Habaneros are in, Cherry trees are in bloom
2023 Garden thread
- Thread starter eric strt6
- Start date
Four new raised beds, covered with a greenhouse. Twenty tomatoes, twenty tomatillos, twenty New Mexico Big Jim green chile plants (seeds smuggled into Portugal), ten jalapenos. Watch this progress….
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At least 6 more weeks before I even contemplate putting anything outside around here.
Though I do have some mushroom spawn trying to fruit in a jar.
I should probably plant my tomato seeds...
This is true. I did f'all last year, so I should at least make the effort this year.
It's supposed to be nice this weekend, perhaps I shall head to the Home Deeeeeepot for some dirt.
We got a cheap little greenhouse thing to help get some stuff started early. Probably should have started the seeds even earlier..
Does anyone collect rain water? We're looking at picking up some cheap barrels, to help cut down on the cost of water. Would just need to get some filters off Amazon and a spigot from the local hardware store. Anything else I'm missing? What about mosquitoes in that thing? And I'm guessing we don't want black barrels, to cut down on heating the water up too much?
Does anyone collect rain water? We're looking at picking up some cheap barrels, to help cut down on the cost of water. Would just need to get some filters off Amazon and a spigot from the local hardware store. Anything else I'm missing? What about mosquitoes in that thing? And I'm guessing we don't want black barrels, to cut down on heating the water up too much?
I collect rainwater off my neighbor's garage. Just a barrel under the downspout. The hard part is getting the water to our grow spot. Its clean for the most part. It doesn't even get nasty when it sits for a while. My neighbors have dedicated their back porch for our preliminary growing season. However, their dog is mean and goes nuts when I go near the grow spot or the porch.
its almost that time, doing some fixes / updates on the garden. the lower wall was starting to lean over, so dug the dirt back, pull the boards, and reset the columns. was a bit easier than i was anticipating.
adding a drain pipe from the gravel walkway section to allow for drainage, whenever it rains that section floods.
adding a drain pipe from the gravel walkway section to allow for drainage, whenever it rains that section floods.
Dammit, I'd meant to do seeds on Saturday and it escaped my mind.
And I take it back - I've got 5 tomato starts that have come up - 4 of them since I posted this morning.
Ordered three 55 gallon rain barrels from a local fundraiser on here https://rainbarrel.ca/
I was searching local listings for used ones, but damn they are expensive. For $55 per barrel, I get the barrel (duh), screen/filter, bulkhead spigot and a 4 foot overflow hose.
I think I'll end up daisy chaining two of the barrels together, depending on how quickly they fill. Just need to find some scrap blocks of wood to raise they up a little big, to make getting a hose on there or the watering can under them a little easier.
This should help reduce our water bill and consumption. Its too bad that water is so expensive, even living a few hundred feet from a huge lake. I wonder of its against any bylaws for those living on the water, to pump water from the lake and use that for gardens?
I was searching local listings for used ones, but damn they are expensive. For $55 per barrel, I get the barrel (duh), screen/filter, bulkhead spigot and a 4 foot overflow hose.
I think I'll end up daisy chaining two of the barrels together, depending on how quickly they fill. Just need to find some scrap blocks of wood to raise they up a little big, to make getting a hose on there or the watering can under them a little easier.
This should help reduce our water bill and consumption. Its too bad that water is so expensive, even living a few hundred feet from a huge lake. I wonder of its against any bylaws for those living on the water, to pump water from the lake and use that for gardens?
Nah, the cat was just being a dick.Fuckin' cat decided the tomato sprouts *might* be delicious.
You might be on to something...
12x5 beds with carrot, radish, green and yellow zucchini. The radishes bolt once it gets too hot (but so tasty in the short term!) Something else in there after.
Jalapeños and shishitos behind.
Arugula, rainbow Swiss chard, mixed lettuces. In a shader area than the main bed otherwise they immediately go to seed once hot/humid enough.
We are doing a bunch of deck power washing and refinishing/staining this summer so the stuff that I would usually plant around the deck and use it as a trellis for will be planted in big pots.
Soon to be several varieties of tomato.
Some tomato pots up front. Herbs here.
Perennial cilantro, thyme, dill, oregano, marjoram. Added some parsley this year. A sage plant on the side of the garage keeps coming back and getting larger and larger every year. The rosemary and basil go in pots and come inside in the Winter (is coming!) because they will not survive outside otherwise
Jalapeños and shishitos behind.
Arugula, rainbow Swiss chard, mixed lettuces. In a shader area than the main bed otherwise they immediately go to seed once hot/humid enough.
We are doing a bunch of deck power washing and refinishing/staining this summer so the stuff that I would usually plant around the deck and use it as a trellis for will be planted in big pots.
Soon to be several varieties of tomato.
Some tomato pots up front. Herbs here.
Perennial cilantro, thyme, dill, oregano, marjoram. Added some parsley this year. A sage plant on the side of the garage keeps coming back and getting larger and larger every year. The rosemary and basil go in pots and come inside in the Winter (is coming!) because they will not survive outside otherwise
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Very nice! I started in on prepping the garden today. Pulled down all the old tomato plants and cages preparing for hitting it with the tiller mañana. Hopefully we can get everything in the dirt before we skedaddle for Switzerland.
Also set up the drip irrigation controller and checked all the drip ends to make sure nothing was wonky.
Also set up the drip irrigation controller and checked all the drip ends to make sure nothing was wonky.
For peppers like jalapeños and poblanos, do you guys keep your own seeds, buy seeds or buy plants?
I've just been buying plants up until now, as they are pretty cheap and with the random frosts and really deep cold nights that can happen pretty much anytime until May, it's too much work otherwise. But now with the little greenhouse, maybe I can switch things up next year? Would definitely need to look into a temp sensitive heater...though at first glance they are all $$$.
Still waiting for the local garden place to get their stuff in. No tomatoes or peppers yet. Hopefully soon.
I've just been buying plants up until now, as they are pretty cheap and with the random frosts and really deep cold nights that can happen pretty much anytime until May, it's too much work otherwise. But now with the little greenhouse, maybe I can switch things up next year? Would definitely need to look into a temp sensitive heater...though at first glance they are all $$$.
Still waiting for the local garden place to get their stuff in. No tomatoes or peppers yet. Hopefully soon.
Just this lone guy and not where I planted it last year, but that's okay.
Any tips for growing asparagus? And making the most of it..
Did you plant roots or seed? Let it grow out and do it's thing - next year will be better. When it's throwing multiple shoots, keep cutting them off and eating them and they'll continue to throw shoots. After a couple weeks of eating the shoots, let some grow out and do their thing to make sure the roots/rhizome are healthy for next year.
At least thats how I handle the asparagus in my yard.
I planted roots last summer. By end of the year a few sprigs popped up but I didn't touch them.
These are definitely thicker...so let them go a little and then chop them off and they should keep multiplying? One spot has three popping up now and the other has two - it's been pretty cold at night and not much sun lately, so they have appeared to have slowed down.
Not sure how long we'll live here, but I wish I had put them in a better spot. I got the roots on sale, like a few bucks and just tossed them into the garden at random. So now we'll see where they come up...
These are definitely thicker...so let them go a little and then chop them off and they should keep multiplying? One spot has three popping up now and the other has two - it's been pretty cold at night and not much sun lately, so they have appeared to have slowed down.
Not sure how long we'll live here, but I wish I had put them in a better spot. I got the roots on sale, like a few bucks and just tossed them into the garden at random. So now we'll see where they come up...
They pop up all over the place! At least in my yard I've got over a dozen little asparagus groves and it seems like theres new groves forming too. Commercially they harvest the stalks for a couple weeks and then let them grow into the giant fernlike bushes.
Here is two little groves side by side - the one in the foreground doesnt have a giant wad of last years ferns while the grive behind it is coming out of last years ferns.
Heres some stalks we cut today
Here is two little groves side by side - the one in the foreground doesnt have a giant wad of last years ferns while the grive behind it is coming out of last years ferns.
Heres some stalks we cut today
Picked up another Habanero plant, (up to 5 now) and one Ghost pepper plant
We have them in the back yard, but not enough to harvest. Leeks, on the other hand, acres.
Laid in the "cold tolerant" plants yesterday. Probably should have done it a couple weeks ago, but what ever. Cauliflower, Broccoli, Kale, Potatoes in feed sacks, and some Lettuce. New this year a couple rail planters for herbs. If that goes well I'll probably buy more.
Also experimenting with a pretty useless space between our house and the neighbors to the north. Small space that gets lots of sun, and is roasting hot in the summer. The plan here is just for 4-6 San Marzano plants and if that if it goes well I'll makes sauce out of them.
Also experimenting with a pretty useless space between our house and the neighbors to the north. Small space that gets lots of sun, and is roasting hot in the summer. The plan here is just for 4-6 San Marzano plants and if that if it goes well I'll makes sauce out of them.
I'm hoping to make a shitload of sauce.4-6? That's a shitload of San Marzanos come summer.
I'm just about through all my frozen SM's from last season... I probably should have planted one more.
I valuable lesson for this coming year, no?I'm just about through all my frozen SM's from last season... I probably should have planted one more.
Uhhh... maybe?
I think they love certain climates better than others as well. I mean, well of course. My grandparents lived in Omak and I recall visiting and seen my grandmother out harvesting asparagus. Stuff that she had never planted. Sometimes while driving around. We'd stop and she'd grad some from the side of the road
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Respect to your grandparents. Did they grow tree fruit up there? I half expect to hear @kidwoo is moving up into the Colville soon.