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My Urban Garden (1 Viewer)

E Street Brat

E Street Brat

Footballguy
I live in pretty nice apartment with a large back patio area that over looks a small lake. It’s a nice place to sit and drink some beers in the evening. Anyway, bout three months ago my wife tossed some tomato seeds out in a small dirt area that is between the concrete patio and a fence that separates our patio from the neighbors. Some how the little buggers survived and started to produce some real tomatoes.

Now I’ve got the backyard garden bug. I planted some cucumbers two weeks ago, and once they germinated and started to grow I planted some red radish, and carrots.

I feel like a crack addict, I can’t stop. Next on the list are watermelon, cantaloupe green peppers, and a few corn stalks.

Anybody else have this disease?

Pics included

 
E Street Brat said:
I live in pretty nice apartment with a large back patio area that over looks a small lake. It’s a nice place to sit and drink some beers in the evening. Anyway, bout three months ago my wife tossed some tomato seeds out in a small dirt area that is between the concrete patio and a fence that separates our patio from the neighbors. Some how the little buggers survived and started to produce some real tomatoes.

Now I’ve got the backyard garden bug. I planted some cucumbers two weeks ago, and once they germinated and started to grow I planted some red radish, and carrots.

I feel like a crack addict, I can’t stop. Next on the list are watermelon, cantaloupe green peppers, and a few corn stalks.

Anybody else have this disease?

Pics included
Click to expand...
I got the bug myself a couple of weeks ago and planted a bunch of herbs and tomatoes. All the other veggies are going in next week. Wife is concerned I am going to make our back yard into a farm.

 
Definitely plants some basil & rosemary.

Nothing beats fresh herbs, plus they smell good and act as natural mosquito repellent also.

 
Check out these Earth Boxes. A family member tried them last year and their crop blew ours away. I am trying them this year and hopefully I will have the same success.

LINK

 
I seen these on TV and at Walgreens the other day.

Has anybody tried them?

(ETA it's a topsy tervey. I hate when people post links with out a desscription of what it is and I just did it)

I also seen fresh herbs at Home Depot. Can I just buy those and move them to a bigger pot or is better to stick them in the ground?

 
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Herbs are great. +1 on the Basil, but dont forget Cilantro and Parsley

 
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E Street Brat said:
I live in pretty nice apartment with a large back patio area that over looks a small lake. It’s a nice place to sit and drink some beers in the evening. Anyway, bout three months ago my wife tossed some tomato seeds out in a small dirt area that is between the concrete patio and a fence that separates our patio from the neighbors. Some how the little buggers survived and started to produce some real tomatoes.

Now I’ve got the backyard garden bug. I planted some cucumbers two weeks ago, and once they germinated and started to grow I planted some red radish, and carrots.

I feel like a crack addict, I can’t stop. Next on the list are watermelon, cantaloupe green peppers, and a few corn stalks.

Anybody else have this disease?

Pics included
Click to expand...
Gardening can be a blast. Lots to be said for knowing exactly how what you're eating got to your plate. :lmao: J

 
I've got it too but on a limited basis. I planted tomatoes 2 years ago among those little metal ring deals that help prop them up. Well they got so big that I had to add those metal rings farther and farther away from the base of the plant. By the end of the Summer the plants were about the size of a small car.

So last year I staked them. Saw it on Gardening By the Yard on HGTV. The guy said if you stake you maters that they will produce fruit faster and of higher quality, just not as much quantity. That was not bad since I was giving them away by the grocery bag the year before. So last year I built a very simple trellis and tied my plants to them. By the beginning of August they were 7 feet tall. I grew Better Boy's, Jet Stars, Romas as well as two varieties of yellow tomatoes - Golden Girl and Yellow Boy (that last one doesn't sound right).

I planted them on both sides of that shed and the ones on the right grow quickly early and then fade back as the sun shifts so I am going to go with something else over there this year. Pole beans? Squash? Zucc?

I also do Basil and Rosemary. The rosemary I bring inside in the winter and it does just fine indoors but the basil never survives the winter for me.

Couple of tips for basil and tomatoes. When a stalk of basil starts sending out tiny little leaves at the top it is about to flower. Pull the top leaves off where that is about to happen. Once the Basil flowers it produces smaller leaves that are bitter. If you pull the tops off it will put more energy in making leaves and the leaves will get bigger and bigger.

For tomatoes, after the plant flowers for the first time you want to pull the suckers. This will cause the plant to grow taller and produce more fruit. Here is a link to what a Sucker looks like. They don't need to be clipped. Just pull them back and they will pop off.

 
TheFanatic said:
When a stalk of basil starts sending out tiny little leaves at the top it is about to flower. Pull the top leaves off where that is about to happen. Once the Basil flowers it produces smaller leaves that are bitter. If you pull the tops off it will put more energy in making leaves and the leaves will get bigger and bigger.
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I didn't know this. Thanks for the info.
 
E Street Brat said:
I also seen fresh herbs at Home Depot. Can I just buy those and move them to a bigger pot or is better to stick them in the ground?
Click to expand...
You can do either just as well. I grew herbs for years in pots set in a large deck divider outside the kitchen and they were prolific--both annuals and perennials. In our new place I now have them in a raised bed.Have heard all sorts of recommendations for the Topsy Turvy but none based on personal experience yet so haven't tried them.Those Earth Boxes Buddy Ball referred to look interesting; I've got the land though so may not get to trying them. Container planting with the right strains can be very fruitful--just make sure of the drainage.
 
Steel Dillo said:
TheFanatic said:
When a stalk of basil starts sending out tiny little leaves at the top it is about to flower. Pull the top leaves off where that is about to happen. Once the Basil flowers it produces smaller leaves that are bitter. If you pull the tops off it will put more energy in making leaves and the leaves will get bigger and bigger.
Click to expand...
I didn't know this. Thanks for the info.
Click to expand...
Something else with herbs--fell free to prune off leaves as you need them (just make sure to leave enough for the plant to survive!). Basil is an annual; I actually prefer the leaves before they get huge, so always pinch off the bigger ones when I'm ready to cook. If you get into rosemary, oregano and such--those are perennials; I prune a little heavier in the fall and store for winter use. Drying is pretty easy, but I often freeze them instead depending on how I plan on using them (sprinkling over a salad or adding to a soup, f'rinstance).eta--I saw some rosemary plants last year that were huge--so maybe I'm cutting those back farther than desired. Last fall I pretty much left them alone so I'm looking forward to seeing how they come back this year.
 
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E Street Brat said:
I feel like a crack addict, I can’t stop. Next on the list are watermelon, cantaloupe green peppers, and a few corn stalks. Anybody else have this disease?
Click to expand...
Yes.If you plant corn, it needs to be grouped as the plants pollinate each other. It's why you see then planted in several rows. It looks like you don't have space for that but, another method is to plant several (6-8) stalks together in a mound 12-18 inches in diameter. Even one mound might be sufficient to provide the pollination necessary for proper kernal formation. You will have to water and fertilize. If you catch any fish out of that lake, bury a couple under the mound.
 
glumpy said:
Steel Dillo said:
TheFanatic said:
When a stalk of basil starts sending out tiny little leaves at the top it is about to flower. Pull the top leaves off where that is about to happen. Once the Basil flowers it produces smaller leaves that are bitter. If you pull the tops off it will put more energy in making leaves and the leaves will get bigger and bigger.
Click to expand...
I didn't know this. Thanks for the info.
Click to expand...
Something else with herbs--fell free to prune off leaves as you need them (just make sure to leave enough for the plant to survive!). Basil is an annual; I actually prefer the leaves before they get huge, so always pinch off the bigger ones when I'm ready to cook. If you get into rosemary, oregano and such--those are perennials; I prune a little heavier in the fall and store for winter use. Drying is pretty easy, but I often freeze them instead depending on how I plan on using them (sprinkling over a salad or adding to a soup, f'rinstance).
Click to expand...
Our basil grows like crazy during the summer, so I ususally just cut a whole stalk/stem off at a time.Favorite use is a very simple dish of sliced tomatoes & mozerella cheese, sprinkled with fresh chopped basil, olive oil, balsamic vinegar & a little salt.
 
Speaking of which, I have some five color pepper seeds that I need to plant. I think they will go in the kitchen tonight and in the garden in a few weeks....

I will probably put my tomato plants in the ground this weekend or next. Still a big risk of frost but I can cover them. I also plant some flowers way early. I plant mainly perennials in the ground and more delicate stuff in pots. I can bring the pots in if frost is coming....

 
I have a deck off my Brooklyn apartment, about 3 feet of it gets sun for about 6 hours a day. What can I grow there in pots? I was thinking of trying tomatoes, some strawberries and some herbs. When should I plant them and how much water? We just had snow today, so I'm thinking another few weeks at least.

 
**** Vermeil said:
I have a deck off my Brooklyn apartment, about 3 feet of it gets sun for about 6 hours a day. What can I grow there in pots? I was thinking of trying tomatoes, some strawberries and some herbs. When should I plant them and how much water? We just had snow today, so I'm thinking another few weeks at least.
Click to expand...
Not sure that is enough sun for tomatoes. Tomatoes like a boatload of sun
 
TheFanatic said:
**** Vermeil said:
I have a deck off my Brooklyn apartment, about 3 feet of it gets sun for about 6 hours a day. What can I grow there in pots? I was thinking of trying tomatoes, some strawberries and some herbs. When should I plant them and how much water? We just had snow today, so I'm thinking another few weeks at least.
Click to expand...
Not sure that is enough sun for tomatoes. Tomatoes like a boatload of sun
Click to expand...
If the sun ever comes back out in NYC, I'll track how much time there is direct sun. I could probably start them in the front of the house which gets sun all day and move them back after the seedlings have latched on. Maybe?
 
JAA said:
tipsy mcstagger said:
JAA said:
Herbs are great. +1 on the Basil, but dont forget Cilantro and Parsley
Click to expand...
BasilParsleyMintOreganoDillSageRosemaryCilantroChivesLavenderAnd enough mint plants to supply the restaurant with enough for all the mojitos we make....hopefully.
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what do you do with the lavender?
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Part of the herbs de provence....I don't know but chef said to grow some since I was planting.
 
glumpy said:
Have heard all sorts of recommendations for the Topsy Turvy but none based on personal experience yet so haven't tried them.
Click to expand...
I've done upside down tomatoes for years. I currently have 40 toms growing upside down in two 50' planters with herbs, peppers, strawberries, and greens growing upright from the tops. Don't ask. There's issues but the sales pitch is pretty accurate. You avoid soil born diseases and you don't need to bother with staking or cages. You should grow a determinate tomato as indeterminates need more care and soil over a long growing season. They can also reach the ground very quickly. A planter type determinate is ideal, but pretty much any determinate works. Celebrity and Ace are fine choices for medium to large fruit. Park Seed's Tumbling Toms are cherries marketed specifically for upside down growing.The biggest issue is water leaking onto the plant causing the main stem to split reducing yield dramatically in some cases, killing the plant in others. It's especially damaging with liquid ferts. Food grade sponges wrapped around the stems inside and out prevent this. Branches will reach upward and sometimes break off if they're very thick or bear fruit early. Nipping the first dozen flowers in the bud pays off in the long run. Starting with a leggy plant actually seems to produce a little better yield (burying most of the plant inside the pot on transplanting), which is great for those starting seeds indoors (which are usually much leggier than nursery stock). I wouldn't use the Topsy Turvy unless aesthetics was important though. A five gallon white bucket, drilled in the bottom, is a better growing container, cheaper too, but diy things appeal to me. Another issue is the soil can get a little too warm hanging in the sun and the plant will suffer in hot climates. This is another plus for a white bucket with a lid to seal in moisture. Though you need some evaporation or you get mold. There are ways to shade the soil container, but most are ugly. It's in cool climates where the extra soil warming produces the advertised (great) results.
 
Steel Dillo said:
Favorite use is a very simple dish of sliced tomatoes & mozerella cheese, sprinkled with fresh chopped basil, olive oil, balsamic vinegar & a little salt.
Click to expand...
I'm all about this. To me, great food is simple and fresh like this. Let the other guys screw around with the imported smoked foo foo cheese and the appetizer with 35 ingredients. I'll take a fresh home grown tomato fresh off the vine sliced thick with fresh basil and some garlic salt and mozzarella any day. :lmao:J
 
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Joe Bryant said:
Steel Dillo said:
Favorite use is a very simple dish of sliced tomatoes & mozerella cheese, sprinkled with fresh chopped basil, olive oil, balsamic vinegar & a little salt.
Click to expand...
I'm all about this. To me, great food is simple and fresh like this. Let the other guys screw around with the imported smoked foo foo cheese and the appetizer with 35 ingredients. I'll take a fresh home grown tomato fresh off the vine sliced thick with fresh basil and some garlic salt and mozzarella any day. :lmao:J
Click to expand...
Can't we have both appetizers?
 
shake zula said:
Joe Bryant said:
Steel Dillo said:
Favorite use is a very simple dish of sliced tomatoes & mozerella cheese, sprinkled with fresh chopped basil, olive oil, balsamic vinegar & a little salt.
Click to expand...
I'm all about this. To me, great food is simple and fresh like this. Let the other guys screw around with the imported smoked foo foo cheese and the appetizer with 35 ingredients. I'll take a fresh home grown tomato fresh off the vine sliced thick with fresh basil and some garlic salt and mozzarella any day. :goodposting:J
Click to expand...
Can't we have both appetizers?
Click to expand...
Sure. I'll just choose the fresh / simple / great one over the foo foo one.J
 
Joe Bryant said:
shake zula said:
Joe Bryant said:
Steel Dillo said:
Favorite use is a very simple dish of sliced tomatoes & mozerella cheese, sprinkled with fresh chopped basil, olive oil, balsamic vinegar & a little salt.
Click to expand...
I'm all about this. To me, great food is simple and fresh like this. Let the other guys screw around with the imported smoked foo foo cheese and the appetizer with 35 ingredients. I'll take a fresh home grown tomato fresh off the vine sliced thick with fresh basil and some garlic salt and mozzarella any day. :lmao:J
Click to expand...
Can't we have both appetizers?
Click to expand...
Sure. I'll just choose the fresh / simple / great one over the foo foo one.J
Click to expand...
In some circles the dish you are describing is foo foo.
 
Joe Bryant said:
Steel Dillo said:
Favorite use is a very simple dish of sliced tomatoes & mozerella cheese, sprinkled with fresh chopped basil, olive oil, balsamic vinegar & a little salt.
Click to expand...
I'm all about this. To me, great food is simple and fresh like this. Let the other guys screw around with the imported smoked foo foo cheese and the appetizer with 35 ingredients. I'll take a fresh home grown tomato fresh off the vine sliced thick with fresh basil and some garlic salt and mozzarella any day. :lmao:J
Click to expand...
We do this a lot too. With both red and yellow tomatoes. Gotta use fresh Mozzarella. The soft kind. Here's another one. A thick slice of tomato with a dollop of egg salad on top. A little salt and fresh black pepper....
 
FootballWidow said:
tipsy mcstagger said:
JAA said:
tipsy mcstagger said:
JAA said:
Im still in frost mode. Need another 3 weeks
Click to expand...
Start them seeds in your kitchen.
Click to expand...
Good ideaWho is in your profile pic?
Click to expand...
None other.
Click to expand...
Tipsy, Awhile ago you posted the restaurant mix of seasonings you regularly use. Can you post that again, I can't find it and need to remake a batch.

Thanks.
Click to expand...
Meat Seasoning:2# salt

14 oz. black pepper

2 oz. cayenne

12 oz. paprika

10 oz. granulated garlic

8 oz. onion powder

5 tablespoons ground sage

5 tablespoons ground rosemary

15 ea. bay leaves ground

Seafood Seasoning

4# salt

16 oz. black pepper

4 oz. cayenne

20 oz. paprika

16 oz. garlic powder

10 oz. onion powder

6 oz. thyme

4 1/2 oz. oregano

20 ea. bay leaves ground

8 tablespoons cloves ground

8 tablespoons allspice ground

Those are really big batches.....and make sure to use Penzy's spices. And use very liberally.

 
Planted more herbs and some bell peppers today.

My tomato plants are about 10+ inches high now....cannot believe how nice they are coming along.

Thinking of buying a tiller....anybody have one they recommend? I need one that will chop up the large amount of soft roots I am finding all over my yard. Considering nothing but grass has been growing in the spot I am digging up, I am sort of stumped as to where the heck they are coming from.

Great tomato growing knowledge here.....Johnny's Seeds

 
I was looking for this thread ...

Which tomatoe's do I want to plant? Im looking to make sauces, chili with them. Also consider canning some for future use

 
JAA said:
I was looking for this thread ...Which tomatoe's do I want to plant? Im looking to make sauces, chili with them. Also consider canning some for future use
Click to expand...
Standard beefsteak tomatoes would suffice, but no rules here that I know of. I am sure whatever will work as long as you don't get to exotic. I am just going with Creole tomatoes now, but plan on planting a bunch of heirlooms next time around.
 
JAA said:
I was looking for this thread ...Which tomatoe's do I want to plant? Im looking to make sauces, chili with them. Also consider canning some for future use
Click to expand...
Big fan of Better Boy and Jet Stars for reds. For marinara sauces, romas are a nice addition. Last year I took the last of my romas, sliced them in half, put them flat side down on a cookie sheet and baked them at something like 200 for like 6 hours or until the skin freely pulled off. Threw away the skins and kept the now roasted tomatoes for red sauce.For yellows, I went with Lemon Boy and Golden Girl last year and they were fantastic. Haven't found them yet this year though. I did find a Jumbo Golden that I planted on Sunday along with a Better Boy and something new called a Mr. Stripey. It's a cross between a red and a yellow and comes out striped. I have room for maybe two more plants at the bottom of my stakes. I'm thinking lemon boy and a red I haven't done yet like an heirloom.BTW, since I have grown maters in the same spot the last 2 years I really wanted to replenish the soil so I used my garden claw and completely turned the bed over and then I added a few handfuls of epsom salts, about 3 cups of bone meal and about 25 pounds of good potting soil and turned the bed over again to mix it all up. Then I planted the three that I have. So far so good. Gonna check a place this weekend that has a ton of varieties to see if I can find a lemon boy and heirloom...
 
OK so I have grown tomatoes on both sides of my shed for the last 2 years. The first year the ones on the left side got chewed up by something very early on and didn't produce anything till the very end of the season. This last year they did not get chewed up, shot up faster than the ones on the right early on then faded and didn't produce squat till the end of the season. That side of the shed gets too much shade.

So, I have a trellis built on that location. I can't go very far left or right, but I could go up. What can I grow that heads straight up other than corn? Also, in a very limited area, what would you grow? If you had very little room what would you have to have?

 
Regular Crust Pizza said:
Last frost here is May 15th. This thread makes me sad.
Click to expand...
I plant stuff way before the last potential frost. I keep some plastic plant pots around. Turn them over on top of the small plants you have in the ground the night it is supposed to frost and pull them off in the morning. My tomato plants are all ove 2 inches tall. Even in 3 weeks I can fit them under plastic plant put or a 5 gallon bucket. Even just putting a sheet over them will be good. I planted mine like the 2nd day of spring....Question to Tipsy, bell peppers, can they be staked?
 
I've got a bunch of seedlings going right now:

spinach

carrots

Brandywine tomatoes

San Marzano tomatoes

4 variety of peppers

onion

wide variety of herbs

and in a few weeks will start potatoes and berries.

The earthboxes were mentioned here previously...I saw that HSN had a deal on that day for $40...so I ordered 3...which came yesterday. I'm excited to see how they work out.

I plan on a mishmash garden. Raised beds, earth boxes and containers....potatoes will be grown in garbage cans.

I also started a worm composting bin about 2 months ago and the worms are thriving...eating about 1/2lb of vegetable food waste everyday. Supposedly, worm poop is a great fertilizer when made into a "tea" and the compost is full of macro-nutrients. I figure worst case...I got fishing worms for the summer. The worm population has grown from a starter bunch of about 1000...to I'm guessing 1200-1500. I've kept the worms inside the house too...no bad smell at all...in fact there is no smell. My wife is beginning to think I'm edging closer to Ed Beagly Jr....I tell her just wait until I can hook up the dish washer to an exercise bike...then the transition will be complete. In all honesty...the worms go outside once the nighttime temp is above freezing. And by next fall I hope to have some kind of outside "wintering" bin for them.

 
Tell me more about this worm farm.

I think there was thread on ol Yeller about making them in storage bins and feeding them newspapers

 
tipsy mcstagger said:
Planted more herbs and some bell peppers today.

My tomato plants are about 10+ inches high now....cannot believe how nice they are coming along.

Thinking of buying a tiller....anybody have one they recommend? I need one that will chop up the large amount of soft roots I am finding all over my yard. Considering nothing but grass has been growing in the spot I am digging up, I am sort of stumped as to where the heck they are coming from.

Great tomato growing knowledge here.....Johnny's Seeds
Click to expand...
Thanks for the link. I wish I had that a month ago.
 
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