Homegrowmen (Farming and Gardening) Thread #53

>>743345
US Farm Income and Taxes,
http://www.hobbyfarms.com/farm-marketing-and-management/farm-income-taxes-14991.aspx

US Grants and Loans for Small Farms,
http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome?navid=GRANTS_LOANS
http://afsic.nal.usda.gov/farms-and-community/grants-and-loans-farmers
http://www.nal.usda.gov/afsic/pubs/funding.shtml

Managing Risks on Your Small Farm,
http://agr.wa.gov/Marketing/SmallFarm/managerisk.aspx

Chicken info and forum,
http://www.backyardchickens.com

Rabbit guide
http://www.agriculture.gov.tt/publications/manuals/rabbit-production-a-producer-s-manual.html

A public access seedbank for many types of rare or endangered plants; both edible and ornamental,
http://www.jlhudsonseeds.net/index.htm

Organic and heirloom selections:
http://sustainableseedco.com/
http://www.seedsofchange.com/
http://www.johnnyseeds.com/

Potato, Sweet Potato, and Tubers seed bank (free, but requies filling out forms and waiting in line):
http://www.cipotato.org/

Awesome interactive plant/gardening maps for USA, Canada, France, UK, BC, (frost dates, temp zones, etc):
http://www.plantmaps.com/index.php

Sprout seeds and info:
sproutpeople.org

Insect Habitats for attracting polinating bees, predatory/parasitic wasps, hibernating ladybugs, butterflies, etc.
http://www.inspirationgreen.com/insect-habitats.html

Toad and Hedgehog Habitats,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JetkWtw7Jc
http://familycrafts.about.com/od/frogcrafts/a/How_To_Make_A_Toad_Village.htm
http://www.bbc.co.uk/breathingplaces/hedgehog_home/
http://www.britishhedgehogs.org.uk/leaflets/L5-Hedgehog-Homes.pdf

Chili Peppers
http://www.fatalii.net/

More on Aquaponics & Aquaculture,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?&v=26xpMCXP9bw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?&v=_WgfaJjvfxA
http://www.appropedia.org/Aquaponics

Sourcing plants from the grocery,
http://www.diyncrafts.com/4732/repurpose/25-foods-can-re-grow-kitchen-scraps

first for basil seeds

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>>743356
I'm the Rhinelander, but with the sheer amount of neophytes everywhere this doesn't have to say much (just that it's unlikely to be something tropical, as it grew there last year too therefore over-wintered in the root)
>>743356
Reminds me of a sort of mint (but different-looking, see pic) growing on the river in a sometimes flooded area, which grows there in masses and I thought "oh nice let's collect some for tea" but it turned out tasting awful, almost petrol-like. Judging from where it grows and how it looks like it was probably Mentha aquatica

>>743196
>>743267
>>743356
>>743371
Thanks for help with the mint, everyone. After tasting a leaf and consulting some books I'm confident it's lemon balm.

>>743304
>>743307
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alliaria_petiolata

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Just got a Nagami Kumquat Tree, it's grafted. Kumquat guides in general say not to fertilize the first year. Are they referring to kumquat trees grown from seeds or the grafted type?

Is the stress from potting so much that it's better to not fertilize? Or are they just saying that a young kumquat tree probably doesn't need any additional fertilizer.

Also I've read that these guys like sandy-loam soil. I planted it in pic related. Is there any way to sand this stuff up without disrupting my tree?

>>743559
They probably like poor soil. Some plants don't function well in rich soil. Since it reads sandy-loam soil, I'm betting that is the reason why.

You just need to repot, but only do so if it looks like it is suffering. If there's no problems, just leave it alone.

>>743371

Mah nigga, I'm right near Sugar Camp.

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>>743563

Alright, guess I just gotta wait a few weeks and see if she blooms. Then make the call.

Does anyone here mess with grafting?

>>743573
>Does anyone here mess with grafting?

I've done it for a while. Once I learned how to do it and got it right I lost interest. It is really easy once you, "get" it. You really do need sharp tools and proper equipment to do it correctly every time.

>>743594
Is there a decent guide?

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>>743594

I'm pretty interested in it. I've got some columnar apples trees that have some shoots I think I could graft. The problem is the trees themselves are grafted on M27 rootstock and I can't find anywhere that sells in the US. I wouldn't even mind just getting the seeds. Any ideas?

Would a small mushroom farm be profitable?

>>743725

Theoretically you can farm without any expenses so any income you receive would be profit. However if you're buying a bunch of inputs and equipment you might not be able to make a profit at smaller scales, especially in the short term.

>>743599
I don't really know, I did all my grafting in the 1980s.

>>743602
Use something else. There's quite a few different rootstocks.

>>743725
>>743771
It can be profitable. The amount of work involved is proportional to the amount of money you want to make. If you are running around collecting coffee grounds from restaurants and such for pearl oyster to sell then your over head will be pretty low. But, if you want to do shiitake logs or Reishi kits and make good solid money at it then things are going to be a lot more work.

The best thing to do is to get a feel for the market. Who uses the mushrooms, what types do they use, how much do they currently spend on it, etc. Then go from there as to what you want to do.

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>have baby's first hydroponic setup (a.k.a. Miracle Grow Aerogarden)
>decide to not buy any more company pods, reuse the old ones and put peat moss into the pods.
>put in seeds and everything is growing.
>have flies way out of season....
>oh, wait those are fungus gnats.

So, what are my options /hrg/? With my work and other life stuff going on I completely ignored them and there are larvae eating my stems and roots and gnats flying around.

I can't really dry it out since it is hydroponic but is there anything I can put into the water or on the peat moss to kill the things?

>>743856
Nematodes

So I started my first garden

I dont have a tiller but took advice from someone in the last thread and bought a spade.

Is it ok to just dig a few square sections for different plants?

Like without having rows upon rows.

I live alone and I don't really need to plant a whole lot.

Also should I mulch beside every plant?

Anyone farm on a gradient? I have a large (for a suburb anyway) area of sloped land on the side of my house that im considering making use of. Pretty much a straight area of downland slope leading to a flat area at the bottom near the street. Its about a 30-40 degree angle so not that bad.

What do I need to look out for? I'd like to ultimately turn it into productive "farm"land (possibly to sell to the community to make some supplemental income. I live in the middle of a city area composed of small restaurants and neighborhoods etc) but I'm not sure about runoff and issues with certain plants. Turning the thing into terraces would be cool, but is not particularity realistic with one man labor.

>>744022
You can merely dig up and till small pot-sized holes where you want to plant something. Instead of digging everything everywhere that is.

Mulching is for areas that are dry and for weed suppression. Crops like potatoes normally do poorly when mulched, if you get lots of rain in a year. It keeps them too moist. Plants like tomatoes benefit from some mulch since they use so much water.

>>744038
My first garden is like that. I found that making channels/cross ditches for high rain runoff was the best thing to do to prevent erosion right through the crops. High winds hitting the hillside tended to flatten the corn, whereas the corn on the level ground didn't have much of a problem with wind.

I used sand, manure, compost, mulch, etc and over the years the really good soil had moved down hill a great deal. The upper sections are bereft of good soil and the bottom has like 1.5-2 feet deep of good soil. Installing some 1 block high retaining walls will prevent this.

Now, I have the area mostly terraced with raised beds. Just two more beds to make and it'll be done.

My pea seeds keep wanting to come to the surface. Should I plant them deeper or compact the topsoil a little more?

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>spend three days away from home
>tfw come back and see my first cherry tomato transplants of all time had growth spurts

Is this what a proud parent feels like?

Also, can anyone help me ID at least one of these? Sampled them while cleaning the terrace, they must've been growing there for months. Found the tiny one in the drainage of all places. Can give closer pictures on request.

>>744373
Tropical climate?

>>744395

Yep, Puerto Rico.

>>744373
In America those are house plants. lol

>>744373
big leafy one looks like a type of Philodendron, I've seen large variegated ones like that in florida that dig their roots into tree trunks and climb up. Not sure about other ones

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>>744457
>>744461

Thanks for the help! Also, I'm still very new at everything plant (always preferred animals), so right now I'm trying to solve the confusing Philodendron/Epipremnum case. Now to hope they don't die because they're quite pretty.

Have some sleeping Oxalis Triangularis as thanks. Going to repot it later.

Planning on failing at staring some seeds, but you never know...

Growing mushrooms with jars sounds interesting. Never grown them before but it doesn't sound like it would be very cost effective initially if you just wanted to test it out...Already have an abundance of old logs outside and plenty of shade (plus random mushrooms have grown in the yard), would it be easier/cheaper to just try it outside?


On another note, anyone else growing raspberries? Just pruned them back and they're looking great.

A girl I know dropped one of her cacti on the floor and it's dying. Well, it wasn't her that dropped it but it still went to the floor and is having trouble. Is there any way to help it to not die?

>>744569
>old logs

You can't use old logs for growing mushrooms. You must have fresh cut logs.

>>744581
What kind is it, what shape is it? If it has lobes you can tear one off and plant it.

>>744587
how fresh? like "I just cut the tree down today"?

some of them have had pretty big mushrooms growing on them already....no clue what kind they were

I just planted corn, carrots, and peas today, and a lot more coming tomorrow.
Any tips?

I plants a lot of Swiss Chard in my area. It seems to be the only green leafy veggie that can grow in our soil and it does extremely well. I planted about 30 chard plants last year n this year I want to try and do 100. Sounds crazy but my family and I love the stuff.

>>744666

Do you cook em or eat them raw? I planted a few this year but I've never tried them before.

>>744751
We like to steam them. They taste a lot like collard greens.

They don't take long to cook at all.

Put a little reds hot sauce on it and it's good eating.

>>744751
My mom eats them raw but I prefer them steamed. They has a almost salty taste to them when eaten raw. But to each is own.

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>>744658
Prepare a place for your peas to climb up before you plant them. I made this mistake and it was a mess trying to rig up canes and chicken wire after they'd put feelers out everywhere.

Pumpkins finally decided to come through!

>>744581
how is it dying? did it break apart? is the soil too wet? how does the plant look?

Take pics for diagnosis please

>>744588
>>744915

I don't know. I'd have to ask her. I will have this information by tonight.

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I can finally plant now in my area. Some stuff is popping up too. Clockwise: Lambs Quarter and Chickweed, Swiss Chard, Asparagus, Purple Potatoes

>>744656
>how fresh? like "I just cut the tree down today"?

Preferably, yes. It has to do with moisture content, nutrients, and preventing other fungi/microbes from inoculating it before you can. The best thing to do is have your fungi plugspawn in the fridge, your drill ready, your wax ready then go out into the woods and cut down a trees, or wait until there's a bad storm that knocks trees down. As soon as the tree comes down, you cut it up into about 3-4 feet long logs, drill the holes, hammer in the plug spawn, seal each hole with melted wax, and store the logs in a shady place you can keep an eye on. The logs should be 6 inches to 12 inches in diameter. Larger logs last longer, but take longer to fully colonize.

Do not remove the bark.
Do not use old logs.
Do not use cut/use trees that have visible rot.
Do not use cut/use trees that have visible fungi/mycelium on them.

>>744658
>Any tips?

Watch out for frost in the weather news. Prepare row covers so that you can put them over if there will be frost. Don't plant everything at once. Space out plantings to about 2 weeks apart. Get pea supports in now.

>>744666
Try Lambs Quarter/Goosefoot (Chenopodium album). The greenhouse name is, "Magenta Spreen". Harvest it at about 12 inches tall or less, eat it raw or cook it like spinach. It can normally grow everywhere and is considered a weed, but it is actually an old leafy staple crop that spinach replaced in popularity. If it gets too old the stem turns woody. Adult plants can reach 8 feet tall in good soil. Cooler temperatures/less light triggers them to bloom and go to seed.

>>744751
Chard is really easy to grow, but only goes to seed in its second year (and gets MASSIVE then). It is great raw or cooked as greens. 1 Leaf is a meal.

>>744802
Their flavor changes a lot with soil conditions, fyi.

>>744926
You know, there is a tree on a cut-hrough I use that fell over but is still alive. Wonder if I should cut it off and use it for shrooms.

Planning on growing magic mushrooms.
Any tips/books/infographics besides the one in the sticky?

>>744944
What type of tree is it? That will determine the type of fungi you can use with it.

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About to start posting stuff from my garden, mostly fruit trees and stuff, this is a grafted avocado, Fuerte Variety, fruited once excellent quality, however I had to trim it because of sunburn damage

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>>745070
This poor thing is another avocado, severe burn damage, grown from seed not grafted, about three years old, has not fruited

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>>745071
dwarf Cavendish banana puppies, the main stalk fruited during frost so i didn't get to taste them

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>>745075
Cayenne Dragon pepper, newly planted

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>>745078
Tabasco pepper, also new

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>>745081
Jalapeno pepper, two years old, there is a tomato plant growing out of its planter

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>>745083
Navel Orange grafted, excellent quality fruit

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>>745084
Tropical guava, Mexican cream variety grafted, very nice taste, fruit comes from new growth so i prune it vigorously

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Got an allotment, got some extra space that doesn't get a lot of sun so I was thinking of digging a pit, putting some hardwoods logs and mushroom logs in there, how well would this work? Any tips?

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>>745086
Table grape, one of the Thompson varieties, roots broke through the container

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>>745090
Another Thompson variety, roots also broke though the container

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>>745092
Rose apple tree (the one that looks like a guava) grown from seed never fruited, second year

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>>745095
Mango seedling glen variety, i have high hopes for this once it sprouted during a cold spell and took no damage

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>>745098
older mango seedling, had signs of root rot moved to large dry pot, probably going to die

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>>745099
Jackfruit seedling from a friends tree

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>>745100
several jackfruit seeds planted in one pot

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>>745103
some nice flowers, one is hibiscus, i forget the name of the white ones

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>>745105
pineapple plant, notice the yellowing from winter weather

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>>745109
lemon tree

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>>745114
Penstemon flowers, bees love these

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>>745118
Nopal cactus

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>>745124
probably the most expensive plant in my garden Plumeria, purchased as a small cutting

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>>745126
I don't know what kind of plant this is, ive seen some before but much younger, flowers pretty much all year long

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>>745130
My favorite plant in the garden, Ceiba tree

>>745070
to
>>745134
Very nice. That pineapple plant will probably send out a side shoot and grow from that too.

>>745130
Senecio jacobaea?

>>745089
If it is shaded well enough it should work. Get a dunk tank or just a sprinkler to water them for 24 hours when you need them to flush in a year or so.

How shade tolerant is Black Mustard?

>>745126

jelly-I'm nurturing a cutting of one from work, but will eventually have to bring it back...

>>745285
Full sun to partial shade.

>>743856
Add dried catnip to the water. The oils kill the larvae

My boss wants us to get an indoor fruit-bearing plant. At first we were thinking lemons, cause then we can use the fruit for G&Ts (casual workplace drinking and all), but from a bit of research they should really be bathed in sun when it's available. Our office gets a decent bit of sun (I've got some chilis on my windowsill) but I wouldn't say bathed. Any ideas? stuff that can be paired with alcohol in some way are preferential but certainly not essential

I wanna grow some magic mushrooms for personal use. I just had some trees cut down so I have two substantial detached Oak stumps. I'm gonna get some innoculation culture. How do I get started with the least amount of equipment and money possible? Mushroom-chan speak up if you're here. I've got a power drill which I think will come in handy.

>>745384
Maybe something tropical (their lower level rainforest parts also don't get too much light), like banana? They grow them under glass even in Iceland, and apparently the plants don't die there in super dark December

>>745369
unless you have cats

>>745391
someone just answered that, read up

Where is the best place to buy seeds? HD and Lowes are highway robbery. If grass grows on the ground, is there any point in replacing it with expensive organic soil mixtures? Also, we get large cracks in the ground in the summer. Is it worth screwing up the PH with peat moss if I can get out and hand water often? I'm moving in a month or two and want to dedicate a good portion of my backyard to growing crops. Assuming this is a raised bed, what is a cheap long lasting barrier to separate lawn from garden? I thought about using cinder blocks, but they have large holes going through them. It would also need to withstand edging which is why I though about using concrete as opposed to plastic or metal barriers.
>>745078
>>745081
>>745083
Did you make a mold with lumber and pour cement into this? That looks really neat and ideal for what I want to do.

>>745415
cool, thanks. To add to what has already been said you can find free logs on craigslist free section. Lots of people put them on craigslist so strangers will come by and pick up their fresh trees.

>>745424
I'm reading up on it at the moment....Hoping to give it a whack.

I never knew mushrooms were such divas.

>>745429
Hahaha my thoughts exactly. I thought mushrooms were more like "Dude, wood lmao."

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Hi Homegrownmen. I bought this cactus here today. His name is Beef Supreme. Do any cactus growers know what type of cactus he is? I've done some searching and I think he might be a Acanthorhipsalis monacantha, but I don't know because his pot just says "Cactus". Thanks.

>>745418
>Where is the best place to buy seeds?

I order all mine online or trade with locals, family, and friends.

>Assuming this is a raised bed, what is a cheap long lasting barrier to separate lawn from garden?

Used blocks, used bricks, and stone sourced from some free location. Mine are all cinder blocks with the holes pointing up and bricks/stones covering the holes.

Cement will work. You can also make cement bricks so you can always redo, expand, or move it as needed.

>is there any point in replacing it with expensive organic soil mixtures?

Grass grows even in crappy dirt. If you do make raised beds you can control the soil to exactly what you want it to be. For watering, a sprayer will work fine. Hand watering is nice with a small garden but a major chore in a large garden.

anyone have experience with good tea plants?
preferably ones that grow Indore

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>be me
>stop at wallmart
>want a plant to keep in my room
>see hyacinth
>see cactus
>leave without knowing what to buy

halp, can I even find things worth growing at a wallmart garden center? Should I stray from the pot transfer ones and just get a pot and some seeds and hope for the best?

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tomatoes and peppers in

>>745565
How much light will it get in the place you want to put it? That determines what type of plant you should get.

>>745556
You mean actual tea (Camellia sinensis) or just tisane (Mint, Comfrey, Pine, Chamomile, etc)?

>>745583
Nice defenses. Seems the moat has thwarted an advancing cat already.

>>745591
tisane, my roommate has a hole lot of hydroponics shit from a lab he works at and were thinking of fun shit to grow

i think actual tea may be too big to work well inside

>>745598
mint is easy as fuck as long as you remember to pull off the new growth (which is what you will be drying and steeping) in order to keep it all from getting tough and not growing as much.

chamomile is not too hard either.

that's the end of my experience.

>>745418
nah man its just stone bricks that i used as planters and as placeholders for the planting bed behind them, worked pretty well actually (the wood is from a broken bed frame) its held up a couple years now

>>745556
Mint
Chamomile
Rosemary
Red clover

You can grow them in containers close to your windows.

Don't mix the mint with other plants tho, mint (especially spear mint in my experience) have a gift to self propagate and will invade your other plants.

>>745556
>>745739

Don't grow them from seed, it will take "a long time" and you will be disappointed, especially if you're a beginner.

You can clone mint pretty easily. I'd suggest you to do it if you know someone who can give you a twig or two.

Rosemary is also easy to clone but takes little bit longer.

Chamomile is also nice for a beginner but be aware it doesn't give flowers all year. Most of the time, it's just a cute green bush.

Speaking about flowers, cut the flowers of your mint : it asks for too much energy and you're interested by the leaves. Cut them and you'll get more leaves.
rosemary give pretty flowers.

>>745739
>Red clover
>tisane

Enjoy your estrogen.

>>745811
Well, if I cared about expressing my "manliness", I wouldn't be gardening as I hobby, would I?

>>745812
>Striking at the earth to raise your own food
>Not one of the manliest hobbies there is

>>745848
Of course you'll get approval on this thread.
However, socially, gardening is a feminine hobby. You almost always find tips and advice in women magazine, but never in masculine one. Same goes for coking.

I chose not to care and to drink my homegrown redclover herbal tea.

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Do you guys think my chile plants will survive/bear chile in these pots? Should I get something bigger or is this size ok?

>>745929
That's ok, I've got peppers in much smaller pots

>>745929
Those Seem fine depending on the type of pepper

>>745583
cute cat :3

>>746015
It's Hungarian Wax pepper and a something something pepper I can't remember

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>tfw the one huge tomato (over winter cloning experiment for those that remember) I planted out in mid-March and is still somehow alive has not only flowered but seems to be starting to produce tiny fruits
>tfw it will probably be kill because of the coldest weather on record here being in the forecast for the whole next week (after high/lows being 23/9°C yesterday, it's supposed to be around 10/3 for most of the next week)
Fuck that shit, but at least it'll stay frost-free here which is crucial for not killing all the fruit trees that have long sprouted and flowered

>>745870

You'll find tips on doing your hair and buying clothes and decorating your house in "masculine" magazines so that's not a great barometer.

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>>745870
By gardening, they mean planting flowers.

>have a dream that my seeds have germinated
>wake up
>they haven't

This has happened 3 times this week now.

>>746137
Meh, even the vast majority of flower ornamental cultivars were bred by male researches/botanists/...
One could argue that being representative is a male thing too, and I think having a nice looking garden was/is just as important as driving a huge expensive car

>>746138
Is totoro in your dreams? You need to do the dance

>>745105
Amaryllis maybe?
mirin' that

>>745130
looks like it could be coreopsis

>>745565
both those need lots of light and probably won't do well in your room unless you have a south/west facing window
Hyacinths that are bought in stores are forced and once are done blooming should be planted in the garden for next year(if hardy to your area)
Walmart has a lot of gems for sale in clearance, and if you're willing to baby some stuff you can get nice deals out of there


>>745583
mirin' that shit, also cute cat

>>745929
yes, just make sure to add bonemeal if your fertilizer didn't have added calcium


QUESTION: I have two freebie sad orchid plants. They're in wet spagnum moss. Should I just set them in a sunny area to chill out until they green up or ?

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So. My dumb Ass didn't set my timer for vegging. These started growing. Am I too late to switch it back to vegging what do. Its not even a foot.

>>745929
I've got much bigger pepper plants in much smaller pots.

>>746133
Put something over it to cover it. Place as many containers/bottles of water around it as possible and under the covering.

>>745812
It is about not screwing up your hormones.

>>746138
iktf

>>746184
Tomato? That is normal it will still grow like crazy.

>>745870

Getting coked out is definitely a masculine hobby.

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While the 400+ books from the OP downloads
Are there any books in there about terrariums?

I like the idea of a little self contained eco system on my desk.

I always though they had to be sealed but doing some searching and seeing all the pinterest shit where they just put moss in a glass cup and call it a terrarium??

It won't get much light where I want to put it so I was thinking of putting some timed grow lights on it to turn on when I'm asleep, do those red and blue leds work?

How do I keep deer away from my crops? I live in the boonies and they wander onto the property freely. I know that I need to properly fence it but you should see how high those things jump.. what else will work? Any truth to sticking a bunch of irish spring bars in a sack and posting it up?

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>Potassium permanganate
I can't find any in town, can I get away with not using it?
Growing bamboo

>>746418
pharmacist may have some.

>>746416
8 foot fences are the only sure way. There are some plants that are supposed to repel deer. I havent ever tried them.

>Colorado State University says that Black-Eyed Susans, California fuschia, daffodils, lavender, Virginia creeper and mountain mahogany are among the plants that deer steer clear of. (That said, desperate deer do desperate things. If it is a sparse food year, deer will tend to eat whatever they can find.)

>>746442
Thanks I'll have a look tomorrow.

>>746379
Terrariums are really easy to make. Some are permanent and others are not.

The best course of action is to only use shade tolerant plants.

>>746416
>>746445
I use 6 feet tall fencing on my property for keeping deer out. It works very well. The only time deer jump over it, is if the gate is left open at night, they come in, then freak the fuck out when I come outside. They will first try to run right through the fence then try to jump over it. Some can clear 6 feet, but most can't and end up tearing the fence up and crushing it down enough to jump over. Deer outside the fence never ever jump into it.

Nothing else works consistently. Even an anti-deer dog lets deer pass from time to time.

>>746418
You technically don't need to use that. You just need to soak them in water.

>>746504
Can I make a terrarium in something as small as a jam jar?

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>>746515
Yes, but you need to use plants that don't grow very tall at all. Like mosses, ground covers, lichen, and fungi.

Lycopodiopsida (Lycopodium digitatum)
Cladonia (Cladonia cristatella/Cladonia chlorophaea)
Leptinella (Leptinella squalida)
Sedum (Sedum ternatum)

Anyone know anything about making carnivorous plant bogs?

>>746416
That or mustard and urinal cakes.

How long does it take for the new leaves to show up after grafting an apple tree?

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Just finished putting down some peas, carrots, turnips and sun flowers. All the composting I did over the winter feels like it was for nothing. The soil feels like it has more clay than last year now

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>>746732
Pulled up a load of garlic and some spring onions that I put in last winter for the fun of it. I still have no idea what I'm doing, I weeded one of my patches and it turns out they were potato plants, not weeds.

Do these spring onions look edible?

>>746732
Post pic of soil?

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>>746763
It's full of stones too, hopefully putting carrots and turnips into it wasn't a complete waste of time

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Hey. Looking after my mom's garden for the week. She complained about the flowers on her (cucumber, I think?) Plant falling off and saying they're not getting pollinated. How could I possibly help with that? Trim the huge ass leaves covering the flower?

>>746785
It seems quite aerated though (for an clay soil, I mean), and with a nice dark color. I hope your vegetables will do fine.

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Babby's first garden

Variety of tomatoes, variety of peppers, onions, garlic and beans.

I'm not expecting much since idk wtf I'm doing, especially so of the alliums since I planted them so late.

Hopefully I will learn something this season.

>>746868
http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/cucumber/hand-pollinating-cucumbers.htm

>>746921
Looks nice mate, have fun with it

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Here a little update pic on my watermelon, its vines have already clutched the radiator top grid in multiple spots. Also been flowering for a while but I doubt any pollination has taken place (I had the windows open during warmer days, so maaaaybe a bee could have lost its way once)
Also pictured a few of my 17 or so tomato plants I had to somehow distribute inside the house again
Of course the weather has turned to absolute shit, three fucking degrees now and it's just after midnight here and clear sky which means it can easily drop further, if it actually goes into freezing then it will be the first time that happened so late since 1991.
There's still 10 fig seedlings outside, but I absolutely have no space inside anymore, so let's hope it'll actually stay above zero
I can probably write off the few tomatoes that are already in the ground outside (they are rain-sheltered, but fuck it I'm not gonna actively heat them

>>746184

Maybe it'll make a golden fruit anon.

>>746921

It's all about learning something. I live in a climate that allows me to grow for 10 months a year, so in 5 years I've effectively had 15 growing seasons. I've had a ton of experience, and I still learn knew shit and make mistakes all the time. I only recently started producing enough to not have to go grocery shopping all the time.

>>746868
That is some sort of squash plant in the image. Only the female flowers get pollinated and those only appear after the male flowers have been blooming for a while. Don't worry about it.

>>746868
It's a zucchini and you can fry and eat the flowers. They're good!

>>746442
Bought some from the pharmacy, crystals. The packaging just says "CONTAINS: Potassium Permanganate 1g/g" and the instructions for the seeds call for 0.3% potassium permanganate.

So should I just make a heavily diluted mix of the crystals and water?

>>747116
Mix 1g with 300g of warm distilled water, that's about 10 ounces American. Your kitchen scale doesn't do single grams so get your pal who smokes weed to bring his scale, it'll be metric. Stir until dissolved and there you go.

>>747148
And mix it fresh, it'll decompose over time.

>>747116
>>747148
I don't think this could do any big harm (given proper proportions), though is it really necessary to disinfect the seeds with permanganate?
Also, beware of permanganate stains, it's quite hard to get rid of those

>>746921
That is some kind of neat and orderly. Looks really nice. Much luck to your growing and harvest season.

>>746416
I've heard grated Irish Springs soap spread around the crops works, and also guns. If you got dogs, get them to shit and piss nearby. Deer tend not to want to mess with them. Motion activated lights and concentrated sound projectors work some of the time. But there are really cheeky deer out there. Best bet is fences if you can build 'em, and use a combo of the other stuff to get them to fuck off from the fences (cuz they'll try to jump it. Knocking them over works just as well as jumping them in the mind of a deer).

>>746379
If you do a mushroom terrarium, they won't require any light at all to grow and be happy.
I've had grow lights work before, so giving them a try can't hurt.
Not all terrariums need to be sealed. If you decide to make one with carnivorous plants, best not to seal them off unless you plan to catch bugs to feed to them (the bugs need to be alive, since their struggling triggers the plant to produce digestive juices and seal them in tight).

A lot of house plants do well in terrariums. Ferns, orchids, mosses, all like the humidity being in a terrarium can bring.

>>746924
>>747189
Thank you!

It pretty much has to look that way, since that's the only sliver on this lot which gets sun most of the day. I don't have the luxury of space to waste!

>>747004
Wow, that's really cool!

Furthering self reliance is the ultimate goal, but first I gotta make do with what I have. My hope is that before next spring I'll have some land and I can start planting trees and even more annuals, but for now I'll focus on this plot and take on all the valuable experience I can get

>>747156
>is it really necessary to disinfect the seeds with permanganate

Not at all. Most people Just soak for 24 hours and plant.

>>746738
Looks fine to me.

Is it illegal to plant running bamboo in an allotment or garden?

>>747865
Yes. Everywhere. Always.
You know nothing, John Snow.

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Just picked this guy right now.

First time growing carrots. I'm really happy with myself on this one. He's an ugly one but was so freaking good.

Can't wait for the others to finish.

>>747865
It depends on where you live. You have to look up local laws for invasive plants. For bamboo there are special barriers you can install or just raise it in containers like a 55gal plastic water drum cut in half lengthways.

>>747911
Southern hemisphere? Because here up North you usually sow them around March and harvest from October throughout winter (up to next year's February/March)

>>747919
I live in Southern California in zone 9.

Honestly I forgot when I sowed it. But I have 7 other ones I'm letting grow a but more before harvesting.

Me n my 3 year old nice planted it together and also enjoyed eating it :-P I never met a 3 year old who loved carrots so much.

>>747931
Ah so you can probably do them year-round, here at 50°N the temps aren't that much of a problem (zone 8a) but the strong variation in daylight/sun intensity (varies from 8 to 16 hours)

>>747965

yeah it doesn't get very low here.

What grows best in my yard is Swiss Chard, Radish, Lemon Basil, Cherry Tomatoes and Oregano. So I always make sure I have those growing at all times. But I'm going to try new areas in my yard n see how the Carrots do.

>>745591
Not him, but do you know anything about possibly making tea with ornamental camellia?

>>746182
Put the orchids in a bright place but out of direct sunlight

>>746416
>>746445
I've heard you can also use two short fences 3-4? feet apart cause it messes up their jumping. No experience with this though but you might look into it.
My friend says shoot a deer in the tail. If you shoot him dead two will come back to take his place, but shoot him in the tail and he and his friends will stay clear.

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So as it turns out my new apartment has a garden. help me decide what to do with it.
i think i'd like to make it look aesthetically pleasing, maybe flowers. its too small to grow and crops meaningfully.

>>748042
im looking for ideas btw. its in england and im a complete beginner. i'll check back in the morning.

>>748151
Looks like North is behind the camera?

>>748173
i checked and north is just off screen to the left in that image.

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>>748173
like this

>>748180
>north is just off screen
I didn't know there were back yards on the arctic shelf.

Hey guys I'm looking for an electric battery lawnmower do you recommend any?

Longtime lurker and occasional poster here. I live in Zone 7. I've got 2 dozen pepper plants in 5 gallon buckets. There's a long term release fertilizer on them already, but peppers absolutely suck the soil dry of any and all nutrients, especially in containers, so I've seen it suggested that I use a liquid organic fertilizer once every 2 weeks.

Any suggestions? Seaweed?

>>745078
>>745081
>>745083
Nice. My pepper garden is bigger than I expected this year. Dragon Cayenne, Serrano, Sandia, Habanero, Jalapeno, Cowhorn, Cajun Belle, Sweet Bell, Yellow Bell, Orange Bell, Thai Dragon, and Carolina Reaper. They're all doing great except for the Habanero.

Partially just for the sake of doing it and partially for delicious food I've now got an avocado tree and a few lemons in containers growing from seed. I've come to realize I don't actually know what to do with the the things past grafting onto the citrus for five trees in one. I see the stuff in the OP, but is there any recommended reading to start me off so I don't screw this up? I really want dat citrus.

>>748246
good lawd that is a lot of hot peppas. Something tells me you'll never be able to grow anything again wherever you've got the Reaper. Whatcha got planned for all of these peppers? Gonna dry any of 'em?

>>748267
I use them in pretty much everything I cook. And yeah, some of them are definitely getting dried/crushed/turned into super duper hot pepper flakes.

>>746785

>thinks that is bad clay

Hooo boy try living on the TN/GA border and enjoying that lovely red clay/sandstone/quartz mix.

Nothing like swinging a digging bar down into the ground only to have a 20lb+ spike BOUNCE AWAY.

Worst part is the fact it shakes/vibrates when it does that and it makes every joint in your hands feel like death.

>>745391
You don't get logs. Those mushrooms like compost. So get compost. Or sterilized wheat grains.

>>745812
If you do you just call it farming or self sufficiency instea. Those are the manly terms for the same thing.

>>745870
>>746141

As with cooking, gardening may be seen a female "hobby" but it's a man's discipline.

>>746138
It means you're happy.

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I finally own a house so I'm going way overboard this year. Building a bunch of raise beds out of red oak boards I've been getting for free.

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>>748392
The soil underneath is rocks and sand.
South is slightly to the left of the direction the picture was taken. I live in a 5a zone (maine). So I was wonder if anyone has any tips? I got this payed off amyonenynynd trying to squeeze everything I can out of this third of an acre.

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>>748397
Also chickens. Rabbits should be arriving soon. I have a decent indoor grow setup in the basement and adding windows to the sunny side of the house to turn it into a hot house/green room.

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>>748399

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>>748400
Back yard doesn't get at much sun. But that side on the left gets sun all day and I'm going to run the raise bed all the way down.

>>748243
I've never had that problem before. You normally use less fertilizer in pots due to salt build up and root burn.

>>748246
Do you have a dehydrator or a pressure canner? I have about half that amount of plants and I still have canned peppers from 5 years ago. Though, all my dried stuff was gone in about 4 months from then. It seems the best use I have for hot peppers is as a seasoning.

>>748349
lol ikr, that soil in >>746785 looks like great soil really. I can literally shovel some clay out of my backyard and make kiln fired bricks with it or pottery. Which I have made pottery with it. I have several buckets of some white clay I dug up when making the foundation for some steps. When I rebuild my furnace, I'll make some more pottery. (raised bed master race)

>>748392
>I've been getting for free.

Sweet.

>any tips?

Mulch like there is no tomorrow. Unless of course it rains like crazy there. I also found that you have to overfill the beds because it will settle a good bit even though no one is walking on it. It also helps to overfill when you are planting potatoes. Digging them out later is much easier.

>>746681
If everything else is leafing out and your graft isn't leafing out after two week then there's a problem. Unwrap it and check for shrinkage. If it is shrinking, toss that grafting and put in another. If it is not shrinking and the bud is not dry then wrap it up and leave it another 2 weeks.

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So after a rather green and hard to digest round of mungo sprouts grown in daylight I am now limiting their light exposure to 4 hours a day.

Any other tips? They still don't look like the ones I buy. Less evenly shaped, with really thin bits, and they're still trying to grow leaves, although much less successfully.

Desiring pic related.

>>748486
Use distilled water. The water you are using may have too much nitrogen/minerals in it and is causing them to leaf out really quick before bulking up the tap root.

Regardless, why were they hard to digest when leafy green? Like G.I. trouble or just mouth feel and flavor?

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neat

NO NO NO, it's snowing.

What do I do?

>>748638
Be glad. Snow cover prevents freezing. For a while...

>>748638
Cover everything. And put out bottles filled with warm water if your garden is small enough to make that feasible.

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Can anyone help me identify this? Pretty sure it's a weed, can't figure out what though.

Invading my garden and general yard space.

Located in Chicago area

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>>748671
Wild carrot. Also known as Queen Anne's lace


https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daucus_carota

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>growing magic mushrooms on tree stumps

im the guy with this garden >>748042
. im still looking for ideas for what to do with the space.

i also have a few stupid/beginner questions but ill post them all in a megapost later.

>>748677
Just for the sake of knowing more, how do you distinguish that from hemlock?

>>748700
Maybe throw some raised beds everywhere? Also, what would you like to grow?

>>748042

I Always enjoy gardens that mix some edible produce with plants that help sustain the local bee population. Maybe you could look into something like that?

Alternatively, there was a guy on /an/ a while back who had a garden filled with with all the spiked, poisonous devil plants he could find. Most look amazingly beautiful but don't eat/touch them unless you want to die twitching and foaming at the mouth.

>>748704
i have no interest in growing edible or profitable crops. i think i'd like to make it look aesthetically pleasing, with flowers and such.

>>748704
Queen Anne’s Lace has a hairy, completely green stem. Poison Hemlock is smooth, and has purple or black spots, or streaks on the stem.

But the REAL test is the smell. If you’ve found a flower and you are fairly certain that you’ve identified it as a Queen Anne’s Lace, the final test is to crush the stem a little then smell. If it smells like a carrot, you can know for sure that it’s Queen Anne’s Lace, and it’s safe to eat. If it stinks, or has a musty/yucky smell, go wash your hands, it’s possible that the plant is Hemlock.


http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/3785/#b

>>748724
Thanks!

>>748714
What kind of colors and shapes do you like?
I couldn't really help you because I don't know which kind of things grow well under England climate, but some other people may know.

>>748700
You can make the space more cozy by putting high cover all along the walls. Or you can make it bigger by having higher plants in the front and shorter ones in the back.

The wall in the picture-right won't get much sun. You're probably stuck with ferns, ficus, a few herbs, all the plants that don't mind shade. Look at the moss on the wall! The wall across the background probably isn't much better lit. But a little.

In my opinion that concrete has to go. Not only is it concrete, but it's a lot and in a funny shape. Also lose those laundry lines. You can just put a base in the ground and put the pole in on laundry day. But those permanent monstrosities are just hard to work around.

I'd consider two raised beds along the walls left and right. They structure the space and use it much better than what is there now. They also allow you to control growing environments more easily for a wider selection of plants.

Liven up the place. Put in a bird bath and a bug hotel, maybe a hedgehog box. Your flowers will appreciate the pollinators and pest control. Bird droppings make great fertilizer. And it just pulls everything together.

As for specific flowers and plants, you will need local information perfected for your climate and soil. Contact your horticultural society. Find a local vendor for garden plants. They often have publications and calendars specifically tailored to your situation.

Don't just consider the appearance of a plant in full bloom. Think about the whole year, many will be wiry bushes until their season starts. And they all have effects and uses. Many are edible, and fresh is always better than bought, even if it's just parsley. Some attract birds. Others keep cats away. Some monopolize their shadow, others allow small plants under them.

Make sure you prepare a watering funnel for each of the large roots, you want to be able to water deep while keeping the surface dry sometimes. See if you can get some cheap old red bricks for dividers, it'd fit.

>>748784
excellent, thank you so much. this is precisely the type of thing i came here for. i'll consider all of this. thanks again.

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>>748714
Most flowers (like crocus, tulips, narcissus...) you simply buy bulbs and dig them in the ground in autumn and they'll shoot in spring
If you also want to extend the flowering season a bit, get some late flowering shrubs like hydrangea, hibiscus (pic), roses (mine flowered until late December last year) etc
If you like to use them in the kitchen you also might consider some standard herbs which don't take much space as you don't need to harvest a lot of them, like thyme, oregano, bay laurel, basil, rosemary (latter one has the added bonus to be flowering non-stop since late September, at least for me)

>>748793
Also keep plants that don't tolerate frost in large pots so you can move them inside in the winter. You can prepare covered holes by burying larger pots. Don't use clay lids but metal flooring grids or steel plates so they're safe to step on, and secure them. Or keep them above ground, it's nice if you go for a more classically landscaped look because you can select a style for the outer pots, make them look ancient or Mediterranean, Asian, or Dutch.

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>>748704
>>748724

>>748841
Thanks also for this nice explanation

Anyone here have pet rabbits/bunnies? Do you take precautions to keep them from eating your plants? Do you give them the run of your yard?

>>745741
Don't grow them from seed, it will take "a long time" and you will be disappointed, especially if you're a beginner.

Can't stress this enough. Good god. I'm growing yarrow and peppermint from seed and the shit is growing so slow. I'm probably gonna have to keep it inside all year and winter it inside before planting it next spring.

The only upside is I'll have something to take cuttings from next year so I won't have

>>748936
I guess rabbit tractors would still work with animals you don't intend to eat...

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>>748631

>>748936
>>748946
Rabbit tractors are the best thing to use. It'd be nice to have free roaming rabbits but they are preyed on more by birds of prey and domestic cats than even chickens are. Though, the large breeds like Flemish Giant Rabbit wouldn't have trouble with either, except when younger and smaller.

>>748938
Yeah, growing catnip from seed like watching....well it is slower than watching grass grow!

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Whats wrong with my fig tree? I bought it a week ago and the leaves started getting crispy on the edges.

>>749072
Probably Fig Rust,
http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/fruits/figs/figs-disease-rust.htm

Are there any signs of insects at all?

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>>749079
No bugs at all, heres another pic

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>>747116
>>746418

Followed the instructions, now we wait.

fucking hell al these plants require so much maintenance.

arent these things supposed to be surviving in nature? what happened to the fight for survival? why cant these things pull through tough situations like every other life form can?

>>749260
Crops have had a symbiotic relationship with humans for thousands of years. They've lost all resemblance to the hardy, barely edible plants they were derived from. Now we have to take care of them.

>>749260
>being this much of a newfag to life

Watch less hollywood movies.

>>749260
>al these plants require so much maintenance
>what happened to the fight for survival?

You just answered your own question.

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Does anybody here have any experience with urban farming in apartment blocks?

I have a flat roof and plan on getting some crate, fill it with earth and put some potatoes in it.

Anything I should worry about? Any tips?

>>748397
this anon >>748446 has some good tips.

Raised beds are great when you have shit soil. If you make more beds you can make some that are more shallow (or have fillon the bottom) if manure is hard to come by. You only need real deep ones if you have roots going that deep.
The mulch is great. Seedless straw is super but can be expensive. Try not to mulch with stuff that will add seeds.
drip tape can be super sweet when you have to water a bunch.
Don;t sweat too much your first year. you will figure out so much and change for teh second.

>>749276
Not to be that guy, but if you;re growing stuff in tubs, unless you have access to free soil.manure, potatoes may not be the best choice (being that they're so cheap). They are SUPER fun to dig up, though. Like treasure. If you are interested in growing something, but don;t care what, you might want to think about other things that are expensive, or will impress the opposite sex more.

>>749099
A bit too early to tell really, could be a lot of things, but use the preventions in >>749079
and keep an eye out for it increasing. New symptoms will help narrow down the problem if anything new occurs. If a few leaves look like they are really bad later on take pics and upload for help.

>>749260
>fucking hell al these plants require so much maintenance.

That only occurs when you take them out of nature. Like industrial monocrop farming does. The normal safeguards they enjoy in nature are also removed in that type of farming. It is only partly because of >>749265 and only for a few types of plants.

Essentially, if you are having trouble with your plants, you may need to rethink how you are growing them and whether or not they can grow well in your climate without a greenhouse.

>>749276
Container gardening is easy enough. For tubers, I recommend making a wooden box that you can remove one side of to be able to easily dig out the tubers. Just put down some plastic (trashbag) on the floor before digging through it.

Make sure the containers you are using are large enough for the plants. Make sure the containers are not too deep for some plants. For instance, a deep pot will have a tall water column. This means that they will dry out on the top fast while remaining soaking wet at the bottom. This can be disastrous for tubers like potatoes which will rot. You can offset this by having well-draining sandier soils in the lower parts of the containers.

What can I grow so my neighbors can't see me?

>>749359
Less agoraphobic?

>What can I grow to...
WHERE? Jesus, how retarded can one person be?

>neighbors can't see me
Never mind sight lines and height over ground. There is one plant that provides dense cover through most of the year in all climates at foot height as well as up to the second floor. We're just not telling you because you're weird.

>>749338
I'm only doing this to improve my farming skills with. Potato seems to be the easiest because you just stick a potato in it and water/redig for some weeks.

>>749341
Don't tubers usually grow deep?

I will try to put a sandier bottom with earth above it. Thanks for the tip.

I can't have a garden because we live in an apartment. But I'd like to learn canning anyway.

Does it make sense for me to buy vegetables from a market and can them? or is that just a waste?

>>749359
Boxwood Hedge, American Red Ceder, Lombardy Poplar Trees Bamboo, and Privet are what you need. They are long enough lasting and require little care, unless you wish them to be shaped in some way. Bamboo and Lombardy Poplar Trees will be the fastest growing privacy foliage you can plant I think. However, those 2, along with Privet, are not evergreens and will drop leaves in winter. If you have very mild winters then they will be green year round.

I however recommend a privacy fence for instant and permanent privacy year round.

>>749365
Sometimes neighbors can be fucking nosy as hell. I've had the cops called on me numerous times by the same neighbor for things that the cops just shake their heads at wondering why people call them for something so stupid and not at all against the law. Why? Because the person that called them wants to make everyone behave exactly like them (shut ins and do nothings.)

Fences make for better neighbors.

>>749386
Yes, you can buy bulk, in-season crops and home can them either pressure can or water bath canning depending on the crops and recipes. You can buy bulk for cheap it really helps. You can also get a food-related business license (just fill out quarterly taxes that you don't have to pay for since you'll not be selling anything) and get your food in bulk directly from the distributor instead of from the grocery market. You save a ton of money and have food for years with only a small amount of work.

It is worth it.

>>749386
It makes a lot of sense.

At my farmer's market there's bargain crates where they put anything that has a discoloration or has begun to spoil in one spot. If I find a nice cauliflower, cucumber, or pumpkin I will buy it for cents and pickle it at home.

You usually just have to wash and cut it. The canning is enough boiling for most veggies. I like to add vinegar and I understand that it improves the preservation, but I just do it for flavor.

Never can uncut fruit or any meats or dairy. That takes completely different technique, you have to add nitrate salts to prevent botulism which can survive boiling, or you have to pressure cook for a much longer interval. You want to make sure your vinegar or sugar can penetrate every pore and inhibit bacterial growth.

Especially on hot summer evenings with barbecued meat, sour pickles are perfect. And the stuff you can buy just doesn't taste right.

>>749276
About what >>749341 said, I'd also recommend you to use extra caution about the wood you use. Pallet wood may seem to be a good idea, but you've got to be suspicious about the way it was treated (heat only is suitable, but you don't always know where pallets have been, even when they are "only" heat treated. Depending what was their use, they could leech the chemicals they've been in contact with into the soil. Some may be not a big deal, some may be quite bad). All in all you may want to simply skip pallet wood as an option if you're not really sure about your pallet's past life.

>>749359
Hello,
If you're not in United States (where they're considered invasive), Hedera helix may be a good idea if you have warm winters.

>>749419
(by the way, this need a support so at least a fencing)

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So is there a way to make an aquaponics system without plastics?

I'm fine with natural rubber and latex seals, copper pipes, ceramic (glaze matters!) and glass vessels, heat and pressure treated wood, rocks, all that jazz. But are there pumps that don't use rubber?

Also what are good fish to farm in an aquaponic loop? I hear goldfish are good for keeping insects away. I imagine carp would do the same, but would they like the conditions? Do you have to sync your growth stages of fish and plants to balance the nutrient cycle? Or do you separate your fish habitat for different growth stages in parallel? Are there fish where you can keep all stages in one confined habitat? And what about mixing fish species for greater variation on the plate?

>>749417
http://www.1001pallets.com/pallet-safety/

>>749417
Never use any pallet wood for anything like gardening or in-house use. Even heat treated (HT) can have a plethora of chemicals since there is no regulation on secondary treatment and stamping in many places. An HT pallet can have been re-treated by a company in China then sent to you.

for in-door uses, you have to completely seal the wood with something like polyurethane or paint. Then again, when merely working with the wood you have to wear properly rated dust masks.

>>749419
English Ivy is actually really popular in the USA.

>>749403

> I've had the cops called on me numerous times by the same neighbor for things that the cops just shake their heads at

pls elaborate

>>749426
Use aquariums.

As for pumps, use an impeller type.

>Also what are good fish to farm in an aquaponic loop?

There are many types you can use. It depends on your needs. Anything from crayfish/yabbies to Tilapia and catfish. Most of the questions you ask are easily answered in the OP aquaponics links.

>>749429
No, this isn't /r9k/. Go get your sensationalism kick over there.

>>749386
If you just want to learn canning, then go ahead. You can can things like soups and sauces which could be more useful. Or even grow stuff on your windowsill if you want.

Where do you buy your shit from?

I refuse to buy anything from amazon that is an "addon item".

>>749494

Buy what shit, plants?

>>749494
http://www.amazon.com/Forrester-Rabbit-Manure/dp/B00HQOQTSK

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Hello,

One of my hot peppers has its old leaves with this yellow (and quite brown) discolouration avoiding the veins (see pic).

I was thinking of an iron deficiency, but it happens only to old leaves, new ones are ok.
More, since I water them with tap water (quite hard where I live) rather than filtrated one as I used to do, the problem seems to have disappeared. So I was thinking more of a calcium or magnesium deficiency, corrected by the lime in water or by pH elevation (my soil was quite acidic to begin with).

Could anyone help me to understand what is/was going on?

>>749660
Grown peppers like acidic soil most of the time. They differ from rainforest to desert. But their roots aren't shy.

The most common problem for peppers is cold.

You can inoculate the roots or the soil with Rootblast and Tomato-Alive. Some put Miracle Gro on them regularly. I'd use organic fertilizer, but they do need fertilizer.

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Rhubarb is such a G. Nothing else in my garden has even sprouted yet and this fatass is already getting close to harvestable.

>>749669
Thanks, I'll check this. To be quite honest I'm not too keen on fertilizer, I prefer to just re-pot them with new compost. This one is largely due since a long time, it's a year and half since I re-potted it... So it has been quite tough and not too greedy during all this time.

>>749685
You don't need to change the soil for compost. You can just put a layer on top and water through it. You could even dissolve some in water and just use that for fertilizer.

So for a contained system that can sustain more than just leafy greens and tomatoes you need more than fermented fish poo. You need worms. And they live happily in mineral substrate.

Could they also be used as fish food? What does it take to multiply them? I know of worm hotels for kitchen scraps, but how many worms can you take out of those each week? Would farming mealworms or grasshoppers as fish fodder be vastly more efficient?

And could it be automated like pH sensors, thermometers, pump and light relays, fans, and a webcam? Like a slow moving maggot conveyor and a worm food dispenser?

I'm not going to Mars or anything, just imagining a self sustained kind of indoor farming.

I know most hydrocultures get their roots inoculated with fungal spores if just to keep bad fungi at bay. But is there a way to incorporate fungi into aquaponics? I'm sure pre grown mycelium would make a great hydroculture substrate...

>>749419
I thought that stuff was just ivy.

I used to have some on my fence, it completely covered it and it looked fantastic until a storm blew it over.

>>749660
>magnesium deficiency

This is what I thought the instant I saw it (just use compost). It can also be mosaic virus. If it is mosaic virus you need to destroy the plant. Watch out for aphids, they can spread the disease.

>>749708
Worms will be the least difficult to maintain.

>But is there a way to incorporate fungi into aquaponics?

Very good question. Though, the reason they form a symbiotic relationship with the fungi is to gain extra nutrients. The very nature of the aquaponics system does this for them. Instead of fungi hyphae spreading out over meters of soil to find and transport nutrients to the roots, your aquaponics system does that job. Thus, it may be that you don't need beneficial fungi in an aquaponics setup. In fact, there's a good chance it would retard the system by clogging up the growing medium and preventing the beneficial microbes that are making the nitrates from being able to colonize properly.

It would be a neat experiment though.

>>749822
From what I've hear fungi don't spread through water and only creep along surface, easy to control. If you want your roots to be protected you need to inoculate them directly. And it's not for nutrients, which is nice, but for health. It prevents harmful fungi from contaminating the installation.

>>749817
I like it too! I didn't really know about the names and that's why I said Hedera helix, English not being my first language.


>>749695
I also put compost on top from time to time, but most of the time I really don't need to (I try to give my plants soils which leave them sustainable for a long time, as I like them to live their own life without me caring too often)
Though, when roots come out of the pot...

>>749822
They're indoor and are aphids free, so that's ok on that side. Plus the discolouration is really progressive from the edges to the center, I quite think this is magnesium too.


Anyway, I may repost my question in the next homegrowing thread just to have some more opinions, but thanks to both of you for your replies!

>>749839
>indoor

Use compost tea then. In fact, make a pot of coffee, let it cool and water your plants with diluted coffee (half water/half coffee). Only do this 1-3 times. Pepper plants like 5-6 pH so using this method will be fine for them a few times (coffee is 5-7 pH).

>>749846
I already do, and I'm glad to not be the only one to "brew coffee for the plants"! All in all I guess one could say I do use fertilizer...
I also use my coffee ground when I re-pot (1 handful of coffee ground every 5-6 handfuls of "normal" soil and compost) with good results. Nitrogen is slowly released into the soil, it's quite a long term thing as long as the pH doesn't go off the charts (and, as coffee ground is already heavily rinsed, it doesn't significantly lower the pH).

>>749873
Oh then you don't need to fertilize more at all. Perhaps they are root bound in a pot that is now too small or you are over watering them?

>>749923
I wait for the plants to tell me when they are a little thirsty before I water them, so I don't think this would be the problem here.
Indeed I guess it's time to change the pot, it has been in this one for a long time and it was not so big to begin with.
Well, maybe see ya in the next thread!

>>750020
Never mind, I thought the bump limit was 250. See you there then

It's winter in a month or so but my potted fig looks like it's going to drop it's leaves.
How can I tell whether that's supposed to happen or if I'm killing it in some way? I bought it 2-3 months ago and it's thrived up until now.

>>748799
saved that pic, nice hibiscus brah

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Anyone know why my castor beans aren't germinating? The seeds are from 2014, I didn't grow any Ricinus last year.
I tried different soils, temperatures and amounts of water but without success. It all went so easy the previous years but could the seeds be too old now?

>>750122
Soak them in water for 24 hours.

>>750122
Germinating in soil is a 50-50 deal. You get much better results with a good warm initial soak and then just humidity, ie. rinse twice daily. Only put them in soil when they start getting their first leaves.

Never tried castor, but it works wonders with all the other beans I grow.

3 more seedlings.
Today is a nice day.

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Spring is finally here where I live. The last of the snow melted and there's no more killer frost in the mornings. I've been weedeating and mulching. I haven't planted anything yet, but the purple potatoes, red potatoes, and asparagus are all coming up like crazy.

The fence is cleared and electrified. The local rabbit, groundhog, and cat population are all learning to stay away. Only the moles are a problem. I have more paths to gravel and borders to lay down. I can't wait for this to be fully done and everything be plantable.

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Before I murder them all I'm curious to know what's taken over my garden in the few weeks since I've pulled back my mulch. My Google fu is telling me Ground Ivy but I have zero experience with plant identification. The bees seem to love them and the pop of color is nice since it's still pretty dull here, but they're spreading like crazy.

I'm going to try and grow some pumpkins on my apartments stone patio this year. How much dirt do the roots need to expand fully? I was thinking about filling a car tire with soil.

>>750575
I don't see the leaves very well, but it may be Viola odorata. Does it have stolon?

>>750575
Just some ground ivy. It blooms beautifully in the spring.

>>750594
At least 5 gallons worth of soil.

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My patio container garden, spent their first night outside in 5a.

The Columnars are starting to sprout some new leaves from their spurs. The peach tree is pretty dormant, but I think its starting to wake up. The kumquat isn't doing to well, the leafs have yellow lines in them and no new growth. I might repot if things don't improve.

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>>750880

My economy self fertilizing vertical radish bucket, just need to add some earthworms and to figure out a way get it to rotate.

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>>750881

This little shit lives under my neighbors stairs. He's getting more bold and coming out during the day. I'm pretty sure he's a groundhog, My patio is pretty high off the ground and he's probably too fat to climb up but I'm considering ways to get rid of him before he eats my veggies. Who knows he might scare off smaller pests that could actually reach my patio so maybe he'll stay.

>>750575
Ground Ivy.
It's a pretty based herb, harvest and dry some for cooking before you genocide them.

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>>750894
>The fresh herb can be rinsed and steeped in hot water to create an herbal tea which is rich in vitamin C. It has a distinctive, mildly peppery flavor; it can be cooked as a pot herb, although it is most commonly eaten as a fresh salad green.

>>750881
Add a ball and socket joint and it will just rotate in the wind.

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Here's my Sandia. It's looking great.

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Cowhorn. One of the leaves at the bottom left corner is turning brown and shriveling. Any ideas?

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Serrano

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Dragon Cayenne, the youngest of the bunch. Picked him up at Lowe's last weekend

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Jalapeno

>>751107
Nice pics. I wouldn't care for the leaf, the plant is in general good shape. I think it simply touches the soil from time to time, hence fungus. I usually trim the bottom leaves to avoid that kind of things.

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>>750881
>>750907
"Double-Eye Swivel Ring" pic

>>750900
>>750894
I must say, you have to be a VERY "green" eater to enjoy ground ivy in any quantity. They taste like the bottom of a lawnmower. If you're the type of person who juices wheatgrass, you may like ground ivy, but god damn, I can't stand the stuff.

>>751107
Remove all the leaves within 3-4 inches of the soil. Wait to see of the rest are having trouble. Leaves so close to the soil can have all manner of soil-related/pest-related problems that normally don't occur higher up.

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>>750427
I was able to get some stuff in the ground today. I still need to mulch the rest of them. Tomatoes, peppers, and zucchini.

>>751121
A few of my peppers are sprouting early buds. Should I snip them off to encourage more foliage growth? They look a little young to be having babies.

>>751147
>you have to be XXXXXXX to enjoy
I don't like something so I'm going to judge you if you do.

>>751163
Yes, I think you should for the reasons you gave. Once you let it flower, it slows the foliage growth ; if the plant can't support the fruits, it isn't worth it.

>>751169
It is obvious you've never tasted it before. It is like those people who eat wild chicory. You have to work up to that shit.

Yes, you MUST be a green eater to enjoy that stuff. That is an undeniable fact. There's nothing wrong with that label so if you are getting pissy over it, you have issues you need to resolve somewhere else because this isn't the place.

This comes from someone who has probably eaten more ground ivy than everyone who has ever been on this board all combined.

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I'm letting my leeks, dino kale,& collard go to seed this year. Have some Georgian Fire garlic growing as well as a mess of garlic chives at the bottom right.

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Here is my rosemary and blackberry canes going to flower.

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Guys. I released my pumpkin plant. It's out on my back deck now. He is free.

>>751793
pics required

Did you put a shade cloth over it so the bright sun does not burn it to a white crisp because you'd been keeping it in the pitch dark all winter?

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>>751699
One of mine is flowering since September and also now starting to grow new leaves again

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Both of these pea plants were seeded at the same time.

The one on the left only got a tiny, little, white stump that I unearthed and exposed to sunlight. It turned green and grew slightly, while the other plant grew as normal.

I think I'm growing a pea bonsai.

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I'm doing bag culture for a few tomatoes and lettuce. I haven't changed the water in about a month for the tomatoes and two months for the lettuce. Lettuce is doing great, but both tomatoes are starting to wilt. Is this a nutrient deficiency? Should I just add more nutrient to the water?

>>752473

Checked the roots, they look fine.

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Well, this is embarrassing to ask... but MAGNESIUM REEEEEEEEEEEE

I assumed the yellowing, purple veins and leaf underside, and general stunted-ness was a magnesium deficiency and decided to apply Epsom salt, just a fragment of a teaspoon to a spray bottle of 8 liquid ounces, as a foliar spray. I've been doing this for a couple days and it still looks exactly the same. One of the worse-off seedlings dropped a cotyledon.

Is it really a magnesium deficiency? Do I need to use more of the salt? Or be more patient?

>>752745
I think magnesium deficiency is more about the pic in >>749660 .
For your pic I would rather say nitrogen deficiency, since it's a general clear green. I wouldn't add more epsom for the moment since your pot isn't that big, maybe you should wait for other opinions.
How is your soil quality? It seems to have a lot of wood.

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>>752745
That's a tomato I assume? In seedling stage, mine didn't look very lush green either, but then again I started them in December and February when there's very little daylight here
After a while they started looking better though

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>>752797
Alright. Yeah, I've been using different kinds of store-bought soil, trying to stick to one, and I've noticed that they're all kind of woody. What a variety here in Puerto Rico. Felt fluffy and light when I was placing it in the container, on the bright side. This one has much less wood than the last one I used. According to the bag it's compost, peat moss, and perlite. Didn't mention the wood chunks it has. Beginner gardener problems.

I had a twinge of a feeling that it was nitrogen, yeah, but these leaves are so tiny I couldn't discern it well. Thank you!

>>752802
Yep, tomato! Man, those plants look so cute. The biggest one I have used to be completely unassuming and normal among the rest of the seedlings, then it just exploded with growth. It's stalling a little right now, though I think it's because I moved my plants to the terrace recently. More sunlight.

>>752822
Yeah, I planted out 2 tomatoes test-wise already in mid-March (the smaller one eventually died, but the larger one, while losing most of the foliage in the lower part thanks to heavy storms is somehow still alive!)
Then planted out 3 more in mid-April and while looking a bit rugged up, seems they have survived last week's cold wave (I registered a low of +0.2°C on Thursday morning)
The final 15 ones went out yesterday and the bell pepper seedlings too (12 of them).
Also finally set free my November watermelon (see >>746972 but it has grown another ~1/3 to 1/2 of the length since that photo), luckily the root ball separated very easily from the pot with a gentle whack
But the weather is being a dick again, after a nice 20°C afternoon, it's been raining like crazy for the last few hours. Most of the tomatoes are under a self-made plastic roof for rain protection, but 6 of them in another place are not, and neither are the bell peppers
Gonna take some pics tomorrow

>>752822
However, wait for a second opinion, as I may be wrong!

Though, if indeed it is nitrogen, you could add coffee ground in your next pots (it's not an immediate nitrogen fertilizer, rather a long term one). Beside that clear green thing, the plant seems to be ok so I think you can wait until you're re-potting it in its definitive pot.

You could also grow lens (or any of fabaceae), then compost them and their roots. Beware : do not toss right away the "stems" of the plants like a mulch, as it can "suck" the nitrogen out of the soil during some weeks (soil's bacteria will consume nitrogen to break down fresh organic matter, that's nitrogen hunger). Wait for them to be well decomposed, like a classic compost, before using it in a soil.

Wood chunks are painfully annoying in compost when you grow in pots, sieve can be an option when that happens (the better option being finding less woody soil...). I wonder in which scale that may participate in this nitrogen hunger.

>>752872
>Wood chunks are painfully annoying in compost
Yeah, even after 2 years they're often still not decomposed enough. I'm now pre-treating them with the wood chopper (which can be hassle because you have to pre-saw very broad twigs etc), shit should break down more easily that way

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>>752870
>gentle whack
Love this mind image.

Also, yeah, lovely weather this week for us too. Pic related is the current forecast. This is after some pretty nice sunny weather, and after I moved my plants to the terrace.

kill me

>>752872
Okay! I've been wanting to get some of them little greenies, might give me some entertainment while I wait for my already-transplanted tomatoes to get ready for the 5 gallon pots. Gotta get some sort of sieve, too. I'm gonna have to figure something out for the used coffee grounds, though, yes, I'll wait.

Secondary concern: family member gifted me a big bag of soil. It says "do not use in containers" on the back. yay

>>746738
absolutely. pickle them. do some kind of Asian recipe. youll thank me

>>747911
remember just in general bigger is not better in terms of the size of veggies, dont let em grow too much longer looking at the size of that one. nice job for your first time w em, you def dug deep and loosened up the soil enough for the carrot to do its thing. big mistake folks make esp if their soil hits clay pretty quick, gotta do a raised bed for em or they all end up lil fat baby carrots. now cut off those greens to preserve the quality of your carrot if youre storing it for any extended period of time. godspeed mane

>>749276
you like eating plastic m9? bc you will be w them taters if you grow em in that shite, i wholly do not recommend taters either man but give it a whirl

>>751147
Really?
I get a super strong minty/peppery flavor out of Ground Ivy. It's not bland or comparable to grass at all. It's fantastic for tzatziki
You may have eaten Purple Dead Nettle. That is grassy tasting.

>>752884
That should hasten the thing! Did you hear about Ramial Chipped Wood usage? It's quite like a composting, but on-site, and with young branches (with a "lag" time of a few months to avoid nitrogen hunger). I don't do it myself because I only grow in pots for the moment, but it seems interesting.

>>752919
Does it say why you should not use it in containers?
For the coffee ground, you can actually put a lot of it in soil (as long as it doesn't significantly lower the pH, depending of what you grow. Though for the most of plants, the coffee's light pH decrease will not be detrimental). It's interesting both in nutrients and structure (I wouldn't say it wonderfully aerates the soil because it's still quite dense, but still...). It's mostly nitrogen so it will sustain foliage growing, but since it's slowly released it will not be to the detriment of flowers and fruits growing.

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Can someone tell me what manner of torture I'm inflicting upon this poor citrus tree? Preliminary research makes it look like I'm either underfeeding or over watering but I'm not sure.

>>752958
If I had to chose, I'd say over-watering. Are the leaves flabby?

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>>752966
The leaves that aren't browning all feel pretty good. Here's an image of one of the worst ones if that helps.

>>752976
I can't really help, sadly. Maybe someone will.
Though, if you can take a picture of younger leaves that could also help a little.
What makes you think you over-water it? Do you wait for the soil to be dry on a good depth before re-watering it?

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>>752956
Yeah, I need to ask someone for used coffee grounds though because I don't have a coffee machine...
Oh, and I think it's because it says it's just garden soil. It also notes not to sow plants directly into it.

>IMPORTANT: You should wear gardening gloves whenever you use this product.
wat

>forest products

>>749426
>Also what are good fish to farm in an aquaponic loop?

I would say this depends on location, climate, and water quality (Ph buffering and all that). I like bream/sunfish/bluegill because they are tough as hell. It takes about 7-14 days to train them on cichlid pellets - just use blood worms for a few days then mix in pellets, then eventually remove blood worms.

>I hear goldfish are good for keeping insects away.

If you're down south, use mosquito fish (guppies) from your local ditch/pond. Another extremely tough freshwater fish - they can actually survive in salt water. I put some in my tank with the bream.

>Do you have to sync your growth stages of fish and plants to balance the nutrient cycle? Or do you separate your fish habitat for different growth stages in parallel?

Because of the tough fish I used, I put in a few fish, maybe 10% of what I will need. For 150g with an RFF and MBBF and 2 50g media beds, it took about 3-4 weeks to establish the ammonia bacteria. Then another 2 to establish the nitrite eating bacteria (got up to 5ppm nitrite). The fish had no problems. I planted about 20% as the system was cycling.

>>752983
Ha, sure, if you don't brew coffee, it's more difficult!
For your bag, I think it's an amendment. So it's as it says : something to add to your soil, to make it richer. Planting directly in it would "burn" the plants (and itch your skin)

>>752982
>if you can take a picture of younger leaves that could also help a little.
I'll do that when the sun's up tomorrow.

>What makes you think you over-water it?
Historically, in my neck of the woods over watering hasn't been a problem. Rather, I always seemed to racing against under watering so I just drenched everything when I could. I'm worried because I water the trees with most of my other stuff; the soil only gets about as dry as you see it in >>752958 before I soak it again. I wasn't aware root rot was such a big thing for citrus until a few days ago.

I kind of just started doing this for fun and potential delicious fruit later so my research is less than impressive. I'm trying to make the best of these "oh." moments.

I am ridiculously excited about my petite nigre fig I got. Any advice, like what soil it lkes, fertilizing it, temp range best for it? I intend to grow it in a pot as a semi-indoor plant (I live in zone 6, so no overwintering outside) how do I overwinter it?

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>>752870
OK, new day and at least some sun again, but still kinda windy.
Luckily it doesn't affect the tomatoes too much because they're still small, it's more calm near the ground

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>>753224
Bell pepper seedlings seem to not have given a fuck either

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>>753226
Watermelon looks a bit rugged up though
(not visible because covered by a leaf, but I fastened the vine in place with a bent metal in the ground

NEW THREAD: >>753269
NEW THREAD: >>753269
NEW THREAD: >>753269

Are there any good gardening documentaries/series/lectures anyone could recommend?