Gardening with Gamers

[Faiblesse Des Sens]

Holy fuck that's hot. All I do is keep a terrarium (the popular new thing with small ass plants) alive and they seem to be thriving.

[deanb]

Two things.

 

1. My courgette is starting to sprout. Need the greenhouse moored before we can put stuff in it though as it is a bit too light and blows over too easily (currently it's anchored by the bag of soil, but that'll get lighter as we put soil in pots)

 

2.

Guardian Gardening blog did a bit about games:

 http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/gardening-blog/2013/jun/06/computer-games-gardening?CMP=twt_gu

[Mal]

Well this sucks. My massive sunflower yields mostly empty shells. I think viable seeds are only at 10%-15% Hell, it could be less. This is terrible. With that said, I think it was because it was a lone sunflower*. Still, I'm surprised the sunflower didn't abort the flower and it may explain why this typically single headed variety made a few more after some tossing and turning. With that said, next week I'm going to do a cover crop. I may or may not pull my tomatoes since they are still producing. I'm not planting anything to be eaten so why not. I'll prepare an album of my notes and photos since this was the first full year of me gardening.

 

*While there was mold... I think it was mainly due to just how weak the head was despite its size. That or improper NPK ratios. I suppose an 8-8-8 can't do the job if I fail to fertilize regularly enough for a heavy feeder.

[TheFlyingGerbil]

can you eat sunflower seeds from any sunflower? We have one in our garden we didn't plant and assume is from the bird food we put out.

[Mal]

Aye. If for whatever reason you want to make your own cooking oil, black seeds seem to be the best for that task. That what I have and to say again, I am honestluy confused that my sunflower even made the seeds considering how many are empty. A lot of plants abort if they can't make viable seeds and that would make sense for an energy intensive sunflower.

[TheRevanchist]

Unless it's a large size sunflower, the amount of time you will spend harvesting, washing, drying and roasting might not be worth the effort (very tiny seeds will give you almost nothing).

 

Other than that, roast and eat up! After cleaning them, of course.  Roasting bird poop isn't a tasty food snack.

[Mal]

Well, it is more about experiencing the process more than anything. I'm personally am interested in trying to made some of my own cooking oil at least once.

Now for something different... My photo documentation of a pest that I encounter a lot. I also included some mental notes.

[TheRevanchist]

I finally ripped out the last of the tomato plants.  They were flowering, but not delivering any decent fruit. Just enough to seed for next year.

 

I planted some poppys and a few cyclamens the other week, as well as digging and dividing a bunch of bulbs.  The bulbs that were too abundant I left on the concrete and have neglected to dispose.  Much to my amazement, they started to grow without being burried.

 

Kinda cool how some things won't die even when you are trying to minimize them.

[Mal]

I ripped mines out a week or two ago since it just wasn't worth it anymore since the fruits were pretty bland compared to their peak. It also gave me a chance to try green tomatoes... I can't do them. At least how I am making them. Right now I'm just growing my mints and rosemary. I should also mention the green manure crop I am doing. Its a legume mix that my department didn't want anymore so I scored that and am using. Its a beaut to see.

 

I'm going to turn them in sometime in late Jan to early Feb and let them decompose for about a week. I'll then cover with more compose and mulch. I'll then plant whatever on the compost and have the plants punch through to the mineral soil underneath. The compose/mulch combo is a test to see if I can bury the powdery mildew that really wrecked me this year. Main reason is I want to grow watermelons and I know they'll get hammered if I am not careful. I'm gunning for a June/July harvest. August is pushing it since I'm planning on being out of SLO by then.

[Mal]

It is almost time for me to start up. Revan, what is your feelings about the weather right now? Do you think this dry spell will hold and just deny any cold snaps? Right now it seems like all models are points towards that we'll be high and dry till at least the start of February. Last frost date if I recall is sometime in March. So I (and you) got a 4-6 week period of unknown.

 

I'm planning on watermelons and they'll be the priority. They must be done by June/July since it is the time when I leave SLO. Sunflowers will be back in the mix but this time I'll add in another kind. I might toss in tobacco in the mix as well. Not going to smoke them (I don't. Period) but the nicotine can be used as a pesticide/deterrent. Birds and pollinators also seem to like it too. I also might be able to give some of the leaves to my friend who... mixes it to say the least. He might be happy to have some Californian grown tobacco for the novelty of it. Might go for a round two for long beans.That failed so hard last time.

 

I think that is it. I wonder if this dry winter is going to lower the chance of a terrible powdery mildew outbreak this time around. I'll be mulching this time for sure. I'm going to bury the previous surface.

[TheRevanchist]

This dry weather is going to mean some bad things, but I have talked to some people out your way who are planting now versus their normal March for specific crops.  Basically, everything is a problem now.  Yesterday, the California Honey Bee guys said that they will have a problem, as there won't be much for the bees to feed on after the almonds are done blossoming.  Cattle have no green pastures to graze this year.

 

So, you must realize that the critters who are in these fields normally also use the same food sources.  These are the ones you need to worry about.  Their food source is drying up, and they will be looking for other food sources.  This could be a very bad year for organic crops, because they have very little protection.  And expect there to be at least one or two instances in the news where a mountain lion or coyote is spotted in an area closer to humans while they look for food (God forbid someone gets hurt from this).

 

My opinion is that you just try what you can.  Food prices are going to spike high because of the drought, and anything you can grow yourself is going to be much cheaper than what you will pay in the store.  Pickling your veggies will pay dividends, too, if you have an abundant crop of anything.  I'm growing radishes this year, tomatoes (heirlooms), cucumbers, and trying some peppers again.  I need to get the soil ready this weekend for planting.

[TheMightyEthan]

Is it really news out there to see a coyote? Honest question.

[TheRevanchist]

If it poses a threat to small children and animals, and is spotted far enough into town, then, yes.  I've only seen them in the fields, so not much news there.

[TheMightyEthan]

Hmm, around here they're common enough that it's just like "Oh look, a coyote."  I mean you're not normally going to see one in a business district, but in residential areas toward the outside of town it wouldn't be that weird.

 

Ever so slightly related: on Halloween my aunt and uncle who live in the country came into town to hand out candy at my parents' house, and my uncle brought his coyote call and hid it in the bushes by the front walk.  Every time someone walked by he'd hit the button and it'd make this really loud, high pitched howl/whine and scare the crap out of them.  It was hilarious.

[Mal]

I prepped my garden bed and buckets. This time I laid out my soaker hose and buried it with the remains of the legumes and the soil. On top of that, I laid out some compost on top of that to bury any problems... I'll see how that goes. So yeah, I'm not really planning on overhead watering this time around. That and burying the old top should help with the powdery mildew. I'm going to see if I can get some straw to mulch with. Technically, the compost layer is a mulch layer since part of it is composted hydromulch...

 

I'm planning on doing a basic planting to see how it goes on Sunday (I really want my watermelons). I got enough seeds to keep me going for a month. Now to see how the weather plays out. Last frost is in March but the weather has been so wonky that I'm taking the gamble.

[Mal]

I called nature's bluff well. We might have gotten rain but no freezing temperatures in sight.

Anyways, the the legume mix in the buckets decided to stay around so I guess they'll be for some more tomatoes or something. The sunflowers are doing fine despite an earwig problem. Between all the sunflowers I've planted and the re-sprouted legume mix, the slugs and earwigs are having a tough time on deciding which plant to target.  Watermelon wise, I think I spotted one sprout. One. Oh well.
Long beans are nowhere in sight but I think they are alive since I have spotted them sprouting on the surface... I promptly reburied them. I might start a round two tomorrow of the long beans that will have a 24 hour soak. The first round only had like a 12 hour soak.

ALSO FUCK THE CAT WHO IS USING MY GARDEN BED AS A KITTY BOX... which reminds me that I should of done some catnip. I'm going to make you high as fuck. Go get eaten by a mountain lion. Fuck.

 

In other news... I procured a orchid plant and rescued another that I gifted my mom. The rescue is actually growing on a branch. Super cool and about to bloom. The one I bought has about a month to go before it blooms.

I am also actively fighting powdery mildew on my rosemary plants. The milk mixture seems to be working. I might move on to my mints. If I can keep it at bay then winnar is me. If it comes back with a vengeance, I'm nuking with neem oil.

 

Lastly... worm tea works wonders. My mints really responded to it. My sunflowers also seems to be. At the moment, I am doing a weekly watering with worm tea. My vermicompost seems to be able to keep up. If not, then it is fine. I can revert back to bottom watering (Powdery mildew control method and potentially promotes stronger root system).

[TheRevanchist]

Ouch.  Sounds like a doomed garden.

 

There are a few products I'm going to try out this year:

 

Sluggo.  It will get rid of slugs, but is not harmful to fruits and veggies.  In fact, it will break down into nutrients the plants can use.  It won't harm animals and is good for organic gardens, to make all the hippies happy.

 

Also, Dr Earth has a bunch of good stuff for soil/fertilier, too.  I might be planting on Sunday morning (transplants and some seeds) and making a birdhouse, so there is plenty of opportunity to try Dr Earth products out (also products hippies love).

 

Tomorrow is the Fresno Home & Garden show, and there is one exhibit I love best.  A big tent is set up, huge.  And, butterflies are all over the place.  You can get some sap and they will land on your hand to eat. Sometimes they just land on you.  One landed on my daughter's nose last year and I had an emotional dad moment.  Shit is going to tight!

[Mal]

Holy cow, neem oil works pretty damn good on powdery mildew. My mints has quite a chronic PM issue that always causes me to harvest it heavily. My squashes escaped PM till my mint plants came into contact with them so now one got it hence me using neem oil.

 

I'm unsure about aphids but it seems to be working on controlling their numbers. Big aphids seems to take the oil like champs but the smaller guys get murdered. I actually sprayed it on a moth that I saw on my tomato plant and it reacted to the spray so I dunno why the big aphids take it like champs.

 

I'll see how it goes but I'm happy so far. PM has been such a long standing problem. A milk solution sort of works but it does nothing for aphids.

[TheMightyEthan]

I don't garden, but I find it extremely interesting reading this thread and seeing what all goes into it.

[Mal]

I like reading what other people are planting and how they go about it (Reddit is great for this). Mileage will vary wildly yet I still like to read since I always could learn a thing or two from their experiences and setup. Doesn't mean I will follow through on them though... really good case of good advices falling on deaf ears.

 

Ethan, if you every feel like giving gardening a swing then please post. It could be as simple as just tossing a sunflower seed, potato or garlic/onion into the ground to see what happens.

[TheRevanchist]

 

 It could be as simple as just tossing a sunflower seed, potato or garlic/onion into the ground to see what happens.

 

The best way to garden. 

[Mal]

Now that I'm in my new place, it is dawning on me that I'll be reduced to container only gardening. So no sunflowers or any massive, sprawling plants since I doubt HOA will like it. It'll also become a pain if the gardener who comes by every so often to clean mess with my plants. If they are in containers, he'll know so I'm going with small and compacted. So it is back to playing with garlic (1 pot with 4 I guess) and onions (for green onions) for me. I might also add in strawberries, thyme and basil to the mix. I already have mint and rosemary so I might as well expand on the herbs front. I should grow a flower or two to attract pollinators for the strawberries.

 

Also I manage to cook parts of my hanging orchid... at least it spared the new growth (next year's flowers). I don't think it was a good idea to bring my orchids down here into the San Fernando Valley. I'll have to wait for the winter to find out but I don't think it'll get cool enough during the winter and at night to be ideal for them. Hell, sunlight amount might be an issue (I'm in a townhouse). Kind of wish I gotten an actual house with yard.

[TheMightyEthan]

here into the San Fernando Valley

TIL Mal is a porn star.

[staySICK]

"Hanging orchid"

[Mal]

Stage name is Cummingtonite. Studio is Subduction Leads to Orogeny.