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JAMESBJOHNSON
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JAMESBJOHNSON
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Wow, the broccoli looks great!
What's your average daytime high temperature? I tried to grow broccoli once, and it just all flowered out in no time.
Our temps are tween 75 and 85 for now but cold fronts are arriving, and temps will drop below 80 soon. Broccoli does best around 75 degrees, above 80 degrees it flowers. Plant your broccoli when your temps are 60, and harvest before temps rise above 80.
Kalamain
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Building a compost bin in a more temperate climate can be a pain.
I have a cone shaped bin with no base. you just plonk it on the ground, throw your biomass in and let it cook. Every 3 months or so I lift it off, move it a couple of feet and spade it all back in.
This moves the stuff around and stops it from cooling down or drying out too much.
I get all the compost I need after overwintering it.
Earwigs and pests in general
One of the best things I ever did to control the pests in my garden was to install a pond (This invites frogs) and feed the birds. between them they will happily eat slugs, snails earwigs and just about any pest I can think of.
Also...if slugs/snails are your issue consider looking up Nematodes http://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/gardeningequipment/8675592/The-war-on-slugs-starts-at-home.html
I have a cone shaped bin with no base. you just plonk it on the ground, throw your biomass in and let it cook. Every 3 months or so I lift it off, move it a couple of feet and spade it all back in.
This moves the stuff around and stops it from cooling down or drying out too much.
I get all the compost I need after overwintering it.
Earwigs and pests in general
One of the best things I ever did to control the pests in my garden was to install a pond (This invites frogs) and feed the birds. between them they will happily eat slugs, snails earwigs and just about any pest I can think of.
Also...if slugs/snails are your issue consider looking up Nematodes http://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/gardeningequipment/8675592/The-war-on-slugs-starts-at-home.html
Hi, James. I like your post here. I have a question that I hope you can answer. I am taking a earth science class right now and it has me so interested. This winter, I want to try to grow a pepper plant inside my dorm room. Is this possible? It is just for fun and would like to see it take off over the winter if it would work. What do you think? Thank you
Kalamain
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Hi, James. I like your post here. I have a question that I hope you can answer. I am taking a earth science class right now and it has me so interested. This winter, I want to try to grow a pepper plant inside my dorm room. Is this possible? It is just for fun and would like to see it take off over the winter if it would work. What do you think? Thank you
Not James... But I grow chillies and Capsicums so I may have a little info that may help you.
Pepper plants generally die back over winter. you could keep a plant indoors and get it settled for a good, early start next year but it won't likely do much over the winter months.
I'm not sure where in the world you are but here in the UK we simply don't have enough sunlight to keep the pepper plant happy.
I think you may be able to grow it if you have a lamp you could use. A proper lamp, not a desk lamp.
Kalamain
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Any suggestions for planting in pots? All I have is a slender Florida room that gets sun in the afternoon.
Do you want houseplants or something a bit more exotic?
First off you need to look at if you have a radiator under the window. If you do then you will need to water more often as a radiator will dry out the air above it.
What kind of show would you like? Leaves and flowers....Mainly a leaf show or what?
If you want leaves I would suggest a Coleus
If you want flowers then maybe African Violets – Saintpaulia
If you want a waxy leaf plant then I have always liked the Crotons – Codiaeum variegatum
MeekMe
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I just want green. Sadly I work and have little time to spend on gardening. So easy care would be best. I live in a condo with no yard so I try to keep it inviting with plants. The only thing I managed to keep was a Christmas cactus which surprisingly I've managed to get it to flower each year. The other plant I have is just around because it just never died σ(^_^; )
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Kalamain
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In that case I would suggest...
Sansevieria Trifasciata - Mother in laws tongue
Practically unkillable....
Saintpaulia - African Violet
Nice plant can be trained to produce flowers all year round and can survive drought to a degree. Good choice of flower colours
Don't put it on top of a radiator
Crassula ovata - Jade Money tree
If you can keep a Christmas cactus then you can keep this alive!
Spathiphyllum - Peace Lily
Indirect sunlight is perfect for this one. Can tolerate drought...But keep away from radiators
Chlorophytum comosum - Spider plant
Nice and easy will tolerate mild drought and indirect sunlight
Only the African Violet and the peace lily have any real flowers but all will survive in less than perfect conditions.
Good luck!
Sansevieria Trifasciata - Mother in laws tongue
Practically unkillable....
Saintpaulia - African Violet
Nice plant can be trained to produce flowers all year round and can survive drought to a degree. Good choice of flower colours
Don't put it on top of a radiator
Crassula ovata - Jade Money tree
If you can keep a Christmas cactus then you can keep this alive!
Spathiphyllum - Peace Lily
Indirect sunlight is perfect for this one. Can tolerate drought...But keep away from radiators
Chlorophytum comosum - Spider plant
Nice and easy will tolerate mild drought and indirect sunlight
Only the African Violet and the peace lily have any real flowers but all will survive in less than perfect conditions.
Good luck!
Kalamain
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One other thing....Don't let the leaves touch the glass if you can avoid it and give the plant a quarter turn every other day, or when you remember, so that the plant does not start to lean over into the sunlight.
Radiators under a window seem to be a staple in UK homes...Thats why I asked. Nothing dries out the air or a plants soil quicker than a radiator.
Good luck!
J
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Kalamain
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Very good!
With your carrots...Do you suffer carrot fly at all? I have to grow garlic and spring onions near my rows to deter them. I'm not big on using pesticides if I can arrange it so constantly looking to find ways to deal with them otherwise.
Are you leaving your Calabrese in the ground still or did you pull it already?
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I don't have a carrot fly problem.
I expect to harvest broccoli (calabrese) in about one week. The florets expand about 1/2 inch per day. I usually harvest at 9 inches.
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Kalamain
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Did you plant in stages or will you crop all of them and store them (Here in the UK its a pain to store them.)
MeekMe
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This thread is pretty amazing. ^_^ I will definitely be stopping in more.
JAMESBJOHNSON, how big do the carrots get?
Not sure how big the squares are on your lovely table cloth. I'm curious because I've noticed that the grocery stores around here have these bags of pathetic carrots that you have to use two or three to make a meal.
My local produce market (I shop there mostly) has these great big carrots that you could beat somebody to death with. They look like they should be the same type of carrot, so I wonder if it's how they're grown or if they are just pulled at different stages.
At some point, I'd like a garden of my own. For now I'll just read about having a garden.
JAMESBJOHNSON, how big do the carrots get?
Not sure how big the squares are on your lovely table cloth. I'm curious because I've noticed that the grocery stores around here have these bags of pathetic carrots that you have to use two or three to make a meal.
My local produce market (I shop there mostly) has these great big carrots that you could beat somebody to death with. They look like they should be the same type of carrot, so I wonder if it's how they're grown or if they are just pulled at different stages.
At some point, I'd like a garden of my own. For now I'll just read about having a garden.
MeekMe
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Thank you for the encouragement. Now is not the time for me to garden, sadly. Besides, I have two cats that are the destroyers of all things green. In the past month I've had to clean up two fallen potted plants. They think it's some kind of fun trying to balance on my pots. They get spooked and take off leaving me with a heap of soil.
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This thread is pretty amazing. ^_^ I will definitely be stopping in more.
JAMESBJOHNSON, how big do the carrots get?
Not sure how big the squares are on your lovely table cloth. I'm curious because I've noticed that the grocery stores around here have these bags of pathetic carrots that you have to use two or three to make a meal.
My local produce market (I shop there mostly) has these great big carrots that you could beat somebody to death with. They look like they should be the same type of carrot, so I wonder if it's how they're grown or if they are just pulled at different stages.
At some point, I'd like a garden of my own. For now I'll just read about having a garden.
I generally plant DANVERS HALF LONGS. Theyre about 1/2 the length of regular carrots. I use this variety as they fit my containers well and store well in the refrigerator. The carrot in the picture is 6 inches long.
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I rotate batches of plants, usually growing enough to take care of needs for 2-3 months. I started broccoli seeds today for the next harvest batch in January. Collards will replace the cauliflower when it harvests in 2 weeks. Collards tolerate cold well.
Other veggies I grow in bulk...red potatoes, okra, onions, cucumbers, peanuts, sweet potatoes, bell peppers.
I employ 2 composting schemes: One involves a large barrel and black soldier fly maggots that eat the organic waste in the barrel. It makes about 500 pounds of manure. The other scheme involves piling organic debris, covering it with sand, and allowing the Sun to decompose the organic matter into a fine powder that mixes well with the sand. Then I simply spread the pile of compost around with a hoe where it lies.
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