Posted on 05/22/2015 1:05:17 PM PDT by greeneyes
The Weekly Gardening Thread is a weekly gathering of folks that love soil, seeds and plants of all kinds. From complete newbies that are looking to start that first potted plant, to gardeners with some acreage, to Master Gardener level and beyond, we would love to hear from you. This thread is non-political, although you will find that most here are conservative folks.
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Well, not sure how it sounded to you , but in actuality I meant it as a compliment.
I am going to immitate your dibble stick and dibble board for a garden for a small garden for a friend of mine who is disabled, has arthritis,curviture of the spine,
herniated discs,and is in constant pain and is on fixed income, but loves gardening for veggies and flowers.
She has been afforded a small garden plot, so maximum productivity is essential, hence the dibble stick and dibble board which will intensify garden productivity.
We don't have many Tulip poplar here, but what we do have has no annular rings (celulose), which toughen up the stick - so the ends split in a short while.
My thought is to make a blunt tip on the stick, charr it to toughen it up so that it will last a couple of seasons.
The dibble board will allow for EXACT recommended spacing, thus maximizing productivity for such a small garden space that she has .
I hadn't thought of using both these tools until you had mentioned them - thanks again !
Maybe I was beating myself up for not having thought of it, myself ... or maybe I was suffering from a brain fart.
Around here the greatest compliment is immitation of what works and is successful .
I wondered about that too. However, it really did help with ours. Reduced the swarm by a lot.
If I wasn’t harvesting the rose hips, I might spray to, but I don’t want chemicals anywhere near things I eat. Also we try to avoid spraying so that the bees won’t be impacted.
We just try various things and if they work, ok. If they don’t, then after several tries, we know that particular plant is not for us, and move one to something we can grow successfully.
If you want to plant more than one type of corn per year, then you either have to have a really big acreage and get them far away from each other, or you have to stagger the planting so that they don’t cross.
As to rotation, it goes beyond just planting different variety of corn each year. It means planting different types of crops from one year to the next so that you are not continually planting the same crop in the same place.
The reason for this is to help control pests, and avoid nutrient depletion, as well as bringing nutrients to the soil.
An easy rotation sequence is leaves followed by fruits, followed by roots, followed by legumes:
Lettuce, followed by tomatoes, followed by carrots, followed by beans, for example.
Here’s the article to go with that rotation:
www.dannylipford.com/vegetable-garden-crop-rotation-made-easy/
That should be enough to get you started, but don’t get overwhelmed and worry about it. Mainly just concentrate on getting your crop in this year, and where you plant it.
Looks like they did a switcheroo on part of the link:
http://www.todayshomeowner.com/vegetable-garden-crop-rotation-made-easy/
Free Information/pamphlets on gardening is available from University Extension Services, and most of those are downloadable.
Just do a search for University of _______ Extension Service for your state’s university to get the best info for your area.
Then check out the free stuff available from contiguous states.
You’ll get plenty of reading with out blowing your budget. LOL
thanks! You are a wealth of information.
I have so much to learn, but it will just be one season at a time ;)
Maybe so , but as the old Chinese proverb says: "A jouney of a thousand miles ... begins with the very first step ".
To me, that means actually doing something , rather than just thinking about it, and then taking action (even if it is only a small step towards a goal).
The goal might be weight-loss, a small garden, an education, or just something that is meaningfull to you, or to your companion. Anything that allows you to personally grow.
It all begins with that first step of action !
Sometimes it feels like you are being overwhelmed by the enormity of the situation ,.. and then later it all seems to fall into place, only if you continue with it.
But , no change occurs without you first taking .. ACTION !
That’s a great website - easy to follow (for newbies like me), but very informative.
Thanks, greeneyes!
“But , no change occurs without you first taking .. ACTION ! “
Why am I being lectured?
I’ve started my garden beds, everything has sprouted WAY better than I had anticipated, so I’m here getting information how to best deal with all the greenery.
Should I tie the more droopy plants to the poles (actually, extra moulding I found in the garage)? Or will they figure out how to attach on their own?
My neighbor helped me with fencing for the little pea plants. I'm glad he came over when he did and told me about supporting the peas, beans, and cucumbers. So my 2nd question is - how do I support the cucumbers? With poles or fencing or another type of support?
Most pole beans will find their own way to climb, although some of them might take the scenic route getting there. As for the cucumbers, I’ve never had much luck getting them to climb supports. I know other people have, but mine will go under, around, and through the supports but refuse to climb up it. I end up just making sure there’s a good mulch underneath them and letting them ramble.
I do keep trying, though.
Just remember we all started from zero the day we were born. What annoys me is that I forget so much from one season to another.
There was a time when I remembered volumes of info. Now I just remember, there’s an answer for that-now where was it?LOL
Getting older doesn’t improve the memory is all I can say, but that’s life!
You are welcome.
I have used fences, poles and string with cukes. They do sort of take care of it without much help. I just sometimes help with the first little bit. Sometimes just take a little tendril and gently coax it around the string or fence wire.
I have zero luck with peas, so I don’t do anything with those.
I will give the cucumbers a try at climbing when they get bigger and see what they decide.
However I am very excited about my beans! All of them had little tendrils around the moulding this morning! God’s designs are just amazing. I took a picture and will post it when I get home ( sitting in the dentist office right now).
Johnny had chemo last Friday and is very ill. We went to his house last Sunday to help him and get groceries he wanted.
His brother tried to take him to the VA yesterday but Johnny got sick in car so they went back to Johnny’s house. He tried to take him again later in the day but he got sick again in car so they went back. He will try again today to get Johnny to VA.
This is why you haven’t heard from him on the gardening thread the past few days. He needs your prayers right now.
Marcella
Prayers up for Johnny!
Thanks for that update, Marella.
Naturally, prayers for JRF!
M, thanks for the update. I have been extra worried about JRF, not seeing him “*checking in” here. I am grateful to you and Bob for the help you provide to him since most of us are too far away.
Hope you aren’t washing away up there. Pretty soggy down here.
Prayers up!
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