Gardening in the apocalypse

[Kraken]

Ordinarily I buy my vegetable plants at a nursery on Memday weekend. We get breakfast at a restaurant across the street and then load up on $50 worth of seedlings. I buy a few seed packets for the sow-in-ground crops, like squash and beans.

This year, that restaurant will most likely still be closed, and I'm not confident that the plant sale will happen, either (although I hope the worst of this will be over by Memday, I'm not counting on it). So I want to start some tomatoes and peppers and herbs indoors, and now's the time to do that. I have plenty of pots. I need potting soil, and of course seeds. The local Home Depot's website has a nice selection, but nearly everything is "not available for delivery" and "stock is limited," so IDK if I'm going to score there or not. Can't order it online, anyway. I'll stop in there one day this week to see what's what. Something tells me vegetable seeds are going to be as scarce as bog roll. There are a handful of other places I can check, too.

If they don't have potting soil, I'll just dig up some dirt from the garden. If they don't have seeds, I'll order a few plants from Burpee. Mail-order plants are not my favorite thing, but these aren't my favorite times.

[Daehawk]

I was looking at Burpee yesterday. My FIL always used them a lot and one other catalog / online place. he got his tomato plants at a little feed store here but its gone way downhill in recent years. I swear I took him a couple places in those days but I cant recall the other ones. I still remember the types of tomatoes, corn, and melons he planted. He made two big gardens of corn, beans, peanuts, okra, tomatoes, potatoes, melons, squash....even flowers like sunflowers,. If it went in a garden he grew it. Was a human groundhog. Did that until he was about 88.

[dbt1949]

Oddly, I have been thinking about getting me a Venus Flytrap here lately.
Does that count as gardening?

[em2nought]

Gardeners might think about some indoor plants to purify the air that you're now "in" more while they're at it.

https://www.healthline.com/health/air-purifying-plants

Mother in Law's Tongue (Snake Plant) is one they don't mention that also does the job and it's pretty impervious.


I've been wanting to line my fence with Bougainvillea so I might try to grow some cuttings to create an impenetrable barrier that looks good too.

[Jeff V]

In past years, I've spent a lot of money on various seedling kits and whatnot trying to avoid the inevitable trip to the garden shop. Sprouting doesn't seem to be the problem, and some of them (like beans) get about 8" tall but as thin as a hair before the whole lot of them just dies off for no apparent reason...nothing different has been done since sprouting them in the first place.

[Jaymann]

Getting the summer crop in early:

[Jeff V]

Getting the summer crop in early:

Weed? I think Kraken has his whole basement outfitted with grow lights for that purpose.

[Kraken]

Getting the summer crop in early:

Weed? I think Kraken has his whole basement outfitted with grow lights for that purpose.

Yeah, not the whole cellar. There's a "closet" that was originally the coal bin. I hung some fluorescent fixtures there and had a few dozen plants. I've since dropped that to the legal limit of 12 and upgraded to LED lights. At any given time I might have a few plants more or less than 12 as I add new seedlings and slaughter the males. But never more than 12 adult females.

[Scuzz]

We ran across some tomato plants at are supermarket and so bought them. We already have snow peas and fava beans growing. And artichokes.

[Z-Corn]

In past years, I've spent a lot of money on various seedling kits and whatnot trying to avoid the inevitable trip to the garden shop. Sprouting doesn't seem to be the problem, and some of them (like beans) get about 8" tall but as thin as a hair before the whole lot of them just dies off for no apparent reason...nothing different has been done since sprouting them in the first place.

Put a fan in the area so they get some indirect flow and they will grow stronger AND it will help dry the soil around their baby shoots. You wanna grow strong roots and strong stems help with that. Plus you need more light. Whatever you have isn't enough.

[Z-Corn]

Getting the summer crop in early:

Needs cal-mag.

Also, get some sativa beans popped and going in there!

[mori]

I put my less temperate trees (European Olive, Chinese Elm, and Gardenia) outside today. Interesting if any of them survived the winter in my unheated, but attached garage. They join my juniper, hemlock, and hornbeam that spent the winter outside.

And if this crisis requires me to go back to the farm to grow produce to feed the public, we are screwed.

[Scuzz]

I wanted to put a lime tree in this year. We are going to call the neighborhood nursery to see if they are open, and if they are, we will probably spend a lot of money on a tree, some veggies and some herbs. I should be cool for soil. Also maybe some weed and feed and some snail bait.

[YellowKing]

Because we're putting the house up for sale, we decided to get rid of all of our gardening stuff versus trying to store it for a year while we're in a rental.

I managed to give my brother two truck loads worth of pots, soil, seeds, seed trays, buckets, etc. Whatever he doesn't use he's going to donate to friends who also garden in the neighborhood.

While I hated to see it go, he'll definitely put it to good use. He has the green thumb that my wife and I lack, so there's no doubt he'll get some benefit out of it. He's using gardening as his primary stress relief, so he's got plenty to keep him busy now.

[Kraken]

I scored some seeds at the grocery store today: two kinds of slicing tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, zucchini, basil, bell peppers. They didn't have any pole beans or plum tomatoes. Now if I can score some potting soil I can start plants in my reefer room. If I can't find potting soil (I'll check the hardware store, but otherwise I'm not going to drive around looking for it), I'll just dig up some dirt from the garden. I ought to try to get that going over the weekend.

[Kraken]

I got more seeds and some potting soil today. This weekend, I'll start cherry tomato plants, two kinds of beefsteaks, California Wonder peppers, and basil in pots. I also have squash and pole bean seeds to sow directly. There WILL be a garden this year even if the nursery sales don't happen in May. I would like to get some other herbs and plum tomatoes if they do.

[Jaymann]

Here is some optimism for the future:

A fig tree


up loading photos

An avocado tree

[Jeff V]

A couple of years ago, I bought 2 blueberry bushes and 2 raspberry bushes, the kind that come in the square boxes. Wife took one look at them and declared they were dead. Raspberries were, they never sprouted anything after planting. The blueberry bushes produced a couple of sad leaves, and I thought they were dead too. But last year they sprouted a couple of sad leaves again. I don't know what the growth rate is supposed to be for blueberry bushes but these are on pace to be productive in about 6 centuries.

[Kraken]

Tomato (3 kinds) and basil seeds are in. I don't ordinarily start plants indoors from seed because the hassle factor isn't worth the cost savings to me, and because the seedlings won't be as vigorous as nursery plants, but this year it seems prudent.

(edit) I guess I didn't buy bell pepper seeds after all. Oh well, I won't miss those.

[Jeff V]

(edit) I guess I didn't buy bell pepper seeds after all. Oh well, I won't miss those.

Last year we produced a lot of bell pepper, I don't like them and my wife doesn't have much use for them. I used some in Italian beef we had for parties, but mostly we gave them away to neighbors. I'm going to avoid them this year in favor of banana or jalapeno peppers. Thai chili peppers didn't do so well last year.

[Holman]

NOT GARDENING, JUST YARD:

In Philadelphia we've reached Spring and the Onion Grass is *everywhere*. It's the first and fastest growing grass, so if you start mowing now it's 100% about this stuff. Normal lawn grass varieties are still pretty dormant, but Onion Grass is prominent in every yard I see while walking the dog.

My wife and one of the kids were out digging the bulbs from the flower plantings, but there's no reasonable way to prevent its presence in the wider front and back lawns. Presumably I'll just be mowing it weekly until Autumn. I did last year.

We're not fanatics about lawn care, and I'm content to allow native growth across the yards as long as it doesn't get too weedy/trashy-looking. But are there any tips we should/could know about preventing the spindly, ugly Onion Grass from taking over?

[Kraken]

I think that what you call onion grass is what I call chives. The internet says that onion grass has flat leaves, while wild garlic/chives have tubular. Mine are tubular. They're all related, though. Somebody planted some bulbs back in the dim reaches of time, and they have indeed spread everywhere. Every spring I get out the spade and remove the biggest concentrations from my garden. It's slow, backbreaking work, and of course I can never get them all, but it keeps them from taking over.

As for the lawn...hahaha. They will thrive for as long as the weather's cool and wet. By June, my Zoysia grass will choke them out, and by July drought will finish them off until they make a feeble comeback when the rains return in October. At least the chives smell good when they're mowed. My lawn philosophy is "If it's green and it doesn't mind being mowed, it's welcome."

[dbt1949]

Planted my Venus Flytraps,
The kid's dog is missing now.
These plants were A LOT bigger than I thought they were going to be.

[em2nought]

These plants were A LOT bigger than I thought they were going to be.

I'm afraid those aren't Venus Flytraps you've got there.

[Scuzz]

Here is some optimism for the future:

A fig tree


up loading photos

An avocado tree

Aren't those a little close to the fence?

We just added a lime tree, but for now it is in a large pot on the patio. The nursery guy said that should work for 3-5 years.

[Jaymann]

Aren't those a little close to the fence?

I plan to keep them trimmed down.

[Unagi]

Can you trim down the diameter of a tee trunk ?

[Holman]

I think that what you call onion grass is what I call chives. The internet says that onion grass has flat leaves, while wild garlic/chives have tubular. Mine are tubular. They're all related, though. Somebody planted some bulbs back in the dim reaches of time, and they have indeed spread everywhere. Every spring I get out the spade and remove the biggest concentrations from my garden. It's slow, backbreaking work, and of course I can never get them all, but it keeps them from taking over.

As for the lawn...hahaha. They will thrive for as long as the weather's cool and wet. By June, my Zoysia grass will choke them out, and by July drought will finish them off until they make a feeble comeback when the rains return in October. At least the chives smell good when they're mowed. My lawn philosophy is "If it's green and it doesn't mind being mowed, it's welcome."

Yeah, ours must be chives as well. They've got tubular leaves. (Are lawn chives worth harvesting?)

This is only our second year in a house with a lawn worth noticing, and this weekend I cut the grass for the first time this Spring. The previous owners paid for lawn care, but I'm trying to do it myself. I've got a lot to learn. There's a whole landscape of different weeds in different zones.

[Kraken]

Yes, fresh chives are quite good. I use them in a frittata. They go well with a baked potato, too.

[Scuzz]

Aren't those a little close to the fence?

I plan to keep them trimmed down.

I haven't personally grown either tree but my in-laws had fig trees and avocado's on their country place. They both got pretty big. But he just let them grow next to his 10 acres of walnut trees.

[Z-Corn]

Aren't those a little close to the fence?

I plan to keep them trimmed down.

I haven't personally grown either tree but my in-laws had fig trees and avocado's on their country place.

Did it used to be a farm, before The Motor Laws?

[Scuzz]

Aren't those a little close to the fence?

I plan to keep them trimmed down.

I haven't personally grown either tree but my in-laws had fig trees and avocado's on their country place.

Did it used to be a farm, before The Motor Laws?

It was a ranch. But strangely enough the high speed rail was planned at one time to go right thru the property, so yea, it was a ranch before the Motor laws.

[Jeff V]

Yes, fresh chives are quite good. I use them in a frittata. They go well with a baked potato, too.

I use them in meatballs, potato pancakes, and liver dumplings. Our chives are coming in already, as well as some green onion and, I suspect, garlic. Parsley is also staring to sprout...that, along with strawberries, are running amok outside of the actual garden boxes.

[Holman]

Yes, fresh chives are quite good. I use them in a frittata. They go well with a baked potato, too.

I'll collect them then. We've got a lot growing in the flower garden, so they'll have to come out one way or another.

[Jeff V]

Yes, fresh chives are quite good. I use them in a frittata. They go well with a baked potato, too.

I'll collect them then. We've got a lot growing in the flower garden, so they'll have to come out one way or another.

Beware though, if you let chives flower, the stalks that flower become woody and not very edible.

[Kelric]

A friend brought us an Aerogarden a while back and I currently have three tomato plants and six different types of lettuce that are all two weeks along. I also started arugula elsewhere, and my outdoor walking onions and strawberries are very happy so far this year.

[Kraken]

Yes, fresh chives are quite good. I use them in a frittata. They go well with a baked potato, too.

I'll collect them then. We've got a lot growing in the flower garden, so they'll have to come out one way or another.

Beware though, if you let chives flower, the stalks that flower become woody and not very edible.

The ones in my lawn are only at their best for a few weeks in the spring, and then again in the fall.

[Scuzz]

We have an herb garden on the back patio. Basil, Oregano, tyme, chives, mint. Everything wintered over but the basil, I did have to buy new but it is already planted.

[Jeff V]

Dropped $220 at Menards today. Got tomatoes (4 kinds...none are apparently roma/plum tomatoes but they all seem to have brand names now). Pepper include hot banana, jalapeno, cayenne, habanero, and bell. Got some cucumbers, lettuce and zucchini. Got lemon basil, purple basil, thyme, rosemary and dill on the herbs side (parsley, chives, oregano, spearmint, poison, garlic, and green onion all resprouted this year). Bought seeds for plants we couldn't find, including green beans, pumpkin, okra, chard, mescalin, and spinach. From inside plants, transplanted lemongrass, basil, and some purplish leafy vegetable. Tomorrow we're going to the Filipino supermarket and will get kangkong and sweet potato leaves which will be transplanted. Need to look online for Japanese eggplant seeds; Menards had just the standard fat-boy eggplants (which did very well for us last year).

This is the time of year where mowing and weeding is a weekly chore. I've gone through 3 battery charges on the weed whacker and still haven't got to them all. Tomorrow will be laying fresh mulch (got 20 bags to start). We've relocated a half-dozen hydrangeas, some lavender is creeping into the lawn from the garden surrounding the patio and needs to be reigned in.

My yard is totally fenced in with black aluminum fencing. I'm not entirely sure who owns it though...there is a total of 4 neighbors on the other side of the fence. I would like to remove the grass and make a warning track around the circumference of the yard, and then plant things that might take advantage of the fence (tomatoes, beans, cucumbers, squash, etc.) It would make mowing less of a chore (dragging the mower against the fence to minimize subsequent weed whacking is a drag). I guess I'll have to talk to each neighbor before doing so, as vegetation is bound to disrespect the border. Doing so, however, is a colossal amount of work.

[Jaymann]

One of the magnificent 7 went female, but the legit 6 are doing quite well.