2022 Garden Thread

[EatenByLimestone]

Tomorrow we’ll start clearing up the garden and getting it ready.

Most trees can rebuild without any issues, but transplants might have a harder time. Can you stick a contractor bag over the whip? Or are they to big already?

 

[clancey]

I got a dead almost rose bush that I got for a cheaper price from wal-mart and all they could take off was 10%...I paid 4 dollars for it because I felt so bad for it at the bottom of the shelf and all dried out and needed water and some light maybe to survive and asked for it for one dollar but store policy is they can only take off 10% of the price and I kept saying but its dead and i do not know if it will even survive. Then I got this "tin" patio planter that I love and no tag or price or anything and they had to spend hours to look it up as I waited and kept asking "Do you have this on the net for Wal-mart and they kept disappearing and finally I asked to speak to a supervisor and she said she was the supervisor and In said "then what is your companies complaint address" and where are your garden people finally they found "something" and I got it for about 20 dollars. What a day...Later I will take a picture of this "dead rose bush with tiny tiny roses"...I gave it water and some warmth and I hope this works and I named it "sticky"--lol . I got some seed to try out--sunflowers, watermelon, parsley,and basil and in the sales rack there for they are "older" I guess.. That was my day discussing dead rose bush and a tin plant patio planter. I fought for both and was able to buy them...I was going to leave my whole cart "right" there at the service counter... The rose bush looks a little happier now and I love my wash type sink tin plant feeder and they are both home now...This dead looking thing I put in new soil and gave it some of my food. It had no dirt to it just sitting there "drying out"...poor thing...clancey

 

[Dan Freeman]

The overnight low was 16 degrees just before sunrise. My greenhouse was 42 degrees at that point, so all my seedlings and the new fruit trees/bushes have been spared. Tonight, is going to be another cold one at 18 degrees. It will take a few days to see the effect on the buds on my fruit trees/bushes down in the field. Today, we are expecting a high of 27 with snow showers.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

Cold here this morning too. While walking the dog I re-examined my life choice of shaving this morning. What the heck was I thinking? Lol.


I didn’t get anything done on the garden yesterday. Complete veg out day.

 

[Dan Freeman]

Just placed an order for a few more plants

Adams Elderberry

Hinnonmaki Red Gooseberry

Pixwell Gooseberry

Niagara Grape

10 Jersey Knight Giant Asparagus

Purple Passion Asparagus

 

[EatenByLimestone]

We used to have a lot of asparagus here. It seems to have disappeared.

Be careful with the gooseberries if you have white pine in the area. They don't get along, lol.

 

[clancey]

Lime hey ask your love one if she would like a full shave and let her know that you are judging the growth of the beard to the growth of the plants to see which one grows faster...lol . Freeman those pictures are just beautiful and I hate asparagus and if white pine and gooseberries don't get along I would call that a Chris and Will affair --lol.. My plants "so far" are doing very well--I think...Can not judge the little rose bush because its the same --dead looking but still standing...enjoyed... Today I just look at my plants...That little bit of cold will energize your plants I hope...thanks clancey

 

[begreen]

First crop of lettuce is in, about 40 plants? The first planting is overkill because production is slow until the soil warms up. Seeds are starting to sprout. They're on a warming pad to keep the soil temp at 72º. It's time to turn the beds and weed.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

Very nice! It feels great to be getting the garden ready to grow again!

 

[DuaeGuttae]

The overnight low was 16 degrees just before sunrise. My greenhouse was 42 degrees at that point, so all my seedlings and the new fruit trees/bushes have been spared. Tonight, is going to be another cold one at 18 degrees. It will take a few days to see the effect on the buds on my fruit trees/bushes down in the field. Today, we are expecting a high of 27 with snow showers.

What does it require to keep the greenhouse at 42 during weather like that?

My husband and I are talking about making a dilapidated shed that we own into a greenhouse that we could use to protected potted citrus at times. (This is a long-range project as we don’t even own any potted citrus, but we might in the future if we can’t adequately protect the plants already in the ground.) The shed is on a concrete slab and has electricity, so we play hefty taxes on it, but it’s sitting unused right now, and the roof is starting to leak. Since we need to fix the roof anyway, we thought we might as well convert it into something we could use in the winter.

I’ve read that fruit tree buds if they’re tightly closed can be safe down to temperatures below freezing. Here’s a chart you might find helpful, though, of course, all you can really do about your trees now is wait and see.

https://extension.usu.edu/productionhort/fruit/tree/CriticalTemperaturesFrostDamageFruitTrees.pdf

 

[DuaeGuttae]

Saturday I spent a lot of the day in the garden. All the ollas needed filling, and all the beds needed a good soaking as it has been so dry and windy and hot. My outdoor humidity sensor had a couple of days where it was reading one percent! I’m not sure that was completely accurate, but professional readings at the nearby airport have been in the single digits.

I also worked on removing all the soil and wood from a really large terra cotta pot in my garden that had sustained some pretty bad cracking last year because of freezing and thawing. It was losing soil and water through the large cracks on the side. The piece that’s not shown is all intact, but this gives an idea of the size of the pot. It’s about two feet in diameter if I recall correctly.



I used the soil to fill in other beds in the garden (and a matching pot that isn’t cracked), and my husband reassembled the bottom like a puzzle. We have it put back together and ratchet strapped while some glue dries. We don’t mind the cracks in the bottom, but we want to seal the side cracks a bit better, so we plan to continue with some aquarium sealant. Two pots like this came with the property, and I would never spend the money to replace this one, but I love it and hope we’ll be able to get many more years of use out of it after this project is complete.

I also planted pole beans on Saturday in one of the beds that I topped up with soil. I’m just hoping that it doesn’t sprout too many tomatillos since that’s what I grew in these pots last year. I tried to keep the area clean of dropped fruit, but I’m sure I didn’t succeed entirely.

 

[DuaeGuttae]

First crop of lettuce is in, about 40 plants? The first planting is overkill because production is slow until the soil warms up. Seeds are starting to sprout. They're on a warming pad to keep the soil temp at 72º. It's time to turn the beds and weed.

View attachment 294198

I’m beginning to regret not thickly sowing some lettuce earlier this season. I do have some plants I transplanted in the beds that we’re harvesting from now. It’s just that not all my transplants survived, and with a family of six, I can always use more lettuce, but it’s too hot now for me to try.

 

[Dan Freeman]

What does it require to keep the greenhouse at 42 during weather like that?

My husband and I are talking about making a dilapidated shed that we own into a greenhouse that we could use to protected potted citrus at times. (This is a long-range project as we don’t even own any potted citrus, but we might in the future if we can’t adequately protect the plants already in the ground.) The shed is on a concrete slab and has electricity, so we play hefty taxes on it, but it’s sitting unused right now, and the roof is starting to leak. Since we need to fix the roof anyway, we thought we might as well convert it into something we could use in the winter.

I’ve read that fruit tree buds if they’re tightly closed can be safe down to temperatures below freezing. Here’s a chart you might find helpful, though, of course, all you can really do about your trees now is wait and see.

https://extension.usu.edu/productionhort/fruit/tree/CriticalTemperaturesFrostDamageFruitTrees.pdf

Thanks for that chart!

I use a 1500 watt oil filled radiator type electric heater. Most nights I leave it set at the 1000 watt setting with a fan mounted up high to keep the air circulating so all the heat doesn't stay up near the roof. Last night I kept it up at the 1500 watt setting, the same again tonight. Generally, it keeps the greenhouse about 25 degrees above the outside temperature.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

Would the Moroccan lettuce do OK in your warmer Temps? I plan to try that this summer.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

I think I'll need to transplant the basil soon. I can't believe how much it's grown in so short of time! I'd let it grow longer, but I'd have to destroy the roots to get it out if it got much bigger.

 

[clancey]

Those basil plants look nice but I cannot figure out the contraption that you are using with the picture with all the tubes and stuff? My eyes are not what they use to be and how does that work anyway--looks different to me...But your baby basil looks real nice...Is that hydroponic gardening and is that what the inside of the container looks like for I figure one could put them in just a slight stream of water--what are the tubes or whatever they are for and need to get time to read about this stuff--I apologize for my ignorance but "whats up" , Love the little plants and I bought some basil seeds and I have a dirt container and could I put basil seeds in it?...I love basil...picture coming...clancey...

 

[Dan Freeman]

Yup, better transplant the basil soon so you don't damage the roots. My basil is just a bit smaller than yours, Limestone. I have it planted in 4-5" pots out in the greenhouse right now. I also have 4 pots of parsley just starting to break ground. I have one basil and one parsley plant in my den that I started last spring. It got us through the winter with fresh basil and parsley. So far, my 7 Tiny Tim tomatoes in my den have yielded over 500 tomatoes since December 17th. They are getting their second wind now, so I should be able to pick 200-300 more before I get rid of them. They will be replaced for the summer by Tiny Tim's I have started in the greenhouse.

I bought some yellow fern yarrow seeds today that I will plant down in the food forest. They attract lacewings which are voracious carnivore predators for so many bad insects.

Clancey, if you buy a small bag of Jiffy Seedling Soil (very inexpensive), you can plant basil seeds (and other herbs) and have them all season in little pots or outdoors.

 

[clancey]

Yup, better transplant the basil soon so you don't damage the roots. My basil is just a bit smaller than yours, Limestone. I have it planted in 4-5" pots out in the greenhouse right now. I also have 4 pots of parsley just starting to break ground. I have one basil and one parsley plant in my den that I started last spring. It got us through the winter with fresh basil and parsley. So far, my 7 Tiny Tim tomatoes in my den have yielded over 500 tomatoes since December 17th. They are getting their second wind now, so I should be able to pick 200-300 more before I get rid of them. They will be replaced for the summer by Tiny Tim's I have started in the greenhouse.

I bought some yellow fern yarrow seeds today that I will plant down in the food forest. They attract lacewings which are voracious carnivore predators for so many bad insects.

Clancey, if you buy a small bag of Jiffy Seedling Soil (very inexpensive), you can plant basil seeds (and other herbs) and have them all season in little pots or outdoors.

I posted a half of a note but cannot post anything on here and I think it is a computer glitch or something and I asked for help from the site on my other thread so I am "frozen in time"..That particular posting just runs and runs with no edit available so I cannot do anything with it..Maybe its the weather--who knows and just wanted you to know. It seems to be okay now maybe I hit a wrong button or something and maybe they will just have a way to delete that posting or something..What I wanted to say was I fed my little plants my special blend and the dirt in the wash tub planter I got out of my back yard and added some miracle feeding as well as my special blend. Limestone little plants look great and I wonder if I could plant parsley and basil in that white patio container together to start them after I get some seedling soil..clancey

 

[Dan Freeman]

Mrs. Clancey. You can mix basil with the parsley. I usually keep them separate, but I see no harm. Instead of "one seed per hole", I fill the pots with potting soil, tamp it down lightly with my fingers, sprinkle some seeds over the entire surface, add about 1/4 inch of potting soil on top the seeds, tamp again with my fingers, and then water. They come up nice and thick that way.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

Those basil plants look nice but I cannot figure out the contraption that you are using with the picture with all the tubes and stuff? My eyes are not what they use to be and how does that work anyway--looks different to me...But your baby basil looks real nice...Is that hydroponic gardening and is that what the inside of the container looks like for I figure one could put them in just a slight stream of water--what are the tubes or whatever they are for and need to get time to read about this stuff--I apologize for my ignorance but "whats up" , Love the little plants and I bought some basil seeds and I have a dirt container and could I put basil seeds in it?...I love basil...picture coming...clancey...

View attachment 294238 View attachment 294239

The contraption is an Aerogarden. It’s a little hydroponic and light setup that I found on clearance at Sam’s Club. I’ve never played with hydroponics before so this is all new to me. So far I’m really impressed with it, but I can see where roots will be a big issue for transplanting.

Plant some basil seeds in your tub!

 

[EatenByLimestone]

Yup, better transplant the basil soon so you don't damage the roots. My basil is just a bit smaller than yours, Limestone. I have it planted in 4-5" pots out in the greenhouse right now. I also have 4 pots of parsley just starting to break ground. I have one basil and one parsley plant in my den that I started last spring. It got us through the winter with fresh basil and parsley. So far, my 7 Tiny Tim tomatoes in my den have yielded over 500 tomatoes since December 17th. They are getting their second wind now, so I should be able to pick 200-300 more before I get rid of them. They will be replaced for the summer by Tiny Tim's I have started in the greenhouse.

I bought some yellow fern yarrow seeds today that I will plant down in the food forest. They attract lacewings which are voracious carnivore predators for so many bad insects.

Clancey, if you buy a small bag of Jiffy Seedling Soil (very inexpensive), you can plant basil seeds (and other herbs) and have them all season in little pots or outdoors.

Wow! That’s a great tomato yield! Are you going to root cuttings off your current tiny Tim?

 

[Dan Freeman]

I might, but I have 8 more growing in the greenhouse right now, only about 1-2 inches tall so far. The Tiny Tim's produce a lot of tomatoes about 3/4 to 1 inch round. The plants don't get any taller than about 15-18 inches. They put out a first crop, take a rest, and then start producing again. I image they would keep producing after another rest, but I have never kept them beyond two crops as they start to get scraggly.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

How do they taste in comparison to the San Marzanos? It’d be pretty neat to grow a tomato inside all winter in the kitchen.

 

[Dan Freeman]

They are a very sweet cherry tomato. We use them in salads and sometimes when I pass the bowl in the kitchen, I just pop a few in my mouth.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

The bowl in the kitchen would be my goal. It seems like they grow well indoors. I wonder if I could keep them growing all winter long.

If I can keep good snacks in front of the kid, she tends to eat better food.