Gardening in the apocalypse

[Holman]

I'm not a gardener, but I've noticed that (here in Philly) people have just begun mowing their lawns and trimming their hedges again.

Weather- and yard-care wise, this was about a month late. I think a Corona effect kept people inside and not caring about the grass.

[Kraken]

Lawns are just beginning to get shaggy here (Boston) after a cold, wet April. Mine will want its first cut in a week or so.

The seeds I planted all sprouted and the tomato plants are ready to harden off. I'll put the garden in around Mothers Day if the weather warms up enough, or Memday if not. Gotta hit the Home Depot next week and see if I can buy the plants I didn't raise -- Romas, some peppers, a couple of herbs.

[Jeff V]

I've cut my lawn 3 times so far, each of the last two weekend, and two weeks before that. Last fall, TruGreen did a lawn seeding with something that is so far much lighter and grows much faster than the rest of the lawn. The weather is going to be cold and somewhat rainy this week, and I expect it's going to need cutting again before the temps are again warm enough to do so in comfort (weather forecast has next 70 degree day as May 15).

Of more immediate concern is the vegetable plantings we did over the weekend. Saturday morning, the 15 day forecast had no overnight low below 40. Now today, they are forecasting 29 on Friday. I'm going to have to cover all of the planting boxes plus the stuff planted along the back and side of the house with plastic drop cloths to hopefully ward off the freeze.

[em2nought]

Bought some a moringa, a galangal ginger, and some makrut limes trees. Hopefully I'll be mooching lots of larb.

[Kraken]

I've cut my lawn 3 times so far, each of the last two weekend, and two weeks before that. Last fall, TruGreen did a lawn seeding with something that is so far much lighter and grows much faster than the rest of the lawn. The weather is going to be cold and somewhat rainy this week, and I expect it's going to need cutting again before the temps are again warm enough to do so in comfort (weather forecast has next 70 degree day as May 15).

Of more immediate concern is the vegetable plantings we did over the weekend. Saturday morning, the 15 day forecast had no overnight low below 40. Now today, they are forecasting 29 on Friday. I'm going to have to cover all of the planting boxes plus the stuff planted along the back and side of the house with plastic drop cloths to hopefully ward off the freeze.

Well, there's your problem: Stop putting seed and fertilizer on your lawn, and you won't have to mow it as often. Easy fix.

The safe planting date at my latitude was traditionally Memorial Day. Global warming has advanced that to Mothers Day. I've found that the two-week jump doesn't make much difference in productivity -- tomatoes in particular want HOT weather -- and still carries some risk, so I still wait for Memday if we're having a cool spring (as this year).

[Z-Corn]

Just took delivery on a two-bulb T5 seedling fixture (replacing that chicken-shit one-bulb unit) so my tomato, pepper and Mexican sour gherkin seedlings should for sure be ready for Memorial Day planting.

Most of my seed stock was between one and three years old but everything has now sprouted within 12 days. Now that all cups have sprouts I'm adding the extra light and turning off the seedling heat pad.

[Scuzz]

We are eating fava beans and artichokes, and the snow peas are done for the year. We have flowers on the tomatoes.

[Jeff V]

Be careful out there.

Queen guitarist Brian May has revealed he ended up in hospital after injuring his buttocks during an incident in his garden.

[Jeff V]

So despite our best efforts at providing cover, some of the plantings did not survive the Friday night freeze. So we will be going to Menards again this weekend, but it's a small number of plants (mostly peppers). Tomatoes, OTOH, have doubled in size since planting and are already flowering. Strawberries are flowering all over the place (they are running amok) and the box with most of the herbs is bursting at the seams, parsley, chives, and garlic in particular are booming. The garlic and chives are beginning to flower. The lemongrass is looking sad, might need to get more of it too. I saw some potted at Menards that's probably cheaper than planting stalks from the produce section at the supermarket. Indoors, bok choy is sprouting new leaves, and the romaine stump I put in a dish of water is growing roots.

[Kraken]

I got everything I want except plum tomatoes and banana peppers from Home Depot. (HD had plums as individual $4 plants; I want a flat of 6.) Went to our favorite nursery to fill in those blanks today; they don't have any vegetable plants yet. Went to our second-favorite place and it is closed without so much as a flower in stock. Must be out of business.

Will try the first nursery again in a couple of weeks. If I can't score any plum tomatoes I'll just plant all the slicers I grew from seed. That would mean no sauce this year unless I pay HD the big bucks. That's the apocalypse for you.

I put my plants out to harden off a couple of days ago and they are not liking the cold nights, but they're surviving.

[Jeff V]

That would mean no sauce this year unless I pay HD the big bucks. That's the apocalypse for you.

Not quite the same as coming from your patch of earth, but a few weeks ago, a produce store I frequent had plum tomatoes for $0.10 per lb, something like $3 per case. Sauce is what I do when I have more tomatoes than I can otherwise consume (and I don't much care what type goes into it although plum are the best). If my sauce was awesome enough to go through the trouble, I might have bought a case or two at that price.

[Kraken]

That would mean no sauce this year unless I pay HD the big bucks. That's the apocalypse for you.

Not quite the same as coming from your patch of earth, but a few weeks ago, a produce store I frequent had plum tomatoes for $0.10 per lb, something like $3 per case. Sauce is what I do when I have more tomatoes than I can otherwise consume (and I don't much care what type goes into it although plum are the best). If my sauce was awesome enough to go through the trouble, I might have bought a case or two at that price.

If I can't get plums I'll overplant slicers. Of course I could turn the surplus into sauce, but plums are meatier and less seedy. I might have to buy a tomato mill this year.

[Scuzz]

In my part of the world the nurseries are already cutting back their vegetable plants. I had to go to a Lowe's today to get the last things we need for the garden, bell peppers and yellow sweet banana peppers. Also some basil and a few grape tomatoes to grow on the patio.

The wife has ripped out the remains of the peas and fava beans as they are done. we had a couple days of unseasonal heat and that pretty much finished them off. It was 98 on Saturday, 75 today.

[Jeff V]

If I can't get plums I'll overplant slicers. Of course I could turn the surplus into sauce, but plums are meatier and less seedy. I might have to buy a tomato mill this year.

i generally take the seeds out when I'm making sauce. Most of the time when I buy alleged plum tomatoes, what I get are slightly inflated grape tomatoes anyway, I think only once did I get some bona fide romas.

Cherry tomatoes (which we always have in abundance) makes a terrific sweet sauce, but is necessarily seedy.

[Z-Corn]

If I can't get plums I'll overplant slicers. Of course I could turn the surplus into sauce, but plums are meatier and less seedy. I might have to buy a tomato mill this year.

i generally take the seeds out when I'm making sauce. Most of the time when I buy alleged plum tomatoes, what I get are slightly inflated grape tomatoes anyway, I think only once did I get some bona fide romas.

Cherry tomatoes (which we always have in abundance) makes a terrific sweet sauce, but is necessarily seedy.

Don't hate the seeds bro, that's where the flavor is. Well, the gel surrounding them.

Strain your finished sauce if you need to get rid of them.

Do you hate meat cooked on the bone? Same thing.

[Z-Corn]

Yesterday I culled the seedlings down to mostly one per cup. There were a couple where I was like, "We'll let these two duke it out for another week..."

I got a really late start but I am happy about the progress so far. While I am not at all against or above buying seedlings, it's what I usually do, it feels great to grow some of these unique strains from seed.

[Jeff V]

Do you hate meat cooked on the bone? Same thing.

Cherry tomatoes are 90% seeds. They are bitter compared to the flesh, so not so desirable. I wind up with a shit ton of cherry tomatoes and can't use them all in salads or pasta, so i do cook them down and strain then best i can.

[Z-Corn]

Do you hate meat cooked on the bone? Same thing.

Cherry tomatoes are 90% seeds. They are bitter compared to the flesh, so not so desirable. I wind up with a shit ton of cherry tomatoes and can't use them all in salads or pasta, so i do cook them down and strain then best i can.

I accept your opinion regarding the composition of the cherry tomatoes you have experienced. If I ever grew a variety that was 90% seeds I would go down to The River and feed the entire crop to the ducks.

Having said that, dehydrating them at the end of the year concentrates their flavor and then you can can them in olive oil and use them the whole winter, like sun-dried tomatoes. It just depends on how many hobbies you want to coalesce in one season...

[Kraken]

I am definitely going to buy a mill this year. I spend way too much time coring, peeling, and seeding when I could be grinding and straining instead. This fellow would have me spend $200 on one, but I'll start out with a cheap $50 one and see how that goes.

[Jeff V]

Do you hate meat cooked on the bone? Same thing.

Cherry tomatoes are 90% seeds. They are bitter compared to the flesh, so not so desirable. I wind up with a shit ton of cherry tomatoes and can't use them all in salads or pasta, so i do cook them down and strain then best i can.

I accept your opinion regarding the composition of the cherry tomatoes you have experienced. If I ever grew a variety that was 90% seeds I would go down to The River and feed the entire crop to the ducks.

Having said that, dehydrating them at the end of the year concentrates their flavor and then you can can them in olive oil and use them the whole winter, like sun-dried tomatoes. It just depends on how many hobbies you want to coalesce in one season...

If gardening was much of a hobby for me, my gardens wouldn't be so weed-infested by mid-summer. I think in the end, we probably come out ahead in terms of harvest value vs. investment, but only if you discount the effort spent.

We are trying to figure out how to put more veggie planters in the yard without seriously impacting the kid's play area. Last year I planted tomato, cucumber, peppers and zucchini along the north face of the house and near the rear trees. Neither location was sunny enough for success. This year I'm trimming the corner trees and going to try pumpkins.

[Holman]

I have taken my first step into the world of gardening.

We have a 3'x8' raised bed in the backyard. It was empty when we moved in 18 months ago, and has been weeding up ever since. Finally I asked myself why I let those weeds get away while trying to do a decent job with the rest of the back yard, so today I went ahead and cleared, tilled, and re-soiled the bed.

I'm starting slow, but I just planted and caged two tomato plants. The bed gets full summer sun from before noon until 6 pm, so it should be good for them.

Next up is to plant dwarf marigolds all along the inside of the bed walls. My mother tells me that marigolds like full sun and that they'll repel aphids and other pests from whatever I plant inside their perimeter.

I'm starting to do a little research to figure out what else I might do with the space, but, man, it is already apparent that gardening culture is a deep, deep rabbit hole.

[Kraken]

I planted as many tomatoes as I have room for, which works out to be 31 plants. I have about a dozen left over that might end up in odd spots after everything else is planted. Also got my pepper plants in the ground today.

This is the first year that I haven't had at least one outdoor cat to keep the vermin away. Besides a bunch of brazen birds, there's a very tame fat rabbit hanging around. We take Warren out on a leash a couple of times a day; his "walks" consist mainly of lying down in the sun while the other animals taunt him. It seems sad to me, but he enjoys his outings.

I'm going to lose a lot of produce this year.

[em2nought]

Rabbit is tasty.

[Jeff V]

Yeah, nobody said gardening has to be a vegan pursuit. Do you know what camouflages rabbit traps? Tomato plants.

[Z-Corn]

My seeds sprouted with great vigor and I am hardening them off. The plan is to get them into EarthBoxes and fabric pots this weekend.

I'm always a little later than I could be weather-wise but I make up for it with attention to detail once everything is planted.

[Jeff V]

I still have some seeds that need planting, maybe this weekend. Of things already planted, all but two tomato plants are off to a slow start, and the cucumbers and zucchini seem to be struggling. Strawberries all over the place, probably start picking them in a week or so. One of the romaine lettuce stumps I sprouted in water has 6" of lettuce already. Basil is also struggling, while other herbs running amok (flat leaf parsley will take over everything if I allow it).

I'm still expecting cherry tomatoes to spontaneously sprout in places they were last year. There sure were enough of them dropping to ground to seed.

[Kraken]

I'm going to try to plant my bean and squash seeds before this weekend's rain, but those both like very hot weather. They don't really start cranking until July, so there's no pressure to rush them before mid-June. I just like to get everything planted within a week so I can switch into maintenance mode.

The neighborhood bunnies are quite popular, as I learned when my cat Gus killed one last year and my neighbor rushed it to the vet...then hinted that maybe I ought to reimburse her for that. Without a guard cat, I might have to build a chicken wire fence. Do fences stop rabbits, or do they laugh at our puny walls?

[Z-Corn]

I think you have to bury a fence three feet because rabbits are diggers.

[Jeff V]

I think you have to bury a fence three feet because rabbits are diggers.

Not if you electrify it.

[Jeff V]

Production update:

Harvested first zucchini yesterday and had it for breakfast. In the past week harvested (2) Japanese eggplants. One tomato (appears to be Roma-ish) is almost fully ripe and ready to pluck, only two tomato plants have had their growth spurt, lots of flowers and immature fruit. I suspect the rogue plants that are coming up are cherry tomatoes, and they are still quite small. Cucumber is struggling, a second plant was bought and is doing a little better, but no flowers yet. Chives, dill, flat-leaf parsley, oregano and poison are doing fine and have been regularly snipped for various dishes; rosemary, thyme and basil are still small. Lettuce is flowering now, it's our first time growing lettuce and we planted several kinds, wife complains the leaves are getting bitter, but since I like spinach salads, the bitterness does not bother me. I suspect we should have more aggressively culled it before it started to flower. A romaine lettuce planted from a stump from a store-bought 3 pack is 3 feet tall now. There's a few strawberries probably still ok, but by and large they are done for the season. They are running amok though, and most of the berries have been around the size of raspberries but fine for yogurt and cereal. Pumpkin is coming up, and the largest of them is starting to show buds. All I need is an apple tree and I can avoid future expensive fall trips to local orchards.

[Daehawk]

Poison huh?

[Kraken]

[Kraken]

I spent $60 on a food mill to cope with this year's bounty. The lazy-ass bees are laughing at me. I have a jungle of plants with thousands of flowers, but I've only ever seen one bumlebee bumbling from flower to flower. Unless some of his friends show up or a honeybee gang moves in pretty soon, I'm not going to need that new gadget.

[Holman]

I've got lots of bumblebees in the yard, but the squirrels are eating my pepper plants.

I guess I might cage everything, but that seems like such a pain.

[Jeff V]

Poison huh?

Yep, and it doesn't seem to care for scorching hot...most of the vile weed is dead now.

We have a bunch of banana peppers ready to pick, and wife took 4 more tomatoes this morning and is making herself a breakfast stir-fry of tomatoes, scallions, banana peppers, and egg plant all from the garden along with a can of Filipino sardines from the pantry.

[Z-Corn]

I spent $60 on a food mill to cope with this year's bounty. The lazy-ass bees are laughing at me. I have a jungle of plants with thousands of flowers, but I've only ever seen one bumlebee bumbling from flower to flower. Unless some of his friends show up or a honeybee gang moves in pretty soon, I'm not going to need that new gadget.

You can help with pollinating by using your finger to gently tap the flowers once they are fully opened. Or I've seen an electric toothbrush used to vibrate the whole stem clusters.

As of today I quit pulling flowers off my tomatoes and peppers and will let them start producing fruit. My plants all went in late and needed extra time to grow.

[Kraken]

Some of my basil wants to flower. Ordinarily I don't let it do that, because basil's all about foliage. But basil flowers are said to be powerful bee attractors, so I'm going to let a few of my plants do their thing. I have way more basil than I can use anyway.

[Jeff V]

Some of my basil wants to flower. Ordinarily I don't let it do that, because basil's all about foliage. But basil flowers are said to be powerful bee attractors, so I'm going to let a few of my plants do their thing. I have way more basil than I can use anyway.

My basil is struggling mightily. I bought another plant a few weeks ago and it's just sad. I bought another last week and I'm keeping it indoors because summer means basil several times per week, but the leaves on all of my plants are so small I might have to make a Trader Joes run just to buy packaged basil of reasonable size. Which lasts about a day. We bought Thai and purple basil too...they both expired without us taking a leaf.

[em2nought]

My friends added some Tilapia to their bio-dome so I'm looking forward to Larb Fish


Here's something to try and attract bees
https://www.diynetwork.com/how-to/outdo ... a-bee-bath

[Kraken]

Some of my basil wants to flower. Ordinarily I don't let it do that, because basil's all about foliage. But basil flowers are said to be powerful bee attractors, so I'm going to let a few of my plants do their thing. I have way more basil than I can use anyway.

My basil is struggling mightily. I bought another plant a few weeks ago and it's just sad. I bought another last week and I'm keeping it indoors because summer means basil several times per week, but the leaves on all of my plants are so small I might have to make a Trader Joes run just to buy packaged basil of reasonable size. Which lasts about a day. We bought Thai and purple basil too...they both expired without us taking a leaf.

Mine thrives in very large pots outdoors. I'll take a pic tomorrow. In years past, I've had to use insecticidal soap to keep something from eating the leaves -- just one application drives it away, but I get soapy basil for a little while. This year the basil bugs didn't come (yet). I started some from seed because in March I didn't know if the nurseries would have plants or not; because it was so tiny at transplant time I bought some nursery plants, too, just in case. The seedlings all survived, and now I have -- well, I'll post a pic.

Purple basil, OTOH, never thrives. Wife always insists on planting some because she's going to make basil vinegar, for some reason. She never does, even when it survives.