gardens and shit

The fumbles and follies of a chronically depressed SF Bay Area Gardener

[gardensnshit]

6/23/16

The Marantas in action! Filmed on a 1 frame/second time lapse from roughly 11:00 am to 8:30 pm today.

I always thought they seemed to move an awful lot for a plant, but I had no idea they moved around this much. I wonder why they do it? (If you see liquid on them for a split second it’s because I misted them a few times.)

[gardensnshit]

@iantojonesthebetta hey you mentioned how plants move and react, I took a time lapse of my marantas and they are pretty neat

[diygabl]

Vegetable Crop Yields, Plants per Person, and Crop Spacing

Vegetable crop yields and the number of vegetable plants to grow for each person in your household will help you estimate the space needed for a home vegetable garden.

Crop yield estimates and consumption predictions are largely base on experience. Keeping a food log and garden record can help you hone your vegetable garden needs and make for smarter planning.

Vegetable crop yields will vary according to garden conditions and variety planted. Weather and growing conditions can change from year to year, and these changes can affect yield.

Here are crop yield estimates, plants-per-person suggestions, and crop spacing requirements to help you estimate your garden space requirements and growing requirements. Use these estimates with your own experience.

Vegetable Crop Yields, Plants per Person, and Crop Spacing:

Artichoke. Grow 1 to 2 plants per person. Yield 12 buds per plant after the first year. Space plants 4 to 6 feet apart.

Arugula. Grow 5 plants per person. Space plants 6 inches apart.

Asparagus. Grow 30 to 50 roots for a household of 2 to 4 people. Yield 3 to 4 pounds of spears per 10-foot row. Space plants 12 inches apart.

Bean, Dried. Grow 4 to 8 plants per person. Yield in pounds varies per variety. Space plants 1 to 3 inches apart in rows 2 to 3 feet apart.

Bean, Fava. Grow 4 to 8 plants per person. Space plants 4 to 5 inches apart in rows 18 to 30 inches apart.

Bean, Garbanzo, Chickpea. Grow 4 to 8 plants per person. Yield 4 to 6 pounds per 10-foot row. Space plants 3 to 6 inches apart in rows 24 to 30 inches apart.

Bean, Lima. Grow 4 to 8 per person. Yield 4 to 6 pounds per 10-foot row. Space bush lima beans 3 to 6 inches apart in rows 24 to 30 inches apart; increase distance for pole limas.

Beans, Snap. Grow 4 to 8 plants total of each variety or several varieties per person. Yield 3 to 5 pounds per 10-foot row. Space plants 1 to 3 inches apart in rows 2 to 3 feet apart.

Beans, Soy. Grow 4 to 8 plants per person. Yield 4 to 6 pounds per 10-foot row. Space plants 2 inches apart in rows 2 to 3 feet apart.

Beets. Grow 5 to 10 mature plants per person. Yield 8 to 10 pounds per 10-foot row. Space plants 3 inches apart for roots–1 inch apart for greens.

Broccoli. Grow 2 to 4 plants per person. Yield 4 to 6 pounds per 10-foot row. Space plants 18 to 24 inches apart in rows 3 feet apart.

Brussels sprouts. Grow 1 to 2 plants per person. Yield 3 to 5 pounds per 10-foot row. Space plants 18 to 24 inches apart in rows 36 inches apart.

Cabbage. Grow 4 to 8 plants per person. Yield 10 to 25 pounds per 10-foot row. Space plants 24 to 30 inches apart.

Carrots. Grow 30 plants per person. Yield 7 to 10 pounds per 10-foot row. Thin plants to 1½ to 2 inches apart in rows 12 inches apart.

Cauliflower. Grow 1 to 2 plants per person. Yield 8 to 10 pounds per 10-foot row. Space plants 18 to 24 inches apart in rows 3 feet apart.

Celery. Grow 5 plants per person. Yield 6 to 8 stalks per plant. Space plants 6 inches apart in rows 2 feet apart.

Chayote. Grow 1 vine for 1 to 4 people. Set vining plants 10 feet apart and train to a sturdy trellis or wire support.

Chicory. Grow 1 to 2 plants per person. Space plants 6 to 12 inches apart in rows 2 to 3 feet apart.

Chinese Cabbage. Grow 6 to 8 heads per person. Space plants 4 inches apart in rows 24 to 30 inches apart.

Collards. Grow 2 to 3 plants per person. Yield 4 to 8 pounds per 10-foot row. Space plants 15 to 18 inches apart in rows 3 feet apart.

Corn. Grow 12 to 20 plants per person. Yield 1 to 2 ears per plants, 10 to 12 ears per 10-foot row. Space plant 4 to 6 inches apart in rows2 to 3 feet apart.

Cucumber. Grow 6 plants per person. Grow 3 to 4 plants per quart for pickling. Yield 8 to 10 pounds per 10-foot row. Space plants 1 to 3 feet apart in rows 3 to 6 feet apart.

Eggplant. Grow 1 to 2 plants per person. Yield 8 fruits per Italian oval varieties; yield 10 to 15 fruits per Asian varieties. Space plants 24 to 30 inches apart in rows 3 feet apart.

Endive and Escarole. Grow 2 to 3 plants per person. Yield 3 to 6 pounds per 10-foot row. Space plants 6 to 12 inches apart in rows 2 to 3 feet apart.

Garlic. Grow 12 to 16 plants per person. Yield 10 to 30 bulbs per 10-foot row. Space cloves 3 to 6 inches apart in rows 15 inches apart.

Horseradish. Grow 1 plant per person. Space plants 30 to 36 inches apart.

Jicama. Grow 1 to 2 plants per person. Yield 1 to 6 pound tuber per plant. Space plants 8 to 12 inches apart.

Kale. Grow 4 to 5 plants per person. Yield 4 to 8 pounds per 10-foot row. Space plants 12 inches apart in rows 12 inches apart.

Kohlrabi. Grow 4 to 5 plants per person. Yield 4 to 8 pounds per 10-foot row. Space plants 4 to 6 inches apart in rows 30 inches apart.

Leeks. Grow 12 to 15 plants per person. Yield 4 to 6 pounds per 10-foot row. Space plants 2 to 4 inches apart in rows 6 to 10 inches apart.

Lettuce. Grow 6 to 10 plants per person; plant succession crops with each harvest. Yield 4 to 10 pounds per 10-foot row. Space looseleaf lettuce 4 inches apart and all other types 12 inches apart in rows 16 to 24 inches apart.

Melon. Grow 2 to plants per person. Yield 2 to 3 melons per vine. Space plants 3 to 4 feet apart in rows 3 feet wide.

Mustard. Grow 6 to 10 plants per person. Yield 3 to 6 pounds per 10-foot row. Space plant 6 to 12 inches apart in rows 15 to 30 inches apart.

Okra. Grow 6 plants per person. Yield 5 to 10 pounds per 10-foot row. Space plants 12 to 18 inches apart in rows 2½ to 4 feet apart.

Onion, Bulb. Yield 7 to 10 pounds of bulbs per 10-foot row. Space onion sets or transplants 4 to 5 inches apart in rows 18 inches apart.

Parsnip. Grow 10 plants per person. Yield 10 pounds per 10-foot row. Space plants 3 to 4 inches apart in rows 24 inches apart.

Peas. Grow 30 plants per person. Yield 2 to 6 pounds per 10-foot row. Space plants 2 to 4 inches apart in rows2 feet apart for bush peas, 5 feet apart for vining peas.

Pepper. Grow 2 to 3 plants per person. Yield 5 to 18 pounds per 10-foot row. Space plants 18 to 24 inches apart in rows 28 to 36 inches apart.

Potato. Grow 1 plant to yield 5 to 10 potatoes. Yield 10 to 20 pounds per 10-foot row. Space seed potatoes 10 to 14 inches apart in trenches 24 to 34 inches apart.

Pumpkin. Grow 1 to 2 plants per person. Yield 10 to 20 pounds per 10-foot row. Space bush pumpkins 24 inches apart in rows 3 feet apart. Set 2 to 3 vining pumpkins on hills spaced 6 to 8 feet apart.

Radicchio. Grow 5 to 6 plants per person. Space plants 6 inches apart in rows 18 inches apart.

Radish. Grow 15 plants per person. Yield 2 to 5 pounds per 10-foot row. Space plants 1 inch apart in rows 12 to 18 inches apart.

Rhubarb. Grow 2 to 3 plants per person. Yield 1 to 5 pounds per plant. Set plants 3 to 6 feet apart.

Rutabaga. Grow 5 to 10 plants per person. Yield 8 to 30 pounds per 10-foot row. Space plants 4 to 6 inches apart in rows 15 to 36 inches apart.

Salsify. Grow 10 plants per person. Space plants 3 to 4 inches apart in rows 20 to 30 inches apart.

Scallions. Yield 1½ pounds per 10-foot row. Spaces onion sets or plants 2 inches apart for scallions or green onions.

Shallot. Yield 2 to 12 cloves per plant. Space plants 5 to 8 inches apart in rows 2 to 4 feet apart.

Sorrel. Grow 3 plants per person. Space plants 12 inches apart in rows 18 inches apart.

Spinach. Grow 15 plants per person. Yield 4 to 7 pounds per 10-foot row. Space plants 3 to 4 inches apart in rows 1 to 2 feet apart.

Squash, Summer. Grow 1 to 2 plants per person. Yield 10 to 80 pounds per 10-foot row. Space plants 2 to 4 feet apart in rows 5 feet apart.

Squash, Winter. Grow 1 plant per person. Space plants feet apart.

Sunchokes. Grow 5 to 10 plants per person. Space plants 24 inches apart in rows 36 to 40 inches apart.

Sunflower. Grow 1 plant per person. Yield 1 to 2½ pounds of seed per flower. Space plants 8 to 12 inches apart in rows 30to 36 inches apart.

Sweet Potato. Grow 5 plants per person. Yield 8 to 12 pounds per 10-foot row. Space plants 12 inches apart in rows 3 feet apart.

Swiss Chard. Grow 2 to 3 plants per person. Yield 8 to 12 pounds per 10-foot row. Space plants 12 inches apart in rows 18 to 30 inches apart.

Tomatillo. Grow 1 to 2 plants per person. Yield 1 to 2 pounds per plant. Space plants 10 inches apart in rows 2 feet apart.

Tomato, Cherry. Grow 1 to 4 plants per person. Space plants 3 feet apart in rows 35 to 45 inches apart.

Tomato, Cooking. Grow 3 to 6 plants of each variety; this will yield 8 to 10 quarts. Space plants 42 inches apart in rows 40 to 50 inches apart.

Tomato, Slicing. Grow 1 to 4 plants per person. Space plants 42 inches apart in rows 40 to 50 inches apart.

Turnip. Grow 5 to 10 plants per person. Yield 8 to 12 pounds per 10-foot row. Space plants 5 to 8 inches apart in rows in rows 15 to 24 inches apart.

Watermelon. Grow 2 plants per person. Yield 8 to 40 pounds per 10-foot row. Space plants 4 feet apart in rows 4 feet wide and 8 feet apart.

Source: http://www.harvesttotable.com/

[gardensnshit]

The largest of the 3 spaghetti squash. I plan on roasting the seeds as well as the flesh. ...the other two were eaten while I was in Florida. I got sidled out of my own vegetables.

[gardensnshit]

LOOK AT THE BEEES OMG Looks like a hive decided to change locations, and for the moment they've set up camp on our bird feeder. Luckily we haven't refilled the feeder for quite a while so no birds visit it anymore, so I don't have to worry about any birds alarming or aggravating them. Like the bees that visit the bird bath, these ones are pretty mellow. I can walk right up to them, but aside from a quick photo I'm giving them plenty of space. I think they're quite cute, to be honest. Up close you can see the uppermost bees holding tight to the edge of the feeder, and it's pretty remarkable that that whole mound --the size of half a football-- is held up by that very top layer of bees.

[gardensnshit]

Not good not good not good... This is the second tomato I've found like this :/ not sure what the culprit is yet, but it's probably either rats or mice. Hopefully mice. (Rats are smarter & harder to deal with.) And of course whatever it is passed up a bush full of cherry tomatoes and went for the ONE ripe heirloom -_- I'mjust hoping like hell it doesn't go after my gigantic heirloom tomato once that starts to ripen.

[gardensnshit]

Found some yellow strawberries this morning and picked two of the spaghetti squash. The big green one still needs some time.

[gardensnshit]

9/4/16

This week’s cucumbers. The plants seem to average about 1 cuke each per week. So far I’ve made dill pickles (amazing), sweet pickles (also amazing), and plain old vinegar refrigerator pickles (still in the pickling process). For these ones I’m going to just use the McCormick pickling spice mix, to see how that tastes. (I actually bought that mix for the yellow mustard seeds included in it. I have black mustard, but yellow mustard by itself was oddly expensive so I figured I would just buy the mix, then reserve some of the yellow mustard seeds to just plant & collect them myself for future pickling recipes.)

[gardensnshit]

8/31/16 I can't tell if I'm sick, sleep deprived, or just very very sad but hey at least the asparagus is growing. Now only another 3-5 years and I'll have some nice spears to pick. I will take better photos of the sprouts another time; right now I'm just not up for a photo session. I also thought I should include my laughable grow-light setup. It all used to be in a clear plastic tote which, though unattractive, fit my lamp and seed trays perfectly. But someone needed to use the tote, and I found this broken laundry basket in its stead. It's ridiculous, but on the bright side, the holes provide ventilation and seem to be hindering the growth of any mold that might pop up. More importantly, I wanted to post this because I think something that can hold people back from starting their seeds indoors is the idea that they need a full indoor gardening setup before they can get started, and that's not necessarily true. All of this can be done on a budget, and often with things you probably already have around the house: My lamp is in the $10-$20 range ( https://www.amazon.com/Lights-America-7020-Fluorescent-Light/dp/B00004WA4D) My seed trays-- I found them (15 total) discarded near a corn field. Try asking your local nursery, gardening center, landscaping service, even dollar stores (I often see empty flats near their outdoor displays) if they have any seed trays they're throwing out. If you buy live plants, save the pots and cell-packs they come in. If you're up for it, consider doing a little dumpster-diving (be safe though) at a home & garden supply store. Those places throw tons of useable items out. And if that doesn't work, don't limit yourself to seed trays. Go to the dollar store or bulk store and buy a couple sleeves of disposable plastic cups (paper/"dixie" cups invite mold). If you punch/cut a few holes in the bottom for drainage, they work just fine. You can also use cat litter trays or a dishwashing tub as a seed flat, and carefully separate your seedlings later. I have my succulents propagating in a durable cat litter tray I found at the 99c Only Store. The first time I set up my grow-lights, I stacked up some books and set my light on top. This is actually underrated because if your light is not very strong, you will be able to compensate by using less books to get the light closer to the seed trays. On top of that, this allows you to set up your light wherever you want it. And don't always take the "packed for" date seriously on your seed packs. Yes, germination does decrease over time. But just because they have last year's date, or the year before that, doesn't mean they're all dead seeds. It's worth still trying to grow them. You'll find most seeds stay viable for quite a while if you just store them properly. That can save you a fair amount of money too. Save the seeds that grow on your plants (fruits, flowers, veggies, whatever) or even from store bought produce, and keep them in labeled paper envelopes. Plants like kale, lettuces, winter squash, and calendula all produce seeds that are very easy to save. If you need to, look up where the seeds can be found on a specific plant. (Also do a little research on how X plant grows from seed. Strawberries and raspberries, for example, need cold stratification before they will grow. Lemon and loquat seeds need to be planted right away. Tomatoes like to ferment a little before the seeds are viable.) The more you know about how a plant, the easier it will be to grow it (knowledge is free! Ask questions!) and the easier it will be for you to figure out a solution that fits into your budget or other constraints. Hopefully this encourages some people to just go for it and start their gardens. Just use what you have on hand, and only purchase the things you can't improvise.

[gardensnshit]

Kentucky Wonder pole beans

[gardensnshit]

Yellow grape tomatoes.

[gardensnshit]

Swiss Chard

[gardensnshit]

A baby melon, about the size of a large grape and covered in peach fuzz. What kind is it? No idea, but it is a musk melon of some kind. I'm guessing it's a cantaloupe. Time will tell. Hopefully it doesn't get eaten by pests this time -_- (The last time I grew melons, rats chewed into the melon as it began to ripen. No rats this year, but I have seen skunks and raccoons in the backyard recently.) Mystery seed from 🍉🍈 @acid-stars🍉🍈

[gardensnshit]

8/31/16 Yellow grape, cherry, and green zebra heirloom tomatoes.

[gardensnshit]

8/30/16

Spaghetti squash. Each plant grew asingle squash, and now the plants are starting to die off as the squashes are maturing. Two of the squashes are about 7" long, the other (first photo) is around 9".

[gardensnshit]

[gardensnshit]

Sweet alyssum

[gardensnshit]

8/16/16 A pink caterpillar in the cosmos