Quarantine Vegetable Gardens

[JudgeJoe]

I always grow my avocado seeds in a pot of dirt. If I do 3 I usually have 2 sprout and sometimes only 1 but I have grown many this way.

Make sure the seeds are clean then fill a plastic one gallon pot with potting soil and nestle the seed at least halfway down in the dirt. Water well and let it drain then put the pot into a ziploc bag and seal it up with the seal at the top of the pot and make sure the bag you use has at least a few inches of room at the top. Place the pot in a warm place with bright light but not direct sun and forget about it for awhile.

Once it has sprouted wait for it to grow a bit before you open the bag. And then open the bag before the sprout reaches the seal and leave the pot in the bag for a few more days...kind of like hardening it off from the mini greenhouse atmosphere. Then just watch it grow. You will need to transplant into a bigger pot fairly soon because the root grows rather quickly and outgrows the 1 gallon pot.

I did two pots for a friend at work this winter and it took about two months before the first one sprouted and three months for the second pot to sprout. I had the pots at work and he would check those bags everyday because he had never had any success either and he didn't quite believe me when I said it was easy. The first thing you will see is the crack at the bottom of the seed then you will know the rooting has started then later the tree sprouts.

I have had my seed grown trees produce fruit but that was years ago in California and I had planted them in the ground. I have not had any fruit from the trees I have now living in big pots but they are only a few years old right now and are only 8 feet tall so I still have hope. I overwinter them in my sunroom and put them outside for the summer.

Great info! For the ones planted directly in ground, did you do anything to greenhouse it- or harden off?

 

[sassyblue]

Another tip for gardeners...I buy seed off the racks in late spring and summer when they go on sale for dirt cheap. Then put them in a water proof container and store in the fridge. Seed will stay viable for quite a long time if stored properly...like the Seed Ark in Norway. I have two garage fridges packed full of bins filled with seeds. My family will never go hungry as long as I am alive with my large seed collection.

 

[sassyblue]

Great info! For the ones planted directly in ground, did you do anything to greenhouse it- or harden off?

Those I grew in pots on my sunny patio in California so they were easy to plant directly in the ground after they reached a decent height. And I never had a winter there that was bad enough to hurt them of course. I went to my old home there a few years ago and those trees were huge and still producing.

 

[LadyL]

When you get a chance... what do y'all recommend /what are your favorite items from these vendors?

Just curious, because I love trying new things that I would not even consider left to my own devices.

TIA.

no idea I'm a newbie!
plus I haven't even planted yet - still waiting for seeds and soil to arrive

 

[Tony1902]

@watergirl62
Depends upon which USDA ag zone you’re in. I use Southern Exposure Seed Exchange, Natural Gardening, Renee’s Seeds, Territorial. I try to stay with things that do well in my zone 9, though I’ve tried Johnny’s, they don’t always work this far south. I also buy from the Mennonites north of Lake Charles, LA. They carried Baker’s. Bradford watermelons are amazing, but they’ve been rationed to 10/per expensive pack, they’re heirloom & worth it. I try to make sure I use heirloom, non-GMO seeds and plants when I can, & now I’ll have to do more seed saving since seed companies are swamped.

I use a mix of compost, manure, ground oyster shells (called chicken grit here) bone & blood meal, alfalfa pellets, rotten cotton seed hulls and clean charcoal. I double dig the soil with a fork & square shovel , mix in the amendments listed above & mix well. I do a raised bed out of cypress or stones because my soil is too alkaline. I can only get cow manure now, can’t find a source for horse or sheep which I prefer. Been doing this for 45+ years.

And I sow seeds dry & set plants in wet, with a mix of liquid fish fertilizer, liquid kelp, hasta-grow, & that odd vitamin thing, can’t remember what it’s called, & pour 1/4 cup of this mix into a gallon of water & shake. Put it in the hole and plant seedlings. My major enemies: raccoons, possums, stink bugs. I also grow citrus, peach, pear, not well, figs & southern plums.

Your local ag agent will test your soil for free & tell you what you need to fix. But some states suggest chemicals, which I try to avoid because I need the bees to pollinate.

Phew, epistle from an old gardener. Good luck

 

[mickey2942]

no idea I'm a newbie!
plus I haven't even planted yet - still waiting for seeds and soil to arrive

Years ago I had a garden, and after it was all done, I felt like I could have easily bought everything for less money and work.

That being said, there is nothing better than a fresh tomato off of your vine. So, gardening is really a labor of self love, and wanting good food that you know how it was grown. I love fresh herbs, zucchini. And growing squash is always interesting, because they cross breed. You slice open an acron squash, and surprise, it is a spaghetti squash inside.

We have a very short growing season here, so when plants are available I am going to get them. I ordered some of those "grow pots" on Amazon yesterday.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

“Seeds are always in high demand this time of year, but I am not surprised about even higher demand based on what I am seeing and hearing related to COVID-19,” said Joe Masabni, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension horticulturist, Dallas. “This spring you have more preppers who are hoarding 5-gallon buckets of seed underground, the return of the Victory Garden, and new gardeners who want to grow their own food in case this is a long-term problem.”

Seeds for home gardeners, commercial growers.
“Demand has doubled and tripled in size,” he said. “Are garden vegetable seed supplies a concern? I would say not at this point, but it is part of the conversations people inside the industry are having.”

Commercial growers utilize the latest seed technologies to plant varieties that will mature at different times and lengthen their operation’s productive season, as well as varieties with broad market appeal and improved pest and disease resistance. On the other hand, homeowners focus on heirloom varieties and varieties fitting their growing conditions, personal preference, and gardening ability.

Commercial producers are also a top priority for major seed distributors because they buy in bulk and provide crops for regional and national food supplies, Tally said.

“Distributors are supplying major commercial growers first, but those growers are also getting different seeds than homeowners,” he said.

Suppliers face logistical issues
Tally said the rush of demand by home gardeners has caused some logistical issues, but he has not heard about suppliers being out of stock. One major East Coast supplier was forced to shut down its website due to such high demand. But the company continued to take and fulfill “call-in” orders.

The major distributor she purchases seed from has reported certain seed, especially varieties of squash and zucchini squash, were out of stock with no timeline for availability. Local commercial growers forced to replant after their initial planting failed has placed even more demand pressure on specific varieties in her store.

“People are buying way more seed than we are used to,” she said. “Squash varieties have definitely been a problem.”
Need for vegetable seed strains supplies | AgriLife Today

 

[imstilla.grandma]

What would you need to get started?

To get started, you need soil, water, and sun in the right combination for the plant that you are growing. Chances are you don't have the ability to change the level of sun you have in your garden. So, really you are left with trying to make sure your plants have clean water in the right amount, and trying to coax your soil to be as healthy as possible.

Soil health is generally increased by having the building blocks of life in the proper ratios for the plant you are trying to grow. The big three nutrients for plant health are nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium (N-P-K). Getting the balance of these three correct will be the best thing you can do to help your plant be healthy. A fourth and often overlooked part of proper soil health is also air.

To get started, pick a spot with sunshine, make sure you have clean water, and buy some seeds and a simple organic fertilizer mix (I generally use organic pelletized 8-5-0.5 for a new vegetable garden) and get started. Gardening is one of those things that requires learning and adjusting as you go. If one plant doesn't work out, try another one. Trial and error are really the best tools in the farmer's tool box.
More:
Everything To Know About Starting Your COVID-19 Victory Garden

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Strawbale Garden
Strawbales serve as quick and easy raised beds, allowing you to grow food wherever you have sun, whether on concrete, a lawn or hard-packed bare earth. Be sure to use bales of straw, not hay, as the latter contains seeds that can sprout and become weeds. Place the bales with the cut ends of the straw facing up and water them until they are soggy. Each day for 10 days, apply a generous dusting of all-purpose organic fertilizer to the top of each bale and water thoroughly. This accelerates the decomposition of the straw into a rich and fertile growing medium. Then spread a two-inch layer of topsoil on the bales. You may plant seeds directly in the soil. For seedlings, use a trowel to gouge out little holes in the straw and add some extra soil to fill those holes as you plant each one.

Milk Crate Garden
Just like strawbale gardening, this approach allows you to plant a garden on concrete or other surfaces that are unsuitable for growing vegetables—except it’s even easier. The hardest part is finding used milk crates (try putting a wanted ad on Craigslist if you get stuck). Cut pieces of burlap big enough to line the inside of each crate (about four feet by four feet usually works). Fill the crates with potting soil and boom! You’re ready to plant.

Sheet Mulch Garden
This method turns a lawn or a weed patch into an instant garden. Simply spread a two- to three-inch layer of compost over the area, water deeply and cover with a layer of cardboard (remove any tape as it is not biodegradable). Then cover the cardboard with a layer of wood chips or straw mulch (starved for light, the vegetation will decompose; but the cardboard pieces should overlap at least six inches to discourage vigorous weeds from snaking through). To plant perennial herbs, shrubs, trees and vines, push back the mulch and cut a hole in the cardboard as big as the pot. Do the same for vegetable seedlings, but mound 6 to 8 inches of topsoil under the cardboard where you wish to plant. Sowing seeds isn’t an option with sheet mulching, and the method is a bit clumsy for small seedlings, such as lettuce. But it’s an effective way to plant seedlings of larger plants such as tomatoes, cucumbers and squash.
How to Jumpstart your COVID-19 Victory Garden

 

[Tony1902]

Thanks so much darlin!! Still looking for my copy of ‘One Straw Revolution’ which changed the way I planted. And I order Stella Natura every year with adjustments to my climate zone. If you do Farmers’ Almanac it’s quite a change! I do plant things at night, when so indicated. And I get great yields from this method when I do ‘3 sisters’.. corn, pole beans, squash. Still don’t get how the best varieties for coastal south are nearly sold out.

 

[Midwestmom2019]

What would you need to get started?

To get started, you need soil, water, and sun in the right combination for the plant that you are growing. Chances are you don't have the ability to change the level of sun you have in your garden. So, really you are left with trying to make sure your plants have clean water in the right amount, and trying to coax your soil to be as healthy as possible.

Soil health is generally increased by having the building blocks of life in the proper ratios for the plant you are trying to grow. The big three nutrients for plant health are nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium (N-P-K). Getting the balance of these three correct will be the best thing you can do to help your plant be healthy. A fourth and often overlooked part of proper soil health is also air.

To get started, pick a spot with sunshine, make sure you have clean water, and buy some seeds and a simple organic fertilizer mix (I generally use organic pelletized 8-5-0.5 for a new vegetable garden) and get started. Gardening is one of those things that requires learning and adjusting as you go. If one plant doesn't work out, try another one. Trial and error are really the best tools in the farmer's tool box.
More:
Everything To Know About Starting Your COVID-19 Victory Garden

It’s like cooking. You start out making grilled cheese sandwiches. Next thing and 40 years later, you’re a master gardener or chef extraordinaire. Neither comes overnight. Pinch here. A handful there. Tweak as you go. And they are both love. Cooking with love tastes so much better than cooking. Same with gardening. When you garden with love, you have ten green thumbs. You kill weeds with no remorse yet try to coax every seedling into adulthood. I can’t stand thinning out plants. Then thinned out, what to do with the orphans. My neighbors run when I try to give them thinned out flowers, but at least veggies, they’ll take on to raise. I have ten pine seedlings that self seeded from home made pine needle mulch. Don’t know what I’m going to do with them, yet. But I can’t just let them die.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

“Let us not forget that the cultivation of the earth is the most important labor of man. When tillage begins, other arts will follow. The farmers, therefore, are the founders of civilization. ” ~Daniel Webster

 

[CeeCeeCat]

Out in the garden at lunchtime, saw the first butterfly of the season. This makes me so happy.

 

[CSIDreamer]

I don't garden so I haven't posted on this thread. I dunno if it's been mentioned. If you search "SOS seeds" some interesting kits pop up. jmo

 

[watergirl62]

I’m interested in that “fire cider”. What’s in it? TIA!

Fire Cider

• ½ cup grated fresh horseradish root
• ½ cup or more fresh chopped onions
• ¼ cup or more chopped garlic
• ¼ cup or more grated ginger
• Chopped fresh or dried cayenne pepper ‘to taste’. Can be whole or powdered. ‘ To Taste’ means should be hot, but not so hot you can’t tolerate it. Better to make it a little milder than to hot; you can always add more pepper later if necessary.
• Optional ingredients; Turmeric, Echinacea, cinnamon, etc.

1. Place herbs in a half-gallon canning jar and cover with enough raw unpasteurized apple cider vinegar to cover the herbs by at least three to four inches. Cover tightly with a tight fitting lid.
2. Place jar in a warm place and let for three to four weeks. Best to shake every day to help in the maceration process.
3. After three to four weeks, strain out the herbs, and reserve the liquid.
4. Add honey ‘to taste’. Warm the honey first so it mixes in well. “To Taste’ means your Fire Cider should taste hot, spicy, and sweet. “A little bit of honey helps the medicine go down……”
5. Rebottle and enjoy! Fire Cider will keep for several months unrefrigerated if stored in a cool pantry. But it’s better to store in the refrigerator if you’ve room.

More info at link.

Rosemary's Story - Free Fire Cider

 

[bluedivergirl]

Bees! I’m so envious. I would love to keep bees but can’t because, cats. Also, a lack of space. So instead, I do all I can to attract them to the garden. No chemicals at all. Plenty of bee-friendly flowers - I even have a bee hotel hanging up on the fence. A couple of years ago, I had a small nest form in a crack under the back step and it was fascinating to watch them buzzing around working in the garden before returning to the nest, laden with pollen.

Meanwhile and again I know could google, but those of you who grow daffodils - do you leave the bulbs in situ all year, or do you dig up and replant? I’m asking as space is at a premium (they’re in a big pot) and I’m not sure if digging the bulbs up would kill them off.

I used to grow Daffs. Climate in Florida doesn't work for them.

After the flower withers, dead head it. Let the leaves dies back naturally ~ they are feeding the roots. It's OK to twist the leaves up if they are messy looking. After the leaves are dead, you can dig them up and store them in a well-ventilated container.

 

[watergirl62]

@watergirl62
Depends upon which USDA ag zone you’re in. I use Southern Exposure Seed Exchange, Natural Gardening, Renee’s Seeds, Territorial. I try to stay with things that do well in my zone 9, though I’ve tried Johnny’s, they don’t always work this far south. I also buy from the Mennonites north of Lake Charles, LA. They carried Baker’s. Bradford watermelons are amazing, but they’ve been rationed to 10/per expensive pack, they’re heirloom & worth it. I try to make sure I use heirloom, non-GMO seeds and plants when I can, & now I’ll have to do more seed saving since seed companies are swamped.

I use a mix of compost, manure, ground oyster shells (called chicken grit here) bone & blood meal, alfalfa pellets, rotten cotton seed hulls and clean charcoal. I double dig the soil with a fork & square shovel , mix in the amendments listed above & mix well. I do a raised bed out of cypress or stones because my soil is too alkaline. I can only get cow manure now, can’t find a source for horse or sheep which I prefer. Been doing this for 45+ years.

And I sow seeds dry & set plants in wet, with a mix of liquid fish fertilizer, liquid kelp, hasta-grow, & that odd vitamin thing, can’t remember what it’s called, & pour 1/4 cup of this mix into a gallon of water & shake. Put it in the hole and plant seedlings. My major enemies: raccoons, possums, stink bugs. I also grow citrus, peach, pear, not well, figs & southern plums.

Your local ag agent will test your soil for free & tell you what you need to fix. But some states suggest chemicals, which I try to avoid because I need the bees to pollinate.

Phew, epistle from an old gardener. Good luck

I did notice that Johnny's did not list the ag zones because I checked. I am in 8b/9a. Maybe if I plant northern summer crops in my 'winter' garden? Just kidding. I only started gardening about 5 years ago, so I appreciate your epistle. I am on limestone, have a raised bed with 10 yards of soil, and amend between plantings. Oh, and my neighbor just got a pony. I will will have to check out those seed resources you listed, and try out of some of your other suggested amendments. Much appreciated, Tony.

 

[JudgeJoe]

Fire Cider

• ½ cup grated fresh horseradish root
• ½ cup or more fresh chopped onions
• ¼ cup or more chopped garlic
• ¼ cup or more grated ginger
• Chopped fresh or dried cayenne pepper ‘to taste’. Can be whole or powdered. ‘ To Taste’ means should be hot, but not so hot you can’t tolerate it. Better to make it a little milder than to hot; you can always add more pepper later if necessary.
• Optional ingredients; Turmeric, Echinacea, cinnamon, etc.

1. Place herbs in a half-gallon canning jar and cover with enough raw unpasteurized apple cider vinegar to cover the herbs by at least three to four inches. Cover tightly with a tight fitting lid.
2. Place jar in a warm place and let for three to four weeks. Best to shake every day to help in the maceration process.
3. After three to four weeks, strain out the herbs, and reserve the liquid.
4. Add honey ‘to taste’. Warm the honey first so it mixes in well. “To Taste’ means your Fire Cider should taste hot, spicy, and sweet. “A little bit of honey helps the medicine go down……”
5. Rebottle and enjoy! Fire Cider will keep for several months unrefrigerated if stored in a cool pantry. But it’s better to store in the refrigerator if you’ve room.

More info at link.

Rosemary's Story - Free Fire Cider

Wow- thanks for taking the time to post that! Definitely a beefed up version of my grandma’s cough & cold remedy for sure! I’ll make this. Also will try freezing some & see if it does ok. Maybe make fire cider ice pops for a cold or flu too.

 

[SeattleStew]

Bees! I’m so envious. I would love to keep bees but can’t because, cats. Also, a lack of space. So instead, I do all I can to attract them to the garden. No chemicals at all. Plenty of bee-friendly flowers - I even have a bee hotel hanging up on the fence. A couple of years ago, I had a small nest form in a crack under the back step and it was fascinating to watch them buzzing around working in the garden before returning to the nest, laden with pollen.

Meanwhile and again I know could google, but those of you who grow daffodils - do you leave the bulbs in situ all year, or do you dig up and replant? I’m asking as space is at a premium (they’re in a big pot) and I’m not sure if digging the bulbs up would kill them off.

Hello, just catching up on this thread. @CeeCeeCat , I enjoy hearing about your garden and kitties,
lovely to hear about your first butterfly of the season.

Regarding your daff's. They grow quite splendidly here, we even a have a Daffodil Parade with a Queen and Princesses from the local high schools. It's cancelled this year of course.

Anyway, we leave our daffodil's and tulips where they bloom. Yes, do not cut off the leaves, they do provide the nutrition for next years grow. I simply braid them together, or have them planted where it doesn't much matter aesthetically.

Hope your dad is well!

 

[CSIDreamer]

Fire Cider

• ½ cup grated fresh horseradish root
• ½ cup or more fresh chopped onions
• ¼ cup or more chopped garlic
• ¼ cup or more grated ginger
• Chopped fresh or dried cayenne pepper ‘to taste’. Can be whole or powdered. ‘ To Taste’ means should be hot, but not so hot you can’t tolerate it. Better to make it a little milder than to hot; you can always add more pepper later if necessary.
• Optional ingredients; Turmeric, Echinacea, cinnamon, etc.

1. Place herbs in a half-gallon canning jar and cover with enough raw unpasteurized apple cider vinegar to cover the herbs by at least three to four inches. Cover tightly with a tight fitting lid.
2. Place jar in a warm place and let for three to four weeks. Best to shake every day to help in the maceration process.
3. After three to four weeks, strain out the herbs, and reserve the liquid.
4. Add honey ‘to taste’. Warm the honey first so it mixes in well. “To Taste’ means your Fire Cider should taste hot, spicy, and sweet. “A little bit of honey helps the medicine go down……”
5. Rebottle and enjoy! Fire Cider will keep for several months unrefrigerated if stored in a cool pantry. But it’s better to store in the refrigerator if you’ve room.

More info at link.

Rosemary's Story - Free Fire Cider

I love fire cider.