T. Woolf

I have a somewhat off-topic question: You did get this in writing, yes? A signed contract? Who has liability if something happens like you getting injured, someone else getting injured on the property, or if what you do doesn't work and the land isn't sold to you? Or what if it does work, and your partner decides to take the hay and cattle from you? What recourse do you have then?

Sorry for being skeptical, but often "too good to be true" deals are often that.

Hay? You don't tell me where the land is. (I may have missed this). If you don't have a form of irrigation, you can kiss anything non-native goodbye. You'll just be wasting money. Native grasses are probably the best. Even so, if the dirt has been stripped of topsoil, you can bet nothing will grow well. Best to compost organic waste (slash, etc) on the area before attempting to plant. This is going to be a long, expensive project.

Just my 2 cents. 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️✌️✌️✌️

Ac Baker wrote:

T. Woolf wrote:Is western salsify the same thing? We get those growing around here all the time in Montana.

Interesting question.  No, apparently.

Ours is purple-flowering salsify .. apparently known to 'Western science' as "Tragopogon porrifolius".

Are you referring to yellow-flowering salsify .. "Tragopogon dubius"?  That was apparently introduced to Turtle Island around the same time as vegetable (purple flowering) salsify.   But the yellow salsify root isn't really edible, too bitter & fibrous, apparently?

Yeah, yellow salsify. The goats sure like them, though.

Timothy Li wrote:

Thanks, that helps me narrow down what to look for! An adjustable light sounds useful for my small setup. What signs would tell me that the light is too close or stressing the plant? As a beginner, I’m not sure how I’d distinguish that from not getting enough light.

Keep the light at 6 inches or so from the top of the plant, and it won't stress it. Brown and curled leaves are usually signs of light stress.

Ac Baker wrote:Salsify is biennial, so if you leave the root in the ground it will go to flower & seed in the second year.  But you can still eat the young second-year shoots, plus those flower buds & stems.  

So you have lots of options - eat the first shoots (thin the seedlings), eat the root after the first year (thinning again), eat the second year shoots (thinning again), eat the flower buds & stems (thinning again!) so that when the abundant seed-heads like huge golden dandelions come after the flowers, you're not overwhelmed with hundreds upon hundreds of the seed-heads and tens of thousands of seeds!

Is western salsify the same thing? We get those growing around here all the time in Montana.

Willkommen! Wie geht's? (Ja I kenne bischen Deutsche)

I'll be honest and admit that anything perennial I end up growing is usually herb like mint, oregano, and the like. Chamomile isn't perennial, but it seems to reseed itself. Oh, and strawberry plants.

Welcome to permies!

I found the herb hydroponic system that is really low cost on Amazon. It's called the Aerogarden Sprout and it's less than $25. So, if you want the whole grow light plus hydroponic system, this would do fine. Here's the link: https://link.amazon/B0j8lidVf

Have fun!

Timothy Li wrote:Since I’m starting with just one plant and trying to keep costs down, what should I look for in a basic grow light? Also, how did you figure out how many hours to leave yours on?

Most grow lights have full spectrum lighting (but not UV--that's expensive and unnecessary for what you are growing) and are LED. They have 6 hour, 8 hour, and 12 hour settings, usually. Set yours for 12 and the plants will be mostly happy. Some like 16 hours, so if your plants do, try doing 12 hour and then 4 hour (or vice versa). The trick is to find a lamp that can clip onto shelving or something from above OR is tall enough so a fully grown plant has at least 6 inches from the lights. Otherwise, the plant will get burned or at least stressed. A cooler lamp is preferable, but most LEDs aren't that hot.

Timothy Li wrote:Hi everyone! I’m a college student in Michigan and completely new to gardening. I’m interested in starting with one herb indoors that I could eventually use for cooking. I have limited space and would prefer to keep the setup inexpensive.
What herb would be manageable for a beginner during Michigan’s fall and winter, and how would I figure out whether my window provides enough light?
I’m also participating here for a class project about how beginners learn through online communities. If I’d like to use your response as an example in my report, I’ll ask your permission first.

Many people mention that you should choose the kind of herbs you like. I agree. I would like to add besides mint, oregano is a tough plant. My mom would've suggested basil because if you cook Italian food, basil is imperative. But you'll probably need a grow lamp. Luckily there are low cost grow lamps for around $20-$30 on Amazon, so you don't need to deal with the vagaries of Michigan sunlight. (Montana has a similar issue, being as northern as we are).  

With a grow light, weather isn't a problem. I might recommend a small hydroponic unit (there are cheap ones out there) that have a built in grow light and you can grow herbs without soil. I mostly grow hydroponically, so you can always ask me via PM how that works.

Good luck and have fun!

That's the question: What dwarf tomato varieties would you recommend and who do you suggest I buy the seeds from? Yes, I am growing them in a hydroponics system. I prefer the tomato plant to be around 15 inches or shorter. Mini or regular tomatoes okay. Yellow or other colors preferred but red is okay.

I have been growing orange hat tomatoes, but I got the seeds from Amazon and apparently the germination is meh. I have one plant growing. Another is starting now that I've had to reseed it twice. 🤬 So if you recommend Orange Hat, can you recommend a better source?

Thanks.

Eino Kenttä wrote:Yeah, I do wonder if they'll eat onions? Most non-human mammals don't. Do you have any tasty wild alliums in your area? Ramps or such?

I've only seen them on a hillside in the higher mountains, and they were pretty small. One person in my family has an intolerance for onions, so that's out. (shrug)