What did you do in the garden today?

[gtaus]

This is what I planted: https://www.rareseeds.com/bok-choy-hedou-tiny
It does not grow big at all. I can take pics of what I have in the fridge. lol It was starting to flower already. Mine from last year did get bigger in the garden bed; but it wasn't as cramped a space as the pot I used.

Thanks. Looks like the seeds I just bought. Dear Wife likes to toss the Baby Bok-Choy in her native soups, but sometimes she just steams them or tosses them in a stir fry. I love them any way they are cooked - or not - as you can also eat them raw in salads.

 

[gtaus]

LOL Wouldn't do any good for the Brassica family.
Collard greens = Brassica, Brocolli = Brassica, Cabbage = Brassica, Cauliflower = Brassica, and there is more. lol

Well, I did not know that until I asked. Gardening is still a dark mystery to me, but I continue to learn more each year.

 

[BlessedChaosHomestead]

Well, I did not know that until I asked. Gardening is still a dark mystery to me, but I continue to learn more each year.

Hey that's how we all learn. lol This is my 3rd year gardening. Still learning.
Apparently we've cultivated through the years the Brassica plants for different parts to eat. Leaves, stems, etc... Oh and Brussel Sprouts are also a brassica.

 

[gtaus]

I use the boiling water method with any soil I’m using in the house. Learned that lesson the hard way. They can grow in your compost and find their way inside.

I just sterilized some Miracle-Gro potting soil last night with the boiling water and got my first 20 3-inch net cups filled. Will be planting seeds in them in a day or two. Probably fill up some more net cups tonight.

To show you how novice I am at seed starting in the house, originally, I had planned on using some of my compost for the seed starting pots. I think, now, that would have been a nightmare in no time because that compost is full of life. Great for outside, but probably would have been a complete disaster in the house....

Thanks to all who responded and told me not to use outside compost or soil. I suspect Dear Wife would have transplanted me before I got those plants outside!

 

[Sammster]

25 tomatoes in the ground today.

Woot!

 

[CNJ]

I was trying to connect two different tomato plants together with a side graft and when I pinched the graft together with a close pin, it got smashed, so I cut the grafts and tried to connect the top to the root stock with a grafting clip, but it was too small, so I took out the super glue, but only managed to seal half off the joint before running out of super glue. It was a new bottle, but when I poked a hole in it, the glue squirted out and I lost most of it. I was surprised at how fast the glue dried on the cut and how it held the top in place being only half sealed after drying.
I did a search on how to get super glue off my fingers and its says to soak my finger in hot soapy water for 30 seconds and scratch it off. I was kind of worried since it was my first time getting super glue on my hands. The glue came off. but it took more than 30 seconds.

 

[Sammster]

From what I understand, there are a lot of things that can cause leaf curl, including both underwatering and overwatering the plant. Go figure....

Anyway, here is a link to Why Are My Seedling Leaves Curling? written by someone who writes books for gardeners.

Thank you for sharing. I'm having the same problem. I'm brand new to seed starting. Having a heck of a time with my tomatoes

 

[CluckNDoodle]

I told Dear Wife that if we find some Baby Bok-Choy she likes, we will have to let a plant or two go to seed and save those seeds for future plantings.

Definitely! We're actually doing that with a huge tasty bok choy that came from the grocery. My husband cooked most of it and left the base with a few of the little leaves in the center and planted it with the intention of saving seeds from it. I already see some buds coming up!

 

[gtaus]

Definitely! We're actually doing that with a huge tasty bok choy that came from the grocery. My husband cooked most of it and left the base with a few of the little leaves in the center and planted it with the intention of saving seeds from it. I already see some buds coming up!

I was just talking to Dear Wife about buying some Baby Bok-Choy that she likes from the store, and then growing the base up to seed. Unfortunately, she does not get that Baby Bok-Choy in our town. She gets it from an Asian Market in St Cloud, MN, which is a 3 hour drive for us. She goes on a shopping trip to St. Cloud with her other local Filipina friends maybe twice a year. So, we might have to wait a while before their next trip.

In the meantime, I have been researching growing greens using the Kratky passive hydroponics system which I think might work for growing greens in the house during our long winters.

I tried growing some Swiss Chard in pots in the house a couple of winters ago. It worked fine for a few months, but then the plants got infested with aphids. Looking back, I am sure that bringing the plants in with their outdoor soil was the problem. But maybe if I can grow things hydroponically, without soil infested with fungus gnat eggs, etc..., I will have more success.

Of course, everything looks easy on YouTube. It sure would be nice to grow fresh greens in the house in the winter months if I can.

 

[CNJ]

I tried growing some Swiss Chard in pots in the house a couple of winters ago. It worked fine for a few months, but then the plants got infested with aphids.

I use a teaspoon of dawn liquid dish soap and a 32 oz water spray bottle to kill those aphids. The soap doesn't affect my won bok, but the aphids dry up and fall off.