Hello Everyone!

[Eeilee]

I’ve been lurking about reading these forums for a few weeks now.
I love gardening (veg, herbs, flowers and one lonely apple tree named Beatrice) both indoors and out.
I also have a large collection of houseplants and cats!
I’ve just started my pepper seeds and a few other slow growers.
I’m in Oregon ( zone 8b).
What seeds have you all started in anticipation of the growing season?

 

[Oliver Buckle]

Hi, welcome to the forum. I have my cucumbers, cauliflower, tomatoes, basil, broad bean and onion started. My first lot of broad beans got hit by snow and freezing weather, so I have started some more, but these simply are not germinating, only about 20% germination. I have some RAF tomatoes the missus brought back from holiday and some Ailsa Craig, Moneymaker seeds yet to go in, Basil germinated well and some are potted on on the windowsill, some in the greenhouse. Cucumbers I bought some expensive F1 all female seeds, only six in the pack, three growing on well, three for later. The onions are Red baron, I haven't done any white onions this year. My cauliflowers are another one that germinated poorly, five came up and one iwas not worth keeping, still, with only two of us at home now four caulis are worth having. There are garlic and leeks in the garden. Carrots are the next thing on the list, I have tried them various ways, indoors in pots, in a bit of gutter in the greenhouse, but I reckon a quick soaking and straight into the ground seems to work best.

Looking at that I realise I must get some flowers started

 

[Eeilee]

Thank you Oliver!
Wow! You have a lot going on there as well!
This year I am growing:
3 Tomato types: Better Boy, San Marzino & Roma
2 Cucumber types: Boston Pickling Bush & trying out a new (to me) long burpless variety for slicing
Several pepper types including Serrano, Jalapeno, Habanero, Cayenne
Trying broccoli again although the last 2 years in a row they got ravaged by the little green caterpillars
I put my garlic and yellow + red onions in mid fall. They grew tops and have been holding steady all winter for harvest this summer.
I will be sowing carrots, radishes and beets straight into the beds in mid spring.
Most greens I grow early spring while it's still cool.
Herbs I have growing nicely as seedlings until potting up time.

I have never tried growing cauliflower. Are they pretty fussy then?
Last year I had a boon of beans and peas.

Last years fails were the broccoli and for the life of me I cannot get dill to grow for me.
I know it has a long taproot and hates being transplanted so I grew it straight into an extra deep 10 gallon pot last year and it flopped all over the place and wore sad pants all summer.

My apple tree, Beatrice, is self pollinating but I am thinking about purchasing a non self pollinating type. I have heard that if you grow a crab apple tree nearby to cross pollinate that this makes for nice apples. Anyone tried this?

Happy gardening!

 

[YumYum]

Hello. Welcome.

This year I am growing:
3 Tomato types: Better Boy, San Marzino & Roma
2 Cucumber types: Boston Pickling Bush & trying out a new (to me) long burpless variety for slicing
Several pepper types including Serrano, Jalapeno, Habanero, Cayenne

Sounds like you have a nice garden going on.

Trying broccoli again although the last 2 years in a row they got ravaged by the little green caterpillars

Bt will take care of those suckers. Last year I used Sevin Dust Liquid which is now a Permethrin. The dust is a different chemical. Just keep scouting for them and other insects because when the caterpillars bloom, your plant can be eaten up in no time. Cutworms are a big problem to start off the season.

I have never tried growing cauliflower. Are they pretty fussy then?

No not really. They take a little longer than broccoli but are basically the same. Some types are self blanching and some you have to tie the head up to make it white.

Last years fails were the broccoli and for the life of me I cannot get dill to grow for me.
I know it has a long taproot and hates being transplanted so I grew it straight into an extra deep 10 gallon pot last year and it flopped all over the place and wore sad pants all summer.

I transplant my broccoli and cauliflower with no problem. They do like cool weather so I imagine that may be part of the problem. You may want to try to start earlier if you can. I've had it get down to about 28F and not kill my broccoli but it did have a good root system.

My apple tree, Beatrice, is self pollinating but I am thinking about purchasing a non self pollinating type. I have heard that if you grow a crab apple tree nearby to cross pollinate that this makes for nice apples. Anyone tried this?

Crabapples pollinate apples. They have a longer bloom time, I think, and just ensures a good pollination of apples on your tree. Same as having two apple trees basically. I only have one apple tree that is supposed to be partially self fertile but I grafted another type onto it so I only have to fool with one tree. Bad thing is that if my tree goes down, I don't have any.

 

[Eeilee]

Thank you YumYum!
I’ll plant my broccoli seedlings out earlier this spring. I didn’t know they were that hardy to cooler weather!
Are cauliflower also susceptible to the caterpillars?

 

[YumYum]

Are cauliflower also susceptible to the caterpillars?

Yes. Cabbage and brussels sprouts too.

 

[Oliver Buckle]

Trying broccoli again although the last 2 years in a row they got ravaged by the little green caterpillars

It happened to me with my kale, my fault, I assumed it would be too late and too coarse for them. I kept them off my broccoli okay, I have some spare aviary wire which is fine enough mesh to keep the butterflies from getting in to lay eggs. Checking the underside of the leaves regularly is pretty good, the eggs are usually laid in clumps and fairly obvious, a well applied thumb deals with them. I don't like insecticides much, they kill good and bad, and they cost me money
My broad beans sometimes get blackfly if I don't top them out soon enough, them and aphids I deal with with an old shaving brush and soap and water. Because the soap breaks down the surface tension the water gets in their breathing tubes and they drown, They don't like being bashed with the brush either, it's hard enough to damage them, but not the plant.

 

[Eeilee]

It happened to me with my kale, my fault, I assumed it would be too late and too coarse for them. I kept them off my broccoli okay, I have some spare aviary wire which is fine enough mesh to keep the butterflies from getting in to lay eggs. Checking the underside of the leaves regularly is pretty good, the eggs are usually laid in clumps and fairly obvious, a well applied thumb deals with them. I don't like insecticides much, they kill good and bad, and they cost me money
My broad beans sometimes get blackfly if I don't top them out soon enough, them and aphids I deal with with an old shaving brush and soap and water. Because the soap breaks down the surface tension the water gets in their breathing tubes and they drown, They don't like being bashed with the brush either, it's hard enough to damage them, but not the plant.

Same Oliver - we don't use any chemicals at all.

Although I don't usually buy any plants from places like Lowes or Home Depot (unless I am realllllly tempted lol) I do like to browse their garden centers in spring and summer as they often sell mesh bags full of ladybugs and praying mantis cocoons.
The lady bugs take care of any aphids and the praying mantis eat lots of pests.

I just need to be more vigilant with those green guys. I see the white butterfly flying around the broccoli and go out flailing around to shoo them off but of course I can't be out there to watch all the time.
I did check the undersides of the leaves and scrape them off when I saw them but they are pretty dedicated little suckers!
This year I will try aviary wire if I can get ahold of some!

 

[Oliver Buckle]

It doesn't have to be aviary wire, just that I have that since our owl died, any sort of netting will do so long as the critters can't get through. As for 'flailing around', I borrow the missuses badminton racquet, I only get the odd one or two, but it is less tiring and very satisfying

 

[Eeilee]

Butterfly badminton certainly sounds more fun than flailing!

 

[YumYum]

Butterfly badminton certainly sounds more fun than flailing!

I've tried that myself. Kinda hard to jump over broccoli, cabbage or tater rows trying to swat at it. I am pretty nimble myself. Sounds like a good ideal until you try it.

 

[Oliver Buckle]

Kinda hard to jump over broccoli, cabbage or tater rows trying to swat

Nah, I just stand there and swipe, they come by every so often.