Any gardeners out there?

[AuntCloud]

Thanks Bethella! I'll have to buy a kit, even though I have access to pH meters at work.

When is a good time to move the tulips and the poppy?

[OkToBeTakei]

Help! My chives are puny and straggly like a fundie teeny peen :(

Do I give them a trim to thicken them up?

[AuntCloud]

When did you last feed them? Mine thrive on the tortured souls of persecuted fundies.

Seriously, compost is a miracle cure :-) How is the sun exposure? Is it a newer plant or is it well-established? Any fast-growing plants nearby leaching its nutrients? Yes to the trim, maybe if it's a big old plant its time to divide. My monster rhubarb has been growing nicer and thicker stalks since I divided it.

[OkToBeTakei]

When did you last feed them? Mine thrive on the tortured souls of persecuted fundies.

Seriously, compost is a miracle cure :-) How is the sun exposure? Is it a newer plant or is it well-established? Any fast-growing plants nearby leaching its nutrients? Yes to the trim, maybe if it's a big old plant its time to divide. My monster rhubarb has been growing nicer and thicker stalks since I divided it.

Oh boy. From seeds by my 10 year old. In a planter :lol: Not very sophisticated. I will try trimming. Not many tortured fundies around ..unfortunately!

My rhubarb though is fabulous. I have had it 5 yrs. I took it form my parents garden, it was there when they moved in and that was....25 years ago. I kid you not. Divided it a few times now.

[AuntCloud]

Just feed it and see what happens! I got mine as a little plant at the garden centre. It hung on until September, then got moved into the flower bed and it came back with a vengeance in the spring. Maybe it's just too new and it will be nicer next year.

[Bethella]

Thanks Bethella! I'll have to buy a kit, even though I have access to pH meters at work.

When is a good time to move the tulips and the poppy?

I think the best time to move the tulips is in the fall after the foliage has died off. Not sure about the poppy, it would probably depend on the type.

OkToBeTakei- can I brag about my rhubarb? It came from my great-grandparent's farm in Wisconsin. After my great-grandmother died (late 1930s) her garden was abandoned. Flash forward to the 1990s when someone was exploring the farm and it was still there so everyone got an eye to take home. Mine's been moved three times, it usually takes 2-3 years to recover but it's still producing.

[OkToBeTakei]

I think the best time to move the tulips is in the fall after the foliage has died off. Not sure about the poppy, it would probably depend on the type.

OkToBeTakei- can I brag about my rhubarb? It came from my great-grandparent's farm in Wisconsin. After my great-grandmother died (late 1930s) her garden was abandoned. Flash forward to the 1990s when someone was exploring the farm and it was still there so everyone got an eye to take home. Mine's been moved three times, it usually takes 2-3 years to recover but it's still producing.

That is amazing. I just love stories like that. It also makes the eating so much more enjoyable! I hope it continues to produce for years and years.

[OkToBeTakei]

Haircut!

[AuntCloud]

It looks like a cute Chia pet!

Can you separate it into two pots and feed it a little? I'm sure it will grow nice and strong then.

Loved the rhubarb stories - would it be considered a 200-year dominion plan if I hope that my grandkids enjoy the monster in my yard well into the 22nd century?

[OkToBeTakei]

It looks like a cute Chia pet!

Can you separate it into two pots and feed it a little? I'm sure it will grow nice and strong then.

Loved the rhubarb stories - would it be considered a 200-year dominion plan if I hope that my grandkids enjoy the monster in my yard well into the 22nd century?

Will do. I have a raised bed, so can move them there. Thank you for taking a look and the advice.

Nope, rhubarb is far better to pass on than diamonds in my view. Don't know why I just love the idea of plants/foods passing down the generations.

[Arete]

Will do. I have a raised bed, so can move them there. Thank you for taking a look and the advice.

Nope, rhubarb is far better to pass on than diamonds in my view. Don't know why I just love the idea of plants/foods passing down the generations.

In addition to what AuntCloud said, I think they could also use a haircut. I have given my scallions two so far this season and it has definitely helped with their vigor.

Tulips should only be moved after the foliage has naturally died back (usually early Fall). Until then it is using its leaves to harness energy to make next season's bloom. Don't know a damn thing about poppies.

[Arete]

AuntCloud, you can put your Hostas and Coral bells directly into the ground. I'm not sure if ferns would do well in the ground in your zone. Tulips do best with and eastern or southern exposure.

For a shady spot you can put Caladiums in planters. These need to be dug up before the first frost, but they give a lot of flashy color to a spot.

[OkToBeTakei]

This be the tiny black currant of doom. Again it is taking over. It is totally laden this year. Mr ok wants to cut it back. I reckon leave it. Advice?

[OkToBeTakei]

[Arete]

So, weather has gone to shit here and I have taken stock of this year's growing season on the balcony.

Tomatoes- Pathetic. Not enough sunny days, not as hot as normal.

Scallions- Two sowings ripped up by squirrels. Left with 5 plants at the end of this season. Bastards.

Thai Holy Basil- Sucked. Virtually no aroma. I bought seeds from a different company this year. Came directly from Thailand. Never again. This disappointment actually left me a little teary eyed, because Holy Basil is virtually impossible to find fresh in my area. At least the regular Thai Basil is available at the Korean supermarket. Sigh.

Greek Basil- The unexpected champion of this year's balcony garden Olympics. Given the sun and temperature problems (see Tomatoes), this was a wonderful surprise. Currently being dried for winter storage.

Genovese Basil- Lackluster growth. Disappointed with yield but pretty pleased with flavor. Scheduled to be processed into pesto this Saturday and frozen.

Mint- Seedlings ripped up by squirrels. Bastards. Not replanted.

Parsley- The little engine that could and did. Old reliable. Will grow until the frost kills it.

Mixed micro greens- First year doing this. Very pleased. Combo of beet, kohlrabi, and chard leaves. Produced salad base all summer and still looking good. When the frost kills the leaves, I'll even have some beets to roast. Excellent little bonus.

Carrots- Still doing their thing in the pot. They don't get pulled till after the first frost. Only have about a dozen, but they are always sweet and crispy.

How did the rest of you guys in the Northern Hemisphere do?

[Themiscyran]

I would loooooooove to revive this thread. Any gardeners? Any Southern US gardeners?

because pickle worm is the devil. :stir-pot: :evil: :evil: :twisted: :orly:

[Looneybun]

I'm a gardener! I'm not in the south though, I'm in coastal BC.

It's been a really dry summer this year here so many of my crops haven't done that well. Carrots have been a total bust, but I'll try a fall planting and see what happens. I did get decent peas, garlic, onions, strawberries and tomatoes, plus the fruit trees (apple pear and plum) and my herbs are still lush and full. My squash are late but if we have an El Niño winter I may just get my butternut crop. There are also a few small zucchini that will be ready to eat in a week or two.

My beds are semi-hugelkultur - I buried a lot of old wood that was lying around the yard when we moved in and it's breaking down under there, holding moisture and delivering nutrients slowly to the soil above. I'm pretty lassaiz-faire about my patch, but I do compost and I make sure to protect my soil in summer with regular dumps of straw, compost or newspaper cover. Bare dirt will lose moisture and nutrients faster than anything (I was going to say, faster than my husband is losing his hair, but I looked up at him and he kinda needs a haircut right now).

The two things I most wish I could grow here are lemons (too frosty) and feijoas (nobody outside of New Zealand seems to know what a feijoa even is - it's a relative of the guava that you can't give away in NZ in early fall and they are delicious). I'm going to try lemons in a big container if I can get a seed from a supermarket lemon to germinate.

The biggest problem I have up here is powdery mildew. I haven't had time this year to be out there spraying milk on my things because I'm working at an animal shelter and it just wipes me right out by the end of the day, plus it inevitably gets ahead of me no matter how much milk I dump on my plants. Deer are also a factor. I just discovered my first deer scat pile of the season, accompanied by missing tomato tops. I'm kind of surprised I haven't seen bear scat in the yard with my fruit coming ripe, but I'm sure that will happen too in time.

[older than allosaurs]

"I'm going to try lemons in a big container if I can get a seed from a supermarket lemon to germinate."

I think the trees from supermarket lemons are too big to grow and fruit indoors. I did have a Meyer lemon in a pot for years, though, bought at the garden store. I lived on the U.S. side of the Lower Fraser Valley, near Abbotsford, so maybe our climate is similar. It sulked a bit during reezing weather when I brought it indoors and revived in spring when I put it back outside.

I'm interested in trying hugelkultur. Gotta do something to use less water if this is the shape of NW summers to come.