# Gardening



## AWP (Mar 30, 2022)

Who is gardening this year?

I'm getting a LATE start for Central FL, but should have the first of my two 4x8 raised beds in this weekend...if food poisoning doesn't show up again.


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## Dame (Mar 30, 2022)

AWP said:


> Who is gardening this year?
> 
> I'm getting a LATE start for Central FL, but should have the first of my two 4x8 raised beds in this weekend...if food poisoning doesn't show up again.


I sort of inherited a garden. Already harvesting asparagus.


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## Polar Bear (Mar 30, 2022)

We don’t plant till May


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## SpitfireV (Mar 30, 2022)

Yes, now I've got a house with some land and established beds etc I've been getting into it. 

At the moment we've got carrots, parsnips, pumpkin, onions and leeks going. 

Over summer had carrots, agria potatoes, corn, passionfruit, like 5 peaches from the tree, about 10kg of tomatoes, sweet chilies, capsicum, onion. 

Planted a couple of lemon and plum trees too as well as a lime tree. Lemons coming along nicely but limes not producing so will need to give it a boost. Not expecting anything from the plum trees until maybe next summer.


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## Isiah6:8 (Mar 30, 2022)

Too early for us still but we will look to grow all the herbs, tomatoes, and I’ll do a run of Swiss strawberries in addition to last year. 

Cooking is a headspace scraper for me, like shooting is. Cleaning however…


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## mac21 (Mar 30, 2022)

We're only able to do a container garden on our North facing deck. I can't imagine much is going to grow. 

I started tomatoes, lettuce, and some herbs a few weeks ago in an egg carton. They've been chilling on a window sill this whole time.


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## AWP (Mar 30, 2022)

Right now I'm looking at 4 tomato plants (3 different types), 2 cucumber (one regular, one for pickles), 1 zucchini, and 1 jalapeno. I'll still have space, so I'm trying to figure out what else to grow. Probably some type of melon.


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## AWP (Mar 31, 2022)

I think I have mine figured out. Both are 4x8 raised beds with nearly 100% of the day in sunlight

Plot 1: 1 Cherry tomato, 2 beefsteak, 1 heirloom. 2 basil. 1 Jalapeno
Plot 2: 1 pickling-type cucumber, 1 regular cucumber. 1 zucchini. (all on a vertical or maybe teepee trellis). 1 watermelon I can weave around the trellises. 

Marigolds around the 'maters because they are a good insect repellent. A few other flowers here and there for pollinators. I'm thinking about making some 6"x6" cedar boxes to screw into the bed frame material for additional flowers if needed.

I've grown tomatoes and basil before, but none of the others, especially using a trellis. The worst I can do is screw it up and learn for next year.


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## Devildoc (Mar 31, 2022)

Right now spinach and lettuce.  End of April, tomatoes.  We grow squash like hell but the kids are 'meh' on it and we have so much we can't give it all away and some of it goes bad, so we don't do squash anymore.  We'll do cucumbers.


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## Isiah6:8 (Mar 31, 2022)

Last year we did cherry tomatoes, heirloom, zucchini, lettuce in the beds.  We did all the herbs in hanging boxes that hung off the back deck railing, shorter walk from kitchen. With the overflow herbs we tried the freezing them in ice cubes and keeping them in the freezer bagged.

We probably won't do zucchini again and only due to how much space the plant took up.  Anyone have anything they wouldn't grow again?


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## RackMaster (Mar 31, 2022)

We still have snow on some of our yard...


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## Devildoc (Mar 31, 2022)

RackMaster said:


> We still have snow on some of our yard...



My dad's family in is Wisconsin and in UP Michigan.  They still have snow.  The other day it was almost 80 here, my cousin said it was 2 degrees where they live.

But aside from my wife's birthday I hate March...28 one night, followed by 70 the next day, storms, ugly yellow pollen....and if you don't know when to plant a garden you risk losing everything to this weird-ass weather.


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## RackMaster (Mar 31, 2022)

Devildoc said:


> My dad's family in is Wisconsin and in UP Michigan.  They still have snow.  The other day it was almost 80 here, my cousin said it was 2 degrees where they live.
> 
> But aside from my wife's birthday I hate March...28 one night, followed by 70 the next day, storms, ugly yellow pollen....and if you don't know when to plant a garden you risk losing everything to this weird-ass weather.


It's supposed to go to high 50's today with rain and was in the low 20's, 2 hours ago.   This will likely get rid of the snow left in the open.  Probably another week or two for the bush.  Long term forecast, 2 more weeks and we won't have the risk of waking up to below freezing temperatures.


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## LimaPanther (Mar 31, 2022)

80s yesterday, upper 60s today after storm last night.  I have, in the past, planted early, but put plastic gallon milk jugs over the plants to keep warm and frost off. Worked great.


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## Gunz (Mar 31, 2022)

The Mrs has some blueberry plants, a few lemon and lime trees and her roses, so she's more the gardener. The lemons and limes aren't quite ripe yet.

Im re-seeding some troubled pasture areas and hoping to get some results this year. I’m reforesting some other areas. I planted 58 pine trees last month and they’re doing well.


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## Polar Bear (Mar 31, 2022)

Sweet 100 cherry tomatoes they are great


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## Steve1839 (Mar 31, 2022)

Dame said:


> I sort of inherited a garden. Already harvesting asparagus.


And Swiss Chard...


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## Totentanz (Mar 31, 2022)

I've generally had good luck with peppers, and am trying to get a jump start indoors this year before transplanting outside.  We've done tomatoes, but they tend to end up feeding the squirrels more than us.  Might be time to start figuring out a good squirrel+pepper recipe.


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## JedisonsDad (Apr 1, 2022)

Started a Gardyn inside the house about a month ago, going to see how we like it compared to the Tower Garden we used last year. 

Waiting on planting the raised beds in the backyard, because we still had a weekend where we dropped into the 30s, and now we are being hit by storms with hail. Have to love north Florida.


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## AWP (Apr 1, 2022)

I’m trying to cut in and build the new bed today. I want to plant Monday, but we’ll see what happens. I’ll go back to the old bed and clean it up once my tomatoes are in the new bed.


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## Steve1839 (Apr 1, 2022)

Dame said:


> I sort of inherited a garden. Already harvesting asparagus.


Looks kinda like this...


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## Andoni (Apr 1, 2022)

Steve1839 said:


> Looks kinda like this...


Those veggies look great


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## Polar Bear (Apr 1, 2022)

san marzano tomatoes, sweet 100 tomatoes, Serrano peppers, jalapeños, zucchini, basil, rosemary, Italian parsley 
salsa
tomato sauce
pickled peppers
pickled tomatoes 
pesto


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## Gunz (Apr 1, 2022)

Polar Bear said:


> san marzano tomatoes, sweet 100 tomatoes, Serrano peppers, jalapeños, zucchini, basil, rosemary, Italian parsley
> salsa
> tomato sauce
> pickled peppers
> ...



My wife had cilantro growing. I thought it was a weed. Now my string-trimmer smells like a Mexican restaurant.


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## TLDR20 (Apr 1, 2022)

Devildoc said:


> Right now spinach and lettuce.  End of April, tomatoes.  We grow squash like hell but the kids are 'meh' on it and we have so much we can't give it all away and some of it goes bad, so we don't do squash anymore.  We'll do cucumbers.



Jalapeno grows like a weed in NC.


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## Dame (Apr 2, 2022)

Steve1839 said:


> Looks kinda like this...


Yeah, that Swiss chard plant is taller than me in the container. Leaves like elephant ears. African elephants. The parsley next to it ain't no slouch either.
The frost killed the sky-high basil last year but I'm replanting. Lettuce looks tasty too.


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## Dame (Apr 3, 2022)

New dwarf Meyer lemon tree purchased today.

Spent the morning cutting back the chard, parsley, and broccoli 🥦. They all bolted I guess. Still learning.


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## RustyShackleford (Apr 9, 2022)

Like @Polar Bear I can’t plant until May.  Started sweet peppers and tomatoes from seed in early March. Have to do some work on the 4x8 beds in the back yard soon.


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## AWP (Apr 9, 2022)

Thinking of adding a sweet red pepper to the mix. Seedlings for zucchini, watermelon, and 2 types of cukes are just breaking ground in their trays. I’ll have them in the ground soon enough. I’m looking for suitable pollinators now.


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## SpongeBob*24 (Apr 9, 2022)

TLDR20 said:


> Jalapeno grows like a weed in NC.



AGREE...if it goes in salsa it grows here... like beat Bobby Flay type salsa with no Work needed.  It's just automagical!!!!!

If only my summer grass could Follow....


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## Dame (Apr 10, 2022)

Rose Haul is in full bloom. (See what I did there? )


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## Gunz (Apr 10, 2022)

Dame said:


> Rose Haul is in full bloom. (See what I did there? )



Wow.


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## Dame (Apr 10, 2022)

Gunz said:


> Wow.


Yeah, if I bring in enough of them it almost covers the smell of Salonpas.


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## Steve1839 (Apr 10, 2022)

Dame said:


> Yeah, if I bring in enough of them it almost covers the smell of Salonpas.


If I didn't smell Salonpas, I'd think I was dead...


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## AWP (Apr 13, 2022)

In gaming there's a saying, "grab grass" or "touch grass", meaning you need to drag your ass outside and away from the computer. So, my my Grab Grass Garden update. I'm about 60% complete with the hard work behind me. 4 tomatoes (1 isn't looking good, will probably get replaced), 1 jalapeno, 1 sweet red pepper, and two basil.

I made the flower boxes out of scrap cedar planks. Their construction indicates my poor showing with tools, but they'll work. Flowers are lavender and delphinium. I have marigolds too, they are great for repelling pests, and I may add another type to encourage pollinators.

The plastic lump is leftover dirt. I have some pavers I'll put down between the two beds, knowing that grass will get chewed up anyway.

Seedlings for cukes, watermelon, and zucchini are chugging along and sprouting nicely.

I screwed up my lumber order and way underestimated what I needed, but whatever. I can fix that if needed. I'm not happy, but the garden will work. As you can see, Bayley is there to supervise the construction of her new playground; I strongly encourage her to play elsewhere.


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## Grunt (Apr 13, 2022)

Nice looking beds!


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## AWP (Apr 13, 2022)

Grunt said:


> Nice looking beds!



Thank you, but I guess me being me I'm not happy with them. Trying to level them given the slope of my yard took more of the wood than I planned and even then they aren't level...just "more leveler".

I'm a little concerned I'm packing too much into the "east" (downslope) bed, but I should be okay. For only my second garden in adulthood, I have to learn somehow. I think stakes, cages, and trellises will keep it under control, but we'll see what happens.


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## Grunt (Apr 13, 2022)

Don’t “overthink” it,  Brother! You are a perfectionist like my son - and I used to be. Enjoy the process and the results of your work. Enjoy it. I am sure you will be successful.


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## Dame (Apr 16, 2022)

Just put the stuff that needs more water on the downhill side.


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## JedisonsDad (Apr 17, 2022)

Sadly, have to return the Gardyn. I’m less than 30 days, we have had two separate issues. First issue was one of the light bars burning out with a week, second and most recent is the water pump breaking. We will be switching all plants to our Tower Garden.


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## Andoni (Apr 17, 2022)

I am doing a raised bed this year on travel, so that's fine, I'm doing it. Why not.  I'm going to label it so if I leave someone else may take it on. Who knows. 

I used the Farmers almanac this morning, and I still got some time to put some seedlings in the ground, so we'll see how it works out--

In parentheses, it's the date recommended to put seedlings or transfers in the ground. Before the slash is based on frost date, after based on moon.

Here's what I choose:

Tomatoes (Apr 24-May 15 / Apr 30-May 15)
Zucchini (May 1-May 15 / May 1-15)
Tyme (Apr 17-May 8 / Apr 30 - May 8)
Sage (Apr 17-May 1 / Apr 30-May 1)
Oregano (Apr 17- May 8 / Apr 30 - May 8)
Lettuce (Apr 3 - May 1 / Apr 3-16, Apr 30-May 1)
Jalapeno Peppers (Apr 24 / May 8 Apr 30-May 8)
Eggplants (May 1-15 / May 1-15) 
Celery (Apr 24-May 8 / Apr 30-May 8)
Bell Peppers (Apr 24-May 8 / Apr 30-May 8)
Cilantro (Start seeds outdoors: Apr 17-May 1 / Apr 30-May 1)

I may go track down a farmers market and buy the seeds or transfers, or just get them from a hardware store. Not sure.


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## AWP (Apr 18, 2022)

I just put in the first trellis (teepee type from bamboo...there's your daily dose of cultural appropriation) for the cucumbers. One of the types didn't take from seed, so I bought that as a plant. The pickling variety, watermelon, and zucchini should all go in from seed, probably in the next week.

One tomato plant had a fungus and rather than treat it I pulled it and bought a new plant. The struggling plant from earlier is hanging in there. Kind of like an Eastern Bloc gymnast, its fate is tied to growth.


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## Dame (Apr 18, 2022)

JedisonsDad said:


> Sadly, have to return the Gardyn. I’m less than 30 days, we have had two separate issues. First issue was one of the light bars burning out with a week, second and most recent is the water pump breaking. We will be switching all plants to our Tower Garden.


Dude. 
You make that sound like a pot farm. Not sayin' that's a bad thing.


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## JedisonsDad (Apr 19, 2022)

Dame said:


> Dude.
> You make that sound like a pot farm. Not sayin' that's a bad thing.


Haha, it’s not far off. Both the Gardyn and the Tower Garden are hydroponic growing systems designed for in home use. I believe the Denver Airport has multiple Tower Gardens that they use to supply the restaurants inside the airport. I’m not going to tell you what to grow in it, haha.


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## AWP (Apr 28, 2022)

Here's where I'm at. 

My teepee trellises are in place, minus the twine needed to help things climb. Two new flower boxes in the foreground; salvia on the left and the unplanted one on the right will take a vinca. The lavender has started to bloom, the marigolds are exploding, and you can see my cucumber plants on my nearest trellis. Ignore the fence I need to clean up...


The first one from this year. The 'maters are coming in though I had to replant one and another is iffy. The three zucchini are in the foreground. The center plant was near death and then two days later it might be the healthiest plant. The peppers are next, both have blooms. The basil is growing like a weed, time to trim that up. I've already caught a few butterflies sniffing around the African marigolds.


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## Polar Bear (Apr 28, 2022)

I find he teepee reference very racist. i would like you to use non binary triangle in the future


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## AWP (May 7, 2022)

Weekly update...ugh.

Tomatoes: I'm dealing with Early Blight on all 4 plants. I'm trimming affected parts, applying fungicides, watching how I water, etc. The grape tomato plant has about 12 fruit already formed plus a bunch of blooms. The other plants also have numerous flowers.

Peppers: @TLDR20 said they grew like weeds in NC, they seem to do the same in FL. Their size almost doubles from one week to the next. They are blooming all over the place.

Cukes: I am starting to wrap them around the trellis. Even the plant I thought would die is taking off. Weak in the pot doesn't mean weak in the ground.

Zucchini: Those are looking good, no issues so far, but...

Watermelon: I think I screwed up. I think I planted a watermelon seed in the zucchini pot. I planted a "zucchini" that now has leaves identical to my watermelon, so...time to problem solve I guess. The planned plant is looking good with a healthy vine, but the Supreme Court said I have to raise the other plant so, here we go. I guess I'll figure out a solution and all...

The flowers look really good. Marigolds require almost no care.

I think it is time for a solid dose of fertilizer. We could really use some rain.


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## SpitfireV (May 7, 2022)

You've got that nice hot and humid combo for peppers. I've got some capsicum that's kinda getting there but also not really. Otherwise just some random autumn/winter plants going. Leeks, onions, etc.


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## RackMaster (May 7, 2022)

We're still in the frost advisory stage of growing...


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## AWP (May 11, 2022)

3 baby bell peppers and 4 baby jalapenos. Every plant but the watermelons is starting to bloom.


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## AWP (May 15, 2022)

2 1/2 weeks after the last photos. I'm up to 5 jalapenos and 4 red bell peppers. 3 regular tomatoes and a bunch of grape tomatoes. Every plant has multiple blooms now. As you can see, the cucumber plants took off. The watermelon in the foreground is already about 4' in length. I think I can use the space between the flower boxes to contain the vines. Basil, like the peppers, is growing like a weed. I cut a bunch off today and the 2 plants still look like bushes. Fresh pesto time.

I think I'm fighting a slow, losing battle against tomato blight, but I should be able to get a harvest or two in. 

No major bug issues. Neem oil seems to work. but I have seven dust if needed.

Super dry the last two weeks. Of course, the weekend I go to fertilize everything is the weekend it rains for 3 straight days, but I'll take the rain. Always.

As you can probably tell, the teepee trellis is working out rather well for the cucumbers. You just have to occasionally tie vines on as they grow to encourage that direction.


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## Dame (May 16, 2022)

Still getting asparagus, much to my surprise. Tomatoes and grapes starting to appear now.


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## AWP (May 25, 2022)

I just picked the first two cucumbers from the garden.

ETA: I upped that a bit.


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## Dame (May 25, 2022)

AWP said:


> I just picked the first two cucumbers from the garden.
> 
> ETA: I upped that a bit.


Forget the cucumbers, is that baby spinach I spy? YUM


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## AWP (May 25, 2022)

Dame said:


> Forget the cucumbers, is that baby spinach I spy? YUM



No, basil.


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## SpitfireV (May 25, 2022)

No that's Dame. 

I know the way out.


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## Dame (May 26, 2022)

SpitfireV said:


> No that's Dame.
> 
> I know the way out.


Meanie. I just happen to like baby spinach. 
My basil went so crazy last fall that I harvested all of it and took it to a party. Glad I did. Frost hit the next week and it all died. New basil plants this year are doing well.


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## AWP (Jun 2, 2022)

2 jars of dill pickles and 1 jar of horseradish pickles are in the fridge.


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## SpongeBob*24 (Jun 3, 2022)

Our garden [after 3 days of sun burns] is up and running.


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## SpongeBob*24 (Jun 4, 2022)

Does anyone else make their own Compost.  I sold the Truck so we decided to try making our own, AGAIN!

We watched Joe Gardener and well my daughter went full crazy.






Pros:
It gets rid of over1/2 of our trash and gives me something to do when I'm in trouble which is 93.33% of the time. ("Honey, I'm gonna go do the compost thing")
Cons:
All ants in the North America have migrated (I think thats what Ants do) to my back yard. ("Dad, the ants have a canadian accent!")


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## AWP (Jun 4, 2022)

My wife would shit if I had a compost pile and I don’t need a lot year to year. Enter a pair of 5 gallon buckets from Lowes.

A compost bucket is like some moms out there: cheap, easy, you can hide them when company comes over, dump whatever you want in them, and they don’t smell bad. If you need to freshen them up, you roll ‘em around a bit, kick them a little. When you’re done, hose them off and start filling the holes again.


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## SpitfireV (Jun 4, 2022)

I bought this thing about 5 or 6 weeks ago and tucked it away behind the garage. Working well so far but will be annoying to turn when it's full. No smell so far but lots of insects which is good. 

140L Dual Tumbling Composter


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## Grunt (Jun 4, 2022)

SpitfireV said:


> I bought this thing about 5 or 6 weeks ago and tucked it away behind the garage. Working well so far but will be annoying to turn when it's full. No smell so far but lots of insects which is good.
> 
> 140L Dual Tumbling Composter


That is actually super cool. I'm going to have to show that one to my Dad for his garden. He had one that he had built, but Hurricane Laura saw to it that he didn't need it anymore.


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## SpitfireV (Jun 4, 2022)

Grunt said:


> That is actually super cool. I'm going to have to show that one to my Dad for his garden. He had one that he had built, but Hurricane Laura saw to it that he didn't need it anymore.



When I bought the place there was a compost pile which my parents removed before I moved in* (they were there a few months before me). The lemon tree they put on the old spot is going mental though. This compost should be ready by spring. 

*Mum doesn't like the idea of them attracting rats and mice.


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## AWP (Jun 5, 2022)

In all seriousness, another reason I went with buckets is cost and portability. I popped the handles off and now they flip and roll nicely.

Easy to make though. Pop off the handles with a pair of pliers. Drill a bunch of holes in the bottom, sides, and top. Fill with whatever. Done. Kick it around every few days and you're in business.


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## mac21 (Jun 5, 2022)

We had a compost pile that worked really well at our old house. We don't have any outdoor space since we moved so I set up a worm composting bin in the basement. It's low maintenance and my son loves it too.


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## Grunt (Jun 5, 2022)

The value of composting for gardening is truly underrated and not used by many out of ignorance. I do my best to get people to compost for their gardens.


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## Dame (Jun 5, 2022)

The former owners had one here and I understand why. We are on a septic system so no disposal in the sink. 
So far I have resisted creating one but the comment about the lemon tree has me rethinking things. Not easy to get fruit to grow in the desert but some people make it work. We bought a lemon tree and it has fruit but I'm wondering if it will ripen properly or just toast.


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## RackMaster (Jun 5, 2022)

For anyone without the space and don't produce a ton of food waste, there's some really good electric composters.  Under and on top of counter machines.  I have one I bought years ago but haven't used it in a while.


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## Totentanz (Jun 5, 2022)

AWP said:


> In all seriousness, another reason I went with buckets is cost and portability. I popped the handles off and now they flip and roll nicely.
> 
> Easy to make though. Pop off the handles with a pair of pliers. Drill a bunch of holes in the bottom, sides, and top. Fill with whatever. Done. Kick it around every few days and you're in business.



This is the way.  I've got 3 Rubbermaid bins working exactly that way.


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## Dame (Jun 5, 2022)

Looking at this one right now. https://smile.amazon.com/Plastic-Ca...composting+bin,aps,121&sr=8-4#customerReviews
Recommended on The Compost Culture .


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## Viper1 (Jun 12, 2022)

Did composting at my place in NC. Definitely easy and worth it. Helped to get fresh worms from the store too. 

Gardening is hit and miss in central Louisiana. The heat is a MFer, but we did get some heads of cabbage and some peppers.

Also got some figs growing this year. I think the renter will get the fruits of the labor for the lime and lemon tree. 

The plant that’s done the best is the roses.


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## Dame (Jun 12, 2022)

Started the compost pile without bothering to purchase the bins. We have a "pen" in the back yard where the former owner kept desert tortoises. She took them with her so it is an empty area surrounded by a 1.5 ft block wall. Newly dubbed the compost pen.


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## AWP (Jun 12, 2022)

Weekly-ish update:

The cucumbers are fighting a mosaic virus. I've sprayed and everything. I think I'm fighting a losing battle, but we'll harvest what we can. That's life. The pickles I canned 10 days ago? Amazing. Fresh pickles trump all of that other bullshit.

Jalapenos are close, sweet red bell peppers are a week or two away.

We have about 4-5 zucchini. I need to trellis them or "RNG" them (gamer term).

I've lost 1 watermelon, have another with some marks I need to investigate, and a third that is on track to be a winner. Disappointingly, there are no other melons across two plants.

I've harvested about 30 grape tomatoes and 1 beefsteak with another 6-7 on the vine. Basil is a weed and I can't make enough pesto to compensate for its growth.

My daughter is moving back home in about Sep./ Oct. and she likes heat. I'm looking at planting some ghost/ habanero peppers in the next month.

The flowers are awesome.

One lesson learned: Those tomato cages at the big box stores aren't enough. Acquire some stakes and twine, and thank me later. In fact, just grab some bamboo stakes and twine, keep them on hand, they won't go to waste.


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## Ooh-Rah (Jun 12, 2022)

You guys got me motivated.  Set up a small stand on the deck today with cherry tomatoes, oregano, rosemary, chives, thyme, and two type of basil.


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## AWP (Jun 12, 2022)

If you blink, that basil will be a bush. Fresh bruschetta though...chef's fucking kiss. Chicken caprese... "money" with fresh basil.


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## Polar Bear (Jun 12, 2022)

Made are first batch of pesto yesterday about 6 dinners worth of pesto


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## AWP (Jun 12, 2022)

I make one batch a week and I cannot keep up with two plants.


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## Dame (Jun 13, 2022)

We are still getting asparagus popping up in 112F heat. It grows at the rate of kudzu. You can watch it. ONE stalk at a time, but hey...
Cherry tomatoes ripen a little slower and I'm ok with that cuz _someone_ is allergic to them anyway.
Grapes are not really producing this year. Wah.
Basil is doing well but not huge.
Lemons really have not changed much.
Parsley is still too big and mint is an invasive weed.


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## AWP (Jun 14, 2022)

Dame said:


> mint is an invasive weed that makes amazing mojitos.



I think that's what you meant to say, right?


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## Dame (Jun 15, 2022)

AWP said:


> I think that's what you meant to say, right?


And... The compost heap is the best smelling one in the area fur sure.


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## Steve1839 (Jun 15, 2022)

Dame said:


> And... The compost heap is the best smelling one in the area fur sure.


And you know this how....?  Never heard of anyone sniffing compost heaps before...my girl, the trend setter...


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## Dame (Jun 15, 2022)

Steve1839 said:


> And you know this how....?  Never heard of anyone sniffing compost heaps before...my girl, the trend setter...


We really need a raspberry emoji.


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## Dame (Jun 15, 2022)

Today's surprise. Carrots are definitely getting ripe.


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## Andoni (Jun 16, 2022)

I've got flat Italian Cilantro, Sweet Basil and two pots of Parsley, and a Tomato plant. There are some plum size tomatoes. My goal at this point is to keep these suckers alive.


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## SpitfireV (Jun 17, 2022)

Dame said:


> Today's surprise. Carrots are definitely getting ripe.
> 
> View attachment 39655



Carrots are such bastards to grow.


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## Dame (Jun 17, 2022)

SpitfireV said:


> Carrots are such bastards to grow.


Yeah. Need lots of room and lots of time.


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## AWP (Jun 24, 2022)

Today I’ll make bacon-wrapped stuffed jalapeños and black beans and rice using peppers from the garden. In a few weeks I’ll plant ghost and habanero peppers for my daughter.


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## SpongeBob*24 (Jun 24, 2022)

AWP said:


> Today I’ll make bacon-wrapped stuffed jalapeños and black beans and rice using peppers from the garden. In a few weeks I’ll plant ghost and habanero peppers for my daughter.



You need to Church (pun intended) up your game with Armadillo Eggs:


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## AWP (Jun 24, 2022)




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## Andoni (Jun 27, 2022)

Tonight when I went to water, I realized I've got ten green tomatoes on my tomato plant, and the cilantro, parsley and basil (my God, I just tried to write basily- no matter!) are kickin'! I'm excited.


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## AWP (Jul 2, 2022)

So...ugh. The fungus has basically won. I called the local ag extension and had a long talk with one of their peeps. I'll distill this down to bullet points.
- Drip irrigation is the way to go
- Mulch isn't necessary, but if you use it they recommend pine straw or pine bark nuggets
- He recommended pine straw because you can till it under at the end of the season and now you have compost
- I should have planted back in Feb., as in "in the ground" not starting the seed
- The hotter the summer, the worse the fungus
- You can't kill the fungus in the soil without killing all of the good fungus
- A prophylactic fungicide with the aforementioned drip irrigation is the play

He sent a link with FL specific knowledge, but I'm sure the county ag extension has similar articles for your area.
Ask IFAS: Vegetable Gardening in Florida

I still have tomatoes and watermelon. The zucchini is growing, but no fruit as yet. Maybe plant some strawberries for the winter?


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## Andoni (Jul 3, 2022)

Parsley looks like it's about to... almost die. Not the whole plant, just a couple of shoots. There aren't that many. We'll see. 
 At least one tomato has started turning red. Basil is doing good, cilantro, cilantro is looking sus.


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## Andoni (Jul 20, 2022)

Cilantro is flowering. Not really sure what to do about that. It's about 2 feet tall now. Very pretty white flowers. Not the purpose and doesn't further my Bruschetta goal. I can eat it by the spoonful like an animal, if the opportunity presents. 
 And then we have many of this little guy-
I took a bite out of it- because...idk fuck it.  Wasn't great. 
In general my entire tomato plant is doing green things.

I'm gonna just see what happens.


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## TLDR20 (Jul 20, 2022)

Andoni said:


> Cilantro is flowering. Not really sure what to do about that. It's about 2 feet tall now. Very pretty white flowers. Not the purpose and doesn't further my Bruschetta goal. I can eat it by the spoonful like an animal, if the opportunity presents.
> And then we have many of this little guy-View attachment 39988
> I took a bite out of it- because...idk fuck it.  Wasn't great.
> In general my entire tomato plant is doing green things.
> ...



Cilantro is extremely heat sensitive and will turn to coriander(when it flowers and seeds) rapidly in the heat.

You have to wait for the tomatos to turn red bro.


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## compforce (Jul 20, 2022)

TLDR20 said:


> You have to wait for the tomatos to turn red bro.


Heathen...

Best Fried Green Tomatoes


> What Are Green Tomatoes?





> Green tomatoes are unripe red tomatoes with much firmer flesh and a sharp, tart flavor. Most are intentionally picked before maturing to ensure the crispest, driest fruit possible. Because they have a lower water content, green tomatoes are perfectly suitable for sauteeing and frying.


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## pardus (Jul 20, 2022)

compforce said:


> Heathen...
> 
> Best Fried Green Tomatoes
> ​


Also if you’re going to pickle, green tomatoes are amazing and far superior to the ripe red ones. 


TLDR20 said:


> Cilantro is extremely heat sensitive and will turn to coriander(when it flowers and seeds) rapidly in the heat.
> 
> You have to wait for the tomatos to turn red bro.


Can you remove the cilantro flowers like you do with basil to stop it maturing as fast?


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## compforce (Jul 20, 2022)

My garden is doing things...  I planted one of each from seed in November indoors, transplanted to pots in February and planted in the ground right after the last frost.

Tomato 1 - Is about a foot tall and has the 4th tomato of the year ready to start turning red
Tomato 2 - Is about 4 feet tall and just started developing fruit.  There are about 15 tomatoes on it
Cabbage - Something ate all of the leaves leaving only the veins like a spiderweb.  Dug up and gone
Cucumber - Never made it into the ground
Corn - Never made it into the ground
Borage(star flower) - if you haven't tried this one, do.  The leaves taste like cucumber when young and are amazing in a green salad.  1.5 foot tall and plenty of leaves
Cilantro - 10 inch tall, still deciding if it's going to make it.
Italian Parsley -  Struggling but about a foot tall
Green Bell Pepper - two feet, four so far, two of which had exactly one bite taken from them by an animal when they were almost ready to pick
Raspberries - never made it to the ground
Blueberries - one plant, never grew, had two leaves when put in the ground.  Still has two leaves
Basil -  3 foot plant, giant 3" wide leaves
Oregano - it's an oregano bush now 2 feet across and 1 foot tall
Thyme - also a bush, about 1 foot across and 6 inches tall
Spearmint - like a weed.  I dug it out of the ground and put into a planter to keep it from taking over the whole garden.


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## TLDR20 (Jul 20, 2022)

pardus said:


> Also if you’re going to pickle, green tomatoes are amazing and far superior to the ripe red ones.
> 
> Can you remove the cilantro flowers like you do with basil to stop it maturing as fast?



I do not know the answer to that. I’ve never been able to keep cilantro outside of early spring in NC.


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## Andoni (Jul 20, 2022)

pardus said:


> Can you remove the cilantro flowers like you do with basil to stop it maturing as fast?


I'm trying it. 



TLDR20 said:


> You have to wait for the tomatos to turn red bro.


Found that out. 


compforce said:


> Best Fried Green Tomatoes


Might try this, or pickling if they don't turn red- they're taking forever


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## Andoni (Jul 20, 2022)

I wouldn't call my containers gardening, but I do like watering the spices and the tomato plant, and checking on them. It's a good activity, it's been fun.


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## Dame (Jul 20, 2022)

@Andoni You can definitely cut the flowers off to keep it from going to seed.
@compforce I'm impressed. I can never get my seeds to do squat.
@TLDR20 I did not know that about coriander being the flower/seed of cilantro.

Our lemon tree is still holding on to the little green fruits it came with. Only one seems to be under the impression it should maybe start turning yellow.


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## compforce (Jul 21, 2022)

Dame said:


> @Andoni You can definitely cut the flowers off to keep it from going to seed.
> @compforce I'm impressed. I can never get my seeds to do squat.
> @TLDR20 I did not know that about coriander being the flower/seed of cilantro.
> 
> Our lemon tree is still holding on to the little green fruits it came with. Only one seems to be under the impression it should maybe start turning yellow.



Some Pics
The whole thing...  (And the dog trying to choose something to eat)

Right Side 



This is Borage with the blue flowers


The red lattices are 3 feet for reference


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