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.
-
There has been a recent cluster of spammers accessing BARFer accounts and posting spam. To safeguard your account, please consider changing your password. It would be even better to take the additional step of enabling 2 Factor Authentication (2FA) on your BARF account. Read more here.
Home Garden 2024 / 2025
- Thread starter Bubba_s
- Start date
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
Well-known member
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
Well-known member
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.
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
Well-known member
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
verum super omnia
Gonna try some dragon fruit trees, too. Might take a couple years to produce but what the hell why not.
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.
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.
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.
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
Well-known member
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.
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.
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
verum super omnia
What hydro setup do you have Brett? I'm extremely limited on counter space.
Climber
Well-known member
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.
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.
900ss
Well-known member
Ahem, I love spuds, you know where I work. Feel free to drop off some surplus bounty any time.....
900ss
Well-known member
GAJ
Well-known member
Thanks for the offer but I see the seeds are not expensive at all so might give them a try though I've only grown peppers from tiny starter plants. My green thumb is a bit on the brown side!
What makes Fish Peppers unique?
900ss
Well-known member
Radishes are coming up, four rows all sprouting. They grow so quick, perfect plant to grow for quick results. Arugula continues to pop up and one row of lettuces is coming up too.
I bought a bunch of seeds for things I usually buy starts of. Tomatoes and peppers mostly. I'm going to go with seeds as much as possible this season and see how it goes.
I bought a bunch of seeds for things I usually buy starts of. Tomatoes and peppers mostly. I'm going to go with seeds as much as possible this season and see how it goes.
Even though it's been getting in the mid 30s at night stuff is still sprouting. Barring any major dip in night time temps, I think we'll be good. Here are some pics of our garlic, red and white onions, radishes and lettuces (Pic sucks, dog proofing not helping either). Not pictured, beets, which just sprouted up a couple days ago. Happy Gardening!!
Attachments
900ss
Well-known member
Bzwrthy
FNORD
- Joined
- Jul 30, 2007
- Moto(s)
- sv650 nekid,
tiger 900 GT Pro, drz400sm
- Name
- Rhonda
- BARF perks
- AMA Defender #: 971449
About to close on a place with 2 apple, 2 plum, a fig, and some trellised grapes. Room for roses and some raised beds. Once we close, the current owner is going to walk me thru the yard and give me all the deets for care and feeding.
Cannot wait to bring in some natives as well the standard tomato, basil, peppers.
Cannot wait to bring in some natives as well the standard tomato, basil, peppers.
GAJ
Well-known member
Yes. I forgot to mention that the peas are coming up too. I always do lettuce, beets, arugula, carrots if I grow them (Also saw one of those popping up, they take a long time to sprout) from seeds. I will be planting cucumbers and squash (Yellow crookneck) a bit later, also from seeds. I usually buy tomato and pepper starts but this year I'm going to try and make my own starts. We'll see, if it works out and I have a lot I will share with anyone willing to come and pick them up.
Congrats on the new home!! Very cool of the previous owner to show you around, that's awesome. Enjoy it!!!
Last edited: