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Gardening Thread

oh man that grass is the worst.

I've had to plead with my roommate (whose father owns the house) not to re-seed our yard. We are the only ones on the block with Bermuda, so ours is brown while the rest of the yards are greenish over the winter. BUT OURS IS SO BALLER IN THE SUMMER.
 
Pit Gardeners.

The mosquitoes are supposed to be EPIC this year in Cincinnati. Last year was absolutely terrible, but this one is supposed to be worse.

I'm planning on planting some Basil and Catnip in planters that I can hang from our back deck railing. From what I understand, this stuff emits some powerful smells that confuse the mosquitoes and prevent them from homing in on you.

These will be used in conjunction with citronella candles and/or tiki torches, but I wanted an organic solution that doesn't require bug spray.

These herbs are apparently pretty easy to grow, but I figured I'd ask first. I'm going to head over to Home Depot later and pick up the following supplies:

Whole plants
Seed packets
Potting soil
Planters

I'm going to try to buy some whole plants and some seed packets so I can have some backups in case something goes wrong. A few questions...

Any specific type of potting soil needed? I've read that you should have a layer of gravel on the bottom of the planter to promote root growth. Necessary? Should I put these in pots, one per plant, or should I grow multiples in large, skinny planters?
 
We've been eating Kale, Spinach and Romaine out of the garden now for a few days. The snap peas and broccoli are still coming in, and some potatoes that were sprouting on the counter are really taking off since we threw them in the ground. I've never grown potatoes before...any idea how long I should wait before digging down to see what there is to harvest?

Heading out this weekend to buy seeds and seedlings for the big spring planting.
 
You can't really mess up herbs. What kind of basil are you gonna get?
 
TownieDeac said:
You can't really mess up herbs. What kind of basil are you gonna get?
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Yeah, they grow like weeds...mint has a pretty strong smell and grows really easily as well. Might be worth considering if it's on the list of things that helps with mosquitoes.
 
TownieDeac said:
You can't really mess up herbs. What kind of basil are you gonna get?
Click to expand...

Not sure. I saw Asian basil and regular basil at the store last night. I'm not sure I'll eat much of it, but I definitely want the variety that is the most pungent.

RacerDeac said:
Yeah, they grow like weeds...mint has a pretty strong smell and grows really easily as well. Might be worth considering if it's on the list of things that helps with mosquitoes.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I wouldn't mind mixing it up with a bunch of different types. I'll pick up some mint as well.
 
And to keep bugs off the rest of your crops, marigolds work wonders in my experience, and look pretty nice too.
 
TWDeac said:
The mosquitoes are supposed to be EPIC this year in Cincinnati. Last year was absolutely terrible, but this one is supposed to be worse.
Click to expand...

Another thing to consider: Build some bat boxes.

Quick research doesn't reveal that mint would be worthwhile. Things that are said to repel mosquitoes are basil, garlic, and lemon thyme from what I've read.
 
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The propane guys have been advertising the hell out of the propane mosquito traps. I've never tried them, but they say they work wonders.

Truthfully, I've never come across anything that really did keep them at bay.
 
TWDeac said:
Any specific type of potting soil needed? I've read that you should have a layer of gravel on the bottom of the planter to promote root growth. Necessary? Should I put these in pots, one per plant, or should I grow multiples in large, skinny planters?
Click to expand...

typically, the gravel on the bottom is for good water drainage...i am not sure about root growth. i think you can grow the catnip togeters (like a grass) but i would run a different system with the basil. they can grow relatively large and need room for growth. if you are starting from seeds, which i am experimenting this season from my tomato plants from last season, there is a system...from what i have read.

system: get soil with 50-60% Vermiculite. then i baked (yes, in the oven) at a low temp (250, i believe) for 30 minutes to sterilize the soil. finally we planted the seeds in the soil and water from underneath (a lot of holes in the bottom of an aluminum food container). our seeds are coming up like crazy! we must have 100+ Black Cherry, Cherokee Purple, and a few other Heirloom varieties that i can't remember.

it's a pain in the ass, but not too bad. you could also just put the seeds in a container and see what happens, especially if you are not needing/wanting a high % of seed growth.
 
Awesome advice guys. I appreciate it.

Bat boxes are probably out of the question. I'm not going to spend much money on this stuff and figured that some plants would be the best option if I wanted to do anything about it.

I'm surprised that you've heard that mint doesn't work. It's very pungent and so I'd think it would be just as effective. Especially when combined with any other plants. I'm probably still going to try it.

I'll probably put the catnip in planter boxes and put the basil plants in bigger pots.

Any advice for planting grown plants that you buy at Home Depot/Lowes?
 
TWDeac said:
Any advice for planting grown plants that you buy at Home Depot/Lowes?
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What kind of grown plants are you referring to?


I just planted my 4 new Cabernet Sauvignon vines yesterday, and got my hops plants in the ground last weekend. I love this time of year.
 
My little seed pods are sprouting. The row of Marigolds is growing like gangbusters.

Some of the other herbs are showing signs of life as well.
 
Anyone else harvesting and eating greens right now? Kale, young spinach, romaine, mesculin and even some chard -it has been a great early spring for fresh greens.
 
West End Deac said:
Anyone else harvesting and eating greens right now? Kale, young spinach, romaine, mesculin and even some chard -it has been a great early spring for fresh greens.
Click to expand...

My spinach is nearly done. Have tons of collards, kale, and romaine.
 
i FINALLY filled those planters this past weekend, using the suggestion tsy gave about having a focal plant surrounded by others (it's also what the local flower shop advised me to do). there's a plant that will grow year-round in the middle, and then petunias all around (and they said i should switch out the petunias for pansies in the fall), which they said would do quite well in the direct sunlight.

of course, like mme said, now there's a freeze warning. i hope they survive the night.
 
tsywake said:
What kind of grown plants are you referring to?
Click to expand...

If my plants fail to grow, I'm going to buy Basil, Catnip, Marigolds and possibly Spearmint. I'm probably going to put them all in their own pots around the back deck. For various reasons, I don't want to plant them in the ground.

What will I need to do this? Also, what will I need to transplant my growing plants out of the small planter pod and into a larger pot?
 
I think I'm going to need some plant food to put in the bottom water tray once more of the plants begin sprouting. Is that correct?
 
Hoops, one of the prettiest things we have done with our two large planters on the deck is to create all-white flowers and greenery. I was skeptical on the idea until I saw the effect of white and green together. Very calming and classy. We have loads of colorful flowers on our deck, but the green and whites are our favorites. It's fun selecting the arrangements and combining low ground cover with taller flowers and greenery. I don't put them in til Mother's Day. They last beautifully thru early October
 
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