2022 Garden Thread

[Dan Freeman]

Today, I used some concrete pavers to raise an area of the pond that was a bit low and probably filled about another 100-150 gallons of water. I figure the pond is 1600-1800 gallons now. I'm going to take depth measurements to narrow that gallon capacity down a little closer. Also finished the rock work on the waterfall and trimmed the liner so it overlaps the pond by 18" all the way around. I also placed the overflow pipe, but I still have to foam it in.

Next up will be to imbed some heavy-duty landscape plastic edging on the low side to make sure we don't get run-off from the hill. This will be covered on the pond side with rocks and on the garden side with wood chips.

Once that is completed, I will lay the flat rocks all around the edge of the pond.

No pics today. I will try to take some tomorrow.

 

[DuaeGuttae]

Those peppers look great, @Dan Freeman. It sounds as though your pond is coming along nicely, too.

I took a couple of pictures yesterday of a plant that I had misidentified last year as being bindweed. This spring it showed up in my neighbor’s garden with a seedpod, and we thought it could be a type of milkweed. Yesterday my husband and I were checking on how much was growing near the garden (thinking that this could have been the source of the queen butterfly caterpillar), and I found an area where it was flowering extensively (after climbing all over an old lantana bush).

It has really beautiful flowers when you look closely, and this bloom allowed me to identify properly as Fringed Twinevine or Climbing Milkweed. It’s a southwestern plant, and it is a host plant for Queen caterpillars. This area of growth is maybe fifty feet away from the back side of my main garden, so even farther from the corn plant where I found the chrysalis. It’s spreading, though, and I don’t want it invading my garden. We’ve been encouraging native milkweeds, and this is one, but I can’t allow it to get to my raised beds. (It also has the most horrible smell when the vine is broken, rather like the intense body odor of a teenage athlete who does not wear deodorant and left his sweaty workout clothes in a plastic bag for a week. ) I think I’m going to go out tomorrow and see if I see any queen caterpillar feeding on it. (I don’t expect to find lots of them because they are also apparently cannibalistic caterpillars.).

We’re happy to let this plant grow on our property (there’s no way we could ever eliminate it either because it’s in several spaces and spreads from over a couple different neighbors’ fences), but we’re going to have to see what we can do about keeping it out of the garden. It got its start on our place last year during an exceptionally rainy summer. I’m surprised it has grown back so well this year with the drought.

 

[Dan Freeman]

Not much happening garden-wise. It has been raining since Sunday afternoon on and off. I would say we have had about 2-3 inches, more rain than we have had in total since June. More rain for this afternoon/this evening.

I bought 2 bags of potting soil to start my indoor Tiny Tims for the winter. I am planning to plant 8 plants, but space the seed starting at 2 pots every week to 10 days. Last year I started all 8 pots at once and we were inundated with tomatoes, then a "dry" period, then inundated again. Spacing seed planting will help to have a steady supply rather than a ton at once.

My firewood guy called last night. He wanted to drop off two truckloads of sawdust (about 12-14 yards), but I had to turn him down since we have 10 yards of woodchips and 10 more yards coming in.

Also, getting in 6 yards of half topsoil, half mushroom compost either Friday or Saturday to top off all my raised beds and fill 2 new ones.

Been cleaning and organizing the tool shed (again!). The electrician is coming tomorrow to run 220 from the shed to the new well.

Just finished 4 orders for customers that we will deliver tomorrow.

Never a dull moment!

 

[begreen]

@EatenByLimestone and all, I am getting ready to buy an AeroGarden or maybe an iDOO garden. Our goal will be to grow some Tiny Tim or similar small tomato, some lettuce or greens, and maybe basil. I have lots of questions before ordering. Some of them are:

1. How many holes?
2. How tall should it go?
3. What water tank capacity? (Does this matter a lot?)
4. What food is best and how much to order?
5. How much space does each plant take? The holes seem crowded.
6. Anything else?

Is this overkill for a starter system? The tanks seem shallower, but lots of pods.
Amazon product ASIN B0B82JCB72
Also, are there some things that I shouldn't grow? For example, is lettuce grown in this system too wimpy and delicate?

 

[Dan Freeman]

@begreen. Looks nice, but I would look carefully at the dimensions. (I didn't really check that closely.) When I grow Tiny Tims indoors during the winter, they easily get 18" tall and 12+" wide. I use one of those 4' wide baker's racks, and 4 Tiny Tim's easy take up the entire 4' width of a shelf. The picture they show on Amazon does not look like a lot of growing room for Tiny Tims.

 

[begreen]

@begreen. Looks nice, but I would look carefully at the dimensions. (I didn't really check that closely.) When I grow Tiny Tims indoors during the winter, they easily get 18" tall and 12+" wide. I use one of those 4' wide baker's racks, and 4 Tiny Tim's easy take up the entire 4' width of a shelf. The picture they show on Amazon does not look like a lot of growing room for Tiny Tims.

Good to know. I have never grown them before. Are you growing yours hydroponically in the house or in a greenhouse in soil?

 

[begreen]

Also, do you test the tank water for EC or TDS to maintain a good nutrient balance?

 

[DuaeGuttae]

@begreen, I have two Aerogarden six-pod systems, one received by my daughter as a gift, the other purchased used. I love them both, but it’s primarily as a seed starting system that they have their real value for me. I start seeds in them for potting up and transplanting (or sometimes just for transplanting without potting up just because I have a hard time germinating some things in Texas heat). My six-pod systems have seed starting trays that allow me to start 30 to 31 seedlings at a time.

My daughter did once grow little tomatoes in her Aerogarden, and I think we did hot peppers once also. Only two plants could grow in the six-pod system, however, and they required pretty aggressive pruning. They did produce tomatoes that weren’t half bad. It was hard for me to get a “harvest” though because kids picked them off as they ripened, but that’s not really a bad problem, and I doubt that would be an issue for you.

I’ve grown lettuce in an Aerogarden successfully. I would occasionally brush it with my hand or even put a small fan on it to help it have a bit more structure. The taste was fine.

Herbs do very well. Our first experience with the Aerogarden was an herb pod kit that came with the gift. We had fewer mouths to feed back then, but I remember regularly pruning off more herbs than we could use. I recall the basil doing very well. @EatenByLimestone has done whole rounds of basil, I think. (I am growing a variety called “Emily Basil” this year for the first time. It is a Genovese type with shorter internode spacing, so it would do well in a more confined space but still give that traditional flavor if that’s what you’re looking for.)

I don’t know about growing all those things simultaneously in one larger system, however, as I have no experience with that.

I looked at the link you provided. I don’t know anything about the company, and I didn’t see any reviews on that particular link, but the height and sizing seemed like it would be possible to grow something like a Tiny Tim from what @Dan Freeman describes as their sizing. I did notice, though, that the photos show spaces left, so for larger plants like that you would not be using all the slots. The prices look much more reasonable than the current prices for Aerogardens.

 

[begreen]

Thanks for the good information. There are good reviews for the iDOO system, just not for this package. Do you generally want a larger tank for big rooted plants or just prune them regularly? What do you use for the nutrient feed?

PS: Looks like the iDOO does not have a pump. May need to keep on looking.

 

[Dan Freeman]

Good to know. I have never grown them before. Are you growing yours hydroponically in the house or in a greenhouse in soil?

I don't grow them hydroponically. In the summer I grow them in 9" pots in the greenhouse. In the fall I start new seeds in a good potting soil in 9" pots and put them on a baker's rack under grow lights in my den.

I grow my lettuce hydroponically down in the cool cellar, at least I did the past two winters, but I may switch to potting soil this year. I haven't tested EC or TDS in the past, but I probably should have to get better results. My results have been good, but I know they could be better with more attention paid to the nutrient levels and adjusting accordingly.

Here's what I mean about the space for Tiny Tim's. These are on 4-foot-wide shelving, and they weren't fully grown. They stay short (about 18 inches), but they can really bush out.



My hydro setup in the cellar. I built this system with the instructions provided here: https://www.simplegreenshydroponics.com/

 

[Dan Freeman]

Thanks for the good information. There are good reviews for the iDOO system, just not for this package. Do you generally want a larger tank for big rooted plants or just prune them regularly? What do you use for the nutrient feed?

PS: Looks like the iDOO does not have a pump. May need to keep on looking.

I use MASTERBLEND 4-18-38 for my hydroponics. There are a number of good nutrient feeds, but I went with this because of pricing and reviews.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

I have the 6 pod system, but don’t have any experience with other size systems. I also have used mine for seed starting. I’m hoping the tomatoes are pulled off by children as they ripen! That’s the plan!

For tomatoes, heavy drinkers and feeders, I’d think the larger the reservoir, the better. So, a bigger system is probably best. I’ve only used the food they supplied with the kits, but I’ve read that some crops do better with other foods.

I probably did 3 batches of Thai basil this year. Maybe 60 plants or so. It worked great and we’ve had lots of pesto and Vietnamese food. I want to do a different kind of basil next year. One that’ll bush out more. Maybe I won’t have to plant 60 of them!

Thank you for reminding me about the tiny Tim’s. I’d forgotten about the seeds I’d picked up in the chaos of life.

 

[GrumpyDad]

@EatenByLimestone and all, I am getting ready to buy an AeroGarden or maybe an iDOO garden. Our goal will be to grow some Tiny Tim or similar small tomato, some lettuce or greens, and maybe basil. I have lots of questions before ordering. Some of them are:

1. How many holes?
2. How tall should it go?
3. What water tank capacity? (Does this matter a lot?)
4. What food is best and how much to order?
5. How much space does each plant take? The holes seem crowded.
6. Anything else?

Is this overkill for a starter system? The tanks seem shallower, but lots of pods.
Amazon product ASIN B0B82JCB72
Also, are there some things that I shouldn't grow? For example, is lettuce grown in this system too wimpy and delicate?

Hi BeGreen, I have a 7 hole aerogarden from about 10 years ago. We use it constantly. We mostly grown herbs, and have done lettuce once. Lettuce is a bit of a waste because you can only harvest so much before it starts to get bitter. (I do not have a green thumb!). Herbs though, we find that we can keep those going for quite some time. Sometimes my wife will let them get too tall, and I'll just cut everything down half way, and let it bush up again. Eventually though it does get too stalky and my wife loses interest, forgets to add water and then the plants die. Then we clean it all up, order more pods and do it all over again. Winter time is the best time for this, gives you a sense of something other than cold/gray/wet.

If you do tomatoes you will need to make sure you get the extender for the lamp if you are talking about the same countertop aerogarden. I know they also sell a farm kit that allows for much more/larger plants too , but to rich for my blood.

I tried buying a couple of sun lamps (4' length) from amazon and growing stuff indoors. The soil I used was a mixture of what I had laying around outside in pots plus fresh soil. Both soils turned moldy, even with a fan blowing on them. I wasnt over watering I dont think. The one from the outside, sprouted bugs. Lots of them. Especially moths. So lesson learned there. I was able to grow some starter plants, but honestly they didnt take off very well in the spring. Not sure why...again no green thumb.

If I were to garden indoors again, I would definitely go hydroponic.

 

[begreen]

Thank you all. This is great information. Dan, that is an impressive setup. It looks like I have some more homework to squeeze in between the harvest frenzy right now.

 

[begreen]

I may get this one for starters to get my roots wet.
Amazon product ASIN B09KH6GFL6

 

[EatenByLimestone]

Careful, its a new toy with addictive qualities! Pretty soon another will follow you home! Lol

 

[DuaeGuttae]

I may get this one for starters to get my roots wet.
Amazon product ASIN B09KH6GFL6

It’s too bad that they didn’t put a higher light hood on this one since it has such a nice large tank. My Aerogarden is only about two quarts, I think, but maybe I’m remembering incorrectly. 14.5 inches is taller than either of my two go, though, so you should be able to grow some plants in there as long as you’re not afraid to prune. (And since you’re a seasoned gardener, I’m sure you’re not afraid to prune.)

I’ve been keeping busy in my garden. I’m still having to water quite a bit as the rain that has been moving through central and south Texas has mostly been missing us. I have several new plants growing, and it’s looking like fall has a shot at being better than spring or summer.

Here are some wire wastebaskets I just picked up at the dollar store to protect my brassicas from cabbage moths. I’ve got kale and cauliflower in this bed.


The luffa plants are putting on some new fruit.


The Red Noodle Yardlong Beans are really fun. They have beautiful blooms, and the pods elongate so fast. We’ve yet to taste any of these. I sure hope we like them because they’re growing well.


This is my first year ever to try bush beans, and I wimped out. It was worrying me how they were flopping on the soil and out of the bed, so I borrowed small tomato cages that my neighbor wasn’t using and supported them.

We’ve had some potential for storms recently, and while rain hasn’t materialized, we’ve gotten some pretty good winds. So far my trellised watermelons have survived. This is my largest one and the only one I’ve supported so far.

 

[DuaeGuttae]

Thank you all. This is great information. Dan, that is an impressive setup. It looks like I have some more homework to squeeze in between the harvest frenzy right now.

I think we may need some pictures of that “harvest frenzy” when you have time, please.

 

[begreen]

I love your innovative and persistent solutions. Will post some pics after this weekend's last camping jaunt. We are collecting green beans right now for a dilly bean canning session and are starting to have tomatoes everywhere in wait for processing. Also collecting eggplant for a batch of kiopoolu.

Need a Perfect Spread for Bread? Try Bulgarian Kiopoolu

Kiopoolu is a Bulgarian roasted eggplant and pepper spread used as an appetizer spread on bread or as an accompaniment to grilled meats.

www.thespruceeats.com

 

[EatenByLimestone]

The wastebaskets are a great idea!

 

[Dan Freeman]

DG, I like the waste basket idea, too, but I am not sure the size mesh is going to be sufficient. A lot of folks use row cover. I started using tulle because it is so much cheaper than row cover. Be interesting to see if the baskets work; please let us know.

The plumber was here yesterday and hooked up the power to the well. In all, the equipment and electrical work ran us $3800, but it is comforting knowing I don't have to work our house well and equipment like I have been doing.

Got in another 10 yards of wood chips yesterday...now have 20 yards I have to move. Six yards of dirt coming tomorrow.

 

[DuaeGuttae]

DG, I like the waste basket idea, too, but I am not sure the size mesh is going to be sufficient. A lot of folks use row cover. I started using tulle because it is so much cheaper than row cover. Be interesting to see if the baskets work; please let us know.

The plumber was here yesterday and hooked up the power to the well. In all, the equipment and electrical work ran us $3800, but it is comforting knowing I don't have to work our house well and equipment like I have been doing.

Got in another 10 yards of wood chips yesterday...now have 20 yards I have to move. Six yards of dirt coming tomorrow.

I have plans for tulle, too, actually, but I’m hopeful that the wastebaskets will be good enough for this particular application. The mesh is actually pretty small. I can’t fit the end of my pinky finger in there, so I’m thinking that a Cabbage White won’t be able to get inside with those wings. A squash vine borer, on the other hand, might just sneak through, so I was thinking of making some tulle covers/liners for the times when I plant squash and pumpkins, but I won’t be starting new ones this season. The wastebaskets are small, so they won’t be able to stay on the plants too long, but if I can just give them a bit of a headstart, I think that will help them bear the eventual damage better. I’m also hoping that the baskets will serve as mini hail protection in the spring. Our most active time for hail storms seems to be just about the same time I set out most of my transplants.

I have a lot of row cover that I use for frost/freeze protection when necessary. I know some people do use it for insect protection, but my insect problems come during hot weather, and I can’t leave row cover closed up when the sun is shining a lot. It’s too much greenhouse effect down here. I’m hoping that tulle, being so much lighter and airier, won’t trap heat in the same way.

I’m glad you got that second well hooked up.

You talk so casually about ten yards of woodchips here, another ten yards there. That’s just a huge amount of work to move all that. I even think one yard is a lot of shoveling. Take it easy on your shoulders.

 

[Dan Freeman]

The tulle will definitely add the extra protection. I didn't plant cabbage this spring. I was going to plant some for the Fall, but just never got to it, and with first frost about a month off, it's too late.

I'm glad about the 2nd well, too. Now, just waiting for the rain tank. I probably would not have ordered the rain tank way back when if I had known I would get access to that second well on my property when the neighbor's sold their hose, but I guess you can never have too much water storage when doing so much watering during the summer months.

LOL on the wood chips and soil! I guess I am just used to it. I must have moved 100 cubic yards of chips and 20 cubic yards of soil from my driveway area, down the hill and into the FF since May 2021 (over 300 loads). Another 26 yards, seems like a drop in the bucket...only about 70 more trips. One nice thing about the electric wheelbarrow is the hydraulic dump, so I can tip it pretty well forward and fill about 3/4 of it without having to lift so high. Then, I put the barrel in its regular position for the last 1/4 of the load. Having the electric wheelbarrow certainly makes it much easier traversing the hill. At 66, it allows me to keep doing this.

 

[DuaeGuttae]

I love your innovative and persistent solutions. Will post some pics after this weekend's last camping jaunt. We are collecting green beans right now for a dilly bean canning session and are starting to have tomatoes everywhere in wait for processing. Also collecting eggplant for a batch of kiopoolu.

Need a Perfect Spread for Bread? Try Bulgarian Kiopoolu

Kiopoolu is a Bulgarian roasted eggplant and pepper spread used as an appetizer spread on bread or as an accompaniment to grilled meats.

www.thespruceeats.com

We love dilly beans. One reason I chose the Red Noodle beans as a heat-tolerant green bean alternative was that I had read they make outstanding dilly beans. I think I may have to buy dill to make them, though, but we’ll see. My transplants are growing, just slowly. They may leap soon.

That kiopoolu sounds delicious. It reminds me of Macedonian Ajvar, to which my sisters-in-law introduced me many years ago after they spent time living in Macedonia.

How are your Beaver Dam Peppers doing? Mine are just starting to set fruit, but today is the 2022 Pepper festival in Beaver Dam itself, so I figure that it’s harvest time for spring planted peppers.

 

[DuaeGuttae]

The tulle will definitely add the extra protection. I didn't plant cabbage this spring. I was going to plant some for the Fall, but just never got to it, and with first frost about a month off, it's too late.

I'm glad about the 2nd well, too. Now, just waiting for the rain tank. I probably would not have ordered the rain tank way back when if I had known I would get access to that second well on my property when the neighbor's sold their hose, but I guess you can never have too much water storage when doing so much watering during the summer months.

LOL on the wood chips and soil! I guess I am just used to it. I must have moved 100 cubic yards of chips and 20 cubic yards of soil from my driveway area, down the hill and into the FF since May 2021 (over 300 loads). Another 26 yards, seems like a drop in the bucket...only about 70 more trips. One nice thing about the electric wheelbarrow is the hydraulic dump, so I can tip it pretty well forward and fill about 3/4 of it without having to lift so high. Then, I put the barrel in its regular position for the last 1/4 of the load. Having the electric wheelbarrow certainly makes it much easier traversing the hill. At 66, it allows me to keep doing this.

I’m glad you have the electric wheelbarrow to help. 70 trips still sounds like a lot to me, but I agree that work like that helps to keep you young. (At least that’s my theory of why my 85-year-old mother still processes her own firewood and hauls algae from her pond by the (non-electric) wheelbarrow load up a long hill to her garden.)