2013 Container Garden Plans

Discussion in 'Gardening' started by homeschoolmama, Mar 5, 2013.

  1. Lostsoul667

    Lostsoul667 Member

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    thanks for the advice.

    Currently waiting on a ride out to home depot to get some sand. Put the herbs outside in a very sunny spot to dry out the soil which worked nicely. I've heard home and garden spray works well with the fungus gnats but you don't want to use that on anything your going to be consuming correct?
     
  2. Meliai

    Meliai Banned

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    Does anyone know an organic way to get rid of fire ants?

    We are having a huge ant problem this year. They're everywhere here...I passed a cow field yesterday and there were ant hills every few feet, spread out in a grid-like pattern all over the field.

    This doesn't really pertain to container gardening, but I thought someone in this thread might have a good idea...we've already had ants take over a couple of mounds in our vegetable garden. We tried sprinkling cinnamon as I heard it can be an irritant, and I'm going to try spraying vinegar around the garden as I read that confuses ants because they lose their smell trail...

    Does anyone have any other suggestions?
     
  3. Ranger

    Ranger Hip Forums Supporter HipForums Supporter

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  4. poor_old_dad

    poor_old_dad Senior Member

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    Correct.

    For fire ants:
    One thing I know works with ant beds is (for a guy) to pee on them. Every chance you can, for a few days, ants are gone.

    Also try: http://www.dirtdoctor.com/Organic-Fire-Ant-Control_vq123.htm

    There is also ORMI listed Safer Brand Ant and Crawling Insect Killer with diatomaceous earth. http://www.saferbrand.com/store/insect-control/51702

    I read about this treatment in Mother Earth News, you take a shovelful of one fire ant mound and dump it on top of another mound nearby. The ants are territorial and kill each other. Not too sure about that one...

    Peace,
    poor_old_dad
     
  5. homeschoolmama

    homeschoolmama Senior Member

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    Well... here's our garden as of right this minute - looking out onto my "new deck."
    [​IMG]
    Note the presence of yet another winter storm that's due to dump 8-12" on us by tomorrow morning? Yeah, the ground is still squidgy where it's not frozen, meaning we can't even begin the deck yet.

    The beans, fullsize tomatoes & squash are up nicely. I haven't seen the cherry tomatoes or jalapenos show up yet, but they're always the last to surface. At this point I'm seriously considering starting my cucumbers as well. The problem is, if they start getting very tall at all, I don't have a great indoor-solution for supporting those vines! Not that won't be taken up by my beans, at least.

    I'd love to hear how everyone else's gardens are doing right now! There's a serious case of cabin fever brewing in my neighborhood.

    love,
    mom
     
  6. Lostsoul667

    Lostsoul667 Member

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    I wish i was having your luck my tomatoes aren't coming up at all. But i kinda of expected that since this is my first year starting from seeds instead buying starts.
     
  7. homeschoolmama

    homeschoolmama Senior Member

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    Wow... what a difference four days can make with seedlings.
    [​IMG]
    Here they are this afternoon, with yet another 5-9" snowstorm outside the window. *sigh* BUT my cherry tomatoes have surfaced! Just waiting on the jalapenos now. Well, and for it to stop snowing.
    [​IMG]
    And... I think it's time to turn my pots around. Poor lil things look like they're staring out the window, with almost as much cabin-fever as *I* have at this point.

    love,
    mom
     
  8. homeschoolmama

    homeschoolmama Senior Member

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    My deck is up!!! Took three days, and we assembled the thing in weather cold enough we could see our breath... but it's finally up!

    Here's the deck as of last night:
    [​IMG]

    And here it is today!
    [​IMG] This is the "North Half" of the deck. On the left I've got: Sweet Dumpling pumpkins, Lemon squash, mesclun-blend salad greens, Tonda Di Parigi carrots... and the blue bins in the lower left-hand corner WILL hold Ananas Noire tomatoes; they're hardening-up in the bin between the squash & the lettuce currently.

    On the right, there's more pumpkins & squash, two blue bins that WILL hold Black cherry tomatoes, and more tomatoes hanging out in the black bins that WILL hold herbs just in front of the door. The gap you see at the end of the deck is where the stairs will be.

    [​IMG] And this is the "South Half" of the deck. There WILL be a blue pot on the left side holding cucumbers, and another black bin full of herbs. They're currently holding a few plants that needed to be moved to make room for the stairs, but I'll have them emptied & up on the deck by the end of the weekend.

    On the right, there's: Purple Pole-beans, 4 bins that'll hold the Ananas Noire tomatoes, and then you can see the carrots & lettuce again.
     
  9. homeschoolmama

    homeschoolmama Senior Member

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    Um... somehow when I was transplanting things this afternoon, I forgot my peppers!

    So in the North-facing photo, the bin on the left that you can see holding tomatoes waiting to be transplanted is now holding jalapeno peppers.

    Silly me, somehow I put them with all the tomatoes, and completely forgot about them!
     

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