Garden 2024!

[UrbanHunter]

Yesterday I harvested a couple hand fulls of green onions from the raised beds, it was a nice day so I put on some gloves and did some weeding, then grabbed 1 lettuce starter cup from the indoor growing station, I planted a dozen lettuce plugs (3 or 4 plants @) in the freshly cleaned raised bed. We are expecting rain today with a high above 50F, so I will run out and open the tops to let the plants get a drink. I need to thin out my indoor cucumbers, I now have 10 plants (2 varieties) in two starter cups.

 

[sonya123]

I started some seeds yesterday: kale, cauliflower broccoli, red and green cabbage, kohlrabi and beets so far
I noticed I forgot to order lettuce seeds so I might just get some at RK they have a lot of seeds too

 

[UrbanHunter]

This morning I ran to W-M to get some laundry soap, while there I noticed a seed display (had to pick up a dozen)... then I saw some green grape vine roots (mine died) so I grabbed a couple... Finally I grabbed a bag of potting soil to start seeds with... Wait, it is February right? I may be jumping the gun a little as usual.

 

[Bacpacker]

Went by CoOp yesterday, they had a lot of seed out. Had 3 kinds of taters for seed too. I bout em out of Yukon Golds.

 

[joel]

My green onions are in pots/containers this year & are dong well.

 

[UrbanHunter]

Today ended up being rather productive, I harvested some lettuce, green onions, and broccoli. Then I dug up and weeded 3 beds, I went ahead and planted the grape plants I had picked up, I planted some potatoes that were already sprouting, while planting the potatoes I ended up harvesting about half a dozen that I missed last fall. Before it was all over I did plant some more spinach, lettuce, and onions. The rain that was forecast never arrived so I hand watered everything before closing the lids back up.

 

[Neb]

Note to self

Bat guano is some serious stuff!

In years past my indoor winter garden has produced well for us. I just added a pinch of some no name tomato plant food to the water.

Since I was gifted piles of exotic soil amendments I decided to try adding a small amount of bat guano to the soil when I transplanted my lettuce to 8" pots. I didn't measure exactly but about a table spoon or so. Bad bad bad.

So I have watched some beautiful heads of lettuce suddenly stop growing and then shrivel up. I cleared out those pots today and found the roots were nonexistent!

I am calling it a hard learned lesson.

Ben

 

[Bacpacker]

Note to self

Bat guano is some serious stuff!

In years past my indoor winter garden has produced well for us. I just added a pinch of some no name tomato plant food to the water.

Since I was gifted piles of exotic soil amendments I decided to try adding a small amount of bat guano to the soil when I transplanted my lettuce to 8" pots. I didn't measure exactly but about a table spoon or so. Bad bad bad.

So I have watched some beautiful heads of lettuce suddenly stop growing and then shrivel up. I cleared out those pots today and found the roots were nonexistent!

I am calling it a hard learned lesson.

Ben

Chicken manure will do that too

 

[Pearl]

Chicken manure will do that too

Y'all need some donkeys!!

 

[Bacpacker]

Might get one after I retire, along with some goats. Maybe even feeder calves every year or two

 

[Pearl]

Might get one after I retire, along with some goats. Maybe even feeder calves every year or two

All good manure producers!

 

[Bacpacker]

Pigs too

 

[sonya123]

some of my little seeds have started growing, going to start some more soon

 

[elkhound]

Pretended to be Howard Hughes again today and ordered some root stock and a few scion. Will be getting more scion soon from skillcult if i can afford it once he gets list out and it starts.

Had enough time to look at two of my better trees and jot down all the types of apples on them.More to look at and see for sure and get updated master list so i dont order something i already have.

Great disappointment in graft last year of blackstrawberry..none took and that scion cost $27.50 i think....hurtful lesson in grafting failure..only graft that didnt take last year i believe.

 

[jishinsjourney]

I’m thinking I’m going to try to dig more into permaculture this year — whatever I’m allergic to flares up when I dig, so sticking to perennials seems like a good idea.

My asparagus from last year hasn’t popped up yet, but my garlic is starting to show signs of life — in fact, the Inchelium Red has been growing all through the snow and has leaves about 4” tall already.

I think I’d like to add some strawberries around the yard, and expect most of them will go to the squirrels and rabbits, but if I plant enough, maybe we’ll get some.

Our arborist says we’re going to have to take out the apple tree at some point or it’s going to interfere with the growth of the other trees. I don’t like it, but I get it. It wasn’t well cared for before we got the place, and it’s half apples and half rootstock anyway. Still. I don’t like it. /:

 

[Pearl]

I’m thinking I’m going to try to dig more into permaculture this year — whatever I’m allergic to flares up when I dig, so sticking to perennials seems like a good idea.

My asparagus from last year hasn’t popped up yet, but my garlic is starting to show signs of life — in fact, the Inchelium Red has been growing all through the snow and has leaves about 4” tall already.

I think I’d like to add some strawberries around the yard, and expect most of them will go to the squirrels and rabbits, but if I plant enough, maybe we’ll get some.

Our arborist says we’re going to have to take out the apple tree at some point or it’s going to interfere with the growth of the other trees. I don’t like it, but I get it. It wasn’t well cared for before we got the place, and it’s half apples and half rootstock anyway. Still. I don’t like it. /:

See why we need you here!!???

 

[Neb]

Pretended to be Howard Hughes again today and ordered some root stock and a few scion. Will be getting more scion soon from skillcult if i can afford it once he gets list out and it starts.

Had enough time to look at two of my better trees and jot down all the types of apples on them.More to look at and see for sure and get updated master list so i dont order something i already have.

Great disappointment in graft last year of blackstrawberry..none took and that scion cost $27.50 i think....hurtful lesson in grafting failure..only graft that didnt take last year i believe.

You are way ahead of me. I tried it for the first time last year. The grafts didn't develop but they don't look dead dead. I am hoping it was a lack of sunlight or maybe I waited to late in the year.

I will be trying more this year.

Ben

 

[elkhound]

Todays order....

20 root stock of B118

one each scion of below

Airlie red flesh
Burgundy
Frostbite
Lodi
Otterson

plus $25 shipping

Total was $139.78

 

[elkhound]

You are way ahead of me. I tried it for the first time last year. The grafts didn't develop but they don't look dead dead. I am hoping it was a lack of sunlight or maybe I waited to late in the year.

I will be trying more this year.

Ben

Today was last day to order from Fedco..i about screwed up and forgot...wasnt sure i was going to do anything..then some money got to burning a hole in my pocket and i got a hankering to graft more...well lets be honest..practice more..so here i am.

my two largest trees are looking real nice..i bought those trees in spring of 2020 at $25 each to graft on..they were very large. Last spring...2023...those same large trees are now $50 something each.

I dont even want to tell you how many apple seed i have stratifying in refrigerator right now...lol

I have a gardening problem !

 

[elkhound]

#1 frankentree=Mutsu Apple..it has 7 cultivars on it now

i grafted on it the following
#1Cherub
#2Chestnut
#3Bite Me
#4Golden Russet from Fedco
#5King David
#6Cherry Cox

#2 frankentree=Liberty Apple..this tree only have 5 varieties since one failed and i put two of same type limbs on it.

i grafted on it the following

#1 and#2 Pink Parfait..i put two limbs of this on the tree
#3Bite Me
#4Golden Russet from Skillcult
#5Sweet16
#Cherub...it failed..only graft to fail

I bought two discounted crabtrees to try grafting on for $5 each fall of 2022. i grafted some on it and most took. i will get list on them in next bit.

 

[Neb]

#1 frankentree=Mutsu Apple..it has 7 cultivars on it now

i grafted on it the following
#1Cherub
#2Chestnut
#3Bite Me
#4Golden Russet from Fedco
#5King David
#6Cherry Cox

#2 frankentree=Liberty Apple..this tree only have 5 varieties since one failed and i put two of same type limbs on it.

i grafted on it the following

#1 and#2 Pink Parfait..i put two limbs of this on the tree
#3Bite Me
#4Golden Russet from Skillcult
#5Sweet16
#Cherub...it failed..only graft to fail

I bought two discounted crabtrees to try grafting on for $5 each fall of 2022. i grafted some on it and most took. i will get list on them in next bit.

I'm enjoying reading of your wins.

Ben

 

[LadyLocust]

Bunny poo can go directly into the garden.

 

[Pearl]

Bunny poo can go directly into the garden.

Is that someone's nickname? ( Don't say Pearl's)! It would make a cute user name!! And our new moderator better not change my user name to Bunny Poo!!

 

[Amish Heart]

We use those in the garden. Just don't call them milk duds.

 

[Magpie]

The building husband was working in last week had a woman doing the decorated plaster work who is self sufficient - she gave us two types of seed potatoes, one an old purple one, and a new garlic I've never tried. Happy days!

 

[UrbanHunter]

This week I split up my experimental tomatoes grown from store bought greenhouse tomatoes, I reduced them down to 16 plants of each variety. I'll be traveling this week and will have to put the growing stations on auto-pilot, we'll see how that turns out.

I have 3- 17 gallon containers indoors with potatoes growing in them, once spring hits I will carry them outdoors and finish filling the containers with soil....
On Friday, I was able to harvest some broccoli from inside one of my raised beds with a lid, not getting a lot but a small crown or two from each plant. The lettuce, spinach, onions, and parsley are doing well in raised beds too, but right now they are all covered with snow.

This week I have been able to harvest a couple of tomatoes off my 4rd generation Siam tomatoes, they are not a dwarf as they were when I started but they are still self pollinating and growing well indoors.

 

[Pearl]

This week I split up my experimental tomatoes grown from store bought greenhouse tomatoes, I reduced them down to 16 plants of each variety. I'll be traveling this week and will have to put the growing stations on auto-pilot, we'll see how that turns out.

I have 3- 17 gallon containers indoors with potatoes growing in them, once spring hits I will carry them outdoors and finish filling the containers with soil....
On Friday, I was able to harvest some broccoli from inside one of my raised beds with a lid, not getting a lot but a small crown or two from each plant. The lettuce, spinach, onions, and parsley are doing well in raised beds too, but right now they are all covered with snow.

This week I have been able to harvest a couple of tomatoes off my 4rd generation Siam tomatoes, they are not a dwarf as they were when I started but they are still self pollinating and growing well indoors.

I am really interested in the store bought tomato seeds! My mom and I planted some (over 25 yrs ago), and had good results. It was a great growing year here that year! Future updates are appreciated! PS, I have no idea what type of store bought tomatos we used seeds from!!

 

[elkhound]

Well crap...i found a note and i paid $35 for the black strawberry scion....that is going to hurt if they dont come out this spring...never seen one in my limited experience a graft not coming out year i made it to come out following spring..sooo..very little chance. It going to be tough as it was one i really wanted and just found out from skillcult the BS will be auctioned off again. Last year he priced them high but limited folks to just one to get more people to have one.The year before and more these scion auctioned off for well over $100 each.Looks like ones i be most interested in will be auctioned off,glad i ordered a few scion from fedco now.

I am going to collect today or tomorrow some of my own scions and put in refrigerator to be sure and have enough to graft all root stock i ordered.I may put a few more on the two frakentrees i am doing.

Ben my experiment was i got two $5 flowering crabapples on clearance.I bought 3 scion from skillcult last spring and grafted bite me,cherry crush and cherub on them. I left one original limb on tree and grafted or cut all others off.I wanted to make sure the one limb would feed the tree last year getting growth and stored energy in case grafts failed and tree wouldnt die.They were pretty neglected at store the fall i bought them.

I have plenty of Appleloosa to graft with as my grafts grew 3 or 4ft last year.Best grafts i ever made.

 

[Magpie]

Went out to the polytunnel to gather some offerings for the lady who gave us the potatoes(see earlier post) ended up out there hours. Did some watering and weeding, I have a creeping buttercup type weed in my strawberry bed, so I am trying and failing, to get rid of it. Anyway husband fixed the doors which had dropped slightly, fixed some plastic the wind caught, made a list of what needs to be done. I cut back chard, put a few in pots to give away, planted Tomato Ailsa Craig, Savoy cabbage, dwarf cosmos and spinach. Also repotted a few things and labelled stuff so my family don't get poisoned. Put together the mini plastic greenhouse I have inside the poly for seedlings, another layer from any frost. Planted another round of red onions- the ones I have in, and garlic, are doing well. Also planted ginger. again. It and sweet potatoes are the only thing I've no luck with. Put some mustard seeds on trays in the kitchen window sill also. I've laid all my seeds out on the dining room table, will sort tomorrow, and give some away.

 

[elkhound]

Skillcult has pictures all together to see his apples released to public so far easily now.

https://skillcult.com/applebreeding