Gardening, flowers and veggies: 2014

[grammafreddy]

Is it time to paint our thumbs green again and start thinking about the gardening?

I am saving my cardboard egg cartons and egg shells. Am gonna try this ...



I also bought one of these from Home Hardware ...


http://homehardware.ca/en/rec/index.htm ... ouse&Num=0

[flamingfingers]

I am going to use a couple of these with peat pellets. Buckerfield's should have all sizes - and they are cheap! And reusable..

http://nlggrow.com/2074-mondi-mini-gree ... e-7in.html

[JLives]

I use the table top dome. It works great. I am going to build an area with adjustable shelving/lighting and fans once I have more space. Then I'll have some monster seedlings.

This year is all about container gardening. I'm only growing what can be moved or I don't mind leaving behind.

[Lady tehMa]

I have one of those little greenhouses, and a couple of jiffy greenhouse trays (pellet ones).

How does this work? Start them in the house then move them to the little green house? Or start them in the greenhouse?

Is there a best time to start tomatoes? What about squash?

[oneh2obabe]

Tomatoes: Given the proper care, full-sized tomato transplants can be grown in 6 to 8 weeks. Before planting seeds, you must determine when your plants can be safely placed into the garden. Planting outdoors is best done about 1 or 2 weeks after the average last frost date for your area.

Squash: Transplant in late May or early June once the soil is warm. Start seeds indoors during the first two weeks of May. Make sure plants are in the ground no later than June 15th. Optimal soil temperature: 25-35°C (68-95°F).

[grammafreddy]

How does this work? Start them in the house then move them to the little green house? Or start them in the greenhouse?

Not that I know what I am doing, but I am planning to put the seed trays (egg cartons) right into the greenhouse and put that in my dining room widow where it will get great sunshine. Later I will move it to my enclosed front porch, then to the back porch, then plant the plants in the ground - eggshells and all.

[flamingfingers]

I like to plant my seeds and germinate them in a constant temperature closet (don't need sun to germinate) and then when their little first leaves come up, move them to where they get filtered sun until they develop their next leaves and increase their sun exposure but not so much they get sunburn.

Or you can put up a fluorescent fixture with grow lights (in your mini greenhouse) and keep the light on 24/7 and adjust the height. If you use a dome make sure you ventilate them so the plants don't develop mold. When rootlets start growing out of the peat pellets it is time to transplant them into small pots and let them loose in the minigreenhouse until you can put the little darlin's into nice warm outside soil.

[Lady tehMa]

I collected seeds last year, not sure if I did it right but time will tell.

Sometimes I get seeds (or plants) from around town; Buckerfield's, Art Knapp's, and (my favourite) the Greenery. I occasionally get the Vesey's catalogue too. Oh, and I got a number of my plants at the Farmer's market last year too.

What are your favourite places to buy, and what are you getting this year?

OH - just found out, mark your calendars! This year Seedy Saturday is March 8th at the college http://www.mgabc.org/content/kelowna-seedy-saturday-2014

[Queen K]

Just cut up a fennel bulb for roasting and wooooooo weee, I'm going to try growing them this year. Lovely flavour. I can't wait to get it out of the oven, roasting it up tonight.

I've got too many seeds and have no idea if the carrot seeds I nurtured for a long time are viable or not. Takes two years.

[Lady tehMa]

Just cut up a fennel bulb for roasting and wooooooo weee, I'm going to try growing them this year. Lovely flavour. I can't wait to get it out of the oven, roasting it up tonight.

Be careful where you put it

Companion Planting:
The crucial thing to know about fennel is that you do not want it growing close to any other plant, and most especially nowhere near other members of the Umbellifrae family, which is a large one. It inhibits the growth of most plants, and readily cross-pollinates with its kin to give useless results on both plants.
Grow it by itself off in a corner of the garden, or in pots placed well away from the herb bed (and your carrots!) If you see large, black & green caterpillars on your fennel, don't be alarmed. Fennel is also a host plant for swallow butterfly caterpillars.

[Queen K]

Good advice there. We enjoyed the fennel roasted but it could be overpowering if over used. I'll buy smaller bulbs later and look forward to a small harvest.

[flamingfingers]

To me, fennel tastes like liquorice.. ick. Does it taste like that to you?

[Queen K]

Yes, but it was more refreshing. I'd use smaller bulbs and use in a salad raw with lots of other veggies next time.

[Lady tehMa]

What is the easiest/cheapest way to add garden space?

[Queen K]

I your case just do what I do, scavange some wood like we did, and just level them right out on the grass and fill with good dirt with a gravel base.

Don't do what we did with making one too wide.
Do make sure the mower can easily get between the raised beds, cuz that means the wheelbarrows will too.

I'd love to get a hold of a large yard and re do. This year we're under going messy raised bed makeover to fix some of our early mistakes.