Homegrown is the way it should be.......Gardening!

[ALady]

I've always dabbled in gardening, but never gotten really serious.  Since I'm now in a basement suite, I'm looking for something to grow in my window-ledges come spring.  Any advice for something low maintenance and worth growing?  I'm thinking loads of herbs.  

Chives are really easy to grow on a windowsill.  And tasty - I throw them into everything.  Rosemary's pretty easy to keep going, too.

I'm still getting cherry tomatoes off my little plant from last summer.  ;D I'd like to do something a little more elaborate this summer, but alas, I have only a balcony to work with.

[aMillionDreams]

I've always dabbled in gardening, but never gotten really serious.  Since I'm now in a basement suite, I'm looking for something to grow in my window-ledges come spring.  Any advice for something low maintenance and worth growing?  I'm thinking loads of herbs.  

Will they be outside?  Will they have full sun.  Herbs are definitely good to grow in window boxes.  You could also do leafy greens if you want to eat what you grow.  If not, you've got a LOT of possibilities.  My favorite annuals are coleus, begonias, and snapdragons.  The first two will do well in shade and sun, snapdragons need full sun.

Also, I noticed the OP asked about raincollecting.  I have a rain barrell that's just a 55 gallon barrell with the top cut off.  We are getting new gutters this year and I'm going to have them install a water diverted to another rainbarrel that will be sealed other than a small hole to let water in and one to let water out where I'll connected a garden hose.  Plants LOVE rainwater, you really can tell the difference. City water has WAY too much chlorine which kills the beneficial microorganisms in the soil.  In other words, city water turns soil into dirt.

MD this is great advice. I've learned already! I'm gonna do a rain barrel. Btw, what does make a good compost bin? I'm using a black  55 gallon plastic barrel with a hole in the top. We put all our stuff in and turn it over occasionally, but I bet there's a better way.

It's hard to go wrong with a compost bin.  Mother nature does it by putting rganic matter on the ground, so you'd have to try really hard to mess it up.  Barrells are a good way to go because it keeps your compost a few degrees warmer than outside.  They are the fastest for sure.  You could turn it into a tumbler which can turn raw materials into compost in 2 weeks.

I use 13 ft of chicken wire and form it into a cylinder making the measurements 4X4X4, somewhere between 3X3X3 and 4X4X4 is recommended but not required.  Also, if you can pick up a free wooden pallet somewhere you can build it on top that.  This will do a few things: 1) get more air into the pile 2) improve drainage so that you don't have to worry about it getting too wet and 3) You can put a water collector of some sort inside the pallet to collect compost tea.

[goose]

I'm guessing compost tea has great nutrients for flower beds and such?

[aMillionDreams]

Compost tea has some nutrients, it also contains microorganisms that put life in your soul, and if you water from the top or spray it on your plants it creates a protective film which organically deters insects.  

I have a few liquid fertilizers that I mix into my compost tea. I use this as my main source of fertilization and insect deterrent. Making your own is the best way to go, but collecting the run-off from your compost pile is certainly beneficial as well.

Making your own goes like this.  Put a few handfuls of compost in cheesecloth and tie it off. Put that into a five-gallon bucket, fill the bucket with dechlorinated water (if rainwater isn't available let your water sit out for at least 24 hours).  Buy an air pump made for an aquarium and pump air into it for 24 hours.  I also add some liquid fertilizer, molasses, and micronutrient powder, but these are optional.  After your tea is done brewing add a pint to every liter of water and water your babies.  The great thing is you can't burn your plants by giving them too much like you can with chemical fertilizers.

[goose]

Damn dude, you know your shit about gardening.  I may need to come over and you can teach me.

[aMillionDreams]

I thought some of you might get a kick out of this story.  It does a good job of pointing out how poorly thought-out and environmentally irresponsible most suburbanites are.  



GOD: St. Francis, you know all about gardens and nature. What in the World is going on down there in the USA? What happened to the dandelions, violets, thistle and stuff I started eons ago? I had a perfect, no-maintenance garden plan. Those plants grow in any type of soil, withstand drought and multiply with abandon. The nectar from the long lasting blossoms attracts butterflies, honeybees and flocks of songbirds. I expected to see a vast garden of colors by now. But all I see are these green rectangles.

ST. FRANCIS: It's the tribes that settled there, Lord. The Suburbanites. They started calling your flowers weeds and went to great lengths to kill them and replace them with grass.

GOD: Grass? But it's so boring. It's not colorful. It doesn't attract butterflies, birds and bees, only grubs and sod worms. It's temperamental with temperatures. Do these Suburbanites really want all that grass growing there?

ST. FRANCIS: Apparently so, Lord. They go to great pains to grow it and keep it green. They begin each spring by fertilizing grass and poisoning any other plant that crops up in the lawn.

GOD: The spring rains and warm weather probably make grass grow really fast. That must make the Suburbanites happy.

ST. FRANCIS: Apparently not, Lord. As soon as it grows a little, they cut it, sometimes twice a week.

GOD: They cut it? Do they then bale it like hay?

ST. FRANCIS: Not exactly Lord. Most of them rake it up and put it in bags.

GOD: They bag it? Why? Is it a cash crop? Do they sell it?

ST. FRANCIS: No, sir -- just the opposite. They pay to throw it away.

GOD: Now, let me get this straight. They fertilize grass so it will grow. And when it does grow, they cut it off and pay to throw it away?

ST. FRANCIS: Yes, sir.

GOD: These Suburbanites must be relieved in the summer when we cut back On the rain and turn up the heat. That surely slows the gro wth and saves Them a lot of work.

ST. FRANCIS: You aren't going to believe this, Lord. When the grass stops growing so fast, they drag out hoses and pay more money to water it so they can continue to mow it and pay to get rid of it.

GOD: What nonsense. At least they kept some of the trees. That was a Sheer stoke of genius, if I do say so myself. The trees grow leaves in the spring to provide beauty and shade in the summer. In the autumn they fall to the ground and form a natural blanket to keep moisture in the soil and protect the trees and bushes. Plus, as they rot, the leaves form compost to enhance the soil. It's a natural circle of life.

ST. FRANCIS: You'd better sit down, Lord. The Suburbanites have drawn a new circle. As soon as the leaves fall, they rake them into great piles and pay to have them hauled away.

GOD: No. What do they do to protect the shrub and tree roots in the Winter and to keep the soil moist and loose?

ST. FRANCIS: After throwing away the leaves, they go out and buy Something which they call mulch. They haul it home and spread it around in place of the leaves.

GOD: And where do they get this mulch?

ST. FRANCIS: They cut down trees and grind them up to make the mulch.

GOD: Enough! I don't want to think about this anymore. St. Catherine, you're in charge of the arts. What movie have you scheduled for us tonight?

ST. CATHERINE: Dumb and Dumber, Lord. It's a real stupid movie about.............

GOD: Never mind, I think I just heard the whole story from St. Francis.

[searchinbig]

MD,

That is funny. My front lawn is mostly weeds and I love it. It thrives in wet or dry conditions. I don't add any shit to it and it grows. Fortunately I live where people don't see my lawn so I don't care what it looks like. I have even picked the dandelions (flowers), dredge them in flour and fry them in butter. They are actually pretty good. Rest of the family thinks I'm nuts but hey.........

[Dudley]

In about a month here I'll be putting my garden to work.. Much larger this year than ever.. My grandpa was a farmer so it's in our blood thses days.. I will have at my dad's house a 1-2 acre vegetable garden.. At his place the grounds so fertile the squash are the size of baseball bats.. No joke... And at my new place we will be planting a lot of hybrids this year.. They are funny colored/tasting/shaped vegetables... Really looking forward to the blue watermelons we've been talking about.. Also I will be planting lots of flowers and herbs.. And i mean lots.. The whole driveway will be lined.. The detached garage and house will also be surrounded.. We already have one row of grapes for this years wine and Raki.. But we will be plant 4 or 5 more rows this season.. Also currants and gooseberries will be added... Along the back of the lot we are putting all fruit trees.. Apples, necterines, plums, FIGS, and maybe some others... I use a mix of topsoil, compost and peat moss.. I will also be using compost teas and all organic homade pesticides.. Can't wait to put my green thumb to work this year..

[TheBigChicken]

do yourself all a big favor and make a rain barrel. 55 gallons of free water comes in handy. I also use an Alaskan fish emulsion to mix with the water and it drives my plants bonkers. For all you peeps in the cold states, rosemary is a great herb to grow....full sun and very cold hearty.. got @ 5-6 of those beauties here in the FLA and they're huge.

[mjkoehler]

Good deal, MJ.  I'll shoot you a pm.

I ordered a canner the other day, hopefully this year's harvest will warrant one.

Envelope stuffed and stamped. Dropping in the mail tomorrow morn.

[mtngurl]

Man, you guys are killing me with the homegrown tomato talk!  And AMD,  sungolds are the best! I just drooled on my keyboard.
We always have a decent size garden, just to feed our family. Tons of tomatoes (like 6 different kinds), cukes, peppers (jalapeno, serrano, cherry, bell), tomatillos, squash, zucchini. But I'm too lazy to grow from seed.  I'll be on the lookout at the nursery for these 4th of july's though. Thanks for the tip!  I should also work on my compost. I hauled a huge trailer full of leaves away, but I didn't pay for it! We have a local green waste place that takes it for free and makes it into compost so I can buy it back. ;)

[mjkoehler]

I actually mulch a tons of leaves into my garden in the fall, and again in the spring before tilling. We also always add our fruit and veggie scraps and peelings in the garden along with some egg shells. All for the organic material. Thankfully I have a ginormous pinoak near so I have tons of crushed/ground up acorns to also help with organic material. The soil in most of the garden is black as night, the good kind of black. Potting soil black.

[aMillionDreams]

mtngrl, I should of known you'd be a gardener.  I'm still pissed we missed each other in Telluride.  Anyway, I can't wait for my tomatoes.  Here are the maters and peppers I'm planting this year:
Tomatoes:
Sungold
Stupice (heirloom)
Esther's Cherry (heirloom)
Brandywine (heirloom)
4th of July (thanks MJ)
Celebrity
Italian Roma
Cabot

Peppers
Jalapeno
Mini Red Bell
Mixed Bell
California Wonder
Bella Hot
Anaheim Chile
5-Color Chinese
Cayenne

And get this, I talked my wife into letting me plant a patch of sweet corn in the backyard!  I making another order to Johnny's tomorrow!!!

MJ, I'm glad you got your seeds today. I can't believe you're popping yours right now, but maybe I'm just being chicken.  The farmer's almanac says I'm pretty good to go.  hmm....

Maybe I'll start a tray and see how it goes.

[aMillionDreams]

Also, you're lucky to have such great, midwestern soil.  My subdivision had the top soil removed and sold so my yard was compacted clay subsoil that would only allow the most invasive of weeds grow in it.  After two years of adding my own organic matter to the soil, I'm finally getting closer to fertile soil.  I'm taking a soil sample in tomorrow for a scientific analysis, btw. I'll share the results.

I may have mentioned this before but I collect the bagged leaves people leave out for the garbage.  Then I mulch it with my mower and use it in my compost pile, as mulch in the garden, or I just pop a few holes in the bag and throw it behind the shed.  A year later you have leaf mold, arguably the best soil amendment available.  

I can't believe people throw leaves away, I hoard them like gold.  I can't wait till the spring when people throw their old mulch away.  I'd rather use year-old mulch than brand new mulch any day.  It's already partially decomposed and returning organic material and nutrients to the soil at a faster rate.

[mjkoehler]

Leaves are the best stuff the garden.

Brandywines eh? YUM

The beauty of an old house.

4th of July
Sungold
some kind of cherry or grape. I eat them like Skittles

Jalapanos
Thai
Bell
Mild Jalapanos
Hungarian Wax
Pablano

[aMillionDreams]

I dropped off my soil sample today and couldn't help picking up some more pepper seeds.  I got some yellow hugarian wax, ancho/pablano, and green tabasco pepper.  I started my peppers today.  :D

I also picked up my sweet corn seeds.  They're a Burpee hybrid called early and often, sounds good to me!

I realize it's a little ridiculous that I'm growing 11 kinds of peppers and I don't even really like spicy food, but it's all good. I wonder what my neighbors will think of my corn patch, but really, I don't care.

[mjkoehler]

Ha, I picked up some more pepper seeds also today along with another tomato variety. All the pods are filled. I took pics of them, but I'll be damned if I know where the hell I just saved them too. Here is a shot of the garden area. We are actually expanding it to the right of my green bean fence.

[TheBigChicken]

starting seeds tomorrow....basil,dill,thyme,etc...

[ALady]

The local chocolate factory sells bags of cocoa hull mulch...any thoughts on that?  I picked some up.  It sure smells nice!   ;D

[aMillionDreams]

I got the 4th of July in the mail, Mike.  Thanks.  I can't decided if I'm popping them this weekend or next.  Hmm....