I don't know if it's too hot or what, but my tomato and cucumber plants have started producing flowers that just seem to fall over within 2-3 days.

6/22/2015 3:12:29 PM

i've got an area that i'm converting to a plant bed (just expanding a current bed and making it much larger). part of where i'm expanding to is currently just grass, but very close to a gravel driveway. i'll need to put up some kind of divider between the bed and driveway. has anybody got any ideas besides retaining bricks/blocks? i'm not entirely opposed to using them, but i think they may look a bit out place in this particular spot. those plastic bed edgers look tacky imo so there's a definitely a no go there. i'll probably end up doing something with bricks, but was wondering if anybody had any other ideas.

[Edited on June 22, 2015 at 4:16 PM. Reason : fff]

6/22/2015 4:13:55 PM

Got a pic?

6/22/2015 4:17:48 PM

wooden 4x4s?

6/22/2015 4:18:29 PM

^yeah i was thinking that may work, or something along those lines.

i don't have a pic at the moment but if i remember, i'll try to post one later.

6/22/2015 4:37:56 PM

i tried to outline where i'm roughly putting the bed.




the reason i'm unsure about using bricks or retaining wall blocks is because it's coming right off the cement patio and it's fairly narrow for about 5'...it'd be awkward to have to do a raised bed with such a flat area immediately in front and behind of it. maybe i could get fairly flat/short blocks to make it less of a height change. but that's a shitty area in my yard. you can't grow grass there because it's such a narrow, high traffic area and it's mostly gravel anyways

i'd really only need a divider the first maybe 7' of the bed - just the front outline separating the grassy area from the dirt/gravel. once i get back into the yard, i won't need anything to divide the bed from the grass.

[Edited on June 22, 2015 at 7:23 PM. Reason : d]

6/22/2015 7:19:42 PM

Harvested my yukon golds this weekend. Not a bad set, but the size profile was a little low. Several tennis ball sized, but too many ping pong ball sized. I think my watering was off and we just didn't get the heat units throughout late May. Not bad for my first attempt though.

Should be harvesting my Red Norland spuds in about 2 weeks as the vines are starting to desiccate now

6/23/2015 10:02:17 AM

Quote :

"i'd really only need a divider the first maybe 7' of the bed - just the front outline separating the grassy area from the dirt/gravel. once i get back into the yard, i won't need anything to divide the bed from the grass."

First, you do want something between the bed and the grass to prevent grass from growing into the bed and to keep the edge neat.

I know you don't want plastic edging, but there is an entire range of landscape edging from recycled composites to aluminum to slate.

It's hard to tell from just the little bit of house in the picture to see what matches architecturally, but perhaps some kind of millwork style edging? If you want a more curved natural shape, then how about an aluminum edging like the Dimex product?

6/23/2015 10:21:20 AM

^the dimex stuff looks interesting - and the more i think about it, i think you're right. i will need something to outline the entire bed. i'm just moving into this house...it's an old house and been in the family for a while. but i'm trying to refresh it and redo a lot of the yard since it's been so long since it's been maintained.

my family actually owns a nursery, so deciding what to plant won't be hard. but the landscape architecture (the stuff aside from the actual plants) is something i'm not particularly strong in.

6/23/2015 10:31:41 AM

What irrigation systems do you all use?

I've got four 6' X 4' beds, and like 20-25 pots. I know soaker hoses are standard, but not sure how I could make that work for multiple beds.

Aren't there some hoses where you can place watering tips or something like that at custom lengths?

6/28/2015 8:48:18 PM

deer finally found my stuff and ate most of the lettuce, nearly ripe tomatoes, a pepper, and trampled some other stuff. Gonna have to net it or build a fence/gate to protect it all if this keeps up.


^ cheap solution is pvc conduit with very small holes drilled in it where you want to have water, but there are some good drop irrigation systems out there where the fitting is self-piercing or comes with a small tool to do the same thing.

6/28/2015 9:00:57 PM

Quote :

"good drop irrigation systems"

What are some good sources? Local nurseries?

6/28/2015 9:30:15 PM

^best bet is probably online - companies like Berry Hill Irrigation have good selection. Or just search around online and you can find plenty of parts on Amazon or any kind of site like that. Downside is obviously, you'd be kinda winging it and designing your system on the fly. BB Hobbs Irrigation has a location in Clinton if you'd rather go somewhere in person. They are mostly for agricultural irrigation as opposed to home, DIY stuff. But they have plenty of parts and pieces if you know what you're looking for. Coor Farm Supply in Smithfield has a decent warehouse too - it's a pretty run down, old looking place but they should be able to help you too. Like I said though, most businesses like that deal almost entirely with large farms and nurseries, so they may not have the time to sit down with you and draw up a plan and design for your yard. But if you have a good idea what you need, they probably do carry it in stock or can easily get it. Most nurseries I know don't do anything in the way of irrigation sales.

I'm not 100% sure, but I'd imagine AgriSupply would carry some pretty basic stuff that you could use.

6/29/2015 9:00:56 AM

What do you all use for mulch in your beds?

I'm leaning towards straw and grass clippings, but curious what you all use (if anything).

[Edited on June 29, 2015 at 5:26 PM. Reason : ^ awesome thx for the ideas]

6/29/2015 5:26:45 PM

I used a couple hundred feet of rain bird 1/2" tubing, with adjustable nozzles. I have a nozzle every 18 inches, and holes in the black fiber material that I found every 18" to match.

Works out VERY well because its hooked to the timer on the faucet outside, so when its dry, I just leave the faucet on and then it waters the garden every morning and night. When its rainy, like this week, I turn the faucet off.

We have a well, so I am not too concerned about lost water....

6/30/2015 2:00:22 AM

^^ usually pine straw. i've done bark in the past, but i just like the way pine straw looks better.

6/30/2015 8:06:33 AM

Anyone know what's happening here?

7/21/2015 11:14:59 AM

Your shit is getting eaten. Fuck tomatoes. This was the last we tried. We've got too many pests in our area...can't prevent them all and don't want to eat tomatoes covered in chemicals.

7/21/2015 12:04:26 PM

By what? We don't really have any deer in the area, and I've only got like 5 fruit affected...the rest of them are fine.

7/21/2015 12:10:17 PM

That looks like birds to me ... Ive seen crows eat mater's in the past.

7/21/2015 12:24:46 PM

looks like maybe a bird or something - definitely doesn't look like insect damage.

7/21/2015 12:25:28 PM

well those pictures look familiar. After a good start to the season my garden has fallen apart due to deer and other animals. Lettuce ruined. Romas trampled. Cherries been bit clean off the trellis.

7/21/2015 12:38:40 PM

Yeah, birds or squirrels, it happens to mine all the time. Sometimes I'll find half-eaten tomatoes on top of my fence posts.

7/21/2015 12:39:18 PM

at the top of this page i was asking for ideas on edging for a new plant bed. well i finally completed the project this week. still plenty left to do on the other side of the house, but i'm pleased with how it turned out. for those interested, i ended up used a steel edging from lowe's. name brand was "colmet" and it was pretty easy to install and didn't break the bank.

here's a few pics (before pics are up top)







still need to spread some pine straw and tidy up a bit more - but it does look much better. i also outlined the patio with brick on the edges of the bed because the old edging was was coming apart.

[Edited on July 24, 2015 at 11:22 AM. Reason : d]

7/24/2015 11:20:53 AM

looks good, well done

7/24/2015 2:19:57 PM

My cucumber plant went almost instantaneously wilty on me yesterday. Not sure why, I haven't changed much in the way of watering (good dose in the AM before leaving for work). Hit it with some water yesterday PM and that seemed to help some, but several leaves are still all shriveled.

7/27/2015 7:36:09 AM

I've never done well with cucumbers. I guess they need full sun, which i just don't have

8/19/2015 8:07:08 AM

I might've had it getting too much sun. I moved the container to an area that gets some shade in the afternoon and it's doing much better.

Now if only my tomatoes would ripen...

8/19/2015 8:23:44 AM

My garden didn't produce hardly at all this summer. I think I'll need to clean out the current soil and put in new next year.

8/19/2015 8:59:00 AM

tomatoes are like 'fuck this' when it's over 85, especially when it stays above that temp at night. I had a huge beefsteak I've literally been watching all summer. then we had a week of rain and that mothherfucker split in half, along with a good third of my crop. and slugs and birds are getting my other stuff left and right. the worst thing is that stuff is always harvestable when I'm leaving for a trip, or already have too many groceries. fuck gardening this year

8/19/2015 9:00:24 AM

Yeah, my garden didn't do well this year. blight destroyed a lot of my tomatoes early, and the rest just didn't do well, and squirrels have been getting some before they ever ripen (I find have eaten green tomatoes all over the yard and on the fence).

I did okay on bell peppers (blight got a lot of the jalapenos too), eggplants did okay and are really starting to come on now, and the okra is finally starting to produce after a late start (something ate my first round down to the ground, either squirrels or birds?)

I plan to start growing some fall plants in pots soon, as soon as it starts to cool down just a little.

8/19/2015 9:51:16 AM

time to get those fall plants in the ground

9/14/2015 9:34:10 AM

Our peppers have been on a tear lately, getting bags of banana, bell, and habeneros.

Still have some tomatoes growing as well.

Planted Romaine x9, Broccoli x24, coliflower x9, and Kalex9, as well as a couple cucumber plants about 3 weeks ago.

Hoping for a good fall garden for our first attempt. The Carpet we used is still working like a champ, as is the drip irrigation system. Just plant it and forget it for the most part.

Also planted 6 more trees in my mini orchard - 2 more varieties of peach, 2 more pear, and 2 apple - had to rip out a pear tree that didnt survive the summer drought(after purchasing it on clearance at lowes when it was already looking pretty pitiful in the late spring).

Transplanted some Rasberry plants and Blackberry plants also from my Father in laws house.

9/18/2015 10:09:45 AM

Carpet?

9/18/2015 11:54:24 AM

Its about as thick as some industrial/office carpet.

I think its technically some sort of high end landscaping material, but not sure. I "found" it on the side of the road. Its about 40 ft of carpet, 30ft wide.

9/18/2015 2:10:27 PM

if anyone wants some hot peppers let me know...got a bunch of ghost, habanero, jalapeno, cayenne etc

9/24/2015 3:34:24 PM

how's everyone's fall veggies doing? i'm about to start getting a lot of collards, kale, luttuce, choi and chard... and maybe some tiny beets

10/15/2015 2:58:24 PM

I stopped by the UNCC plant sale today. I caught Dr. Mellichamp, and he hooked me up. I spent $120 on bog plants. I've slowly been trying to grow more non-carnivorous plants in my bog. I still had to pick up a couple of pitcher plants, though.

2 types of blazing star
2 types of pipewort
Calopogon pulchellus
Lilium catesbei
Polygala lutea
Sarracenia leucophylla (1 pure, 1hybrid)
Sarracenia purpurea "fat chance"

Along with some stowaways

10/17/2015 6:41:47 PM

nice, can't wait to see a pic when it's all planted!

10/19/2015 1:43:20 PM

I just started my ghost peppers under lights today and I think I'll be making some more Nepenthes cuttings soon.

Time for a new thread?

1/14/2016 8:35:28 PM

Anyone ever gotten compost from city of Raleigh?

https://www.raleighnc.gov/services/content/SolidWaste/Articles/YardWasteRecyclingCen.html

8/24/2016 10:12:23 AM

we do have a thread for this year...

8/25/2016 5:17:39 PM