That's a pretty good idea on with the use of the plastic. pressure treated lumber comes in all shapes and sizes and is cheap....cedar is not.
My pepper seeds did not germinate...not one. All of my tomato seeds sprouted.
The Sprout-2016
- Thread starter simon1
- Start date
That's a pretty good idea on with the use of the plastic. pressure treated lumber comes in all shapes and sizes and is cheap....cedar is not.
My pepper seeds did not germinate...not one. All of my tomato seeds sprouted.
I initially built our raised beds with nominal 2" fir planks which eventually rotted away, just as treated wood eventually rots away in contact with soil.
This go 'round used 12"x24" concrete patio stones along with a kit plus additional bits from Lee valley. The contains metal brackets to connect the stones together and create the beds. I've used them to make two 4'x12' beds and a single 4'x4'. I can't see having to make them again.
http://www.leevalley.com/en/Wood/page.aspx?p=47455&cat=2,44663,44664&ap=1
Aaron, for planting garlic be sure to buy garlic bulbs that have been grown locally. Garlic can be grown under a wide variety of conditions and garlic of unknown origin or from outside your climate may do very poorly in Austin.
dave
This go 'round used 12"x24" concrete patio stones along with a kit plus additional bits from Lee valley. The contains metal brackets to connect the stones together and create the beds. I've used them to make two 4'x12' beds and a single 4'x4'. I can't see having to make them again.
http://www.leevalley.com/en/Wood/page.aspx?p=47455&cat=2,44663,44664&ap=1
Aaron, for planting garlic be sure to buy garlic bulbs that have been grown locally. Garlic can be grown under a wide variety of conditions and garlic of unknown origin or from outside your climate may do very poorly in Austin.
dave
The overwintered plants are looking good. There are fresh new buds starting to show, I don't want them to kick into life just yet as we still have 3 for weeks of winter left.
I check them and give them a splash of water twice a week.
I'll re-pot around mid spring into large pots and I think they will be take off, bigger and better than last season.........to be continued.
If you want I could post a photo of them tonight.
I'm getting close to building my raised beds for my fall tomatoes. I'm going to start with a 4'x8'x18" cedar plank design. I've been reading about pressure treating lumber for raised gardens. The chemicals used today are far less of a concern, but I still would like to go straight organic so I'm using the untreated cedar boards.
It's typical August here. 98-101 during the day and 75-80 at night. Much to hot for starting small seedlings. I'm hoping by the middle to end of September to plant my seedlings which are coming along nicely.For the last 60 years the average first frost date in Austin is December 2nd.
You cool off that much at night? You're lucky. Are you in the country?
[MENTION=89559]davent[/MENTION], I'm considering stone/concrete blocks as well. Stacked CMU (concrete masonry unit) works great for BBQ pits and raised beds. I have many varieties and shapes to choose from. I need to look at the cost versus wood. As for the garlic, I think my local nursery has the right kind for our area. I don't think I would use grocery store garlic.
This looks interesting for garlic:
Chris, yeah show us a picture of those peppers.
Owen, It was 79 this morning when I got up.
This looks interesting for garlic:
Chris, yeah show us a picture of those peppers.
Owen, It was 79 this morning when I got up.
Last edited:
That's a great looking raised garden Aaron.
OK here is a photo of my overwintered chilli.
Group photo. I need to take the rest of the old leaves off.
This reminds me of my father and his roses. Cut them back hard and they grow again the following year.
Close up on the far left plant show the new growth ready to go.
Given I have a good root ball and nice thick base, I think these will go off.
I was going to cut off the branch that is in photo, I'm glad I left it.
Not much to see here but may be of interest if you want to get a few seasons from one plant. So far so good.
OK here is a photo of my overwintered chilli.
Group photo. I need to take the rest of the old leaves off.
This reminds me of my father and his roses. Cut them back hard and they grow again the following year.
Close up on the far left plant show the new growth ready to go.
Given I have a good root ball and nice thick base, I think these will go off.
I was going to cut off the branch that is in photo, I'm glad I left it.
Not much to see here but may be of interest if you want to get a few seasons from one plant. So far so good.
The propagator has been pre heated and I'm soaking a few chilli seeds in a cold weak tea mix for a 24 hour soak.
I will plant a them tomorrow morning with a few seeds that have not been soaked, just out of curiosity.
I will plant a them tomorrow morning with a few seeds that have not been soaked, just out of curiosity.
Your winterized plants look fine. I'll try that with mine if we have a winter.
As as for the seed soak...that's a good idea. Mine just would not sprout in the baggies with a wet paper towel. I even used a heating pad. I've got more seeds, maybe I'll give it another go.
Oh, and by the way, that picture above showing a raised bed using cinder blocks is not mine. I found it off the internet.
....sure wish it was mine.
Last edited:
That sucks
When did they stop calling them cinder blocks? Concrete has lye in it- does that have any negative effect on the soil?
In our architecture course in college we would always refer to them as CMU blocks.
I read that soaking helps breaks down the outer shell of the seed increasing the speed of germination.
I'm also looking at planting them first up in the morning to get a good amount of light for when I sow them. Not 100% sold that is needed but it cost me nothing so here we go.
They need a good soil temp to germinate and I can't get that without help until mid summer, that is way too late hence the need to added heat. These will be planted with 2 weeks to go in our Winter and will look at putting them outside in November all going well. Just need to ensure there is no more frosts before putting them outside.
I saw fire dragon chilli are still picking pods and most of winter is over. WHAT! But he is at the top of NZ............. in the winterless north
He has some of his new seeds planted last week, just sitting in front of his fireplace. ........hum he had the fire on?!?! Soft!!
I planted a few Jalapenos and Poblano seeds in some jiffy pellets. Most of the seeds were soaked in the weak tea for 24 hours. I also planted one of each that was not soaked to see if there is any difference. I did not plant any habanero seeds as I have the overwintered ones.
They have been in the propagator for a few hours and condensation is already forming. The base of the feels nice and warm.
Hope to see some life in a few weeks.
They have been in the propagator for a few hours and condensation is already forming. The base of the feels nice and warm.
Hope to see some life in a few weeks.
If not habanero's, what?
I bought some coriander seeds today and planted them in my starter soil. 10 for starts.
I'm covered for habanero's.......overwintered plants look like a winner, so I'll save the seeds for Ron.
I planted 6 Jalapenos and 4 Poblano seeds which I bought a few years ago. I have been thing of getting Bhut Jolokia or other hot pepper but I think that may be next year.
Tomatoes, bell peppers etc will go in early next month.
Coriander grows like a weed, so you should get that going easy. It does want to go to seed very easy, so maybe plant a few more seeds in a few weeks time or a month to keep a few plant supply.
I'll take your advice on the staggered cilantro.
I agree with you on the jalapeno and especially on the poblano. I use the poblano for everything. It's spicy like pepper heads want, but not so much that it messes with the dish your trying to make. A good example is a stuffed poblano. Maybe with pulled pork, hamburger or even ground lamb meat.
....I'm trying to inspire you.
I made a stuffed poblano last year but the shop owner where I bought them from was wear a patch over one eye and flying the jolly roger.
If I want a good supply of peppers then I need to grow my own.
I'm thinking of just drying a few poblanos if I have a too many. Extra jalapeno just preserve.
Hey they have to grow yet but I'm just dreaming on warm sunny weather as I sit here inside on a wet cold winters day.
A dried poblano is an ancho. An ancho goes into great chili. You're the only person in NZ doing that. Pride.
