Home Garden 2024 / 2025

[Bubba_s]

We have a Pineapple Guava tree but my wife does not like them but our dog loves them

Are the onions grown in the ground or raised bed?

I planted a prune tree (forget if its the Italian or French variety) about 10yrs ago. Get lots of blossoms and even some very very tiny looking fruit but they never get any bigger and drop. Tree was supposed to be self fertile so I don't know whats up with it

The guavas are super sweet, not for everyone. I'd like to put them in our stored away juicer next time.

The onions are in semi raised beds. We had a large redwood deck which had good planks but the supporting structure was giving way, so I made it into several beds, some only one (6") plank high. That is where I have the onions and garlic. I'll post a pic of the current situation when I'm at home. Looks like shit due to dog defense systems but oh well.

Our plum is a Santa Rosa, so it was bread for my area (Pretty sure about that, thank you Mr. Burbank!). It is quite productive though a few years it's been not much. It took at least three years before we started getting any substantial amount. Hopefully yours kicks into gear soon, good luck!! (Also, get a Santa Rosa... SOOOO GOOOD!!)

 

[Bubba_s]

I make a batch of these every year with the hot peppers I grow. Mostly jalapenos, but I mix in a few Serranos and Anaheims too.

 

[Caddywumpus]

i have 10 gallons of 100% done compost and 5 gallons brewing. My garden is going to be NUTS this year.

My compost is 60% food waste, 35% coffee grounds, 5% yard waste.

 

[nakedape]

The wife and I kinda went HAM on gardening during the pandemic. We have 6 raised beds with drip in the backyard and a few pots. The smallest bed is 3' round and the largest is 6'x9' IIRC. I didn't plant anything this winter, but we'll definitely be planting again in a few weeks for spring. I can't remember what's best for shoulder months down here. But by summer I'll definitely have green beans, squash, and melons again.

I still have a few plants that have survived San Diego "winter". None have produced anything since Nov, but they'll spring back quickly in March.
- sungold cherry tomato
- some saucing tomato
- habanero pepper
- bell pepper
- jalapeno
- sage
- mint
- strawberry
- oregano

Damn, what neighborhood are you in? My gardens are in Point Loma, college, and Serra Mesa. All but PL had the peppers freeze down after these last cold snaps. My friend in Leucadia lost his peppers too. Over five years old.

I have a cherry tomato chugging along. It’s protected by the pond and a fence that sees a lot of sun, even during the winter.

This year we are planting purple maters and I’m excited: https://www.norfolkhealthyproduce.com/

 

[stangmx13]

Damn, what neighborhood are you in? My gardens are in Point Loma, college, and Serra Mesa. All but PL had the peppers freeze down after these last cold snaps. My friend in Leucadia lost his peppers too. Over five years old.

I have a cherry tomato chugging along. It’s protected by the pond and a fence that sees a lot of sun, even during the winter.

This year we are planting purple maters and I’m excited: https://www.norfolkhealthyproduce.com/

I'm in Clairemont behind the HomeDepot. We over-wintered the tomatoes and one pepper plant - they grew some new leaves and still look healthy. Two other pepper plants were left alone because they still have fruit - they are yellowing but not frozen. It looks like we are getting a few more cold nights next week. Then maybe I'll be in the clear.

 

[Bubba_s]

Planted some beets and lettuces yesterday. I think it's early, but I had the bed ready and seeds are cheap. I will say that with this damp soil, and more rain coming next week, I won't have to do anything but watch and see if anything comes up.

 

[auntiebling]

my yard is clay and even in a drought year, it's pretty wet ~8" down. once my tomatoes (bought from costco usually, i can't start from seed for shit) get established i only have to water them monthly. it's terrible soil for a lot of things but man, it's a reservoir for the tomaters

 

[GAJ]

my yard is clay and even in a drought year, it's pretty wet ~8" down. once my tomatoes (bought from costco usually, i can't start from seed for shit) get established i only have to water them monthly. it's terrible soil for a lot of things but man, it's a reservoir for the tomaters

Same here which is why I did raised beds.


I followed the Hugelkultur method.

 

[Bubba_s]

my yard is clay and even in a drought year, it's pretty wet ~8" down. once my tomatoes (bought from costco usually, i can't start from seed for shit) get established i only have to water them monthly. it's terrible soil for a lot of things but man, it's a reservoir for the tomaters

The first year we moved into our home I put the tomatoes into our clay soil with a bunch of good compost mixed in. It was the best tomato year for us. Since then we've had them in raised beds or large pots and the results have been ok to poor. I never considered that it had something to do with the clay soil. I (Wrongly) assumed raised beds with great compost would not work as well.

I'm so glad to read your post, I'm going back to that this year. Thank you!!

Same here which is why I did raised beds.


I followed the Hugelkultur method.

This is cool. I won't be doing this for tomatoes (See above) but I'd like to give this a try with some other veggies.

 

[GAJ]

This is cool. I won't be doing this for tomatoes (See above) but I'd like to give this a try with some other veggies.

Really cut back on the amount of soil I had to buy.

This year I had to add a few bags of soil/compost to each of the raised beds as, of course, the soil level drops as the lowest level of logs/twigs decomposes and fills in as rain falls.

The lack of soil at the very bottom didn't bother the potatoes we grew at all or the onions or garlic last year.

 

[auntiebling]

The first year we moved into our home I put the tomatoes into our clay soil with a bunch of good compost mixed in. It was the best tomato year for us. Since then we've had them in raised beds or large pots and the results have been ok to poor. I never considered that it had something to do with the clay soil. I (Wrongly) assumed raised beds with great compost would not work as well.

I'm so glad to read your post, I'm going back to that this year. Thank you!!



This is cool. I won't be doing this for tomatoes (See above) but I'd like to give this a try with some other veggies.

I just want to be clear i'm no gardener, and consider myself mostly the beneficiary of a lot of luck and strong plants from the nursery that supplies Costco... however

I do know from years of my dad growing 'maters and my own comparatively minor experience that tomatoes are really picky about their water. you're better off nearly killing them from lack of water, than over watering them. if they're wilting, i'll water them that evening. otherwise they fend for themsleves

also mulch. lots of mulch over their base so the sun doesn't cook them from the ground up.

related: i think i've settled on the Florida Weave for holding them up. the varieties i like are indeterminant and will absolutely demolish any easily available cages. I do need to get educated on pruning the bushes.

 

[Climber]

My home garden is a hydroponic system for growing herbs. I mostly grow fresh basil in it as that's my favorite fresh herb to use.

 

[mean dad]

Gonna try some dragon fruit trees, too. Might take a couple years to produce but what the hell why not.

 

[Bubba_s]

My home garden is a hydroponic system for growing herbs. I mostly grow fresh basil in it as that's my favorite fresh herb to use.

The good thing about your system is that you'll get year round basil, which I don't get. That being said, basil is hella easy to grow. We plant seed but also buy the potted, still growing bunches from the grocery store and plant them after we chop off whatever we need (Usually for basil pesto). If you cut it back aggressively it will keep going all season until the cold sets in. Fresh basil is amazing.

Gonna try some dragon fruit trees, too. Might take a couple years to produce but what the hell why not.

Good luck! That sounds pretty exotic. My current long term project is getting asparagus going. My friend gave me a chunk from his patch and I am waiting to see if it comes back this spring. He's already harvesting from his patch, mine may take a couple years if it works.

Some of the seeds (Arugula) I planted six days ago are coming up already. woo hoo! I expect to see radishes popping up soon too. Radishes are fun because they grow quickly and are pretty easy. I plant them between rows of carrots (I wasn't going to grow carrots this year, they're cheap at the store, but changed my mind. Once the carrots come up, the radishes are almost done, and pulling them loosens the soil and makes room for the carrots to grow.

 

[gnahc79]

I have a bunch of these self watering containers on our patio. Had to put up a cage-thing last year because some critter thought I was making a buffet for them lol.

Is it too early to plant chili peppers now? Last year I waited longer than normal (late April) and didn't get peppers until late summer. Hoping to get peppers sooner. My pepper plants from last year are still going strong somehow, I just left them outside and did nothing really.

 

[Bubba_s]

I have a bunch of these self watering containers on our patio. Had to put up a cage-thing last year because some critter thought I was making a buffet for them lol.

Is it too early to plant chili peppers now? Last year I waited longer than normal (late April) and didn't get peppers until late summer. Hoping to get peppers sooner. My pepper plants from last year are still going strong somehow, I just left them outside and did nothing really.

It depends on the zone you are in but it's too early for peppers IMO. They don't like the cold. But I also feel like I waited too long last year. For Sonoma I think it's March or maybe early April.

 

[Climber]

The good thing about your system is that you'll get year round basil, which I don't get. That being said, basil is hella easy to grow. We plant seed but also buy the potted, still growing bunches from the grocery store and plant them after we chop off whatever we need (Usually for basil pesto). If you cut it back aggressively it will keep going all season until the cold sets in. Fresh basil is amazing.

Yeah, I love adding fresh basil to many recipes.

My sister told me that I could take an offshoot and plant it into a pod to start another plant. I usually start with a couple seeds in the pod and go from there, she tells me that I can jump start the process.

I have found that I have to occasionally clean out all of the old water and start anew, the water can get to a point where it's irrecoverable.

 

[Bubba_s]

Basil roots very easily. You can even buy a bunch from the store and root it in water and plant it. Putting bunches of basil in a glass of water is the best way to store it if you buy/pick too much.

I haven't done hydroponics but i imagine the water would need to be changed at certain intervals. It's not the water, it's what starts growing in it I think.

 

[mean dad]

What hydro setup do you have Brett? I'm extremely limited on counter space.

 

[Climber]

I have this one: AeroGarden Sprout

It has 3 pods and a small footprint. The LED boom moves up as the plants groe. Also,

I got a large container of their plant food from Amazon which brought the costs down, though I paid $15.83 for it last summer instead of the current price of $34.95. I suspect that the price is seasonal.