02-25-11, 08:21 AM | #21 |
Apprentice EcoRenovator
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Texas
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Brandywine? I tried last year and didn't get a single ripe fruit. Our early and hot summer shut down the blooms and the fall season was too short for them to ripen. I have some nice Green Brandywine Salsa, though.
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02-25-11, 12:45 PM | #22 |
The Gardener
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Manitoba - Canada
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I grew brandywine and cherokee purple for the first time last year. I think I like the brandywine better.
I still need to learn how to harvest the seeds though. |
02-25-11, 06:23 PM | #23 |
Helper EcoRenovator
Join Date: Apr 2009
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I'll be planting some new potato beds this weekend. Also continuing to thin out the bamboo groves to provide trellis poles for the garden. But the poles will first make a short visit to the sheep pastures for the sheep to browse and remove the leaves before I before I move them to the garden. The bamboo leaves provide good fresh fodder for them at this time of year when the pasture grasses have been mostly grazed down and they would otherwise be eating hay. By the time I need the poles in a few weeks to a few months from now they'll be leafless and partly dried.
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03-25-11, 06:33 AM | #24 |
Journeyman EcoRenovator
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Buffalo, NY
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I'm having trouble getting things to germinate, and my garden is getting a late start. I assume it's just too cold in here. I haven't been turning on the furnace in the morning, so it's about 50°F, 20 hrs a day, and 64°F in the evening. A friend who heats his house 24/7 offered to host my seed starter tray for me.
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03-25-11, 09:15 AM | #25 |
Apprentice EcoRenovator
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Texas
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Mine took a long time to germinate in the garage with similar temps. The excellent charts in Johnny's Seeds catalog show ideal germination temps for all the crops they sell. Most do best in the 70-80F range. After the sprout, cooler temperatures should be fine.
Maybe on top of the fridge until they pop up, or maybe some sort of heating mat. I'm considering a raised platform with christmas lights underneath. After all, they're much better heaters than they are lights. |
04-06-11, 08:41 AM | #27 |
The Gardener
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Location: Manitoba - Canada
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Hey Neil that looks like a good site. Did you read the book? How was it?
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04-06-11, 07:23 PM | #28 |
Journeyman EcoRenovator
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Maynard, MA Eaarth
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It is a very good book -- I'm about halfway through. I've read some of Barbara Kingsolver's novels and essays, and I really like them, too; the Poisonwood Bible in particular.
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04-06-11, 08:38 PM | #29 |
Less usage=Cheaper bills
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Minneapolis, MN
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RobertSmalls, any luck on germination at your friends place? Also, it should be pretty soon that your house is warm enough to germinate them too, mine is finally sitting at 61 without the furnace running at all but was about 55 for the past week. I haven't started any seeds yet but am mostly growing stuff that has a 23 day growing period like radishes(instant gratification crisp peppery tasting vegetable), 60-70 for stuff like peas, through 70-80 day growing period for watermelons. I'm giving watermelons a second shot since they didn't do well about 5 years back when I tried them next to pumpkins but this time I'll have soil space for watermelons and their ridiculously long above ground root-running leafy stem-things, I bought the 20 cent packet of watermelons, might add even more risk. I'm taking my chances and not seed starting this year, seed are going directly into the garden for me in the middle of the second week of May if nothing else catches my time.
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