Gardening

[reefman]

Pumpkinman,
I'm all ears. Would love some of your basic knowledge. My gardens have always been mediocre. Funny, because I have great success with my water gardens, but when it comes to veggies, they grow, but nothing near what you are describing.
Any help would be appreciated.

 

[Pumpkinman]

Doug,
The first thing that we would need is a soil test, from the results, I can tell you what you would need to do to amend your soil. How big an area do you garden? My garden has been 3000 sq feet for the past 9 years, not counting the containers, this year I am cutting back big time.
Let me know how you feel about this, I can recommend a testing facility, I usually use A&L labs in Modesto California, they are extremely thorough, and if all else fails, you can always talk to the agronomist.

 

[jamesngalveston]

all this talk about gardens, i went out and started my tiller today, and planned out and wired a drip system in.
sister and I thought we would do one acre this year...makes sense to me.
virgin soil, anything will grow the first year.

 

[reefman]

Doug,
The first thing that we would need is a soil test, from the results, I can tell you what you would need to do to amend your soil. How big an area do you garden? My garden has been 3000 sq feet for the past 9 years, not counting the containers, this year I am cutting back big time.
Let me know how you feel about this, I can recommend a testing facility, I usually use A&L labs in Modesto California, they are extremely thorough, and if all else fails, you can always talk to the agronomist.

Tom,
There is an A&L labs in Virgina, but I'm not sure if they are the same.
They do soil samples, and I sent them an email earlier to get the particulars.
I have about 750 sq. feet in my current garden with plans to expand.
I started about 15 grapevine cuttings this year, so they will expand my garden area somewhat.
I have a compost pile in the backyard, and I use that to amend my garden soil. The local soil here is clay and sand. The house is only 7 years old, and the developer stripped off the top soil when he cleared the area, and didn't put much of it back.
I am assuming taking a soil sample in the winter is okay?

 

[reefman]

all this talk about gardens, i went out and started my tiller today, and planned out and wired a drip system in.
sister and I thought we would do one acre this year...makes sense to me.
virgin soil, anything will grow the first year.

James,
I got the snow blower out and prepped it for tomorrows big snow storm. Expecting 3 to 6 inches...maybe more. (Ok, maybe it's not a big storm, but around here that's significant)

 

[Terry0220]

Just a little FYI for starting seeds. Instead of buying those seed starter pots I now save my TP and papertowel rolls. Cut the TP ones in half, papertowels in either 3rds or 4ths. Make four little cuts on one side fold those over, tape or not. Place my potting soil in these with the seeds. When ready I just remove the tape and pop it all in the garden. The carboard breaks down, the roots go through the bottom and I have happy undesturbed little plants.

 

[Julie]

Roflmao, Terry when I first read your post, I thought you were saving your Tp, not the Tp rolls. Mike says, well it would already be fertilized? .

 

[Pumpkinman]

LMAO Julie!!

Terry, reusing the TP rolls is perfect as long as the bottom isn't covered (I would tape a piece of cardboard to the bottom and remove it when transplanting, a healthy seedling will put out roots at an amazing rate, they can become root bound really fast.

Reefman, they are all independent labs, I've used A&L eastern labs in Virginia as well, overall I feel that A&L western labs in Modesto is the most consistent lab, the important part is to use the same lab over and over, different labs can have different testing methods, leading to very confusing results when comparing test results yr after yr.

We use to test in the spring to get a picture of what we needed to add to amend and balance the soil; we would test again in the fall after the last harvest to get a picture of which nutrients were being used the most during the season.

What we really didn’t know what was happening in “real time” during the most important part of the growing season, between June –Sept, with this in mind, we started to take it one step further for the competitive and cash crop growers alike, we recommended tissue tests several times each season to get an exact picture of which nutrients the plants had depleted or which nutrients may be in excess within the plant tissue.

I was surprised to see that the nutrient levels in the soil didn’t always mirror the levels that were in the plant tissue. What this meant to me was that as variables change: soil temps, growth stage, climate, fertilizers or nutrients applied, and so on, the plant’s nutrient requirements changed with it.
You might be thinking “ok, so what does this all mean, how do I use this info”?
We started using tissue test results as a tool to fine tune the amount of nutrients and fertilizers applied at key growth stages or to prepare for these growth stages during the season.

Even finding out that you don’t need to apply any fertilizers is a positive result.

Look at it this way, we know approximately when certain plants should be producing flowers and consequently, fruit, by sending a tissue sample to be analyzed, we could ensure that the plants had the proper nutrients, and proper levels to have a healthy reproductive stage and produce greater numbers of healthy fruit and veggies.

For the home gardener, soil tests should be enough to get your garden back into shape and grow healthy plants, without killing the soil biology with a ton of fertilizers.

 

[drumlinridgewinery]

what's your trick to getting such great looking carrots? I've never had success with them.

I never had much luck until we moved back to the country 5 yrs ago. we we have 18-24 inches of really good black topsoil. I start early planting them in the same row as radishes. Also covering the row with plywood strips 4-6inches wide and watering daily until I pull the boards away. Carrots germinate best in the dark. Pull the boards when the radishes are an inch or 2 tall. (3-4-days) When pulling the radishes in several weeks you can easily thin the carrots. We plant several kinds with the sugarsnax usually being the best. And let most stay in the ground until a good frost. This makes them sweeter. We also fertilize heavy with composted manure once during the growing season and again in the fall. Lots of work but I think is well worth it.

Grandma always said"you got to feed it, to eat it." She would say this as we young one where complaining while shoveling the manure around her large gardens.

 

[Terry0220]

Roflmao, Terry when I first read your post, I thought you were saving your Tp, not the Tp rolls. Mike says, well it would already be fertilized? .

LOL!!! Leave it to Mike to say that! Sorry to all if I wasn't clear. Yes it is the cardboard holders of Tp and papertowels that I use!

Pumpkinman,,yes I remove the tape if I used it and open the little flaps to allow the roots to spread freely in my garden. Sometimes they fold nicely other (most times) I need to tape to hold them until ready to plant in the garden. I also use an old cookie sheet to place them in or a kitty litter pan. That way I don't have water going everywhere when they get watered!

 

[Terry0220]

another thing I use,,especially for tiny seeds like carrots, is to glue it to UNUSED tp or papertowels, then place in the garden and cover. That way the seeds are where I put them and not scattered when covered by soil and water.

 

[jamesngalveston]

Has anyone used the cyber rain irrigation timers...
If so, are you happy with it...

 

[knockabout]

Im in San Antonio. I already ordered tomatoes, still deciding on the eggplants and peppers this year. Just got the new drip irrigation system installed into my raised beds. LAst years the dreaded leaf footed bugs got the best of my tomatoes, tomatillos and made an attempt on my eggplant. How can I defeat the little destructors this year? I was thinking about letting a few million praying mantis and ladybugs loose. Any tips are appreciated, but they are too small to shoot.

 

[Pumpkinman]

.
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We use to grow some huge carrots, to get them to grow and maintain a shape that looked like a carrot, we would get a very large piece of PVC 3-4 inch diameter, and at least a foot long, 2 ft was better, we would then cut it in half long ways and then either tape is back together, some guys screwed hinges in them, a bit overkill, but what ever floats yer boat, we'd dig a hole about a foot into our soil and put the PVC in at an angle, then we would fill it with screened soil from the garden, the reason for this is even a pebble will cause the carrots to splinter off at weird angles. We would direct seed the PVC with our chosen carrot seed and the carrots would grow very well in them.
The following is a picture of carrots grown directly in soil that wasn't screened, nor was the PVC used, the soda can is there for reference of their size.
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[the_rayway]

Wow. Those are some carrots!

I tried the 'Square Foot Gardening Method' last year and pretty good results, but still worry that my plants are lacking. All of my tomatoes got BER, and my onions didn't change size from the time I planted them to when I pulled them out. Little middle fingers waving all over the place!

I have 1/3 peat moss, 1/3 vermiculite, and 1/3 mushroom manure (from the mushroom growing op here in the city). Any ideas on what I would need to up the nutrient content/biology Tom?

 

[Pumpkinman]

BER is thought to be caused by lack of calcium, while this is true, more times than not, BER in maters is caused by uneven watering.
Raelene, can you get mycorrhiza in Canada? This is a game changer, it will help to create a colony of roots that will be enormous that will bring in more water and nutrients to your plants.
I would add some epsom salts to the mixture for the tomatoes for a little magnesium boost, and if you can get soluble kelp or seaweed, the plants love this, it is organic, packed with micro nutrients and natural growth hormones.
The size of the onion bulb is dependent upon the number and size of the green leaves or tops at the time of bulbing. For each leaf, there will be a ring of onion. The larger the leaf, the larger the ring will be when the carbohydrates from the leaves are transferred to the rings of the bulb.
Onions need nitrogen, Every 2 to 3 weeks after planting, fertilize with ammonium sulfate (21-0-0) in alkaline soils, or calcium nitrate (15.5-0-0) in acidic soils. Sprinkle it on top of the original fertilizer strip at the rate of ½ cup per 10 feet of row. Water the onions after every application. Stop fertilizing when the onions start to bulb.
make sure that you choose a type of onion that will do well in your area.
Raelene, I wish that you were in the states, I would ship you a package of goodies that would make your plants smile..lol...unfortunately, the shipping rates to Canada are unreal!

 

[SmokeyMcBong]

.
.
We use to grow some huge carrots, to get them to grow and maintain a shape that looked like a carrot, we would get a very large piece of PVC 3-4 inch diameter, and at least a foot long, 2 ft was better, we would then cut it in half long ways and then either tape is back together, some guys screwed hinges in them, a bit overkill, but what ever floats yer boat, we'd dig a hole about a foot into our soil and put the PVC in at an angle, then we would fill it with screened soil from the garden, the reason for this is even a pebble will cause the carrots to splinter off at weird angles. We would direct seed the PVC with our chosen carrot seed and the carrots would grow very well in them.
The following is a picture of carrots grown directly in soil that wasn't screened, nor was the PVC used, the soda can is there for reference of their size.
.
..

Those are awesome carrots!! Looks kinda like orange ginger!!

 

[jamesngalveston]

mycorrhiza, what is that,
and what do i do with the seaweed..how is it applied.
I have access to thousands of pounds of it, free.

 

[Pumpkinman]

Do you James? WOW!
If it is fresh, make sure that it is rinsed very well, dry it and add it to your soil as an amendment. Then take as much as you can and dry it, if you have the means to make it into a powder, you can reconstitute it with water and foliar feed your plants at least once a week, it is amazing!

The following is taken from a presentation that I gave on Mycorrhiza few yrs back:

Mycorrhizae have been observed in fossils dating back 400 million years to about the time that higher plants began the gradual move from aquatic to terrestrial environments. Many scientists believe that the diverse range of plant species would have never occurred if it were not for Mycorrhizae. This fungus is wholly dependent upon relationships with higher plants and attaches itself to roots in order to obtain carbohydrates which the plant provides. In exchange, mycorrhizae perform numerous chores to protect the plant and encourage growth. Most importantly, it grows a complex network of fungal filament that can mine a far greater area of the soil based moisture and nutrients than a naked root. (up to 50 times more area). It also produces a complex by product known as "glomalin" that improves soil structure allowing greater movement of moisture the topsoil and into natural aquifers.

Mycorrhizal soil can remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

Vegetation naturally extracts CO2 from the air but the amount extracted by plants with a mycorrhizal association jumps by 30% to 40%. This supply of carbohydrates enables mycorrhizae to grow and expand their hyphal network to access greater amounts of moisture and nutrients. It also releases “Glomalin”, a soil super glue that improves soil quality (aggregation), reduces water and wind erosion and improves rain infiltration into the soil. Well aggregated soils are a less desirable environment for disease organisms that prefer anaerobic conditions and more desirable for beneficial organisms which thrive under aerobic conditions.

Mycorrhiza protects plants from pests, diseases and other environmental conditions?

Protection is a critical part of the Plant / Mycorrhizae / Soil connection.
To begin, mycorrhizae extract and supply di cult to access plant nutrients such as phosphorus, zinc, calcium, sulfur and copper. Like vitamins, these elements help plant’s with their own defense / immune system. Furthermore, mycorrhizae produce small storage sites in plant roots called “vesicles”; if an attacking root pathogen makes an entry point in the roots, these vesicles release a natural fungicide called “phenols” killing or suppressing the pest.
Many of the ecosystems present in arid regions of the world have significant salt levels in the soils, and Soils particularly highly saline soils thrive due to their strong relationship with mycorrhizae. It is thought that the same enzymatic processes that can separate phosphorus from say, calcium or zinc can also separate potassium or sodium from chlorine. This neutralizes the salt and allows the plant access to water with lower saline levels.

What are the cultural and environmental benefits to treating new plantings with Mycorrhiza?

• A reduction in fertilizer use, conversely, greater access to phosphorus, ammoniacal nitrogen, calcium, sulfur, zinc and other nutrients that play a major role in plant health and crop quality.
• Increase absorptive capacity of roots, longer periods between or shorter duration in irrigation schedules
• Improved plant growth and transplant success
• Greater tolerance to salts
• Better uniformity in crops
• Increased disease suppression
• Improved soil structure
• Increased populations of beneficial soil microorganisms

 

[LoneStarLori]

Do you James? WOW!
If it is fresh, make sure that it is rinsed very well, dry it and add it to your soil as an amendment. Then take as much as you can and dry it, if you have the means to make it into a powder, you can reconstitute it with water and foliar feed your plants at least once a week, it is amazing!

I'm just a couple hundred miles down the coast from James. I have noticed there are different kinds of seaweed at different times of year. I knew it was good for gardens, but I didn't know if rinsing to get the salt out was all I needed to do.
Are all seaweeds good for gardens? this time of year I am seeing this yellow stuff. At first I thought it was fishing line or part of a shrimpers net. I found a pic on the great WWW. Can I use this?

Thanks for all the great info. We are lucky to have such a knowledgeable garden wino on board. lol