@jacktrash maybe we're talking about two different things, but my understanding is that they say not to start veggies indoors because you can damage taproots and such, right? I have troubles bending over too, and I can't bear to thin my poor plant babies ;_; so my solution is to start them in these doodads (which keeps the roots separate and safe) and cut holes in weed barrier the distance of the plant spacing. I'd say the plant roots start to poke through the dirt pellet mesh about a month after sowing, which is maybe not super long, but that method has saved my poor knees soooo much, I can't even tell you.
Alternate suggestion to those seed pellet things - I often start peas and suchlike in old toilet rolls packed with good potting compost. It's cheaper, and since the cardboard's biodegradable it's just as good. Some people stick a bit of newspaper at the bottom of the rolls, but I find as long as they're in a good tray, after a month of the seedlings starting their roots tend to hold more of it together XDD
I feel like I knew about the toilet paper rolls thing but had forgotten, so thanks for putting that up. that might be useful for starting my tomatoes this year :)
ok @seebs we were talking about garden boxes for my accessibility, i'm talking about stuff like this except obs that is all fancy pants. but something that is of a size that i can reach it while sitting on my stool doodad that i drag around with me i have choice paralysis because there are so many different designs out there, maybe you could ask questions
omgggg yeah i'm gonna need like four hanging shoe organizers pronto edit: i have never bought a shoe organizer in my life, i usually only have like 3 pairs of shoes at a time. where do you get them? target?
Goodwill always seems to have them too. One thing I wanna mention, tho- the human mind cannot fathom how quickly those things dry out. Not only is it a teensy amount of dirt, but the canvas will wick moisture from your plants, too. I'm talking like a minimum of twice a day watering, if it's in a sunny spot. You might get better mileage out of a plastic one with holes poked in it, though! I haven't tried that.
Yeah, a plastic shoe organiser works better! I haven't used one myself, but I have a friend who uses them extensively, well-packed with good compost in the bottom with the very tip-corners of each pocket cut out for drainage. Make sure you water the bottom rung as much as the top, because while water runs down to an extent, it doesn't seep nearly as well as you'd think it would. Also, cheaper suggestion to the big raised bed - I have back issues too, and a relatively small budget, and for the longest time I just used some of those extra-big plastic tubs with holes in them, raised up on bricks. We call them rhino tubs here, but they might be something different in the US, and they look like this - Also also, depending on your connections and ability to get stuff delivered, I've heard used tractor tires from scrapyards and suchlike make really AWESOME giant planters when stacked up high :)
Ugh, I hate all of you. We're in the february thaw but there's no point in planting anything until late march around here. Except, apparently, for the carrots I planted last year, because some of the ones I left in the ground out of laziness are STILL GOING, frost and all. EDIT: As an appendix to @lilacsofthedead, I run my garden out of tires as well, one big planter from tractor tires and two smaller ones from regular tires. Cut out the sidewalls, you get way more growing space.
^ same, ive always helped my mom gardening but recently ive really gotten a hankering to grow my own herbs n stuff and i caaant yet 8(( does anyone have catnip growing tips? i feel like someone once told me that it's very weed-like and you just kinda....put it in the ground and it does its thing, but i just thought id ask :O
@whimsicalobservant O_o I don't think I've ever heard of someone trying to grow dandelions on purpose XDD I mean, they're great little plants despite their rep and make a very good coffee substitute from what I've heard, and good for lots different critters as food, but I think my landlady would wear my ribcage as a new bonnet if she caught me intentionally growing something she hates so, lol XD
i heard you can eat just about any part of a dandelion except the stem which is poisonous, but i kinda dont wanna grab some stuff off the roadside to toss into a salad, heh.
You can indeed eat dandelion leafs and flowers. We have a garden now! Expect me to maybe contribute something, occassionally? Im a renown plant murderer though :'(
HELLO FRIENDS @Raire If y'all are anything like the US, it's probably a powdery mildew, they're common and usually harmless. If the plant's not wilting or looking sickly, no need to worry about it. If you want to get rid of it, dry things out and avoid humidity for a couple days. We're 5a, down by Madison, and we start tomatoes and peppers around mid-March; two months before last frost seems to be plenty of time, maybe a little too much. Those get transplanted from the bitty containers to bigger containers to quart-size yogurt containers before planting outside. We'll start basil and similar herbs around mid-April, and we plant garlic around first frost to overwinter. We plant everything else directly, but I believe the various brassicaceae (lettuce, cabbage, brussel sprouts, w/e) handle transplanting well; I'd probably start those no earlier than mid-April. Mulching with hay/straw does wonders to keep the weeds down, for us; my grampa can't bend over either, and he can keep the big garden in good shape. Raised beds are fucking amazing, highly recommended. You could probably also make raised cold frames, so you could start plants outdoors sooner. Seeds will almost definitely be fine; fewer will germinate, so just use more seeds. Most seeds will live for at least 3-5 years with decent germination rates (> 50%).
oh me too, some of the guides i found for my area said not to plant anything outdoors until JUNE ffs. i mean yeah ok we have had frost well into may before, but that's like once every five years or so, i'm not gonna give up on gardening because of it.
...I am far too amused that the purple-podded dwarf bean I bought seeds of last year is called Amethyst. Amethyst is smol bean. The smollest XDD
Guys, I'm so bummed. I've been waiting forever for a dry, sunny day to pull up blackberry bushes and make trenches for my carrots. <i>it was dry and warm all weekend</i> and I've just been busy twiddling my thumbs and being all sick and stuff ;_;
Bought my first seeds of the year! I can't start on them until the third week in march, but I am excite :D Urgh @LilacMercenary I know that feel. The weather is ALWAYS fucking decent when you can't take advantage of it :/ (Which sounded less wrong in my head, I swear XDD)
