Page 4 of 7
Hey, plant some vegetables!
Posted: Mon May 19, 2008 3:37 pm
by Rog_Archive
Recently planted in the dirtbox:
Buttercrunch letttuce
Compact basil
Thyme
To be planted:
Dill
Tomato
Chinese lantern (not a veg)
Money plant (not a veg)
Hey, plant some vegetables!
Posted: Mon May 19, 2008 3:47 pm
by Johnny 13_Archive
We had 7 nice raised beds at our old house. We are doing a puny amount of container gardening at the new place, but will not be doing any food planting until I can clean fill and raise a bed along our garage. I fear the soil is nothing but heavy metals and evil.
Hey, plant some vegetables!
Posted: Mon May 19, 2008 3:49 pm
by TwoTwoZeroSeven_Archive
Last week I dug the veg patch over, very small, to plant beetroot, lettuce, rocket, onion.
Seedlings started to show through for tomatoes and peppers.
Need a bigger patch and a green house, but it's good for the kids to get into it.
Hey, plant some vegetables!
Posted: Mon May 19, 2008 3:56 pm
by ebeam_Archive
Johnny 13 wrote: I fear the soil is nothing but heavy metals and evil.
I think you'd have to be crazy to eat anything out of the ground in Chicago unless you brought in new topsoil.
Me, I'm going to a couple small containers for herbs and wait for my CSA deliveries to start.
Hey, plant some vegetables!
Posted: Mon May 19, 2008 4:16 pm
by Sourmilk_Archive
Soil pH kits are available at hardware stores, nurseries and home centers for a couple bucks. In addition to pH, soil should be tested for nutrients and to detect if contaminants (lead, etc.) exist. I mean, you could be planting a garden on what was once a septic system! If contaminants do exist, you better be prepared for plan B (amending the soil, raised beds) which can be quite costly.
You should, of course, do these tests before planting an herb/vegetable garden in an urban setting.
And Mr. Jay Ryan - you've got a regular green market going on there! Good work!
Hey, plant some vegetables!
Posted: Mon May 19, 2008 4:17 pm
by dontfeartheringo_Archive
Johnny 13 wrote:We had 7 nice raised beds at our old house. We are doing a puny amount of container gardening at the new place, but will not be doing any food planting until I can clean fill and raise a bed along our garage. I fear the soil is nothing but heavy metals and evil.
Do NOT use railroad ties to make your raised beds. This is a popular mistake.
Railroad ties are treated with creosote, which is an herbicide.
Hey, plant some vegetables!
Posted: Mon May 19, 2008 4:25 pm
by Cranius_Archive
dontfeartheringo wrote:Railroad ties are treated with creosote, which is an herbicide.
It's also pretty carcinogenic as well.
Hey, plant some vegetables!
Posted: Mon May 19, 2008 4:31 pm
by Johnny 13_Archive
My last beds were nice clean cedar, which worked well enough. Since the new owner does not want a garden, there is even a chance I might get to reuse the wood.
Hey, plant some vegetables!
Posted: Mon May 19, 2008 4:32 pm
by Johnny 13_Archive
Plus my growing are is so small, I would not want to give over so much of the space to the width of a railroad tie, even if they were friendly.
Hey, plant some vegetables!
Posted: Mon May 19, 2008 4:50 pm
by yaledelay_Archive
My landlord tilled up my plot yeasturday... that ruled...