Garden Log

[George the original one]

What do people grow instead of celery? I'm so used to using celery in cooking, but have not been successful enough when growing it to have it available.

[CajunQueen]

@GTOO Do you have thistle? Looks like celery but tastes like cucumber. People consider it a weed and are happy to have you hack it down.
http://plainoldkristi.blogspot.com/2009 ... stles.html

[George the original one]

Not on the property. Bull thistle (cirsium vulgare) and Canada thistle (cirsium arvense) are common in the region, but they're invasive species, so killed on sight. The native thistles are "nicer", but rare and often confused for the invaders.

It does look like bok choy and pak choi will be my substitutes in cooking. They grow well here.

[enigmaT120]

I already have a really big Gravenstein tree, that's where I got the scion for the grafting attempt. Thanks for the tip about the King tree.

[Gilberto de Piento]

I ordered some seeds recently and I was just notified they shipped today. There is a farmers market nearby so I'm focusing on herbs mostly. Also some kale, peas, other things that are fun to grab out of the garden and incorporate into dinner.

[sky]

Cornell Small Farms Online Course, free until 3/27:

https://smallfarms.cornell.edu/2020/03/ ... se-access/

[jennypenny]

Neversink farm is also offering their farming intensive course for free (as of this morning) ... https://www.neversinkcourses.com

@sky -- which cornell courses, if any, are you taking?

[sky]

Vegetable Gardening I and II

[guitarplayer]

Cornell Small Farms Online Course, free until 3/27:

https://smallfarms.cornell.edu/2020/03/ ... se-access/

Thanks so much sky! DW and I will be learning about cultivating mushrooms.

[enigmaT120]

Ha yeah I intend to cultivate some mushrooms too.

[George the original one]

Spinach, peas, radishes, onions, garlic, and volunteer kale all doing well. A few carrots might have sprouted or not... annoying hard to tell since there's also a weed that sprouts in the same manner. The weather this week and next is ideal for gardening, so I'm making the most of it by getting more beds ready for second plantings and the warm weather crops I plant in May.

Also taking time to sit and listen to the birds. Redwing blackbird visited yesterday; they're not rare, but definitely uncommon here. A small number of doves have arrived a bit early.

[Gilberto de Piento]

The seeds arrived and they are now planted in trays I found on the curb last summer. Very ERE. I did have to buy potting soil though.

[jennypenny]

Does anyone know if the dramatic reduction in pollution over the course of the spring is enough to affect weather patterns? I'm wondering if the original forecast of a hot summer in my area still holds.

[jacob]

Aerosol dimming has a cooling effect, so if anything, reduced pollution has the effect of making things warmer as well as wetter. However, the specific intermediate regional effects are complicated and probably more related to El Nino effects.

[jennypenny]

Well, if el nino would make it hotter by me, and so would less pollution/fewer particulates ... sigh ... I'll plan on it being a scorcher.

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We had a late freeze this week so we don't have a lot in the ground and we covered what was already planted. We have plenty of seedlings bursting from their pots so I think we'll start planting later this week and hope for the best weather-wise. I can start with direct seeding and more tolerant seedlings and save the tomatoes and such for last. We also planted more raspberries and strawberries.

If the ground ever dries out (it's been a wet spring), we'll dig up more of the yard and direct seed in that area. We're doing more fruit than normal (watermelon and cantaloup) and trying potatoes and carrots (we have heavy clay soil so have avoided root crops). I also have some old seed that I'm planting wherever there's room. Maybe I'll get lucky and some of it will come up. I'm not fussy about having neat rows or the right companion plants. I also don't care if we end up with tomatoes in several different spots around the yard. As long as we have enough to eat, I'm ok with our blasphemous version of a potager garden.

[Alphaville]

Hello gardeners,

Not sure if this is the right place to put the question, but I’m having some issues picking a potting soil for window boxes to grow mostly herbs .

In my homesteading days I used to basically consult/buy from the local nursery, who carried Black Gold, and it worked great.

Nowadays I’m stuck with online orders, and I was looking at 2cf Happy Frog for... $50! And I need about 4cf which... makes it a little too rich for my blood.

Any recommendations for cheap/good/widely available potting soil? Any objections to MiracleGro indoor/outdoor potting soil?

I think the perfect is the enemy of the good and I’ll happily settle for “just good enough” if you can please recommend.

[jennypenny]

Window boxes get heavy. Choose a soil with a lot of perlite in it or mix it yourself.

[Alphaville]

Window boxes get heavy. Choose a soil with a lot of perlite in it or mix it yourself.

thanks! no space to mix it in my balcony—although these boxes (plastic) will go on the balcony floor. know of a decent ready mix?

//

eta: i think i’ll just bite the bullet and order the pricey stuff... fox farm or black gold or one of those. i think i used to pay less than half buying in person vs online though...

[sky]

Choose some cheap potting soil from your local Ace Hardware store. I use Promix but is mostly peat and there is not much compost in it for plant nutrition.

[George the original one]

If the ground ever dries out (it's been a wet spring), we'll dig up more of the yard and direct seed in that area. We're doing more fruit than normal (watermelon and cantaloup) and trying potatoes and carrots (we have heavy clay soil so have avoided root crops).

Potatoes don't care much about the soil or moisture when planting. Plant the seed potatoes above potential standing water so they won't rot before growing and just keep mounding them with rich soil.

Carrots won't grow straight if you plant them on turned-under sod... to grow straight, the fertilizer needs to come from above rather than mixed in with the soil. Putting them last in the crop rotation works well. Germinating carrots can be a bother when the sun beats down; I've definitely had best luck by using a board to shade the row so the soil doesn't dry out. Thicker stewing carrots are the traditional answer for clay soil rather than the dainty slender snacking carrots; if you have a sturdy season-extender, plant carrots in July & August to over-winter. Without a season-extender, my over-winter carrots last until about January and then the cores get chewy & they lose their flavor.

I keep meaning to grow cantaloupes. Maybe it will happen this year if I still have seeds that aren't too old. Unlike watermelon, they can tolerate our cool nights without shelter... once had a couple plants grow out of the compost pile from the guts of store-bought melons!