Home Gardens - Tips, Tricks, Methods, and the Bounty

[Pool Boy]

Make sure you get full spectrum fluorescent when you do go that route. BTW if you really would rather have the setup done for you google "table top grow lights". Smaller ones run $40, medium sized $100+

Thanks MUCHO for the suggestions everyone! I am thinking of starting *small*, so the $40 light seems like a good option. I assume full spectrum fluorescent bulbs are available at any Lowe's, Home Depot or decent hardware store, yes?

[chaofun]

Thanks MUCHO for the suggestions everyone! I am thinking of starting *small*, so the $40 light seems like a good option. I assume full spectrum fluorescent bulbs are available at any Lowe's, Home Depot or decent hardware store, yes?

Yup!

[weezy]

Just a note for new gardeners....as tempting as it is, don't start too soon! Check dates for last frost and work backwards to determine when to start seeds.

[chaofun]

Here are some helpful links for knowing when to start what and where:

http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/seed-starting-chart

http://www.motherearthnews.com/What-To-Plant-Now-In-March-Mid-Atlantic-Gardening-Region.aspx

[lperry]

I worked late last night, so I got to slack off this morning in the garden before the storms this afternoon. I've got flats in the cold frame with fennel, kale, chard, leeks, and cauliflower that are just now starting to sprout - I planted them about two weeks ago. I direct-seeded this morning with mixed-color carrots, parsnips, Detroit red beets, French breakfast and red globe radishes, turnips, máche, and arugula. A friend brought me horse manure last fall, and, after a winter's worth of composting in the beds, the soil looks fantastic. Now I just need the weather to cooperate. Happy spring gardening!

[DanCole42]

Are there any edible plants (vegetable, fruit, herb...) that will do well in almost complete shade? (north side of house under oak canopy)??

[lperry]

Are there any edible plants (vegetable, fruit, herb...) that will do well in almost complete shade? (north side of house under oak canopy)??

That's a tough one. You may be able to grow lettuces and other greens through the summer, but they do need some light - maybe three hours a day. Mints, maybe? If there's enough water, you could have ferns and grow fiddleheads, or watercress.

[chaofun]

Are there any edible plants (vegetable, fruit, herb...) that will do well in almost complete shade? (north side of house under oak canopy)??

Here's a nice article and chart from Mother Earth News about just that topic.

[lperry]

Summer seed starting time! Planted on this spring break morning, Table Queen acorn squash, Waltham butternut squash, cantaloupes, Charentais melons, Crimson Sweet watermelons, zucchini, crookneck squash, Japanese eggplants, Yolo Wonder bell peppers, yellow pear tomatoes (they remind me of being a kid), three types of red cherry tomatoes, Pink Brandywines, Romas, unnamed beefsteak tomatoes from Martha Stewart seeds (figured it was worth a shot), and Garden Leader Monster tomatoes - the ones that win the contests for the world's biggest tomato. We also bought the giant pumpkins, but they will go in later for Halloween. Spring is here!

[NolaCaine]

Has anyone planted potatoes? I purchased some seed potatoes but then just founds some sprouting potatoes in the kitchen...same thing? This is my first potato growing year but neighbors grew them in boxes on the driveway so how hard can it be?

[lperry]

Has anyone planted potatoes? I purchased some seed potatoes but then just founds some sprouting potatoes in the kitchen...same thing? This is my first potato growing year but neighbors grew them in boxes on the driveway so how hard can it be?

I haven't grown potatoes here in NoVa, but they are easy. You can cut your sprouting potatoes into pieces as long as there is one eye on each, and a plant will grow from each section. Let the cut sides dry before planting. I always envied people who had space to do potatoes in those wire cages. If you keep mounding dirt or compost around the plant, it will make potatoes all the way to the top of the cage. You could pull ten pounds off one plant!

Right now I'm worried about my little turnips and beets with the nasty weather coming. I probably need to cover them just to be safe.

[weezy]

Does anyone have a good contact for getting a garden plot tilled that you're willing to share?

[porcupine]

Apologies for off-topic question, but... I'm looking for sources of unusual woody landscape plants, including some natives, with a strong preference for buying locally-grown. Any recommendations for specialty nurseries in the (much greater) DC area? Thanks.

[astrid]

Merrifield Garden Center has a $10 off for $50 or more this weekend (coupon ) and I've heard good things about them.

For mail order. Greer and Forest Farm has a nice selection. Bluestone Perennials has some nice woodies as well. High Country Garden (http://www.highcountrygardens.com/) has a fantastic assortment of native perennials, though their focus tends western US natives and may not be suitable for this area.

[KMango]

Apologies for off-topic question, but... I'm looking for sources of unusual woody landscape plants, including some natives, with a strong preference for buying locally-grown. Any recommendations for specialty nurseries in the (much greater) DC area? Thanks.

It's another few weeks away, but the Park Fairfax Native Plant Sale will have an amazing variety of options:

http://www.parkfairfaxnativeplantsale.org/

The sale happens twice a year, next one is April 30th. It's not actually "Fairfax", it's a neighborhood near Shirlington.

[lperry]

It's another few weeks away, but the Park Fairfax Native Plant Sale will have an amazing variety of options:

http://www.parkfairfaxnativeplantsale.org/

The sale happens twice a year, next one is April 30th. It's not actually "Fairfax", it's a neighborhood near Shirlington.

Thanks for the reminder - I forgot about that sale. Spring Garden day at Green Spring Garden in Annandale is May 14th this year. There are many non-native plants, but there is a large area set up each year by the native plant society, and they usually bring plants they have grown. The local master gardeners will have a booth as well with some native plants.

[lperry]

Things are starting to pick up! The carrots are thinned from planting last fall. I can't believe they survived all winter. The radishes are thinned from this spring, and they took a warm bath in butter and salt for dinner, greens and all. Mr. Lincoln for size.

[lperry]

Three days of heat last week made the tiny arugula bolt and turned the French breakfast radishes pithy, but the red globes are still tender-crisp. I'll plant more in the next moon phase to see if they will withstand the summer heat. The strawberries are about a centimeter long and green, green, green. I've got squash plants and tomato plants still in the cold frame for another week or two - just to be safe. Lots of baby turnips, carrots, and beets are up.

Does anyone have a secret for earlier strawberries? How do the farmers have them already - do they buy new plants every year from greenhouses?

[lperry]

I keep following myself. I transplanted Charentais melons and Crimson Sweet watermelons today along with two tomatoes that were big enough to put in the ground. Seven tomato plants down, nine more to go. Last summer I lost fruit to blossom end rot, not from a calcium deficiency in the soil, but from water stress, so I planted them like I used to plant in Florida, straight down and up to the top set of leaves. They end up with roots going about a foot down in the beds. No wilting in the past two days despite the opressive heat and lack of rain in this swath of NoVa, so I am hopeful.

Right now, because it's my first time growing them, I'm curious about how the leeks will handle the heat. So far so good, but they are only about a centimeter in diameter. I put toilet paper cardboard tubes on them to blanch them and, as a bonus, it gives the garden an ultra-classy look.

Anyone else braving the heat?

[porcupine]

Anyone else braving the heat?

I finally have a new bed ready. Planted a few tomatoes (heirlooms and classic disease-resistant cultivars, just in case); ancho, habaí±ero, and Thai hot peppers, tomatillos, and a bunch of herbs. Things are looking weak. Had to buy 2 cubic yards of "screened topsoil" from a local place to backfill the beds. Supposedly the stuff is half Leafgro; it looks good but I should have done a soil test before planting. We'll see...

[ktmoomau]

This is the first year we have a community garden plot in Arlington. We didn't get it until Mid-April so we couldn't do a spring crop. We have planted peppers, which are yellowing and I need to treat them (going to try epson salt) but if I don't water them as much then they wilt some so I am damned if I do, damned if I don't. Zuchinni and eggplants are really taking off, leeks in the shady part of the garden doing well, the hotter bed ones are goners at this point. Squash are there, hanging out. We have abe lincoln, roma and a type of cherry tomato planted, all are doing well, had a few aphids, but are taking care of those guys with some neem oil. Beans are coming up now at a pretty good growth rate. We have some space left in our hot bed, between some other things so we need to get a few more things. The cukes are growing slowly, but growing.

Herbs are all going nutso. We had some volunteer potatoes. We turned the old beds and created a new one in a space that had grassed over from neglect. We have a fig tree that has figs on it. But it's been a fun project.

[JuneBacon]

I think we overplanted a bit this year ... http://i.imgur.com/bYhTb.jpg

[MC Horoscope]

Chives bolted a couple of weeks ago. Green onions bolted last week. Surprised that the lettuce hasn't yet.

First couple of basil plants got too much early rain (remember when we had rain?), but they're rebounding and taking well to the dryness. Parsley is going gangbusters. Rosemary, sage, thyme, oregano are all doing ok with the heat and dry weather.

Tomatoes and bell peppers (green and red) are all in flower now. It's hard to know how much to water them. Don't want them to scorch, but it can't be good if they're both hot and wet either. Eggplants been in flower for a week.

Wish I had room for vining, creeping things like zucchini and squash, melon. Might try planting some in the shade of my tomato plants once those get some height. Anyone had success with that method? I read about it in a recent WashPost column.

[NolaCaine]

It's been awhile.

I'm impressed with some of your work. i put in potatoes but think I used too much dirt and not enough fluffy stuff. Also, I have a new bed but don't think I treated the soil right. So this season is one for experimentation.

I have gotten some great lettuce and herbs that wintered over and radishes (don't know what type) are coming in. i've also got prickly things...

[chaofun]

As summer approaches I'm looking forward to the squashes and tomatoes I've planted. I've got some potato onions to harvest when it gets hot again, and the last of my spring lettuce. Sugar Snap peas are still going strong. A few Raspberries coming in now as well.

[ktmoomau]

So the Romas I have are doing really well, the Abe Lincoln's are ok, but seem to be recovering after we put on the neem oil. We just fertilized most of the garden with Garden-Tone and hopefully that will help the yellowing peppers. Since we inherited the spot I am not sure of the conditions yet. Our beans are growing quickly, as well as zucchini and eggplants which are quite happy. I am a little dismayed the bugs are eating some of the pepper flowers before they can bloom and produce fruit, but put more neem on so we will see how that goes. Caged a bunch of tomatoes, but had to go out and get more cages.

Put some asian veggies in this past weekend, mulched paths, pulled up a ton of grass. Harvested a bunch of kale which we ate last night. The latter part of last week was great, not too hot, not too wet, just perfect. Sunday luckily we got out there before the sun came out and had a nice cool morning to work. The things people yell at us or discuss while on the WOD trail is rather interesting, just saying...

[lperry]

Tomato season!!! Tomatoes 1 and 2, both Sun Gold cherry tomatoes. Lots of green ones are waiting in the wings.

[ktmoomau]

Visited the garden yesterday, harvested a ton of basil, kale (which surprisingly enough is still doing well) and a couple little eggplants. Everything is getting huge, lots of fruit on the tomato bushes.

[thistle]

I'll be honest-I have avoided this topic (& my backyard), because my puppies, who just turned 1 yr. old, have destroyed it. I went out today & started the long process of fixing the micro-irrigation & soaker hoses (they've chewed everything up). I do have tomatoes planted in the earth boxes(sungolds are my favorite) as well as peppers & eggplant in other containers (they delight in yanking these out of the pots). I had to put in a 6' privacy fence, because they could jump all the other fences ( 4-5', & I added 3' of wire, & they still escaped-I have many more grey hairs). My yard looks like hell, but they will eventually settle down, & I wouldn't trade them for anything.

I just need to treat it as a new phase of gardening, & sedate myself heavily- one day, I will have the backyard oasis I desire & until then, I can watch them jumping in & out of their kiddie pool & chasing each other around the trees...

[ktmoomau]

I'll be honest-I have avoided this topic (& my backyard), because my puppies, who just turned 1 yr. old, have destroyed it. I went out today & started the long process of fixing the micro-irrigation & soaker hoses (they've chewed everything up). I do have tomatoes planted in the earth boxes(sungolds are my favorite) as well as peppers & eggplant in other containers (they delight in yanking these out of the pots). I had to put in a 6' privacy fence, because they could jump all the other fences ( 4-5', & I added 3' of wire, & they still escaped-I have many more grey hairs). My yard looks like hell, but they will eventually settle down, & I wouldn't trade them for anything.

I just need to treat it as a new phase of gardening, & sedate myself heavily- one day, I will have the backyard oasis I desire & until then, I can watch them jumping in & out of their kiddie pool & chasing each other around the trees...

My dog calmed a little at 1, then at 1 and 6mos really started settling down, it is a big relief. You can always put stuff on the tubes that deters chewing, don't know how long it will last. Have they teethed yet? That was an interesting part of puppydome for us. Just take it one step at a time. Even without puppies when we first got our garden after it hadn't been tended it seemed like it would never be as nice as so many other peoples in the community garden (and you don't want to be those people), but it is finally coming along and looking good. But man if I am not there weeding even one weekend it is a mess.

[thistle]

I know, I'm trying to wait for them to grow up, & they've been great inside the house, much better than our last dog (he had a rough puppy stage). They just chew random plants, & because of their constant running & chasing each other, it looks like the surface of the moon, it's quite shaded & we had sparse grass before, now it's just mud or dried mud. I'm trying to mulch & I hope now that we have the fence, they won't run the perimeter as much. Last year, when we got them as new pups, they really liked eating the figs that fell to the ground, this year it looks like we'll have heavy harvest...& really, I always avoid my yard in midsummer...

[ktmoomau]

According to my garden mate first tomatillo and long bean! Very excited.

[lperry]

Here's a morning's harvest from about a week and a half ago, and now that the heirlooms have begun to produce, I'm running at about twice this many every day now. That's tomatoes at two meals a day, and sometimes three. A neighbor gave me about four plants of "big boys" or "better girls" or something like that, and it's interesting to have them side by side with heirlooms like the Sun golds, Yellow pears, and (soon) Brandywines. They are earlier and more prolific but the flavor is somewhat lacking. Still, can't complain. Hot weather, little rain, and horse manure = tomato happiness.

[porcupine]

Did anyone else have trouble with plants from DeBaggio this year?

[Go for Gin]

We bought our tomato plants from Wright's on New Hampshire Ave. in Colesville, MD and they have yielded an excellent crop this year. I'm trying to pick up the ones that have fallen to the ground that look half way decent to use for a sauce. Our San Marzano plants have gotten the tallest and are full of tomatoes but seem to be the last that are turning red. Outside of that our garden has probably peaked in the last week or two. Just would like to see more rain than we've been getting.

[weezy]

Birds, chipmunks and other assorted critters plus the excessive heat and lack of rain wiped me out for tomatoes this year. I harvested all of one small, leather-skinned matey. And the last fruit on the vine got plucked whole and green by some creature last night with nary a seed to be found left behind.

[monavano]

Our one and only tomato plant, which had about a half dozen green tomatoes, got pilfered by a squirrel or some other little creature. I was waiting for weeks for those little suckers to ripen

Ah, the days when we grew so many veggies we had to give them away....

[lperry]

Am I the only one who didn't know purple carrots are orange on the inside?

[brr]

Did anyone else have trouble with plants from DeBaggio this year?

I did. Most of my tomatoes did not do well at all this year. I had a little early luck with grape tomatoes but they died off in July. May have been my fault - I was watering irregularly and the heat was brutal.

My tomatillos on the other hand!! GOOD LORD - hundreds of the little buggers including these awesome deep purple ones so we've been awash in salsas and other sauces. Also had lots of peppers, and eggplants this year and for the first time grew two watermelons....

[ktmoomau]

Anyone have any advice on good fall plants in this area? We are going to plant greens, peas and carrots, but wondering if we should consider anything else we have a good amount of space.

[MC Horoscope]

Garlic, but the ground has to be dry. Maybe not this week! I went to the nursery and also saw brussels sprouts and cauliflower. I put in some parsley and lettuce yesterday.

This was our best year for tomatoes and basil, so I am just not ready to shut down yet.

[lperry]

I did fall greens last year and had excellent results with arugula, máche, a couple of winter lettuce varietals (Rouge d'Hiver comes to mind right now), kale, parsley, and cilantro. I'm remembering that the chard froze in the cold frame when it got really cold, but the leeks made it through and grew to thin pencil size to be transplanted this spring. My carrots only made tiny ones before it got too cold, and then they bolted first thing in the spring. I should have known that would happen, but sometimes I have to learn the hard way.

[astrid]

It's 6-8 weeks too soon for garlic planting. Good week to seed arugula, mache, lettuce, turnips, beets, spinach, broccoli rabe, kale, and maybe carrots. also a great time to plant hardy annuals such as love in a mist and corn flowers, the fall sown ones do way better than spring planted seeds

[MC Horoscope]

It's 6-8 weeks too soon for garlic planting.

Thanks! Caught this about garlic planting, in the Post:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/home_garden/garlic-a-bulb-for-patient-foodies/2011/09/27/gIQARkoJOL_story.html

Now is the time.

[ktmoomau]

Thanks! Caught this about garlic planting, in the Post:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/home_garden/garlic-a-bulb-for-patient-foodies/2011/09/27/gIQARkoJOL_story.html

Now is the time.

Thank you so much. I think I am going to order some interesting varieties. We did plant some small, baby carrots, we will see about those. Hoping the rabbits don't eat everything since we seem to be the only people with much of a fall garden.

[brr]

Thank you so much. I think I am going to order some interesting varieties. We did plant some small, baby carrots, we will see about those. Hoping the rabbits don't eat everything since we seem to be the only people with much of a fall garden.

Its still too early for garlic regardless of what the post says. I would wait until early Nov at the earliest. That has worked nicely for me the last few years and has resulted in bumper garlic crops.

It was a mixed summer for my little garden. Another poor tomato crop but literally hundreds of tomatillos, loads of peppers of all shapes and sizes, about 25 eggplant, and 2 of the cutest and tastiest little watermelons you've ever seen!

[astrid]

For garlic planting, I think late October is probably fine for the zone 6 suburbs, but would definitely wait til after november for zone 7 and zone 8 locations. Bob Anderson has pretty good directions for growing and curing garlic. If you want to dive really deep into garlic biodiversity, check out this book from your local library.

[astrid]

It's still a good time to sow a fall cover crop, if you're not planting an edible. They definitely help suppress weeds and improves soil till.

[lperry]

Its still too early for garlic regardless of what the post says. I would wait until early Nov at the earliest. That has worked nicely for me the last few years and has resulted in bumper garlic crops.

I find that accidentally failing to harvest all the green garlic in the spring results in a nice crop of garlic bulbs the following spring.

All the rain has the plot of leeks very happily leeking along, and the pole beans are still going strong. I'll plant some lettuces and greens this weekend after I put in some quality time weeding.

[thistle]

The Japanese people may have had a lost decade, economically, I think that's what's going on in my backyard, now that I have 2 dogs, just past puppyhood. It used to be halfway decent out there, despite the shade from large trees-now I have no grass or moss, just mud. All the plants I added to edges-roses, cryptomeria, pineapple guava, pawpaws, palm, figs, camellias, Japanese maples & other horticultural oddities, are still alive, although slightly mauled. There is dog poop everywhere even though I scoop constantly, & now we have a 6' cedar barrier, blocking views & light. When I see them chasing each other around the yard, digging trenches in the mud, it's almost worth it....tryIng to decide whether to plant fall stuff in the earth boxes...