Garden thread
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We can't plant here until after May Long (zone 3) but I'm starting to plan a bit. Unseasonably warm weather has me dreaming of spring!0
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I'm starting to gather supplies for my seed starting operation. Question for those of you using artificial lights, do you cycle light and dark timing, or do you leave your lights on 24/7? If you cycle, what is your light schedule?
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I'm starting to gather supplies for my seed starting operation. Question for those of you using artificial lights, do you cycle light and dark timing, or do you leave your lights on 24/7? If you cycle, what is your light schedule?
It's recommended to have the lights on 12 to 16 hours; it can cause too much stress for seedlings to be exposed to light 24 hours a day. We just use a simple timer.1 -
Cleaning up my garden last fall I came upon a bunch of shield-shaped bugs disappearing under the zucchini leaves as soon as I tried looking at them. Didn't give them much thought then but now I'm seeing pictures on the internet, calling them stink bugs and warning you if you find them in your garden. as they are huge pests and invaders of homes and gardens.
I never saw them until cleaning out the garden.
Between those words of caution plus all the fungus/mold that hit my garden last year, I'm reluctant to even make an attempt at growing veggies this year.
Plus my maple tree which is close by, seems to be losing bark which may be a sign of disease.
I'm ready to throw in the towel.
Any words of wisdom or encouragement for the upcoming gardening season?? Thanks!0 -
Cleaning up my garden last fall I came upon a bunch of shield-shaped bugs disappearing under the zucchini leaves as soon as I tried looking at them. Didn't give them much thought then but now I'm seeing pictures on the internet, calling them stink bugs and warning you if you find them in your garden. as they are huge pests and invaders of homes and gardens. I never saw them until cleaning out the garden.
Between those words of caution plus all the fungus/mold that hit my garden last year, I'm reluctant to even make an attempt at growing veggies this year.
Plus my maple tree which is close by, seems to be losing bark which may be a sign of disease.
I'm ready to throw in the towel.
Any words of wisdom or encouragement for the upcoming gardening season?? Thanks!
This isn't encouraging, but the stink bugs are going to be there whether you grow veggies or not.
I don't veggie garden any more (it's complicated), but did for most of my life. In my last garden, I had quite a bit of trouble with mold/fungus, especially terrible, persistent tomato blight. Eventually I settled on a strategy of growing things I really loved, that grew well here, that were either best freshFresh, or that were much more affordable if I grew them myself.
I think it's about being wily, figuring out how to protect particular plants.
One thing I'd say, about avoiding fungus/mold affecting your plants: If I recall correctly, you did some growing from seeds you got from produce you'd bought at the grocery store? I get that that's fun, and super affordable . . . but those tend to be (1) hybrid varieties that don't grow true to seed (i.e., the plants won't be the same variety as the produce, with the same characteristics, and tend to be . . . degraded; and (2) the hybrids (or some non-hybrid varieties) in stores tend to be bred specifically for things like uniform size, good appearance, ripening all at once, good shipping qualities, etc. They're not necessarily bred to be resistant to certain pests or mold/fungus, because the growers can choose growing sites and manipulate the conditions and their use of chemical cures to get the results they want.
If there are things you particularly want to grow, I'd encourage you to seek out seeds that are varieties specifically bred for home growers, and that are especially resistant to molds, blights, fungus. They will be more expensive, but if you can afford it, those few bucks may get you better results.
As a Northern gardener, I particularly like Johnny's Selected Seeds, which specializes in cooler-zone varieties for home gardeners. In addition, they're about the best anywhere (IMO) about being very clear in their variety descriptions about what the strengths and relative weaknesses of the different varieties are.
https://www.johnnyseeds.com/
If you go to the page where they have their disease/pest resistance code definitions (which in itself will give you an idea how serious they are about this):
https://www.johnnyseeds.com/growers-library/methods-tools-supplies/pest-disease-control/disease-resistance-codes.html
. . . you'll find that the left sidebar on the page has a long list of articles, some of which have guidance on minimizing impact of blights, mildews, etc., probably including some that you've struggled with.1 -
Thank you Ann!
The only things I grew from my own starts were green beans from leftover beans the year before. And my sister bought me a couple of organic sweet potatoes that we grew.
The rest of the stuff I tend to buy from a local nursery and Home Depot.
I will definitely check out your link though. I trust you to offer premium advice. 0 -
Cleaning up my garden last fall I came upon a bunch of shield-shaped bugs disappearing under the zucchini leaves as soon as I tried looking at them. Didn't give them much thought then but now I'm seeing pictures on the internet, calling them stink bugs and warning you if you find them in your garden. as they are huge pests and invaders of homes and gardens.
Squash bugs and vine borers look very much like stink bugs - but they aren't quite the same. Last year, zillions of squash bugs decimated my butternuts and I won't be planting squash again!
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Thank you Ann!
The only things I grew from my own starts were green beans from leftover beans the year before. And my sister bought me a couple of organic sweet potatoes that we grew.
The rest of the stuff I tend to buy from a local nursery and Home Depot.
I will definitely check out your link though. I trust you to offer premium advice.
Johnny's IMO is more complete, but even on some of the packets at nursery or big box stores, they will sometimes have information about disease resistance. Often, they'd use terminology different from "mold" or "fungus", but look for ones resistant to various rots, blights, wilts, viruses, etc. Sometimes they'll just use a technical name, too, like "verticillium resistant".
Almost always, there's some tradeoff, could be earliness, productivity, flavor, etc. . . . but in your case, I'm thinking the resistances are more valuable, generally.
For my taste, the seed industry tends too much to go for glowing verbiage (biggest! best tasting! highly productive!) but be less helpful with technical info. Some catalog/online sellers are terrible, in that way. If a source never says anything remotely negative/cautionary about any aspect of any variety, run.1 -
I didn't realize how long it's been since I visited this thread. My kale, Swiss chard, spinach, and microgreens are doing well along with my perennial herbs. I'm in the Sacramento area and the weather's been nice enough to take my indoor seeds out every day. I started more lettuce, microgreens, and cabbage seeds that I got for free and got like 100 cabbage plants so I took them to the Take a Plant stands because that's way too much for someone who lives alone! My Baker's Creek order came and I started most of those seeds and started Tatsoi and a few other Asian greens in the yard. I'm hoping my new phone can post pictures here, these are the seedlings inside, no luck, shoot!0
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Does anyone here do Huglekulture? I went to a farm and garden meeting and there was a guest speaker who talked of making raised beds that have wood on bottom, leaves next, grass or greens, then dirt. I use grow bags and containers but was dying to try it so I made a compost pile like that, maybe if I run out of room I'll plant some stuff on top like it's recommended for the raised beds.1
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Does anyone here do Huglekulture? I went to a farm and garden meeting and there was a guest speaker who talked of making raised beds that have wood on bottom, leaves next, grass or greens, then dirt. I use grow bags and containers but was dying to try it so I made a compost pile like that, maybe if I run out of room I'll plant some stuff on top like it's recommended for the raised beds.
I have tried it in a bed; I didn't see any compelling results one way or the other. For me, its biggest utility was in 1) adding some bulk to the bed so I didn't have to fill it with too much soil, and 2) getting rid of some big chonks that I had kicking around the yard. It was a little annoying because it was in a shallow bed so it kept getting in the way (my intention was, "oh, I'll just plant between the chonks.") I would prefer to have the opportunity to do a really good A-B test with it before making a stronger statement on it as far as growth results are concerned.1 -
Does anyone here do Huglekulture? I went to a farm and garden meeting and there was a guest speaker who talked of making raised beds that have wood on bottom, leaves next, grass or greens, then dirt. I use grow bags and containers but was dying to try it so I made a compost pile like that, maybe if I run out of room I'll plant some stuff on top like it's recommended for the raised beds.
I plan to this year. I have so much leaf and wood debris on our property that this seems like a great way to start dealing with it. I'll make them as mounds/hills, rather than in raised beds. Seems like a good way to grow different sized plants, and ones that need room to spread out like squash.1 -
Well, I've got most of my indoor seeds started. The Beefsteak tomato seeds have germinated in a damp paper towel and been planted in potting soil today. Waiting on the peppers to sprout - five varieties!
Thing is, I still have oodles of last year's garden in the freezer and larder. That's a good problem to have in the age of ever-rising food prices, but figuring out what to do with 8 pints of pickles, 8 gallon Ziploc bags of skinned and blanched tomatoes and 25 cups of grated courgettes before the new crop comes in will be a challenge.
What are your garden plans for 2022?1 -
I have a very small space available even though I have a big "garden." The raspberries, blueberries, gooseberries, currant, marionberries, and artichokes take up SO much of the garden. Then there's the fruit trees that take up space so I can't expand the garden. I just have a few beds.
My favorites are spring greens - lettuces and more bitter greens. I will always find a place for them. I also like to plant sugar peas or the like, but not sure I'll give up the space. Beets always seem to find a spot. Even though they are a fairly easy to grow root vegetable, they seem kind of expensive. Better to grow 'em. I always have a tomato or three. I also have several friends and neighbors who grow starts from seeds. One grows for other people, and she always has some left. I like to save some space for whatever they give me - cucumber, melon, chile, whatever. More tomato.... I am going to plant tomatoes out in the orchard this year, just to see if they'll do ok.
I have one bed (plus part of another bed) full of garlic. I'll harvest that in July and plant next winter's beets.
I also seem to be really good at growing slugs. I wish I wasn't.3 -
Don't take wooden nickels.
If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
Eat more beets.1 -
Since Mr. @mtaratoot has decided to be puckish . . .
Maybe you already know this, but beet seeds are a multi-seed cluster, so they will come in thick and need thinning, even if you seed thinly. I hope that you eat the greens, because they're really tasty (my favorite greens). It may work better to thin by cutting the tops off with scissors, so you don't pull out the conjoined multiples. The tiny/tender leaves are good in salads, as they get big I think better as a cooked green.1 -
I know what I'm not planting this year.
Zucchini.
Plus I'll move lots of the garden planting around in hopes of better sun, less crowding, etc.
I only had a little bit of lettuce last year, due to my sister giving me some plants that she shared. But I loved it and wished I'd planted a lot more.
So....my garden will be lettuce, tomato plants(1 cherry and 1 big boy), some cucumbers, and possibly green beans. Then hopefully my strawberries will do okay. And dh will probably want onions.
I've tried so many other things that always seem to fizzle out on me so my enthusiasm isn't high right now.0 -
Maybe you already know this, but beet seeds are a multi-seed cluster, so they will come in thick and need thinning, even if you seed thinly. I hope that you eat the greens, because they're really tasty (my favorite greens). It may work better to thin by cutting the tops off with scissors, so you don't pull out the conjoined multiples. The tiny/tender leaves are good in salads, as they get big I think better as a cooked green.
Thanks! Since I've never planted beets, I am looking forward to trying the greens and roasting some of the beets. I plan to roto-till in a good amount of compost and put them next to the Swiss Chard and since I imagine they'll have similar water needs.
Helpful Seed Starting Tip: If you warm your sprouted seeds in a gas oven with a 24/7 pilot light, remember to remove said seeds before pre-heating you oven for baking.
Jus' sayin.
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Since Mr. @mtaratoot has decided to be puckish . . .
Maybe you already know this, but beet seeds are a multi-seed cluster, so they will come in thick and need thinning, even if you seed thinly. I hope that you eat the greens, because they're really tasty (my favorite greens). It may work better to thin by cutting the tops off with scissors, so you don't pull out the conjoined multiples. The tiny/tender leaves are good in salads, as they get big I think better as a cooked green.
I didn't know that about beet seeds. Makes sense when I think about them though and how thick they always come in.
Only things I know are that the timing of garlic harvest in early July is about perfect to plant winter beets and that they are fairly cold-hardy and can be planted fairly early in the spring. Currently I don't really think I have the space.2 -
Since Mr. @mtaratoot has decided to be puckish . . .
Maybe you already know this, but beet seeds are a multi-seed cluster, so they will come in thick and need thinning, even if you seed thinly. I hope that you eat the greens, because they're really tasty (my favorite greens). It may work better to thin by cutting the tops off with scissors, so you don't pull out the conjoined multiples. The tiny/tender leaves are good in salads, as they get big I think better as a cooked green.
Beet seedlings look very much like Swiss chard seedlings, as I learned when I bought them by mistake a few years ago. I did eat the greens, both in smoothies and steamed. I gave the beets to my mother.0 -
I'll be planting peas any day now! We can plant them here as early as St. Patrick's Day. I stagger plantings, and the ones I have planted 3/17 don't pop any earlier than the ones I plant April 1, so my target date for first planting is...today!1
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Out of curiosity does anyone here plant spinach? I eat a lot of it now and am wondering if it's easy enough to grow a bountiful amount?0
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Out of curiosity does anyone here plant spinach? I eat a lot of it now and am wondering if it's easy enough to grow a bountiful amount?
It's very easy to grow here with the caveat that if we get a couple of freakishly hot days early in the season, they like to bolt and get bitter. Some varieties are better about that. This is why most of what you buy in the store is "baby spinach," as the growers can crank out multiple crops even when it's hot.
If you're feeling adventurous, add a little orach to the garden. Tastes sort of like spinach, and it tolerates the heat better. I love spinach and will plant some soon and maybe more for the fall.2 -
Out of curiosity does anyone here plant spinach? I eat a lot of it now and am wondering if it's easy enough to grow a bountiful amount?
I've never had good luck here in Massachusetts - like mtaratoot said, any unusually warm days will ruin it for the season. You could ask your local greenhouse about bolt-resistant varieties.
You may wish to consider Swiss chard instead, which can be used like spinach in many dishes, especially when the leaves are on the smaller side. It's been extremely easy to grow in MA.
I have had fabulous success with Malabar spinach. Unfortunately, I don't like it raw and my partner doesn't like it cooked, so I stopped growing it, but perhaps will give it another go now that we are living with my mother and brother. Mom loves it. It is very slow to get started, but once it takes off, produces like mad until the frost. I've never seen seedlings locally, so buy seeds online.
https://www.burpee.com/malabar-spinach-red-stem-prod500145.html
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I admire these posts so much, love seeing the food people are growing.
I first came here in Spring of 2020 and I had a pot growing "lavender" in it. I kept posting progress pictures of my beautiful lavender and then eventually someone asked me "Are you sure that's lavender" and suggested it could be a tree and yes, it was. It was an oak or a maple or something like that. My "expertise" isn't much better these days and I'm still trying to grow lavender. But anyway, this is my little garden as of Tuesday...it still needs a lot of work.
These are store bought plants, cherry tomatoes and beefsteak (I'll need a better cage for that one, I know), Anaheim peppers and yellow bell peppers. I have some jalapeno seeds that I hope take off and I'd like to put some of those in there if they do.3 -
It seems kind of early, but....
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@mtaratoot What is that?0
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@mtaratoot What is that?
Artichoke1
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