| Author | Message | ||
     Crusty |
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| Fast1075 |
Oranges and peaches are starting to bloom here right now. | ||
| 86129squids |
Thanks, Crusticle, for that reminder! I had hoped to get out Wednesday to do some yardwork, as we had great temps for a day- but there's no sense raking leaves with 20-30+ MPH winds! I was scanning through my phone pics yesterday, found one of my last crop of heirloom tomatoes- IIRC I had 8-10ish different varieties!  Gotta start planning this year's garden... And- several of my decorative plants are waking up! Shhh! Go back to sleep for a bit yet! Last year we had 150+ red hot poker plant blooms! | ||
| Fast1075 |
Last year my Cayenne pepper plants got infested with white flies. As I was treating them, I cut some shriveled up pods off and tossed them in a bucket that had spare dirt in it. I set the bucket on a back fence and forgot about it. Yesterday I was puttering around and noticed the bucket had some greenery growing out of it. I took it down, and found a healthy cayenne plant that must have come from one of the discarded pods. It must have gotten enough rain to grow. | ||
| 86129squids |
+1! Last year, as we got started with our main garden, we noticed a cilantro plant that "volunteered" out in the area where we originally had our plot. I'd moved the garden away from the back deck and out behind my shed... that cilantro did better than any we had intentionally planted on our deck herb garden! It's a lot of work, but DANG it's worth it once we start making those homemade BLT's with my heirlooms! Not to mention the homemade sauces, salsa, etc. | ||
| Airbozo |
I have been working over the last 10 years to reduce the effort, water and fertilizer we use on our garden. We started with watering (since we have been in a major drought) and installed a drip system with one of the auto feeder thingies (hooks up to the drip system and delivers fertilizer directly to the base of the plants when watering). The auto fertilizer works really well, but you have to use a generic fertilizer and honestly not all plants need the same things so we have to supplement. I will probably not use it this year and instead, go back to individual fertilization. I have also installed an electronic watering system. I wanted something I could customize and not be dependent on a specific company. I looked into several systems and finally settled on the Open Sprinkler system which is very modular, inexpensive and easy to program. The is even a phone app to control it and monitor it from anywhere you are. For compost we found a place not too far from us that grows mushrooms and they give away free compost, all you have to do is pick it up. Mushroom compost works great on just about anything. We have experimented with ground coverings and found that the red shiny reflective stuff works great on tomatoes. So much so that we can overplant a bed and it does not affect the plants. I have had 12 foot vines a couple of years with delicious tomatoes. Speaking of which, we found a local grower that specializes in heirloom plants, bought a couple of varieties based on her recommendations and then spent 5 years acclimating them to our area. They now outgrow anything else we try. Cilantro grows like weeds here, same with tomatillo's. Can't kill the bastards. We had them out of control in our front beds and decided that was where the SO's Swim Spa would go. Even after they came in, leveled the area and poured a concrete pad, the little buggers popped up everywhere, despite the fact we never watered. Peppers go nuts here as well, so one bed gets dedicated to them, with several different varieties. The one thing we have had zero luck with is corn. Despite controlled watering and fertilization, we only ever get dwarf plants with undeveloped ears. Our Grannie Smith Apple trees have exploded the last couple of years (already setting spurs this year) and the plum trees always go crazy, but it is a constant battle with my nemesis, The Squirrel. I would be OK with them eating one or two, but they take one bite and toss it out then grab another. Getting a scope for my pellet gun to work on that problem. We also have a network in place of friends and family to gather fruit from all the trees in their yard and neighbors yards that would normally go to waste. We then spend several weekends a year making jam. We always have so much, we decided to start our own company and start selling it. | ||
| 86129squids |
Wowsers! I've only been at it for about 4-5 years, with just a 15X30' plot... still kinda modest, but enough! Or, until I get another of those seed/plant porn catalogues.  My sweetie always threatens me with bodily harm if I bring home new plants now- it's like a cute puppy, followed me home! Check out Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, www.rareseeds.com. Just unbelievable, the huge variety of gorgeous plants they handle. | ||
| Strokizator |
Feed the soil, not the plants. | ||
| 86129squids |
 ... My sweetie's brother works at a soil/rock/landscape supplier, they have the best compost around! And last week I FINALLY remembered to put up a little container to hold old coffee grounds, eggshells, and banana peels. Whenever I clean my freshwater fishtank, the fish spooge goes to the garden. Been throwing old oyster and mussel shells out there to pulverize... also preparing a big leaf and brush pile to burn before I get going on planting. Should be a great year! I set up a water line and a timer last year, with a post-mounted wave sprinkler to clear my 6-8' tomato plants... I misjudged the reach for watering my pepper plants, so they were kinda puny. Won't repeat that mistake! I'd love to build a rain barrel system this year, but I'll be rebuilding my wooden frame again and adding probably 2-3 more cubic yards of compost, so I don't wanna blow the budget. Fun to think about all this, with a sunny/COLD/windy day outside. | ||
| Court |
 One good rain can easily fill 20 30-60 gallon barrels. . . . the 1,500 sf deck off the bedroom runs into these from above. | ||
| Needs_o2 |
These are the colorful flowers that spring brings to the mountains in Summit County!  |
