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PaperclipPerfector  10d ago (text post)   2680 thread views

Friday Fun Thread for June 12, 2026

Be advised: this thread is not for serious in-depth discussion of weighty topics (we have a link for that), this thread is not for anything Culture War related. This thread is for Fun. You got jokes? Share 'em. You got silly questions? Ask 'em.

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I've been getting into gardening lately. I grew some herbs and small vegetables many years ago, but otherwise I am completely new to it again.

Two months ago I made the rookie mistake of using "garden soil" in planters (garden soil is to be used in the ground, or in raised beds) and unfortunately nearly all of the plants died. But the California growing season is forgiving, and I haven't lost much time. Last weekend I bought a strawberry plant, a cherry tomato plant, a larger tomato plant, and six zucchini squash plants. This weekend I'm setting up a drip irrigation system to keep the plants watered, as I have quickly learned that the plants I currently have will need a lot of water.

AI chatbots have been very helpful for answering every question I could possibly have, and capturing the nuances between different varieties. (Certain strawberry varieties have runners that you should snip off to encourage upward growth! Zucchini squash may need hand pollination when flowers appear! Switch to liquid fertilizer when fruiting!) What could've been hours of searching in the library, or talking with the local gardening club, in the good old days, is now a half hour conversation at my desk. In one way, I am glad that I am able to kick off a new hobby successfully, but in another way, I'm a bit sad that I no longer have a reason to get up with the local gardening folks to figure out what's going on.

I've got a lot of planters sitting around. What should I grow next? What is everyone else growing?

You can get a lot of mileage from leafy greens like kale, and also watermelons are pretty cool. The AI advice doesn’t sound super useful. Do you use mulch at all? I’d focus on fundamentals like that. Check out some gardening YouTube videos just to see what you might be missing. I recommend Gardening Like A Viking.

Thanks for the suggestions. That Youtube channel looks excellent. Regarding the mulch, like I mentioned, I just started a week ago so still trying to figure out how well the soil is holding moisture. I used mulch on a couple of the plants, but it's starting to look like the others will need it too.

Yeah, the mulch will also help regulate temperatures throughout the day-night cycle, keeping it cooler during the day and warmer during the night, which plants generally like. Might not be as important in California as in other places, but anywhere there's major swings it can be highly valuable. It will also protect the soil microbiology from the sun and its deadly radiation, and thus create for a healthier root environment. I waited probably half a summer before applying it when I first started, but I now regard it as one of the highest impact improvements a gardener can make.

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