What did you do in the garden today?

[Sammster]

I have babies this morning
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Dawww ♡♡♡

 

[WthrLady]

I made our hoop house for about $400. We covered ours with bug netting instead of plastic. It's 10 ft x 20 ft. That picture was taken last summer. I did have to recently add some 2x4 support in the center and at the other end because the cattle panels were starting to bend due to high winds during storms. You can see them starting to lean a bit in this picture too. That was corrected with the supports.

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I tore mine down, except for the wood frame and then had to use my cattle panel to keep cattle where they belonged. LOL

 

[TJAnonymous]

I tore mine down, except for the wood frame and then had to use my cattle panel to keep cattle where they belonged. LOL

I really like mine. I built mine with the intention of making it movable but I don't think that's going to happen anytime soon. I also know that it's not totally bug proof. Aphids can get through and squash bugs too... But at a minimum, it keeps SVB out so it's not totally worthless. It also keeps the deer out!

 

[pennyJo1960]

Good morning Gardeners. Moved the peeps to the plant room.
Computer room quiet again Incubator has a few days yet.

 

[CountryCuratesWife]

I transplanted the pumpkins out today and started my okra seeds.

 

[jerryse]

Topped a pear tree in preparation for grafting. Dug and pulled a black walnut seedling to move to a better location. It is 8' tall and 18'' deep root. Dug a post hole along side added water and pulled with loader bucket.

 

[WthrLady]

I really like mine. I built mine with the intention of making it movable but I don't think that's going to happen anytime soon. I also know that it's not totally bug proof. Aphids can get through and squash bugs too... But at a minimum, it keeps SVB out so it's not totally worthless. It also keeps the deer out!

Mine is inside a walled garden, so deer aren't a problem for the garden. We just get too hot too early and stay that way for it to be functional.
So I've adjusted its use. More to come on that later

 

[gtaus]

Oh no! I have had some issues where the tops might get a bit mangled and a failed mix which I had to scrap a tray (but that was my fault, didn't add coco coir to my soil mix and they ended up suffocating the seedlings because it compacted). But haven't had issues with the entire blocks getting massacred. I wonder if it's a brand thing and if some brands just construct their blockers better. I believe mine was made in England.

Well, I first made a DIY PVC Soil Blocker which works great, but only one soil block at a time. When I got the 4-cell soil blocker, it would not push out the blocks all the way and the tops of the blocks came off - enough that I had to redo 3 out of 4 blocks. Using the same mix with my DIY PVC Soil Blocker, the soil blocks came out perfectly, held together just fine, and there were no torn off tops.

So, I suspect that my mix was correct, but the Amazon (China special) soil blocker was not made correctly. As I said, later I reengineered that first soil blocker that the seller let me keep for free. I got it to work after replacing some bolts with longer ones and now it actually pushes out the blocks all the way. Unfortunately, by the time I rebuilt the 4-cell soil blocker last year, it was well into the summer and too late for seed starting.

The peat pot thing is also true. I wanted pulp, but had to go with what I found. I'll see what shape they are at the end of April before deciding if I'm going to put them directly in the ground. I had to remove the pots last year before putting them in the ground and unfortunately killed some of my zucchini which do not like their roots touched.

I know the advantage of using peat and cow pots is that you are supposed to be able to plant everything in the ground. However, if some of those peat/cow pots are not breaking down fast enough, causing the roots of the plants to spiral around inside the buried peat pot, then that would be no good. At least you can compost the peat pots separately so it's not like they go to waste.

I'll definitely be growing all my cukes, zucchini, and squash in soil blocks to start them to avoid upsetting them.

I can understand that. From what I am hearing, using net pots with the slits results in the same air pruning affect as soil blocks.

I do compost everything right now, so it'll end up in my composter if I do come to not using the pots.

I converted my entire chicken run into a chicken run composting system. Almost everything organic goes into my chicken run for composting. I still have some pallet wood compost bins for things like moldy food and those very few items that you are not supposed to let the chickens eat.

Oscillating air is also good to keep plants from getting mildewy too.

Good point to remember. Thanks.

And no worries, I love being able to help fellow gardeners succeed. The absolute worst is investing all the money, daydreaming, and being so excited for things, only to go wrong. Happened to me a few times and it helps mitigate issues when you ask someone with a lot more experience. I still make mistakes too.

Yep, this is my first year trying to start seeds for transplanting later. I built my seed starting 4-tier shelf out of pallet and reclaimed wood, so I saved a lot of money there. But I did buy 5 LED Shop Lights for grow lights, a 50 pack of 3" net pots, and just the other day I bought a seed starting heat mat. All in all, less than a $100 into this project and all that equipment can be used year after year. I know, if successful, I will end up saving money over buying plants in this year alone. But I also know that it might be a learning experience and I am prepared to buy transplants if my seed starts do not work out.

Take it all in stride and don't be afraid to ask questions!

I'm too old to care if I sound stupid asking questions. Most gardeners I know are more than happy to pass on their knowledge to help others succeed. Thanks for your detailed response to my concerns.

 

[WthrLady]

Just crawled into my seed safe for planting next weekend. I have only 5 varieties of tomato seeds. LOL Guess I'll be picking some up this week. I'm sold out of Better Boy, Early Girl, and 4th of July. Those are my biggest sellers in May, so I plant the most of those. Wait?! WHere are my san marz tomato seeds......?!

Found them... in the kitchen with the cushaw and zinnia seeds. Ambers, Kellog Breakfast, Federele, and Marzano. So I STILL need the BB and EG and 4th of July. LOL.

 

[jerryse]

Rain turning to snow overnight. I got the tree planted and pruned.