Garden thread.

[Homegrown Tomatoes]

I prefer red dirt, myself.

[Homegrown Tomatoes]

By the way, I'm going to get an earth box today... decided I can't take the gardenless state of being after all.  We put a few things in other containers, but even with the 5" of rain we got last week, the wind dried stuff out really fast.  Seems like I'm watering all the time, and I know I can't depend on my husband to remember to water much during the days surrounding the baby's birth.  Couple of years ago, I went to India in early June and I begged him to remember to keep the seedlings watered while I was gone.  In ten days, he managed to kill just about everything in our garden because he didn't water until the day before I came home, and then he absolutely flooded the garden when the plants were already past permanent wilting point.

[Redoverfarm]

HT I have never used it myself but they say that the water pellets work good for container growing.  The kind that you mix with the soil and during watering they soak up the water and release it later.  Maybe that is a solution to longer term forgetfullness. I have concrete planter boxes on the front porch that constantly need watering.  I had considered using them myself but never was around anyplace that sold.  When I did find them they were at an upscale nursery and wanted an arm and leg for a 16oz bottle.  Got to be cheaper elsewhere.  One of these days I will find some reasonable.

This was several years back when I was putting on the addition so the yard and everything was tore up.  I change the variety in the boxes every other year.

[Homegrown Tomatoes]

What  a pretty front porch... looks very homey, Red.   I went to the only local dealer of earth boxes and looked at the price tag.  Then I bought some pineapple sage which smells wonderful and came back home.  I just can't quite make myself pay $55 for one of those things.  My kids begged to buy bags of ladybugs and praying mantis eggs at $8 each, and killjoy that I am, I said no.  I told them they could raid their own piggy banks for that!  I may go back and get the earthboxes yet, as DH seemed bummed when I called him and told him I was too much of a tightwad to buy them. 

[muldoon]

the clone container boxes work great, theres really nothing to it. 

http://www.josho.com/gardening.htm

Once you get the concept down its pretty easy to apply the same principle to other containers that you can get cheap.  An example, if you go to your local grocery store or bakery, or restaurants, donut places, (etc) you can usually get food grade plastic buckets for free just by asking for them.  When I asked around I was able to get them in different sizes from 5-6 gallon to 2-3 gallons- sometimes 10 a week if I wanted to come get them.  You can use coffee cans for the basket if you poke some holes in them.  Also, a few feet of old garden hose would work just fine for the refill tube. 

A long and very good thread from gardenweb on containers, alot of pictures and knowledge in this one:
http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/tomato/msg0712005018644.html

For the water pellets, be sure to follow the directions and put them in the container before soil and completely soak them.  They expand a lot and if you put them in dry then plant everything will get heaved out once a good rain comes along and the pellets expand..  . o O (go ahead ask me how I know this )

[Homegrown Tomatoes]

I hit a thrift store yesterday afternoon to see if I could find any second-hand rubbermaid containers... all they had was absolute junk.  So, I guess I'll bite the bullet and go buy a few because it is still cheaper than paying for the earthbox name, and probably cheaper than me burning gasoline to drive around and see where I can get off the cheapest.  I sent DH a link this morning to the site you posted, Muldoon, and he agreed that we'd give it a shot. 

[Homegrown Tomatoes]

Got everything but the pipe/tube.  Had to modify a little bit because of what was and wasn't available.  I may use a bamboo cane as the fill pipe because I think I have some in the garage.    Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find the drill yet.  DH doesn't know where it is since the move, though I'm sure I saw him using it a few weeks ago. 

[Homegrown Tomatoes]

Woohoo... the knock-off earth boxes seem to be working great.  The wind had ttally whipped and wilted the tomatoes and peppers before I got them transplanted yesterday into one of the boxes, but by this morning, it was working as planned and they'd perked right back up and looked great.  Ran out of potting mix before I got the second one planted but can hopefully get that done this afternoon.  It took us all of about 20 minutes to make two of the DIY boxes, and cost a heck of a lot less.  The peppers even have tiny buds on them this morning, so they'll be blooming before long.

[glenn kangiser]

Good job, Homey.  I have to get some more going in ours -- corn next I guess. Sassy has been working on it.

[Sassy]

I spend an hour or 2 out in the garden most every day - weeding, watering, pruning - put fertilizer on everything today & planted 8 pepper plants.  All but one of my fruit trees are getting leaves on them - bought them at Costco - the bare root type - the dogs go ahold of one of them & chewed off the roots.  Glenn planted them for me.  I also joined the Arbor Society - just $10 for a year membership & they send you 10 types of trees that are good for your area of the country - pretty good deal, although I think only one is making it - the stupid dogs dug up most of them or they just didn't ever grow. 

The roses are blooming like crazy, so are the California poppies & even the Iceland poppies are beginning to bloom.  Lots of calendula - actually, they grow & flower all through the winter even, so always have some flowers.  The foxglove & snap dragons, brown eyed susans, hollyhocks & lots of other types of flowers growing too.  The tomato plants are getting lots of blooms.   The artichoke plants are really getting a lot of "chokes" - now if we could just keep the aphids off them    We got quite a good crop of asparagus this year... 

HG, we made one of those types of planters out of 1/2 wine barrels - at least I think that's what we did.  Glenn made the 1st one & I fixed up the 2nd one.  I have tropical plants in the one in the uphill patio & have had different types of plants in the one out front - right now the hops is growing real well & there's also some volunteer parsnips. 

The dogs got into the garden the other night & smashed a bunch of the parsnips & also my "hot poker" plant (think that's what it's called)  they are worse than the deer sometimes - makes me so mad but then they can be so sweet... 

[Homegrown Tomatoes]

Sassy, don't give up on the Arbor Day plants just yet... When we lived in OK before, I got my ten trees and put them out in a protected area with the intent of moving them later if needed.  DH mowed over them twice and I figured they didn't stand a chance.  Then the dog dug them up.  Half-heartedly I stuck them back in the ground.  Less than three years later and two of them were taller than the shed!  Most of the others were still alive, but a bit stunted.  The bigger ones were almost too big to move by the time I got around to doing it.  And all that took place in the inconvenient shade of one of our huge pecan trees... because I'd miscalculated how much the pecan would spread each year.  Give 'em a chance and they may surprise you and pull through yet.

Have any of you ever grown pineapple sage?  I bought some at a really neat nursery I found the other day.  Wow, does it smell wonderful!  Someday I want to grow it all along the sides of a path I have to walk every day so that I can stir it up and smell it when I walk past.  I hope it is as tough and easy to grow as regular old sage... that stuff even survived Wisconsin's harsh winters.

[tanya]

I have been selling bedding plants this week via consignment athte local co-op and they are going pretty good considering it is so cold still. There is a lady who is buying hte rest straight out soon too so no more consignment after that.   I got the garden dug almsot all the way, and fenced and we planted cabbacges, brocclli, parsley, chives, cilantro, and strawberries so far and it is still all alive even though it is pretty cold here.  I have been sooo busy that I rarely get on this board anymore. Spring is here now and it is jsut busy busy busy. 

[glenn kangiser]

Good, tanya.  Nice to have some extra cash coming in.

[PEG688]

 Humm I wonder what this will do to the garden,

 



Taken last night at 1100 PM , we got about 3" of snow , sleet , snow pelts , thunder and lighting , 25 MPH winds.

Odd spring , where's that global warming!

[PEG688]

 Here a this AM photo, maybe not so bad , most of the plants are not covered and it is above freezing as things are melting.

John may have more snow from what I hear on the TV his area was / is in what they call a convergence zone.

 

 

[MountainDon]

Wow! It must have been really freezing! Look how hard you were shaking in that first photo, Paul!!



Hmmmmmm. I hope the humor came through there. 

[PEG688]

Wow! It must have been really freezing! Look how hard you were shaking in that first photo, Paul!!



Hmmmmmm. I hope the humor came through there. 

It was cold , I had my PJ's on and had the dog on her leash , melting snow / rain was falling down my neck from the tree .And it was dark / flash photo , so the camera was working as hard as the cameraman in capturing the "moment". So ya it was  a shaky photo , it won't last long that's the kind that gets deleted when the account is full or I'm bored and "need" to clean something up    

[MountainDon]

It appears that the shutter stayed open a long time because of the low light. That happens. I just couldn't resis a little fun.

[PEG688]

It appears that the shutter stayed open a long time because of the low light. That happens. I just couldn't resis a little fun.

Resistance is futile anyway As long as your not narc'ing me out for unfinished work around the house we'll be cool

[glenn kangiser]

I probably instigated that, PEG.  I had to see if you were human, rather than superhuman as I had pictured in my mind.

You made such an impression on me when we met in Tahoe, I was still wondering.

[PEG688]

I probably instigated that, PEG.  I had to see if you were human, rather than superhuman as I had pictured in my mind.

You made such an impression on me when we met in Tahoe, I was still wondering.

You area instigator thats for sure.

Was it the glow  I think thats left over from my  nuke carrier time on TR

[glenn kangiser]

I think it may have just been your bright shining personality and charm---or maybe it was the glow hmm

[benevolance]

spent the day busting sod and hoeing....I am in garden mode...Was going to do it 2 weeks ago but there was a frost warning

My tomatoe plants are about 8 inches high and the onions are coming out of the ground...I started the onions in egg cartons and the cherry tomatoes in clay pots...

Have Jalapeno and Sweet peppers in planters along the house.

Need Glen and Peg and maybe Don to teach me about drip irrigation systems... went to the hardware store and got some PVC pipe to run across the yard.. have to dig the trench for it this week and plumb it up...

We decided on Corn, Onions, carrots, eggplants, okra, tomatoes so far...

Busting sod stinks...But I have half the area done...pretty good exercise though...Very rewarding to put your hands into perfect loomy soil though after you mix in your mulch

Remember I am an idiot when it comes to just about everything... here is what I know so far... plumb the Plastic waterline to the garden... that is where I run into problems...

[PEG688]

Need Glen and Peg and maybe Don to teach me about drip irrigation systems... went to the hardware store and got some PVC pipe to run across the yard.. have to dig the trench for it this week and plumb it up...

Not this sailor ,    I heard about "the drip" and saw the "clap line " wrap around sick bay deck     , UNUN , no drip for this squid     Nope never , no way I'm a  clean, mean , fightin machine 

I of course can't speak for the "other "two 

[glenn kangiser]

  PEG -- you are too humorous. 

I'm lazier than that with the drip, Peter.

I go to the hardware store - get a hose timer - single simple to set kind - electronic so you don't have to be there.



http://www.amazon.com/Gilmour-Electronic-Water-Timer-9100/dp/B00002N8KC/ref=pd_bbs_1?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1208833985&sr=8-1

Get a hose to drip hose  connector - screw it onto the timer - shove the drip hose into it.  string it out - fold the end and secure it to stop it from leaking .

Get a punch for drip http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_hi?url=search-alias%3Dtools&field-keywords=+drip+hose+punch&x=3&y=21

Get barbs and mini sprinklers or emitters and stick them in where you want.

Could get the kit first then learn from there.  By individual parts later as you need them.

http://www.amazon.com/EF55-Microsprinkler-Water-Kit/dp/B000JMH4HQ/ref=sr_1_18?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1208834326&sr=1-18