Gardeners in the Asylum

[jjirons69]

Gathered the last of the collards in post #283. Got a large pot full on the stove. Awesome!

Yesterday I planted Iceberb, Red Sails, Buttercrunch, and Romaine lettuces. Also planted two types of radishes and 3 types of garden peas (Chinese snow pea, a dwarf pea, and an early sweet). I planted two types of summer squash, bush cucumbers, Seniorita jalapeno, Giant Bell, cilantro, dill, and basil in cups for the window sill. They should hit the ground in a few weeks.

[Fordman4ever]

I have 2 avocado pits growing in the window sill and 1 celery growing on the kitchen counter.

[SvilleKid]

Grabbed five pounds of waxy red potatoes today. Probably won't cut up and plant them for at least two weeks. Hope to turn ground in next day or so, and work some horse manure into the area that I will add for an asparagus bed. I also plan to get some starter plants going for lettuce and broccoli. Hopefully some photos to follow. I'm not sure about planting dates this year. I had seeds in the ground three weeks before Good Friday last season, and two weeks before GF year before that. But we are running 15-20 degrees colder this year than last, and this might be the year I have to wait for GF, or even later. Mid-term weather predictions don't look good for early planting.

[Mr B]

Seeds sprouting inside
Red Chard, Beets, Romaine, Butter Leaf, Bok Choy, Broccoli, Radish.

[Mr B]

How many of you used lawn clippings for mulch under your veggies? How's that workin for ya? I am thinking of trying that this year.

[jjirons69]

Originally Posted by Mr B

How many of you used lawn clippings for mulch under your veggies? How's that workin for ya? I am thinking of trying that this year.

My garden is full of mulched leaves and grass clippings. I've been doing it for years. No weed problems what-so-ever! I can peel back the layer of clippings/leaves and the earthworms are everywhere and the soil is so moist and dark. I also don't till any more. I just work up the ground where I want to plant. That also keeps down the weeds. It's a win-win!

[Mr B]

Anybody have any garden pics yet?
I just got a yard of Mushroom Compost yesterday to add to my exinsint raised beds.
Plants from seeds are doing well under the lights.

[jjirons69]

Garden's doing good now that last snap of cold weather went away. This was from two weeks ago. Everything has jumped now. Garden plants: Iceberb, Red Sails, Buttercrunch, and Romaine lettuces, two types of radishes and three types of garden peas (Chinese snow pea, a dwarf pea, and an early sweet). I planted two types of summer squash, bush cucumbers, Seniorita jalapeno, Giant Bell, cilantro, dill, and basil.

[OLS]

My landlady used to complain about her backyard being a desert. It was nothing but tan clay when I moved in.
She bought a truckload of chipped wood mulch, but her idiot yard man scraped it all away over several weekends
and it all went out to the street. But that still didn't teach her. Instead of bagging leaves every fall, I would rake
them into a pile and run the mower over them until they were shredded. That worked better cause the dumba55
couldn't get a good grip on em with the rake. But eventually he would undo everything I did. Then she got tired
of him breaking or stealing all her tools and told him to stop coming around. NOW you can see the results. I never
know why people don't mulch down their leaves every year. It makes outstanding dirt and the worms love it.
You can't throw leaves on a compost and expect them to rot. They have to be shredded first. I always get angry
when I see some idiot with 35 bags of leaves on the curb awaiting pickup.
But now that my own processes are allowed to go on without interference, she has a good 7 inches of rich topsoil.
Everytime she comments on it, I tell her that she'd probably have 15 inches of topsoil if she would have cut the
a-hole loose sooner. She still can't grow grass, too much tree canopy cover. But at least the yard doesn't make
dust anymore. ANd those trees REALLY work well in the 98 degree summer here. Step into that fenced backyard
from the street at 4:30 in the afternoon and the temp drops 15 degrees.

[Mr B]

This is the first year I did everything by seed. I got sick and tired of the crap I was getting from Home Depot and Lowes. Plus I want to do everything Organically moving forward.
Here are a few videos of the things I did this year, starting with seed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSmThYl-0uw


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnF8QzEZh4s


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHZJC7lU1Qk

[Mr B]

Great pics Jamie. Thanks for the grass clipping comment. So you dont have to worry about any grass seed actually growing out of your clippings?

Brad, last year I started composting everything! I am going completely organic this year and moving forward. I just built a worm composter over the weekend also.

[jjirons69]

No problems with weed or grass seed in the clippings. Initially I was worried about it, too, but there's been nothing to worry about. Go for it!

[shilala]

We have a few flats of tomatoes and peppers started in the greenhouse I put up in the basement. They're doing great, should be big and strong when it comes time to put them out to harden.

Grass clippings are great if they're used in a balance. Jamie has a big garden, small amount of clippings, and he uses leaves and other organic matter to mulch.
Folks with raised beds tend to put a whole garbage bag of clippings around one plant. It's great for the first year because the grass doesn't break down so much. The following year there's so much free nitrogen that plants grow huge and fruit very little.
Go easy on the grass clippings, B. A little is great, too much is not great.

[Mr B]

Thanks Jamie
Thanks Scott

[363]

It's not very pretty but the wife and I put our 1st garden together this year. We planted zucchini, broccoli, spinach, cabbage, cucumbers, and tomatoes. We are also growing strawberries in a container on the porch. I think some moving around may be done before all is finalized but it is a good start I think.

[Mr B]

Very nice Brendon. Good luck!

[Mark C]

My tomato plants are starting to get too big, I'm afraid they'll be root bound before the nights are warm here, but don't have room to pot up. They're in 3" pots now, 6-8" tall and growing fast.

Anyone use "wall o' water" or similar season extenders? Our temps are likely to be in the 60s during the day and 40s at night for the next few weeks. Historical average evening temp of 55 isn't until mid-May. Thoughts?

[shade]

Originally Posted by Mark C

My tomato plants are starting to get too big, I'm afraid they'll be root bound before the nights are warm here, but don't have room to pot up. They're in 3" pots now, 6-8" tall and growing fast.

Anyone use "wall o' water" or similar season extenders? Our temps are likely to be in the 60s during the day and 40s at night for the next few weeks. Historical average evening temp of 55 isn't until mid-May. Thoughts?

Quite a few Mennonite families around here use the 'wall-o-water' with great results. Usually have the first tomatoes in our area. I see a lot of gallon milk containers with the bottoms cut out also. Much cheaper route if you have lots of plants.

I planted some habarneros, and two tomatoes plants the other day, but in an area that is well protected, and has it's own micro-climate. Still, with temps predicted in the mid to upper 30s tomorrow night I'll have to cover them.

[shilala]

Originally Posted by Mark C

My tomato plants are starting to get too big, I'm afraid they'll be root bound before the nights are warm here, but don't have room to pot up. They're in 3" pots now, 6-8" tall and growing fast.

Anyone use "wall o' water" or similar season extenders? Our temps are likely to be in the 60s during the day and 40s at night for the next few weeks. Historical average evening temp of 55 isn't until mid-May. Thoughts?

I used to have a pile of them. They work great.
If the plants grow out the top and get nipped by frost, you just lop them off. It's got to be a very hard frost for them to get nipped, even outside the wall0water.
I started cukes in them, too. We had a very short season in PA and they were a big help to get some early stuff.

[Mark C]

Originally Posted by shilala

I used to have a pile of them. They work great.
If the plants grow out the top and get nipped by frost, you just lop them off. It's got to be a very hard frost for them to get nipped, even outside the wall0water.
I started cukes in them, too. We had a very short season in PA and they were a big help to get some early stuff.

I'm on the southern border of PA, so that helps. Glad to hear they work, they'll be delivered on Friday