(Part 2) Top products from r/gardening

Compost and fertilizer do they same job, but you would be purchasing different things. Fertilizer would be something like Garden-tone which is little granules you'd sprinkle onto your soil. Compost would be something you'd purchase in a bag like potting soil like this. A simple explanation would be that fertilizer usually acts faster and runs out faster, compost takes longer to kick in but lasts longer. Compost also helps break up your soil and improve it so it's healthier for your plants. Compost (or composted manure) is also often cheaper. I usually work compost into my soil and then use a little bit of fertilizer near my big plants like my tomatoes.

Growing plants from seeds is a lot of fun, but it takes about 8 weeks to get tomato and pepper seedlings that are big enough to plant outside. You'd probably be better off starting with seedlings this year and trying to transplant your own next year. Also, setting up a system for growing plants from seeds to make sure they grow well can get complicated fast! So starting your garden one year, and working on seed starting later in winter when there's not as much garden stuff going on is a good idea. In order to save money on seedlings you might want to watch for sales at your local hardware store or see if there are any gardening groups in your area that might trade or sell extra seedlings. You can also plant mostly plants that are always grown from seeds directly in the garden like cucumbers, beans, squash, melons, etc. That simplifies things a lot.

Also I'm glad the size comments were helpful. I learned that the hard way when I was starting out. Doing one side at a time sounds like it would work really well!

And I hope you enjoy preserving. It's amazing how much money it can save once you've had a little practice, especially when the surplus is coming out of your own garden.

General Advice:

• Use a concentrate for bug/fungus sprays! Don't waste money on the ready-to-spray crap.
  
• When spraying for bugs, always use a fungicide in low-concentrate as well. The reason is that the water will encourage fungus growth, so you need to counteract that.
  
• Start with lower-concentrates, and work your way up. It's generally better to under-do something, than over-do and burn your plants.
  
  Fertilizer:
  
  
• General Hydroponics MaxiGro plus MaxiBloom (6/5) - I've tried all sorts of fertilizers, and found this to be the cheapest, most effective for container plants. To give you an idea how effective, this plant was growing in a 10oz solo cup at the time of that photo. The small quantity goes a LONG way; I've found it MUCH cheaper and easier to balance versus buying bags and bags of other fertilizers (i.e. bone-meal, compost, iron, calcium, etc, fish/kelp based, etc). Mix 1 tsp per gallon. I'm lazy, so I do 1tsp of each in a 2-gallon bucket, then distribute to all of my plants.
  
• Silica (4/5) - I can't report anything 'scientific' but according to my research, silica helps plants grow much stronger. I also mix this with my watering solution at about 1tsp per 2 gallons, but you can go a bit stronger if you like. Only reason it's 4/5 is because my plants were doing great before using this, so it's hard to tell exactly how much of a difference it's actually made.
  
• Tomato-tone (5/5) - Inexpensive, diverse nutrients, VERY effective. This stuff revived several container tomatoes, and a 4-foot basil plant. Smells a little, but not too bad.
  
• Earthworm Castings (5/5) - Inexpensive, diverse nutrients. This stuff can be used fairly liberally, and is an 'organic' option. Definitely helped keep my plants happy and healthy.
  
• Pearlite/Vermiculite (4/5) - Not a fertilizer, but helps prevent soil compaction, root-rot, and over-watering issues. This stuff is cheap, especially in larger quantities. Use liberally! It's difficult to over-use.
  
• Water Absorbing Crystals (4/5) - Inexpensive, fun, aerates soil, stores water, and kinda crazy (fun for kids)! These 'crystals' absorb water expanding many times their size, and then release that water. As you might imagine, this expansion and contraction keeps the soil loose, prevents over-watering, and is also good for "plants no one waters" scenarios. My only hesitation is it's somewhat of a 'chemical' additive, but all of my research suggests it's safe.
  
  Bugs:
  
  
• Spinosad plus Permethrin (5/5) - Concentrate lasts forever, very effective, human/pet safe, good for edible plants, pleasant/minimal smell, minimal/no mess.
  
• Diatomaceous Earth (4/5) - Effective, must be applied liberally, though it can be a bit messy, and may need re-application.
  
• Safer Soap (3/5) - Somewhat effective, but for edible plants, the taste is hard to get out, and made a mess of my grow tent. On the good side, it's cheap and lasts forever.
  
• Neem Oil (2/5) - Smells terrible, don't use indoors. Perhaps good for outdoor use?
  
  Fungus:
  
  
• Chlorothalonil (?/5) - After extensive research, apparently this is safer and more effective than copper. Trying this product next.
  
• Copper (4/5) - Has effectively reduced a very bad leaf-fungus issue I was having on tomatoes and peppers. Only issues are that according to my research, it's not the safest product, and works best as a preventative rather than 'cure.'
  
• Hydrogen Peroxide (4/5) - Use 30%-35% food-grade, and dilute heavily to about 1-2%. Good for root-rot, algae, and leaf-mold (spray). Leaves no mess, as it breaks down into water+oxygen. Safe for plants and humans (in low concentrations). Only problem is that it's a short-term solution.
  
• Baking Soda (2/5) - I may have misapplied it, but this seemed to burn my plants.
  
  
  
  

Best of luck for you. Having a late freeze is never a good thing for gardeners. This is what I'd do: Hay or grass clippings on ground surface followed by weighted blankets will help sub-ground crops. as Wurm42 said, plastic cartons over the sprouted plants will help, but 25 degrees will most likely be too cold. These Walls of Water are pretty good insulators for lower temps and might be your best bet.

Ultimately, you need to let this be an opportunity for your ingenuity to get the best of you. Walk around your house and look for anything that might work (ie heat blankets, towels, spare carpet, or pillows). Cardboard boxes or any foam/styrofoam sheets or packing peanuts would be great, too. If you're serious about rescuing your little babies, you can go to home depot get a few sheets of insulation for as little as $14/16 sq feet of warmth and make some nice little boxes to cover your little guys. It'll be like you're giving a warm hug to each plant to help them get through this global warming phenomenon.

Best luck to you, and please keep us posted.

I'm guessing, based on your location, that most tuber type veggies will do well, as well as, many dark, leafy greens that like cooler weather and less sun. Tomatoes may be hard to grow since they like lots of heat and humidity, but maybe if you can find or make something like a "wall-o-water" like this

http://www.amazon.com/WALL-O-WATER-3-PACK/dp/B0000DI86C

you could do it. I live in Arizona, US, but high in the mountains and our growing season is only about 72 days long, so I need to use these to be able to grow tomatoes. I also get the tomato varieties that have a short time to maturity like the stupice or Early Girl variety, or just small varietals like cherry, juliet, grape, etc. I wouldn't even waste your time on trying to grow peppers.

Good luck and have fun. Your first garden was very impressive, so keep up the good work.

In Seattle you can direct sow lettuce and greens starting around March 15th, we are after last frost date so beans should be ok, though they would perfer warmer soil. Tomatoes could go out under cover pretty soon, I dont usually actully plant them till May. You will have better growth if you plant your pepper and tomatoes (and squash) in black containers, the black pot will help provide the soil heat that the tropical plants need to thrive.

Your plot looks ok, I would bury the grass clods upside down, also you will probably need to lime the soil. Raising the height of the bed above the surrounding area will increase soil temp and make for better drainage. Soil west of the Cascades are universally acidic and low in phosphorus. A quick soil test will tell you the PH, Dolomite lime and Agricultural lime are what you will need to raise your PH. Further details are in Steve Solomons Growing Vegatables West of the Cascades.
http://www.amazon.com/Growing-Vegetables-West-Cascades-Edition/dp/1570615349

PS,
Plant Peas to improve your soil, Cascadia and Oregon Sugar Pod II are great varieties for our region, you can direct sow around 1 inch apart any time after valentines.

Good luck and happy gardening.
http://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/xmlui/bitstream/handle/1957/38531/em9057.pdf

You're supposed to wait until May for a good reason: weather fluctuations. One night of frost will kill seedlings and young plants. Are you starting with seed? Or buying transplants? Transplants are so much easier, but limited on variety. Peppers and tomatoes are great for containers--they love warm soil, which is easier to obtain in a container, and lots of sunshine. Try mini or dwarf versions of each. Mulch around them to protect them from water loss and chilly (but not freezing) nights.

I started gardening in containers, too. This has been my bible: http://www.amazon.com/McGee-Stuckeys-Bountiful-Container-Vegetables/dp/0761116230
There are a surprisingly many things you can grow in pots: herbs, lettuce, green onions, even peaches and apples. The author even suggests specific varieties that are compatible with growing in containers. Good luck.

And because Imgur won't let me edit anything in my post via mobile, I will add more info here! I spent about two months researching container growing fruit trees/edible tree/bush before deciding to start with a blood orange and my favorite, lemonade. I'm hoping this helps someone else who might think they can't have a fruit tree due to space.

Although I bought trees on dwarfing rootstock (often called flying dragon rootstock, as that's the plant used to give it stunted growth), you do not need a tree marketed as dwarf. Using a container will naturally impede the process of growth, in addition to pruning.

This is very important because each type of rootstock will give different qualities to the root health. Pick the rootstock that works best for your growing conditions. The book Grow a Little Fruit Tree was invaluable for its information on rootstock alone, although it's geared towards deciduous trees and not evergreens like citrus.

Another helpful book for container gardening that helped me jumpstart my information search was The Bountiful Container. It's American oriented, not Aussie, but lots of helpful principles and ideas all the same.

Another great read, and useful, is this write-up on Daley's Fruit Tree Nursery about using bags (containers) to restrict tree growth in order to net better fruit production. Size restriction can help to produce more per hectare than just letting a tree go (which would be suicide to a home orchard anyways).

Since you're just starting seedlings you won't need too much light, but there are good deals on amazon and ebay for some 4 foot T5 fixture setups. For simplicity you can get something like this. It's a single bulb but T5 is very efficient and you can move the fixture up and down. If you don't need the frame you can get dual T5 4 foot fixture here. Either way i'd aim for a high color temperature for seedlings (5000k to 6500k) to get fastest leaf and stem growth. There are also 4 bulb fixtures but they are extremely bright and only really needed when you have to position the fixture high off the ground (tall plants). Skim craigslist for deals as well.

Depending on the PH of your water, you might only need a little bit of PH Down Solution (an acid) and some sort of nutrient solution. The nutrient solution that worked best for me when I was doing lettuce was the DynaGro Grow. One step, no mixing A B and C.

Amazon Link

I bought a gallon of PH Down from my local hydro shop, with their logo and everything, it was like 10 bucks for a gallon. I still have 3/4 left after almost 2 years. You could just use this one in case you really need to. I found out that DynaGro lowers the PH at an Ideal level.

You should have a PH probe and a TDS probe. They make some cheap ones like these two. You might need to calibrate them often, so you need this and this

I use This to measure my nutrients. You can get the same one at walmart for 10 bucks. But you have to go to walmart, and that to me is not worth the savings.

Try to find the "Recipe" you need for your reservoir. I calculate my towers have about 20 gallons of water up to the hole where the wire from the pump comes out of. Once you have everything measured write it down somewhere and take notes. I do a full reservoir change at the end of every crop. Lettuce wont grow again once you harvest it. Make sure you clean your tower really well to avoid salt buildup.

I get my seeds from http://www.johnnyseeds.com/

I've had great success with [this one] (http://www.johnnyseeds.com/vegetables/lettuce/romaine-lettuce-cos/sparx-lettuce-seed-3156.html) and This one

You can also use your own Rockwool and make sure you get one of These.

I have something very similar to this but I can't find the exact one. You start your seedlings with that.

Let me know if you wanna go deeper down the rabbit hole. Sorry for the wall of text. And also, sorry about your wallet.

Good luck!

At the time, I didn't own a mill so a friend of mine offered to grind it for me. I ended up with about 15lbs of flour in total. I recall being happy about the yield but I honestly couldn't tell you if it was good or not. I'd have to go back to my old notes to calculate the total area I planted to come up with a sq ft yield. As far as how much flour would result from the wheat in this photo - I'm not sure. Not much.

For future plantings, I want to talk to someone from my local extension to see if there is a recommended wheat variety for my area. I bought some random hard red winter wheat berries from amazon and planted it. For all I know, it was terribly suited to my climate.

Since then, my wife bought me a mill that I've been happy with: https://www.reddit.com/r/Breadit/comments/7mr7sw/adventures_in_milling_first_whole_grain_loaf/

If you're interested in reading more, I highly recommend Logdson's book: Small-Scale Grain Raising: An Organic Guide to Growing, Processing, and Using Nutritious Whole Grains for Home Gardeners and Local Farmers, 2nd Edition - https://www.amazon.com/Small-Scale-Grain-Raising-Processing-Nutritious/dp/1603580778

The link to your photo is not working.

It is hard to answer most of your questions without that link.

But a few I can answer.

As far as herbs go. You can do a lot of these in doors on a window. Only grow herbs that you are going to use, mint is really easy, so is basil, so are chives and garlic.

I just bought these seeds for my garden for this coming fall, winter, and spring 2017.

I have never used this company before but they have good reviews. If you plan on going organic I would get some neem oil right off the bat as it is a great natural defense for your plants and it is better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.

What kind of fruit are you thinking? Strawberries?

You might find these two books interesting:

http://www.amazon.com/Homegrown-Whole-Grains-Harvest-Barley/dp/160342153X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1377128301&sr=8-1&keywords=home+grown+grain

http://www.amazon.com/Small-Scale-Grain-Raising-Processing-Nutritious/dp/1603580778/ref=pd_bxgy_b_text_y

Main thing to watch out for is picking varieties that make it alright to process them yourself - grains that don't have to be de-hulled to be useable are much easier to process without specialized equipment.

Get a proper mill of some kind if you're interested in wholegrain flour. There's reasonably priced options out there that do it alright, and the taste of stuff made with freshly milled wholegrain flour is awesome.

Take a look at ancient grains & older varieties of the usual grains. (a few examples & more info here: http://www.islandgrains.com/how-do-i-thresh-grain-on-a-small-scale/)

Personally I have a tiny plot of flax, that I'm hoping to get some tasty seeds out of. If I were to grow my own grains I'd focus on the ones that are interesting taste-wise. I'd probably go for Hull-less emmer, and rye.

Altitude is a bitch. I remember getting a snow storm in June when I was a kid. Anyway, freak freezes are a fact of life at high altitudes - the good news is they come and go quickly and if you can just bump the temperature a little bit, many plants can make it through.

Maybe too late this time, but Wall o' Waters are a godsend.

Bedsheets, blankets or towels will work. In small beds like your petunia bed, tucking your babies in under a towel with a bottle of warm water in there should do the trick. You can cap individual plants with cups or dishes or whatever you have that fits. Cut the bottoms off milk jugs or soda bottles for ghetto cloches. If you have large beds or fruit trees that can't be covered, water well before the storm hits and hope for the best - keeping a sprinkler on all night is how farmers do it.

One more photo: http://imgur.com/aSTCU

Four-Season Harvest by Elliot Coleman was invaluable. He targets commercial growers, but it's a handy guide for any of us trying to grow year-round in the north.

Greenhouse film

Floating row cover

Note, no affiliate id and I'm not associated with the above, it's just where we bought our supplies (and I can't say enough great things about Jonny's, we've been very happy with them)

We put the hoops up and then covered with the agribon when it first started to hit the low 30's. Once our lows started reaching the teens at night, I put the greenhouse film over the row cover.

On sunny days, you absolutely need to go out and pull the plastic cover back. I was lazy and lost my lettuce due to heat stress during a week where it was in the 20's during the day. Yes, it does get that hot.

You're right, you need cool weather crops. Spinach, broccoli, carrots, cabbage, kale, beets, lettuce.... those all do fantastic. I'd imagine peas would too but it just seemed like too much of a hassle trying to trellis peas under hoops.

As far as challenges we faced. We started the broccoli in August but the variety really needed a cold snap and then warm spell to produce. So, it grew slow all winter and then we ended up getting our first harvest in March. And, again, you need to be on top of venting the hoops when it's sunny. Watering can be a bit of a pain as well. I only had a hose so I had to drain the hose after I watered each time. Of course, there's not nearly as much evaporation in the winter so watering is less frequent.

On the plus side... there really is nothing like a carrot that's only been grown in the cold. They're as sweet as candy. There's also nothing like trudging through a foot of snow and coming back in with half a pound of fresh spinach for a pizza.

You pretty much have to read this book. It explains the basics of why our NW soil is unique (basically rain leaches our soil of many essential nutrients while leaving behind a heavy clay soil) and what to do (and not to do) about it. He's a little dogmatic but just breeze through it. It's on sale right now for less than $15 and a quick read. It also has a planting calendar. Portland Nursery also has a (PDF) planting calendar based on the book but if you compare the two you will notice differences.

I think you can seed tomatoes now indoors. Bottom line is that we get a lot of crappy weather and some years are "cabbage years", meaning tropical plants such as tomatoes won't thrive in our short-season climate. Start them indoors early, stagger your plantings\, and make sure to get local varieties selected for our region (the book covers all this).

Also consider indoor systems including hydroponics, especially for herbs and salad/leafy greens. With the amount of slugs and rain around here it's nice to have these available year round and they can be grown with cheap lights that use marginal electricity (as opposed to say growing tomatoes indoors which would use expensive lights).

If you grew tomatoes and corn successfully you're doing just fine. Good luck.

This is a good one too.

Weird why Amazon would not ship.
Some walmarts carry the Espoma line of organics, so check Walmart.

Absolutely, just the fiber along cleans up your gutt. I hated the taste initially, but so used to it now, its now part of the taste palette.

I went full vegetarian, about 3 years ago, cholesterol is down, blood pressure under control, sugar levels are normal, lost 40+ lbs, more importantly I sleep a lot better. So glad to have a 8hr sleep. I wont say it was just Ashitaba, but it certainly boosted my confidence and changed my view on food.

Yeah, they like a lot of light. If you have somewhere, you could put them outside (and it's warm enough) you could do that, otherwise it wouldn't hurt to get a grow light. They have them available on Amazon: 2ft or 4ft.

Hope it helps =)

You using this light?

Looks like you have it 12-16" above plants and a what... 3'x3' area for each one? I just built mine, but was considering getting more or getting a setup for when the big plants get bigger than the shelving would allow.

Looks like you have ~13 tomatos under one and ~17 tomatos/peppers under the other... how big will they get until you plant outside? Will those 2 lights be enough? (Just trying to figure out my own logistics)

I like the room though btw :)

Most of the info you'll find online for indoor grow bulbs will partain to pot (weed) growing. If it's legal where you are, I say go for it but ordering lights off of some sights can get you on a list of sorts that maybe you don't want to be on lol.

These are fairly cheap cfl's and I reccomend these types over the longer larger u shaped tube cfls. https://www.amazon.com/Hydroponic-Full-Spectrum-Light-5500K/dp/B005P29K1S

I say this because I've not had good luck or life span out of the others, but with smaller ones like these I've had great success.

But here's some L.E.D. types that you may be able to afford that last much longer

https://www.amazon.com/Lights-Spectrum-Indoor-Succulents-Seedling/dp/B07FKF6BT4

These links ought to get you started at looking at some options. Hell, I just was super shocked at how much the price tags have gone down in the last 3 years since I bought some for myself! Lol... Now I'm gonna have to do some reinvesting also!

You can start/grow lots of stuff inside in the winter if you have the right setup. If your apartment includes electricity and heat, you're sitting pretty!

Grow lamps can be bought easily. A few small plants can be done using just a compact florescent grow bulb. For more plants getting a 4ft shop light and grow tubes is the more efficient way. Keep the light as close to the plants as you can. Grow bulbs are key as normal lights usually don't have the right wavelengths for growing plants.

Using a 4ft shop light with grow bulbs I kept parsley and basil going all winter in my college apartment. My dad starts artichokes inside when it's 10F outside using this method, and starts tomatoes, peppers, and other plants as well (seed starting mats help too if your apartment is cold)

Look into the /r/IndoorGarden, /r/hydroponics, /r/hydroponic, /r/HydroponicGardening subs and related stuff. You DON'T have to go hydro to grow indoors: you can still use pots with potting soil. Some people use it to grow a SPECIFIC plant that they don't want others to see, so it can be an issue if you're doing a lot of indoor gardening with lots of lights or buying at a shop that "caters" to that clientele. They have a lot of experience and information though, so it's a tough call how much you want to cross paths with them.

I enjoyed The Bountiful Container by Mrs. Stuckey and Nichols McGee. Mrs Nichols McGee runs a nursery not too far from me and I've had the pleasure of emailing with her a few times and she is delightful.

I have been wanting to get one of those Weed Dragons. I don't know how well they work, but it looks like a good idea. We can't use herbicides/pesticides much either because we have goats, geese, and chickens. So this looked like a good option to me.

Edit: If anyone has experience with it let me know how it went.

16,500 Non GMO Heirloom Vegetable Seeds Survival Garden 40 Variety Pack https://www.amazon.com/dp/B017YET9K6/ref=cm_sw_r_apap_o6ldvOKW3UUX9

I bought this, this year. Last year I bought from herloomseeds.com they grew awesome but I'm still pretty new so picking was hard, this year I'm checking an easier route. The seeds from heirloom were amazing though, after transplanting tomato plants in solo cups I set 4 on the edge of my garden because I had too many. I neglected them, but all 4 fruited with big tomatos I couldn't believe it!

I made the same mistake as you last year, starting peas indoors. When it finally got warm enough to plant them outdoors, I only got like 3 pods off each plant because they were doing so poorly. When is your frost free date? if it is within two weeks I would just leave them like that (without the lid as mentioned by everyone else) and stick'em in the ground.

Do you have "kozy koats" or those little insultators you fill with water to plant early outside? these are the ones I have, I find they really help when I am trying to plant early!

Northerner here. They're aphids. You can buy a few hundred lady bugs off the Internet for around 20 bucks. That is easiest, safest and in my opinion the neatest way to deal with them.

Edit. http://www.thebuglady.ca/buying.htm

Edit 2. I just realized i posted a Candia supplier. Here's an American one with a much better price.
http://www.amazon.com/Orcon-LB-C1500-Ladybugs-Approximately-Count/dp/B000MR6WRG

I'm sorry, I saw your title in /r/gardening and thought what a great topic!! I couldn't wait to share how important I thought it was for a book to be targeted at a reader's local climate/soil conditions were, and I wanted to share what I had found for the Portland area in "Growing Vegetables West of the Cascades" . Then I saw the "perennial flowers" and I'm a bit confused. Find a local nursery they and will sell what will grow in your area and since you aren't going to eat it, feed it with miracle grow or what ever you want to.

If she want's to grow organic perennial's for some reason. The vegtable books should work too.

I keep seeing posts from a lot of people having great luck with their plants and I want the same for mine.

I set the troughs up using the Square Foot Gardening Technique and they have been doing pretty well. We've been getting Chard, Kale, Green Beans, Snap Peas, a few carrots, and a few beets. Nothing seems to be thriving other than the tomato plants in one of the bins but no fruit yet!

I water regularly but have not fertilized other than last week for the first time and I wasnt sure how much to use. I used one solo cup of each fertilizer and spread the one cup full throughout the three troughs. The tomatos look a little wilted to me but are haning in there and have a few flowers now.

Veggie Fertilizer:http://amzn.com/B001H1LS6G
Tomato Fertilizer: http://amzn.com/B0011UEKKE

Any advice appreciated!

(Picture of my dog included because pets make everything better!)

This might be a cool book for her. I have a few books like this, it's handy to have a good reference like this to consult.

Growing Vegetables West of the Cascades has been an extremely valuable resource for me. This year is my first doing serious gardening (in Portland) and having region-specific advice is great.
https://www.amazon.com/Growing-Vegetables-West-Cascades-6th/dp/1570615349

For a light I love these MarsHydro Mars 300W LED Grow Light Full Spectrum ETL Certification Lighting for Hydroponic Indoor Greenhouse Garden Plants Growing 132W True Watt Panel https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00XC3LBI2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_UOkEzbEW2ZGQ5

Thank you for sharing! That is really impressive growth. I hope my plants get that large when I am ready to start them. (Zone 5A currently getting lows at -20F). I have never heard of that type of light, seems to work really well for you and they are on sale so I might have to try one. I wonder if I have one of those but still my other lights if there would be an issue, or if I would just use the mars one.

Also the comments from people on imgur really get on my nerves at times.

First check with your landlord with what you can do. Then get a bunch of gardening books from the library. Right now is when you get things in for a fall harvest. In late July through August is when you would want to get in winter crops. Yes, you can grow things in Toronto in winter you just need protection. I would see what your local nursery has in the way of vegi and herb starts and get some good potting soil and put them in containers. Spend some extra cash and see if you can get a large healthy Tomato that is filled with flowers and put it in at least a 5 gallon pot.

Yes, you do. Here is a good book to help you out: http://www.amazon.com/Small-Scale-Grain-Raising-Processing-Nutritious/dp/1603580778?ie=UTF8&keywords=small%20scale%20cereal%20grains&qid=1465326199&ref_=sr_1_1&sr=8-1

Thanks for the advice...15k seeds is quite a bit...what was more surprising is it was only $14 or so....Here is the link if you are curious. I can't wait to get started!

I recommend a book called Four Season Harvest by Elliot Coleman. Great introduction on how you can produce year round.

http://www.amazon.com/Four-Season-Harvest-Organic-Vegetables-Edition/dp/1890132276

hmmmm ok thanks. And I'm in Zone 10b.

So I should get two T8's? And I'll need to get a new fixture for those as well, correct?

The T5 bulb I have came with this stand and fixture.

How much do you have to spend? I don't agree with the comments here that say you can use any old CFL. The best seed starter I have found is an LED UFO. It doesn't even need to be powerful. 24hr light and you'll have sprouts in no time.

Here's an amazon option. http://www.amazon.com/TaoTronics%C2%AE-TT-GL20-Lights-Plants-Greenhouse/dp/B00GNWK2XO/ref=sr_1_cc_2?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1418166905&sr=1-2-catcorr&keywords=UFO+grow+light

So did you buy this?:

http://www.amazon.com/Heirloom-Vegetable-Seeds-Variety-Pack/dp/B017YET9K6

There are some seeds you can still start right now, like all the lettuces or the radishes.

I just googled for a vegetable sowing calender which fits you climate zone, this one should be perfect since you say you're living in Zone 8a: North Carolina:

http://when2plant.com/

So there are many vegetables you can still plant directly outside into your beds.

I don't have personal experience with aerogardens but I have been to many homes who have them and they are usually sitting on the counter, off with dead plants. I would suggest going with a Earthbox. The cheapest one I could find was on amazon and then hook up a simple grow light system. For that you can either build one using regular fluorescent light fixtures and grow light bulbs or buy a kit. My friend has this kit and likes it. But, again, building it yourself would be cheaper.

The Earthbox and grow light kit still only comes out to $110 and will be much more versatile in my opinion. That said, I am interested in other people's first person reviews of the Aerogarden Deluxe.

I know you're looking for more gentle solutions, but if you ever have to pull out the big guns (I had no choice), I've had success with sprinkling mosquito dunks on the soil surface.

I haven't delved enough in to grow lights to really know the answer. What I do know is that the quality varies widely, and PAR is the metric you want to look at when comparing lights. It measures the plant-usable light output, as opposed to lumens which are total light output. A lot of lights don't provide this metric unfortunately.

I've used the 12W bulbs here to grow mini cherry tomatoes (1 per plant). They produced like crazy: https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B00GNWK2XO

I'm sure there are better lights out there but this one worked well enough for me. Take a look at the 36W versions too, especially if your tomato is a larger variety.

For easy germination I recommend:

1. A 72 cell tray, with reservoir and humidity dome, and a heat mat. You can pick one of these up for about $25 on Amazon (I'd find you a link except my ISP is crapping out at the moment.)
   
   
2. Peat plugs. I have the jiffy ones, and they work fine.
   
   You can either put this under lights or in a sunny window, or both. The heat will get the seeds up quickly, but they'll need plenty of light if they're not going to grow spindly.
   
   EDIT my DNS came back up. This thing's the ticket: http://www.amazon.com/Hydrofarm-CK64050-Germination-Station-Heat/dp/B000HHO1RO/ref=pd_sim_lg_1
   
   About $20 of the cost is for the heat mat.

I swear by this stuff, organic and has protected all my greens and radishes like a boss

I used a 5-gal LP tank. It connects with a long hose. I suppose you could use a small disposable cylinder.

Here’s a good description at Amazon:

<https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00004Z2FP/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_LmFPDb9760S19>

There are other brand names and sources. Lowe’s. Home Depot. Ace.

I have a Miracle Grow bottle lying around, should I use it or look into the Floranova Bloom?
Could you clarify 2 things for this newbie?
Topping: should I just cut the tops of the plants or is there something deeper into the technique?
PH: is there a specific way to measure the ph level of my water?
As for your question, I had used the TaoTronics grow lights to germinate these and get them going.
http://www.amazon.com/Highest-Efficient-Hydroponic-TaoTronics-Lights/dp/B00GNWK2XO

You could have one nice big light, or a couple of smaller ones. Depends on how long you are going to grow indoors, and your budget.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BFPBBD6 This fixture
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MXLSEJ8 with six of these, would result in 4800 lumens.


https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0721TG86M here you have 5000 lumens


https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00XC3LBI2 you could do this one, but the light is terrible to live in.


https://horticulturelightinggroup.com/products/hlg-65 And this would be your best option. 10.000 lumens.


​

Just buy some ladybugs, they'll take care of everything. http://www.amazon.com/Orcon-LB-C1500-Ladybugs-Approximately-Count/dp/B000MR6WRG

depending on your infestation level (and size of garden) you can order larger/smaller quantities.

I've only used one, but I'm sure they're all about the same.

This is the one I bought:

https://www.amazon.com/Safer-Brand-5118-Insect-Killing/dp/B00192AO90

Thanks for all the tips I was looking for something more along these lines, if this helps. http://www.amazon.com/Hydroponic-Full-Spectrum-Light-5500K/dp/B005P29K1S/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1422137258&sr=8-4&keywords=grow+lights more a room size indoor garden.

bacillus thuringiensis or anything that contains the same active ingredient.

> diatomaceous earth

Thank you, will look at Home Depot. This is the current product I am using for those slime machines
http://www.amazon.com/Monterey-Sluggo-Control-Organic-Gardening/dp/B000BWZ89K

Personally I use this and it works well if you are not looking to light a lot of plants.

I don't have any personal experience, but I know of a couple of books on the subject:

Small-Scale Grain Raising, Second Edition: An Organic Guide to Growing, Processing, and Using Nutritious Whole Grains, for Home Gardeners and Local Farmers

Homegrown Whole Grains: Grow, Harvest, and Cook Wheat, Barley, Oats, Rice, Corn and More

It's a T5 high output light. This one specifically: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0006856EQ/ref=oh_details_o08_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I've kept it at about 3" above the seedlings when they were young. Now that they are in bigger pots and more spread out it's higher to try and spread over everything.

Yes these are the only plants underneath it.

60F but with a heating mat underneath.

No fertilizer.

I've been sticking to under watering since I over watered once when they were in their original burpee seed trays and I think that's what left the soil too damp.

If it stays a persistent problem and you don't want to use chemicals, I know that ladybugs will eat aphids.

You might consider buying some and releasing them in your garden. They're pretty cheap, and shouldn't cause any problems to any of your other plants.

Based on my experience over the past 4 years, still learning so if anyone has advice throw it my way too:
I grow bell peppers and jalapeño indoors next to a south facing window. The ones that dont fit next to the window I put an led growlight on every other plant (below). They need at least a 5 gallon pot each- though Ive experimented with stunting them in smaller pots to get cutes tiny peppers with much success. Grab some liquid fertilizer- dilute in and use it as directed for containers. If it doesnt specify containers then I dilute it 10x the recommendation. Do not use fertilizer spikes. They have killed too many of my plants.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00GNWK2XO/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1472997656&sr=8-2&pi=SY200_QL40&keywords=led+grow+light&dpPl=1&dpID=41PZ45OvRBL&ref=plSrch

You absolutely must get this book: The Bountiful Container. It's said to be the bible for vegetable container gardening, full of info, and it's written so delightfully that you want to run out and plant all the things.

You can actually order ladybugs from garden supply sites (or even amazon! )

I am kinda in the middle of a move, i was looking at this one.


http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000HHO1RO?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=ox_sc_act_title_11&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

this works really well as a replacement for round-up.

If he really wants to step it up, this book by Eliot Coleman. He lives in Maine and gardens year round!

http://www.amazon.com/Four-Season-Harvest-Organic-Vegetables-Edition/dp/1890132276/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1410619791&sr=8-2&keywords=year+round+gardening

I just bought this book specifically for our area. It has a breakdown of what to plant and do in your garden month by month.

http://www.amazon.ca/gp/aw/d/1604693517

This is the UK version of what I use to start seedlings, but it's considerably more expensive for you :-\
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hydrofarm-JSV4-4-Foot-Start-System/dp/B0001XLSGQ/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1522943290&sr=8-4-fkmr0&keywords=t5+how+grow+light+-+4ft+6+lamps

Did you use the dust, or the concentrate?

Dust.

http://www.amazon.com/Safer-Brand-Caterpillar-Killer-Garden/dp/B001A7RNB6

Concentrate.

http://www.saferbrand.com/store/garden-care/5160?gclid=COaf38WFrbgCFaZaMgodQQEApg

Both of these suggest that you spray a small test area first, and then wait 24 hours, to check for adverse reactions, whether or not you were using an old Roundup sprayer.

I bought a small bottle of the mosquito dunk granules several years ago. The bottle has sat outside (in sheltered spot) and they still work just fine. They seem kind of pricey but a little goes a long way and they don't seem to go bad.

Mosquito bits and/or Neem oil are all you need for gnats!

The bits kill the larvae in the soil and the neem oil makes the adults go crazy that they forget to eat, breed, or even fly!

EDIT: a great source for info on neem oil.

Mosquito Bits or Dunks will kill them.

Bought some Sluggo at another poster's suggestion, after they destroyed my chard. No problems since.