, even colder ones. If there is a co-op extension in your area they may be able to tell you varities that grow better in your area. But if tomatoes don't do well at all and you really want to try them, you can give them a micro environment and put lights on them if you grew it inside. It'll be a lot of work though since you'd need to hand pollinate all those blossoms.
  • fitnesspirateninja
    fitnesspirateninja Posts: 667 Member
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    Yeah...I tried San Francisco Fog last year - we are an hour south of SF and have similar weather. I think the watershed is the biggest issue.
  • tenessaa
    tenessaa Posts: 105 Member
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    I'm going to be starting my tomato seeds this weekend! I can't wait for a big ole juicy tomato from the garden! I'll also be doing beans and peas, maybe some broccoli and lettuce. Strawberries are still in place and I'll be adding to my herb bed this year!
  • nikki8marie
    nikki8marie Posts: 107 Member
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    I had a garden when I was in high school and I miss having all the veggies available. I rent a little apartment now and plan on moving in a few months but I could do a very potted veggies. I heard lettuce as a good suggestion, what else can grow in little pots?
  • cindaroses
    cindaroses Posts: 117
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    I had a garden when I was in high school and I miss having all the veggies available. I rent a little apartment now and plan on moving in a few months but I could do a very potted veggies. I heard lettuce as a good suggestion, what else can grow in little pots?

    Lettuce, Kale, peppers, strawberries, herbs, tomatoes...those seem to do okay in pots. Make sure that you are not letting them get too dried out and that when they are watered they are also fed, maybe with compost tea, fish emulsion, or another organic fertilzer since they are in pots and can't draw nutrients from the ground.
  • Caffeinewitch
    Caffeinewitch Posts: 110 Member
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    Okay, so I'm a bit ambitious it seems. I have a window box. One. And last year I managed to grow a sugar pumpkin vine - the ONE pumpkin it grew went right into my thanksgiving pumpkin pie! Delish!

    So this year I bought some sugar baby watermelon seeds, sugar pumpkin seeds, and some birdhouse gourd seeds - ambitious again!
    What I would like to know, is since I am growing these in a pot, what kind of soil should I have? how often should I fertilize them? and what kind of material should I use for a climbing cage?

    I've seen instructionals for growing watermelons in a pot at an apartment, but I wanted to know if you all have any other advice!

    Thanks!
  • cindaroses
    cindaroses Posts: 117
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    Okay, so I'm a bit ambitious it seems. I have a window box. One. And last year I managed to grow a sugar pumpkin vine - the ONE pumpkin it grew went right into my thanksgiving pumpkin pie! Delish!

    So this year I bought some sugar baby watermelon seeds, sugar pumpkin seeds, and some birdhouse gourd seeds - ambitious again!
    What I would like to know, is since I am growing these in a pot, what kind of soil should I have? how often should I fertilize them? and what kind of material should I use for a climbing cage?

    I've seen instructionals for growing watermelons in a pot at an apartment, but I wanted to know if you all have any other advice!

    Thanks!

    Take a look at this blog http://www.mybalconyjungle.com/watermelons.html I've never grown the melons in a pot, but I know they will need a lot of water!

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