Garden thread.

glenn kangiser · January 22, 2009, 11:58:38 PM

I have used chicken manure added to the soil with good results but that was sandy soil. Also chicken would be good with the straw as it requires carbon to compost readily - it is heavy on nitrogen. Horse manure is the perfect mix of nitrogen and carbon for fast composting. Just add water and air - it will be ready in about 4 to 8 weeks.

Homegrown Tomatoes · January 23, 2009, 12:05:21 AM

Always compost the chicken manure first because of the very high N content. If you use it straight, your stuff will usually sprout immediately only to burn off after the initial growth. I second what Glenn says about using it with straw.

January 23, 2009, 06:21:49 AM

I've had great luck with the lasagna garden method. The soil below doesn't matter. You put down a thick pile of wet newspapers or cardboard then alternate layers of green and brown materials. Sheet composting is another name for it and you grow your garden right in it. I've got worms the size of baby garden snakes in there and I live on sand.

Some pictures of the results and the construction on our blog:
http://schluterhomestead.blogspot.com/

considerations · January 23, 2009, 09:57:05 AM

If there is anyone in your area with llamas or alpacas, their doodoo can be used immediately and directly in the soil, and they may be glad to have you haul some off.

The clay around here is lousy for growing, it makes root crops difficult and it is acidic because my trees are all cedar and fir.

I just keep composting and it is getting better.

glenn kangiser · January 23, 2009, 10:23:08 AM

We have an alpaca farm about 15 miles away - $10 to $20 a load for nice stuff. Now I just need to wheel it into the garden.

January 23, 2009, 10:28:05 AM

Quote from: Daddymem on January 23, 2009, 06:21:49 AM
I've had great luck with the lasagna garden method. The soil below doesn't matter. You put down a thick pile of wet newspapers or cardboard then alternate layers of green and brown materials. Sheet composting is another name for it and you grow your garden right in it. I've got worms the size of baby garden snakes in there and I live on sand.

Some pictures of the results and the construction on our blog:
http://schluterhomestead.blogspot.com/

I ran through the blog again, Daddymem and noticed grass clippings there. Years ago one of my customers grew a great big garden on grass clippings.

Homegrown Tomatoes · January 23, 2009, 01:29:28 PM

Had a friend who tried this method in OK, and had trouble (not because it isn't a good method, but because no matter how heavy the OM she put on top of the paper was, the wind would catch the edge of the paper and lift paper, compost and all flying through the air!) She finally had to put staw bales around the edges to keep it put! After that she had a pretty good garden.

Daddymem · January 23, 2009, 01:52:22 PM

Know where your grass clippings come from and what is put on the lawn they came from. You don't want to go put unwanted pesticides in your food garden.

The edges of my beds overhang the paper base and my beds have been through a number of nor'easters and a hurricane without any problems. The haybales could only make things better though, wish I could afford some for mine, not exactly super plentiful around here.

cordwood · January 23, 2009, 06:00:20 PM

Quote from: southernsis on January 22, 2009, 04:38:02 PM
We have all kinds of oaks, hickory, and other things. I am going to get a soil tester and hay bales, and raised beds. We have been composting for a couple of years now, mostly veggie scraps, coffee grounds. I have heard that if you don't use a mulcher on the oak leaves they take forever to break down. I tend to believe it because when we originally cleaned this place up there was a foot layer of leaves. No one had raked up the leaves for about 8 or 9 years and they had barely started to break down at the bottom most layer.

Raised beds work better here for several reasons but the most important for me is being able to control the water, when we first tried gardening here everything drowned. then the next year the trees sucked the moisture out of the top two feet of soil because we didn't get enough rain!

Old leaky water troughs and tractor tires can be used for raised beds as well, I don't care for old hay bales because the mold that grows in them tends to go for your plants also.
Try to burn off the leaves and nuts before you plant to kill any active mold bacteria that may attack your plants, Mold works for making mulch but with the wet climate out here it can destroy a garden. Also the leaves and nuts have tanins that can leach into your plants and make the fruit bitter.

glenn kangiser · February 16, 2009, 11:49:12 AM

Seeds explaiined.

http://www.earthpowernews.com/lifestyle/heirloom-vs-hybrid-seeds?utm_source=Aweber&utm_medium=email

cordwood · February 17, 2009, 08:33:26 PM

Quote from: glenn kangiser on February 16, 2009, 11:49:12 AM
Seeds explaiined.

http://www.earthpowernews.com/lifestyle/heirloom-vs-hybrid-seeds?utm_source=Aweber&utm_medium=email

Thats kinda funny, The best tomatoes we've grown here came from a slice of tomato I threw out of a sandwich from Subway! The plant came up voulunteer in a burn pile that I burned the paper and tomato slice in?!?!?

Homegrown Tomatoes · February 18, 2009, 10:22:54 AM

Got sweet potatoes growing in the window sill. Haven't started tomatoes yet, but should have. Just don't want to bother with moving them I guess. Not sure where the garden is going to go at the new place yet... there isn't a lot of clear land.

PEG688 · February 22, 2009, 09:40:32 PM

Tilled the garden today, I hope to pick up some starts this week , if the local Home Despot or Garden shop gets them in.

Some kind of bulb already starting to grow , the Hydrangeas have nice buds on them as well.

You might notice the rain that considerations said our area would be getting today.

glenn kangiser · February 23, 2009, 02:00:58 AM

Here I go --- getting beat by a Washingtonian garden again.

February 26, 2009, 10:32:38 PM

Humm glad I didn't plant anything

tanya · March 09, 2009, 07:52:57 PM

This year I am growing everything in the garden room in the house and in my greenhouse to keep out the deer/turkeys. Hopefully it will be great. I am also considering geting some mini goats, I was going to put it off for a few years because I think they will draw cougars which is not a good thing with a toddler around BUt with all the economic troubles and the coming famine I think it would be good to get the goats. Has anyone had mini goats? I like the sounds of mini goats instead of full grown ones because I am getting kind of old to wrestle goats around and the minis only get 20 inches high so I think I can manage them. I figure they can mow the lawn for me and supposedly they give a quart of milk each goat per day so if I got two that would be about half a gallon which I can make into cheese or feed to the dogs. My other plan is making homeade beer. I don't drink beer but I figure I can trade it off for dogfood and other supplies (coffee). Maybe I will make wine too. As long as I only trade within my family it should not be considered commerce. After all I am a consultant by trade not a farmer or brewer.

muldoon · March 09, 2009, 08:54:00 PM

I expanded the container garden a bit this spring and am now doing a fair bit more than last year.

I started a bunch of heirloom seeds back in January, and got pretty decent germination and healthy starters. Gave a bunch of seedlings away to friends who are starting a garden this year after seeing mine last year. (Hopefully I'll be seeing salads and salsa later in the year

) .. anyway, I wound up picking up starts from a local nursery for the containers I still had empty.

Got 3 different bell peppers now, 1 was a trade for bunch of tomato and marconi pepper seedlings. It is already blooming and has about half a dozen peppers on it.

Have 11 tomato plants of differing varieties. Got 3 cherry tomato plants after seeing how decimated they were last year. Between me and the kids I dont think a cherry mater ever made it into the house. Started 8 boston pickling cucumbers and 7 of them are off and running now. A nice selection of poblano, jalapeno, serrano, habanero peppers for me (I am a hothead). The lime tree looks good, I'm hoping it's going to fruit this year. Got started on some strawberries, but only 1 of the 3 really looks healthy. I'll keep with the others for now until they just cant hold up. I have seen worse plants make it. I got a pumpkin from a lady on craigslist. Also some arugula and cilantro. I think thats about it.

I'm sticking with the strategy of most everything being "scrounged". The buckets are from HEB and Walmart and Krogers. The bakery gets the icing for the donuts in those buckets and they give them to me for free. About 50% of the soil is compost, 50% storebought .. although I hope to do better next year. I am building the bin right now in fact, more on that another day.

Here are some pictures.

first my helpers, they are 8 and 4 this June. wow time flies.

some squashes .. oops I didnt even mention the squashes and zuchinis above. a few pan squash and 3 spaghetti squash. I think this is the spaghettis

rosemary .. another I didnt mention and a bell pepper.

arugula, basil, jalapeno, serranos

more tomatoes

eggplant, cherry tomato. that eggplant was started last spring and never fruited. Hopefully this year.

mess of serrano peppers about to come in

my cucumber setup, there is another one right next to this one.

the rest .. you can see the deckblocks that the compost bin will one day sit on if I can get it done.

and the garden view.

still just a hokey hobby garden, but it works for us. Thanks.

glenn kangiser · March 10, 2009, 11:00:04 PM

That is great, muldoon. Looks like the kids will really enjoy it too.

Nice that you are getting others started. It's a very worthwhile hobby at this point in time.

cordwood · March 13, 2009, 02:36:20 AM

Quote from: tanya on March 09, 2009, 07:52:57 PM
This year I am growing everything in the garden room in the house and in my greenhouse to keep out the deer/turkeys. Hopefully it will be great. I am also considering geting some mini goats, I was going to put it off for a few years because I think they will draw cougars which is not a good thing with a toddler around BUt with all the economic troubles and the coming famine I think it would be good to get the goats. Has anyone had mini goats? I like the sounds of mini goats instead of full grown ones because I am getting kind of old to wrestle goats around and the minis only get 20 inches high so I think I can manage them. I figure they can mow the lawn for me and supposedly they give a quart of milk each goat per day so if I got two that would be about half a gallon which I can make into cheese or feed to the dogs. My other plan is making homeade beer. I don't drink beer but I figure I can trade it off for dogfood and other supplies (coffee). Maybe I will make wine too. As long as I only trade within my family it should not be considered commerce. After all I am a consultant by trade not a farmer or brewer.

Pygmy Goats can be more trouble than full size goats. I like the Nubian's best myself because they are pretty tough and are usually very docile. I would also suggest getting a pair of nanny's first and get an idea how you get along with them before venturing into the billy goat "TERRITORY"

Our next goats will probably be Boer goats just for the meat.

tanya · March 13, 2009, 09:27:18 PM

OH NO!!!! Why do you say the pygmy goats can be more trouble than a full size one? I had a full size one once she was a monster, climbed on the car and used it for the toilet, got on top of the house and wouldn't get down, the last straw was when she broke into the house, let all the chickens in, they ate all my houseplants, I had to chase them out at night after working a double shift and doing the whole pick up the kids from day care thing. AND THEN when I went to get into my brand new bed it was soaked in goat urine!!!! I had to throw out the bed and the goat is ssooooo lucky she wasn't bar b que!!! BUT I thought the mini ones would be easier to manage:(

March 13, 2009, 11:56:13 PM

They are lots of fun but they are all trouble. Too smart for their own good. I have had both pygmy and Nubian.

tanya · March 14, 2009, 12:22:45 PM

That is two against, and the higher prices, I am leaning towards forgetting goats all together. I could never butcher one, and I would probably not be able to give away the babies either, I just get to attached. I think I am just back to paying a neighborhood kid to mow the lawn. Those little goats are so cute but at my age who really needs that much cute anyway?

glenn kangiser · March 14, 2009, 10:07:52 PM

They only eat what you don't want them to - not what you want them to. - but they are fun.

Sassy · March 16, 2009, 11:06:33 PM

I worked out in the garden for several hours today - planted Ace & cherry tomatoes - did lots of weeding & watered everything. Bought 3 more fruit trees the other day - a 4 way apple, a Mitsu apple (supposed to be good in very hot weather) & another peach tree. Glenn needs to extend the terrace so we can get those planted.

The weather is so nice right now - everything in bloom & the grass green.

Homegrown Tomatoes · March 22, 2009, 07:31:46 AM

So far outside I've only gotten around to planting onions and potatoes. Inside, I have eggplants, piriform and Oregon spring tomatoes (varieties I bought while still up north, so not sure how they'll do here... so far I only have about a 40% germination rate), jalapenos, bell peppers, banana peppers, tomatillos, mortgage lifter and cherokee purple tomatoes. There are also sweet potatoes growing like crazy in the sunroom. In a week or two I'll go ahead and move them outdoors. I didn't have any seed left for my favorite little tomatoes (Matt's Wild Cherry) so I'll have to wait until next year to grow any more of them. We still have lettuce and spinach growing like crazy in the knock-off earthboxes we moved from the city. Am SOOOO excited because we can grow okra again! The whole time we lived up north, we couldn't ever get it to survive! Can't wait until this summer to eat black eyed peas and fried okra and tomatoes! Pruned the vineyard yesterday... as little as it is, I nearly got blisters on my hands because those old vines were so darn tough. Took a couple of cuttings and dipped them in rooting hormone and stuck them in wet sand to see if I can get them to grow... there are a few bare places in the vineyard where an old vine has died and needs to be replaced, and if I can do it without spending any money, I will. There are three tiny peach trees blooming just past the vineyard... looks like they're in dire need of pruning.

No shortage of work to be found, for sure!