Gluttonous Gardeners - Have a vegetable garden? Show us!

[TarotBunny]

Hah new here as well.

I've got a buncha questions:

Is it ideal to germinate seeds indoors before transplanting them outdoors? Or is it better to plant them directly outside? The seeds are cucumber, a crapppp load of sunflower, basil and italian parsley. Also I was wondering if I could germinate the seeds indoors, what are the ideal settings, if there are any. Like water/temperature/light? And does making a makeshift greenhouse like this really help the plant? DX

Could someone explain to me crop rotation and why do people do this?

And is there a general gardening type schedule people like to stick to? Like what to grow in what season/temperature? I have a lot of rainnnnnn.. so Im sorta wondering what I could plant with weather like that. And what do people do during the winter?

And I wanna try to dig up some raised soil beds. Whats the best way to go about doing this? Im making it without a border so Im wondering how tall I could make the beds if they need to be tall? And what should I put in it or prepare it? It's on an area that has a bit of a slope though. Is that good or a bad thing? DX Im hoping to plant the vegetable seeds or seedlings there. Except the sunflowers. And maybe some bought-seedlings it depends. Like I really want some tomatoes in there as well.

Yep.. ; A ; Sorry for all the questions. XD The closest thing I've grown is just taking the bottoms off store bought spring onions and planting them outside. They grow quite fast and sometimes they grow bigger than what they originally were when I bought them. I've been doing that for awhile now just because I use spring onions like nobodies business. And now Im curious about seeds and growing other things. o uo

[Ratttking]

TarotBunny

Hah new here as well.

I've got a buncha questions:

Is it ideal to germinate seeds indoors before transplanting them outdoors? Or is it better to plant them directly outside? The seeds are cucumber, a crapppp load of sunflower, basil and italian parsley. Also I was wondering if I could germinate the seeds indoors, what are the ideal settings, if there are any. Like water/temperature/light? And does making a makeshift greenhouse like this really help the plant? DX

Could someone explain to me crop rotation and why do people do this?

And is there a general gardening type schedule people like to stick to? Like what to grow in what season/temperature? I have a lot of rainnnnnn.. so Im sorta wondering what I could plant with weather like that. And what do people do during the winter?

And I wanna try to dig up some raised soil beds. Whats the best way to go about doing this? Im making it without a border so Im wondering how tall I could make the beds if they need to be tall? And what should I put in it or prepare it? It's on an area that has a bit of a slope though. Is that good or a bad thing? DX Im hoping to plant the vegetable seeds or seedlings there. Except the sunflowers. And maybe some bought-seedlings it depends. Like I really want some tomatoes in there as well.

Yep.. ; A ; Sorry for all the questions. XD The closest thing I've grown is just taking the bottoms off store bought spring onions and planting them outside. They grow quite fast and sometimes they grow bigger than what they originally were when I bought them. I've been doing that for awhile now just because I use spring onions like nobodies business. And now Im curious about seeds and growing other things. o uo

Most seeds, but not all, do not need light to germinate. After germination give them 16 hours per day if possible. They should be kept warm, soil temp about 75-85 F. Mini-greenhouse help maintain humidity, just make sure fungus does not grow on top from the soil being too moist, and remove any that may appear. It's also easy to sow them outside, they might take a bit longer to germinate, but they will not have to become accustomed to the differences between inside and out.

Different plants can deplete the soil of different nutrients than others, planting crops like beans, clover, and alfalfa can help to replenish the soil's nitrogen content. Certain diseases affect only specific types of plants, and rotating crops gives them time to die off from lack of a host.

Yes, there are some plants that wilt or bolt when the weather becomes too hot, those are called cool-season plants. Others will not tolerate cold at all and will die from frost. There are both crops and flowers that grow and bloom through the winter.

The height of the bed will depend on your type of soil. Clay soil will allow you to mound the bed higher. On a slope you will want to angle the hills you put your plants in so they do not wash away in the rain. Vegetables love rain. You can probably grow anything as long as your warm season is long enough and you start soon.

[TarotBunny]

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Thanks so much! :33 Sorry again for the overload of questions.

[Ratttking]

TarotBunny

Ratttking

Thanks so much! :33 Sorry again for the overload of questions.

No problem! Ask more anytime if you like, I love chatting about gardens. biggrin

[Madame de Sousa]

TarotBunny

Hah new here as well.

I've got a buncha questions:

Is it ideal to germinate seeds indoors before transplanting them outdoors? Or is it better to plant them directly outside? The seeds are cucumber, a crapppp load of sunflower, basil and italian parsley. Also I was wondering if I could germinate the seeds indoors, what are the ideal settings, if there are any. Like water/temperature/light? And does making a makeshift greenhouse like this really help the plant? DX

That greenhouse looks really neat. I think I will try it. smile

[TarotBunny]

Madame de Sousa

That greenhouse looks really neat. I think I will try it. smile

Ohhhh let me know how it turns out for you. Im experimenting with some baby spinach containers. o uo

[Madame de Sousa]

TarotBunny

Madame de Sousa

That greenhouse looks really neat. I think I will try it. smile

Ohhhh let me know how it turns out for you. Im experimenting with some baby spinach containers. o uo

I currently have spinich, pumpkin, sunnies, parlesy, marigolds, green beans, tomato and eggplant in containers. biggrin

[TarotBunny]

Madame de Sousa

TarotBunny

Madame de Sousa

That greenhouse looks really neat. I think I will try it. smile

Ohhhh let me know how it turns out for you. Im experimenting with some baby spinach containers. o uo

I currently have spinich, pumpkin, sunnies, parlesy, marigolds, green beans, tomato and eggplant in containers. biggrin

Dang XD

I just have basil in one container, I lack containers to try it out on everything. DX

Though Im trying to grow sunflowers and cucumber as well. The sunflowers that I put outside just started to sprout after 3 weeks or so. And the sunflowers I tried to germinate indoors have sprouted after 7 days. sweatdrop

And the rest, like the basil and everything are grown indoors. Mainly because I dont have any soil available outside to plant them in and I dont really want them to be potted.

[Ratttking]

TarotBunny

Madame de Sousa

TarotBunny

Madame de Sousa

That greenhouse looks really neat. I think I will try it. smile

Ohhhh let me know how it turns out for you. Im experimenting with some baby spinach containers. o uo

I currently have spinich, pumpkin, sunnies, parlesy, marigolds, green beans, tomato and eggplant in containers. biggrin

Dang XD

I just have basil in one container, I lack containers to try it out on everything. DX

Though Im trying to grow sunflowers and cucumber as well. The sunflowers that I put outside just started to sprout after 3 weeks or so. And the sunflowers I tried to germinate indoors have sprouted after 7 days. sweatdrop

And the rest, like the basil and everything are grown indoors. Mainly because I dont have any soil available outside to plant them in and I dont really want them to be potted.

What kinds of sunflowers? My Evening Sunset mix sprouted in less than 5 days outside, while the Mammoth and Teddy Bears have not yet sprouted. Well, some of the first batch sprouted but got eaten by slugs. sad My cukes outside came up in about a week.

[TarotBunny]

Ratttking

What kinds of sunflowers? My Evening Sunset mix sprouted in less than 5 days outside, while the Mammoth and Teddy Bears have not yet sprouted. Well, some of the first batch sprouted but got eaten by slugs. sad My cukes outside came up in about a week.

They're labelled as gray striped sunflowers. o .o So mammoths? Not sure if they're the same or not. All of them that I have are that variety though, both the one outside and inside.

I think the biggest difference though aside from the weather is the soil it was in. I had planted them in a place in the yard where if they did manage to grow (lol) it would receive a lot of sunlight. But the soil is somewhat rocky and when it has some poor drainage on one side (not really sure if you can blame it on drainage though) and when it rains a whole lot, it literally floods on one side cause so much water pours into it. So I tried to take preventive measures to deflect as much water as I can with strategically placed items. XD Its worked for the most part but Im pretty sure a couple have washed away anyway like the ones nearest to the waterfall. I should had planted them farther down but I wasnt thinking about it at the time. I knew to leave space for that area that floods but it wasn't enough.-- The water comes from the roof, and goes directly into this odd rocky soil bed. (Long story short, when it was built it wasn't planned out right)

I mean you could say to just plant them elsewhere where theres enough sunlight and a place where it doesn't flood--but honestly I dont have that in the yard unless I pot it or dig up a bed or something. And I was sorta afraid that if I had to pot it, it might hinder the growth? because I dont really have big pots, just a lot of small ones mostly. But anyway, surprised it even grew. Which is sorta why after 2 weeks or so with no sprouting --- I decided to get some more seeds and try to grow them inside to see if I really had green thumb fail or if it was just..the placement.

[Ratttking]

TarotBunny

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What kinds of sunflowers? My Evening Sunset mix sprouted in less than 5 days outside, while the Mammoth and Teddy Bears have not yet sprouted. Well, some of the first batch sprouted but got eaten by slugs. sad My cukes outside came up in about a week.

They're labelled as gray striped sunflowers. o .o So mammoths? Not sure if they're the same or not. All of them that I have are that variety though, both the one outside and inside.

I think the biggest difference though aside from the weather is the soil it was in. I had planted them in a place in the yard where if they did manage to grow (lol) it would receive a lot of sunlight. But the soil is somewhat rocky and when it has some poor drainage on one side (not really sure if you can blame it on drainage though) and when it rains a whole lot, it literally floods on one side cause so much water pours into it. So I tried to take preventive measures to deflect as much water as I can with strategically placed items. XD Its worked for the most part but Im pretty sure a couple have washed away anyway like the ones nearest to the waterfall. I should had planted them farther down but I wasnt thinking about it at the time. I knew to leave space for that area that floods but it wasn't enough.-- The water comes from the roof, and goes directly into this odd rocky soil bed. (Long story short, when it was built it wasn't planned out right)

I mean you could say to just plant them elsewhere where theres enough sunlight and a place where it doesn't flood--but honestly I dont have that in the yard unless I pot it or dig up a bed or something. And I was sorta afraid that if I had to pot it, it might hinder the growth? because I dont really have big pots, just a lot of small ones mostly. But anyway, surprised it even grew. Which is sorta why after 2 weeks or so with no sprouting --- I decided to get some more seeds and try to grow them inside to see if I really had green thumb fail or if it was just..the placement.

Yes, that is probably Mammoth.

You can probably grow some in that spot, and in pots though they will be a lot smaller than if grown in the ground. You can also plant them continuously throughout the season so you always have some in bloom, as they are a single-flowered variety, otherwise you'll be looking at a drying out head of seeds with no petals for much of the season. You could also buy some types that have multiple flowers per plant. They produce new flowers on branches throughout the season.The flowers and of course seeds are much smaller, but still tasty, and there are so many colors available now! They have pure white, rose pink, light green, and every shade of yellow, orange, red, and brown you can imagine.

Is there anything stopping you from digging another bed in a more promising location? You might plant irises in the spot that floods, some types are wetland plants. I had some planted by my back porch where the water washes over from the downspout and they did beautifully - until the stupid landlord piled rocks and mulch on them. Don't worry, I rescued them.

[Ratttking]

My tomatoes and tomatillos have sprouted in their containers. biggrin Now to keep the cats from nibbling them...

Oh no. The captcha says "good luck"! cat_gonk

[TarotBunny]

Ratttking

Yes, that is probably Mammoth.

You can probably grow some in that spot, and in pots though they will be a lot smaller than if grown in the ground. You can also plant them continuously throughout the season so you always have some in bloom, as they are a single-flowered variety, otherwise you'll be looking at a drying out head of seeds with no petals for much of the season. You could also buy some types that have multiple flowers per plant. They produce new flowers on branches throughout the season.The flowers and of course seeds are much smaller, but still tasty, and there are so many colors available now! They have pure white, rose pink, light green, and every shade of yellow, orange, red, and brown you can imagine.

Is there anything stopping you from digging another bed in a more promising location? You might plant irises in the spot that floods, some types are wetland plants. I had some planted by my back porch where the water washes over from the downspout and they did beautifully - until the stupid landlord piled rocks and mulch on them. Don't worry, I rescued them.

I've counted..10? sprouting outside so far. Pretty sure I planted more than that but they look alright. And the ones that were planted inside are sproutin like crazy DX

What varieties of sunflowers branch out? o .o

Well not really. Im sorta confused as to where I should place a bed for the most part. We have beds along the side fences (think as my yard as a square) and those beds all have blueberry bushes.. ALL of them. The farthest fence from the house doesnt have anything there. It did have a bed but it was just a hot mess of weeds and whatever so I just dug that up. That area has a lot of shade. That and its down a little slope. I don't know what to plant there..if I could.

Is there possibly a shrub that likes water? I was looking at a redtwig dogwood but not too sure about it. The twigs look cool and I read that you prune them and can keep the red twigs as decoration. XD --cause I was also hoping to attract birds and heard that they feel more comfortable around stuff they could hide in or whatever. Cause at the moment the yard is like..a huge open space..with just blueberry bushes lining the sides. Mind you they aren't bushy, just more twiggy than anything.

[TarotBunny]

Also the basil plant I had placed in a container had two little sprouts today. o uo But there was one..sprout? Im not sure it didn't have little leaves.. it looked fuzzy.. s: Any idea what that is? I wasn't sure if it was mold or just being hairy.

[Madame de Sousa]

Quote:

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TarotBunny

Madame de Sousa

TarotBunny

Madame de Sousa

That greenhouse looks really neat. I think I will try it. smile

Ohhhh let me know how it turns out for you. Im experimenting with some baby spinach containers. o uo

I currently have spinich, pumpkin, sunnies, parlesy, marigolds, green beans, tomato and eggplant in containers. biggrin

Dang XD

I just have basil in one container, I lack containers to try it out on everything. DX

Though Im trying to grow sunflowers and cucumber as well. The sunflowers that I put outside just started to sprout after 3 weeks or so. And the sunflowers I tried to germinate indoors have sprouted after 7 days. sweatdrop

And the rest, like the basil and everything are grown indoors. Mainly because I dont have any soil available outside to plant them in and I dont really want them to be potted.

What kinds of sunflowers? My Evening Sunset mix sprouted in less than 5 days outside, while the Mammoth and Teddy Bears have not yet sprouted. Well, some of the first batch sprouted but got eaten by slugs. sad My cukes outside came up in about a week.[/quote

I have lemon queens ( sprouted ) and Mammoth sunnies not