Gardening 2013 (reusing the thread, again)

[Lyanna Stark]

Hehe, the soil (or dirt) is very sandy, but we'll see what comes of it :) The greenhouse needs some repairing but it's nice to have one. The random greenery behind it is mostly Lily of the valley too, so it's going to look really pretty in a week or two!

DalThor, I am jealous of the plants you can grow! We can never grow tomatoes out of a greenhouse here, and even beans and peas will have to be sprouted in a greenhouse or similar to really grow well. You may be able to manage without, but then you have to really get a decent summer. Which is by no means sure. :)

I can tell you one thing tho, not looking forward to the weeding. :P

EDIT: note my neighbour's garden in the background which is like 95% gravel :P he prefers to ride his motorbike or do carpentry and the whole thing just looks so sad! I have to use my iphone for music while gardening as well since he spends hour after hour nagging his wife. "Have you put on the laundry? Why is the water off? Is the water on now? Did you put on the laundry? What happened with <insert implement here>? Did you put on the laundry?" I swear, I was about to strangle the guy two weeks ago before I came up with my mp3 solution. 4 hours of that was mindblowing, and not in a good way. :uhoh:

[Lummel]

Evidence for Lummel that it wasn't snowing.

Ha! As though I would have ever have believed Lyanna-butter-wouldn't-melt-in-her-mouth-Stark without a picture. (A picture that could have been photoshopped to remove the snow).

Actually that soil colour makes me feel homesick :crying: , it was sandy like that in my Grandparents garden too. Should be good for growing waxy potatoes. :)

ETA Anyhow after long and careful examination of a plant that I had, with pride, grown from seed and intricate assessment of it's strong leaf growth I was forced to downgrade it from Chilli to weed. That was my big gardening success this week :rofl: .

[Fragile Bird]

FB,

Racoons get into it while it's on the stalk?

Lol, God yes. Everyone tries growing corn now and then, but it's just food for the wildlife in the city. If you have nice big corn they'll climb the stalks and just eat it. If the squirrels didn't get it first. Toronto I once read (could be a myth) has the highest raccoon per square acre population on the planet. It's a little less now, 2 years ago distemper went through the population like a hot knife through butter. But they are breeding like proverbial rats and regrouping, lol. Three years ago a mom ate through a wall of my garage (it's old, and wooden) and lived there in the late winter. The garage is just used for storage, and she and the pups made one hell of a mess before I realized they were there.

My brother and sister in law just became cat owners in the last two years, and they made the mistake of leaving the back door slightly open so the cats could go in and out. One day my sister in law was sitting at the computer and one of the cats showed up and started bugging her, so she went to the kitchen to make sure there was enough food and water out. And there were the raccoons, settled in for dinner. They just looked at her, smacked their lips after having chowed down on kitty food, and casually strolled out. And at night, you go to the backyard, and there are the cats and the raccoons, eyeing each other. My cairn terrier died 2 years ago and I haven't found a new pup yet, so there is no attack beast to keep them on the garage roof. But they would just sit on the roof and look down at him barking his head off. Lol, my brother lives next door to me.

[Ser Scot A Ellison]

I have squrrils and racoons galore. This may be an interesting garden season.

[Mauvka]

Living in a Manhattan apartment, my gardening opportunities are exceedingly limited. Still, I can't stand the thought of living without at least some greenery. I grow orchids under grow lights: picture. I have 17 plants, and they seem to do pretty well; In the past year, I've bloomed one, and have 3 others currently in the process of growing flower spikes.

Today, I also picked up some mint and fennel at the nearby farmers market, to be used in cooking

[Tears of Lys]

I have squrrils and racoons galore. This may be an interesting garden season.

My husband (humanely) trapped and released elsewhere, 60 raccoons over a three-year period. We haven't been bothered with any for a while now (knock wood.)

Squirrels are fun around gardens too. Since we do most of our gardening in containers (because of the deer), it's a battle for the pots between us and the squirrels. They seem to think we're usurping their nut-burying grounds. Right after we plant seedlings, we will find them pulled out of the ground and tossed unceremoniously to the side as if they're just letting us know who's boss.

Oh, yeah, our yard is like a Disney movie run amok.

[Minaku]

Living in a Manhattan apartment, my gardening opportunities are exceedingly limited. Still, I can't stand the thought of living without at least some greenery. I grow orchids under grow lights: picture. I have 17 plants, and they seem to do pretty well; In the past year, I've bloomed one, and have 3 others currently in the process of growing flower spikes.

Today, I also picked up some mint and fennel at the nearby farmers market, to be used in cooking

I have cats. I am tempting fate every time I put an orchid in the house. I had a phal that ended up with root rot. I had to do extensive surgery and I left it wrapped up in intensive care. My evil cat sauntered up calmly, stretched out a paw, and knocked it to the ground. Twice. That phal didn't survive.

It seems all my orchids end up with some kind of disease. I'm wondering if it's caused by low-quality plants or if there's something that's really bad for orchids in my apartment. The only houseplant that seemed to cling to life (I have now permanently killed it, hopefully, after 4 years of attempting to kill it and not being able to) was a kind of hardy thing that loved being neglected and left in the shade. I only managed to kill it by sticking it outside.

My milt is getting another flower spike so I'm hoping something will come of it. But some of the roots are blackening and I have no idea why. I water it frequently enough, maybe too much; one of the flower spikes opened up completely and I have three lovely, rose-scented blooms, but the other two spikes have only opened partially. I'm hoping that there isn't extensive rot in the root system but I won't be able to find out until the plant stops blooming and closes up shop for the summer.

[Vrana]

Sounds like a weekend of pleasure to me :wub: .

Did you move the raspberry canes to a new location? They are meant to be shifted regularly to minimise pests I think. And Hydrangea, can't believe you are having trouble with them. I've always found them pretty robust they grow in shade and sun. Any signs of disease?

Also I thought you are in Sweden? Aren't those cowcumbers and tomatoes a bit optimistic? I'm sure it's due to start snowing in Sweden soon ;)

Haha, yeah, in sweden, but currently in the south, so think more denmark and less polar bear-riding to school.

As for the Hydrangea, no they're brand new from a reputable gardening store. I just know they shouldn't be dried out but I have been careful not to overwater. Eh. Flowers are really not my thing. I'll stick to edibles.

The tomatoes are doing fine, and I don't see why not, I know plenty of folks who manage to grow them here. As for cucumbers... I don't know, trying it out. Will see. The soil in this part of the country is magnificent, it makes me so excited to just smell it when I'm digging, black and supernutricious.

Oh, puuhlease! My garden is waiting for you, lol! It's not very large, and there's a big section of raspberries and two kinds of blackberries that are sacred and must remain, I'm sure you can have it dug up and planted for me in two shakes of lamb's tail! Just some tomatoes and beans, maybe some eggplant, and of course, cucumbers. Can't live without them. And dill and thyme wild all over. And damn, that bloody mint. . . seemed like a good idea at the time. Oh, and my sorrel.

And my poor roses, getting black spot over and over these past few years with the rainy weather we've had.

Haha, yeah mint grows like crazy. It's good though, because after some unexpected months in morocco I have developed such a love for mint tea that it can barely grow faster than I use it up.

Whereabouts do you live? :P

[Fragile Bird]

Haha, yeah mint grows like crazy. It's good though, because after some unexpected months in morocco I have developed such a love for mint tea that it can barely grow faster than I use it up.

Whereabouts do you live? :P

Toronto. We have a fairly temperate climate. The area was known to the Indians to have the mildest winters with the least snow, so many made it their winter base. There's a major highway that runs across the north end of the city, that when you cross it going north the weather can literally change dramatically. We have sunshine south of the highway, and they have a snowstorm. Summers can get very hot and humid, temperatures in the high 30s with humidity making it feel like the mid 40s. There are stories that people have actually grown fig trees in their gardens, but only if they tie them down and cover them with dirt over the winter. I haven't seen it myself, but I've heard of it. And the winters are getting milder. When I was a child, my mother always watched to see the first rose bloomed by June 17th, her birthday. Last year my rosebushes all fully bloomed and were dying by June 17.

But I am very impressed with all the work you did, as you described it! I hope you're not too sore. :P

[Lummel]

...My milt is getting another flower spike so I'm hoping something will come of it. But some of the roots are blackening and I have no idea why. I water it frequently enough, maybe too much; one of the flower spikes opened up completely and I have three lovely, rose-scented blooms, but the other two spikes have only opened partially. I'm hoping that there isn't extensive rot in the root system but I won't be able to find out until the plant stops blooming and closes up shop for the summer.

I've heard an eggcup full of water once a week is enough for orchids. I've given less (much less depending on the season) and they do ok.

Vrana said:

As for the Hydrangea, no they're brand new from a reputable gardening store. I just know they shouldn't be dried out but I have been careful not to overwater. Eh. Flowers are really not my thing. I'll stick to edibles.

Hydrangeas are thirsty beggars and they like to drink. Keep them moist.

[Lyanna Stark]

The tomatoes are doing fine, and I don't see why not, I know plenty of folks who manage to grow them here. As for cucumbers... I don't know, trying it out. Will see. The soil in this part of the country is magnificent, it makes me so excited to just smell it when I'm digging, black and supernutricious.

Skåne?

If so, I am envious. :)

We have sand, sand, sand and more sand. And then some sand to go with the sand.

[Ser Scot A Ellison]

Lyanna,

My yard is sand with an underlayer of hard clay. I've been burying my organic garbage in a couple of places for more than six months in an effort to improve the nutrient content of my soil. So far so good, but the productivity level of the plants in the ground will really tell the tale.

[paddington]

My gardens mostly broken bricks and clay. I do try to grow some veggies, and some blackberries, however my dog eats most of it. He loves going out an picking his own Tomatoes and blackberries. I managed to grow one strawberry last year and the little sod ate that as well.

[Vrana]

Paddington, Unforgivable. Eating Of The One Strawberry? Send him here. I know how to deal with his kind.*

Skåne?

If so, I am envious. :)

We have sand, sand, sand and more sand. And then some sand to go with the sand.

Yeah. It's amazing. I used to make fun of them for the way they talk but they have some pretty stunning growing conditions. The only way I ever resolved sandy soil was lots and lots of kelp I chopped up with a shovel. But I was living in wellington, nz at the time and you can't live further than 3 km from the beach there so it wasn't hard to keep up.

Lummel, ah, well, thing is, I thought so as well, so I just figured that whenever I was up for it it would be a good time. But they started looking like they were drying out despite some pretty generous watering. Hm. Maybe it's a disease after all.

*Kidding. I love dogs. I'd probably snuggle it to death.

[Lyanna Stark]

Lyanna,

My yard is sand with an underlayer of hard clay. I've been burying my organic garbage in a couple of places for more than six months in an effort to improve the nutrient content of my soil. So far so good, but the productivity level of the plants in the ground will really tell the tale.

Ouch, that sounds worse than mine. Soil improving is indeed hard and constant work. I've read that growing beans and peas and such will improve soil conditions, so I'm giving that a go in one area. I've heard from colleagues that onions and potatoes tend to grow well in sandy soils without a lot of nutrients, so we'll see.

Since I think I will need more fertiliser during growth, I've already asked my mother to save her nettles for me. Allegedly, you can mix nettles with water, let it stand for a week and then use it as liquid fertiliser. As my mother has no lack of nettles, she was happy to oblige. Maybe you have nettles hanging about as well?

Yeah. It's amazing. I used to make fun of them for the way they talk but they have some pretty stunning growing conditions. The only way I ever resolved sandy soil was lots and lots of kelp I chopped up with a shovel. But I was living in wellington, nz at the time and you can't live further than 3 km from the beach there so it wasn't hard to keep up.

Skåne is love, you get used to the accent and then find yourself accepting it as your own before long. :)

I do live close to the sea, but don't you need to wash the kelp or something? I'm worried it will be too salty.

[Minaku]

I've heard an eggcup full of water once a week is enough for orchids. I've given less (much less depending on the season) and they do ok.

Vrana said:

Hydrangeas are thirsty beggars and they like to drink. Keep them moist.

The miltoniopsis prefers to be watered more often, 2-3 times a week. I have yet to figure out how often and how deeply I need to water in order to keep the plant happy. They prefer having an evenly moist soil. Everyone knows this is impossible to do, so why are instructions still written this way?

[Vrana]

I think the salt is only really a worry in overly mineral rich soils. Usually I just chuck it in there, salt, seashells and all. It's also really (amazingly actually) potent as liquid fertilizer if you do what you plan to do with the nettles. I left it in a barrel for three weeks and it's as good as worm juice. Only thing is it will smell really, really bad for that day you choose to use it, but not much worse than poultry fertilizer.

Beans and peas bind nitrogen to the soil really efficiently. When I lived in wellington I decided to not use certain areas that seemed a bit drained and just planted lupins instead, they are great nitrogen-binders. And pretty too.

[Mauvka]

The miltoniopsis prefers to be watered more often, 2-3 times a week. I have yet to figure out how often and how deeply I need to water in order to keep the plant happy. They prefer having an evenly moist soil. Everyone knows this is impossible to do, so why are instructions still written this way?

Aren't miltoniopsis cool-growers? I've never tried growing one, partly because I don't have air conditioning in my apartment. Online sources I've seen say that they like night-time temperatures in the 50's and don't tolerate daytime heat over 80F (apparently it's the roots that are particularly sensitive to heat).

I mostly use the skewer method for deciding when to water. I keep a wooden chopstick (the kind you get with takeout sushi) in the media, and water once it's dry. I let it dry completely with cattleyas, less so with paphs, etc. When I do water my orchids, I let them soak in a tub of water+fertilizer for a good 15 minutes. (Aside from my mounted orchids, which get dunked daily).

[Tears of Lys]

So I've got some heirloom tomatoes planted (Brandywine), sweet 100s cherry tomatoes, roma tomatoes, grape tomatoes, yellow tomatoes, jalapenos, cherry peppers, orange peppers (favorites!), red and yellow peppers, "Littlefinger" eggplant (real name), regular eggplant, sugar snap peas, lettuce (which I've been harvesting for the past month), rosemary, oregano, cilantro, and other assorted herbs I can't recall right now.

I have yet to plant my basil. Michigan spring is a treacherous bitch and will blacken your basil when you least expect it - it is known.

I abandoned growing lemon grass, which was a failure last year. It never got nice, thick stalks. Smelled wonderful, though.

The zucchini, yellow squash, buttercup squash are growing from seed. If they don't make it, I'll buy a few plants. They grow so fast I can wait a bit yet.

ETA: Oh, and pumpkins!

[Vrana]

I grew everything from seed this year except for the replanted raspberries and apple-trees. If it doesn't work, it doesn't work, seeds were mostly from own gardening from previous years.

I was thinking of getting a few plants and seedlings, but they're so expensive. I might just keep experimenting with seed.