Gardening thread- for all those green thumbs. (1 Viewer)

[efil4stnias]

So had a post on MAP talking about gardening ( veggies, herbs ) and suggested to have one here ( since getting close to spring ) for tips, experiences etc. ( thanks MT15 )

I grow several things thru the year- Broccoli, cauliflower, onions, green/red bell peppers, cucumbers, tomato ( both creole and cherry ) , lettuce, watermelons ( though to never real good success )
My main staple is cucumbers- i tend to do quite well with those, bell peppers and onions.

Was given a tip long ago- chicken dung. Work into top 6 inches of the soil, wait about 2 weeks ( ammonia release will kill anything planted within that 2 week period ) and plant and you will not have to fertilize the entire season. Ive had really good results. But dang if my backyard doesnt stink for a good week or so. lol.

Any other tips, ideas etc...post em here.

 

[offshorepoorman]

So had a post on MAP talking about gardening ( veggies, herbs ) and suggested to have one here ( since getting close to spring ) for tips, experiences etc. ( thanks MT15 )

I grow several things thru the year- Broccoli, cauliflower, onions, green/red bell peppers, cucumbers, tomato ( both creole and cherry ) , lettuce, watermelons ( though to never real good success )
My main staple is cucumbers- i tend to do quite well with those, bell peppers and onions.

Was given a tip long ago- chicken dung. Work into top 6 inches of the soil, wait about 2 weeks ( ammonia release will kill anything planted within that 2 week period ) and plant and you will not have to fertilize the entire season. Ive had really good results. But dang if my backyard doesnt stink for a good week or so. lol.

Any other tips, ideas etc...post em here.

I have been growing my own stuff for the last 10 years. Its amazing and I live sharing with family and friends. About to get my new hydroponic greenhouses up and running. The older I get the more I love working in the dirt and with plants. Sharing with my older kids make all the work worth it.

 

[buzd]

I have terrible luck with gardening even though I try every year. I think it's mostly because my beds are against structures (house, shed) instead of in full sun. I do ok with herbs - basil, oregano, thyme, an amazing culantro plant that won't go away (yes, culantro - like cilantro but different). I grow peppers ok in pots (jalepenos, habeneros, cayennes), but nothing else seems to work. We also have a Myer lemon tree that produces well each fall. We had a great fig tree that had excellent production, but it died last spring. I just starting composting a couple of weeks ago, so we will see how that goes.

I've toyed with the idea of converting the backyard into an orchard/garden - it gets full sun, but I haven't convinced the wife yet.

 

[superchuck500]

I'm not much into gardening (though I harbor fantasies about growing my own produce). But I wanted to post this guy from Twitter, Gerald from Oxford, England. He's a nice follow. He has 234K followers, I think mainly because he's just a warm guy who posts about his garden . . . and it is relaxing.

 

[efil4stnias]

I have been growing my own stuff for the last 10 years. Its amazing and I live sharing with family and friends. About to get my new hydroponic greenhouses up and running. The older I get the more I love working in the dirt and with plants. Sharing with my older kids make all the work worth it.

your water supply...municipal ?

 

[efil4stnias]

I have terrible luck with gardening even though I try every year. I think it's mostly because my beds are against structures (house, shed) instead of in full sun. I do ok with herbs - basil, oregano, thyme, an amazing culantro plant that won't go away (yes, culantro - like cilantro but different). I grow peppers ok in pots (jalepenos, habeneros, cayennes), but nothing else seems to work. We also have a Myer lemon tree that produces well each fall. We had a great fig tree that had excellent production, but it died last spring. I just starting composting a couple of weeks ago, so we will see how that goes.

I've toyed with the idea of converting the backyard into an orchard/garden - it gets full sun, but I haven't convinced the wife yet.

sun and soil.

I have learned soil is large part of what will take and wont. PH and nitrogen levels. Its why compost is the BEST out there when growing.

Ive had success with a mix of garden soil, top soil and manure in 2:1:1 ratio ( bag ) - with a dose of chicken dung to start the grow season. My creole tomatoes and cucumbers ( burpless hybrid ) and bell peppers just take off. Many say dont plant before March 15 ( to avoid last freeze ) but i have a cover for my garden and lights ill put in if we get a 28 degree night.

My girls ( incl wife ) to simply walk out back, grab whatever ( cukes for salads, or just eat off vine, tomatoes - all of it ) and there is some satisfaction when you cook with your own bell peppers, onions, tomatoes , banana peppers etc.

 

[offshorepoorman]

your water supply...municipal ?

Yes it is now. I was out in the country before with a well I had drilled. The wife said I was spending too much time away when the baby was born. So packed as much as I could and started building everything on a 1/2 acre lot in the middle of town.

Though the water is not the best. It can be used to grow great produce with minimal additives

 

[efil4stnias]

Yes it is now. I was out in the country before with a well I had drilled. The wife said I was spending too much time away when the baby was born. So packed as much as I could and started building everything on a 1/2 acre lot in the middle of town.

Though the water is not the best. It can be used to grow great produce with minimal additives

im going to do more reading - thanks! i just know my muni water i would have to balance and im not that adept at Ph additives ( yeah i have a pool and it simply perplexes me probably because its SO DAMN EASY but i still screw it up lol )

 

[Madmarsha]

Yes, um, how do you completely and irrevocably rid your yard of fire ants?

 

[offshorepoorman]

im going to do more reading - thanks! i just know my muni water i would have to balance and im not that adept at Ph additives ( yeah i have a pool and it simply perplexes me probably because its SO DAMN EASY but i still screw it up lol )

Ph down is super cheap for the most part and does not take a whole bunch.
I will be mixing batched of fertilizer solution at 200 gallons a time in an ICB tote. Same as I did at my other place. Once you start mixing in batches that are the same everytime you get an idea of how much PH down is needed and have a great starting point. That will just need to be tweeked each time.
As for the chlorine and other things in the water. Storing them for 24 to 48 hours and letting them breath will let them all evaporate from the water.

Going on the large scale soon so I will be much more help. But I have followed the guy below for years on YT. He grows the same as me and uses town water.

https://youtube.com/c/CBsGreenhouseandGarden

 

[guidomerkinsrules]

So had a post on MAP talking about gardening ( veggies, herbs ) and suggested to have one here ( since getting close to spring ) for tips, experiences etc. ( thanks MT15 )

I grow several things thru the year- Broccoli, cauliflower, onions, green/red bell peppers, cucumbers, tomato ( both creole and cherry ) , lettuce, watermelons ( though to never real good success )
My main staple is cucumbers- i tend to do quite well with those, bell peppers and onions.

Was given a tip long ago- chicken dung. Work into top 6 inches of the soil, wait about 2 weeks ( ammonia release will kill anything planted within that 2 week period ) and plant and you will not have to fertilize the entire season. Ive had really good results. But dang if my backyard doesnt stink for a good week or so. lol.

Any other tips, ideas etc...post em here.

If I had the space/time I think I would try the portable chicken coup method - essentially, build the chicken coup in the middle of a garden and have a ‘free range’ cage that you can move around- let the chickens spend about a month at each station eating bugs and pooping and you’ll have great soul in the spring

 

[Arathrael]

I'd love some suggestions on things to grow in a small greenhouse. We bought our current house in 2016 and it happened to have a nice greenhouse, in a south-facing garden that gets a load of sunlight. Plenty of water too, since there's also a couple of rain barrels set up. But I haven't grown much in there yet.

So far all I've grown is mint (not intentionally, the previous occupant grew it and it apparently does not quit), a small strawberry patch that I suspect a mouse is stealing all the strawberries from, and pumpkins which we grew last year for Halloween with some success. I tried some tomatoes in the first year, and they didn't do well at all. But that may have been because I completely neglected them (in my defense that was mostly because I was trying to not neglect a baby at the time).

But our son is four now and was really excited about the pumpkins, so I'm really looking for suggestions for other things we could grow in there this year that would be fun for him to help with, watch grow, and hopefully eat. I might try tomatoes again, but any other suggestions (or tips on how to grow tomatoes successfully...) would be much appreciated.

 

[buzd]

I'd love some suggestions on things to grow in a small greenhouse. We bought our current house in 2016 and it happened to have a nice greenhouse, in a south-facing garden that gets a load of sunlight. Plenty of water too, since there's also a couple of rain barrels set up. But I haven't grown much in there yet.

So far all I've grown is mint (not intentionally, the previous occupant grew it and it apparently does not quit), a small strawberry patch that I suspect a mouse is stealing all the strawberries from, and pumpkins which we grew last year for Halloween with some success. I tried some tomatoes in the first year, and they didn't do well at all. But that may have been because I completely neglected them (in my defense that was mostly because I was trying to not neglect a baby at the time).

But our son is four now and was really excited about the pumpkins, so I'm really looking for suggestions for other things we could grow in there this year that would be fun for him to help with, watch grow, and hopefully eat. I might try tomatoes again, but any other suggestions (or tips on how to grow tomatoes successfully...) would be much appreciated.

I can't really help you, but we did grow a pumpkin by accident once. When our house sat in floodwater after Katrina, it apparently germinated the seeds from a pumpkin we had let rot on our porch for Halloween the year before. While our house was sitting vacant and destroyed, a long unidentified vine grew and finally grew a pumpkin. It was pretty cool.

 

[BigOdin504]

Just recently pulled my fall tomatoes.
I have carrots, lettuce, kale, collard/mustard greens, cabbage, and broccoli right now alone with herbs ( parsley is kicking right now).
I compost and use cow manure for fertilizer
I have 2 rain barrels for water

we should set up a seed exchange on here...

 

[efil4stnias]

Just recently pulled my fall tomatoes.
I have carrots, lettuce, kale, collard/mustard greens, cabbage, and broccoli right now alone with herbs ( parsley is kicking right now).
I compost and use cow manure for fertilizer
I have 2 rain barrels for water

we should set up a seed exchange on here...

i did grow my own leaf lettuce this year too. actually have 3 heads still in ground left. Was pleasantly surprised how well and cold hardy it was.

Like you, i use Black Kow manure - hard to keep my dogs out of there the first week or so, but eventually they just get used to it lol


this weekend will be spent reconstituting the soil and making amendments - rain barrel- do you just use to water with or have it set up to auto-water somehow?