Garden thread

[rosemarythyme]

This gives a little idea of what we're working with in the front yard.. backyard is worse unfortunately.

Doesn't look like a bad space to work with, at least it's flat. Some flowers all through the border areas would look wonderful with that iron fence.

 

[Nay]

Doesn't look like a bad space to work with, at least it's flat. Some flowers all through the border areas would look wonderful with that iron fence.

Thank you, that's the plan. The only problem is the builders rubble that's six inches below the soil
Those big pieces I dug out to plant the little shrubs you see. Almost broke the shovel trying to excavate them!
I have a lot of work cut out for me this spring!

 

[ChocolateMouse]

I attempted to grow celery from seed last year and didn't have good luck with the seeds germinating well. I opted for some started plants and transplanted them but they didn't grow much or develop as I would have liked. I have thought about doing some Celery in containers this year but I'm still on the fence. For those who start from seed indoors, do you start in a smaller peat pot like you would other seeds or something larger with a longer term goal in mind? Heat mats or just grow lights? Thanks

I use heat mats during at least germination through their first true leaves for almost all my seeds cause my seed starting area is about 60-62*F. Celery germinates best at 70-75*F and takes 2 weeks to germinate so I leave them on the heat mats until the next set of seeds needs to germinate, about a month, before pulling them off so they have a more medium growing temp. When planting I almost always put multiple seeds (2-3) in each pot. I usually have them in a sunny window or have a grow light on them too cause I've read that light exposure helps them sprout. I also use normal seed starting cells and if multiple germinate in a cell I either cut them off with a small pair of scissors or I very gently remove them from the pot and place them in another one so only one plant is in each pot. I like to have them in 2" cells, so slightly larger than the smallest ones, but I don't think this makes a huge difference for me. Since I don't use a low nutrient soil mixture and their seedling form has a shallow root system I don't worry too much about them having enough food.

Some people swear by soaking the seeds for a few hours before planting them too. I've never done this personally but I've seen it work well with other seeds like peas or beans.

 

[cluckmecoop7]

Sorry, I didn't have time to check pics yet. Hopefully soon though!

 

[rosemarythyme]

The only problem is the builders rubble that's six inches below the soil
Those big pieces I dug out to plant the little shrubs you see. Almost broke the shovel trying to excavate them!
I have a lot of work cut out for me this spring!

AHHH now I get it - wow that's quite substantial rubble that they left behind. I guess they bulldozed it flat, threw on a minimal amount of soil, and then sod.

You could try low raised beds built right on top of that area, or mound up some soil and plant in the center of mounds. It won't work for larger plants but smaller plants should tolerate the shallow soil just fine.

 

[ChocolateMouse]

We have a lot of places with rubble like that in the suburbs closest to the city. Usually it's cause businesses or houses used to be there and got torn down for being derelict.
Are you planning on doing veggies there? If you are I strongly suggest doing a lead test on the soil first. A lot of places like that have lead in the dirt.

 

[Jac Jac]

Anyone with a greenhouse? My gh/coop just got set and I know I'm going to be bothering the heck out of everyone with all the questions I'll be having as I build it out. View attachment 1994121

Beautiful. I like it. So happy for you.

 

[Nay]

We have a lot of places with rubble like that in the suburbs closest to the city. Usually it's cause businesses or houses used to be there and got torn down for being derelict.
Are you planning on doing veggies there? If you are I strongly suggest doing a lead test on the soil first. A lot of places like that have lead in the dirt.

You're right, a lead test is a good idea. I've spent the last two days looking into how o could have it done, and it's unfortunately not as straightforward was having an extension service and sending it in (I really miss living in the USA).
I'm still at an impasse here. I do not plan on having veggies in the front, but was planning to do raised beds in the back. From what I've read, lead isn't really taken up by the plants, so it's not a major thing to worry about. But I'll still be anxious about it.

This is a new house on a very old street (300 years or so). They divided the garden of the neighbor's house and built out house on what was formerly the yard..but there was a lot of rubble to make the foundation apparently. Who knows what was here ages ago.. I do have historical photos of the area and I know there wasn't a house here for at least 100 years, but long ago this might have been a different story.

Even though we're going to do the raised beds, still want to get a soil test. Always good to know what you're working with!

 

[ChocolateMouse]

Oof, sucks you don't have an ag group to do the testing for you. Is there no farmer resources for that sort of stuff at all or do you have to be so big?
Yeah, it's mostly a concern with lead dust sticking to the fruits and vegs. My partner got pretty sick as a kid eating from a garden bed he helped keep cause of lead dust getting up to the fruits. Lots of veggies have good direct contact with the ground like squashes, leafy greens, root veggies. It's safer if the plant is trellised. You can also help mitigate the problem (assuming there is one) with a thick layer of clean aged mulch to stop the lead soil from splashing on plants when you water.

I did a lot of looking into it while trying to plan this inner city permaculture community garden park a while back. The project fell through but the info stuck.

 

[ChocolateMouse]

Today I finally got seeds started! Celery, oregano, parsley, cilantro, green onions and leeks. The whole seed starting area isn't totally cleaned up yet, but I have two shelves tidied up. I have a lot more to do but this is a great start.