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Systematic Planning Will Help Your Thrifty Gardening
The Eagle.com ^ | January 30, 2009 | The Eagle Staff

Posted on 01/30/2009 6:49:17 PM PST by Diana in Wisconsin

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To: Diana in Wisconsin
Soil is the key to a wonderful garden. Making compost is a low-cost way to improve soil.

I'm trying to learn to garden in the mountains. At least, I will when all the snow melts around May.

A friend up there is an avid gardener and tells me she never fertilizes or does anything to improve the soil. She believes the natural mulch of pine needles and aspen leaves, along with at least 5 feet of snow on the ground for 5 or 6 months, creates rich soil up there. The soil is pretty dark and every plant she's given me has thrived in our meadow.

Does anyone know about this? It sure is hard to find mountain gardening books or info! (We're at 7200 feet)
21 posted on 01/30/2009 8:29:56 PM PST by CottonBall
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To: yorkie; nw_arizona_granny; TenthAmendmentChampion

Take a look at this folks!!!!!11


I am sorry this took so long, but no one posted to the Abuse Reports where the moderators look most of the time. You are more than welcome to post recipes as you have been doing. I am sorry you were warned on a thread clearly about this sort of material.

9,371 posted on Friday, January 30, 2009 11:26:14 PM by Admin Moderator


http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/1990507/posts?q=1&;page=9371


Seems like good news to me


22 posted on 01/30/2009 8:41:54 PM PST by Gabz
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To: Gabz
I am trying to understand - "I am sorry this took so long, but no one posted to the Abuse Reports...."

I would never feel comfortable clicking 'report abuse' when I might happen to question an Admin. Moderator's decision, post or FReepmail.

23 posted on 01/30/2009 8:58:38 PM PST by yorkie (Grandmas are antique little girls)
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To: Admin Moderator

Sorry - I meant to ping you on my last post.


24 posted on 01/30/2009 9:00:01 PM PST by yorkie (Grandmas are antique little girls)
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To: yorkie
Most moderators moderate from their regular FR accounts. Unless they are specifically logged in as Admin Moderator they will not see the mail to Admin Moderator.

Every one of them can see the Abuse Reports. This is the best way to get a quick response.

25 posted on 01/30/2009 9:06:33 PM PST by Admin Moderator
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To: Admin Moderator

Also when logged in as Admin Moderator they do not see the pings to Admin Moderator.


26 posted on 01/30/2009 9:08:25 PM PST by Admin Moderator
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-


27 posted on 01/30/2009 9:09:18 PM PST by Constitution Day (Big Brotha Is Watching You)
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To: Lizavetta

One of the best salad greens I’ve recently re-found is nasturtium leaves and flowers. Spicy, and delicious, as well as very ornamental and easy.


28 posted on 01/30/2009 9:12:51 PM PST by Judith Anne
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To: girlangler

My dad had cantaloupe take over his garden last year from his composting, too. They were the sweetest cantaloupe I had ever tasted!


29 posted on 01/30/2009 9:17:15 PM PST by samiam1972 ("It is a poverty to decide that a child must die so that you may live as you wish."-Mother Teresa)
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To: Diana in Wisconsin
BTTT .... Thanks for the post... got my mind thinking about some projects I have wanted to attempt... Discarded windows can be converted into cold frames. I have saved couple of old sliding glass doors for this purpose.
30 posted on 01/31/2009 2:59:17 AM PST by Just mythoughts
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To: Gabz

Thanks for the ping. I really need to clean my compost bin this weekend. I use a (50 gallon) trash bin someone had thrown away. I cut a square hole in the bottom and made a door so I can turn and remove the compost. I also drilled a number of holes in each side.

I usually start my tomato seedlings the first week of Feb, so I’ll be doing that this weekend. Same for bell peppers. The wife mail ordered some heirloom tomatoes last year. Talk about a bust, we never got on decent tomato from those plants. That was a waste of money.


31 posted on 01/31/2009 4:51:02 AM PST by Arrowhead1952 (Dissent is patriotic - Hussein is not and will never be my president.)
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To: Vicki
What can I grow to eat that doesn't need much sun?

As the other reply said, lettuce and winter veggies should work. Try turnips, radishes, and even bell peppers in the shade. My best crop of peppers were in the shade where some seeds fell by mistake.

You may also try an asparagus bed. We used to cover our plants in the warmer time of the year to keep them from turning into ferns too early.

32 posted on 01/31/2009 4:55:25 AM PST by Arrowhead1952 (Dissent is patriotic - Hussein is not and will never be my president.)
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To: HiramQuick

We’ve had local ‘wars’ like that, too. Usually its the Hippies in-town that are too lazy to mow their lawns. They claim they’re turning it back to its original ‘prairie’ condition. *Rolleyes*

Soil testing is good, though I’ve never done it. We are blessed with good dirt in my area. I just keep adding manure and mulch every year, and fertilize individual plants with Manure or Compost Tea.


33 posted on 01/31/2009 5:15:09 AM PST by Diana in Wisconsin (Save The Earth. It's The Only Planet With Chocolate.)
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To: Uncle Miltie

“Q: Should I compost orange and grapefruit peels?”

I always have. The thing to remember (and you can find basic composting info all over the web) is to remember “Green” and “Brown.” (And water when it’s dry and adequate sunlight.)

Green is the fresh stuff you’re putting in, and brown is the dead stuff like small twigs, dead leaves, coffee grounds, etc.

Balance and variety of ingredients is the key.

My compost is made up of these things:

coffee grounds (& unbleached paper filters)
crushed egg shells
Fruit & veggie peelings
grass clippings
leaves
dead plant material (don’t put in anything you’ve yanked due to disease!)
chicken poop
old potting soil from last years pots
fresh corn shucks

Anything but meat can go in there, and if you have a big enough and hot enough pile, you CAN compost meat if you have to.

I don’t have a compost pile to brag on these days. My hens eat every scrap of veggie peelings I have, and I also crush and feed their shells back to them. Sounds barbaric, but it keeps their calcium levels up for hard egg shells...and I don’t need to buy oyster shells for them to munch on.

This is kind of gross, but a goat farmer I know composts the odd dead goat he has. They decompose rather quickly, but he has a HUGE compost pile. A dairy farmer I know says that’s pretty standard practice for animals on a farm.

I’ve yet to add a chicken to the compost pile, LOL!


34 posted on 01/31/2009 5:22:10 AM PST by Diana in Wisconsin (Save The Earth. It's The Only Planet With Chocolate.)
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To: blam

Moderation is the key. A compost with too much of either ‘green’ or ‘brown’ in it won’t do a thing for anyone. :)


35 posted on 01/31/2009 5:23:55 AM PST by Diana in Wisconsin (Save The Earth. It's The Only Planet With Chocolate.)
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To: yorkie

We can carry on her tradition. Her computer died, she didn’t! :)


36 posted on 01/31/2009 5:24:23 AM PST by Diana in Wisconsin (Save The Earth. It's The Only Planet With Chocolate.)
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To: Vicki

What Lizvetta said... :)


37 posted on 01/31/2009 5:25:11 AM PST by Diana in Wisconsin (Save The Earth. It's The Only Planet With Chocolate.)
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To: CottonBall

I did a quick google on “High Altitude Gardening”

Try looking under that subject; there are lots of sites out there!

http://gardening.coloradohighaltitude.com/index.php

http://www.highcountrygardens.com/library/view/article/78/

http://www.echters.com/Altitude.htm


38 posted on 01/31/2009 5:27:45 AM PST by Diana in Wisconsin (Save The Earth. It's The Only Planet With Chocolate.)
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To: Just mythoughts

“I have saved couple of old sliding glass doors for this purpose.”

When we first moved ot our farm 15 years ago, it was a barren wasteland. Hardly any trees, no lilacs fer Pete’s Sake, not even a stand of rhubarb! And this was a Wisconsin, German-settled farm from 1906!

My first “greenhouse” was a bunch of sliding glass doors I found in the barn. I used pallets on the ground, then leaned the doors at an angle against a south-facing wall.

It worked well in the very early spring...but then I roasted a lot of plants to death after June 1st, LOL! It was also nice in the fall and I kept lettuces and other greens going well into the winter.

Learning curve...LOL!


39 posted on 01/31/2009 5:32:51 AM PST by Diana in Wisconsin (Save The Earth. It's The Only Planet With Chocolate.)
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To: Diana in Wisconsin
When we first moved ot our farm 15 years ago, it was a barren wasteland. Hardly any trees, no lilacs fer Pete’s Sake, not even a stand of rhubarb! And this was a Wisconsin, German-settled farm from 1906! My first “greenhouse” was a bunch of sliding glass doors I found in the barn. I used pallets on the ground, then leaned the doors at an angle against a south-facing wall. It worked well in the very early spring...but then I roasted a lot of plants to death after June 1st, LOL! It was also nice in the fall and I kept lettuces and other greens going well into the winter. Learning curve...LOL!

A farm house and land sound awesome, I am on only 3 acres. And the house was not designed to garden much inside, so I am limited in space for inside seed planting. I would love to have a cellar with a greenhouse on top. And of course a 'hot tub' in the center of the greenhouse... and since I have hit dream mode I would want these two along side a brand new kitchen...haha

40 posted on 01/31/2009 5:49:50 AM PST by Just mythoughts
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