Mal Posted April 23, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 23, 2015 It is now late April and the growing season is well underway and arguably never went away this winter. Not having a proper garden sucks. Of course, I still have my mint (one actually died), rosemary and a new-ish oregano. I might look into getting a thyme plant to complete the herb collection. The moths that like mint are around, so are the rosemary little shits. I saved my rosemary again just a few weeks ago from them. They also attack the oregano but its nowhere as bad as the rosemary. Constant vigil is a must. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deanb Posted April 23, 2015 Report Share Posted April 23, 2015 We'll have more backyard space in the new place (though still no actual soil), but we're kinda leaning more to growing our own beer instead of veg. Can do it during the winter too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheFlyingGerbil Posted September 6, 2016 Report Share Posted September 6, 2016 Not sure if it counts as gardening but I was wondering if any of you have indoor plants? I just bought myself an air plant as I like the look of them and they're pretty hard to kill. Plus I'm going to make a nice display for it and a few more that I'll get Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deanb Posted September 7, 2016 Report Share Posted September 7, 2016 I used to have a err..dragon plant? One of the spiky small trees. They're pretty rugged, and was like £2 for the plant n £1 for the pot it went in. It didn't do too well but I think mainly cos the room I'm in can get pretty dry n warm at times cos of the computer (and the sun shines on the opposite side of the building, which is fine by me, but less so for plants). Have been eyeing up something to replace it since I still have the pot. There's also something that was here when I moved in, it was pretty fucked up with a bunch of dead leaves and tips n such. Trimmed that back and its done pretty well.. think. It could be dead but I guess it's not got anymore brown n crispy since. Avoid succulents btw. Sure they look nice when you buy them, and cute n small and what not. Except they grow like crazy.My gran had some in her greenhouse and they'd sprung from a pot and branched out to cover much of the pebble drainage shelf thing. But on the other hand they're like individual plants along the branch so you can cut it off, re-pot n hey presto a gift for a friend. edit: I had a "Dracaena Marginata" and they're currently on sale for £1 at Ikea (I got mine from a local florist but wouldn't surprise me if they bought a chunk from Ikea on the cheap ). The plant I currently have is Dracaena Massangeana, which I imagine is from Ikea given most of the furniture in this room (and most rentals in Newcastle) is from Ikea. Ikea is pretty solid for plants, just avoid exotic things (e.g fly traps, and bonsai) and be aware a lot of their stuff needs repotting, especially if it comes in a regular brown pot. From Ikeas perspective the less surface area/volume of pot, the less cost on transport. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saturnine Tenshi Posted September 7, 2016 Report Share Posted September 7, 2016 I have a fairly large avocado tree that I keep indoors. The rest of the plants go in and out with the season. Two or three pomegranates there . . . actually, that's most of what I keep living through the winter. The rest are seasonal foods or herbs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mal Posted April 11, 2017 Author Report Share Posted April 11, 2017 God do I hate the Note 3's camera but hey, phase one of my gardening comeback is complete. Bought and repotted a thyme, oregano, rosemary, peppermint (I like my mints) and a sweet basil. All but the sweet basil is permanent. The basil is honestly an experiment to see how long I can keep it going. I've seen some monster basil plants so this could last a while. Anyhow, unless snails and slugs hitched a ride in the potting soil, there should not be any pests in what is essentially a greenhouse by the kitchen. This spot gets full sun (YES) so they all should do well. I'm going to give them a few weeks before I harvest or fertilize them or anything so they can establish strong roots (they were okay from the store). Phase one is for myself really since I always wanted a setup like this. As for phase two... It's in progress and it'll be a slow burner since it's for my mom and her granddaughter (my niece, probably coming into our wonderful world this week). The notes are mainly for sunlight level and drainage. Strawberries in the plot in the center-ish and then probably flowers and veggies elsewhere. I've planted half of the strawberries and I might plant the rest this evening before the rain. I'm also thinking of reserving two of each kind to go into the window box. I'm really unsure how the critters are going to react so best to have a few plants in a safe space to spawn runners from. I'm just not sure if I have space or if it is wise to have so much weight on that hanging window box. It would suck to have the bottom give out. In any case there is a spot in the strawberry patch that I do not know what to do with. Maybe another kind of strawberry or I might leave it for something else since it's kind of like the prime spot due to drainage, sun level and the hypothetical ease of defending it from pests. I might go all out once the strawberries pop out. As for the other plots, it's to be determined. It's probably a bad idea to do any real veggies this late in the season but I can do perennials so they can get established. If I can get some other berries plants for cheap then in they go. One thing to note, the soil is a loamy clay/silt. Aggregates breaks up quite easily and it has some grit to it. Still though, it drains pretty poorly and the lower parts of soil horizon are tougher to work due to the clay. I can see that the previous tenants amended the soil with vermiculite... or more like dump their pot grow from under the stairs (I've found evidence of a hydroponic setup). In any case, I got to work that vermiculite into the soil to help with drainage. I also got a bag that I'm probably going to use in the poorest draining plots. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheFlyingGerbil Posted January 9, 2018 Report Share Posted January 9, 2018 The airplant on the right had a dead flower stem on it when my parents bought it for me, not realising they only flower once they felt bad when they found out, but I was happy enough as I knew it meant it was gong to have pups and they were too once they say them appear. They're finally getting near the stage when I can remove them as I don't want a clump though I'm slightly nervous I'll damage them. The one on the left is the original I bought September 2016 from the post above. The flower spike appeared in the last week or so. It will be the first one I've seen flower and can't wait to see what colour it will be. Hopefully not red though. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bogie 2.0 Posted January 26, 2018 Report Share Posted January 26, 2018 On 4/11/2017 at 11:54 PM, Mal said: For someone like myself who's played a lot of D&D in his younger years, that ominous tree immediately made me jump and grab my multi-sided dice in fear. Never owned a plant in my life but I had a blast reading this thread. This forum looks promising! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mal Posted January 26, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 26, 2018 That tree is the bane of my existence but it is now the most well watered tree on the whole property. Also gophers. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bogie 2.0 Posted January 26, 2018 Report Share Posted January 26, 2018 ^ Also featuring in that video: how arizonians do fracking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mal Posted March 29, 2018 Author Report Share Posted March 29, 2018 Refreshed the outdoor garden area. I am quite late since I should've done this back in February but better late than never. Hoping to make the most of April and May when there's not much fog compared to summer time. Strawberries are kind of coming in and I just planted some squash and cilantro seeds. If they fail to show in say mid April then I'll buy some potted plants to make up time. Not sure what though... maybe a shit ton of basil. I also did the same for my indoor herbs by cutting them way back. The oregano has a bunch of new sprouts now at the base. The thyme was combed over and loosened up with my fingers since it was really dense and in many ways was choking itself. This allowed some more sprouts at the base to come up. These hard prunes also resulted in a bunch of stuff to be dried. My rosemary is also coming back to life after looking really poor. Finally... I'm debating if I want to grow some catnip for the neighborhood cats. It'll be in a large container. It might keep the gophers away but at the same time they may make my beds into their bathrooms... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheFlyingGerbil Posted March 31, 2018 Report Share Posted March 31, 2018 I'm picking up a 120cm (4 foot) fish tank tonight and I'm going to be filtering it with a DIY aquaponics setup which will basically be a 100cm planter full of lava rock with the tank water pumped through and back. Instead of sitting it on a shelf above the tank as is usual (they tend to be fairly ugly looking setups) I'm going to set it up just behind and slightly above the tank. The tank will also be planted and I'm hoping to have some emergent plants to bridge the gap and make it all look like one natural(ish) ecosystem. It's going to be a little while before I can set it up but I'm quite excited as I love the ideas and planning stage. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mal Posted April 1, 2018 Author Report Share Posted April 1, 2018 I impulsively transplanted two tomatoes and two zucchinis plants. Already planned out some trellises for them too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mal Posted July 7, 2019 Author Report Share Posted July 7, 2019 The above do not work in fog/coastal California. Anyhow... Kind of what I am aiming for: But more portable and easy to breakdown since I am renting. Of course I could build a frame and get some landscaping plastic to make a custom setup like above. I am limited by saucer size. I got the biggest one I can find so I can expand as I go. These plants are not cheap ($15 or much much more). Speaking of which, excuse me as I double check my bark to make sure they are not treated. Last thing I want is for all of them to die. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheFlyingGerbil Posted September 17, 2019 Report Share Posted September 17, 2019 are carnivorous plants a viable solution to keeping down flying critters to a manageable level? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mal Posted September 18, 2019 Author Report Share Posted September 18, 2019 From my few months experience: Sorta. You should always target the source of the problem (e.g., their entry points or breeding grounds) if you can. Carnivorous plants can help but they don't get rid of them entirely since they can't kill them all. It is pretty satisfying to see my sundew covered in fungus gnats or fruit flies that buzz around my potted plants. Yellow jackets are also not much of an issue this year from what I assume to either the climate or my Sarracenias (North American pitcher plants) helped cull their numbers. For that I am grateful. If you want to try one out, for what I assume to be indoors, I for sure recommend a sundew plant. You can also try a Nepenthes (tropical pitcher plant) or Venus Fly Trap for bigger things like house flies. I prefer sticky or pitcher plants due to their nearly continuous feeding potential. From what I understand, all carnivorous plants require full sun (~8 hours of sunlight) so if you have them indoors, have them at a good window and don't be afraid to get a grow light (white LED should be perfectly fine). They all require soft water so if your tap water isn't soft enough, you'll have to collect rain water or buy water for them (my area is luckily soft enough). Other than that, they are actually really easy to grow and keep. Literally just add water to make their soil boggy and keep in full sun. They fertilize themselves. I freaking love these plants... I'm looking into getting a Nepenthes for the indoors. I just need to figure out growing location and light. If only I can hang it in my garden window... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheMightyEthan Posted September 20, 2019 Report Share Posted September 20, 2019 Oh my god, it had never occurred to me to get a carnivorous plant to control these damned fruit flies... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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