Im trying (for the second time) to grow a virginia creeper on my balcony, last year it died... I fear that my pot might be too small. The spot does get a lot of sun (facing southwest). Any help is appreciated

I'm in Seattle, zone 8B/9A and have a balcony garden in containers. Current weather is lows in the low-mid 40s, highs in the high 50s-mid 60s, generally cloudy with some rainy days.

My spring crops are peas/garlic/spinach/carrots/beets, all from seed. The peas and garlic were planted late last fall and are doing awesome - the peas are 4-5 feet tall and just started flowering and the garlic is quite vibrant. The spinach/carrots/beets were planted in mid March and have only barely sprouted, ~1-2 inches tall.

My impatience shows up because when I go to my grocery store and wander through the garden center, I see shelf after shelf of tomato, pepper, and basil plants which will be my summer crops. Part of me is getting annoyed at my spinach/carrots/beets for being so sluggish because I LOVE hot peppers and have never grown tomatoes before and I want to get going! While my more logical half is thinking that lows of 40-43 are too cold for tomatoes and peppers even if I had vacant pots for them (which I don't since they are currently occupied with the spring plants...). And that it's okay to aim for Memorial Day to harvest everything but the garlic and get my summer crops from a nursery, and late June to harvest the garlic.

Any advice for enjoying my spring crops without getting impatient about my eventual summer crops?

Apparently, my father grew some potatoes. I didn’t even know until a few minutes ago. Here is some pictures. What do you think?

Hi, I’m Howie! An enthusiast of urban green spaces and an anthropologist studying the personal touches that make each garden unique. I'd love to hear about what inspired you to start your garden and any stories you’d like to share about your gardening journey!

1. "What's the story behind the inception of your urban garden? We’d love to hear how your green space has grown with you!"
2. "What has been your most surprising success or happy accident in gardening in a limited space?"
3. "Are there any particular herbs, flowers, or plants that have a special significance for you, and why?"
4. "How have your urban gardening efforts connected you with others, whether online or in your local community?"
5. "Could you share a particular challenge you've encountered in urban gardening and the creative ways you've tackled it?"

Feel free to answer any of the questions that resonate with you. I'm excited to gain more insight into your urban gardening experiences—every snippet of your story is valuable. Thank you in advance for sharing!

I have a plant buying addiction and bought this eastern redbud last year and planted it along another side of my fence bordering my neighbor’s garage. I made a mistake planting it there so I moved it out along this fence line in front of the dwarf Korean lilac. I am not sold on this location though.

Do you think it would be better suited along the fence and in between the ivory silk lilac and the little gem southern magnolia? There is 14 feet between the trunks of those two trees and it says redbuds should grow to about 15-20 feet wide at maturity. The ivory silk lilac should also be about 20 feet wide at maturity and the magnolia only about 10-15 feet wide.

There is an alley behind this fence and the power lines run along there as well, but are at least 15 feet above the ground.

Any advice is appreciated! Thank you!

TLDR keep the eastern redbud where it is, move it in between the ivory silk lilac and the magnolia, or give it away to someone else and stop buying plants.

I'm a noob to gardening. So I guess of course I purchased some plants before our last frost day. I live in NWI, zone 6a. Now hardware stores like Menards, Lowe's, Home Depot, and the like have all those plants outside while they're for sale during this time of year, and does that mean they should be relatively hardened off already? Should I have them inside at night still, or just leave them outside in the areas of light that each plant says they should have? I also travel for a living, so I'd have to have my husband help out doing what needs to be done for the plants too. I have grow lights indoors on seedlings I started from seed, that definitely aren't ready to go out yet.

Also, how soon should these plants be put into the ground? Or could I keep them in their containers for a while yet?

I may actually just bring them inside, and put them under the grow lights I have set up. Which is actually on shelves in front of a south facing window too. I just checked the weather and it looks like it's going to storm on tuesday and wednesday. Ugh. I'm just mostly thinking out loud at this point I guess, haha.

Also, I purchased a ready to spray Neem oil. Is that OK to use on the recently purchased plants or should I wait?

Thanks for any help, there's so much conflicting advice online

Last year my dad and I built this 56ft long bed and I couldn't be happier about it! Pure joy to watch nature finally taking over🤗

I have a decent sized patio (8'x 30') for my condo in Chicago and I was hoping to add a few more pots and install a cable trellis system, but I'm having a hard time figuring out what would be best. Im on the 4th floor so it can get pretty cold up here so Im assuming I wont be able to use any of the perennials I like.

I thought perhaps morning glories would be nice but I see that they roughly bloom from august to September. I was hoping for some type of climbing rose and next season I could even start growing whatever it is inside in early March and then put them outside by mid to late April.

I thought vinca was a shade plant — nope, turns out it’s from Madagascar and wants full sun and dry soil. Would it do well enough in a spot that gets direct morning sun and bright filtered light the rest of the day? NYC here. Probably too soon to go outside from what I’ve read.

Hey y'all! First post!

I live in Chicago and I'm scaling up my grow bag veggie game this year. In the past I've just done sweet potatoes, peppers, and tomatoes, but this year I'm tackling corn, cucumbers, and zucchini in addition to those three, plus some herbs (mint, lavender, cilantro). I love my porch garden and can't wait to see it green again!!! Everybody is sprouting inside right now.

Chicago is one of the worst cities for rats, and the parking lot my porch opens into is a great demonstration of that. No matter how much pest control the city does, the little buggers keep it up in all the trash. Our neighbors have actual dirt gardens they don't use and so they all nest there. I have had them dig in my potatoes before, and I have taken to scorched earth covering the porch in cayenne to keep them away. It works pretty well but it's also annoying to do/look at.

Does anyone have tips for keeping them away from our veg as they grow? I'm especially worried that my precious corn babies will be tempting.

Thanks!

NYC. South facing. Very windy.

Absolutely no experience. Any idea on what to do here? Some parameter below:

• Can’t make any holes/nothing permanent
• Preferences (in order): things that smell good, are pretty, taste good

Now that this stump is out, I need to decide what to plant in this north-facing container in Hell’s Kitchen. I don’t have a lot of money to spend on plants, and there’s a chance anything I plant will get stolen. Ideas?

As mentioned in the title, they've been in the seed starting box with enough humidity and sunlight, but most of them seem to have rotten. Soil is a mixture of coconut coir, perlite, vermiculite and some compost. Beets, swiss chards, cabbage and Chinese cabbage are sprouting with the same mixture. I'm in region 9b. Any thoughts or pointers would be greatly appreciated. Thank you kindly.

I want to get some begonias and petunias in the ground. Is it too early?

It’s been pretty warm this spring and we are getting a ton of rain this week!

Hi Reddit friends.

This “little project” should be complete by May. Wish me luck 🤙

Pending items:

Extended drip irrigation for the new raised beds, patio planters, and install a self watering system inside the greenhouse.

Finish building the foundation for the greenhouse and assemble the greenhouse kit (Costco).

Decided on keeping the grass as a living pathways (since it’s practically impossible to kill without weedkillers), or gravel would be nice but it’s quite costly.

I’m doing my best to stay away from pesticides and store bought fertilizers. Charles dowding, JADAM, and Korean natural farming has been working for the last 2 years good enough to work to grow food for our family.

So I’m building a garden bed on top of my Concrete slab back yard out of cinder blocks and I have like 10 extra blocks I don’t think I need. Can I smash them into smaller rock sizes and use them as drainage before I pour the dirt over top or will that somehow be bad for the soil?

Hi, my name is Daisy Worthington and I am a student currently studying geography and environmental science. I am completing a dissertation investigating the role that urban community gardens play in addressing unequal access to green space. As part of this research, I have created a short survey which aims to understand the lived experiences of those involved in community gardens. I have attached the survey to this post and would be extremely grateful if anyone could complete it. Taking part will allow you to contribute to research concerning community gardens. sharing your experiences and insights will help develop an understanding of the impact of urban community gardening on local communities. Thank you for taking the time to read this post!

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeHNUiBtfcn9xKMkoJh44ThtFIdXkUan1NPbX31IrQbCfZg3Q/viewform?usp=sf_link