Still not out of the woods for frost, but I transplanted the non hardened broom corn and planted some more seeds with them. I also transplanted a couple Marigold and Nasturtium starts with some seeds as well.

I left some space between the tall ornamental grasses as I’ve gotten a cold frame to install on the block above this narrow bed.

There's a large spot at the front of my house underneath an awning that doesn't get any direct sunlight (except for in the early morning hours). And I'd really like to add some foundational shrubs to grow against the side of the house. I've considered just filling the whole space with boxwood. The problem is that I'd like to have something colorful and pretty there too.

Does anyone know of any mounding / shrub-like periennials that:

1. Thrive in the shade
2. Can tolerate cold winters
3. Bloom

( any and all advice would be appreciated! )

They're getting so tall! With neat little leaves!

I wanted to thank everyone for their kind advice on my first post.

I've got my plants in the ground, and I figured I'd give updates on my progress so I can get more guidance and contribute to the content available here on Lemmy.

From the back of the bed by my chain link fence, I've got two pairs of two varieties of cucumber, with some lettuce planted in the back corner. I intend to train those cucumbers onto the fence to ensure they didn't take over the bed.

In the middle, I've got one each of rosemary, dill, African basil, sweet basil, and peppermint.

On the front, I've got some determinate and semi-determinate tomatoes to include one Celebrity, two Roma, and one Green Zebra plants.

I've lined the front and left side with Marigolds, transplanting six plants and seeding some more in the spaces in between.

I've also got an indeterminate Whopper tomato plant in a big planter a short way to the left of the bed, and a container with onion starts.

I realize that my depth will likely not be enough for the larger plants, but I'm trying, nonetheless. I'm particularly hoping the determinate tomatoes might work out.

I've got pictures of most everything, but I wasn't sure if it would be obnoxious to post them all.

I watered daily the first week with a can, then deeply watered at the end of the week with a new wand I bought for my hose. The next week, I backed off to ensure I didn't over-water, but I made sure to do the finger test daily to ensure the soil was staying moist.

With rain over the last few days, my tomatoes have started to flower, though they haven't gotten much taller. The marigold seeds have broken ground, along with the lettuce and, surprisingly, my onions, with I had started much later.

I'm considering what I need to do next. Two weeks in, I'm thinking some fertilizer is in order. I'm also wondering whether I need to do some sort of spray or something for pests. A few of my cucumbers seem like something is eating the leaves.

I did prune some tomato leaves that were dragging on the ground. I've heard it's important to do that to avoid fungal issues.

One issue I'm concerned about is that there's a lot of shade in the morning. However, the bed does get full sun in the afternoon for 6-8 hours. I'm hoping the early shade will offset the brutal summer sun here in South Carolina. It gets terribly hot and the UV seems high here, and I've seen at least one gardener I follow on YouTube just to the northeast of me who recommends shade cloth for tomatoes and cucumbers as temperatures rise

What do you guys think so far? Would you like some more pictures?

Consequences of still going hard, but not being able to install a greenhouse this year. These have taken over two 3x3 grow tents and then some.

There’s more germing on some heat mats too!

These are a collection of flowers; marigolds, aster, lupins, nasturtiums, straw flower, corn flower, decorative grass.

There is also for veggies; peppers (9 types), tomatoes (9 types), onions and leeks.

On the heatmat, there’s the 4-6 week starts, so cucumber, melons, more flowers and some cucamelon.

I have found that this rhubarb has been a great companion for the apple tree as it shades the roots and competes well with the weeds such as the incessant and detestable buttercups

cross-posted from: https://slrpnk.net/post/21151049

TL;DR

You can buy shot dispensers, that dose a certain amount of liquid (usually 20 ml) with each pour, and then make your own stock solution for your fertilizer.

With that, you can create your nutrient solutions WAY quicker and don't have to measure anything.

I have made it that one shot per watering can equals the exact dosing recommendations for the final nutrient solution, with the extra benefit that the fertilizer doesn't spoil.

Why?

Measuring and dosing fertilizer can be a tedious task.

I for example use Masterblend for my hydroponic setups, including all of my houseplants, which is a 3-part fertilizer that comes in form of a highly concentrated powder and includes everything the plant needs.

You can still use liquid nutrients if you prefer, especially if you need smaller amounts. I personally like to mix it myself, because it's way cheaper than having someone else dissolving salt for you and then slapping a premium price tag on it ;)

Most of my dosing is done for very small volumes, e.g. one liter. Having to weight the exact amounts (usually in the range of less than 1 g) every single time I refill my small watering can would be very impractical to say it at least.

But even when using an one-part liquid fertilizer that's meant for soil or house plants, it can be annoying to use the dosing cap every time.

I highly recommend to add fertilizer every time you water your plants.
You don't want to eat your day's worth of calories in one sitting, and your plants feel the same, even though dosing recommendations tell you otherwise.
Adding those huge amounts of minerals can be a big stress factor for many sensitive plants, and spacing the nutrients gives the plants more time to absorb them properly.

How?

Here's how I made it. Take it as an inspiration for your workflow if you want.

1. Mix the Masterblend with the Magnesium sulphate in a ratio of 2:1.
2. If you need big amounts at once, e.g. for refilling your reservoir with 20 liters, you still have to weight the amounts individually. For the final nutrient solution, you'll need 0,8 g/l of your Masterblend and epson salt mix, which I will from now on call part A, aswell as 0,53 g/l of Calcium nitrate.
3. I now dissolve 30 g of part A and 20 g of part B individually in water and add it do a 750 ml bottle.
4. When everything is dissolved, I can now add one shot each from solution A and B into my 1 l watering can and then fill it up with rainwater, which gives me the exact amount most of my plants need.

Anyone know how long this little Gaillardia pulchella, firewheel guy will take to go from where it's at, to fully bloomed?

It’s my understanding that a bunch of root vegetables like carrots, daikons, turnips, parsnips, rutabagas, etc. all grow their first year to store energy for the second years seeding.

Parsnips and turnips/rutabaga iirc say to harvest after a frost or two to sweeten them up, so I missed a bunch.

These are onion starts that I planted last spring in a garden bed I hadn’t properly cleaned up last fall.

Of course these are doing better than the actual spring onion starts I germed this year -.-

Previous post: https://lemmy.world/post/26979276

So far 2 of the 3 scions are putting out growth. I'm hoping the 3rd gets around to it eventually.

In the picture there’s a good assortment of 6-8 week starts. In no particular order there is; marigolds, nasturtiums, onions, broom corn (6” pots), zinnias, 8 or so tomato and pepper variety’s. Some of the tomatoes and peppers are mixed between the domes and the cups.

The other tent will be available this weekend, still have a window of starts. Still can’t work the soil, but this weekend I should be able to start spring cleaning if it doesn’t snow again.

LFG growmies!

I've just put together a 4x8 raised bed in central South Carolina, USA. It's about 12 in deep. I filled it first with branches and larger limbs, then a layer of dead leaves, and finally a mixture of compost, manure, topsoil, and garden soil. I'm planning to start planting this next weekend. I'm trying to put together a plan for what to plant. The picture above shows kind of a first shot at putting it all together on the veg plotter tool.

I've got marigolds on the corners with tomatoes in the back, alternating with lettuce, cucumbers on either side. I'm thinking I'll have some carrots interspersed with some dill, garlic and basil. The rest is rounded out with yellow squash and zucchini.

So I know this is probably way too crowded, but these are all plants I'd be interested in potentially cultivating. The tomatoes and cucumbers are definites, and the herbs and marigolds are meant to be companion plants to keep away pests and attract pollinating insects.

Please tear this ridiculous amateurish diagram apart, and let me know what I should do instead 😅

It ain't much, but it's honest work.

The box I cobbled together from old pallets, dirt is a mix of potting soil and local dirt spiced with chicken poo.

For the more observant viewers, you may notice that the closest 'V' is slimmer than the upper square -- the pallets were a little short. I plan to plant smaller vegetables in those areas.

Nothing special, just some potting soil and some cups.

Fill up with dirt, make a hole and drop the Brownies in and water lightly.

We are the proud owners of a Valencia Orange, lime, and lemon tree!! I just repotted this one from the container it came in. Hopefully we’ll get some fruit this year?

based on the smell and allergic reaction i just had. im guessing its strawberry mint i was gifted that jumped pots before i could murder it all last summer.

Flowers starts are starting fantastically!

In the back row are lupins and Asters in rockwool. I’m surprised the Lupins have sprouted, supposed to take 30+ days.

In the middle the left is Nasturtiums, cat grass and Asters sowed in dirt.

Front row is Zinnias and Marigolds in rockwool and another direct sow Asters.

I also have a few heat mats of tomato, pepper, onion and leek starts!

I have a pretty big seed collection, I've only planted potatoes so far 😅