Posted on 11/11/2016 5:15:23 PM PST 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.
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Planting, Harvest to Table(recipes)preserving, good living - there is no telling where it will go and... that is part of the fun and interest. Jump in and join us!
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Sounds good.
I’d suggest drying the leaves, then put them in a paper bag. The medicinal compound is heat-stable, so you can even dry them in an oven set on low.
I haven’t used pesticides or herbicides, but this year I’ve had real problems with bugs and weeds. I was planning on turning over all the soil before the ground freezes and adding a balanced fertilizer (10-10-10) before winter.
In Spring, while the wife is getting the seedlings started, I was going to put herbicide and pesticide (natural) and fertilize again. I’ll try the newspaper trick. Thanks.
Don’t forget to plant as close as you can, and mulch too. Good Luck. Works for me except for the year I mulched with hay. LOL
Yes, i would like to get some super sweet cherry tomatoes, but butternut squash has been my main crop in the limited space we have. They need little care, and squirrels often take a bite out of the big tomatoes, yet they leave squash alone for the most part, and it is so hard that the most they get if they do bite it are only small pieces.
What is your favorite fertilizer?
Hubby has drastically reduced the bushy tailed - plant stealing critters with his air gun. Pots on my patio don’t get visited too often as they are right by the patio door, and the dog used to bark at them all the time. I’m usually home, and hear them walking in the leaves that I leave around the area, so I peck on the window or something to scare them away.
Your question regarding fertilizer - my favorite is free, and the mix depends on what was planted the year before, whether or not there was a winter cover crop. I use compost, grass clippings, and cover crops such as hairy vetch, clover, rye. Rye is good for the areas where I will plant corn, but I don’t always get around to it.
If we are going to buy something to get nitrogen, cottonseed meal or alfalfa meal is about the cheapest as we can get that from the local feed store.
I also keep on hand, bone meal, Epsom Salts, blood meal, Dyna-Grow 7-9-5, and whatever miracle gro type powder Walmart has on sale at the end of the season. I don’t usually add fertilizer to my raised beds - just the plants in buckets.
For the raised beds, they get the cover crop turned under and worked in several weeks before planting, compost is added, as well as decomposed leaves and grass clippings. I sometimes add some of the slow release granules when I transplant various plants, but not usually when I plant the seeds out doors.
The tomatoes in buckets get some blenderized eggshells, and I wait to see how they develop. Usually they’ll get some bonemeal, espom salts, later on, or a Miracle Gro that has a higher phosphorus to nitrogen ratio.
The Dyna Gro is a liquid that comes in a small container size, and so it doesn’t take up much storage space, and it just takes 1/4 - 1/2 tsp. per gallon of water for maintenance of indoor plants. So it’s used mainly in the winter time.
Hubby often gets free manure, and grass clippings for his gardens, but doesn’t share the manure, though he will share the grass clippings.
Below are some links for further info on fertilizer, which people might find interesting.
http://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/homemade-organic-fertilizer-zmaz06jjzraw
http://www.motherearthliving.com/Gardening/organic-fertilizer-soil-amendments-ze0z1206zmel
http://www.motherearthnews.com/nature-and-environment/a-menu-of-organic-fertilizers
I can see you are a pro! Thanks for the advice and links. I am dealing with just a approx 30’ x 5’ plot that only gets about 5 hours of sun daily.
I recently got 3-Pound of Scotts All Purpose Flower and Vegetable Continuous Release Plant Food (10-10-10), since it was only 2.80, but this year i used Miracle Gro, plus some WallMart special.
No I’m not a pro - really. Just really started in earnest in 2010. Diana, Tubebender, Tilted Irish Kilt - just to name a few are the real pros. Diana gave me helpful advice when I was first attempting to garden, as did Red Devil, who was hosting the thread then.
I’m just trying to pay it forward. I have to re read a little less each year come spring, since my memory isn’t what it used to be.
Before 2010, I never was able to keep anything alive. In 2010, I had my first square foot garden-my daughter gave me a book, and I used the Mel’s mix. Almost everything I grew produced a good crop.
I think it’s because Mel’s mix is almost impossible to overwater. I think I killed all the houseplants and stuff due to overwatering. A little benign neglect is sometimes good. LOL
Spent Veterans Day getting the figs, ginger, turmeric, pomegranate, avocado and other tender plants moved into warmer quarters for the winter. Some that go dormant are in the basement storage room and some that remain green are in the front hall. Got about 150 or so bushels of leaves mulched into the garden and replaced about 1/3 of the deck floor. A busy weekend so it feels good to be back at work today and resting.
It was another beautiful weekend in Central Missouri.
I spent a good bit of it sitting in the Condo of Doom waiting on Bambi to visit. Saw quite a few slicks, but none that would fill a cooler so I’ll try again when I can.
Planted 150-ish cloves of garlic yesterday and covered it with ~4” of compost from the giant pile of poo. I also seeded some kale and lettuce in the cold frame. Probably too late in the season, but what can it hurt to try?
Peppers and green beans are still hanging on, the cold nights are making it tough on them though.
Try the baby variety. It’s usually not as bitter.
We did yard cleanup this weekend and I brought in my healthiest flowers to try to overwinter them. Does anyone here do that with success? Last year I had a few that made it, but I wanted to try a few more this year. I’m wondering if I need a special grow light or anything like that since my space will be in the basement with only a few windows for natural light.
It always feels good to accomplish something on the weekends. I have to admit, I was kinda lazy and didn’t get nearly as much done as I should have.
Tonight was another strength training, so not gonna do much of anything except recuperate.
I was thinking about you the other day, and wondering what you were up to this past weekend. My lettuce, spinach, and endive got a pretty good start already, and the garlic is about 9 inches tall.
I have row covers on the leafy greens, but haven’t covered the garlic. Last year, I left it uncovered and it made it, so I may not do anything to it other than push a few leaves around it.
I’m hoping that the weather holds up enough so that the row cover will let me have fresh salad makings for Christmas.
I’ve never bothered to cover the garlic after it comes up. It will get to looking bad when the weather turns really cold, but it always greens right up when conditions improve in the spring.
Not much going on here. Had to cover up the planters one night. The temperatures have risen back to the mid-40’s to 60’s range, Pansies producing nicely. Happy Thanksgiving!
We have one more warm day. Then it’s back to freezing for the weekend, then back to the usual 50s for this time of the year.
Pulled the last of the tomatoes in today. 19 including some small ones - I can still cut them up a bit after they ripen.
All but 3 are still green but my last one wrapped in a paper towel ripened nicely after a few weeks.
Pulled all the carrots too - some very small - gonna add to a Chuck Roast for Christmas with broiled or baked potatoes.
Green / Red / Yellow / Purple / Brown(? - red I think underneath) Peppers brought inside to escape the cold. Plus the Sweet Snacking Pepper plant (only 1 left on it right now).
Soil, eggshells and some remnants mixed to recharge over the winter outside.
I’ve got everything brought in or covered with row covers, except the garlic and chives. Those will likely be ok.
I don’t know if you use it that way, but I love lambsquarter greens as well. The younger leaves are good fresh in salads, the older ones work well in soups and casseroles, and I’m told the tips of the stems are edible when roasted, though I haven’t tried it yet. They also dehydrate and store beautifully, which makes me happy.
Still working on the winnowing myself...
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