Homegrowmen (Farming and Gardening) Thread #54

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

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I know a decent amount about mushrooms but I have a question.

I loosely inoculated a plot (by that I mean I threw some extra colonized jars in a plot) with some shiitake and it started to fruit some mushrooms. But whats odd is that they don't look like shiitake to me. Can anyone help me conform what it is?

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I can't wait for my corn to come up! I planted like 60 seeds.

>>753313
Could you take a pic of the gills? And is the cap dissolving into this slimy black stuff?

>>753317
What kinda corn? The seeds look gorgeous btw.

>>753313
Doesn't look like a shiitake. Also, shiitake are meant to be inoculated into logs and hardwoods. Putting them into a plot may not work out well. To me that looks like the standard stuff that pops up in my gardens where there's lots of hay/yard grass.

Pearl Oysters on the other hand are great for that type of application.

You need to get a spore print, check the gills, and find an online mycokey to identify as many taxonomic markers as possible. regardless of what it is, it is too old for edibility.

>>753317
I need to get mine planted too.

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>>753313
Me >>753328 here.

Here is what my shiitake look like. I harvested them a few minutes ago from one of the logs. The larger one is about 3.5-4 inches wide and is too old too eat. The flesh inside is turning color. The smaller one is good and pure white inside.

As you can see, the stem is really, "woolly," looking and short.

>>753321

Bloody butcher corn. I saved seeds from last year. It's a dent corn, but can be eaten off the cob in the milk stage.

>>753337
>tfw I've had like a pound of BB corn for a few years that I haven't planted yet.

I've been planting Painted Mountain. It doesn't get flattened by the winds here. I think I may just nixtamalize the BB and make masa.

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Slugs....

>>753356

Fug slugs. What was that, cucumber?

>>753355

I have yet to use the nixmatal process, hoping when I'm up to my ears in corn. I figure it out.

>>753375
Zucchini

>>753376
It is pretty easy. There are a few different methods depending on the type of food you want to make. some are like a 15 min recipe and others are overnight. Whatever one you use, the main thing is after you have soaked/cooked it RINSE and RINSE and keeping rinsing. Then process it. Otherwise, it'll be unpalatable.

>>753336
>>753328
>>753319
Yeah I figured that it what. At least I know the mixture I have is viable for fruiting some sort of fungi. Tomorrow i'm going to start a few jars of stopharia and maybe some button and hopefully i can transfer it to this plot.

>>753394
>stopharia

Oh nice, good luck.

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The plant appears to have reacted to my stress by growing a tiny bit more, and looking a bit more green. Or it probably reacted to the rain. Or a late reaction to the epsom salt from several days ago before I posted. Or a very very late reaction to the very diluted soluble fert...

>>752992
Aww, it's a pretty big bag, too, and I don't even have an outside garden. Any other way to use this stuff?

>>753522
>Any other way to use this stuff?

Coffee grounds? Make a pearl oyster mushroom grow kit.

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Hey guys, growing veggies on my porch this year, kinda cramped since there not a lot of room and i wanted a large selection,

Growing this year:
>sugar snap pea x 8 (4 in each pot)
>cucumbers x 12 (3 in each pot - 6 green cucumbers & 6 white himagi cucumbers)
>eggplants x 4 (2 black & 2 white eggplants)
>daikon radishs x 1 pot
>cosmic purple carrots x 2 pots
>atomic red carrots x 4 pots
>cherry tomatoes x 2
>striped cavern tomatoes x 2
>bell peppers x 3
>corn x 10 stalks in very large pot
>2 small potato plants for grafting attempt with cherry tomato suckers

all pots besides the corn are 25L or 6.5gallon size, commencing image dump.

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>>753604

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>>753604
started the green cucumbers a month before the white ones so they are already producing quite nicely.

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>>753613
atomic red/cosmic purple carrots

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>>753615
cherry tomatoes getting tall as fuck (kept them a single stem)

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>>753618

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>>753619
>dat split

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>>753621
small little bell pepper

>>753394
>>753413
I like the Cubans.

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>>753561
I was talking more about the bag of soil amendment, but that sounds interesting... I've never considered growing mushrooms, but that makes me very curious and I will be looking it up.

Ran out of pictures for today, so here's a Chenille plant.

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alright i got annoyed with mud because when i finally saw my plants sprout, my finch decided it was hungry, got high off my chili plant??? hit a wall and died. welcome to my life

how can i make the aquaponic sponge work right? have the bottom of the "tank" partly full or water it once a day?
don't have access to water hose right now

>>753716
https://www.google.com/search?q=pearl+oyster+mushroom+grow+kit+coffee&tbm=isch

I have a bag of used coffee ground in the freezer just for this. I'm keeping them in the freezer so they don't mold over while I collect enough for a mushroom kit.

>>753522
Hi again, I'm the person you were talking with.
You could always add some to your soil if you want (by example when re-potting this tomato), but indeed you may have some (big) leftovers...
I also see a little darkening in the green tone, maybe epsom helped, always hard to know why such or such thing happen in living things! Anyway if it was a nitrogen deficiency, it was still a light one, so don't worry too much until re-potting (and then use a richer soil)

>>753317

What zone are you in? I haven't even thought about corn yet here in 4.

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>>753728
That looks amazing! I'll ask a family member if I can borrow some grounds. Looks like the fruiting body grows pretty fast, I'm sure it'll keep me entertained!

>>753753
Hi!
Oh, yes, I figure I'll need it if I can't find a proper soil in this stupid island. This place has a history of agriculture and the only commercial soil I've found that explicitly says "potting mix" in the name is Miracle-Gro. I might make my own, at least I have a tiny bag of perlite. At Home Depot there's a massive bag (why?) of vermiculite and peat moss. Need compost.

Still don't have any pics, so this is a picture of a strange object hanging off from the area beneath my seedling tray. Not at all worried about it, but it looks very strange.

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>>753317
I think someone gave you pomegranate arils and told you it was corn.

>>753929
That's bloodcorn.

>ancient /ck/ meme

>>753336
>the stem is really, "woolly," looking and short
insufficient air exchange

>>753623
these look really good mate. assuming you are in Israel from the lettering on the bag of MP compost. Fugg I wish I had your climate here!

>>753728
you will still need to pastuerise the coffee grinds before bagging them. trich is your enemy. the shroomery and stamets work (listed in the OP) are your friends in learning mycology.

>>754137
Increased humidity more than merely insufficient air exchange. If they don't have hairy stems the air is too dry and they are likely to get cracks in the caps as well as stop growing or become very slow growing.

These grew during a solid week of heavy rain, but are located in a drafty location under a roof. There's tons of air exchange, it just happens to be very humid. Prior to this weather it had been ultra dry and all my shiitake were extremely slow growing, taking 3 weeks to mature. These grew to maturity in 3 days.

>>754142
>you will still need to pastuerise the coffee grinds before bagging them. trich is your enemy. the shroomery and stamets work (listed in the OP) are your friends in learning mycology.

That's easy to do. I also have a pressure canner should I feel the need to sterilize. (is the OP) Paul is pretty cool and has helped me on a few things.

>>754148
are you the same as >>754151 ?
pressure cooker and space are the things holding me back from pursuing mycology more seriously. find it interesting. was it psychedelics that spawned (sorry for the shit pun) your interest in them out of curiosity? have you built a laminar flow hood for sterile work yet?

>>754157
>pressure cooker

Use a pressure canner, not a pressure cooker. The kind you fill with tons of jars for food preservation.

>are you the same as

Yes. I've only done a few fungi kits in the past. None of which were even pasteurized, let alone sterilized. I never had trouble with infections. I prefer to do logs instead, they are much simpler and don't require as much babying as kits. However, I want to make a few kits in order to make plugspawn. I even have a drill press with dowel-making drill bits. I have tons of forest on my property to select from. My pressure canner is for food preservation though.

All the stuff I do, I do it open and dirty. Even my wine brewing. The only things that have failed are because of equipment failure (suckback on a few wine airlocks for instance.) I've never had a mold problem with fungi. However, with coffee grounds, they tend to mold over very very quickly, far faster than any culinary fungi can hope to cover and protect. So, to prevent that, I'll be doing a standard in-jar sterilization in the pressure canner using methods typically used for non-culinary strains.

For large batches, like with hay/straw bale grow medium I'd only pasteurize anyway. I don't want to kill the all beneficial microbes in those. That is done in a large stock pot or 55gal drum.

>was it psychedelics that spawned (sorry for the shit pun) your interest in them out of curiosity?

I'm only into culinary. I don't even take over the counter pain meds let alone any kind of rec drug.

>have you built a laminar flow hood for sterile work yet?

No, never will. I don't feel they are needed.

>>754191
>I'm only into culinary. I don't even take over the counter pain meds let alone any kind of rec drug.
I grew them for depression, not really 'recreational' purposes but it got me interested. Didn't really help though and won't be doing any more.

You're spot on about pastuerising larger mediums. The sterile work and LFH is more for dealing with spawn which it sounds like you want to do. If you buy your spawn in though and just want to innoculate dowel rods, you could probably get away with using a still air box - imagine the process is similar to jars of grain etc.

>>754218
Sometimes that happens, you get into something for a specific reason, and it becomes a hobby and you branch out. I knew this guy who wanted to grow his own pot, so he tried growing tomatoes as practice. He liked it so much he decided to grow other veggies along with the pot.

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Purchasex 500 red worms from Jim's Worm onlinestore. These suckers devour everything! Today, I put in 2 cups of seaweed and left over egg shells and lettuce to tide them over.

There is a carrot and a onion growing on each side of the tub.

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>>754218
I'll be using my old shiitake logs to make more dowels for additional logs. Since those don't need flushing I can have them just about any location in a plastic bag. No fear of mold for those.

>>754306
>>754309
Very nice. On my raised beds I have a constant flow of kitchen waste and yard waste. I have only a few beds that are not ready yet. I turned some of the compost in the oldest raised bed still being composted just to see how it was doing. I was pleased to find literally 1000s of worms.

I guess this is the best place to ask. Has anyone tried growing anything underwater. I have just dug a hole for a pond. 8 by 6 ft wide 3 ft deep and 1ft deep shelfs. Is they anything beside Lilly pads and water lettuce that I could grow. I was thinking along the lines of maybe bog like plants. Should I take a section and put a gravel grow bed so, let's say 5 inches deep filled with gravel and separated from the fish by large stones. Is there any actual fruiting edible plants that I could possibly farm. No I am not eating duckweed. Any help or directionis greatly apreciated growmen

>>754352
Very nice indeed.

Quick question involving my blackberry plant, do birds eat them? I noticed a few berries have disappeared along the fence and poop on one of the leaves.

>>754522
Birds fucking love blackberries, or any kind of berry really. They would eat every last blueberry in my garden if I didn't put netting over them.

>>754385
Cattail tubers are edible, quite a bit like potatoes. Lettuce, like romaine and other varieties, can be grow on little styrofoam rafts too.

>>754385
Here's a more complete list:

Http://www.ozwatergardens.com.au/edible-aquatic-plants

>>753618
What city is that? It looks horrible.

Fortunately your area looks nice.

>>754306
>>754309
>>754352

What are you going to do with your worms? Just curious, as I wanted to start a small scale worm casting business.

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Eyyyy they turn red!

>>754710
Mine just break down stuff into compost in the raised bed. I don't have any other use for them.

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>>754531
>>754537
Thanks here is a pic. It's little old put it's all I have right now

>>754786
Are you growing those indoors?

>>754710
By the end of this year i should have enough to start another bin or give to others. Red wigglers multiply fast compared to say alabama jumpers ($$$, seriously start growing these), but my only concern is how to keep them warm this winter.

>>754992
My guess is yes due to anon's plant producing so early into the season.

>>754992
Yeah, I've been growing them all winter

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>>753317
Do you have raccoons in your area? They'll destroy your corn
Pic related, raccoons destroyed my corn last year

I really want to start growing fruit and nut trees, buy they are so fucking expensive! I'm poor as shit, but I want to turn my back yard into a food forest.

It seems my options are cuttings and starting from seed, but I know most fruit trees dont produce true to seed. Regardless I'm planting a bunch of Apple and pear seeds just to see what happens.

Any tips on frugal fruit?

>>755058
>but I know most fruit trees dont produce true to seed
This is from cross pollination between two species
Cuttings are a safe way to go though

>>755058
Growing berries might work well for you.

>>755061

Right, but most cutting need to be grafted on another tree of the same species.

>>755071
>but most cutting need to be grafted on another tree of the same species.
No
You can literally keep the stem in water for weeks and it could sprout roots

>>755077
Works well with some species, worse or not at all with others. Don't know about apples, cherries etc but for example oaks won't work from cutting at all.
I did cherry plum (as the name suggests, same genus as cherries, plums, mirabelle, sloe...) just for fun and it took literally months for roots to appear, probably slower than from seed

>>755090
Putting a willow cutting in the water with it will speed up the process; willows produce a lot of thier own rooting hormone, enough to encourage others in the same glass to grow roots. Cheaper than buying rooting hormone from a hydrophonic store.

Honey is a good subsitute for root hormones. Works pretty good.

Well, fuck me. I'm starting to find holes in the leaves of my plants, and something pecked or gnawed through my tomatoes. Easiest ways to unbug, and unbird my shit.

>>755125
Wait until its night time then squish all the fucking faggots.

Sleep during daytime.

Could anyone recommend any good documentaries/series/lectures relevant to gardening?

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Planning the grow mushrooms on hardwood logs, I have no hardwood on my property. How did other mushroom growers get hold of your logs? Looking for an easier way than going down to the forest and cutting off some limbs off trees as it's illegal and I don't have a chainsaw.

>>755146
You can buy nearly anything on the internet.

>>755144

Look up videos with Geoff Lawton. There are a few about mansinobu fukuoka.

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Can someone help me I.D. this herb?

>>755146
It depends on where you live. You need fresh logs form just-cut trees. They can be thick limbs or the whole trunk, but they MUST be fresh and MUST have their bark.

You can drive around after a really bad storm and usually find downed trees. Just load those into your truck (or friend's truck.) Or, you can drive out in the country and ask land owners if you can buy a tree off them. Or, you can contact a company that does tree trimming and ask when they have a job you can tag along and have the logs from. Your local road crews (state road in USA) are also good at that and can direct you to storm fallen trees. they normally cut it up in firewood length pieces for locals to load up and squirrel away, but if you are johnny on the spot you can have them cut it to the length you specify.

I get most of my hardwoods for wood working in the latter manner. I literally drive around looking for a downed tree across the road, call the state road about it, and wait till they show up. It helps to have your pickup truck's bed facing the tree. They can cut and load it right on for you.

If you are in the UK there may actually be competition for such storm damaged wood for all I know. For my mushroom logs I use the trees on my own land.

>>755183
Are the stems square and does it smell like mint?

>>755015
I remember that pic. Use electric fencing. It saved my crops. It has to be low to the ground.

>>755071
>>755077
>>755090
>>755095
Most fruit trees are grafted and not grafted to the same type of tree. there's actually a set of "root-trees" used specifically for grafting because their roots are really good.

I personally use the willow water method.

>>755125
Slugs/snails. Put cups around the stems with copper tape around the outside top of the cup. Don't let any part of the plant touch the ground outside the cup. Armadillidiida and such can also cause this problem if there's no other plants or organic matter for them to eat around the area. They especially love making holes in tomatoes that look just like slug holes. Normally, that's only very low hanging fruit that's in a humid area (too many leaves hiding the fruit near the ground for instance).

>>755183

If it smells like mint, it's probably chocolate mint. Otherwise I would guess oregano or marjoram.

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Another addition to my pepper collection. Thai ornamental. I picked up this little guy from Lowe's on my way home from work. Zone 7 has a long growing season for these buggers so I'm not too concerned about getting a late start. Anyone grown this plant before?

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So I recently started a small herb garden. Been doing a lot more cooking for myself and herbs aren't exactly cheap in the market place when you're buying them a few times a week. I've got some Chive, Oregano, Thyme, Basil and Rosemary going in some starters (just a few weeks old now), and it'll be time to transplant them into something larger soon.

Now I live in a fairly small apartment and want to get something compact and efficient going for my balcony. I've already got the balcony rail potters in mind, but does anyone here have any really great ideas on how to consolidate space for a balcony? These herbs are just the tip of the iceberg. I've got a few more things in mind I want to plant but need a good starting foundation first.

>>755278
I'm no expert, but I think you sowed that seed way too thick and didn't pinch out all but one, so now all the roots are going to choke each other out.

It happened to me.

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Was away from my plants for two days. After two days of painful rainfall, I came back to this. Aadsfelsftwrwa

Also, the used coffee grounds saving has begun, though the yellowing plant is fortunately not very yellow anymore. Eh, good to have it on hand!

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>>753356
So, I lost more than half my crop of peppers and all my zucchini to slugs in 2 nights.

I basically set them down into this type of situation:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTWYQhTT388

I got more plants to replace those and set up some barriers and trap plants today. All I need is a source for copper tape to put around the tops of the plants and some diatomaceous earth. Hopefully, they survive better tonight.

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Anyone got experience with growing ginger?

I used a pot with soil, put the ginger on the soil and pressed half of it in the soil and kept it wet.
I also covered the pot with a plastic bag.
Thats how i read it in the online instruction, but nothing happend since 2 weeks.
Do i just have to way or am i doing something wrong?

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>>755278
>all those seedlings planted en masse

You have a sobering life experience ahead of you as a parent when you must thin out your children...

>>755396
I normally only plants ones that are starting to sprout. Keep the humidity up and keep them moist. They like water and don't really rot easily. I have some and will be planting them in terracotta pots and keeping them in an aquarium.

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Winter pumpkin barely survived a day outside

>>755397
>seeding out
ayy

i just plant all my seedlings without any space nex to each other in my pot and let the strongest survive.
They are just herb tho

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>>755402
I fucking told you, you have to HARDEN IT OFF first. That thing is D.E.A.D.

>>755415
It was 18C outside but all week but we had a frost last night

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>>755402

And it never even got to taste human flesh.

>>755396

Tried planting a piece of ginger that I bought on special at the supermarket, stuck it in a pot and it didn't sprout for a bit over a month.

It was looking pretty good until my cat decided to sleep in the pot and snap off all the shoots ;~;

But yeah, probably just give it some more time. Only water it when you can stick your finger about half an inch into the soil and it comes out almost dry.

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Some of these leaves are yellowing, some have patches. It's not root bound. I water every few days, whenever the soil looks pretty dry. It has worm castings so it shouldn't be nitrogen deficiency. It was recently transplanted a few days ago, is it stress? Also the spots may be just scorched spots but can anyone confirm...? I'm new to this.. And I'm finding too many possibilities.

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>>755470

>>755470
Think it's a combination of transplant shock(yellowing) and not being fully hardened off(scald spots).

Mine did that and the new growth up top still came out nice and green.

>>755402
>Winter pumpkin barely survived a day outside
You killed it. It was your responsibility.

It's like putting a baby in a hot car and saying "oh, he got too hot and somehow died".

What are your guys' thoughts on diluting a multivitamin in water and using it to revitalize your past-prime soil for the new season?

>>755397

Im going to transfer to larger pots over the weekend. I'll be taking my time going through them all and thinning the herd so to speak. Only the largest will transition over.

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>>755402
Guys I put it back in my room

He will survive

>>755479
So,no real damage? Will they get better or just new growth better? once I get more green growth do I leave the old yellow on or prune..

What do you folks suppose is the best upside down potted vegetable to grow in a 10a-10b climate?

>>755479
Also its under a HPS, it came from outside to inside, i backed it away a lil im sure i got water on leaves

>>755609
pumpkins

>>755539
>>755415

Guys, I till have the pollen from the flower it produced! Even if the plant does die, his seed with live on!

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>>755656

>>755015
That's why I don't plant corn anon. When I plant corn it's the only time those motherfuckers come to the neighborhood. It's like mailing out invitations to a party that ends up trashing your entire goddamn garden. Fuck corn.

>>755659
it never had a chance

>>755394
Slugs rekt my green beans too. I found some hiding under a planter and got busy with a rock, but for the rest I'm going to hope the pan+beer trick works. That combined with a cooler and wetter than usual spring means I've now had to use all of my reserve harvested seeds. I'm scared, but I'll be better prepared next time and it's warming up anyway.

Now if only I knew how to keep those fucking squirrels away from my strawberries.

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>>755396
Never grown it but was looking into it since the ginger on the counter was growing (in my experience it's more common for my ginger to shrivel up and rot on the counter). The bud you see at the right used to be attached to the left end of the big ginger. I broke it off since I didn't want it sucking the moisture from the rest of it.

From what I read on the internet, first make sure your ginger wasn't treated with a growth inhibitor. There'll be green growth areas if you just leave it on the counter for a while. Next, I think it needs 1-2 inches of soil overhead.

>>755770
>>755394
I checked them early this morning, at first light, and there were only 4 slugs total inside the cups. There were about a dozen on the marigolds. Diatomaceous earth will be inbound this evening.

Hopefully, I won't need to use alcohol traps. Those get pretty stinky, messy, and attract raccoons and opossums, though the electric fence takes care of the latter. I just use water, sugar, and yeast for the traps.

Dry cat food also works to attract slugs.

How do I stop mold from growing on my stored seeds?

I soaked them in hydrogen peroxide, put them on a moist towel to keep them from drying out, put both in a small plastic bag, then sealed all of that inside a tight jar inside a fridge. The goal was to get them to meet the chilling requirement.

Would soaking the towel in hydrogen peroxide keep it sterile?

I planted a Chrysanthemum in full sun instead of part sun, and the buds started to brown and some of the stalks browned and got moldy too. Is cutting off the flowers and brown stems a good course of action, or will it kill the plant?

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>>756188
>How do I stop mold from growing on my stored seeds?
>I soaked them in hydrogen peroxide, put them on a moist towel to keep them from drying out, put both in a small plastic bag, then sealed all of that inside a tight jar inside a fridge. The goal was to get them to meet the chilling requirement.
>Would soaking the towel in hydrogen peroxide keep it sterile?

Maybe? Fungicide may also work. Hydrogen peroxide is neat, but I don't find it as amazing for seeds as other people seem to.

You're trying to cold stratify them?

As a wacky experiment, you should also try some seeds in moist soil (fluffy potting soil consistency, not a brick of clay.) I cold stratify in soil. You don't need to sterilize it.

>>755470
You should be fine, probably just stress, what kind of tomatoe is it?

>>755539
even if it has survived, it must feel defeated and humiliated.
scars like that don't just heal, you know.

>>756273
Well.. I don't remember specifically.. is that bad? I lost the tag the it came with. It's a cherry tomato. Maybe Sun gold. Or a sweet sugar kind idr :/

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>>756188
Stored seeds? Just make sure their moisture levels are low enough. That's its. You can use a large "Desiccant Silica Gel" packet in a tin can or big glass jar with your envelopes of seeds.

The only time my seeds have ever molded over is when I've neglected to lower their moisture content enough.

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>>755659
It kinda went under in the last thread, but I've been having my November watermelon outside for about a week now. Seems there's some sun scalding on the leaves, but overall it seems alive, even has shot new flowers

>>755376
Great! All in all, it turned well, even without any coffee.
When you'll have enough coffee ground, you can easily put 1 handful every 5-6 handfuls of soil/compost/etc. Good luck for the future of the plant!

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>>756406
Tomatoes (also outside since late April) seem to be doing well too

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>>756411
Also a pic from my winter onions, really getting fat foliage now

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>>756423
And to conclude for the night, the Pinus mugo in spring

>>756296
His offspring will survive though. I kept his pollen

>>756406
Looks a hell of a lot better than my pumpkin does

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>>756427
Made a quick collage of its progress

Question for you fellows

Rather interested in Aquaponics, but I find myself curious.

Have any of you managed to make a sustainable system? By that I mean beyond a bit of basic maintenance it does not require outside resources to sustain.

I find most of the materials I have seen so far fail to address the potential inbreeding and fish food.

Also is it possible to keep an Aquaponics system in the winter? -25 on a bad day.

>>755470
What's the ph of the water you give it?

>>755183
Looks like my spearmint plant.

>>754786
Yeah, that's what they make sriracha out of m8

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Has something been munching my sunflower seedlings?

I've been trying to help the butterflies around here.
In spring most of the caterpillars got taken by birds. Now that it's autumn, the birds that did that have migrated elsewhere and no other birds around seem interested.
But there's something even worse. Now I see some of the chrysalis shaking violently. The shakers always have a small fly on them and I'm sure they are parasites laying eggs to eat the pupa alive. I try knocking them off but it seems pointless and they're pretty good and staying on there.

>>756508
I left them for at least a month before they turned red

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>>755394
>>755833
It seems the tide has turned against the slug army. The application of the diatomaceous earth coupled with the cups seems to have prevented any slug from getting to the plants. They are all congregating on the trap plants (marigolds) where I can easily remove them and feed them to the chickens. Hopefully, the rain doesn't wash the diatomaceous earth away too much. Even while wet the slugs seem to stay away from it.

>>756765
The only real solution is to round op all the slugs, check under every log and rock, then make them do forced labour or gas them

>>756640
Squirrels and birds will.
Really any rodent

>>756188

I stored my seeds by:

Washing them

Letting them dry out for over a week

Storing in a paper envelope at room temp

No need for H2O2 or any of that nonsense. Just keep them dry and out of the sun.

>>756373
Those are the best, never had any problems with them but I live in a Cwb climate, so I'm not sure. One thing though I would advise to planting some garlic or basil near it, they keep the nasty bugs away from your precious tomatoes

>>755188
>>755210
>>756507

No it's not spearmint i have some of that. I assume its oregano but I was under the assumption that oregano has a 'pizza' type smell. Am i right?

>>755376
Go to a local Starbucks for free coffee grounds.

50% of my lawn is moss.

What do?

>>757029

Is that not desireable? Pack it up and ship it to me. :)

>>757030
It's not nice looking moss.

>>757029
It's probably like that either because it's shady af or really bad drainage. Or both, if your really unlucky.

>>757029
Don't get tricked into buying lawn care products. Just mow it when it needs mowed and don't give a shit what grows there.

>>756998
This one is inside my house under a hps. I do have basil and other herbs nearby though.
The only thing I ever grew was some pot lol grew it once smoked for several months and decided it wasn't worth the risk of cops bustin in and taking so I just grow veggies with the light. So if they bust in they'd be disappointed.
It was some of the best organic I've smoked tho..

Tried growing peppers from seeds, and they all wilted away and died in their infant plant stage. I had them on my windowsill with plenty of sunshine. I was using bagged soil that was supposed to prevent over watering. Ugh.

Could someone recommend me a good indoor grow setup with lights so I can get some decent plants going?

>>757052
Depends what you want.
There are cheap ways and right ways.
Compact fluorescent, cheapest.
Led may be next best bet.. although I think they are over hyped.
High intensity discharge lights (HID) most closely immitate the sun. There are different sizes, get one according to size of room or plants wished to grow. I have a 400 watt high pressure sodium growing a few herbs tomatoes and such. Could probably haandle more.
There's two bulbs also metal halide (more like early Sun spectrum) and high pressure sodium. The latter is stronger and if you are gonna get one most will reccomend this for its higher lumen output.
But again everything depends on space, plants and budget.

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>>757073
Mine was 400 watt Apollo horticulture.

>>753604
Those pots alone would cost a fortune over here

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>>755396
I guess waiting it out is the only way to go. I put one of the good ones into soil and made the tip point out. It already visibly rooted but hasn't gone up yet. It's getting warmer now with more sun so I hope something will start growing towards the ceiling

>>756824

My goal is meet the chilling requirement in the summer. That means putting the seeds in cold storage. I suppose I can just soak them in hydrogen peroxide to break down the seed coat, let them dry, and then put them inside the fridge in plastic bags.

That should keep them sterile and still meet the chilling requirement.

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Can I use this log for shiitake mushrooms? Has it got rot?

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My friend got me this for my birthday and I'm new to gardening, what can I plant in this garden box?

Is it deep enough (12" in the middle but tapers up to both edges) for vegetables?

>>757131
Did you just cut it? If so it will work, a bit small though. twice that thickness is better.

>>757135
12" is deep enough since it is rather wide. Just keep an eye out for it drying out fast.

>>757023
Oregano has a lot of species, and even O. vulgare itself has many subspecies differing a lot in appearance and smell (ssp. hirtum or Greek oregano smells the most like "pizza")
However it should be very easy to tell apart from mint, grown out oregano leaves are mostly 0.5-1cm long, mint ones are around 5cm

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>>757047
Not him, but weather can mess a lot with the lawn. It does best in spring and autumn as well as during wet summer periods.
In winter, chickweed and geranium likes to spread there and during dry periods in summer it's knotweed, but even during the optimum lawn growth periods you still have to deal with stuff like dandelions.
I still mostly remove it all manually which is already quite a time consuming hassle on about 250m^2 (~2700 sqft) of lawn, any more than that and I'd use herbicides too

>>757246
I don't "deal" with anything. I have a lawn mower. About half the lawn isn't even grass. A 10x10 feet plot has probably like 20 different species of plants. Most of which are actually edible.

Even if I had a pure golf course lawn, I wouldn't uproot or spray the 1 dandelion that popped up. Why? Because I'm not an idiot. The idea of a perfect lawn is commercialized propaganda to get you to spend a shit load of money on something that gives you zero return.

Of course I can understand the removal of stuff like poison ivy/oak or thistles. That stuff isn't fun to walk on barefooted or roll around in.

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>>755428
I'm not sure what the joke of this image is supposed to be

Literally the only people who can accept AB+ is AB+ people. Did this person mean to put O-?

I don't get it

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>>757312

jesus christ

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>>755396
Plant, water and wait

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Hi Homegrowmen,

I made a gif for you.

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(and a smaller version)

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Could anyone ID this for me ?

I'm sorry if it's not the right place but I don't know where else to ask.

It kinda smells like lemongrass.

I can take more pictures if needed.

>>754790
Do you mix compost material into all your beds or are some left fallow when you do it.
I'm sticking beds in every sunny spot I can . But I'm new at this.

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Should I kill these red robin tomato sprouts or should I pay 20 bucks for pots and soil? I already have four "advanced" red robin tomato plants on my balcony

Can I add fresh grass clippings directly to soil as fertilizer?

>>757572
A member of the geranium family, called 'mosquito plant.' Not a terribly creative name, but it was originally thought to repel mosquitoes when you rubbed the leaves on your skin. It's not very effective though, since the protection fades after a minute or so.

>>757596
Yes, but It'll take a bit to break down and turn into fertilizer. Its not instant.

>>757592
Get pots.

I'm so glad I live in a rural area.

>>757596
>>757601
No, not if you are wanting to plant, they cause too much heat within the first few days after being cut and can kill your plants just from that. After that they can cause root burn from too much nitrogen. It is best to pile them up and compost them or let them dry out, spread out for a couple days then use as mulch. Never till them into the soil though. That slows the composting and robs the soil of nitrogen.

>>757590
Compost is essentially usable soil. There's nothing left to decompose or break down. It'll look rich and very dark to black. You can till it into the soil, leave it on top of the soil, or use it solely as your potting soil.

>>757604
>Compost is essentially usable soil. There's nothing left to decompose or break down. It'll look rich and very dark to black. You can till it into the soil, leave it on top of the soil, or use it solely as your potting soil.


U misunderstood. I thought your were just dumping scraps into the beds and letting it compost there.

>>757618
guys. Indoor pumpkin is definitely fucking dead.

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Bought a fruit tea which came with lemon slices. Took the seeds and planted them.

>>757676
How long did it take them to sprout? I took the seeds from a lemon and it has barely sprouted after four weeks time

>>757678
Did you peel away the slimy outer layer?

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Avocado to the left (1/3)
Aloe vera (1/2)
Oregano (?)
Georgian fire garlic
Arugula and spinach

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>>757678
It took roughly a couple of weeks. Like >>757680 said it takes A LOT longer if you leave the outer shell intact. Actually, you can take your fingernail and knick the edges to speed up the germination process.

Avocado plant (2/3)
Spearmint (all mints grow like a weed,lol)

>>757688

Did you do anything to force the avocado to branch, or did it just do that on it's own?

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Avocado (3/3)
Garlic chives (I planted to much at my mother's home so had to transplant some to pots)
Golden marconi peppers sprouts

>>757692
I pruned it quite a bit especially during the fall. I wanted large bases at the roots so I would trim it down at least once a year. The one avocado plant (2/3) I didn't prune back late last year hence why it is very bushy. I live in a apt. soI have to keep it manageable.

>>757694
Yes I did force it to some degree.

>>757688
>>757684
What climate is this?

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More Georgian Fire garlic. Letting collard, dino kale, leeks & Brussel sprouts go to seed. Bottom right is garlic chives and green onions. Later today I will take a pic of my asparagus plot that i planted last year. (Purple and mary wash.)

>>757700
Zone 7
I only keep the avocado plants over winter. There my babies. ;)

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Alright lads me again with logs for shiitake mushrooms, got some sycamore, and a mix of oak (Quercus robur and ilex) are these ok for shiitake mushrooms? They've been freshly cut. Some of the Quercus ilex has evidence of woodworm. Is that an issue? Thanks.

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>>757711
Other photo of the logs.

>>757714
Nice logs

>>757711
>>757714
They look fresh so yes they should be fine. Drill the holes, pound the dowels into them, and seal with wax. The sooner you do this the better it will turn out. I normally order the plug spawn first, keep it in the fridge then go look for logs.

>>757600
Thanks a lot

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Hey guys, new to this site, but not to farming.
I'm setting up at butterfly-garden, and I'm wondering if you have any ideas on what to add.
Currently got:
Butterfly bush, Marigolds, Cloves and Lavender.

>>757883
butterflyweed
ironweed
joe-pie-weed
red/orange aster

>>757883
milk weed

>>757676
I found out after doing something similar that lemons take a LOT more work than just planting seeds to get a decent fruit. In doing it anyway though, because fuck yeah, lemon. Godspeed.

>>757883
Fuck butterfly bush, caterpillars can't eat its leaves. Where are you? Try for as many native or less invasive plants as possible

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I planted a tree yesterday. It's a montezuma cypress. Digging that rocky ass soil out gave me like 5 blisters

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Finished the first of my pea supports today, peas are sprouting as well as the sunflowers. Carrots and other roots still showing no activity and I've put some lettuce on the go now too. There's a heat wave coming through next week so hopefully the vegetable patch will get off to a good start

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Things are finally picking up speed now with the last days being rather sunny and warm (peaked at 26°C today)
Some of the early strawberries are going into fruiting stage (pic), first radishes will be ready to pick out soon, potatoes have sprouted, tomatoes are establishing, watermelon is flowering but still not fruiting

>>753376
It's easy. I do it the old fashioned way and shovel ash out of my smoker, put it through a strainer to get any debris out, and then use equal volumes ash to corn, cover it with water, bring it to a boil, then simmer it until the hulls are coming off easily. Then rinse, rinse, rinse.

FYI, hardwood ash is supposed to work faster than softwood ash, though I haven't tried softwood ash. It takes about 3 hours of simmering with hardwood ash.

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alright, i see that one of these guys has started sprouting. when should i move them from the sprouting box?
it's really moist most of the time because foam does not hold water

sorry about ugly hobo setup. it's pretty obvious that i don't know what i am doing

>>758006
I'm from Denmark. Already got plenty of native plants, but they just don't attract any butterflies.
I got some Apple trees, Oak trees and Birch trees scattered around the garden. Shouldn't it be enough ?

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Anyone an idea what plant this is?
It grew in my salad, but i dont want to remove it until i know what it is.

Is it too late to grow tomatoes from seed? Just got some in of a species id like to grow just worried its too late.

>>755376
Does coffee grounds are a solution to yellowing plants?

How to know when coffee grounds are to be applied and in which case these are to be avoided?

>>758350
You can leave it a bit longer than that.

What is it?

>>758396
Depends how far south you are and if you have long warm autumns

>>758396
Indoors? Easily.

>>758395
Broccoli maybe?

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Inbound sunflowers, how do I ensure they get ad big as possible?

>>758507
Don't keep them in seedling trays for very long. Get them out into the garden.

The roots grow very fast.

>>758507
Protip: don't walk on them.

>>758507
Also, remember to space them out min. 8" apart. when planting them.

>>758396
What zone are you in. I'm in zone 8, and I'll be planting tomatoes today from seed. I got screwed up on planting schedules due to a family member having surgery and would have started earlier, but it should be fine unless there is a freakishly early and unheard of freeze.

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>>758517
I scattered some outdoors and a lot have turned out close together like this, is this a big issue? How do I space them out when they're like this?

>>758552
Remove the ones that are too close.

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Got my corn planted yesterday. Most of it is from seed that I've saved from my own corn breeding that I've been doing. I did add some bloody butcher and some random blue corn in just to ensure that there is enough genetic diversity to avoid inbreeding depression. I'm starting to get colors that I did not start with. It's kind of cool.

Pic related is a cob from last year with every single kernel filled out and zero insect damage.

>>758590
What do you do with this stuff once you harvest it?

>>758613
Corn bread, hominy, etc... I live where posole is popular, and I happen to like it myself. With some of the stuff that I harvested last year, I'm going to try to make a 100% corn beer. It's supposed to be very difficult to do, but I ain't scared.

>>758559
Exactly.

To make it easy on you, water the ground first, then use your hand or trowel to dig around sprout.

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How's it going everyone?
Since last November I was trying to get a few yuzu seeds growing, germinating them inside and using a grow light to keep them growing through the winter.
Here's what they look like right now, I'm honestly pretty surprised that they haven't died off yet. They're hardy for sure, though admittedly a few plants have lost a few leaves.

I'm fairly certain that they'll all need bigger pots to grow further, but other than that is there anything else I can do for them? Right now it's getting warm enough where I can finally start leaving them outside.

>>758450
i'm pretty sure that's my chilli plant.
they seem to be pretty easy to grow. last time, i used no fertilizer and it looked perfectly healthy.

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Beer cup herb garden all setup today, seedlings looking very happy.

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>>758713
Well, here are my 2 lemon seedlings that sprouted last year mid July. Even though lemon is said to be the most sensitive citrus, they did well even after I put them inside by mid-October.
They continued standing on the SW window since then and slowly but continuously grew, not even leggy even though here at 50°N sunshine is very scarce in the winter half of the year (in mid-Decmeber there's only ca. 8 hours of daylight and 90% of the time it's overcast, peak sun altitude on Dec 21 is a measly 16.6°).
Since about 2 weeks they've been standing outside again completely (also had them temporarily outside on warm afternoons since February) and are growing more quickly, one of them has started branching, they're really enjoying the 15 hour days with uninterrupted sunshine we have right now and temps up to 28°C during the current ""heatwave""

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>>759028
Also a close up on the new foliage, as soon as I put them outside again, it started shooting deep red again which I assume is some sort of natural UV protection

>>758808
that looks blue collar as fuck

>>759050

Haha I'll take that as a complement. You do what you can when you need to get by. It was a cheap solution to my problem. I actually like the way it looks, once everything starts bushing out its going to look pretty rad.

>>759063
once there's green it will look cool

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>>759033
Very nice. Now I know what to expect when mine starts to grow. >>757676

The new growth on my avocado plants does this but only the one that gets the most sun so your theory sounds plausible.

Here is a pic of some asparagus coming up in 'my' yard.

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Here is a another pic of my worms giving me some fine soil. I had a container of seaweed (for ramen) in the fridge that had been in there since late last year so I figured what the hell let the buggers try some Asian delicacies, lol. Over two cups lasted about four days and it was gone.

That green stem is a garlic growing in the compost.

>>759063
You aren't the only one to do this anon. Last year a trucker roommate got a whole box of taco bell disposable cups for free 'cause the box had been damaged. I used them to start my plants in. They looked ghetto af, but it worked.

>>759270
There isn't a single goddamned thing wrong with being cheap with your gardening. You'll want a few quality tools, like a nice stout gardening fork, but sometimes I'll just pick up a random stick off the ground and start making holes to throw seeds into.

Free taco bell shit to sprout a shitload of seeds? Yeah, I'd be all over that.

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Is anyone here a member of the wild strawberry master race?

>>759303
I live in maine. Every house build before 1980 has at least one patch somewhere in the yard.

Tub potato growers - How often are you mounding up your spuds? I've heard conflicting reports - some people say do it little and often, others say it doesn't matter.

Also my friend is fully covering the plants whenever a bit of green starts to show through, like asparagus. Is this going to work? I figure his spuds aren't going to be able to get enough energy and will turn out tiny.

>>759303
I don't grow them in my garden, but I do have a patch in the woods near me that I frequent. Difficult to beat the deer and raccoons to 'em, not the mention slugs.

>>759410
I'd have to agree with you about your friend. They have to have SOME leaves get some sun or not only is he gonna get tiny potatoes but that plant is gonna die.

>>759440
Plants can store a lot of energy in their roots, and even when mounding potatoes, there is a point at which you stop and let the thing grow leaves and produce potatoes.

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Hey again guys,

My ~4 week old tomato/habanero/redpepper/cilantro/basil seedlings are coming along quite well in the ~2" diameter peat starter pots under my growlamps, indoors. Tomato plants are now several inches tall with their second set of leaves.

My question is, when should I transplant them into bigger permanent pots for their time outdoors?

Should I harden them before I transplant them, or after?

I was planning on putting several cilantro / basil seedlings into several big (~8") pots, but 1 tomato / red pepper / habanero plant into several pots of the same size. Will I get shitty results transplanting into such a big pot from such a small pot?

>>759469
If the plants are native to your region, you probably don't need hardening. OTOH, I've killed plants that weren't native by not hardening them. If you're in doubt, hardening won't screw you.

One of the issues with transplanting is that it can be a shock to the plant, and it has to put down a root system. You don't want to wait too long on that front, so that it can get established. It boils down to whether the plant can handle a frost and whether or not you are past your average last freeze. I don't know much about herbs, but tomatoes and peppers (habanero included,) aren't good with freezes.

>>759475

I'm in pittsburgh, so the last frosts of the season are over I believe.

So I should just transplant anytime then?

>>759478
Yup. And since you're using pots, you can watch the weather forecast and drag them inside if a late frost might hit, then put them back out in the morning. Just make sure that your potting soil is moist when you put them into it.

>>759410
>>759440
>>759460
I've only ever had success mounding up about 3 inches on the stems after the tops are starting to produce flower buds. Any time I've tried every single one of those stacking methods in tires, boxes made of boards, etc I've ended up with like ONE potato for the entire season.

The only reason I put extra soil on the plant is to prevent potatoes that are already growing from breaking the surface and turning green.

>>759303
I've got some of them growing all over my garden.

>>759529
I have some that I didn't harvest last year that are coming up again. I mounded about 12" over them, and they (or rather their tubers) obviously survived. I'm going to let them go and see what they produce. I figure that if they're hearty enough to survive the winter with 100% neglect from me, I want them in my garden.

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>>757883
Milkweed

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>>757883
>>759567
You get lots of monarchs

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>>759569
This is true.

Is germinating indoors a gardener meme?
I get the seedlings sprout faster, but what's wrong with outside?
You're hardening your plant for the harsh outdoor environment beforehand.

>>759590

Depends on the plant and the conditions, but it's very good for starting plants that would otherwise get eaten (or have other problems) when starting outside.

My jalapeños are taking off but the habaneros won't even sprout. Any tips?

>>759590
plant matures in xx amount of days. xx is longer than DOLF to DOFF
Start indoors so plant reaches maturity during growing season.
Also I planted 10 beans outside. I have 1 plant. Stupid squirrels dig them up.

>>759590
Because I can have ready to plant plants that are 2 months old already when the last frost is over. Otherwise, everything I plant at that time is 2 months behind.

>>759601
Wait longer. Keep warm.

>>759549
That's exactly how I store my potatoes in winter. I never dig them up until I want to eat them. All my potato plants I have right now are from last year's sprouts that I missed digging up this time around. I dig those up, take them off the potato and plant them in the next bed for crop rotation.

>>759590
Some plants are better at surviving than others.

>>759708
Totally agree. Take for instance there are certain super hot chilli that takes 180 days for maturity instead of your basic 90 days. So its possible to get a minimum of two yields if starting early, depending on the plant and conditions.

>>759590
you can start the plants much sooner in some climates. Where I am there is usually a risk of frost until the middle of May, but we still get warm days 15C+ sometimes 20+ before June. So I start my plants inside, leave some outside during the day too, then bring them in at night.

>>759439
Ya, I have a litter of 4 semi-domestic stray cats living in my backyard. If it wasn't for them slaughtering anything that goes near my garden I would never be able to enjoy any of the berries myself.

You can buy albino berries that the birds don't notice as easily. I don't if they have any albino f. virginiana though, I think they only have albino domestics.

>>759590
If you live in a colder temperate climate, indoor seeding is a great way to start growing before your date of last frost and begin right at the end of april/start of may with robust plants rather than seedlings.

Also, seedlings can be eaten/killed in a lot of ways, onions/garlic/leek/chives have some of the most pathetic seedlings, very weak and prone to being killed.

>>757572
>>757600
Yeah mosquito plant or lemon geranium, it does fuck all for repelling bugs but I like the smell, you can also use it on the bottom of a cake pan to add some lemon flavor if you're short on lemons

>>758395
Im still trying to figure out what this is, im sure its not broccoli

>>760132
Wat, it's edible?

>>758395
>>760190
Take a photo from the top.

>>759956
re-Pot them and overwinter them indoors. They will last several years.

>>760271
http://www.agardenforthehouse.com/2009/04/three-incredible-edible-scented-geraniums/

>>759956
I'm just confused because the instructions on the seed packet are identical to the jalapenos.

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What is this and why do cats keep eating it every year?

>>760374
Your super hot peppers and jalapenos are just different cultivars of the same species. They can and will cross pollinate if they are next to each other. Think of it like different dog breeds. Some produce small decorative purple peppers, others produce bell peppers, and others produce peppers that will turn your anus into a fucking flame thrower. One of the variations that you get with plants, even of the same species, is time to maturity.

>till up a plot the size of a small mattress for tomatoes and banana peppers
>find out there's a layer of concrete about 10 inches under the soil from an old shed that was there decades ago
Should I make a new plot?

>>760564
It'll be fine, just make sure it doesn't dry out too fast. Personally, I'd clear off the pad and put a new shed and put the garden somewhere else.

>>753269
Gonna make a hydroponic potato, tomato, rose, plants.
Already got the seeds for tomatoes, just need to get the rest of the supplies tomorrow or so.

Any good advise?
I'm not using a pump btw, want to keep it cheap and it'll be indoors.

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>>760443
it's called catnip

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Did I harvest too early or too late?

>>760789

seems fine, what's the problem?

>>760790
Just trying to get my broccoli as huge as possible before it flowers

>>760590
Only the stuff in the photo isn't catnip.

Will a male kolomikta kiwi pollinate a female arguta kiwi? I love the productivity of the arguta, and the colors of the male kolomikta, but I wanna make sure they're compatible.

Not sure if it belongs to this thread, but I'm new to this gardening stuff
Is there some (relatively) quick way to clear a big collection of leaves from my hilly yard for planting? I'm talking nearly a decade of leaves piling up

>>760943
With a big-ass leaf blower, but really, decomposed/decomposing leaves can be some really good stuff for a garden. You don't need to get rid of all of them, just enough to ensure that they don't act as a mulch that stops seedlings from getting any sunlight.

>>760943
If we're not talking about hectares of land here, then a good old rake should be quick enough
Then compost that shit for 1-2 years

>>758438
I think this can be a solution, but that also depends of what you call "yellowing". It should be a general yellowing of the leaves (nitrogen deficiency), not one that avoid veins. You apply coffee ground when you're making your soil, with your compost etc. So it isn't very easyonce you have yellowing leaves, usually you do that before this happens.
You should probably avoid it if your soil tends to be too acidic AND if your plants can't bear with that (this is quite uncommon in my experience but that may happen).
You could also "mulch" your plants with coffee grounds to discourage aphids while adding some nitrogen, though be aware that where the mulch is, it will be waterproof (coffee ground on surface of the soil, if there is enough of them, will turn to a crust) so don't cover the whole surface. This problem doesn't occur when you simply mix it with your soil.
Also, coffee grounds are a long term choice. Nitrogen is released slowly so don't expect an instant "healing" of yellowing, it's more preventive than curative.

>>758438
>>760954
>yellowing plants
From my own experience, this is in 99% of all cases caused by overwatering (I'm guilty of that myself).
Most plants are much sturdier than we might think at first and even need some dry periods to avoid root damage/stop the spread of pathogens/parasites
I noticed it most especially with my figs - even though I only used to water when the surface was clearly dry, eventually they still let their leaves hang and stopped growing. Upon checking the roots, they were brownish and kinda rotting! Now I water them even less (let the pots they're in almost go completely dry through), and sure enough, new healthy white roots started showing up

>>760958
Despite what I said in >>760954 , I very much agree with you. Though, throwing some handfuls of coffee grounds isn't such a bad idea, once over-watering has been pushed aside...

>>760972
Yeah, you can't do too much wrong with "mild" fertilisation such as coffee. Still, I think it's best to only fertilise at all whenever there is strong growth, while in periods where the plant is struggling for whatever reason, keep it meagre

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>babby's first time gardening
>septoria leaf spot on 90% of my tomato plants
>thrips on my onions
>black aphids on my beans

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>>761008

best get used to it

>>760313
Ooo, thanks bro. I'll definitely have to get some of those plants now.

>>753618
>>753619
>>753621
>>753623
What kind of soil are you using? Fertilizer?

what size of pot should I get for a tomato?

>>761049
Yup. I like to plant multiple different cultivars of things because I don't like to use sprays and I do like to get something out of my garden. I think I have 8 different cultivars of tomatoes planted right now. Two years ago, a virus ripped through here and wiped out everybody's tomato plants. Some of what I had planted had a resistance to the virus because I had planted so many different kinds, and I had people look at me amazed that I got any tomatoes whatsoever, because neither them nor any other gardeners were spared that year.

Genetic diversity is one tool that you can use to combat pests, fungus, viruses, bacteria and bugs.

Would Thyme be a good companion plant for Brussel Sprouts? I've got some left over Thyme seedlings that will need a new home pretty soon. I just potted some Brussel Sprout seeds in a very large pot that would be able to accompany them in size, but I'm unsure if they'd make a good companion plant or not.

Anyone know?

>>761258
According to https://www.westcoastseeds.com/articles-instructions/organic-growing/companion-planting/
you can

>>761182
About 10l.

>>761008
Buy ladybugs of you live in a semi big area like a house. This is a viable option if you have am infestation of aphids and the like. If you have just a few plants get a praying mantis. I purchased one with a couple of eggs and they have served me well, my little green assassins *insert villainous grin*.

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>been raining heavily all day
>Plants are probably enjoying themselves
>Slugs probably are too

>>761346
Pay a Mexican kid $2 an hour to guard your plants and squish all the bugs.

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Today i ate my first Aquaponic Strawberry.
It was nice. Could be sweeter but i guess i was a little impatient and could have let it hang a day or two.

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>>761346
>rainy as hell all of 2 weeks
>battling slugs like the insect pit in King Kong (2005)

Last year I used living mulch. This year I tried normal mulch. Everything went to the only plants left, my veggies and devoured them down to the stems. I put in cups, diatomaceous earth, and marigolds. So long as nothing bridges over to the cups (top pic), the slugs stay out. Most of the marigolds are nearly gone (bottom pic).

It is a horror show out there right now.

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Top row, left to right: Garlic; Swiss Chard (2nd season chard) with Lamb's Quarter and Smartweed; Chickweed
Middle row: Asparagus starting to make flowers; Purple Potatoes; Red Potatoes
Bottom Row: Strawberries; Shiitake Mushroom; Yard grass for composting and mulch

I have a ton of other stuff, but it is raining cats and dogs now. I'm hoping to get the corn in the ground soon.

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Got a couple more things I'd like to have ID'd
#1
This weed growing under the privet hedge, my personal guess is either Fallopia convolvulus or Fallopia dumetorum
As for location, I'm the Rhinelander

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>>761775
#2
This thistle also on the edge of said hedge and the lawn. I thought it looks nice (night time photo doesn't do it justice, also I probably should remove the grass with gloves on soon) and let it stand when it popped up last summer. Gotta know if it's aggressively spreading or shit and if I should better remove it. Has reached about 70cm in breadth and height right now, no foliage died back in winter

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>>761778
#3 (last one)
A flower I guess. Popped up last late summer and grows very slowly, now starting to flower, also very slowly

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>>761780
Close up of the still developing flower (hasn't progressed much in the last 1-2 weeks)

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Thread's past bump but maybe someone will see this....

One of our chickens has been laying funny eggs - weak, or bumpy on one end, or long. I give them crushed eggshells regularly as well as giving any milk that's going sour... If it's a calcuim problem not sure what else to do.

This morning got a really crazy egg! I've never seen anything like it... Have you?

>>761775
English ivy off to the sides and some sort of ipomoea in center.

>>761778
Looks like Bull Thistle (Cirsium vulgare) not Canadian Thistle (Cirsium arvense). Bull thistle are pretty chill and don't spread like mad. They also look good. Canadian thistle is a fucking bitch to get rid of, destroy on sight.

>>761780
>>761781
Not familiar with that.

>>761800
Stop feeding them milk (store bought cow's milk has added Vitamin D2 which is the wrong one). Get some oyster shell for them and some Vitamin D3 supplement. Make sure they get lots of sunshine.

Hey there anons, I've been faced with an infestation of pill bugs. The bastards are crawling all over my strawberries and every time even one grows in, they eat it. How do I dispose of the vermin?

>>761008
That's the life.
A little luck, a little skill, a little practice.

My first year gardening was a nightmare-- nothing survived to harvest.

On my 3rd or 4th year now, and I can't get some pepper seeds to sprout for the life of me. 11 days in moist paper towels and still nothing. I might try an acid bath first next time,

>>761824
K thanks, will post more pics of the thistle once it flowers, but will definitely remove #1, whatever it is
Are you sure about Ipomoea though? According to wiki they're overwhelmingly tropical with only a couple being native to the Mediterranean which I'm far away from (it's an oceanic climate at 50°N, zone 8a)
Oh and of course I know about ivy, this one is extremely ubiquitous here everywhere, be it a climber in gardens or groundcover in woods
>>761846
I don't know what exact species/cultivar you use, but at least my bell peppers (Capsicum annuum 'California Wonder') sprouted within a few days back in March, I had them sitting in moist potting soil with plastic bag wrapped around at around 30°C on top of a radiator on a SW facing window. Heat really accelerates things at least with (sub)tropical stuff from my experience - did the same with watermelon seeds. The ones on the radiator sprouted within 3-4 days, but the ones at room temp (20°C, also SW window) took about 2 weeks

>>761800
is the inside normal?

>>761846
If they're not germinating, give them a little scratch. I have some wild chile (chiltepine) and you have to do that to get them to germinate. If the seeds are a throwback to their wild days, they'll have a coating that makes it difficult for them to absorb water.

But I've also had NM cultivars of chile take 3 weeks to germinate, so patience might be in order. They do like it warm.

>>761851
>Are you sure about Ipomoea though? According to wiki they're overwhelmingly tropical with only a couple being native to the Mediterranean which I'm far away from (it's an oceanic climate at 50°N, zone 8a)

Morning glory and sweet potato are both Ipomoea genus.

>>755539
plant bunch of seeds outside right now, they will take off with no help from you. then you can be a happy parent

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Bought some purple corn kernels off ebay and the woman who sent them also gave me a mixed bag of carrot seeds, evening sun sunflower seeds, and kernels for something called Berry Corn that looks like this. And a little note wishing me luck with my gardening.

This is a good day. I should have gotten into gardening sooner.

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>>761008
>aphids
>Aphids
>APHIDS

REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Those fuckers killed half my fucking cucumbers, and then yesterday I saw one of the devastated ones was coming back and all the aphids had somehow been notified because every single one and their goddamn grandmas was swarming it. Hope those little fuckers liked the pyrethrum I sprayed on them.

Little cunts.

>>759321
>>759545

Have you tried cultivating them? They are the species that gave our modern garden strawberry all its flavour. I think they are easily as good as the European alpines and North American woodlands.

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>>762113
I used this per the local ag extension's recommendation.

Seems to have worked.

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>>762113
Just hose them off with water. Do it twice a day for a few days and they will be gone. No need for >>762153 at all.

Hey /out/, I have the shittiest nutrient deprived, sandy, rocky soil in my garden, is there any reliable way to restore nutrients to it and make it useful?

>>762305
Manure, compost. Or just give up and build raised beds.

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So I started growing some apache F1 chili seeds. Did the paper towel trick and straight into soil. The paper towel ones worked really great, however when I planted them in the soil they shriveled up. I guess the soil is too coarse for good growth.

So I'm looking for a sieve recommendations. I'm guessing the best choice is metal or plastic. I'd like something that will last, stacks away neatly and is easy to keep clean.

Any suggestions welcome on the chili seeds or the sieves.

>>762365
Try it without a paper towel?

I've grown countless chills and never done this.

>>762448
>I've grown countless chills and never done this.
check this video. germinated within a week, the seedlings were like an inch long within two weeks. amazing growth.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Sx_GBbZi68

>>762305
At least its not clay soil. Easiest way is to get a load of leaves and clippings from the local yard waste dump and till it right in. Just wait until it rots down and its not hot and plant your stuff right in. Easiest, cheapest way to do it.

>>762469
KEK,

I have alkaline clay soil. I just accept that some things won't do well here, such as blueberries. I just try lots of different things out and save seeds from plants that do well.

(I'm not the poster you were responding to.)

>>762477
My condolences. Maybe till in some peat moss and sand? IDK brah, I got lucky with my soil, it's just plain stuff. Not sandy, not clay, just middle of the road. All it needs is some compost for extra nutrition, maybe some bone meal if I decide to grow lotta tomatos.

>>762569
Actually, I have some things that grow wonderfully in the clay. It does have plenty of organic matter in it, and I'll go get several varieties of whatever it is that I want to grow, try them all and save seeds. I'm literally making the plants match my environment and my gardening habits instead of trying to make my environment match the plants. If something doesn't like it here, fine, I don't save seeds and I move on.