Okay this might be a silly question. Ideally I'd love to have the perfect spot for my brugs but alas I don't. I don't have enough big pots to sink them all and honestly it would be a total waste of space, soil and pots for my numerable seedlings. I know they will grow quicker in the ground, but I have to figure out how and where. Do you row run yours so you can grow massive amounts, because you like the way it looks or what? Another question, did I read somewhere they you should not grow them with tomatoes or where tomatoes have grown or was that something else?? I hope I get some good and interesting answers here. :)
Why do you 'row run' your brugs??
Badseed I think I posted dumb? #98 About the nightshade family and rotating crops. I was always taught not to plant anything in the same family for at least 3 years because of soil born pests and soil being depeleted of nutrients. If I goofed again forgive me.
Hi Michele! I plant my seedlings in a row to save space in my borrowed garden area. If and when they bloom, I'll keep the nicest to grow in the real garden area.
I didn't put mine in pots either. I had to many seedlings. Last winter I kept several seedlings growing with the roots wrapped in a plastic bag. Just yanked them out of the ground in the fall. Knocked excess dirt off of them. Wrapped a plastic bag around the roots. They did fine. My back is in too bad of shape to dig all those big pots in the ground. Not to mention, I'm a tad on the lazy side.
Chele, I put most of my seedlings in one gallons and sunk them in the ground, no extra holes. I will let them grow this way all season. Most have gone from a few inches to 3' tall since the beginning of May. This way too, they don't fall over and grow funny.
LOL Lazy gardening! That is a good reason. I still have the five kids and the third shift job, so lazy is really good. :) I have been trying to take inventory of what I have and what is big enough to bloom. Then I have seedlings, boy do I have seedlings! Really, unless I dig a new space, who knows where, the easiest place to put them all is in one of my veggie beds. Two of them had tomatoes and peppers and the third is my holding bed with my hoopster. I can move the hoopster, but I was really hoping to get rid of that bed all together. Each bed is about 8x25. Can I put all the Brugs where toms and peppers were? It is the furthest from the house and hopefully the furthest from dog and kid damage. tiG, I don't have that many pots, even one gallon ones. I just potted a ton of seedlings! I think some seeds were TOO fertile! LOL Thanks a bunch for your replies. I will sit and wait (a day or two ha ha ha) and see what everyone/anyone else says. Desert Rose, I am trying to go with the theory that the only dumb question is the one not asked. ;)
Michele I plant mine in rows in the ground. I put them on one foot centers.(one foot between plants, one foot between rows) and let them grow. If they haven't bloomed before frost, I take the top foot or so as a cutting. That way, they get a head start next year but don't take up so much room for storage. I stick a dozen or so cuttings in a gallon pot for winter storage(learned this from Glory)
Michele, I plant mine in the garden where I used to grow tomatoes. They may have had a break over a couple of years, but I still have them close to this year's tomatoes. I've not had a problem yet, not to say I couldn't, but I just don't have the room to do as I should. Like Cala, I plant my seedlings in rows, but mine are over a foot apart, but less than 18 inches. If they don't bloom this year, they will probably not be held over. Am pretty sure that most will bloom though. At least once.
I set mine out in rows in the ground this year! (First time.) Just wanted to watch 'em grow/flower/perfume the air! Will probably cut them back and mulch heavily this fall. Problem is, when I cut them back, I'll have so many branches to root I'll be looking for more space to plant them out in next year! What have I set myself up for!?
Cala, you said you just take the top foot or so as a cutting...what do you do with the rest of the plant? Cut it down and *gulp* throw it away?
When I cut mine down, that is when I have lots of cuttings to share with people. Have to admit that some of them have to go to the compost pile though. Just too much stuff and if not a great brug, I don't give it to others.
Making rows for the seedlings is such a good thought. That is probably what I need to do. It sounds like the easiest way to care for them and then only keep the best plants after they bloom. The pots are such a hassle when there are alot of seedlings. I guess I need to tell DH to get the tiller out.
I thank you so much for your posts!!! 800 pounds of manure and a few hours of tilling later, I am back! LOL The poor tiller decided it had enough so I made dinner and am about to crash for a few hours so I can go to work. I did get in a bit of child abuse though-they like the tiller and learned how to use it today. evil grin ;) With any luck all my babies will be in the ground this weekend. All I need veggie wise is a salsa garden and I am HAPPY!! Blooming brugs would make me ecstatic!!
When i came to this forum a couple of years ago, i was amazed at Brugman's description of how he planted them in rows like corn, letting the stronger ones over power the weaker, etc just amazed. if you have to grow a bunch it is practical. Ms. Frannie, i have to get the tiller out too if it ever quits raining.
Same reason here with seedlings. Its practical. I plant them like rows of tobacco. Named Brugs are different. They are in the flower beds and all kind of places planted in no particular pattern :)
Thanks so much for all the advice here. Tonny, I took yours to heart. I have since this post, tilled a nice big space for all the unknowns and crosses and put all the named ones in gardens-red, orange and yellow out back and pinks out front. I hope to keep up with all of you. LOL Seriously, I just hope to have a few blooms this year. :)
Our tiller, is a Texas De Luxe `77, so its an old, rusty lady, but it have 5 horsepowers so it is difficult to hold in hard ground. However it was more fun when I had to till away some Syren roots. That made the tiller jump up in the air several times *lol* Well, makes gardening more easy. I cross my fingers that you will have lots of blooms :)
Tonny and Cala, described perfectly why and how I run mine in rows. Simply put, its the fastest way to an end result...ie new hybrids to work with or introduce.
Well, I wish I could say I was responsible for whatever I grow, but they were all gifts from friends, that will get them back to name, propagate or whatever if they turn out nice. I'm like the surrogate brug grower. LOL
My tiller is about six years old and a Craftsman (Sear's Brand). Apparently my fuel line bit it, but hubby is supposed to fix it tonight. I have no idea how many crosses I have to plant still but I hope I get something neat for whomever made them. I have the space, so why not?! My other gardens are about packed so this is fun for me. I just sprouted another flat and a half of Farmgirls seeds and that is with them planted about 1" apart.
Tonny, you make me laugh! I have dang near knocked my teeth out with my front tine! LOL Thank goodness for bagged soil cuz I can never afford a truck load at a time these days. :)
*lol* Badseed, I first read surrogate Brug grower as surrogate mother, but I think that you are more of a bonus mother for them *lol* I am a bonus father for several seedlings too *lol* One of the things that make growing seedlings so exciting is that you never know, when they will Y. I have started looking for Y`s in a few and check every day, but have only found butterfly catapillars so far, but then again one can always wonder, what types of flowers they will have and which year they will start to bloom :D Hopefully you will have many first years bloomers, Badseed. btw. don`t even mention the word bagged soil *lol* I ordered 900 kilos Sunday and delivery today after working time. I spend hours today drilling holes in over 100 ground pots and then the man that should deliver the soil didn`t show up. That`s murder *lol* ... but on the other hand I have entertained the entire neighbourhood with the sound of the sound of my drilling maschine, so somebody must be happy *lol*
Tonny, I plant other things in amongst the brugs so I will be pleasantly surprised when I am looking for Y's and find something else blooming!
LOL Susie! I too have been adding other things for fun. I put in some red daylilies, the Leonuris, castor beans, etc. I am sure to have something fun in there all summer long. :)
Tonny, I amuse my neighbors everyday! It is probably the lack of clothing, moving things constantly and emptying pots so I can refill them. So is the garden!