Transplanting/New Garden
Faith
2 months ago
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mxk3 z5b_MI
2 months agoFaith
2 months agoRelated Discussions
New Garden/new gardener
Comments (10)Welcome to the growing number of gardeners who find gardening in wooden boxes very rewarding. I'm not sure if the Search engine is working, but there are numerous previous posts on this subject. If not, then just ask away. You probably will be getting many, many suggestions for the best way to treat your particular soil/gardening problems, and the nice folks in these forums can be very helpful. (just ask me how I know). Anyway, my solution was to have 9 cedar boxes to grow veggies in - (I wish they were all the same size now) - but the best dimensions seem to be 3 ft across by 6 to 9 ft. long. This is so one can reach across to pull weeds, plant, etc., and also have room to maneuver wheelbarrows or mowers around. They are without bottoms - but I nailed a piece of galvanized hardware cloth on the bottom to prevent burrowing voles, etc. One nice thing, they can be placed directly over existing grasses - so no need to dig below, any grass will be killed off from lack of sunlight. Soil - whether you grow in boxes or directly in the ground, a good porous soil is necessary. I recommended the box method above, if your soil is clay, hardpan, cement, sand, etc. Plants like compost, manure, peat moss, vermiculite, etc. to keep them happy. Many folks make their own soil - visit the Soil Forum for good ideas there. While not always easy to find material in the beginning, it can save a bundle if you make your own (leaves/grass/shredding). Otherwise, top soil can be had - check your landfills - they sometimes have free mulch, etc. If you intend to work your own soil - then adding compost or composted manure would also be beneficial, also deep digging if possible - to break up the existing hard soil clay/cement/hardpan/etc. Many older gardeners prefer the alternative box gardening to avoid this. You mention keeping watering to a minimum - this would also be ideal for that as well. Tomatoes and peppers love heat to ripen - so their biggest need in summer is to keep them watered. This is only a starter for ideas. But feel free to tune in again, whenever you have specific questions. The folks in these forums are only too happy to pass along their helpful ideas. Just my 2 c's. Bejay...See Morehad to transplant garden...problem!
Comments (13)I've been watering it in the morning and in the evening once the sun is out of the back yard. A few of the leaves of the cucs are looking better but its still not looking lively at all. The tomatoes....some of the leaves are getting crunchy, dead dead..... I'll just keep watering and see what happens. Its in the 90's here every day already so as far as tomatoes, I do not have any time to start new. The first few years i did gardens, I started a little later than this year and last year and stuff was dieing once it was getting too hot, regardless of how much I watered it....See MoreStarting tubers inside and transplanting to garden questions
Comments (4)Welcome to the world of dahlias, elle. Do your new tubers show signs of growth? A pale shoot or bulging light green or purplish eye? Try the baggie method to encourage them, if not. Once you see a bulging eye or shoot you can pot them up leaving a bit of stem exposed. Cover the rest with soil, water lightly and keep in light/warmth. When transplanting outside, I aim to keep the tuber/roots at least 4" deep, more often 6". It isn't really the old stem, but the new growth and the roots that you want protected in their holes at that depth. Some people plant much deeper. 2)Planting on their side- in the case of a single yam-like tuber you want to plant them eye upward, lying flat like a carrot on a cutting board, in the bottom of your hole. Sometimes the shoot comes off at a funny angle and I angle the tuber so the shoot aims up straight. It doesn't seem to matter that much. The tuber will develop roots and the shoot will find it's way upward. If a clump, just plant so the shoot can grow upward; the stem and root position doesn't matter so much. 3)4-6" down for the base of new growth would be good. Some plant deeper. The important things are: verify growth before bothering to plant, prepare your soil well, wait til the soil is warmed to 60 degrees or so and horribly wet. Protect from slugs and snails. See www.dahlias.net Care and Culture for more advice. Good luck!...See Moretransplanted gardener
Comments (5)Hmm. You have an alley. (So do I.) I'm wildly guessing you're in the Oak Park/River Forest/Berwyn/Westchester area. I hear the Oak Park conservatory is pretty nice, and if you haven't been to the Garfield Park conservatory...well, you should. I live in the near north suburbs, so I don't know exactly what your soil conditions will be (assumedly you won't be gardening in sand like I do), but late March/early April is a nice time to be moving in. You'll be settling in as the trees start budding out (or maybe you'll get a snowstorm--this is Chicago, after all). Maybe your yard will reveal a few pleasant surprises beyond the hosta and 10 tulips. The other western suburbanites will be your best source here for finding resources, but I do know that the western suburbs (I'm thinking Naperville area) have some really nice nurseries. That Growing Place and Planter's Palette come to mind, but I know there are others as well. By the way, there is a Chicago gardening magazine you may find at your local newsstand. It's not even half-bad....See MoreCandace
2 months agoken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
2 months agoSigrid
2 months agoFaith
2 months ago
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