Does anyone vegetable garden?

[messaggera]

A few years ago I setup a hydroponic garden on my flat roof as I have no yard. Basically a demonstration on how engineers garden. The whole project got set aside after my son was born due to the financial and time constraints he brought with him. Hopefully I will get it up and running again this summer.

Which system would you suggest? I planted some cucumbers, zucchini, spinach and kale in dirt starter pods. The packet said start 3 months before planting, within two days all have out grown the pods. I do not want to repot in dirt, and was thinking of constructing a system. Not necessarily as the illustrated/structural set up below, but rather keeping the same operational system/concept presented below.

This would be a great learning and hands on project for homeschooling as a family. Assuming a hardware and pet store should have all the items: water circulation pump, air stone, hardware, etc.. I have plant nutrient solution from using an Aerogarden system.

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

 

[Laner]

Which system would you suggest? I planted some cucumbers, zucchini, spinach and kale in dirt starter pods. The packet said start 3 months before planting, within two days all have out grown the pods. I do not want to repot in dirt, and was thinking of constructing a system. Not necessarily as the illustrated/structural set up below, but rather keeping the same operational system/concept presented below.

This would be a great learning and hands on project for homeschooling as a family. Assuming a hardware and pet store should have all the items: water circulation pump, air stone, hardware, etc.. I have plant nutrient solution from using an Aerogarden system.

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

View attachment 28998

I have seen a lot of the Nutrient Film Technique. It seems the most common, so there must be a reason for it.

I have also thought of getting something like that going. Probably just buy some old bus bin carts and fix them up to hold some lights and plants. Like you, it be more for a family learning project than anything else.

My breakthrough moment in gardening was when my young son came running in one day saying his carrots had sprouted. He was elated. Then again when he harvested his first potatoes. I could hear him screaming in excitement as him and my mom popped them up. There is something very family oriented about farming that touches the soul.

 

[SchoolApple]

I've grown mint, orange, peas, and pineapple. Everything else died.

 

[Hell_Is_Like_Newark]

Which system would you suggest?

I did recirculating deep water culture which is circulates nutrient solution like nutrient film but deeper. The reason I chose it was because with a system on a roof, excessive heat is an issue. RDWC provide a buffer and some short term protection should the power go out or a pump fail before the roots died.

My system had issues though. I made the drains too small. So when roots grew down into the drains, they would clog. I never got around to finish my re-design due to wife's preganancy and later cancer battle. I hope to get back to it this spring.

 

[messaggera]

I did recirculating deep water culture which is circulates nutrient solution like nutrient film but deeper. The reason I chose it was because with a system on a roof, excessive heat is an issue. RDWC provide a buffer and some short term protection should the power go out or a pump fail before the roots died.

My system had issues though. I made the drains too small. So when roots grew down into the drains, they would clog. I never got around to finish my re-design due to wife's preganancy and later cancer battle. I hope to get back to it this spring.

Thank you for sharing your experiences. Those were the two operational systems being considered. Now I know why the RDWC works best with plants in heat for long periods of time.

Problem is my cucumbers and zucchinis are growing too fast, and I will need to figure out a trellis set-up on top of the system itself.

Hoping you can get back to the project when time allows, and provide some advice and suggestions.
Sorry to hear about your family's battle with cancer. Praying God provides you with the strength and the guidance best for your family's needs.

 

[Starlight]

Sadly I haven't gardened before...was raised in cities and my parents didn't care. I want to start growing food as I'm worried about a future shortage due to Biden policies, but I don't have a large backyard and live in a desert. What are the best options? I'm thinking squash/broccoli/edamame might be the most useful. Any advice?

Where I live it’s flippin’ hot in the summer with several triple digit heatwaves for days at a time and temperate to cool the rest of the year with night freezes in the winter. We got about three inches of rain last year and have water use restrictions, so that makes plants really limited lol.

The plants we’ve grown successfully with minimal upkeep that didn’t mind the heat and sun were: peppers, tomatoes, zucchini, and citrus. Hardy herbs with woody stalks like rosemary and lavender looove heat, sun, and dry soil. I haven’t watered my lavender in at least three weeks and they’re as perky as ever and I never water the rosemary.

The nice thing about citrus is that they do really well in (large) pots and can be pruned to whatever size/shape you like. I’ve seen lemon trees pruned as three-to-four foot hedges and they are extremely pretty while also being useful.

I don’t have any but olive trees are another option. My mom used to brine olives. She said it was a pain in the neck but they were really tasty. Good for you too!

The nice thing about hot weather plants is that once they’re established, they really don’t need a lot of upkeep. They pretty much take care of themselves as long as they get watered every now and then.

 

[dragonfire00]

Where I live it’s flippin’ hot in the summer with several triple digit heatwaves for days at a time and temperate to cool the rest of the year with night freezes in the winter. We got about three inches of rain last year and have water use restrictions, so that makes plants really limited lol.

The plants we’ve grown successfully with minimal upkeep that didn’t mind the heat and sun were: peppers, tomatoes, zucchini, and citrus. Hardy herbs with woody stalks like rosemary and lavender looove heat, sun, and dry soil. I haven’t watered my lavender in at least three weeks and they’re as perky as ever and I never water the rosemary.

The nice thing about citrus is that they do really well in (large) pots and can be pruned to whatever size/shape you like. I’ve seen lemon trees pruned as three-to-four foot hedges and they are extremely pretty while also being useful.

I don’t have any but olive trees are another option. My mom used to brine olives. She said it was a pain in the neck but they were really tasty. Good for you too!

The nice thing about hot weather plants is that once they’re established, they really don’t need a lot of upkeep. They pretty much take care of themselves as long as they get watered every now and then.

We might live in the same area! lol. Thanks so much I'll look into this. Our neighbors have lemon/orange trees so that makes sense. I have some lavender/rosemary pots already so excited to try that!

 

[Laner]

I am about to try taking some cut Alder branches and try growing them.

We will start inside first to get the roots going, then when the spring hits move them outside. Its more or less an experiment to see how fast we can get some privacy type bushes for the summer.

Also I need to get on building my raised beds.

 

[Lamkins]

I have a couple of raised beds my dad built at their house he’s given to me. Now to get them over here! Starting tomato seed early next week. And at some point when it gets above 20 degrees we need to set the posts for the vining veggie Supports. When I’m tired like today I‘m not enthusiastic about any of this, but that’s why God invented coffee, yeah?

 

[NoMoreTO]

My seed order arrived. I probably could have ordered online for pickup just as easily from a local store but I went throughTrue Leaf Market seeds. I have access to a greenhouse to get them started, and a friend and I are thinking about some raised beds, or just transplanting them direct into the ground.

I ordered all Heirloom seeds about a month ago. There were warnings about a shortage, so I bought some just to be sure. I have watched enough about the food shortage conspiracy to be a little concerned. At the same time, I'm not seeing the grocery store shelves go dry anytime soon with suppy chain issues. All that said, with lockdown, having a garden and eating fresh is also a good past time.

Anyone else growing similar to the seeds below this year? It'll be good for us to share our processes, or mistakes we've made in the past on here for those of us like myself who are relative newbies.

Benefits of Heirloom Seeds

• Heirloom Seeds Have Colorful Pasts. Because heirlooms are old, many of these seed varieties have interesting histories associated with them. ...
• Heirlooms Are Time-Tested. ...
• You Can Keep Saving Heirloom Seeds Each Year. ...
• Heirlooms are Guaranteed Non-GMO. ...
• Heirloom Seeds Can Be Organic.

 

[Laner]

We get all heirloom from West Coast Seeds and did carrots, chives, peas, beans, tomatoes, kale and potatoes last year.

Carrots this year will go in a raised bed and we will do the corn starch gel method. Thinning carrots is kind of sad, especially when there are 5 or so carrot sprouts that would have all been nice carrots.

We will probably just toss the seed potatoes into the forest again this year and forget about them till harvest, but they are my son's crop so I will leave that up to him. He likes them around his tree house with his wild onions.

This reminds me I need to order my asparagus crowns!

 

[messaggera]

Anyone else growing similar to the seeds below this year? It'll be good for us to share our processes, or mistakes we've made in the past on here for those of us like myself who are relative newbies.

Last year seeds grown from the list - all with an AeroGarden system - all were planted in the garden and produced.

• Pepper
• Cucumber
• Tomato

This year seeds grown from the list were soaked and planted:

• Pepper
• Cucumber
• Tomato
• Pea

The pea seeds were hard to touch, so I soaked until the seeds germinated in the water.
I changed the water everyday. The soaking seeds had 12-16 hours of grow light (from the two AEROgarden)
Planted in a Jiffy starter pod (should plant in a pot).

Cucumber and Pepper seeds soaked in warm water for 24 hours under 12-16 hours of light. Planted in Jiffy starter pod. Under grow light for 12-16 hours.Cucumber and zucchini are fast growers within days seeds came through the dirt. Peppers took twice as long to break dirt.

Tomato seeds I soaked 24 hours then wrapped in wet paper towel and rolled up - within a few days germination - the seeds are still in the paper towel from Tuesday. These seeds will be interesting to see grow given the package is from 2003.

No seeds or plants out of the Aerogarden received any food.
Lots of light and water seem to be the key, but plants will grow faster than expected. I have a planting problem now with the cucumber and zucchini.

Tomato plants with fruit will seed themselves over the spring with a season cycle of a true Winter (snow) - Spring - Summer - Autumn (trees loss leaves)

 

[Lamkins]

I’m growing all heirlooms except a melon. I got that one as a free gift. I want to be able to save seed eventually. I got the closet shelf cleared today. Hubby hung the lights. Next Tuesday I’ll start the tomato seeds and lettuce. The lettuce will be ready to harvest long before spring arrives. I’m intentionally trying it grown under lights. I’ve never successfully grown tomatoes from seed, so I hope they don’t get too big before it’s time to put in the ground.

Edited to say I love hearing everyone’s experiences and plans!

 

[Kitty Tantrum]

I should be getting going with our garden really soon, but I am not feeling motivated. I get easily frustrated by projects that I just don't have the space/capacity to do on a big scale, I think.

I did poke around the other day to see what all had survived past the point when I more or less abandoned everything when it started really winding down, and was pleasantly surprised. I've still got kale, chard, leeks, carrots, parsnips, green onions, lots of parsley because that grows like weeds, some tiny sage plants that I never transferred out of the little start pots that are still hanging in there, and a potted peppermint plant that I might not have actually killed.

My strawberry plants have also survived so far in spite of being pretty exposed in their little fabric grow bags. But as an experimental sacrifice, they have certainly not received ideal care and I don't know how well they'll actually bear fruit this year.

My husband wants to build a hydroponic growing system of some sort. I'm not sure if we'll actually do that this year, though. Me, I like dirt.

I'm itching to buy land more than ever these days.

 

[OutlawJustice]

Sadly I haven't gardened before...was raised in cities and my parents didn't care. I want to start growing food as I'm worried about a future shortage due to Biden policies, but I don't have a large backyard and live in a desert. What are the best options? I'm thinking squash/broccoli/edamame might be the most useful. Any advice?

Check out hte harvest zone for your area. you'll find which crops do well in it.

 

[messaggera]

My husband wants to build a hydroponic growing system of some sort. I'm not sure if we'll actually do that this year, though. Me, I like dirt.

What I want to build is not what we will built for inside, most likely just a plastice container with holes - similar to an aerogarden.
The experience is building the unit as a family. The photo on the left - I think the bucket needs to be covered.

I am about to try taking some cut Alder branches and try growing them.

How are the Alder branches doing with rooting inside?
American arborvitae are fast growers and great for acting as privacy screens - wind barriers too.

Anyone else growing similar to the seeds below this year? It'll be good for us to share our processes, or mistakes we've made in the past on here for those of us like myself who are relative newbies.

How are your seeds coming along? I planted the germinate circa 2003 tomatoes seeds two days ago.

 

[NoMoreTO]

How are your seeds coming along? I planted the germinate circa 2003 tomatoes seeds two days ago.

I haven't started. Its still -10 where I am. My plan is to begin to germinate them in an old greenhouse in Mid March.

 

[Laner]

What I want to build is not what we will built for inside, most likely just a plastice container with holes - similar to an aerogarden.
The experience is building the unit as a family. The photo on the left - I think the bucket needs to be covered.

View attachment 29245View attachment 29244



How are the Alder branches doing with rooting inside?
American arborvitae are fast growers and great for acting as privacy screens - wind barriers too.



How are your seeds coming along? I planted the germinate circa 2003 tomatoes seeds two days ago.

Just got a big dump of snow, so we are going to do this tomorrow after its melted.

 

[Lamkins]

I finally got my tomato and lettuce seeds started today. Yes, I took a pic and it’s below. I’m pretty excited! We also set the posts for my clothesline (I love line dried sheets and towels!) and discovered even with an electric auger there are too many rocks to dig holes for posts. We are rethinking what to do about posts for the veggie garden.

 

[Laner]

I whipped up one of these this weekend to hold some seed trays. This one is for onions.


I am going to make a stainless rack that I can move up and down. It will hold 2 large seed trays for now. I will do up another light on the other side of those posts to double the rack to 4 trays.

My garlic and kale is starting to grow pretty fast now! I saw some tulips popping up yesterday, so I expect the daffodils to be here any day now!