- Joined
- Sep 10, 2006
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- 4,118
Glad to see you are still doing planting. It is fun isn't it?
Love it! My garden is my refuge!
Glad to see you are still doing planting. It is fun isn't it?
And now...the rest of the story...
I dug up 2 garlic plants. The original clove is intact with beautiful root systems. The garlic tops are just starting to turn a little brown on the edges.
Perhaps my best bet is to let the tops die down a little more, trim them back to soil level and winter them over inside the protection of my plexiglas paneled porch. I will place a thick layer of leaf or grass clippings mulch over the soil surface and arrange the other 2 Earthboxes as flanking cold protection.
I've had volunteers (left behind cloves in the ground garden) develop into medium size garlic heads with divided cloves in past years, so perhaps these will do same in the Earthbox. Maybe not.
Tomatoes should not be put into the fridge because the cold damages the flavor compounds. Leave tomatoes on the counter.I still have a large bowl of fresh tomatoes in the frig
There is not enough time to grow peas, the days are getting short and by mid September everything growing in the garden starts to slow down noticeably. And as far as cukes, there is not a chance in the world that they'll do anything other than sprout and grow an inch or so. Cukes have already started to die if not dead from the lack of long days, strong sun and heat. By mid September cukes are done for the season. If you are inside a porch or greenhouse you can offset the cold but the sun is just too weak to grow most anything except greens at this point. Cukes are tropical fruits that require hot temperatures and strong sun light. The gardening season is basically over except for the final ripening of some things.I may plant 1 more round of sugar snap peas. Maybe even a cucumber or two just for fun. They just might produce for me before the snow flies .
I found my inexpensive shelf unit on sale
Amazon.com: Four Tier Greenhouse with 4 Shelves: Patio, Lawn & Garden
It should be here next week, along with fresh spinach and scallion seeds.
I decided to splurge and bought these grow lights at a lower price ($9 less each) than shown here.
Amazon.com: Hydrofarm JSV4 4-Foot Jump Start T5 Grow Light System: Home & Garden
I already own one of these lights, and decided to get 3 more to make each shelf of the unit fully illuminated.
Sweet! I may not do this this year...but hopefully next! We just took down our tomato plant but I planted my fall crops in mid-August, and they are doing great. Yummy red and green leaf lettuce is flourishing. My broccoli and brussel sprouts are coming along nicely but no fruits yet...soon I'm sure!
Watch out for these little buggers on your broccoli.
Identifying and Controlling Cabbage Worms
BTDT when I used to grow broccoli in my back yard garden. A quick dip and vigorous turning (use tongs) of the broccoli head in some hot salted water will get them off the broccoli head, evidenced by them floating on the water surface. Sound yummy ?
I've tried lettuce in containers before with some success. I got tired of washing, drying and storing it in the frig. I prefer spinach for salads, and can freeze any I don't use in a given harvest.
I just brought mine indoors to continue growing for me all winter, under a 4' shop light. I sprinkled a thin layer of Osmocote pellets in each pot.Cut my Geraniums back and put the pots in a row waiting for the first frost warning
I just brought mine indoors to continue growing for me all winter, under a 4' shop light. I sprinkled a thin layer of Osmocote pellets in each pot.
After they go through another bloom, I cut them way back again and keep them under grow lights. I repeat this all winter.
Nice to have fresh flowers appear during the gloom of winter.
I have 2 cheapo 4' shop lights that are unreliable (ballast?) after owning and using them for seedlings for 15+ years.
I selected the T5 model to fit the shelf unit I got dirt cheap.
15 years! I've had them go bad after 5 years. You are correct it is probably the ballast.
T5 tubes? They must be really small in diameter? I was surprised at the difference in the T12 to T8 tubes. I happen to have an older T12 over the work bench all my grow lights are T8.
Two weeks later...my geraniums are setting flower buds like crazy. I counted 10 so far. I will move one of them out into the living room where I can see it until it stops blooming. Then it gets cut back and back under the grow light.I keep mine in an east window with a long shelf where the window ledge should be. They keep blooming but get a bit straggly without a light. Also cut back about January and March. I fertilise with liquid 20-20-20 when watering once a month. May try a light.
My indoor growing setup, all assembled and planted.
Thanks.Sweet - very nice set up! Curious to see how your tomatoes do inside!