[hanniabu]

> There's something about planning, planting, and then caring for a garden that appeals to my engineer brain

Agreed, and it's also not a stressful task in itself for some reason. I'm somebody that's over analytical and tends to succumb to analysis paralysis, but when it comes to garden work I never experience that. (possibly because I know plants are resilient and it's hard to mess up?)

[sf_rob]

I come to gardening with the same attitude. Basically if it doesn't grow well in my temperate climate then I just grow something else next year. Tomatoes, mint, and squash all grow like weeds and are super easy, peppers are finicky, and leafy greens are a battle against aphids.

That said, I know plenty of other hobby gardeners who treat their gardens as an exercise in optimization. Heck, I even know one engineer with a grid of (legal) marijuana plants who varies the nutrient composition of the soil in each planter to play with his quality/yield.

[Cerium]

I have had good luck in the battle against aphids on my kale by spraying them with a (1:1) mixture of 70% rubbing alcohol and water with a small amount of dish soap (I use about one sponge load worth in a full spray bottle).

[nanomonkey]

I have a similar recipe, only I add in a tablespoon or so of neem oil.

[vram22]

Neem is great. We use it a lot in India. It's one of what some people informally call super-plants or wonder-plants, some others being banana, coconut, and bamboo. All have various uses, for different parts of the plant, not just the obvious ones, e.g. in the case of banana, people in India eat the flowers and stems too, made into curries).

Edit: Also garlic, ha ha. What would we do without it, for both food and (informal) medical uses.

[Cactus2018]

I've had success against bugs using liquid Castile soap (Dr Bronner) in a recycled "foaming spray bottle" (Clorox Foamer)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insecticidal_soap

[hanniabu]

Just get a container of lady bugs, they're natural predators

[jrumbut]

Yeah it really breaks through the paralysis because once you get the seeds wet the plants are coming on their own schedule whether you're ready or not.

Plants are definitely resilient. I like experimenting with high densities/small pots on the very unlikely chance I find some plants with synergy (or just lack of space).

In 2017 this resulted in tiny (but tasty!) jalapenos (about a quarter of the normal size) growing off a plant that had sat on the windowsill doing nothing for 2 years.

If anyone has advice on plant pairings/symbiosis I would love to hear it!

[vram22]

>Plants are definitely resilient. I like experimenting with high densities/small pots on the very unlikely chance I find some plants with synergy (or just lack of space).

>In 2017 this resulted in tiny (but tasty!) jalapenos (about a quarter of the normal size) growing off a plant that had sat on the windowsill doing nothing for 2 years.

Very interesting. Must try that out some time.

>If anyone has advice on plant pairings/symbiosis I would love to hear it!

You probably know this, but nitrogen fixation via legumes is one such symbiosis, of a kind. You can plant non-legumes interspersed with legumes. The native North American "Three Sisters" concept [1] is an example of that - they discovered that corn, beans and squash work well in symbiosis - beans being the legume.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Sisters_(agriculture)

Edit: In fact, with the Three Sisters, it is not a two-way symbiosis - it is three-way:

>The three crops benefit from each other. The maize provides a structure for the beans to climb, eliminating the need for poles. The beans provide the nitrogen to the soil that the other plants use, and the squash spreads along the ground, blocking the sunlight, helping prevent the establishment of weeds. The squash leaves also act as a "living mulch", creating a microclimate to retain moisture in the soil, and the prickly hairs of the vine deter pests. Corn, beans, and squash contain complex carbohydrates, essential fatty acids and all nine essential amino acids, allowing most Native American tribes to thrive on a plant-based diet.[7]

[BasicObject]

Just to add to what has been said here. The three sisters is not the only form of companion planting you can do. There are many. My favorite other examples also include: Strawberries planted next to blueberries and carrots planted next to lettuce. These may not provide as complete nutritional value as the three sisters but they are easy other options.

[vram22]

Good points, thanks. I will try carrot and lettuce.

[BasicObject]

Make sure they grow well in your hardiness zone! Just in case people aren't aware of them :-)

[vram22]

They actually do grow there, and people are aware, but thanks for the caution :)

[jrumbut]

I was aware of nitrogen fixing in theory but was wholly unaware of the maize/beans/squash combo. That's 100% the sort of thing I'm after although I would prefer it on a container friendly scale.

[vram22]

Good point. Not sure if it would work at that small a scale. You might have to look around more (on and off the Net); it could help. Some searching through organic gardening sites, Rodale Press mags/sites, permaculture sites, etc., may help.

Vaguely remember seeing some such points mentioned (about companion planting, plant-plant symbiosis examples for gardening, etc.) a while ago, but did not save those particular ones, unfortunately, although I do often save web pages of interest to my PC.

Just remembered / thought of another point: Just because beans and corn may not work at your small scale (tiny pots), does not mean that nitrogen fixation may not work at all (or other forms of symbiosis). I remember reading somewhere that there are many plants and trees in the legume family ( Fabaceae (or Leguminosae)) [1], and they range from small herbs to trees. So some googling for small leguminous plants may help. For example, clover (which can be small) is probably a legume. Also, a person I know - and who has a background in farming - once told me that there are many wild species that are legumes, and one way (not guaranteed to work always) to detect them, is that they have trifoliate leaves.

Just googled:

  legumes have trifoliate leaves

and it seems to indicate that what he said is partly right, at least.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legume

[SuoDuanDao]

My family came across a fun synergy last summer - garden giants (aka wine caps, or probably any table mushroom) and squash. The squash likes to grow into the wood chip beds of the table mushrooms, and the mushrooms like the cool, moist climate in the shadow of the squash leaves.

[Pfhreak]

The only thing that stresses me is when my plants fail and I don't know why.

[dekhn]

I moved to "easier" plants and was a lot happier. Once I mastered growing an ivy, I felt more comfortable. For me the general problem is that plants just stop growing because they've exhausted the nutrients in the soil, and then I bungle the fertilizer (too much) and the plant dies.

[jrumbut]

Edit: I just saw your other post, this one in isolation made me think you had tried gardening once and given up.

That just happens sometimes!

Hard to explain failures are often caused by one or more of over watering, pests (including at the root level), too little soil, or bad soil PH. Symptoms of pests include visible bugs, mold, eggs, or webs (check under the leaves) or a weird smell. PH problems sometimes manifest as discolored leaves.

Also like animals plants have very different levels of vitality, there is strength in numbers!

If you want to try again let me recommend herbs and leaf vegetables. Mint, basil, arugula, lettuce, and mustard greens grow fast and mint in particular is somewhat invasive and hard to stop it gets going.

It can be tough to grow a tomato that looks like the ones at the grocery store without experience and more time and care. There's an art to it.

[perfmode]

i’ve had great results growing basil. I had a plant we named Harry, who thrived in Palo Alto despite erratic care. Harry would drink as much water as we could give it and would be visibly wilted when thirsty. Otherwise, incredibly happy sitting in the sun and producing leaves.

[vram22]

>i’ve had great results growing basil. I had a plant we named Harry,

Wow, really cool idea, naming individual plants. Much better than the pet rock concept ;) Going to give it a try, next time I plant something. Related, as a kid doing organic gardening, I once read a book called Talk To Your Plants. Just searched for it:

https://www.amazon.com/Talk-Your-Plants-Jerry-Baker/dp/B000H...

That's the one, I'm pretty sure. There is also this one which I have not read:

https://www.amazon.com/Talk-Your-Plants-Will-Eisner/dp/08973...

[Pfhreak]

I'm in the Pacific Northwest, and I've had mixed experience with basil. I'm trying to grow it hydroponically at home now, and it seems to be going pretty well.

[jrumbut]

Yeah basil really takes well to that kind of setup and has the ability, given sufficient light, to grow so vigorously that it creates a wide band of acceptable fertilizer levels which can be a real challenge.

[fillskills]

Happy to help out. When you are ready to plant the next one we will be happy to help

[benj111]

Hail storms just after you've planted something (normally none hardy) out.

That's stressful!