What Are Some Tips for Successful Gardening?

[rewebster]

there was snow in this spot two days ago

 

[Evo]

Nice, I haven't even seen the snow crocus here yet, maybe in the next couple of weeks.

 

[Astronuc]

I promised drizzle that I would post a picture from the ice storm we had Sunday. I took this photo this morning from my bedroom window, looks like christmas lights.

Ooooh! Sparkles. Reminds me of . . . .

Our place is still under a foot of snow.

Meanwhile down south, we're supposed to have snow tonight. Flying home tomorrow should be interesting.

 

[turbo]

Ooooh! Sparkles. Reminds me of . . . .

Our place is still under a foot of snow.

Meanwhile down south, we're supposed to have snow tonight. Flying home tomorrow should be interesting.

Please not to JFK. Cross-winds have reduced the place to one usable runway. Delay!

 

[Astronuc]

Please not to JFK. Cross-winds have reduced the place to one usable runway. Delay!

I have to fly through Charlotte and Philadelphia - in little jets.

 

[turbo]

I have to fly through Charlotte and Philadelphia - in little jets.

My last legs to Maine from most places like Newark were always on little turbo-props. Nice scenes of the ground, but we often had some rough rides. Often I could get out of Bangor or Portland on a jet because they were over-night holds for planes and crew, but the ride home was frequently loud and bumpy.

 

[Evo]

The only time I was on a little 6 seater plane was my flight from Denver to Steamboat Springs for a ski trip.

My scariest flight was from Cozumel to Cancun in a vintage WWII prop plane with sparks flying out of the engines and we barely skimmed the water the entire way. Ropes for seat belts but we did get dixie cups of warm coke out of a bottle. We had to wake the pilot up because he forgot us and he showed up unshaven, barefoot, in a dirty torn undershirt, and shorts.

 

[turbo]

Reminder: It might be a good idea to order your vegetable seeds early this year, and order some extras of things that might have germination problems. I made sure to get more pickling-cuke seeds than normal because last season, lots of folks had poor germination in the cool damp spring and had to re-plant. Seeds got scarce pretty fast. We managed to find some tucked away in a hardware store last year, but the garden shops were picked clean.

 

[Astronuc]

I've been thinking about a cold box or a set of portable greenhouses in which to start seeds, or starting the gemination inside. Unfortunately, the cats try to get to the seedlings and chomp on them. The local CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) project is starting up. I think the greenhouse opens this week, so I'll need to check into it. I might see if I can take some of their excess, in exchange for donating seeds.

Most of our ground is still covered in snow.

It's time to turn the soil, and add some compost and manure.

Hopefully this spring will be a tad warmer than last year.


http://www.localharvest.org/csa/

http://www.landstewardshipproject.org/csa.html

There should be some info at USDA, but their links seem to be bad.


Edit: Growing for Market provides useful information for the serious produce garnder or farmer.
http://www.growingformarket.com/

 

[Evo]

Ooh pink tomatoes, pretty. They're available from www.burpeeseeds.com.

http://www.burpee.com/images/en_US/local/products/viewlarger/b68145_lg.jpg

 

[dlgoff]

IMO Early Girls are the best tasting. Around here (in Kansas) where there's lots of good sun, they produce clusters (3 or 6) all over the vines.

http://www.irisheyesgardenseeds.com/images/EarlyGirlWeb.jpg

The Early Girl Tomatoes were juicy, but not overly so. There was a good balance of sweetness with acid in the juice. They had a moist / meaty texture that was just right... not mushy, not hard or tough, but tender with body.

http://www.tandjenterprises.com/earlygirltomato.htm"

 

[turbo]

Marianas are firm and flavorful tomatoes. Bushy high-yielding plants are easy to take care of without training to trellises, pruning suckers, etc. You may have to order from Johnny's Selected Seeds to get this variety because it is a relatively new one, but if you like tomatoes you might want to give this variety a try. My wife and I usually plant Early Girls, Big Boys, Muscovy, etc, but we were quite pleasantly surprised by the Marianas last season. They are wonderful in sauces and soups.

 

[turbo]

Glenn Beck is running ads from this scam outfit on his show. For "only" $149, you get about $20-30 worth of seeds. The site claims that what they will send you is enough seed to plant an entire acre, and will produce thousands of pounds of food. I've got a garden spot that is around 2000 ft² or maybe a bit more. My garden spot is about 1/22 of an acre, and the seed packets that they show on the site could not possibly seed an area the size of my garden. I bought 'WAY more seed than that for the upcoming season for $34.40 plus shipping.

http://www.survivalseedbank.com/

 

[Evo]

IMO Early Girls are the best tasting. Around here (in Kansas) where there's lots of good sun, they produce clusters (3 or 6) all over the vines.

http://www.irisheyesgardenseeds.com/images/EarlyGirlWeb.jpg



http://www.tandjenterprises.com/earlygirltomato.htm"

I grow early girls, they come in a bush type for containers.

 

[Moonbear]

My crocuses are starting to emerge and bud, in spite of the snow still on the ground! Now, I wonder if I will get to enjoy the flowers before the deer do? (I'm going to have to change my plans on where to put my vegetable garden...with all the snow, I was able to see the deer tracks, and the other day, watched the whole herd of 7 deer wander through my yard...seems the spot I was planning to put the garden is right along their path to the field across from me...DRAT!)

 

[turbo]

My crocuses are starting to emerge and bud, in spite of the snow still on the ground! Now, I wonder if I will get to enjoy the flowers before the deer do? (I'm going to have to change my plans on where to put my vegetable garden...with all the snow, I was able to see the deer tracks, and the other day, watched the whole herd of 7 deer wander through my yard...seems the spot I was planning to put the garden is right along their path to the field across from me...DRAT!)

My neighbor's daughter's crocuses are blooming already. In Maine, in early March. This is the warmest winter in recent memory. I just hope my garlic crop doesn't emerge too early and get damaged by some serious cold. We're not truly into freeze-free weather here until mid-May at the soonest. Some brave souls plant peas in early May (for bragging rights), but generally, it is not safe to sow from seed here until Memorial day.

 

[hypatia]

I am so ready for spring. I have a few herbs started on window sills, but I think I'll buy veggie plants from the nursery this year.

 

[Borek]

I don't like early girls, I prefer to sleep long in the morning.

 

[rewebster]

a couple of crocuses (yellow) blooming here today

pl. croci ?

 

[turbo]

a couple of crocuses (yellow) blooming here today

pl. croci ?

Saffron flowers!

 

[rewebster]

there was snow in this spot two days ago

only temps in the fifties yet, but some growth ...

 

[gravenewworld]

Trying to grow my first garden ever. This is the current state of my garden:

I'm going to get a wood chipper/mulcher tomorrow to cut all of that stuff up and then till the soil. Should be an all day project. I think the soil should be good. The compost has been building up for about two years now.

I plan on growing some heirloom veggies. In the line up:

Burbank Red Tomatoes:
http://www.sustainableseedco.com/product.php?productid=16642&cat=341&page=1

Goldman's Italian American tomatoes (look pretty weird but are supposed to taste great):
http://www.sustainableseedco.com/product.php?productid=16630&cat=341&page=1

Giant Noble Spinach:
http://www.sustainableseedco.com/product.php?productid=16734&cat=292&page=1

Detroit Dark Red Beets:
http://www.sustainableseedco.com/detroit-dark-red.html

Purple Basil:
http://www.sustainableseedco.com/basil-purple.html

Eva's Burgundy Lettuce:
http://www.sustainableseedco.com/evas-burgundy-lettuce-seed.html

Petit Gris de Rennes antaloupe:
http://www.sustainableseedco.com/petit-gris-de-rennes-melon-seed.html
Hopefully they all fit in there, I don't expect my first year to go well.

 

[turbo]

Hey, GNW! Make room for some black-seeded simpson lettuce. Nice crispy leaf lettuce that grows back over and over again. Cut some lettuce for a meal, and the leaves grow back all season long.

 

[Evo]

I'll be flying out before the snow hits. Six inches predicted.

 

[gravenewworld]

Hey, GNW! Make room for some black-seeded simpson lettuce. Nice crispy leaf lettuce that grows back over and over again. Cut some lettuce for a meal, and the leaves grow back all season long.

Hmmmm I'll give it a try. Thanks Turbo.

 

[turbo]

Hmmmm I'll give it a try. Thanks Turbo.

You don't need much. A 6' row will supply my wife and me with leaf lettuce all season, and we eat LOTS of lettuce.

 

[Evo]

Trying to grow my first garden ever. This is the current state of my garden:

I'm going to get a wood chipper/mulcher tomorrow to cut all of that stuff up and then till the soil. Should be an all day project. I think the soil should be good. The compost has been building up for about two years now.

How many square feet do you have?

 

[rewebster]

Trying to grow my first garden ever. This is the current state of my garden:

I'm going to get a wood chipper/mulcher tomorrow to cut all of that stuff up and then till the soil. Should be an all day project. I think the soil should be good. The compost has been building up for about two years now.

I plan on growing some heirloom veggies. In the line up:

Burbank Red Tomatoes:
http://www.sustainableseedco.com/product.php?productid=16642&cat=341&page=1

Goldman's Italian American tomatoes (look pretty weird but are supposed to taste great):
http://www.sustainableseedco.com/product.php?productid=16630&cat=341&page=1

Giant Noble Spinach:
http://www.sustainableseedco.com/product.php?productid=16734&cat=292&page=1

Detroit Dark Red Beets:
http://www.sustainableseedco.com/detroit-dark-red.html

Purple Basil:
http://www.sustainableseedco.com/basil-purple.html

Eva's Burgundy Lettuce:
http://www.sustainableseedco.com/evas-burgundy-lettuce-seed.html

Petit Gris de Rennes antaloupe:
http://www.sustainableseedco.com/petit-gris-de-rennes-melon-seed.html



Hopefully they all fit in there, I don't expect my first year to go well.

WHAT??! NO PEPPERS?!

Get some peppers!

 

[turbo]

Well Spring is officially here. I just stopped in at my neighbor's place, and my garlic is up. It's planted in what he usually uses as his main garden spot. His garlic is planted in a shadier spot and has not yet emerged. The garlic is at least a couple of weeks ahead of schedule, so here's hoping for no heavy frosts.

 

[gravenewworld]

How many square feet do you have?

It's about 10 x 4

 

[gravenewworld]

WHAT??! NO PEPPERS?!

Get some peppers!

Already have some thai chilis growing in a pot on the side of the house.

 

[turbo]

It's about 10 x 4

Just enough to feed a rabbit or two! Mine has been growing, and it's now about 40x60. Still not enough to keep me happy, but I have a PTO tiller for my Kubota tractor, so it can grow some more if I want. My neighbor is building an addition on his house this summer to provide space for his adult daughter and her two little girls, so he gave me the use of his garden spot for my garlic last fall. (my garden was torn up by heavy equipment installing a new septic drain-field when it was time to plant garlic) I'll plant extra produce this spring, hoping that I can get a good growing season, and supply his family with fresh vegetables. Today, his youngest grand-daughter had a birthday party (5), and he set out a large platter of my various pickles, sauces, etc. It's always a good idea to flag the "hot" stuff so people don't slather their sausage-subs and hot-dogs with it before tasting.

 

[hypatia]

You will really enjoy the unique flavor of heirloom veggies, great choice.

 

[turbo]

You will really enjoy the unique flavor of heirloom veggies, great choice.

Really! People who plant and grow variants of commercially-available produce have no idea how real vegetables taste. I love making little batches of fresh salsa with tomatoes, onion, dill, cilantro, chilies, etc. There is nothing like it! Your favorite Mexican restaurant might have what you think is wonderful fresh salsa, made with market-fresh produce, but it is nothing compared to the stuff you can make at home with garden-fresh vegetables. The off-season is a wasteland in our kitchen, when we have to rely on the stuff that I prepared and canned during previous seasons. My canned salsas put the commercial stuff to shame, but they pale in comparison the the in-season fresh salsas.

 

[Evo]

It's about 10 x 4

You'll be surprised how those tiny plants grow. I think you may be planting too much for your space.

 

[gravenewworld]

You'll be surprised how those tiny plants grow. I think you may be planting too much for your space.

Yeah, that's what I'm worrying about. I may just move the tomatoes to a new part of the yard.

 

[rewebster]

well, I've had some fun the last few days.

The main feed line (underground) for the water coming to the house developed a leak, and had to have a new one put it (yesterday). The mole/hog (vibrating compressed air drive) that makes the hole for the new line was stopped just before it hit the main gas line for the neighborhood, which came out into the pit they dug to get to the city's valve connection. However the 'mole/hog' came out under the tree (about a fifty year old hard maple) in the front yard, meaning 'not where they wanted it to come out and on the gas line.

When the guy tried to cut away a root near the spot so that he could get to his hole making device (the mole), he clipped the main gas line (35 lbs of pressure--the meter drops it to around 7 ounces in the house), and made a cut causing a gas leak.

It took four hours for the gas company to patch including digging up the neighbors yard to clamp the gas line before they could patch it. No fooling (unlike wonderful wedding)----

 

[Evo]

Didn't he have the gas, cable, phone, and electrical companies come out and flag their lines first?

 

[lisab]

Didn't he have the gas, cable, phone, and electrical companies come out and flag their lines first?

Right, they do that for free (at least here in Washington state).

 

[rewebster]

Didn't he have the gas, cable, phone, and electrical companies come out and flag their lines first?

yeah, they did all of that in the two days before the work started. He had the line exposed, so that there wouldn't be any trouble in the way of cutting it unintentionally (oh, well).

It was just a slip (you know, that can happen to anyone), the tile spade/shovel was mine and I had sharpened it last year. The spade glanced off the root that he was trying to cut and made a one inch gash in the line---even with it being under high pressure (35 lbs/sq in), the gas only escaped when the flexible gas line was bent in that direction.

The gas line is soft and fairly thin, and that surprised me how soft it was and how easily it could be cut. I found out the reason it is thin and soft is so they can vise clamp the line without it breaking or crimping--they have to put line inserts/stiffeners at each connection, then use a special adapter clamp that gets a small electric current from a portable battery that heats the adapter to melt the plastic liner of the sealing clamp. I also found out that the gas in the line flows (or can flow) in both directions, which sounded strange, but set up that way on purpose, so that, just in cases like this, the line can be clamped off on both sides of the cut, and no gas flow to any house on the line would be shut off---like a loop around each street block.

 

[turbo]

Argh! Not fun at all, rewebster! I had my own little struggle with public utilities before I put our last place on the market. The cellar had started getting damp, despite having been bone-dry for the previous 15 years or so. I called in a plumber, and he got in touch with the water company. Even though all the faucets in the house were turned off, there was water flowing through the entrance line to the house. That feed line had sprung a leak, and even though the leak was ahead of the meter (giving the water company motivation to repair the line, I thought), they refused to make the repairs because the leak was under my foundation. I had to pay the plumber and a mason associate of his to make several big holes in the concrete floor (it took a few times to find the leak), repair the line, and then patch the floors. $$$$$ and no fun. Had to make the repairs, though, prior to putting the house on the market.

 

[Max Faust]

This being a rather long thread, I really couldn't be arsed to read it all... but I am now a retired professional in the field of designing, building and maintaining *gardens*. Which I suppose just means that I will henceforth be an overqualified amateur.

The aspect of what you actually *grow* in your garden is but one petal of the whole flower, so to speak. As important, if not even more, is the pleasure you derive from the harmony in the layout of your garden's various elements. I like to think of interhuman *love* as a metaphor for gardening. "A flower won't grow any faster no matter how much you pull at the stem."

 

[lisab]

This being a rather long thread, I really couldn't be arsed to read it all... but I am now a retired professional in the field of designing, building and maintaining *gardens*. Which I suppose just means that I will henceforth be an overqualified amateur.

The aspect of what you actually *grow* in your garden is but one petal of the whole flower, so to speak. As important, if not even more, is the pleasure you derive from the harmony in the layout of your garden's various elements. I like to think of interhuman *love* as a metaphor for gardening. "A flower won't grow any faster no matter how much you pull at the stem."

Well at 2102...no make that 2103 now...posts I don't blame you for not reading through the thread!

But I think of gardening as a metaphor for love, not the other way 'round .

 

[Max Faust]

I think of gardening as a metaphor for love, not the other way 'round

Umm... I could say so many inappropriate things here... but I won't.
You are of course right, as the order of causality goes, but I reversed it to fit the context.
Anyway, it is spring here now... and with that comes the feeling of ferocity, the thunder from the growing grass, the madness of the chirping birds, and all the silly humans wanting to kick off the winter shoes and go dancing in the green. It's quite the spectacle.

 

[dlgoff]

For me, gardening is for food. Flowers are secondary.

However I do LOVE food.

 

[lisab]

Umm... I could say so many inappropriate things here... but I won't.
You are of course right, as the order of causality goes, but I reversed it to fit the context.
Anyway, it is spring here now... and with that comes the feeling of ferocity, the thunder from the growing grass, the madness of the chirping birds, and all the silly humans wanting to kick off the winter shoes and go dancing in the green. It's quite the spectacle.

Aaaah, sounds like spring has arrived at your house. Here, it's suddenly cool and rainy. We even had sleet yesterday - brrrrr!

 

[Max Faust]

Sleet is unpleasant. Like REALLY!
I shall be looking into an early lettuce harvest here. Tally-ho!

 

[turbo]

I mounted the tiller on the tractor today and got to work. dlgoff wanted pictures so here they are. The first shows the Taylor Way PTO tiller mounted on the tractor.

Next is a close-up of the massive drive shaft and the slip-clutch. The clutch is essential for protecting both the tiller and the PTO drive, and yes, it does work. I hit a really big rock when deep-tilling my garden, with no bad effects.

I bought a tiller that is as wide as the wheel-stance of my tractor, so there are no wheel-marks left in the finished soil. The garden after tilling.

I drove down to the next-door neighbors to till his garden for him, and he declined, saying he didn't think he'd plant a garden this year. I wanted to motivate him to get out gardening because he had a mini-stroke a while back, and without some activity, he's going to go downhill fast. His wife must have worked on him a bit after I left, because they walked to my place and he asked me if I would still be willing to till his garden. I drove back and had the garden-spot all fluffed up in less than 10 minutes. His garden spot is only about 25'x40', but that's plenty for a guy in his 70's to tend.

The tiller does one heck of a job. Just keep the RPMs up to the range PTO equipment is designed for (2400 engine RPM to get 540 at the PTO), put the hydrostatic transmission in low-range and proceed at a slow crawl through the garden. It would have taken me most of the day with the Troy-Bilt Horse to get the garden deep-tilled and mixed, and it still wouldn't have been as nice a job as this.

 

[NeoDevin]

Want to come do mine, turbo-1?

 

[turbo]

Want to come do mine, turbo-1?

Do you live within a mile or two of me?