Gardening season 2018 question thread

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blue_moon
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Gardening season 2018 question thread

Post by blue_moon »

Hey you guys :)

Since we don't have snow and only a little frost every now and then, gardening season starts early here.

Just ordered some seeds few days ago and can't wait.

I wasn't very lucky last year... i hope starting the seeds early will make a difference.
Past years i baught some special soil but i'm not even know if the soil has to be "a special one" - this is my second garden year with a garden. Can i just use some compost to start the seeds? Mixed with some sand.

Can anyone help?

More first/second/thirs time gardeners or pros here want to participate?
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SpiritTalker
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Re: Gardening season 2018 question thread

Post by SpiritTalker »

It can help to soften seeds by laying them out on a damp paper towel and covering it with another damp paper towel over night before placing the seeds into a potting mix. Peat moss & well rinsed sand makes a nice mix. Then the soil needs to be above 50 degreesF for seeds to respond. Compost made from scratch may have fertilizer residue that can burn seeds as the stuff is meant to feed established roots, not tender seeds. I live where we can have frost until mid May.
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Re: Gardening season 2018 question thread

Post by ofthetrees »

I started my seeds last weekend indoors and have a few sproutlings :) heirloom tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, and mint and basil. I live in the Pacific Northwest, so it is still rather cold here for probably at least another month. But having them ready to transplant always works better for me.

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blue_moon
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Re: Gardening season 2018 question thread

Post by blue_moon »

Well... :) it's not warm enough yet outside. Last year we had some northern winds that braught some mean frost.

Do you think i can use my garden compost?
Activating them with some water is a good idea! I'm going to try that.

Do you cover your seedlings with plastic? After my "miniature greenhouse" broke three years ago i used foil the one year but hated the trash.
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EveningWithAstaroth
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Re: Gardening season 2018 question thread

Post by EveningWithAstaroth »

Hi.

Soil requirements may change with varying species of plants and flowers as well, I believe, especially flowers.

May I ask what you plan to plant? Curiosity getting the best of me, also may help in others may have had some experience with some of the same types of plants you seek to grow.

Last year I did the same as ofthetrees in that I started Marigolds in doors and then when April arrived transplanted them out of doors, perhaps I really should consider the same this year.

It was my very first experience with Marigolds in particular, my grandmother always grew them.

I started them in January, February indoors in individual pots, then transplanted them with my young niece helping out of doors in Early April.

I do not remember seeing if you've said what you are growing apologies.

My advice is to try your best, plant when it is called for, after all chance of frost, or a couple months early indoors if you prefer water with hose or however you plan to water, relax, enjoy yourself, and let nature take its course.

I am a starting gardener as well here, just began last year so as of yet I have not much experience with compost, though my mother intends to make a compost pile this year.

I was actually lucky with the flowers to have found potting soil being sold last spring at the local dollar store believe it or not, and simply used that.

I also stopped giving all my plants that blue plant food they sell at stores, when I realized it was affecting the plants poorly for whatever odd reason, and stuck with plain old natural water. While growing indoors I misted them with a spray bottle and water, which worked quite well, and out of doors gave periodic sprinkles of the hose water.

Hope you found something helpful from this,

And best of luck to you.
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blue_moon
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Re: Gardening season 2018 question thread

Post by blue_moon »

Since 10 years or so i've been growing my own vegetable plants. The one year i baught regular potting mix, the other special seedling mixes, i used garden soil and mixed some up - some years were better than others but since i had no garden and only little balcony space my expectations weren't to high.

Now i'd really like to use the space i have! (Must show you guys some pictures as soon as the weather gets nicer and spring wakes up my plants.)
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SpiritTalker
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Re: Gardening season 2018 question thread

Post by SpiritTalker »

What's in the soil, sunlight & water are the things to control. Where I used to live on a hill, the soil was clay and needed to be broken up with sand to be plantable. Where I am now, in the plain of the ancient river bed, is all sand and 200 year old dump site ash. It needs peat moss to give it neurtients. Good, natural peat moss is decayed and regrown and decayed again plant material, similar to compost.

Compost that is home-made depends on what is in it. If there are grass clippings from the lawn, and any fertilizer was used on the lawn, that gets into the compost. When buying premixed compost, read the label. Most will not have fertilizer residue. Look for organic and shed worm casings. Or read labels on "sprouting mix" which some garden stores offer for a break down of what you can add.

Fertilizers will kill seeds because the chemicals make the soil too hot chemically for sEed-sprouting. Fertilizer is meant for matured roots of already established plants. If used lightly, it gives them nutrients, causing roots to multiply, and send up more sprouts. Use too much & it burns the roots and kills them, and the plants keel over. Some lawn fertilizers have weed-seed killer mixed in as well.
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