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

[Pool Boy]

I like Territorial- since for the last few years, I've worked at Holly, Woods, & Vines, I've gotten seeds there, as well as started plants. For an indoor grow station, I just have wire shelving from IKEA, w/ fluorescent shoplight fixtures attached, out in my sunroom. It's unheated. but I overwinter alot of plants there (orchids, mostly)-when I'm being a 'good' gardener, I run a humidifier, too. I've also overwintered palms in my garage, but this year, I've been incredibly lazy & left almost everything out-probably not the best winter to do this, but I hope I have some survivors.

Last year, I experimented w/ using coco coir as a grow medium, but I wasn't overly thrilled w/ results (as compared to conventional potting mix). I have 6 earthboxes (love them!), as well as 2 5-tiered growpots. For online info, I like Dave's Garden & Gardenweb.

How did you affix the fluorescent lights to the Ikea fixture exactly? Assume I am tool-challenged.

[Pool Boy]

BTW, thanks for the Territorial and Botanical Interests suggestions. I also had recently discovered Dave's Garden (wow!).

[thistle]

the shop lights have small chains attached to each end & I use small 's' hooks to hang them under the top wire shelf (which is level with the windows & doesn't need addtl. light.)-I plug all the shop fixtures into a floor power strip. My neighbors were quite interested in what I was growing, the sunroom is lit up like a spaceship in early spring....

[LowellR]

Has anyone tried a vegetable growing box like this? I'm intrigued by the self-watering aspect, since my big problem with tomatoes (and some other water-hungry veggies) is that with my summer travel schedule and the full sun in my backyard, the intermittent drought conditions can sometimes be too hard on the plants. These boxes seem like a good solution, but they're quite pricey. . .

[chaofun]

FYI to any urban gardeners, there is a free to the public forum called Rooting DC this Sat, Feb 20. It will have panel discussions workshops and talks about not only gardening but many other topics.

Rooting DC

http://fieldtoforknetwork.org/rootingdc/

Workshop Schedule:

http://fieldtoforknetwork.org/blog/rooting-dc-2010-schedule-now-available/

[leleboo]

Cross-posted from Home Gardens thread in Shopping and Cooking:

FYI to any urban gardeners, there is a free to the public forum called Rooting DC. It will have panel discussions workshops and talks about not only gardening but many other topics.

Rooting DC

http://fieldtoforknetwork.org/rootingdc/

Workshop Schedule:

http://fieldtoforknetwork.org/blog/rooting-dc-2010-schedule-now-available/

[lperry]

I succumbed to the call of the flower bulb display at Costco yesterday, and it got me thinking about this summer's vegetable garden. The snow has melted off everything now, and I still have viable lettuce, kale, chard, onions, garlic, and chicory. There's even what appears to be a little beet plant out there. The rosemary and sage plants with their wood stems took a beating from the heavy snow and will require serious pruning before the growing season begins. I also had pretty little fennel bulbs in a protected area that appear to have succumbed to the snow and ice. That made me sad, but I knew it was risky to try to get them through the winter, and I'll plant some more for this spring.

The past two days have been so beautifully sunny and warm that I'm feeling completely inspired. Is anyone starting seeds inside yet?

[MC Horoscope]

I am eager to get started! Apparently the rabbits are too! I see them all over the place.

Look out at the nurseries this weekend and next. They may be busy. Last weekend I heard the sounds of chain saws all around the neighborhood. This coming weekend it will be tillers!

[KeithA]

I succumbed to the call of the flower bulb display at Costco yesterday, and it got me thinking about this summer's vegetable garden. The snow has melted off everything now, and I still have viable lettuce, kale, chard, onions, garlic, and chicory. There's even what appears to be a little beet plant out there. The rosemary and sage plants with their wood stems took a beating from the heavy snow and will require serious pruning before the growing season begins. I also had pretty little fennel bulbs in a protected area that appear to have succumbed to the snow and ice. That made me sad, but I knew it was risky to try to get them through the winter, and I'll plant some more for this spring.

The past two days have been so beautifully sunny and warm that I'm feeling completely inspired. Is anyone starting seeds inside yet?

Now that we have a yard for the first time, we've taken the plunge and are trying our hands at growing veggies and herbs this year. On Sunday, my wife started seeds inside for cucumbers, rosemary, tomatoes, thyme, and one or two others I can't remember. The only thing is that we feel like we may have missed the boat, some of the seed packets say to start them inside a month or 2 before the last spring frost which I looked up is 3/29/10. So not sure how they'll turn out having only half that time inside before that date. Cross your fingers.

[Montgomery Maid]

Last frost date depends on your location. In upper Montgomery County, where I live, we have had frosts as late as 5/10. My next door neighbors, who have lived here for 40 years, tell me not to plant tomato seedlings until 5/15, to be absolutely safe. That is a little conservative for me (I can cover the young ones easily), but I won't plant them until after 5/10 or so. 3/29 is optimistic.

[porcupine]

The only thing is that we feel like we may have missed the boat, some of the seed packets say to start them inside a month or 2 before the last spring frost which I looked up is 3/29/10. So not sure how they'll turn out having only half that time inside before that date.

Nah. Just don't put them out too soon. Montgomery Maid is right - mid-May at the very earliest for the tomatoes. Once the weather gets truly hot the plants will catch up, and if they don't, well, you'll still have tomatoes. They'll just be a little later.

It's probably a little too early to start cucumbers. The plants grow really fast. Don't set them out any earlier than the tomatoes, and if your indoor starts get too rambunctious, start more or even sow seeds direct into the garden.

[KeithA]

Ok, so maybe my quick internet search for the last spring frost date was flawed. I understand that it depends on the locale, but am at a loss for how to figure out when it is. I'm in DC - anyone know when the last spring frost date is/will be? even approximately?

[porcupine]

Ok, so maybe my quick internet search for the last spring frost date was flawed. I understand that it depends on the locale, but am at a loss for how to figure out when it is. I'm in DC - anyone know when the last spring frost date is/will be? even approximately?

The average last frost date for DC (zone 7a) is April 15; warm weather crops should wait until after Mother's Day. More details here. Also some good publications here .

[MC Horoscope]

Hope I am not too late for lettuce! I put some leaf lettuce, endive, and Swiss chard plants in the ground shortly after those recent near-90 degree days, and it seems like we are back to enjoying spring rather than early summer, so I am hopeful. The garden show on NewsTalk channel 8 said I should have had them in the ground in March, but it seems that, other than those few hot days, we're having a normal spring after all. A bit dry, which I guess is better for resisting diseases.

[chaofun]

Hope I am not too late for lettuce! I put some leaf lettuce, endive, and Swiss chard plants in the ground shortly after those recent near-90 degree days, and it seems like we are back to enjoying spring rather than early summer, so I am hopeful. The garden show on NewsTalk channel 8 said I should have had them in the ground in March, but it seems that, other than those few hot days, we're having a normal spring after all. A bit dry, which I guess is better for resisting diseases.

You should be ok till it gets consistently hot. Even the early gardeners will just now have their first crop ready, and will be re-seeding for the next round.

[bookluvingbabe]

I've noticed many of the stands at the farmers markets had tomato plants last week.

If i wanted to buy plants on Saturday, which market is best? I've got Mr. BLB lined up to either be a sherpa or wrangle the small child while I shop. (Or both...)

Thanks!

[lperry]

I bought great plants last year at the Old Town market at City Hall. I don't remember the name of the vendor, but I got German Johnson tomatoes that made huge, 1 - 2 pound fruits and sweet 100 cherry tomatoes that produced like crazy.

[V.H.]

Has anyone tried a vegetable growing box like this? I'm intrigued by the self-watering aspect, since my big problem with tomatoes (and some other water-hungry veggies) is that with my summer travel schedule and the full sun in my backyard, the intermittent drought conditions can sometimes be too hard on the plants. These boxes seem like a good solution, but they're quite pricey. . .

Sorry for such the late response on this but I have Earthboxes, which are the same concept. I absolutely love them, especially for my tomatoes. I did a side by side experiment with tomato plants last year and the Earthbox tomatoes did lots better than the ground ones (which died because i didn't keep up with watering them). We don't have great soil in the one sunny area of my yard so the Earthboxes were a lot cheaper than building a raised bed and filling with good soil.

[LowellR]

Sorry for such the late response on this but I have Earthboxes, which are the same concept. I absolutely love them, especially for my tomatoes. I did a side by side experiment with tomato plants last year and the Earthbox tomatoes did lots better than the ground ones (which died because i didn't keep up with watering them). We don't have great soil in the one sunny area of my yard so the Earthboxes were a lot cheaper than building a raised bed and filling with good soil.

Great! (and perfectly timed for tomato planting season.)

[thistle]

I second this-I have 6 EBs (5 for tomatoes, 1 for peppers) & I would not garden w/ out them. The large water reservoir lets you go for 2 days w/out watering, if your tomatoes were in the ground, you'd be watering 2x/day. This year, I don't have a huge variety in my EBs-just Sungold, Beefmaster, & Supersweet 100s. I have mucho nacho jalapenoes & habaneros in the pepper box. I try to cover my butt & plant extra tomatoes & peppers out in the garden beds, & herbs-vietnamese coriander, thai basil, fennel -all my rosemary, thyme overwintered. Hoping to get my garden mojo back & plant alot more stuff for this season...

[lperry]

I second this-I have 6 EBs (5 for tomatoes, 1 for peppers) & I would not garden w/ out them. The large water reservoir lets you go for 2 days w/out watering, if your tomatoes were in the ground, you'd be watering 2x/day.

Really? I'm wondering what I have in my yard that you all don't have in yours. I didn't have to water my tomatoes at all last year. The only things I watered were the pumpkins, and they had about ten meters of vines running around. For the tomatoes, I let them get leggy in the six-packs then did the "horizontal" planting to let them have a nice area for rooting, covered the rooting area with mulch, and off they went. My two plots (soon to be three if I can get myself in gear) are on the lower edge of a gentle slope down from the house, so I'm wondering if I just happened to choose a wetter area by accident when I surveyed the yard for the best sun exposure.

[LowellR]

Really? I'm wondering what I have in my yard that you all don't have in yours. I didn't have to water my tomatoes at all last year. The only things I watered were the pumpkins, and they had about ten meters of vines running around. For the tomatoes, I let them get leggy in the six-packs then did the "horizontal" planting to let them have a nice area for rooting, covered the rooting area with mulch, and off they went. My two plots (soon to be three if I can get myself in gear) are on the lower edge of a gentle slope down from the house, so I'm wondering if I just happened to choose a wetter area by accident when I surveyed the yard for the best sun exposure.

That's quite likely - I picked a spot in full sun smack down in the middle of the yeard and the tomatoes there like to be watered once a day during the peak of summer heat.

[sandynva]

For anyone who's interested, when i drove by Cravyn's nursery today (off fairfax blvd) they had a sign saying they had over 100 types of herbs available. i didn't stop in to confirm it or to see the plants, but i've been quite happy with their things in the past--they're grown well and not coddled so even though they don't look as pretty as some plants you see at the markets they are much likelier to thrive.

http://www.cravensnursery.com/

[lperry]

I wanted to post a heads up for the growers who have a tent up in the Giant/Home Goods parking lot on King Street/Leesburg Pike. They are local and have great herbs and vegetable plants at very low prices. The herb selection is impressive, and they have the usual vegetables with a few heirlooms thrown in.

[lperry]

I just harvested the first of the í¼ber-cute "Cippolina Borretana" onions. I foresee skewers and a grill...

[lperry]

I just dug up my first garlic harvest! It was only five small bulbs, and the braid is a bit sparse. However, considering that it is the result of a sprouting and half-rotten bulb I found at the bottom of the onion basket last fall, I'm pretty happy with it.

[chaofun]

Quick question to the gardeners out there, anybody know where I can pick up a poblano pepper plant? Have only hit the Home Depot in Seven Corners, Ayers in the Westover plaza and the Arlington and Dupont Farmers markets.

The last poblano we started this winter didn't make it through this spring.

[thistle]

My peppers are looking terrible this year-bugeaten, puny- the tomatoes,despite almost total neglect, look much better....

[chaofun]

My peppers are looking terrible this year-bugeaten, puny- the tomatoes,despite almost total neglect, look much better....

My Thai pepper didn't make it either. Had to buy a plant from the market today. The rest look ok, but not great. My tomatoes are looking great this year as well. Lots of Early Girl's, but none of them ripe yet.

[chaofun]

Quick question to the gardeners out there, anybody know where I can pick up a poblano pepper plant? Have only hit the Home Depot in Seven Corners, Ayers in the Westover plaza and the Arlington and Dupont Farmers markets.

The last poblano we started this winter didn't make it through this spring.

Found a Poblano plant at the Dupont Market this morning (though I can't remember the vendor for the life of me). They were right behind the BGR in the parking lot.

[lperry]

Here's the past two days' worth of Brandywines. I'm picking them when they start to ripen to prevent theft by midnight marauders.

[lperry]

Rain! I worked a few buckets of compost into the new garden bed early this morning and I'm looking forward to planting the fall crops this weekend. I'm already planning next year's summer garden. I won't replant the Burpee hybrid yellow beefsteak tomatoes because they are not very tomato-ey, and they have been somewhat mealy. I will replant the Brandywine pinks, but I'll plant two seeds, wait two weeks, plant another two seeds, wait two more weeks... We are overwhelmed right now, and I've been tucking tomatoes into the pockets of anyone who comes to visit. For an indeterminate, they seem to ripen all at once, although I think this is partly my fault. I am learning that leaving them on the vine seems to eliminate much of the green ring around the top, and they also take longer to ripen than the ones in the bowl I have in the kitchen. I had been bringing them in for safe keeping only to have them all get ripe at once. I left some out because I figured I had enough to share with the possums. Now I realize that the possums are more interested in the melons, and I should have left all the tomatoes out. Live and learn.

[thistle]

My tomatoes did a horrible job this year (I blame it on the hgh evening temperatures, the only tomatoes that survived & thrived were the Sungold cherry tomatoes, & they split in high temps). They're planted in coir, in earthboxes, w/ additional lime & TomatoTone-the peppers only did marginally better. I'm getting ready to pull out all the tomatoes & peppers & plant something for fall-greens, maybe?

[lperry]

My tomatoes did a horrible job this year (I blame it on the hgh evening temperatures, the only tomatoes that survived & thrived were the Sungold cherry tomatoes, & they split in high temps). They're planted in coir, in earthboxes, w/ additional lime & TomatoTone-the peppers only did marginally better. I'm getting ready to pull out all the tomatoes & peppers & plant something for fall-greens, maybe?

It was a tough year. I lost a lot of tomatoes to blossom end rot, not from a lack of calcium in the soil (I added it), but from drought stress. Then I got some splitting when the big rain came. I was surprised that the Brandywines and yellow pears - the "heirlooms" - did much better than the hybrid yellow beefsteaks. So much for heirlooms being picky. I hope the fall is better, or at least more even with the temperature and rain, because I've got seeds for kale, beets, fennel, and arugula to plant this weekend.

[JPW]

My tomatoes are in big planters on the deck. The Sweet 100's have been producing like gangbusters. The 1st Early Girls are ready to pick. I've got a few fruit ripening on the Lemon Boy plant. Harvested a couple of cukes that was Peanut's request for the summer. A couple of Anaheim peppers are ready to pick. The bell pepper plant crashed and burned. A pretty good year given my lack of gardening skill and my non-attentiveness.

[lperry]

I just became the proud owner of a cold frame that I inherited from a former student. Being from Florida, I know about cold frames in theory, but I've never actually used one. Can I set the entire thing over a garden bed and plant early directly in the ground, or is it better to use it as a little greenhouse full of pots to start seedlings? None or all of the above?

[astrid]

You can do both. If I had a cold frame, I'd use it to grow greens this fall/winter/early spring, then switch to seedling production and hardening around mid March.

[lperry]

The fall garden plot is starting to sprout, now that I've been watering it regularly. Fennel, Tuscan kale, chard, arugula, and radishes are in our future.

[lperry]

One month later: Dinner bound.

[chaofun]

We are well into our Fall/Winter rotation now. Recently sowed some beets, winter lettuces, chard, kale and spinach where the green beans were. Peas will be in the same spot in the spring.

The rest of the plot will be turned and we'll put cover crop and straw down till late winter/early spring when we start all over again. This time I fully I plan on getting an earlier start on the growing season, like February. Always seems like I'm behind.

[lperry]

Farewell, fall. There are 20s in the forecast, so I'll be pulling in the most tender things that won't fit under the cold frame.

I'm going to let the turnips, carrots, kale, arugula and máche fend for themselves - they shouldn't freeze. I put fennel and lettuce in two beds, only one of which I can frame out, so they will be used soon. They are small, but should still taste OK. Unfortunately, my giant mound of cilantro (the best I've ever grown) will meet its maker. I wish there were a decent way to preserve it.

This long spell of warm weather was awfully nice while it lasted, and my success with fall gardening makes me think I need to build more cold frames. The fresh greens have been wonderful, and planting a few odd items for the first time has led to more innovation in the kitchen. Just a couple of months to go before I can start thinking about spring.

[astrid]

Cilantro - If you haven't ripped it out yet, it might be worthwhile to keep the roots (the ones you don't want to make Thai curry paste with, that is) in the ground. I've seen some huge ones in my community garden during the spring, so I suspect cilantro is a biennal in warmer parts of zone 7.

If you want a bit more space for winter gardening, you might want to consider using agribon (http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-5452-agribon-ag-19-floating-row-cover-83-x-50.aspx).

[lperry]

Cilantro - If you haven't ripped it out yet, it might be worthwhile to keep the roots (the ones you don't want to make Thai curry paste with, that is) in the ground. I've seen some huge ones in my community garden during the spring, so I suspect cilantro is a biennal in warmer parts of zone 7.

I didn't rip it out, but I did tell all the neighbors to come cut what they wanted. We are in zone 7b, tidewater, so I won't pull it out. It will be worth it if it comes back in the spring.

[chaofun]

We are well into our Fall/Winter rotation now. Recently sowed some beets, winter lettuces, chard, kale and spinach where the green beans were. Peas will be in the same spot in the spring.

The rest of the plot will be turned and we'll put cover crop and straw down till late winter/early spring when we start all over again. This time I fully I plan on getting an earlier start on the growing season, like February. Always seems like I'm behind.

Our winter crops are going strong but this as lperry has said next week will be the end with the consistent freezing temperatures. Going to experiment with low tunnels this year. After looking at The Winter Harvest Handbook, I'm anxious to try some of his techniques.

[chaofun]

Pretty psyched for the new gardening season! What are you alls favorite seed sources? Mine are:

Fedco - cheapest, non GMO mostly organic, large selection

Southern Exposure Seed Exchange - Va seed exchange, focused on Mid-atlantic

Seed Savers Exchange - large selection all almost entirely heirloom

Bakers Creek - large selection all heirloom

Others:

Sand Hill Preservation - Heirloom Sweet Potatoes!

Territorial - general

Potato Garden - potatoes obviously

Kitazawa - Asian veg

[Pool Boy]

I'm interested in learning about how to start from seed - primarily how do I find CHEAP sources of grow lights? I have space. I have will, I have desire to start seeds. I just need a cheap source for the lighting required. And, I am NOT handy with building my own stuff from scratch. I need a kit with instructions or something like it. Thanks!!!

[lperry]

Pretty psyched for the new gardening season! What are you alls favorite seed sources? Mine are:

I like to hold the packet in my hand, for some reason. Whole Paycheck and Mom's carry Botanical Interests, and I have had good luck with them, particularly the Romano pole beans which are incredibly good. Merrifield has Thompson and Morgan as well as an Italian brand I can't remember, but I do remember the fabulous little flat onions. It's been so freaking cold I haven't gone seed shopping yet!

I'm interested in learning about how to start from seed - primarily how do I find CHEAP sources of grow lights? I have space. I have will, I have desire to start seeds. I just need a cheap source for the lighting required. And, I am NOT handy with building my own stuff from scratch. I need a kit with instructions or something like it. Thanks!!!

You can get a cheap shop light with fluorescent tube bulbs at Home Depot or Lowe's, and it will work fine. All you would have to do is hang it and plug it in.

[chaofun]

I like to hold the packet in my hand, for some reason. Whole Paycheck and Mom's carry Botanical Interests, and I have had good luck with them, particularly the Romano pole beans which are incredibly good. Merrifield has Thompson and Morgan as well as an Italian brand I can't remember, but I do remember the fabulous little flat onions. It's been so freaking cold I haven't gone seed shopping yet!

You can get a cheap shop light with fluorescent tube bulbs at Home Depot or Lowe's, and it will work fine. All you would have to do is hang it and plug it in.

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+

[lperry]

Here is a nice thread on Gardenweb about the lights. You just need something with a blue-skewed output for starting seedlings.

[astrid]

Seeds

Pinetree - low prices and great vegetable selection
Johnny's Selected Seeds - the gold standard in quality but highish prices. The seeds are tested for Vermont, so they're not necessarily well adapted for Mid-Atlantic.
J L Hudson - they have some truly exotic stuff for a low-fair price
Stokes - good flower seed selection and fair prices

For fruit and nut trees, I'd also recommend Burnt Ridge. They have a fantastic edibles selection at a good price.

Never tried seed starting lights, but I can raise good seedlings if a window gets 5 hours of direct sun. For plant starting, I highly recommend Lee Valley's Windowsill seed starter.