Garden thread

[rosemarythyme]

Soon I will have celery going into the dirt

I have celery under the grow light right now but wondering if I should try direct seeding some outside as well (been prepping the beds for planting, already got one seeded with spring greens). This is my first attempt with celery but it sounds like you have some experience growing it already. My seeds are Utah Tall, which are the same as yours IIRC.

 

[Holtstead15]

Hey everyone,
I was wondering if maybe we should start a new "What did you do in the garden today" thread? Since it's a new year - maybe we should also have a new thread for this year. Gardening time is coming!!!
What do you all think? I thought it would be easier for newer members/gardeners to get all kinds of info with a new thread!
It's okay if no one likes this idea.
- Clucky

I'm a new member to the group but my husband and are gardeners too. We started a winter sowing project using milk jugs. We have heard of others doing this and having great results so we thought that we'd give it a go. At this point, we've only planted a variety of wildflowers, cone flowers etc. for a hummingbird/butterfly patch that is one of our projects for this summer. As we get more jugs, we'll be sowing seeds for our vegetable garden. Has anyone tried winter sowing using this?method? Were you happy with the results?

 

[Holtstead15]

To keep the conversation going, what is everyone's favorite veggie they grow in their garden?

Mine is either carrots or cherry tomatoes (unless you include raspberries, cause those are the best!).

Tomatoes, jalapenos, and kale. Last year, I canned 20 pints salsa and 15 quarts marinara.

 

[Melodychick]

Welcome @Holtstead15 ! I have not tried your method but it looks like a good one. What zone are you growing in?

 

[Holtstead15]

Welcome @Holtstead15 ! I have not tried your method but it looks like a good one. What zone are you growing in?

Zone 5B

 

[ChocolateMouse]

I have celery under the grow light right now but wondering if I should try direct seeding some outside as well (been prepping the beds for planting, already got one seeded with spring greens). This is my first attempt with celery but it sounds like you have some experience growing it already. My seeds are Utah Tall, which are the same as yours IIRC.

I have grown it before. I grew Tall Utah two years ago and I'm doing it again this year.
My experience with it was that it did really well for me. It grows very slow but really did well under the grow lights and after transplant. Mine was really green and strong tasting but was mostly used during mid-summer when things were getting hot. I think this could have been fixed and a sweeter plant developed with more water and a blanching cone wrapped around it. (Which is just a piece of cardboard or newspaper wrapped around the sides for a couple weeks so only the top develops chlorophyll.) As it stands my plants were hardy and dark green but a little bitter and tough. They would have been really, really good in soups/stews. The plants held in the ground really well after reaching adulthood and I had celery all summer/fall whenever I needed it.

https://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/vegetables/all-about-growing-celery-zm0z11zkon
I've never direct seeded celery before.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I have grown it before. I grew Tall Utah two years ago and I'm doing it again this year.

I've never direct seeded celery before.

Welp sounds like grow light is the way to go. I just know that celery needs a long season so figured I'd ask since I was already eyeing what can get seeded now.

I did grow Chinese celery last year which grew easily from direct seeding. It has a very strong celery flavor so good for infusing stews and casseroles, but the stalks are so thin it doesn't feel substantial enough to use for something like tuna salad.

 

[ChocolateMouse]

Yeah this was very classic celery shape and type, not wispy or stringy at all. Aside from being too strong it was everything I hoped it would be as far as being celery.
I always start anything I can as soon as I can indoors. So if I have the choice between starting inside or outside I start inside.
I even start my corn inside.

 

[cluckmecoop7]

I'm glad the garden thread is starting up again. Right now I'm only growing fodder for the chickens to eat. I'm probably not going to start anything early for the garden.... at least not this early.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I always start anything I can as soon as I can indoors. So if I have the choice between starting inside or outside I start inside.
I even start my corn inside.

If I started everything indoors I'd definitely need more than the 2 tier compact stand I currently have!

I prefer to direct seed as it just feels easier than way, and if I really try to hit the earliest dates of when to seed something in my zone, I usually get good results. Sometimes it's a wee bit too early (I seeded peas and radish last year, then 2' of snow landed on it - still got some sprouting but less than average).