Grow your own...

[cheebacheeba]

So I like to grow things...have a bit of a green thumb as it were, in fact I can use the shittiest potting mix, or even like MUD that I find in a park or whatever, throw stuff in it, water every couple of days and it (tends to) thrive.
Guess the weather here's pretty good for that though, so might not be all me.
I like to touch what I grow, as it grows...some folk might say that's what does it...some like me might not...I just like having a tactile connection to something I've seen from day one.
Weird hm?

Anyone else garden?

Now, I also have a 600w HPS son-t-agro that I've yet to put to good use...need to deck out a wardrobe after doing a little research, to grow the obvious, and maybe some ox heart tomatoes and huge fully grown mature basil & oregano's, even thought about a spiral-trained passionfruit vine.
Another story anyways.

I've been looking into pretty much perpetually growing things, and found two.
Potatoes, and mushrooms.
There are some very simple small indoor/outdoor setups to pretty much keep you in potatoes and mushrooms year round - they're really easy and not all that dependant upon "sunny" conditions. I'm essentially mentioning this to let people know about something really easy to grow that will provide foor on an ongoing basis.
Potatoes are still relatively cheap, but hey, money saved is just that...and mushrooms, are going up in cost.
I just think it's great to harvest and use your own produce.

I'll also be doing some hanging strawberry gardens in-season, or maybe throw a few in under the hydroponic light if the sun doesn't allow for it.

Thought about getting another light/closet setup exclusively for vegetables, so that my lack of garden space will stop being an issue...I'm essentially a veranda gardener right now...and hey, it works for me...but I'd like more.

So there's my second random thread in a while.

Anyone here grow their own....anything?
What have you got going on? What are you thinking about doing?
Most/least successful crops?

Talk about it.

[neverending]

I used to grow a lot of stuff- flowers & veggies, but the place I've lived for several years now has no space for it. I used to always have some tomatoes growing, because there's nothing like a fresh tomato. I love growing things and I really miss it.

[cheebacheeba]

I know, how good is a tomato off the plant?
Love it. The smell of the plant is also very nice to me.
They must put so much rubbish on them pre-sale, they excel in blandness sometimes. Kumato would be a great thing to grow as well.

There's a point too, back on the smell...I love the small of fresh produce...it's like a while other thing.

I love growing things and I really miss it.
If there's about a fridge/wardrobe worth of space, even in a garage, it's well worth looking into an indoor setup...the initial layout isn't much and the amount of produce yeilded by a single light can be astounding.
I've seen entire gardens of about 8 herbs and spices, various lettuces, zuchinis, beans, and tomatoes growing under a single.

Also, check into the mushroom thing, very small space requirements.

You should do what you like, right?

[ManchestrMorgue]

I grow a few things at home.

Herbs including tarragon, thyme, chives, parsley, rosemary, mint, basil.

Sweet potatoes

Chillis - white habanero, jalapeno, naga jolokia, fluorescent purple, tobasco.

Spinach

Tomatoes

Beans

Eschallots

[cheebacheeba]

Herbs including tarragon, thyme, chives, parsley, rosemary, mint, basil.

I have thyme & lemon thyme (the regular grows like a madman, huh) a small purple chilli tree that will hopefull grow again one day...ha, it had a hard childhood...red geraniums and jade, some regular mint...hm...think that's about all at the current time - gearing up to plant some more things at the moment.

Sounds like you've got some good space there.

[milktoaste]

I'm just getting into growing myself. My ma used to come home from the store with the leaves of plants that she liked. She could always get them to root, so she never had to buy her own house plants. I'm not that good, but you have to start somewhere. I know alot of people who would agree that working closely with your plants, touching and talking to them, really does help them to grow. I even know people who swear playing some classical music a couple times a day will help too. I touch and talk to my plants, I love putting all my 5 sences into growing.

I too have been looking into a nice HPS indoor system. They are dropping in price, and ex-pot farmers are selling them dirt cheap all the time. Wisconsin can easily hit -40 degrees in the winter, and I can't build a green house here. Gotta get HID to keep growing all year.

[ManchestrMorgue]

I have thyme & lemon thyme (the regular grows like a madman, huh) a small purple chilli tree that will hopefull grow again one day...ha, it had a hard childhood...red geraniums and jade, some regular mint...hm...think that's about all at the current time - gearing up to plant some more things at the moment.

Sounds like you've got some good space there.

Yeah, there is nothing like fresh vegetables. The flavours are so much more intense than most store bought produce.

I find growing herbs to be especially good - you usually only need a small amount for a meal. I find if I buy a bunch from a grocer, most of it ends up going to waste because I just can't use that much. Being able to just cut off a sprig or two from the garden is so much more convenient.

I forgot a few other things we have - strawberries, oranges, lettuce, and a big macadamia tree that gives us more nuts than we can use. The dog eats a few that fall on the ground, it's amazing watching her crack the shells with her teeth.

I would like another lemon tree (we had one that died a few years ago). The thing that really annoys me about store-bought citrus is that unless I get them from an organic market, they are waxed. Which makes them look good, but I would rather not use zest from waxed fruit if I don't have to.

[milktoaste]

Nice Manchester. 12 years ago I lived near Pheonix Arizona and had 22 fruit and nut trees. No macadamias, but two almond and four pecan trees. We also had greatfruit lemons tangerines oranges apples peppercorn and 4 peach trees. I hated mowing that yard and I'll never own a peach tree again, but nothing beats that freshness(and lack of wax).

[ManchestrMorgue]

Nice Manchester. 12 years ago I lived near Pheonix Arizona and had 22 fruit and nut trees. No macadamias, but two almond and four pecan trees. We also had greatfruit lemons tangerines oranges apples peppercorn and 4 peach trees. I hated mowing that yard and I'll never own a peach tree again, but nothing beats that freshness(and lack of wax).

So true. Sounds like an amazing garden you had there!

[scouse mac]

My wife has recently obtained an allotment plot and is slowly but surely clearing it up and planting a wide range of veg and herbs. Already had a shit load of the ever faithful rhubarb out of it, made some great rhubarb crumble with it.
There are some big plans afoot over this plot of hers so hoping to reap the rewards at the end of Summer.

[cheebacheeba]

I also have a "curry plant", not a curry leaf plant but a curry plant.
The smell that comes off this thing is amazing.

I find growing herbs to be especially good - you usually only need a small amount for a meal. I find if I buy a bunch from a grocer, most of it ends up going to waste because I just can't use that much. Being able to just cut off a sprig or two from the garden is so much more convenient.

Totally. Have you dried your own for storage too?
If you have an flat grill or an over than can attain a fairly low temperature, it works a charm, and they taste WAY better and tend to last longer than jarred varieties.

I think this year I'll start on a ginger system, the potatoes, mushrooms, and hanging strawberries, all very easy to grow and pretty perpetual.

I've got the ox-hearts ready to go when I get my indoor setup going on...I may also be trying to obtain and produce some of the native Australian spices, pepperberry and bush tomatoes, theyre delicious.
And yes I've envied your stories of the chilli collection...also part of what I'll be getting into.

Lettuce I've thought about but in all honesty I get a great mix of 9 different greens from my local organic market guy, it just rocks out so much, ha, it would be too much effort and take more space than I wanted to dedicate.
Though baby (or "english") spinach, not part of said mix...and I love it in salads, or cooked...hear it grows like a crazy motherfucker as well.

I know alot of people who would agree that working closely with your plants, touching and talking to them, really does help them to grow.
Not sure what it is, but you hear gardeners go on about that stuff to no end...but hey, they seem to come up with the good, eh?
With me...I don't know, I just like to touch their leaves and stems as they grow, feel them. Just breathe them in, take in their changing scents and textures. And sorting earth...planting things...anything where I just get my hands right into it I feel incredibly at home.

and a big macadamia tree that gives us more nuts than we can use. The dog eats a few that fall on the ground, it's amazing watching her crack the shells with her teeth.
Ha, you get the cockies after those thngs too? The trees are HUGE, the girls brother has one...literally hundreds upon hundreds every year. Get about 4 of those and you could make a bundle.

Already had a shit load of the ever faithful rhubarb out of it, made some great rhubarb crumble with it.
Ha, I wouldn't even TRY to get rid of that.

If ever space allows, I'd like to grow some mangoes, and tangellos...distant dream at the moment, but hey.

I don't know what this is though...you can buy plants locally at a young age, and I have done, but in all honesty I just prefer growing from a seed...something about the whole "journey" bit.

[milktoaste]

Wisconsin is no good for fruit trees-too cold. I really miss having them.

Mac, your wifes allotment sounds awesome, we have a large community garden here. It's almost impossible to get a plot there, we have a large Hmong immigrant population and they take it over:mad: That's why I'm looking into indoor gardening, now that I have my wifes permission that is:)

[cheebacheeba]

So you gonna, yknow...get some tomatos happenin'?

[The_Return]

I love the idea of growing stuff, but I just don't have the patience for it. It's really something I should work on.

We've got a rhubarb patch in our backyard, which is awesome - pretty much takes care of itself, and it's a decent size patch so we have fresh crops from early spring through late fall. Delicious and versitile - a lot of times I'll walk by and just grab a stem to chew on right out of the ground. Big fan of stewed rhubarb too, and you can't beat the pies/crisps/crumbles that you can make.

[urgeok2]

I grow some funk of my own, amigo.





sorry - only die hard elton john fans will get that reference - dont think we have any on the forum :D

[Haunted]

I used to grow some mad herbs, but here in perfectle manicured suberbia, it's hard. So, I grow roses. I've got a pretty good hand for those. I have a pretty huge lavender plant and rosemary plant. I hate rosemary, but...

[scouse mac]

I love the idea of growing stuff, but I just don't have the patience for it. It's really something I should work on.

We've got a rhubarb patch in our backyard, which is awesome - pretty much takes care of itself, and it's a decent size patch so we have fresh crops from early spring through late fall. Delicious and versitile - a lot of times I'll walk by and just grab a stem to chew on right out of the ground. Big fan of stewed rhubarb too, and you can't beat the pies/crisps/crumbles that you can make.


My grandad use to have a massive back garden and he grew dozens of different veg, fruit and herbs. They held a wedding reception at their house one day and because there was only one toilet, the women used that and the fellas were directed to a secluded part of the garden. Just happened to be the rhubarb patch that got absolutely drenched in litres of piss all day long. After that, my grandad always said that it was by miles the best crop of rhubarb he ever produced.
So theres a free tip, urinate on your rhubarb.

[bloody_ribcut]

i tried to grow my own, it just made people paranoid.

[ManchestrMorgue]

Have you dried your own for storage too?
If you have an flat grill or an over than can attain a fairly low temperature, it works a charm, and they taste WAY better and tend to last longer than jarred varieties.


No, I haven't tried that, but it's a great idea. Will have to give it a shot this year.


Ha, you get the cockies after those thngs too? The trees are HUGE, the girls brother has one...literally hundreds upon hundreds every year. Get about 4 of those and you could make a bundle.


Actually we don't get cockatoos in our yard. There are a few that fly around the suburb, but they never come to our place. We do get lots of kookaburras and parrots.

[The_Return]

My grandad use to have a massive back garden and he grew dozens of different veg, fruit and herbs. They held a wedding reception at their house one day and because there was only one toilet, the women used that and the fellas were directed to a secluded part of the garden. Just happened to be the rhubarb patch that got absolutely drenched in litres of piss all day long. After that, my grandad always said that it was by miles the best crop of rhubarb he ever produced.
So theres a free tip, urinate on your rhubarb.

That's what the neighborhood cats are for :D

[cheebacheeba]

Ach, feral.
I'd never touch anything that had ever come into contact with any piss...let alone cats piss...yech!

I might put in some catnit/catmint for my cats though...had some catmint that got kind've butchered.

[The_Return]

Ach, feral.
I'd never touch anything that had ever come into contact with any piss...let alone cats piss...yech!


We wash + boil it before using any. I haven't grabbed any fresh stuff since we started finding cats there - that's just unsanitary.

[Elvis_Christ]

I'm pretty down with trying growing a garden sometime soon when I'm at a place with the room etc.

I need to get a bunch of stuff like a spade too.

But I'd like to take more of a step in the direction being self sufficant and learn a lot about it because I feel its a important life skill.

[cheebacheeba]

Grow some weed man

and radishes. Radishes are easy. Good for you.

[Elvis_Christ]

Grow some weed man


I've had a go at that once or twice both times were failures. The cops took a plant we had growing at one of my old pads and another one planted in the boonies got sprayed :mad:

Definitely something I'd like to experiment with and get perfected.

[cheebacheeba]

For Elvis:

You need to go indoors with that...the chances of it being seen and/or reported/ripped off are just too great - most people I know that grow outdoors only ever do it with garbagey ditchweed of no particular variety and do multiple "plantations" to increase their odds of survival.
But still, too many variables in my opinion.

Indoors the process is quicker, the produce is better, you can grow year round, and some truly spectacular engineered strains are available from various seedbanks - and actually worth growing in this method.

The light/ballast is the main outlay.
Needs: Some pots, perlite (or your preferred medium, if you're not fussy even a nice potting mix and some osmocote will work) Some fishtank ph testers, something like a large wardrobe or gutted fridge, about 4 pc fans or two venting fans to keep things cool.
Optional: You can buy nutrients, and things that might alter bud density but these aren't essentiall if you're just growing personally and don't really give a shit if the plants go to 100% of their "potential"
A basic irrigation system worth about $50 would be another "could do", it lessens the need to manually flush/clear out your grow medium and tray.

Ventillation for the health of the plants, and smell filtration (look into carbon filtration, apparently it's very good) will be your primary area of concern and expense. Most of the other things can be purchased cheaply or found free.

The stuff you grow your self, is all out MUCH better produce, and doesn't support the asshole criminal community that usually push their sub-standard gear at ever rising prices to ever dropping ages.

Essentially you could probably get a decent (and by decent I mean bare minimum to get by WELL) setup going on for the light/ballast + about $250 all up.

I'll be finishing mine with my tax return, ha.

I totally wanna do the passionfruit vine and the ox-heart/beefsteak tomatoes in there ASAP as well.

The passionfruit 'cos who doesn't love that shit?, and they smell nice...might make a good "companion" plant as they call them.

The tomatoes...well, I'd like to have a hamburger or tomato sandwich and just use a single slice, ha, that would be awesome.

[milktoaste]

ugh, my hard drive crashed right after you first posted this. So, what was I thinking about 4 days ago again-oh ya, indoor gardening.

There is a large percentage of indoor growers who are solly marijauna growers, however, the same benifits 'pot' get from these setups can also work for berries, flowers, tomatos and pot. I think anyone who is serious about producing better fruits from their garden should read into the large amounts of products available today for growing weed. Especially any berry or slightly acidic plant, as these are similar in nutrient requirements. Currently I'm trying to completely transfer over to organic soils and teas-lower yeilds, better quality.

Hey Cheebacheeba, maybe we can swap tomato growing secrets someday?

[missmacabre]

Tomatoes do really well with the climate here. I've done regular and cherry tomatoes in the garden. We used to do green and yellow beans but the rabbits that live under our shed got into them too much. About 2 years ago I sectioned off a corner of the garden for herbs. We had chives, lemon balm, mint, chamomile, oregano, parsley, dill and a little bit of lavendar that is now gone because I got an aweful rash whenever I gardened near it.

The lemon balm, mint and chamomile were my favourites because I could brew a nice decaf tea and know exactly what went in to it. Would love to grow and play around with bergamont, and actual tea leaves. Don't thinks it's warm enough our side to do this though, so I am going to look into hydroponics and if it's possible to grow tea indoors.

Also next year I am going to plant louffas. Like the bath time louffa. They are not a sponge but actually a plant, kinda like a squash.

[cheebacheeba]

Cherry tomatoes are great for salads and stirfries, eh?
I oike to use 'em pretty fresh, mainly uncooked so they have that awesome crunch going on...they pack a great concentrated flavour too.

You guys ought to try import some KUMATO seeds...I spoke about this a while ago, they're some crossbred tomato like thing that has a purple/brown colour, but the nicest flavour of all the tomatoes I've tried.


Hey Cheebacheeba, maybe we can swap tomato growing secrets someday?
Ha, when I start I'll let you know man.

[milktoaste]

Tomatoes do really well with the climate here. I've done regular and cherry tomatoes in the garden. We used to do green and yellow beans but the rabbits that live under our shed got into them too much. About 2 years ago I sectioned off a corner of the garden for herbs. We had chives, lemon balm, mint, chamomile, oregano, parsley, dill and a little bit of lavendar that is now gone because I got an aweful rash whenever I gardened near it.

The lemon balm, mint and chamomile were my favourites because I could brew a nice decaf tea and know exactly what went in to it. Would love to grow and play around with bergamont, and actual tea leaves. Don't thinks it's warm enough our side to do this though, so I am going to look into hydroponics and if it's possible to grow tea indoors.

Also next year I am going to plant louffas. Like the bath time louffa. They are not a sponge but actually a plant, kinda like a squash.

I can gaurentee you'll grow a better tea indoors, it just gives you such better control over all the random factors, nutrients, bugs, temp., humidity. A DIY indoor growroom can be built fairly cheeply using CFL's from your local hardware store. Just promise me you won't get caught up in the crap you can read online, know the plant and everything else is common sense.

@Cheebacheeba: He who hesitates is lost.

[missmacabre]

Cherry tomatoes are great for salads and stirfries, eh?
I oike to use 'em pretty fresh, mainly uncooked so they have that awesome crunch going on...they pack a great concentrated flavour too.

You guys ought to try import some KUMATO seeds...I spoke about this a while ago, they're some crossbred tomato like thing that has a purple/brown colour, but the nicest flavour of all the tomatoes I've tried.



Ha, when I start I'll let you know man.

I love tomatoes. Salads are a staple in my diet, so to be able to grow my own stuff and throw them I'm my salad just makes me so much more proud to be eating healthy. I will eat any vegetable except for mushrooms, the texture just grosses me out. I think I am going to do squash, gourds and pumpkins this year. They sell really well at our farmer's market and squash is one of my favourite vegetables. I'll bake one for a family meal, eat it as a snack and use the leftovers for either soup the next day or a pie (with the pumpkin pie seasoning you can't even tell the difference).

I looked up growing tea just now, and I'm really excited to start that. I'll order the seeds when I order my louffa seeds. Apparently I can just plant them in pots and then bring them indoors during the winter. They need to be 3 years old before you can use the leaves, but if I plant 3 I can have 1 for green tea, 1 for Oolong and one for black tea. I've already got the making of several herbal teas, and I want to start a Bergamot plant so I can make Earl Grey tea. I'll never have to buy tea again.

@milktoaste Thanks for the advice. I've always had a green thumb, and affinity for nature so I get what you mean by know the plant. I've got this cactus going that belonged to my great-great-grandpa. It's been handed down all the way to me, and as it buds I keep starting new ones to up my chances of having a surviving plant for one of my kids. Other people in my family (my aunts, and even my mom's is dying) have been trying to start new ones and I'm the only one who seems to be able to get it. I'm like a plant whisperer.

[milktoaste]

Missmacabre,
If you have the room to grow outside, why not build a greenhouse? In Wisconsin, we have to heat our greenhouses in the winter, which is why an indoor garden is so atractive. I would urge you to build a simple greenhouse(tube bent fence post and a double layer of inflated plastic) on the cheap. I can explain how to build one if you wish, greenhouses really are the cats ass.

[missmacabre]

My Mom thinks my garden is ugly enough as it is haha. Indoors shouldn't be too difficult though, we have a few large windows where we keep our potted plants. We get really harsh winters because we're on the lake so I would almost prefer to keep them inside. I'm actualy debating moving some of my herbs into pots for ease of maintnance and the ability to have them year round. Chives probably wouldn't smell too nice inside, but the lemon balm and mint spread like wildfire so potting them might make things a lot easier and free up room for more tomatoes or something.

[sfear]

Missmacabre,
If you have the room to grow outside, why not build a greenhouse? In Wisconsin, we have to heat our greenhouses in the winter, which is why an indoor garden is so atractive. I would urge you to build a simple greenhouse(tube bent fence post and a double layer of inflated plastic) on the cheap. I can explain how to build one if you wish, greenhouses really are the cats ass.

I heard it's best to use opaque plastic rather than clear. Plants can be burned through clear but not opaque. That's why my folk's neighbor uses a yellowish corrugated fiberglass panel for his walls. As for us my wife got one of those tomato baskets that hang the plant upside down. So far its sprouted a bunch of yellow flowers. Also trying to grow regular right-side up tomato plants and some lettuce. And got some pole beans coming up through the really rocky dirt strip in the back yard.

[milktoaste]

Haha missmacbre, I didn't realize where you were. The problem with growing in a window is light penatration. More and more UV rays are being reflected by gasses in our windows, making that sunlight almost useless after 2 or 3 feet. May I suggest trying CFL's to aid in your window grow. Most constrction 'drop lights' are capable of handling around 400w's, turn that into 4 fixtures by using 3 'y' splitters($2 a peice), be sure to get red spectrum bulbs (2700k) for vegetation period and blue spectrum for flowering phases (6000k). Using CFL bulb's you should still be way under the 400w limit of the fixture and I can say from experience that it will cover about 2.5 feet squared with 4 large CFL's. I use 2 setups like this, 8 bulbs total in about 3 foot sq VERY succefully.:cool:

[milktoaste]

I heard it's best to use opaque plastic rather than clear. Plants can be burned through clear but not opaque. That's why my folk's neighbor uses a yellowish corrugated fiberglass panel for his walls. As for us my wife got one of those tomato baskets that hang the plant upside down. So far its sprouted a bunch of yellow flowers. Also trying to grow regular right-side up tomato plants and some lettuce. And got some pole beans coming up through the really rocky dirt strip in the back yard.

Yes, plants don't use the same wavelengths of light that we see. There are many plastics that work the same way as you described, however I don't believe clear plastic will hurt your plants in any way- original greenhouses were glass afterall. I suppose a 'hotspot' could occur.

[cheebacheeba]

@Cheebacheeba: He who hesitates is lost.
I get that, but yknow...he without finances waits, ha.
Getting a(I think) bit of a nice tax return this year, so I'll probably complete it then...I need to make sure heat and smell aren't an issue whatsoever, so I want to make sure it's all good.

So waiting on the oxheart/beefsteak tomatoes...hangin' out so much. I want my giant tomato sandwich gaddammit!!


I love tomatoes. Salads are a staple in my diet, so to be able to grow my own stuff and throw them I'm my salad just makes me so much more proud to be eating healthy.
Yup, I even get pissed off when I got no salad...

There is a large percentage of indoor growers who are solly marijauna growers, however, the same benifits 'pot' get from these setups can also work for berries, flowers, tomatos and pot.
Yup, agreed -basically because it's advanced gardening. You learn all about the plant, it's habits, and growing requirements and you meet them at optimal levels.
Growing year 'round is great too.
Eventually myself and the girl will be getting a home airponics/hydroponics bay happening for our edibles too...though right now it's all good, we can grow most of when we use outside quite well.

[Zero]

my problem with growing plants indoors is, to be honest, their attitude. sure when you first get a plant they're all like "hey, i'm going to grow here in the sun" and "how are you this morning, could i trouble you for some water?' but then after a few months they get all used to you and start in with the "hey, jackass, when is my water coming??!!??" and "why don't you drag your fat ass to the store for some MIRACLEGROW - how many times do you I have to ask" and then you start getting the whole "i wish that lovely woman in pink had brought me home, i would be SOO much happier there."

of course even worse is the whole late night existential angst they all get into with their "i just feel stuck in the same place, like i'm rooted down" and "all my friends have really blossomed and i'm still just getting potted in this stinking window sill".

sheesh - stinking plants

[cheebacheeba]

sheesh - stinking plants

That's what I'm goin' for, ha.

Way I see it is, most plants that have enough root space and a half-decent soil, sun for a few hours a day will survive if not flourish.
I personally advocate hydroponic and airponic growing when I can, both tend to use less water, and get better results. Not to mention, grow whatever, whenever.

[milktoaste]

Cheebacheeba, I've been looking into airoponic and bubbleponic methods, as they seem a little easier to run once setup. Actually, they seem easier to build and I'm just a nut for building my own shiat.

Zero, I used to be a plant killer too. Once I started growing something that I could eat though, it's like my attention span increased 10x. House plants will start to survive longer when you have house produce getting regular feedings and waterings too.