Asparagus fern ready to sprout.
Posted on 05/07/2010 6:30:17 AM PDT by Red_Devil 232
Good morning gardeners! If you are a gardener or you are just starting out and are in need of advice or just encouragement please feel free to join in and enjoy the friendly discussion. There are many Freepers from all over the Good Ol’ USA that are willing and eager to help.
I thought a little primer on fertilizers might come in handy this time of year especially to those of you just starting out.
What do the numbers mean?
Every bag or container of commercial fertilizer has a three number code that tells you the percentage that that particular fertilizer has of the "Big Three" nutrients used by plants.
The big three nutrients are, in the order listed on the container:
A bag of fertilizer labeled as 13-13-13 will have equal percentages of nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium for a total of 39%; the rest is filler.
Ideally a soil test is needed to determine how much of these nutriments your soil needs.
Also the type of vegetables or plants you are growing may require different percentages of these nutriments to grow or produce successfully. Know your plants needs.
And remember small amounts will go a long way. Don't over fertilize. Too much at one time or too often can overwhelm plant systems and cause problems.
What a great story. Thanks for posting it!
You’re very welcome. I really enjoyed reading it at McDonald’s after a full day working in my yard and come home and looked it up on the Web to share. I hope Red Devil doesn’t mind. A lot of folks here grow asparagus, and here’s a lady who has made it her vocaton.
I enjoyed the story also! And I sure don’t mind you posting it. Just remember it is y’all’s thread I just get it started every week and let the discussions and topics wander where they will.
Had not thought about the tradmark angle, thanks.
Hey tube that is what I do too.
There is a lot of hand labor in this operation. The article says she employs 15 full and part time seasonal workers. That’s got to cut into the profit. But, she only has to keep the extra help for 100 days. I’m guessing that she gets a lot of “free” help from family. I hope she’s successful, but farming is a tough business.
We really enjoyed reading about the Asparagus Farm. There is a photo on their website showing the Asparagus in the fern stage in mid summer. We tried growing it but the Redwood tree roots took over the bed and choked out the crowns. I may try again as we love Asparagus and so does our family. Weeds are another problem here in this cool climate.
It started raining around midnight then we had a rare monsoon like rain squall a few minutes ago that came down in buckets. The soil needed this refresh as the winds we had last week sucked the moisture out and some things looked like they could use some water including the lawn that got the weed and feed last Thursday.
What are the average yearly rainfall amounts in your areas? How much moisture does the snow contribute to the soil?
VITAL STATISTICS
State Capitol Madison
Population 5,363,675
Largest City Milwaukee
Average Rainfall 31 inches
Average Snowfall 45 inches
Average Temperature - Summer 67 degrees
Average Temperature - Winter 16 degrees
Largest Inland Lake Lake Winnebago - 137,708 acres
State Parks 60,570 acres
State Forests 471,329 acres
Highest Elevation Timm's Hill - 1,951.5 feet
Source(s):
http://agency.travelwisconsin.com/PR/Tou…
And Mequon where I live: Click here
I can't seem to equate the data from Madison with Mequon. We're really about the same -- although it is a bit cooler in Mequon in the Summer and a bit warmer in the Winter because of our proximity to Lake Michigan. Diana receives a bit more snow, too.
It seems that hardly any farmers around here irrigate, so rain doesn't seem to be a problem -- not like the San Joaquin Valley in CA where the sprinklers are always on and the valves always open so that water rushes down the furrows in the heat of the summer. As I remember, avg. rainfall in the SJV was in the 10 inch range making us an official desert, except for the big water projects.
Asparagus fern ready to sprout.
We just missed a 30% chance of rain here this morning. I am needing just a drop or two.
I’m sure you’re right! :)
What an awesome story! Thank you for posting!
This caught my attention...you are taking a plastic 2-gallon pot filled with medium...placing the seeds at the four points of the compass in the medium...and placing the whole shebang into the ground up to the rim of the pot? Crowding doesn't become an issue? (4 plants in one 2-gallon pot...)
I would like to try that if I understand what you are saying...I am starting squash/cucumber plants in 4-inch 'dot pots' that I can plant directly into my raised beds; just to get a two-three week jump on the short New England season. I am also thinking about trying squash/potatoes/melons in straw bales this year...obsessed with trying 'new things'...
Was business better?
I read it to say she puts the empty pot in the soil to serve as a water basin and plants the 4 seeds just outside the pot...
The impression I got from Diana’s post was that she leaves the pot with holes empty, and plants the 4 seeds around the outside of the pot.
She then waters and feeds the plant by filling the empty bucket with water and food.
Stats for Eureka Ca on Humboldt Bay...
Climate & Weather
Eureka average annual rainfall is 38 inches per year
Eureka average annual precipitation is 38.51 inches per year.
Eureka average temperature is 54.5 degrees F.
The average low temperature is 49 degrees F.
The average high temperature is 59 degrees F.
The average winter temperature is 40/55 degrees F.
The average summer temperature is 52/65 degrees F.
Our winter lows are 27/29 but not often
That makes much more sense...guess I need to get my brain re-wired so I think like everyone else on this thread...
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