this post was submitted on 17 Apr 2024

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Nature and Gardening

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What's Growing on, Beehaw? (self.greenspace)

submitted 7 months ago by LallyLuckFarm to c/greenspace

15 comments fedilink hide all child comments

I'm sorry for missing last week, I was so in the thick of storm cleanup I genuinely forgot how days work. As an apology, here's a picture of one of our cherries ready to pop for spring:

What's growing on with you all?

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[–] godzilla_lives 7 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (1 children)

Amateur balcony gardener throwing stuff in dirt and seeing what grows reporting in! My garden is small but mighty, and it's all coming together pretty well! My kale seeds have seriously hit the ground running, and I'm so excited to transfer the sprouts. The pumpkin sprouts are looking pretty good too, and it helps that I actually planted them during the right time this year, so I'm stoked about that. If I can just get one single tiny pumpkin this fall, I'd be sooo happy... Microgreens are looking good too, not taking off like the kale seeds did but I'm still proud of 'em for being themselves! My catnip seeds are starting to pop up a little too!

I also have some starters because lazy, and they are taking off! My cats go nuts for fresh catnip, it's pretty neat :)

Pictures!

Kale sprouts with their younger sibling microgreens on the left.

Pumpkin sprouts with sunflowers, catnip, chamomile, and huh what was that other one I'm pretty sure I labeled it.

Check out this catnip starter! I keep trimming it for my goobers but the leaves just keep coming back bigger!

I am now motivated to clean up my balcony and share the rest with you all :-D

[–] LallyLuckFarm 3 points 7 months ago (1 children)

share the rest with you all

Please do! I have it on good authority that it's practically a jungle on a balcony and am excited to see it when you post it.

Some of those pumpkins look very leggy for the stage of leaf development they're at, are you using supplemental lights for them?

[–] godzilla_lives 3 points 7 months ago (1 children)

I have it on good authority that it’s practically a jungle on a balcony

Now who told you that! :D no supplemental lights being used, just natural sunlight from about 8AM to 6-7PM give or take. I'll have to rearrange and move them closer to the end, there's a spot that receives more direct light than where they were. Think they're just needing more light?

I really ought to just set up some sort of secured platform on the railing and get them out there during the day. Thinking that's a weekend project after we go to the farmer's market!

[–] LallyLuckFarm 4 points 7 months ago (1 children)

A little ~~birdy~~ bee told me

I think they would benefit from more light, yes. Many of the pumpkins we start tend to have true leaves come in while the cotyledons (starter leaves) are still within a few cm of the soil. I have to go through some photos later today and I'll see if I can find a picture of our last set of starts for you

[–] godzilla_lives 3 points 7 months ago

That would be great, thank you! I just moved them to a better spot so hopefully they get the light they need. I'll report back with results!

[–] autumn 7 points 7 months ago (1 children)

i didn't have time to do a food garden this year, but i do have some general updates. this is only our second spring in this location, so i still feel like i'm getting to know the land.

planted tons of clover in bare spots around the yard
we've got lots of ground ivy, pink-sorrel, purple dead nettle, and bulbous buttercup growing in the yard
need to replant the mature rosemary out of the container and into the ground — not sure where to put it yet
my neglected succulent is flowering??? literally haven't thought about this housewarming gift in at least six months

[–] LallyLuckFarm 11 points 7 months ago (1 children)

I have a ton of respect for folks who express their relationship with the land they're stewarding in the way you have.

neglected succulent

Plants that do well with the STUN (Sheer, Total, Utter Neglect) method are the best. I bet you didn't even give yourself credit for practicing such advanced gardening techniques

[–] autumn 6 points 7 months ago

I JUST WANT TO SMOTHER IT WITH LOVE

[–] MeatCat@dubvee.org 5 points 7 months ago

Mostly deer food 🙃

I planted 8 Asiatic lilies two weeks ago, and the deer ate them all down to the ground. And my hibiscuses. And stripped my cherry tree I planted last year down to a stick.

Suburban deer are the worst.

[–] xylem 5 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Two 4x8 raised beds from reclaimed wood turned into two raised beds + 4 ground beds when we had some leftover compost... the extra beds will probably be purely experimental / chaos gardens, gonna throw some nitrogen fixers like chickpeas in and see what happens.

Most of my summer vegetable starts have germinated, which is exciting, though I think I'll need to replant the brassicas because they got leggy and the old soil I put them in wasn't great... the pumpkin seedlings look great though!

Next step is to finish the anti-rabbit fence and finally plant out my onions.

It's been kinda depressing to learn how many of the plants in my lawn are Eurasian invasives, but at least I'll get to make lots of garlic mustard pesto!

[–] LallyLuckFarm 4 points 7 months ago (1 children)

For your brassicas, how close is their light source? We've had good success fixing legginess by shifting lights closer and adding a small oscillating fan to coax stems into getting stronger.

[–] xylem 4 points 7 months ago (1 children)

My shelves were pretty crowded with the onion starts and I just waited a few days too long before rearranging things to make room. I thinkt eh bigger issue now is poor soil, though, I'll need to top them off with compost, or honestly just plant them out sooner.

A fan is definitely something I'm missing - will have to set something up

[–] LallyLuckFarm 2 points 7 months ago

In a pinch some old bedsheets and croquet wickets from an estate sale make a great frost cloth for early brassicas outside, if that's a concern at this point of the season where you are

[–] Penguincoder 5 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Not growing anything, but wanted to say I love your post title and contributions to discussion on Beehaw. Thanks friend.

[–] LallyLuckFarm 6 points 7 months ago

"Not growing anything," says person successfully making my heart grow bigger