Thread: ALIPACer Gardening

FLORGAL: THANKS FOR THE EXCELLENT SEED LINK. MY SEEDS ARE ON THEIR WAY. STRAWBERRIES, MORE TOMATOES, ARGULA, CILANTRO, BERRIES, MELON, AND A BULB SHAPED CARROT THAT I NEVER EVEN HAVE SEEN BEFORE. MORE ONIONS, AND OF COURSE SEVERAL KINDS OF LETTUCE......THE JOB THAT AMERICANS WONT DO. HE HE.

AND THANKS W FOR GETTING MY BUTT MOVING ON EXPANDING MY VEGGIE AND FRUIT GARDEN. I HAVE BEEN MEANING TO GET THIS DONE FOR TWO WEEKS NOW. I LIKE THE IDEA OF ALIPAcers GARDENING TOGETHER THIS YEAR. SHOULD BE FUN.

For those of us unable to plant a garden, they can try LocalHarvest.org they can find CSA's, and other valuable information on getting great local food and other local products that are good for you and the environment

LOCAL HARVEST IS A GREAT SOURCE FOR LOCALLY GROWN VEGGIES.

I JUST WANT TO SAY THAT APARTMENT DWELLERS SHOULD NOT BE SHY ABOUT TRYING THEIR OWN GARDEN THERE ARE MANY WAYS TO GROW WITH LIMITED SPACE.

I LIVE IN A VERY SMALL APARTMENT. I GROW VEGGIES IN CONTAINERS SEPARATE FROM EACH OTHER SO I CAN MOVE THEM AROUND. I USE 3 TO 5 GALLON CONTAINERS. MOST OF THIS GOES OUT ON MY FIRE ESCAPE.

SOME PEOPLE HERE IN THE CITY USE WINDOW BOXES TO GROW HERBS AND TOMATOES AND STRAWBERRIES. SOME BUILDINGS ARE REALLY INTO IT...YOU LOOK UP AND ALL THE WINDOWS HAVE VEGGIES IN THE WINDOW OR WINDOW BOX. SOME TENANTS HAVE COOPS ON THE ROOF OF THE BUILDING.

MAKE THE MOST OF WHAT YOU HAVE.

I've almost got all of my sprouts in, but have a few problems.

One, I have to germinate more corn, green beans, and tomatoes.

Only three of my tomato seeds sprouted and they are taking forever to grow.

Also, none of my watermelons sprouted. I have the second try in the pellets but if they fail it looks like I will need to go buy some watermelon plants.

I hope to have a new pic of the planted garden by this weekend

Lots of great rain here for the last three days which is promoting growth and helping to further decimate the drought!

W

I always buy my veggie and herb seedlings from local nurseries & greenhouses. They are very healthy, have a head start and a better success rate from damping off (mold) and animals that love tiny delicate seedlings.

We have had record snow this year in New Hampshire and there is still snow in my yard in some places. We don't plant here until after Memorial Day due to frost warning.

Also, I have heard that groundhogs don't like used kitty litter dropped into their holes. Once I saw a huge groundhog walk right past a large cat and the cat just looked at it as the groundhog was much bigger than the cat.

Originally Posted by Dixie

Why doesn't my Wisteria bloom?

There are two different plants together. One plant is one of three surviving saplings from a vacant lot that I transplanted and the other is from the garden center. Some thing has to be wrong with the soil or a nutrient problem, since the plants are unrelated. They are several years old and I have not cut them back because I thought they had to bloom on old wood.

Y'all are so funny about the germation. I just stick seeds in the dirt and the sprout, grow and bloom but don't produce. Must be that brown thumb.

Dixie

Wisteria and all flowers, blooms and fruit like lots of phospherous; try Shultz Bloom. Some folks who have trouble getting Wisteria and Lilacs to bloom scratch super phosphate around the base of the plant about 12-18 inches from the stalk in the Fall. The plant stores up the phospherous and uses it in the Spring for beautiful flowers.

Ask a Master Gardener: May to-do list
By Rebecca Jepsen
for the Mercury News
Article Launched: 05/03/2008 01:33:20 AM PDT

Related Stories
May 3:
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MAY TO-DO LIST

Add a layer of mulch around trees and shrubs to retain moisture, provide nutrients and deter weeds. Apply a 2- to 3-inch layer of organic matter or chipped tree trimmings; prevent rot by keeping it several inches away from the trunks of the plants.

Control earwigs, which feed on soft plants and can cause significant damage. They feed at night and hide in moist, tight spaces during the day. Trap them by setting out moistened, tightly rolled newspaper at night, then discard it in the morning. Check out other control methods at www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/pmg/pestnotes/pn74102.html.

Fire blight shows up in the spring, causing blackened branches and twigs that look like they've been scorched. It often affects fruit trees such as apple, pear and loquat, as well as toyons, hawthorns and crab apples. Spread by insects, rain and pruning, fire blight left unattended can kill the tree. Prune the infected branch about 8-12 inches below the visible damage. For more information, go to www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/pmg/pestnotes/pn7414.html.

Prevent rust on snapdragons, sunflowers, sweet peas and pansies by avoiding overhead watering and practicing good sanitation. Rusts are easily identified by the dry, brown, orange or yellowish spores that form on lower-leaf surfaces. Upper-leaf surfaces of heavily infected plants can become spotted or turn yellow or brown. Remove and destroy affected plants or plant parts as soon as they appear.

Fungicides, such as neem oil, can be applied at the first sign of infection.
For our complete list of May gardening tips, click on www.mastergardeners.org/tips/may.html

What to plant now

Transplants: cucumber, tomatoes, peppers, squash, eggplant, beans, lettuce, and many herbs such as dill, basil, chives and mint.

Seeds: corn, beans, summer squash, beets, radishes, spinach.

For a list of warm-season vegetables that do well in Santa Clara County, go to www.mastergardeners.org/picks/warm.html.

- Rebecca Jepsen, University of California Cooperative Extension Santa Clara County Master Gardener.

http://www.mercurynews.com/lifestyle/ci ... ck_check=1

W, try sowing your corn and bean seed directly into your garden spot instead of your peat pellets. Corn, beans, peas and such don't like to be 'moved' once they sprout, so direct sowing seems to work out better, at least in my experience.

I direct sow everything except tomatoes and peppers. Those I start inside in styrofoam drink cups with 50/50 peat and potting soil- usually in early March so they're ready for early May planting.

So far we've planted 124 tomatoes of different varieties, silver queen corn, yellow queen corn (don't plant near each other or they will cross. Don't put corn and tomatoes next to each other either!), okra, Or-ee-gun Sugar pods, Contender green beans (stringless and tender!), cherry belle radish, carrots, hot banana peppers, sweet banana peppers, jalapeno, red and green bells, yellow, white and red onions, sugar baby and moon & stars watermelon, Iroquois canteloupeStraight 8, Ashley & bush pickle cukes, and mammoth sunflowers. I still have about 100 tomato plants that will be ready in a couple of weeks (Roma, yellow jubilee & beefmaster). Haven't found any sweet potatoes yet, but still looking and waiting! We also have 2400 June bearing strawberries that will be ready in about 3 weeks! I'm working on laying off a new plot so next year I can add a few blueberries...yummy!

What a great idea for a topic! Thanks for starting this thread. Especially since there are so many people here from around the U.S. who live in the countryside and can share their knowledge and experience.

Over the past few weeks I've been thinking about starting an organic vegetable garden. I guess all this concern about rising food prices have made more people consider starting one. My grandparents were Italian and used to grow tomatoes, basil, eggplants, zucchini and peppers. My grandmother used to make her own tomato sauce from the tomatoes they grew in the garden. And everytime I smell fresh basil I always get a flashback of her cooking in the kitchen.

I think it would be something very relaxing and rewarding to do. But I must admit I've been a little intimidated! (Unfortunately, my grandparents "gardening gene" must have passed me by) I want to do it right and after reading many articles on the subject I feel somewhat overwhelmed!

I really don't want to use the soil in my backyard because after years of spraying (including for the W. Nile Virus a few years back), I just don't trust it to be safe. I was thinking of making some planter boxes and filling them in with organic soil. My father said that most wood is chemically treated so I wonder if that would cause any toxic run off into the veggies when it rains. Also, I want seeds that are not hybrids or any other weird thing that's not natural.

What would be the first few steps for someone like me just starting out? I live out on Long Island, NY, and over the past few years our spring season has been unusally cool and damp. Thanks in advance!

For those of you who just want a couple of plants like fresh tomatoes without the hassle of a garden, try these. www.earthbox.com They work great for growing on the porch or patio and are easy to set up. Best of all they are Made in the USA.

WELL MY MIXED GREENS ARE COMING UP NICELY. ALSO I NOTICE NEW LITTLE PEPPER SEEDLINGS. AND MY PEA PODS ARE ALL BREAKING THROUGH AS WELL.

STILL WAITING FOR MORE SEEDS FROM HEIRLOOMACRESEEDS.COM. HOPE I GET THOSE SOON. I ORDERED THEM ALMOST TWO WEEKS AGO. I ORDERED ANOTHER GROW LIGHT TO ACCOMODATE THE EXTRA NEW PLANTS.

WHEN I GET THE REST OF THE SEEDS, I WILL BE PLANTING MELON, MORE TOMATOES, CILANTRO AND MORE CARROTS. VEGGIES MAKE SOME BEAUTIFUL HOUSE PLANTS. THEY ARE COLORFUL.

I GOT SOME BUSH TYPE STRAWBERRIES FOR GROWING IN CONTAINERS. BET THEY WILL BE NICE AND TASTE GOOD TOO. THEY HAVENT COME UP YET, BUT I AM EXPECTING THEM SOON.