What Are Some Tips for Successful Gardening?

[rewebster]

Those are really pretty flowers. A nifty addition to the garden.

Are they SUPPOSED to all bloom every year? Maybe there are years they don't flower to use the energy to propagate additional bulbs rather than flowering for seeds? And, have you looked to see if the bulbs are still there? I've had bulbs that just rotted when the soil got too moist for too long, or that were dug up and eaten by squirrels, and things like that. For bulbs, I usually fertilize in both fall and spring. Fall provides any nutrients they need to get through winter (for the varieties that are winter hardy) and Spring gives them the nutrients for sprouting leaves/flowering.

yeah--that could be part of it---nutrients, the needs of the plant itself, ---they do multiple, so depending on that too, they do sometimes need to be dug up and separated--

the squirrels like the nectarines better---I think there's only about 10 left on the tree and they're still not ripe, but even green, they are still extremely sweet----the mold/fungus/wasps/whatever got most of them and the squirrels are getting the good ones that are left. They're a naked fruit (no fuzz) and about 5 times sweeter than any peach that I've tasted--and sweeter than most nectarines I've had too---there's a lot of "Oh, well" 's in the garden (s) this year everywhere it seems.

 

[OmCheeto]

You should never compost meat, fat, bones,

I've heard that also. But as Woolie does, so do I. I don't understand the reasoning. I threw an entire 3 pound pork roast into the compost pile a few years back after I discovered that I had accidentally pushed a whole lot of English wood hyacinth bulbs, which I thought were elephant garlic bulbs, into the pork. The hallucinations over the next few hours prompted me to research what I had done. I decided I did not want to end up as Audrey Hepburn did; Bowels all tweaked like Evo's.

Anyways, the feral cats that apparently ate the tainted pork did not seem to suffer.

Why are meat, fat, and bones bad in the compost pile?

 

[rewebster]

I've heard that also. But as Woolie does, so do I. I don't understand the reasoning. I threw an entire 3 pound pork roast into the compost pile a few years back after I discovered that I had accidentally pushed a whole lot of English wood hyacinth bulbs, which I thought were elephant garlic bulbs, into the pork. The hallucinations over the next few hours prompted me to research what I had done. I decided I did not want to end up as Audrey Hepburn did; Bowels all tweaked like Evo's.

Anyways, the feral cats that apparently ate the tainted pork did not seem to suffer.

Why are meat, fat, and bones bad in the compost pile?

I don't think it's bad--only to the point that it smells (and attracks animals, can create maggots, etc.)----I think it may be that when there's an 'amount' that takes a while to compost and the time and specifically what type of meats, etc. that are put in is and can be not normal to most composting and the process during the composting can have some unpleasant periods during the composting period. Fat takes a long time to degrade. Actually, hair, if it can be gotten, like from a barber (even if it sounds funny/unusual) is one choice thing that some composters look for---I haven't, but it is used. Bones (ground up), and blood are also used in some composting and fertilizer.

I remember Indians put a fish in the mound when they planted corn--(that 'Thanksgiving story')

 

[turbo]

EPA guidelines on composting.
http://www.epa.gov/compost/basic.htm#nottodo

 

[Evo]

Here are my gypsy peppers. They have gotten bigger than normal and I think I want to pick them at this color as they will get even sweeter when they turn red. If Moonbear likes red bell peppers, apparently this is the pepper for her, the skin is so thin, it does not need to be peeled off if you char it, and can be eaten without the skin coming off in your teeth.

This article

But the Gypsy is so ubiquitous on Bay Area menus that it seems to have become an all-purpose European-style pepper. Green, it creates an Eastern European feel; deep red, it evokes the Mediterranean, such as in a Basque- influenced dish of Gypsy pepper piperade served recently at Bizou restaurant in San Francisco.

Oooh, if it's served at Bizou, I can charge $20 a pound for these things.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/chronicle/archive/2004/09/22/FDGAL8PULD1.DTL

I think next year I may focus on growing a wide variety of peppers.

 

[turbo]

Those look beautiful, Evo. Try growing some Hungarian Wax chilies. The flavor is wonderful, and they are great producers. Mine are getting 8-10" long, and I'm going to have to start pickling them so that the plants get some nutrient-relief and keep setting blossoms. The fellow who rebuilt my Evinrude is a great guy, and his father was recently released from the hospital after a pernicious E coli infection. His father loves peppers, so I took him some jalapenos, Hungarians, and a few big Bells. The heavy rains and run-off contaminated his dad's well, and he has had to pay for a cased deep-rock well to be drilled.

By the way, there was an article into today's paper about all the precipitation. The last month was a record-breaker, and the last 10 months have seen us get the greatest total precipitation since weather records were kept here. Maine's biggest agricultural crop is potatoes, and the wet weather prevents many farmers from getting equipment into their fields, so they cannot spray and late blight is wiping out entire fields. We're getting close to harvest-time, too, and unless we get a long string of optimum drying weather, the fields will be too wet to harvest, and those potatoes that can be harvested will have to be monitored carefully, since putting wet potatoes into storage houses runs the risk of losing entire potato-houses to mold and rot.

 

[rewebster]

nice peppers--Evo----how do you get those puppies to be picture perfect? ----you're on schedule to be Ms. Pepper---


Fall is coming! ---only about FIVE weeks away!

...when the ferns throw up these center growths...

they sure are odd looking close-up----I don't know if these are sporophyll (I had to look that one up)--or some vestige of some reproductive cycle (as some flowers seem to be) as these ferns propagate from a runner root.----I could have put this photo in the 'what is it?' thread.

 

[rewebster]

EPA guidelines on composting.
http://www.epa.gov/compost/basic.htm#nottodo

I don't put most of the stuff on the 'good' list in my compost--leaves, grass, flower blossoms off of the magnolia is all I compost---I get more than enough off of those items---and I would never personally put any food scraps or meat in mine---although, I think you can--it depends on how a person wants to compost and/or fertilize.

I remember my dad getting 5 gal. buckets of oxblood one time to fertilize our grass in California----who knows where he got it all, but it turned the grass greener and more healthy than I ever remember seeing for months after that---he watered the yard right after applying it----I don't remember any bugs more than normal, or any smell---but he only did it that once. (he also put it on my mom's flowers, and it killed them all)

 

[Evo]

AAARRRGGHHH!

Those are scary.

That's probably what is growing in the back of my leg.

 

[rewebster]

AAARRRGGHHH!

Those are scary.

That's probably what is growing in the back of my leg.

they DO like some kind of organized grouping of some caterpillar or larvae (maggots) , don't they----(maybe on the back of your tomatoes)

 

[OmCheeto]

EPA guidelines on composting.
http://www.epa.gov/compost/basic.htm#nottodo

Seems like stench and vermin are the two biggies on the list. I smell and see a close example of each every morning in the vicinity of my mirror.

Has anyone tried the following trick:

I throw all my impossible to kill weed vermin(blackberries , morning glories), plus all my household food scraps into a 32 gallon rubbermaid garbage can. I top the mix off in the spring with some moldy food scrap I discover in the back of my fridge(cheese periphery or tainted english muffins). By the end of summer, the entire mix is completely black and quite dead. I then dig a 3 foot deep hole in the garden, dump the wretched refuse, and top it off with soil.

10 minutes of discomfort. But my vermin weeds are all but gone, after only 20 years of continuous plucking...

I think leaving the device in the sun accelerates the mold progression.

 

[Evo]

Seems like stench and vermin are the two biggies on the list. I smell and see a close example of each every morning in the vicinity of my mirror.

Has anyone tried the following trick:

I throw all my impossible to kill weed vermin(blackberries , morning glories), plus all my household food scraps into a 32 gallon rubbermaid garbage can. I top the mix off in the spring with some moldy food scrap I discover in the back of my fridge(cheese periphery or tainted english muffins). By the end of summer, the entire mix is completely black and quite dead. I then dig a 3 foot deep hole in the garden, dump the wretched refuse, and top it off with soil.

10 minutes of discomfort. But my vermin weeds are all but gone, after only 20 years of continuous plucking...

I think leaving the device in the sun accelerates the mold progression.

You bury it in a hole in the ground? Then you aren't using it as compost, you have a toxic waste dump.

 

[rewebster]

Seems like stench and vermin are the two biggies on the list. I smell and see a close example of each every morning in the vicinity of my mirror.

Has anyone tried the following trick:

I throw all my impossible to kill weed vermin(blackberries , morning glories), plus all my household food scraps into a 32 gallon rubbermaid garbage can. I top the mix off in the spring with some moldy food scrap I discover in the back of my fridge(cheese periphery or tainted english muffins). By the end of summer, the entire mix is completely black and quite dead. I then dig a 3 foot deep hole in the garden, dump the wretched refuse, and top it off with soil.

10 minutes of discomfort. But my vermin weeds are all but gone, after only 20 years of continuous plucking...

I think leaving the device in the sun accelerates the mold progression.

well, you may end up with a nice anaerobic culture

 

[OmCheeto]

well, you may end up with a nice anaerobic culture

I don't think so. I've never heard of a rubbermaid that was air tight. And I dump my household bones and polyunsaturated fats in there at least once every 7 days.

Didn't I once say that Woolie and I must be related somewhere at least around 20 generations ago?

You bury it in a hole in the ground? Then you aren't using it as compost, you have a toxic waste dump.

Nope. Every spring, I turn over my toxic waste dump, and it smells like dirt. And my tomatoes just keep growing faster and faster. Last year, there were so many, I couldn't consume them fast enough. One day, you kids will have to teach me how to "can".

 

[Evo]

Nope. Every spring, I turn over my toxic waste dump, and it smells like dirt. And my tomatoes just keep growing faster and faster. Last year, there were so many, I couldn't consume them fast enough. One day, you kids will have to teach me how to "can".

Have you not seen what atomic waste can do to things? Have you never seen the classic horror film "Attack of the Crab Monsters"? Crabs that grew to the size of houses and possesed psychic powers as the result of atomic testing?

 

[rewebster]

hey-turbo--I had eaten about half of those really hot dills--and decide to try putting some fresh green peppers in about two weeks ago or so---I keep the opened dills in the frig (gal. size of hot dills)---the peppers turned out really good and crisp--and hot

 

[OmCheeto]

Have you not seen what atomic waste can do to things? Have you never seen the classic horror film "Attack of the Crab Monsters"? Crabs that grew to the size of houses and possessed psychic powers as the result of atomic testing?

I think you're mixing this up with the https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?p=1835149#post1835149" thread. I am not putting my spent uranium in my bio-death machine, nor planting garage reactors 100 feet below the garden.

Though speaking of crab monsters, I do put my crab, oyster, and mussel shells in the device. I've heard that tomatoes like calcium. Though I've not noted any decomposition of the shells in the last 5 years. I may have to start pulverizing them first.

 

[turbo]

hey-turbo--I had eaten about half of those really hot dills--and decide to try putting some fresh green peppers in about two weeks ago or so---I keep the opened dills in the frig (gal. size of hot dills)---the peppers turned out really good and crisp--and hot

Good news! For those that do not want to learn how to can, there are a lot of ways to make refrigerated pickles, and once you have a nice brine built up, it's tempting to keep it going. I have to use space in my pantry, cellar, etc, to store canned pickles, pepper relishes, and salsas - there is no room to tinker with this stuff in our refrigerator, in part because we have to refrigerate cucumbers and other vegetables as they ripen and can't spare the space for experiments.

 

[rewebster]

If I'd planted some cherry or grape tomatoes, I'd try those, but I didn't plant them this year, so I think I'll try some tomatoes (green and 'sort of' ripe -just the flesh) in a different jar.

I go through quite a bit of hot giardiniera (I like the Reggano brand)----it's in soybean oil-----(I wonder how it's made?)--its really good for the price

 

[rewebster]

I don't think so. I've never heard of a rubbermaid that was air tight. And I dump my household bones and polyunsaturated fats in there at least once every 7 days.

Didn't I once say that Woolie and I must be related somewhere at least around 20 generations ago?



Nope. Every spring, I turn over my toxic waste dump, and it smells like dirt. And my tomatoes just keep growing faster and faster. Last year, there were so many, I couldn't consume them fast enough. One day, you kids will have to teach me how to "can".

from the first thread, it sounded as if the container that you buried was more of a internment than a composing bin----you probably have a lot better mix of nutrients, plus trace ones than 99% of any fert you can buy---great!-----I bet it does turn out to be good compost

 

[OmCheeto]

from the first thread, it sounded as if the container that you buried was more of a internment than a composing bin----you probably have a lot better mix of nutrients, plus trace ones than 99% of any fert you can buy---great!-----I bet it does turn out to be good compost

Buried? The rubbermaid sits aboveground, such that I can move it to collect the most solar radiation during the course of the year. I live in a forest.

The tree's surrounding my house are between 80 and 120 feet tall.

The plane in the my tree is Bob Fossett's. Yes, he was way off course.

 

[rewebster]

Buried? The rubbermaid sits aboveground, such that I can move it to collect the most solar radiation during the course of the year. I live in a forest.

The tree's surrounding my house are between 80 and 120 feet tall.

The plane in the my tree is Bob Fossett's. Yes, he was way off course.

gotcha----I thought you buried the container--you bury the contents of the container.

Nice setting with so many trees---


an ice storm took off quite a few limbs off in the fall of 06 of mine, but not as bad as in other areas---ice storms (and wind storms) seem to be about the worst thing (except maybe tornadoes) on the trees

 

[turbo]

It hasn't rained (yet) today, so I took the opportunity to do some garden chores. The string beans are done producing, so I ripped them out and added them to the compost, then I went up and down the rows of tomatoes, removing any with soft spots/stem rot, and saving any that had been knocked off by recent storms but were still sound. I got a little over a gallon of sound tomatoes to ripen off and threw over 4 gallons of bad ones in the compost. That's pretty sad. Most years, I'm in a frenzy of salsa-making about now, but I can't get enough ripe tomatoes at one time to justify canning a batch. So far, we're confined to making up small batches of fresh salsa. It tastes pretty good with corn chips or on enchiladas. We chop tomatoes, cucumbers and various hot peppers with yellow onion, add fresh cilantro leaves and lime juice and season with salt and fresh-ground black pepper. That stuff doesn't last too long around here.

 

[baywax]

Hello to the green thumb gang!

My 2nd generation fuchsia that survived the 11th month of rain this year has just now finally produced two of its cool little flower bulby things. Very late in the year for this but its to be expected after the prolonged, inclement weather. I'll see if I can get a good shot of pretty well the only thing I helped to grow this year... the spearmint and other herbs simply grow themselves!

 

[Evo]

Hello to the green thumb gang!

My 2nd generation fuchsia that survived the 11th month of rain this year has just now finally produced two of its cool little flower bulby things. Very late in the year for this but its to be expected after the prolonged, inclement weather. I'll see if I can get a good shot of pretty well the only thing I helped to grow this year... the spearmint and other herbs simply grow themselves!

Don't let it get fried in the sun! Mine was getting huge and flowering like crazy, so healthy. Then one day it was out in the sun without water and all of the tips fried off, now the plant is in shock and looks worse every day.

 

[turbo]

Don't let it get fried in the sun! Mine was getting huge and flowering like crazy, so healthy. Then one day it was out in the sun without water and all of the tips fried off, now the plant is in shock and looks worse every day.

Yep! Those are very popular hanging plants for open north-side summer porches - common features of Maine farm-houses built before air conditioning. Nice shady places to sit and snap beans, shell peas, shuck corn, etc. My aunt's shady porch is home to some monsters, and the blooms are fantastic. Filtered sun in the morning and indirect light/shade most of the day seems to be just what the doctor ordered for these plants.

 

[Andre]

However, one night frost and they're gone. Tough for surviving in the winter. I used to dig a deep hole about 3-4 feet in the forest in December, and dump them all, covering it with the fallen leafs until April. That kept them alive.

 

[Evo]

Oh, I may have my first tomatilio! I am so excited. See the "lantern like husk" in the middle of the picture!

 

[turbo]

As a "break" from the daily torrential rains, it was pretty nice while I took my father shopping for a used car. Then, before I got home thundershowers rolled through, and we got almost an inch of rain in 90 minutes. Tomorrow is supposed to be a dry day, but the humidity will be high and the garden will be a mud-hole. I have never had to endure such a wet summer when I had a vegetable garden. Maybe next year, I'll plant cat-tails and water lilies instead of peppers and tomatoes.

 

[turbo]

Oh, I may have my first tomatilio! I am so excited. See the "lantern like husk" in the middle of the picture!

That's nice - I'll have to try growing some. Our home-made fresh salsa is nice, but it would be even better with some fresh tomatillos. That little papery husk looks very similar to some hops a neighbor had growing beside his barn back in my beer-making days.