Garden 2024

[Rascal]

I just converted a room next to my garage into a plant room. Now everything plant related that doesnt belong in the garage will be stored here. I took advantage of going through all my old seeds and got rid of quite a bit that have been around forever , and likely aren't viable anymore. I have one set of seeds from a tomato that are 20 years old. every few years I plant a few to see if they still work. Last time I did it was about 2 year ago, and I had about 90 % germination.

I use an open area with soffits for rain protection. Right by my back door.
Although I have just had power and a light put in my wifes tool shed . I could take over that lol.

Russ

 

[pepperhead212]

I got all of my plants inside today - the curry tree, makrut lime trees, and the bay laurel. A friend stopped by, to help me get that old chair out, that I gave up trying to fix (it was 17 years old, so it didn't owe me anything! ), and he helped me get those inside, which wasn't difficult, since I had stopped watering them quite a while ago, except the one watering a couple of weeks ago with the MicrobeLift solution, with Bt israelensis, to keep fungus gnats from developing. After I got them in place today, I watered everything, using 4 gallons of a fertilizer, using a dilute mix of the hydroponics MaxiGro, that I use for the hydro, then the last gallon was more of that Bt israelensis, in the upper layer of each pot.
I did very little outside today, except for bringing those plants inside!
Plants indoors for the season, 11-09 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

 

[Badjak]

Sometimes it's nice to live in the (sub)tropics
I got all those trees and permanently outside

 

[larry_stewart]

Nice to see my garlic popping out of the leave mulch
Kale, lettuce and arugula doing well.
Snap and snow peas taking there time, but trickling in
Persimmons still on the tree. A few sites say to wait til first frost before picking them. I only have 2 so If I mess up, I can lose both of them .

 

[pepperhead212]

I turned off the water to the outside this morning, and drained the pipes, since we might be getting out first freeze of the season. And we may be getting the coldest day of the year since March, on Wednesday. It is VERY windy, with gusts to 40 mph, so all I did was bring the trash cans in, drain the pipes, and came back in!

The hydroponics is doing great - not only the cuttings, but the seedlings. The cilantro, while slower than most, is larger now than most of them. The only thing I had a problem with was Thai basil - both the first and the second cutting flowered soon after putting the cuttings in the hydro. So now I'll just have to plant a few seeds, and do it that way; slower, but I'll get the plant eventually.

I can't believe that the basil is still alive outside! Usually, my basil is the first thing to die out there - starts getting black spots, even before the first frost, but I think it's because of the moisture I usually have here, and in the low 40s this would happen, with all the dew.
The hydroponics, with the basils and the epazote growing great, from the cuttings. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

 

[caseydog]

My herb garden looks great since we got that few days of almost constant rain. I move the basil plant in and out of the house. It is three-feet tall. I have a stake in the pot to hold the stalks up. The leaves at the bottom are starting to fade, but the upper half of the plant is deep green and very fragrant.

I'm in Houston right now, so can't take any pictures. I'll try to remember to do that when I get home.

CD

 

[larry_stewart]

I got some sage cuttings, rosemary cuttings , basil cuttings all going in my hydroponics. Parsley also, but that was started by seed .

 

[Kaneohegirlinaz]

Okay, so I'm a huge NEWBIE!!!
I DO NOT have a green thumb.
But what with the price AND quality of fresh Garlic here in Cowboyville Arizona, I ordered some seed Garlic (Music) to try my hand at.
Our first freeze was a comin', so I planted mine as a pot garden back on October 24th.

I used a wood mulch, because of the wind here ...

Am I suppose to be seeing shots already?
Am I suppose cut off these? Scapes, is that what these are?
I watered them well just once, when I first planted them (as I read on the local "extension" blog).
We've had a coupla sprinkles and hail so far, they get more than their fair share of full sunlight each day.
Am I on the correct path?

 

[Kathleen]

I'm trying to grow garlic....again. I had thought to not give it another try but was gifted some wonderful seed garlic. I'm also growing some beets, collards and kale. Everything else is put to bed.

 

[Rascal]

Looking forward to making raspberry jam/ jelly and coulis.
Plants are chokka full.
Should be picking I'm next few weeks.
Strawberries we have less this year.

Russ

 

[pepperhead212]

The hydroponics are about on course - I usually start getting to harvest many of them the first week of December, a few before, a few slower than that. I was surprised last year how fast the Russian red kale was, compared to the rest of the brassicas, yet this year they are much slower than the bok choys and mizunas. The arugula is also lagging behind. The parsley finally came up - something that's always slow - and the Thai basil is coming up now; something I had to start by seed, since the 3 cuttings bolted.
The hydroponics plants doing well, with the parsley coming up finally. 11-20 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Older, skinny leafed Mizuna on right, the newer, wide leafed variety on left. 11-20 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

 

[larry_stewart]

,looks like you're pretty set up for the winter. I started my parsley awhile ago, so there about harvestable. I also put a few cuttings or rosemary, sage and basil in the hydroponics. Started a few lemon grasses in water. A few months earlier than I normally do, but I had such a bumper crop this past year, I have enough to play around with.

 

[pepperhead212]

Here are those plants, just 17 days later, and that lettuce had gotten so large that I moved it over to the other tub, to an empty spot. Everything else is going crazy, too, except for the arugula, which didn't germinate twice, and that Russian kale, which seems simply stunted, while last year it was the quickest up, and the fastest growing of all the brassicas. I might plant some in that empty spot, where the lettuce was, and if it starts growing fast, replace the original one with it. Both of those bok choys are doing great, with no sign of bolting (KOW), and soon I'll have to trim that epazote, as always. Hopefully, the cilantro will last a while, before bolting.
The lettuce in the hydro, with the dill and Mizuna behind it, and just to the right, the Russian kale, which is stunted. 12-7 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

The basil, growing back quickly, after that first harvest, and the cilantro is starting to do well. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

As always, the epazote is growing like it's on steroids! 12-7 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

 

[Badjak]

I need a shade house!
Other than that, looks like I could have a lot of limes and custard apples this season

 

[larry_stewart]

Here are those plants, just 17 days later, and that lettuce had gotten so large that I moved it over to the other tub, to an empty spot. Everything else is going crazy, too, except for the arugula, which didn't germinate twice, and that Russian kale, which seems simply stunted, while last year it was the quickest up, and the fastest growing of all the brassicas. I might plant some in that empty spot, where the lettuce was, and if it starts growing fast, replace the original one with it. Both of those bok choys are doing great, with no sign of bolting (KOW), and soon I'll have to trim that epazote, as always. Hopefully, the cilantro will last a while, before bolting.
The lettuce in the hydro, with the dill and Mizuna behind it, and just to the right, the Russian kale, which is stunted. 12-7 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

The basil, growing back quickly, after that first harvest, and the cilantro is starting to do well. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

As always, the epazote is growing like it's on steroids! 12-7 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Nothing better than getting harvestable veggies during the off ( outdoor) season.
I got some herbs ( parsley, rosemary and basil) , sprouts and micro greens going indoors
Its been pretty cold ( below freezing ) and we had a little snow the other day.
I know it finally took out the peas.
Curious to see if the lettuce, card, kale and arugula will survive ( they usually do).

 

[larry_stewart]

So one of the benefits of when your kids move out, is you get to claim more space in your house. I just converted a storage room ( in the garage) to my plant/ garden room ( still in progress, but getting there).
Got my aquaponics with parsley, rosemary , sage and basil
Microgreens ( Spicy mix)
Sprouts and shoots ( peas)
Ginger starts ( from last years ginger
Some tropical plants to over winter ( curry tree, banana's , orange, grapefruit, pandan ...)
Lemon grass starts ( basically getting a head start for next year by rooting some from last year
I will start my tomato ( and other) seeds in here when the time is right. This is one of those things where I cant believe I waited so long to do,. I dont sleep much, and am always up early, so I find myself in here almost every night organizing and planning. One of the other benefits ( speaking of organizing) is now I have everything labelled and visually exposed so I know what I got, what I need , and where to find it.
When I told my daughter about the room, and that I wanted her to make me something I can put my pens and pencils in for the desk ( she is very crafty), she painted a small flower pot ( with plants and veggies). The perfect final touch.

 

[Kathleen]

The flower pot painting is adorable!!! Plus, it is so well done! She has talent!

 

[dragnlaw]

She certainly does! Very impressive.

 

[pepperhead212]

This is where a lot of that "dang time" went for me!

Today I had a nice day out there, as it got up to at least 59°, maybe higher, and if it wasn't so windy, I could have worn my shorts! lol But I wanted to cover all those SIPs I had out there - a couple of weeks ago I put almost all of them on their sides, to drain, before the freezing started, and the weather finally cooperated today, though it would have been better with a little less wind. Still, it only took a little over an hour and a half to get all those in place, and covered. That last silver tarp has enough space under it for the rest of those that I'm growing the greens in, once I harvest all those - I'll just have to watch the temps out, to see when I have to pull them.
The 3 groups of SIPs I covered today. That large silver tarp has way more room, for putting those last 5 under, once I get the greens out of them. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

The shogoin left on 3 plants in the back, that squirrels had chewed up, but they recovered some. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

That harvested Koquie bok choy, 12-8, almost 30 oz. No buds yet, but if left out, would probably bolt soon. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Two more of those bok choy, plus that one I harvested. That koquie variety is supposed to be heat resistant, but is also cold resistant, since it has been into the mid 20s a few times already, which also hasn't bothered those other plants, or a a tub of kohlrabi out there.
Those Koquie bok choy, the one on the right I harvested, as it is just hinting to bolting. About 60 days, 12-8 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

The Wu Choy, under the Choy Sum, all these harvested several times, and growing back. 12-8 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

5 Merlot Napa cabbage plants in an Earthbox, with one stunted kohlrabi, from being shadowed. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

 

[Badjak]

Today I had a nice day out there, as it got up to at least 59°, maybe higher, and if it wasn't so windy, I could have worn my shorts! lol

Shorts?
At 59 F?
I start wearing jersey's and longs if the temperature drops below 80

Glad to see your garden produce is generally looking so well.
I'm desperately trying to get more chili's to grow as I am low on amount and variety