Gardening and Plant Thread

[Bassomatic]

I took it inside for the winter but my rosemary like over night just up and died. Pretty bummed it was doing well and getting pretty big in about a 6" round clay pot.

 

[Honored guest]

I took it inside for the winter but my rosemary like over night just up and died. Pretty bummed it was doing well and getting pretty big in about a 6" round clay pot.

This happens to my rosemary every year, I still haven't figured out whats causing it. Its funny because I neglect my rosemary all season and its fine, but as soon as I bring it inside it rapidly dies.

 

[Lichen Bark]

I get to try out some hügelkultur beds I set up last year. I'm really interested in seeing how planting in those turns out.

I thought they held up really well to the extreme heat, I think the plants appreciate the water reservoir the wood provides. I planted directly in those type of beds right after creating them, my plants didn't do so hot even though the wood I buried was pretty old, and some very spongy. I was in the process of moving, so I just planted anyway. It was cool seeing the various mushrooms push up beside my vegetables. I had access to fresh manure, but didn't put it on the garden in time, but at the end of last season I added a bunch of finished composted manure and it was cool to see things respond to it. My paranoia doesn't allow me to bring in any outside soil/amendments. I am really looking forward to this season, I have multiple compost piles finished and expect this year to be a lot better.

I took it inside for the winter but my rosemary like over night just up and died. Pretty bummed it was doing well and getting pretty big in about a 6" round clay pot.

I would imagine the super low indoor winter humidity levels probably hurt it, either that or root rot. I watched many people on youtube adding tons of perlite (looked like 50%) to their indoor rosemary potting soil, they said it hates wet soil. I thought about overwintering inside but don't want the satruggle. If you had an old aquarium lying around you could set it in that and close off the top 95% to keep in more humidity, then setup a grow light.

Rosemary is such a hassle. Usually I just harvest and dry the whole plant at the end of the season, but this year I thought I'd leave it out and see what happens well....I think it's dead Jim. Apparently 'Arp' Rosemary, or 'Athens Blue Spires' Rosemary is more cold tolerant, but I've had trouble finding those. I wish the seeds stayed viable longer, I either have no trouble sprouting them, or 100% trouble. I have just resigned to sprouting a new plant every year. It annoys me because I can't save seeds this way. I wish rosemary was more like sage.....stupid rosemary.

 

[Spitz]

About three weeks into growing the peppers. The superhot hybrids finally started emerging about five days ago. They're the tiniest pepper cotyledons I've ever seen. I had some LED burn on some of the leaves, so I cut the levels back and they're doing better. I've got some leggy ones, but I've got oscillating fans blowing on them for that. I've dealt with worse light-reachers in the past and was able to get good yields by babying them with stakes and other forms of protection. I used a water-soluble fertilizer at a very low rate on the biggest ones a few days ago. Keeping the heat up in their room has helped their development a lot. Optimal heat units, yo.

I replanted the empty cells. Just have to see what happens. Still got a good emergence rate. Only got three bananas, so I'ma have to figure out how to get huge yields off of those if I don't get any others to emerge.


These were the leggy cayenne about a week ago. They're a little wobblier now.


Nanners. Always outgrowing the hotter species.


A bunch of others. The purple on the leaves is the LED burn. I let that shit get away from me with these nuclear blast lights.
Look at this goofy fuck in the corner. Dwarf, mutt pepper.

Another mutant.


Superhot hybrids. Gonna be a looonnnggg time on these. 150 days? Sheeeiiit

I thought they held up really well to the extreme heat, I think the plants appreciate the water reservoir the wood provides. I planted directly in those type of beds right after creating them, my plants didn't do so hot even though the wood I buried was pretty old, and some very spongy. I was in the process of moving, so I just planted anyway. It was cool seeing the various mushrooms push up beside my vegetables. I had access to fresh manure, but didn't put it on the garden in time, but at the end of last season I added a bunch of finished composted manure and it was cool to see things respond to it. My paranoia doesn't allow me to bring in any outside soil/amendments. I am really looking forward to this season, I have multiple compost piles finished and expect this year to be a lot better.

I'm looking forward to it all as well. I saw your scallions and C. frutescens; things are looking very healthy. I'll be keeping this thread updated with all the new things going on in the hillbeds, but that's quite a ways off. Stir up or shave off that algae on the surface if it starts getting funky.

 

[Lichen Bark]

Stir up or shave off that algae on the surface if it starts getting funky.

I took it all off a few days ago before I watered that batch. I could see the edges folding up from the dryness, so I poked at it with a chopstick and it came off like a big thin wafer cookie. Pretty satisfying.

Here's a plant image for the thread plant tax. My happy looking swiss chard. I always felt like I started these far to late in the past, they would usually be leggy and crap looking. This year with the oscillating fan, and the manure compost starter it's looking much better. At this rate the thing is going to be fully grown by the time I can plant it.

Grow light space getting cramped, and tomatoes aren't even here yet lmao.

 

[Spitz]

I took it all off a few days ago before I watered that batch. I could see the edges folding up from the dryness, so I poked at it with a chopstick and it came off like a big thin wafer cookie. Pretty satisfying.

LMAO that's great. I know that feeling. Watching the aphids get decimated by the spiders last season after I brought the pepper plants inside was very satisfying.

Here's a plant image for the thread plant tax. My happy looking swiss chard. I always felt like I started these far to late in the past, they would usually be leggy and crap looking. This year with the oscillating fan, and the manure compost starter it's looking much better. At this rate the thing is going to be fully grown by the time I can plant it.

Beautiful. I love chard, collards, and kale. I grow at least one row of one of those every year and end up with way more than I can ever use.

Grow light space getting cramped, and tomatoes aren't even here yet lmao.

I feel that. I have to start 500 onion seeds once these superhot peppers have grown big enough. Things are going to be very cramped in the next couple of months.

 

[Bassomatic]

This happens to my rosemary every year, I still haven't figured out whats causing it. Its funny because I neglect my rosemary all season and its fine, but as soon as I bring it inside it rapidly dies.

Mine just died when I posted so it made it almost all winter inside.

Definitely getting ready for lots of planting as it's warming up here and not many more frost warnings.

I did run into my back woods and started pulling lots of that damned invasive honey suckel it's the only thing green that's not a needle based tree now.

 

[Still Exceptional]

I just moved from my tiny house with a tiny yard out west to a much larger house on an acre of land in the midwest. So I'm building a fucking garden. Haven't started yet, obviously since it's not even spring yet and I just moved in here, but I'm getting ready to make a good go of it.

I have a hutch full of buns producing loads of fertilizer in the form of shit, soiled cardboard and newspaper, and fur. Stuff is great for compost, rabbit shit is 4x better than cow manure. I also have many trees that drop loads of leaves for the browns, and we've got a decent yard full of grass for the greens. I'll be putting loads of coffee grounds, egg shells, and vegetable waste from my kitchen in there as well.

I plan to fence an area of at least 12'x10' and about 5-6' tall to prevent deer from getting in there. Also need anti possum and raccoon countermeasures. Gonna have individual raised planters about 2' tall in rows so I can better control the soil as well as keeping my crops separated.

I have planter boxes on the front windows, but those are going to be for nice flowers. Possibly something perennial.

Wish me luck, kiwibros.

 

[Rakovnik]

Also need anti possum and raccoon countermeasures.

You can pick the possums up and take them, there's nothing they can do about it.


As for the raccoons, shoot them, they're too smart and if deer want to get into your garden the fence height won't matter, electric fence works best in my opinion.

 

[Anonymus Fluhre]

To make it easier for you two.
@Pisek I know they're pretty expensive, but for the size, easy of care, and how friendly they are I think it's worth it. Their milk is an acquired taste, but if you like making homemade cheese, butter, and ice cream it's rather good. I've been looking into how to set up a smaller coop for chickens for a smaller area for Canadian weathers until we move. I don't need a chicken to produce a ton of eggs (we did talk about chickens a bit in the Melinda Scott thread). I've been thinking about getting the polish chicken. They're more laid back, friendly with kids, and produce around 150 eggs per year.
@ExsanguinateHorizon
I hear dexter's are good for beef. I'll have to look into that if I find a butcher that can butcher all my animals (being Buddhist I can't personally butcher my own animals.)

I also have a small green house on my property so I'm looking forward to using that this spring and I'm hoping to have a larger one for when we move since gardening is really the only bit of farm work I still do. I mainly like growing cucumbers for pickling and tomatoes for sauces. Now with more room I should be able to do some peppers and more potatoes (I used to just have three large pots with them in there since it's easier to grow them. Once we move I would like to try some aquaponics for herbs

 

[Rakovnik]

To make it easier for you two.
@Pisek I know they're pretty expensive, but for the size, easy of care, and how friendly they are I think it's worth it. Their milk is an acquired taste, but if you like making homemade cheese, butter, and ice cream it's rather good. I've been looking into how to set up a smaller coop for chickens for a smaller area for Canadian weathers until we move. I don't need a chicken to produce a ton of eggs (we did talk about chickens a bit in the Melinda Scott thread). I've been thinking about getting the polish chicken. They're more laid back, friendly with kids, and produce around 150 eggs per year.

Much better than profile posting. I've never done milk before, is small scale milking difficult? We were looking at the highlands for beef.

As for the chicken coops I'm happy to help with any advice besides making them small lol all of my coops are large. I've heard good things about the Polish chickens, personally I really like my Barred Rocks, they're very friendly and like being pet. Most of my flock are ISA Brown, some are friendly but they're also the most inquisitive and will get in my way around the farm since they're free range. Even my Easter egg layers are pretty docile, I think those are Ameraucana. 150 per year is a little low but not for a backyard chicken, I sell them so I keep a majority of the flock breeds that lay around 300 per year, I'm at about 100 eggs per day right now.

 

[Anonymus Fluhre]

Much better than profile posting. I've never done milk before, is small scale milking difficult? We were looking at the highlands for beef.

As for the chicken coops I'm happy to help with any advice besides making them small lol all of my coops are large. I've heard good things about the Polish chickens, personally I really like my Barred Rocks, they're very friendly and like being pet. Most of my flock are ISA Brown, some are friendly but they're also the most inquisitive and will get in my way around the farm since they're free range. Even my Easter egg layers are pretty docile, I think those are Ameraucana. 150 per year is a little low but not for a backyard chicken, I sell them so I keep a majority of the flock breeds that lay around 300 per year, I'm at about 100 eggs per day right now.

When I did it as a kid I didn't have much of an issue with larger animal outside of the initial fear of such a big animal. I was like four at the time and they were much larger than a highlander.

Polish chickens lay around 150-200 eggs a year. I didn't want too many eggs since I don't use that many even though I do like baking and I have to make breakfast for a few people (Not everyone in the family likes eggs all the time). If I get 12 chickens then they'll lay up to 150 eggs a month or 5 eggs a day which is more than enough for the weekdays and some left over for baking. Eggs from them are medium to large size. Plus I'd like to get 8-9 ducks and use their eggs too.

Currently I have enough space for a six by 10 foot coop. I prefer to let my chickens free range. It's what my rabbit does too so I'm always outside checking on it since we do have some falcon's near by, currently it's in doors because it's too wet outside. My cats haven't bothered it and the really don't care about the birds that visit for water and Malen'Tai just watches my koi, none of the other cats care about them. Opposite of the yard I have a 8x12 greenhouse. Out front I'm thinking about doing some flowers or something just to make it look nicer out there. Never did flowers before really, well at least grow them with a little more organization than just scattering the seeds and hoping for the best.
I may set up a smaller coop next them for chickens I want to eat that I wont treat as pets. Same goes with the ducks. Though I'll be putting those up front yard away from the chickens and my koi because I don't to have to deal with dead animals.

 

[Rakovnik]

I prefer to let my chickens free range. It's what my rabbit does too so I'm always outside checking on it since we do have some falcon's near by, currently it's in doors because it's too wet outside. My cats haven't bothered it and the really don't care about the birds that visit for water and Malen'Tai just watches my koi, none of the other cats care about them.

My barn cats are terrified of the chickens and get chased away by them all the time. I get red tail hawks in my area, I've lost a couple chickens to them but way more to coyotes.

I may set up a smaller coop next them for chickens I want to eat that I wont treat as pets.

I've got separate coops for meat birds too, just a simple 8x10 frame with cattle panels bent over as a hoop and a tarp covering the top. It works well for the summer but gets risky in the fall, I had a few freeze last fall when temps dropped way lower than normal but I'm planning to do larger batches and finish my meat birds sooner this year.

 

[Anonymus Fluhre]

My barn cats are terrified of the chickens and get chased away by them all the time. I get red tail hawks in my area, I've lost a couple chickens to them but way more to coyotes.


I've got separate coops for meat birds too, just a simple 8x10 frame with cattle panels bent over as a hoop and a tarp covering the top. It works well for the summer but gets risky in the fall, I had a few freeze last fall when temps dropped way lower than normal but I'm planning to do larger batches and finish my meat birds sooner this year.

Malen'Tai is a maine coon so he's not afraid of much. Vetr is smaller and I'm not sure her breed but she doesn't care for my koi and just wants to play with the rabbit so not sure how she'll respond to chickens and ducks.
The area I want to put the coop should get a decent amount of sun but also block any cold winds blowing to them thanks to the walls of the house and walls around them. Plus the deep litter should help trap in heat during the winter. It's not cold here like it is out west so they should stay warmer. I'll just have to make sure their water is always thawed. I have looked into getting a wireless weather station so I can be alerted if it gets too cold for them. Beginning of spring I can take out the litter add it to the compost and bring in some fresh stuff.

 

[ExsanguinateHorizon]

I've heard good things about the Polish chickens

They're pretty calm because they can't really see, it's not so much it affects QoL though. Fun to watch them. My all-rounders are Orpingtons, extremely borb. Visually the blue-laced red wyandotte is my favorite.

 

[Yandex Captcha Solver]

Starting some burley tobacco seeds at the moment, hoping to grow a massive surplus of tobacco. Will try to grow about an 1/8 of an acre of it which should produce way more than I'll go through in a year, which I'll use to make snus. Biggest hurdle will be drying it after winter hits, may have to hang some indoors to keep it warm enough to cure properly.

The rest of the garden will be some tomato plants and maybe a melon or two. The nitrogen is already in rough shape, so will be fertilizing with some nitrogen when I break soil. Then will do a alfalfa cover crop for winter if timing works out well to help fix more nitrogen and lure some deer over.

If this spring goes well and funds allow. Considering starting a small meat rabbit farm. Was looking and saw with two breeding pairs I should see roughly 500lbs of meat a year, if I get half that I'll be more than happy. Feeding them wheat sprouts/fodder and grass/weed scraps should keep costs down tremendously vs commercial feed. The manure will also be very nice for the garden as it requires minimal processing. Will have to cat and coyote proof the structure though. Already know the barn cats will be eying them up.

 

[Anonymus Fluhre]

They're pretty calm because they can't really see, it's not so much it affects QoL though. Fun to watch them. My all-rounders are Orpingtons, extremely borb. Visually the blue-laced red wyandotte is my favorite.

From what I've seen they're lap chickens due to that. You can't keep them with other chicken breeds because they'll get picked on. One reason why I choose them is because they're better for children to get started with. One nice thing about chickens is that you can feed them vegetable scraps after supper and if you have a large family like mine they can get a lot of scraps. They can be as bad as cats though when they see something new. They need to explore everything new so having chickens that can't see worth shit helps curb that.

My greenhouses also don't have the typical plastic sheets and I have wire mesh under the ground so they shouldn't be able to dig under it and get to the veges inside once I start growing.

 

[Rakovnik]

I got 3 or 4 acres tilled up this week right before a bunch of rain hit, I'm hoping it dries out soon so I can till it again to break up the grass clumps. This is all going to be seeded with an orchard grass mix for better horse hay.

 

[Bassomatic]

Dear roses in the woods, I'm trying to help you by pulling dead stuff and invasive vines thanks for cutting me up like cheap sushi.
Fucking faggots hope deer eat you.

 

[Spitz]

Happy Patty's

From two days ago. These aren't all of them. The ~15,000 Lux from my Chernobyl grow light makes them look like they all have edema, but it's only the bananas that have edema, which they got after getting transplant shock. Curly leaves and bubbles. I transplanted 2 weeks ago, but those pictures aren't ready yet.

I'm glad to see that people have a lot of good plans in the making.