for those of you who can, and have the space to garden

it's almost that time

I have a 8'x24' veggie garden, a 4'x12', 3'x5', 6'x7', and a 3'x22' flower garden

2/2/2006 12:54:10 PM

april 15 is a long ways away

2/2/2006 4:35:14 PM

Would now be a good time to start a massive watermelon crop?

2/2/2006 4:55:27 PM

hhahaha you wait till april 15th to start????

most seeds need to be started 6-8 weeks prior...and some even earlier (for those few plants)\


I start the prep work in 1-2 weeks

2/3/2006 8:09:06 AM

Quote :

"hhahaha you wait till april 15th to start????"

hahahahahahahah





































actually nevermind, that's not really that funny

2/3/2006 8:13:34 AM

I've already got a 5" tall tomatillo plant growing.....tomatoes to follow soon.

2/3/2006 9:11:19 AM

^I had three of those growing in my closet at one point. let's just say that I didn't need to buy tomatoes for about eight months

2/3/2006 9:13:07 AM

i think i'm about to eat a big bowl of tomatoes

2/3/2006 9:53:44 AM

For those who do container gardening I just sent this pm to someone to help them out

Note: this is my own experience and is not the only what to container garden..Just what has worked for me...feel free to share your own experiences

Quote :

"So you want to grow on your porch...first off does your porch get direct sunlight? the 2 biggest keys I have found to container gardening is the right pots and soil setup. Pots: DON'T buy the cheap plastic pots...they lose water wayyyy to fast, if possible buy ceramic or clay pots. Soil setup....DON'T just use a potting soil mix the right way: Buy a bag or more( depending on how many pots) of a good grade topsoil, a bag of organic humus/compost and manure mix (NEVER buy staight composted manure for pots...you will burn your plants), small amount of peat mose, and pea pebbles Mix should be 1/2 topsoil, 1/4 humus, 1/4 peatmoss mixed very very well. In pot (one that has a drain hole) put 1-2" of pea pebbles depending on size of pot, then add soil mix to 1" of top of pot. Water slowly until water runs from bottom of pot Let pot sit for a few hours Get seeds, most of which will need to be covered in dirt, and put into the pots (or plant the ones you buy in store in pot) and cover with a thin layer of dirt. Note: if you start from seeds, you can start indoors, then move the pots outside, and some seeds cannot be covered by dirt. Be careful mixing some herbs with other (they can absorb some flavors) and make sure you have pots big enough for the size the plants will get. Other than that give them water, sun, and maybe 1-2 times some miracle grow "

2/3/2006 10:28:37 AM

hippies

2/3/2006 10:37:57 AM

yeah fo real, only hippies grow their own food

2/3/2006 10:40:55 AM

for me gardening is my hobby and stress relief

When you are having a bad day at the office, nothing makes me happier than to kill bugs or work in the yard to get rid of frustration

plus fresh veggies/fruits=

2/3/2006 10:50:35 AM

it's always good to know wher eyour food came from and what's in it

i basically garden organically though, no pesticides or chemical fertilizers

2/3/2006 11:42:52 AM

for the most part same here just if I don't have enough compost to add I may use miracle grow

2/3/2006 11:50:58 AM

add to my topics

I'm planning on starting my first garden this year, mind sending some info my way panthersny?

thanks

2/3/2006 12:01:37 PM

any tips on starting a hydroponic system?

2/3/2006 12:06:51 PM

i'm thinking tomatos, peppers, and who knows what else

2/3/2006 12:08:23 PM

well here is the list of what I am growing:

Sweet Peas
Sugar snap Beans
Pole Beans
onions
red cabbage
boston lettuce
red leaf lettuce
greeen leaf lettuce
romain (uncertain still)
pickling cucumbers
radishes
yellow crookneck squash
zuchini
beef boy tomato
Roma tomato
cherry tomato
red/green bell peppers
jalepeno peppers
brocoli
garlic
watermellon
35 different herbs through the areas

tons of flowers, including lobelia, marigolds, too many more to name


ok if you have questions, or want advice list them here and I will answer to the best I can

Also please note your location (Zones make a difference), experince, patio garden or in the ground, and what you want to grow.

Oh and if you plan on doing in the ground what kind of soil you have, clay, mix, rich, rock, don't know


-Borka

2/3/2006 12:41:01 PM

oh and Gatsby give me some more info as stated ^

2/3/2006 12:45:33 PM

I was growing a watermelon once

but then I accidentally killed the plant with a lawnmower

2/3/2006 12:46:22 PM

hahaha for growing watermelon you need a large area the gets plenty of water

2/3/2006 12:58:02 PM

bttt

2/5/2006 3:16:23 PM

what kind of vegetables grow well in containers? i have had bad luck with peppers in containers with other things. tomatos and eggplant i've had better luck with. but they seem to do better in the ground, really...


also, pls to substitute your peat moss with chipped fir bark, peat is a non-renewable resource and fossil fuel

2/6/2006 12:38:06 AM

Quote :

"also, pls to substitute your peat moss with chipped fir bark, peat is a non-renewable resource and fossil fuel "

I would if you could get the nurseries and lowes/home depot to sell it

As for what grows well in pots, lots of things well if you set your pot up right

Herbs do well

Tomatos (they need lots of water and sun)
Bell peppers (read above)
Peas/Beans (but will need to grow on something)
Brocoli

It really is a matter of trial and error...but you have a better chance if you start from seeds

[Edited on February 6, 2006 at 8:40 AM. Reason : oh and everything does better in the ground (more water, cooler temps, more nutrients)]

2/6/2006 8:40:13 AM

Quote :

"hahaha for growing watermelon you need a large area the gets plenty of water"

It has been my experience that watermelon does well in sandier soil, and that they develop their flavor better if they mature under drier conditions.

2/6/2006 9:12:09 AM

you plant onions in february, any twwer thats growing onions this season

2/6/2006 9:12:54 AM

actually that depends ^

if you are starting with seeds it is too early (of course starting with seeds can be a 2 season process)

If you are starting with bulbs, and the ground isn't frozen now is the time for garlic and onion (but mulch them well)

2/6/2006 10:57:03 AM

Quote :

"almost time to start seeds indoors "

naw man, you can start growin your weed stash any time of the year.

2/6/2006 11:19:21 AM

ha ha ha ^ sooooo funnny


that is so new and never oversaid

2/6/2006 12:05:16 PM

Alright folks


this is the weekend to start most of your seeds indoors...as it will give you 6-8 weeks to the last frost.


Get going!!!

2/17/2006 8:25:20 AM

Well folks I started my seeds tonight, and as you can see below....I am doing alot this year. I will upload progression pictures throughout the growing season....to show how good/bad my plants do

This first picture is a layout of the main veggie garden. The yellow areas are pathways, the shaded areas are for flowers. This is already been laid out in the garden by sticks and orange twine




This picture is a layout of what seeds went where in the big planters...drawn and filled in by my awesome wife. also the packages of seeds you see are one to be direct sown into the garden




These are the packages from the seeds I planted. I will be doing a late summer/early fall crop this year also.




This is the full setup. Room facing southeast and gets sunlight too...man I am lucky. ?I have 2 grow lights..one simple light bulb, the other 2 flouresent tubes (18") Room is closed off from the cats, and kept @ 75 degrees by a self regulating heater....my wife thinks I am a little nuts




I already have the garlic in the garden, and it is up and growing. I will be putting in the black plastic in 2 weeks to start warming up the soil for an april 1-15 planting time. I am also growing some plants for the neighbors on each side: 2 bell peppers, 2 jalepeno peppers, 2 roma tomatos, 2 cherry tomatos (sweet 100's), and 2 big boy tomatos. Now to see if theirs grow as well as mine

The only thing left to do is about 225 flower seeds including the morning glories that are soaking overnight.


What do you think??

2/17/2006 10:24:07 PM

what is your experience with onions? i'm interested in growing some; any recomendations?

2/18/2006 4:07:03 PM

Where is the best place to get seeds locally? Im tempted to grow some giant sunflowers.

2/18/2006 5:21:40 PM

well for onions I suggest for first timers going to a nursery in the area and buy some bunches

otherwise you needs to start them from seeds Which I am doing.

for first timers I suggest going with sweet yellow or red onions


I dont know where best to go in raleigh, as I am in NOVA. your best bet is probably local nurseries, as they stock better quality seeds than lowes/home depot

2/18/2006 6:40:16 PM

bttt

well seeds are definately coming up. The marigolds are doing the best so far

Will put up pictures tommorrow as batteries in camera are dead


here's to a good growing season for all

2/21/2006 9:11:38 PM

As I promised here are some updated pics at the end of week 1


In this pic you can see some cucumbers and spinach coming up on the bottom tray




A nice side shot of my carpet snow flowers in the front, some morning glory on the left, and marigolds in the back


Squash and Zucchini in the top left, morning glories and assylum (carpet snow flowers) in the bottom


in the left tray is a bunch of marigolds in the bottom 3 rows, the rest are herbs
in the right tray the only sprouts so far are the tomatos


[Edited on February 23, 2006 at 8:07 PM. Reason : details]

2/23/2006 7:59:27 PM

2/24/2006 1:15:30 PM

WHERES THE FUCKIN REEFER HOMEY

2/24/2006 1:18:13 PM

sorry leg but borka don't grow that crap

2/24/2006 1:18:57 PM

week 2 update

I have moved the squash, zuchini, cucumbers, and watermelon into bigger pots



In the top you can see the marigolds, and the bottom are the tomatos(all doing well)



assylum and morning glory in top, spinach in the center right, lupine and herbs to the left

2/27/2006 9:24:12 PM

why does it seem odd that so many people here have so much knowledge about a topic as obscure as growing seeds indoors?

2/27/2006 11:06:41 PM

for some maybe they grow weed

for some of us, we grew up with our parents having gardens so we learned, or we like gardening and tried it on our own (like me)

2/28/2006 8:00:03 AM

my mom goes nuts about plants and her garden. While she doesn't grow any food plants she does have some mean banks of flowers and trays full of seedlings on the counters at all times.

2/28/2006 8:57:26 AM

Quote :

"why does it seem odd that so many people here have so much knowledge about a topic as obscure as growing seeds indoors"

i have no idea, probably because you live in a society where most people don't grow their own food, because it's not weird at all.

btw, I've started my seeds too. Cucumber, brandywine tomatoes, zucchini, basil, and eggplant

2/28/2006 9:32:07 AM

^let me know how the eggplant goes

never tried it before

2/28/2006 9:39:50 AM

never done the seeds at all before, but I planted ichiban eggplant seedlings last year and they were fine

2/28/2006 12:16:44 PM

i have sprouting!!! I'm nervous, though, because I keep seeing different advice, and I hope I did this correctly... I have alot more seeds starting than I'll need plants, so hopefully enough will survive.

3/3/2006 1:06:55 PM

end of week 3 update

I will let the pictures speak for themselves

3/6/2006 9:45:58 PM

Quote :

"Now! Grow 5 Different Fruits On One Single Tree! Smothers Itself With Bushels Of Fruit All Summer Long Look! Just One Days Picking! And It keeps on producing by the bushel-basketful all summer long! Shipped direct from the nursery - Strong, fully established, thickly-rooted 3-4 ft. trees. Each with a full money back guarantee or free replacement at any time! Imagine! Bushel-basket after bushel-basket of: "Sugar-Sweet, Big-as-Apples Red Plums" Tangy, Meat-Packed Nectarines " Luscious, fist Size Peaches " Super-Size Golden Apricots - Plump, "3-to-a-Pound" Giant Purple Plums. An Entire Orchard From Just One Single Tree! Its a miracle of genetic science! The botanical marriage of 5 different fruits, all growing from the same parent tree trunk! Bushel after bushel of show-stopping beauties... the kind that sell in gourmet markets for as much as 3 to 5 a pound! An Avalanche of Luscious Fruit! That's right---each spring the entire tree smothers itself in the most glorious multi-color blooms. Next, a season long, late spring to mid-fall parade of fruit that's like an entire orchard from one single tree. Perfect, easy-picking height - just 12-15 feet! Best of all, it takes up no more planting space than a few square feet- turns the tiniest corner of your garden into a mini fruit-farm! Why, you'll pick-eat-enjoy a feast of fresh fruits off the tree all summer long! And because this amazing fruit Salad Tree has been specially bred to be super prolific... you'll still have enough fruits left over for jams, jellies, pies, cobblers, sauces, preserves... plus gift-baskets of fresh-picked fruit for friends and family. But only a limited number of 5-in-1 Fruit Salad Trees have been propagated for this year. Make sure you don't miss out, ACT NOW!"

http://www.gardenerschoice.net/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=53

[Edited on March 6, 2006 at 9:56 PM. Reason : -]

3/6/2006 9:55:50 PM

i'm just gonna stick with my orchids...

3/6/2006 10:11:47 PM