WEEKLY GARDEN THREAD VOLUME 5 fEBRUARY 1, 2013

Free Republic | February 1, 2013 | greeneyes

[greeneyes]

The Weekly Gardening Thread is a weekly gathering of folks that love soil, seeds and plants of all kinds. From complete newbies that are looking to start that first potted plant, to gardeners with some acreage, to Master Gardener level and beyond, we would love to hear from you.

This thread is non-political, although you will find that most here are conservative folks. No matter what, you won’t be flamed and the only dumb question is the one that isn’t asked.

It is impossible to hijack the Weekly Gardening Thread ... there is no telling where it will go and that is part of the fun and interest. Jump in and join us!

[greeneyes]

Welcome to the thread. I will add your name to the ping list. I remember my own amazement a little over 3 years ago at successfully growing several plants.

Especially one of my favorites - corn! I had never been successful growing houseplants even.

Tell me more about your indoor greenhouse.

[greeneyes]

I am thinking about starting some broccoli sprouts next winter. I don’t like broccoli very much, but I thought that a few sprouts added to some soup might be good and not too overwhelming.

[handmade]

It would take some doing but for containment of invasives- I knew a guy that planted horseradish in a 6 foot X6 foot by however deep wooden box he had placed in the ground so he could control the horseradish he liked.

[fidelis]

"Tell me more about your indoor greenhouse."

It's one of those small, portable greenhouses you can get at Lowe's. It's basically a metal rack on wheels with a clear plastic cover that zips open at the front for easy access. It's small enough to keep in the house (though I had to put a light roof on the top because our orange tabby kept jumping on the top and caving it in). We added some inexpensive fluorescent fixtures for warmth and lighting. Our seedlings have done very well in there and we might get another for the outside when Spring gets here.

The picture below isn't mine, but this is what it looks like:

[Ciexyz]

Pretty greenhouse. Wish I had room for something like that.

Temps hit 60 degrees in western PA three days ago, but on Friday they dropped to 15 degrees in the daytime. It's bitter cold outside with one to two inches of snow expected both Sat and Sun.

My kohl plants did not survive the extremes of icy cold and freezing moisture of January weather.

[afraidfortherepublic]

I’v got 4 of those already. But they’ve been used. So, they have their share of weeds which were never removed last year (after my accident shut me down from gardening).

[Sarajevo]

I just came up from the greenhouse where I found that the asparagus I planted in the autumn of 2010 has finally sprouted edible stalks.
Mmmm - mmmm! Fresh tender 'spargus :)

My tobasco and jalapeno "trees" in the greenhouse are already sprouting fresh growth. I trim them back after the first freeze and let them re-grow. The tobasco is about 6ft tall and 5 years old and still producing.
The papaya was nipped during the last freeze, but not as bad as last year. I only had to trim it back halfway instead of chopping it to the ground,

Oh yeah - I was googling "concrete block raised gardens" and came up with a ton of good ideas. Here's the link:
https://www.google.com/search?q=concrete+block+raised+garden+bed&hl=en&tbo=d&rlz=1C1WZPD_enUS452US452&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=P0INUZ-uJ8qWqQGfzYC4DQ&ved=0CAoQ_AUoAA&biw=1066&bih=782#imgrc=_
Just go to the images tab.

[tillacum]

I’m going to try putting 2 molasses pots together for my roses next to the garden shed. The bottom pot, I’ll put some inches of pea gravel and add fertilizer and water. The top I’ll put in a 1” pvc pipe over a drain hole, punch holes for the roots to feed through, cover the bottom with a screen to keep in the soil, plant the roses and other stuff then see what happens. Molasses pot earth grow?

[tillacum]

Thanks Sarajevo, we can work some of those ideas into our community garden. Some of those ideas, I’ll put in our yard too. Thanks.

[fidelis]

Pretty greenhouse. Wish I had room for something like that.

It's about as big as a bookcase, actually. And the amount of seedlings and young plants you can start in there is pretty amazing, especially if you're rotating. In fact, the wife took out several tomato plants today and transplanted them outside. We spent all morning at the nursery and in the backyard putting in a new square-foot garden. Really nice.

[Ciexyz]

Thank you for that update on the indoor greenhouse. Best of luck with your indoor gardening. I will check at the garden stores for more info, such as Lowes, as you recommend. Cheers!

[greeneyes]

I like it. Just right to use in front of a patio door.

[greeneyes]

Here’ what I did to one of mine that got weeds because I didn’t plant anything: I covered up the weeds with newspaper and card board, and soil on top, planted seeds and watered well.

It kept the weeds out for the season.

[greeneyes]

Thanks for the links. Pretty interesting.

[who knows what evil?]

Have you ever checked out Sand Hill Preservation? They have a variety of flour corns. They are good people...nothing fancy, just a good selection of seed and poultry. Check them out here.