Gardening thread

[chenGOD]

In all honesty, I want to get rid of the grass and put in some artificial turf. Can practice football (not hand egg) with the kid, reduces weeding, and water usage. Last house would have been brilliant, yard was large enough to hold five a side matches.

Anyhow, gardening awaits this weekend (and painting the interior of the house...wheeee).

[beerwolf]

Hmmm artificial turf used to look very tacky but my sister got some for her back yard and it looked, and felt most excellent. It would of been top of the range gear though, not from Argos (for example)

[chenGOD]

20 minutes ago, beer badger said:

Hmmm artificial turf used to look very tacky but my sister got some for her back yard and it looked, and felt most excellent. It would of been top of the range gear though, not from Argos (for example)

Yeah the old shit was just that - shite. But the modern stuff is "quite good".

[J3FF3R00]

YAY!!! I'm so happy someone started a gardening thread! I planted a fig tree and started a garden a little over a month ago and have zero idea what I'm doing.

I cleared a 13' x 13' patch (I've also fenced it off and amended the soil with composting soil that I got free from my city and covered it with free mulch from the city, as well... but that is really all I'm doing, as I have no real fertilizer to speak of, other than some bath water with dissolved epsom salts) in one of the sunniest parts of our backyard and organized it in 2 plots. 

In Plot #1, I have (by row):

- Torpedo Onions

- Garlic (planted from cloves... they are really taking off, btw)

- Some kind of fancy artisanal lettuce

- Romaine Lettuce

- Butter Lettuce

- Tri-Color Carrots ( which the birds seem to like eating the sprouts of  )

- Golden Beets 

- Red Beets

- some other kind of Beet

 

In Plot #1, I have (by row):

- Yellow Squash

- Zucchini #1 (Cant remember exactly what kind)

- Zucchini #2 (Cant remember exactly what kind)

- Romanesco Zucchini

- French Green Beans

 

I've also stared some sprouts indoors in some egg cartons. Those are:

- Baby Belle Peppers

- Heirloom Tomatoes

- Bush Tomatoes

- Bush Green beans

- Mixed Chili peppers (jalapeño and a couple others)

- Basil

 

The Fig Tree (which I planted in late February) is really taking off and I have roughly 11 slightly-over-half-grown figs on the tree.

The garden rows are mostly sprouting nicely, but the carrots and fancy lettuce seem to have been snacked on by birds quite a bit, so yesterday I hung a bunch of CDs on string across both plots to deter birds & critters. I also built a simple frame around my 5' fig tree and I have CDs hanging around that too.

 

My main 2 questions are: any idea when is best to transfer the sprouts from my egg cartons to the garden plots AND... (because I mostly planted seeds in groups in rows in the garden, so they are grouped and growing in bunches) should I separate these sprouts and space them apart or should I just let them go as they are?

Thanks, in advance!!

Let's get GROWIN'!

Edited April 23, 2020 by J3FF3R00

[chenGOD]

8 minutes ago, J3FF3R00 said:

bath water with dissolved epsom salts

Doesn't do much mate - better to save the bath salts for when you feel like eating someone's face off.

To fend off the birds - netting across the top of the frame.

Best time to transfer depends on your climate. Look it up on the ol google machine, as there will be all kinds of helpful folks with gardening advice specific to your area. Generally after the spring has started proper though - if there's a risk of frost after a false spring, that's no bueno for most plants/veggies/flowers.

[cwmbrancity]

Gardening, whether growing veg & herbs, or encouraging non edible species in by planting, is the epitome of chilled times. Derek Jarman knew this. I always saw it as the bastion of boredom, but got the bug about 5 years ago.

Got masses of veg in, digging works up an appetite too. Bedding plants we try n go for anything that draws insects. There’s a bay tree which is so aromatic, grows like a mf doe, so pruned that last autumn. 

If you don’t have the land, most councils here offer allotments, another form of chilled production. There’s hundreds locally. Highly recommended during lockdown & beyond.

Edited April 23, 2020 by cwmbrancity
Titchmarsh

[cwmbrancity]

Quality reading

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/195036.Derek_Jarman_s_Garden

[zero]

1 hour ago, J3FF3R00 said:

My main 2 questions are: any idea when is best to transfer the sprouts from my egg cartons to the garden plots AND... (because I mostly planted seeds in groups in rows in the garden, so they are grouped and growing in bunches) should I separate these sprouts and space them apart or should I just let them go as they are?

Like Chen mentioned - you're good to plant the sprouts once all the freezes are done with. Even a light overnight freeze for a few hours will usually kill any newly planted veggies.

As for spacing - tomato plants get big quickly, so probably best to give those extra room. My wife planted thai chili plants fairly close together (2-3 inches maybe) and they seem to be fine. There are chili peppers starting to sprout now actually.

[J3FF3R00]

19 minutes ago, zero said:

Like Chen mentioned - you're good to plant the sprouts once all the freezes are done with. Even a light overnight freeze for a few hours will usually kill any newly planted veggies.

As for spacing - tomato plants get big quickly, so probably best to give those extra room. My wife planted thai chili plants fairly close together (2-3 inches maybe) and they seem to be fine. There are chili peppers starting to sprout now actually.

Many thanks to you and @chenGOD !

I'm in a zone 9 climate so it's practically summer already. This weekend is actually going to get up to 100 degrees or so, so I'm less concerned about temperature and more concerned about sprout size. The sprouts are just under 3 inches tall right now.

[chenGOD]

19 minutes ago, zero said:

tomato plants get big quickly,

Depends on the variety to a degree but yes they do grow like a mofo.

Also @J3FF3R00, lettuce will bolt, and since both of yours (romaine and butter) are of the "head" type, it's best to remove the plant entirely once all the edible leaves have been picked.

[dingformung]

3 hours ago, chenGOD said:

4 hours ago, darreichungsform said:

I'd probably go for old/obscure sorts of fruits that you can't buy at store. Wild apples, sloes, yellow raspberries, checkers tree, apple quince, etc. Not gonna claim I know a lot about this stuff.

The problem is, a lot of those require a very specific climate to grow. Like our fig tree in Vancouver wouldn't work at all here in Ottawa.

Yes, of course, it depends on the climate you live in. Google said northern kiwis and Saskatoons fit Ottawa climate, but no clue . Probably would require a specific type of earth as well

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amelanchier_alnifolia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Actinidia_arguta

[zlemflolia]

10 hours ago, Psychotronic said:

Well, in my opinion we should throw around seeds in all areas where human beings live, in all the green spaces that could work for the seeds. Just guerilla bomb them during the nights, while it's raining and let stuff grow wild. Flood the towns with food, it needs to grow on every corner. Garden's for just you and your family won't help if million's of people around you are starving and have access to weapons.

guerilla gardening is good, except don't plant edibles in areas near roads, highways, or any area with water running over non-natural land which may have oil, gas, and pesticide runoff.  it's better to not have a berry bush growing on land like that, because you're better off eating nothing than eating those berries

 

Edited April 24, 2020 by Zeffolia

[zlemflolia]

9 hours ago, chenGOD said:

In all honesty, I want to get rid of the grass and put in some artificial turf. Can practice football (not hand egg) with the kid, reduces weeding, and water usage. Last house would have been brilliant, yard was large enough to hold five a side matches.

Anyhow, gardening awaits this weekend (and painting the interior of the house...wheeee).

ah, post-modern lawn care simulation

[chenGOD]

22 minutes ago, Zeffolia said:

ah, post-modern lawn care simulation

Yes, I like the space, but don’t want to have to water the lawn, use weed killer etc etc. 

[Psychotronic]

6 hours ago, Zeffolia said:

guerilla gardening is good, except don't plant edibles in areas near roads, highways, or any area with water running over non-natural land which may have oil, gas, and pesticide runoff.  it's better to not have a berry bush growing on land like that, because you're better off eating nothing than eating those berries

I agree. 

[Limo]

Likewise, don't grow soft fruit in city parks. Those are called "pee pee berries" for a reason.

[Psychotronic]

2 hours ago, rhmilo said:

Likewise, don't grow soft fruit in city parks. Those are called "pee pee berries" for a reason.

that's actually a good thing to discuss. What to grow where? Any insights? What plants grow fast and have a lot of proteins? We need them pretty soon i guess.

[dingformung]

kartoffel

Edited April 24, 2020 by darreichungsform

[Limo]

3 hours ago, darreichungsform said:

kartoffel

Very nutritious. Boring, but you could live off them.

[J3FF3R00]

I could probably google it but I figured I would ask you guys...

Any experience watering vegetables with grey water? As far as bath water goes, we use natural soaps and I sometimes use Epsom salts, so most of our grey water is fairly clean (other than all the people grease that ends up in there). 
Additionally, we have a blocked drain in our kitchen sink that runs out into the front lawn through an overflow pipe. This morning, I filled up the sink with water to wash some produce that we had delivered and I collected the drain water outside in a large bucket and used that on the garden. That should be ok, I’m guessing?? I mean, water is water, right... as long as it’s free of chemical shit?
 

[psn]

Cool documentary about Piet Oudolf available this weekend:

https://www.hauserwirth.com/stories/28405-five-seasons-gardens-piet-oudolf

[J3FF3R00]

This guy is my new virtual best friend...

All of his videos are great and he’s a really cool/funny guy with tons of great tips (and his property is impossibly amazing). Lots of bad puns, too, which I’m a sucker for. 
here’s his channel...

https://www.youtube.com/user/markyv69
 

[J3FF3R00]

Oh yeah (more importantly), I put my little 3 inch seedling sprouts out on the front porch yesterday to get a little more sun. I watered them but it got up to 90 degrees and it looks like they all died. Could that be possible? They just wilted and disappeared. Since they seemed super dry when I brought them in, I watered them and put them in the shade but when I checked on them this morning, most of them still looked pretty dead. Do they have any chance of survival after one damn day in the sun??

[cwmbrancity]

Depends where you are. A lot of species wilt easy. Sounds like a buffle, have a google.

We try & keep things simple. Root veg ie parsnips & carrots, spuds, some times artichokes (but they seem v temperamental), plus green beans, tomatoes, leeks & wild garlic (<---easiest flavour "growth" going). Full netting, straight forward to arrange. Draining from rain water is the real issue (British Isles).

The former 2 combined make superb sauces for curries. Get some colour on them with butter, star anise, cinnamon stick, 3 cloves, cumin seeds, coriander seeds & a generous tablespoon of turmeric & mustard in a wok. When they're done, blitz in a blender, add onion, garlic & ginger to the oily wok, brown again, then add the blitzed carrots & parsnips back in, with tom puree, chunks of tomato, Chipotle chillis, bell pepper & coconut to taste. Season as you like. Good for broths too.

From garden to kitchen. Easy supply chains even i can't fuck up. My brother's mates have this chilli club going, not just for heat either. Always swapping cuttings, in full fruit-bloom there colouring is surreal. Got a carousel thing stacked with their sauce creations, absolute lushness.

 

[auxien]

57 minutes ago, J3FF3R00 said:

Oh yeah (more importantly), I put my little 3 inch seedling sprouts out on the front porch yesterday to get a little more sun. I watered them but it got up to 90 degrees and it looks like they all died. Could that be possible? They just wilted and disappeared. Since they seemed super dry when I brought them in, I watered them and put them in the shade but when I checked on them this morning, most of them still looked pretty dead. Do they have any chance of survival after one damn day in the sun??

can be dangerous to add water right before putting them in direct sun, before the water has dispersed and absorbed fully (or in your case with seedlings i'm guessing they may've been in small individual soil sections or just small/thin amount of soil) the water can heat up more than is okay for the plant, and it essentially boils them at the roots as they're absorbing the water that's not been cooled by being in the soil and instead heated by direct sunlight* but basically....adding water to plants when it's hot & sunny out is bad, better to water them in the evenings or very early in the morning if you know it's going to be a hot day. not sure that's what happened with yours but seems likely.

*note i have literally no idea how that actually works or which point in that process of water+soil+heat+plants is actually detrimental to the plants, just that sun/heat+water at essentially the same time can be very bad and kill the plants.