Posted: 4/1/2026 6:59:10 AM EDT
|
Big dreams for a small garden this year! I bought a tiller for my tractor, and I'm glad I did. It makes my garden patch very nicely tilled. My old disc harrow did a good job, but it was not as fast as the tiller. I also broke up about 1/3 of an acre that I've seeded with wildflowers. The plan is to slowly create a wildflower meadow out of the unused portions of my property. The seed mix is expensive, so I'm doing a portion at a time. The new tiller cut up the unworked areas like a dream. My neighbor asked me to till up his garden patch, and he said he likes the finished area better than what he used to get with his disc harrow. This was a good investment. My garden patch is about 50X200ft. I've generally only used half of it. This year I rotated to the half that I've never used. Last year I tried covering the half I used in cardboard and wood mulch from chipdrop.com. I had very little weeds and it held water great, but the yield was pathetic. It was the worst yield I've ever had. I think the wood mulch messed up the ph in the soil. That pushed me to use the other half of my garden spot. Last time I used that area was about 10 years ago when I tried peanuts. I found out that deer love peanuts. Yesterday I planted tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, okra, bell peppers, basil, dill, and watermelon. This is the smallest garden I've done in years. I hope that I get a good yield this time. I'm out of tomato sauce so I need a good return to put some more up. |
Joined:
Dec 2024
Posts:
82
EE: 0% (0)
TN, USA
|
Originally Posted By 57plymouth: Big dreams for a small garden this year! I bought a tiller for my tractor, and I'm glad I did. It makes my garden patch very nicely tilled. My old disc harrow did a good job, but it was not as fast as the tiller. I also broke up about 1/3 of an acre that I've seeded with wildflowers. The plan is to slowly create a wildflower meadow out of the unused portions of my property. The seed mix is expensive, so I'm doing a portion at a time. The new tiller cut up the unworked areas like a dream. My neighbor asked me to till up his garden patch, and he said he likes the finished area better than what he used to get with his disc harrow. This was a good investment. … I bought a tiller for my tractor shortly after buying a small tract, 20 years ago. For a couple years I used a tiller myself. I believe the tractor-tiller was the greatest invention for the small garden. What was taking several evenings after work with my old tiller took a hour with the tractor. |
Born with a low tolerance for bullshit
Joined:
Feb 2007
Posts:
53404
EE: 0% (0)
KY, USA
|
Originally Posted By 57plymouth: Big dreams for a small garden this year! I bought a tiller for my tractor, and I'm glad I did. It makes my garden patch very nicely tilled. My old disc harrow did a good job, but it was not as fast as the tiller. I also broke up about 1/3 of an acre that I've seeded with wildflowers. The plan is to slowly create a wildflower meadow out of the unused portions of my property. The seed mix is expensive, so I'm doing a portion at a time. The new tiller cut up the unworked areas like a dream. My neighbor asked me to till up his garden patch, and he said he likes the finished area better than what he used to get with his disc harrow. This was a good investment. My garden patch is about 50X200ft. I've generally only used half of it. This year I rotated to the half that I've never used. Last year I tried covering the half I used in cardboard and wood mulch from chipdrop.com. I had very little weeds and it held water great, but the yield was pathetic. It was the worst yield I've ever had. I think the wood mulch messed up the ph in the soil. That pushed me to use the other half of my garden spot. Last time I used that area was about 10 years ago when I tried peanuts. I found out that deer love peanuts. Yesterday I planted tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, okra, bell peppers, basil, dill, and watermelon. This is the smallest garden I've done in years. I hope that I get a good yield this time. I'm out of tomato sauce so I need a good return to put some more up. This is great! Let us see some pics if/when you can! I bought a 1984 Troy Bilt Horse and so far it's doing a good job, though it isn't going as deep as I'd like. Part of that (I think) is that when our 200-year-old ash had to be taken down (Emerald Ash Borer  ) last spring, they used a Big Green Machine. It's 4000 lbs in a very compact package and it created a pretty bad compaction layer a few inches down. I've got to find a way to deal with that. I plan to till one time, then hopefully never again. Going permaculture all I can--or some hybrid thereof. I look forward to seeing what you do! 
|
Nobody ever wakes me at 2 in the morning telling me that my grass is out on the highway.~~Radiopat
Wine is sunlight held together by water~~Galileo Galilei
Well-behaved women rarely make history~~Marilyn Monroe
Wine is sunlight held together by water~~Galileo Galilei
Well-behaved women rarely make history~~Marilyn Monroe
|
In true Arf.com fashion, I have both... I bought the 60" tiller for the tractor this year, and it's awesome. I only regret not buying one years ago. I have a regular rear tine troy built tiller I bought on an end of season sale a few years ago. I use it to lay out the rows, then I run it between the rows to weed them. It works good, but the geometry for the throttle cable is messed up somehow. I need to modify that bracket to make it adjustable so it will run at full throttle. It's handy to have, but I have never used it to till the whole garden. |
|
We've cut back to raised beds and containers (Earth boxes) which is a lot easier to take care of. So far we only have broccoli,potatoes,peas, lettuce varieties and garlic that was planted last fall in the beds. Cherokee Purple and Carolina Gold tomato plants are ready to go in along with Jalapeno,Poblano and Lunch Box pepper plants. Beans, Cucumbers, melons and squash to be added as soon as I get a chance. Anyone else getting the garden started? |
No more geriatric politicians.
Born with a low tolerance for bullshit
Joined:
Feb 2007
Posts:
53412
EE: 0% (0)
KY, USA
|
Originally Posted By SmokeEater2: We've cut back to raised beds and containers (Earth boxes) which is a lot easier to take care of. So far we only have broccoli,potatoes,peas, lettuce varieties and garlic that was planted last fall in the beds. Cherokee Purple and Carolina Gold tomato plants are ready to go in along with Jalapeno,Poblano and Lunch Box pepper plants. Beans, Cucumbers, melons and squash to be added as soon as I get a chance. Anyone else getting the garden started? Me me me! *raises hand* Trying anyway.  Got cabbages out (having trouble keeping them from terminal wilt) Got some potato onions. Garlic is up and I'm hoping for scapes soon Have some lettuce, arugula, beets, spinach, carrots and radishes up and growing. Still very small. Fingers crossed. Working on making beds for strawberries (I'm behind. I have the plants already  ) and just about ready to plant asparagus crowns (gotta make one more bed.) Tomatoes are under the grow lights and just starting to come up. I have a bag of seed potatoes I'm probably going to lose because I can't get it all done. It's kicking my butt. |
Nobody ever wakes me at 2 in the morning telling me that my grass is out on the highway.~~Radiopat
Wine is sunlight held together by water~~Galileo Galilei
Well-behaved women rarely make history~~Marilyn Monroe
Wine is sunlight held together by water~~Galileo Galilei
Well-behaved women rarely make history~~Marilyn Monroe
|
Coincidence I found this thread. We moved our raised beds this year to a new area. 4 beds that are 4x16 and 2 beds that ar 4x4. We're doing no-till and filled the bottom with old branches/sticks/etc and covered with a planting soil mix from local supply yards. I do construction, my wife is the gardener. I'm working on getting the fencing up to keep the deer out. She is getting ready to put in potato starters, onions and garlic to start. Already have asparagus that we replaced from the old area. We also have a 12x10 greenhouse in built for her years ago where she can start everything. She has bunch of different leafy greens, peppers, tomatoes and some other things terminating. Also, I have been into planting trees. We bought 10 more this year, 2 nectarines, 2 pear, 2 plum and 2 paw-paws. I finished planting the new ones yesterday. Brings out total to 31 fruit trees. Various varieties of apples, pears, nectarines and plums and then 4 new paw-paws. I hope everything new this year takes well. I also wanted to replace some trees that died or were dying, I planted 4 red maple trees in another area. Cant wait to see how everything develops. Were also doing deer food plots and a wildflowers meadow for the beehive that a co-worker of my wife's if putting on our property. We should be pretty good for evolving a new ecosystem. Good luck to everyone. Good luck |
|
I tilled my garden today, it took four passes to get it where I wanted it. It’s not all that big, probably 30x30 if you put the two pieces together. I used to start my own tomatoes and peppers but there is a mennonite nursery nearby that has very nice plants for cheap. My main food plants are tomatoes, jalapeño peppers, and okra. I’ll also plant some bell peppers, eggplant, and a few rows of corn. I also always plant some mammoth sunflowers and a few rows of cotton just because I like to watch them grow and bloom. I’m tilling with a Legend Force tiller that I bought when Home Depot had a big blow out sale a few years ago. I also bought a Champion tiller during that sale but after using both I liked the legend force better and sold the Champion. Attached File Attached File Attached File Attached File |
|
Originally Posted By SmokeEater2: We've cut back to raised beds and containers (Earth boxes) which is a lot easier to take care of. So far we only have broccoli,potatoes,peas, lettuce varieties and garlic that was planted last fall in the beds. Cherokee Purple and Carolina Gold tomato plants are ready to go in along with Jalapeno,Poblano and Lunch Box pepper plants. Beans, Cucumbers, melons and squash to be added as soon as I get a chance. Anyone else getting the garden started? I love those lunch box peppers, I hope I can find some plants this year. |
|
Originally Posted By TN-MadDog: I love those lunch box peppers, I hope I can find some plants this year. |
No more geriatric politicians.
|
Originally Posted By SmokeEater2: Those things are my favorites, The plants are always loaded and I munch on them while I'm watering the garden. I'm also planting some sweet Italian Mama Mia peppers for the first time this year. Originally Posted By SmokeEater2: Originally Posted By TN-MadDog: I love those lunch box peppers, I hope I can find some plants this year. lol, I only had one plant last year and very few peppers made it into the house. I ate almost all of them while I was out in the garden. |
|
Originally Posted By TN-MadDog: I tilled my garden today, it took four passes to get it where I wanted it. It’s not all that big, probably 30x30 if you put the two pieces together. I used to start my own tomatoes and peppers but there is a mennonite nursery nearby that has very nice plants for cheap. My main food plants are tomatoes, jalapeño peppers, and okra. I’ll also plant some bell peppers, eggplant, and a few rows of corn. I also always plant some mammoth sunflowers and a few rows of cotton just because I like to watch them grow and bloom. I’m tilling with a Legend Force tiller that I bought when Home Depot had a big blow out sale a few years ago. I also bought a Champion tiller during that sale but after using both I liked the legend force better and sold the Champion. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/35314/IMG_2248_jpeg-3746042.JPG https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/35314/IMG_2249_jpeg-3746043.JPG https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/35314/IMG_2253_jpeg-3746046.JPG https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/35314/IMG_2254_jpeg-3746049.JPG Thats still a decent amount of tilling with a smaller tiller. We have a 4ft pto tiller for our 1025r and it does great. I couldn't imagine tilling all I have tilled with a smaller tiller. |
|
Originally Posted By PKT1106: Thats still a decent amount of tilling with a smaller tiller. We have a 4ft pto tiller for our 1025r and it does great. I couldn't imagine tilling all I have tilled with a smaller tiller. Originally Posted By PKT1106: Originally Posted By TN-MadDog: I tilled my garden today, it took four passes to get it where I wanted it. It’s not all that big, probably 30x30 if you put the two pieces together. I used to start my own tomatoes and peppers but there is a mennonite nursery nearby that has very nice plants for cheap. My main food plants are tomatoes, jalapeño peppers, and okra. I’ll also plant some bell peppers, eggplant, and a few rows of corn. I also always plant some mammoth sunflowers and a few rows of cotton just because I like to watch them grow and bloom. I’m tilling with a Legend Force tiller that I bought when Home Depot had a big blow out sale a few years ago. I also bought a Champion tiller during that sale but after using both I liked the legend force better and sold the Champion. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/35314/IMG_2248_jpeg-3746042.JPG https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/35314/IMG_2249_jpeg-3746043.JPG https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/35314/IMG_2253_jpeg-3746046.JPG https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/35314/IMG_2254_jpeg-3746049.JPG Thats still a decent amount of tilling with a smaller tiller. We have a 4ft pto tiller for our 1025r and it does great. I couldn't imagine tilling all I have tilled with a smaller tiller. The very first time that spot was tilled I used a tractor with a 3pt tiller and it was still a bitch. The ground was rocky with clay and chert. I tilled in a lot of organic stuff over the years and it got easier. When my daughter was little I didn't have time to keep up the garden and I let that spot go back to grass and made it a play area with a swing and fort. I started back gardening again about 4 years ago and it was relatively easy to get it tilled again. Just had to go slow for the first few passes. Then I tilled in a lot of compost from well rotted manure, pine shavings, and leaves. There are still a lot of rocks but it isn't too bad. Attached File |
|
I just put the first tomato plants in the garden. Normally we do not put them in the ground until the first week in May. This year we have been getting 80+ degree days since March and the long range forecast shows mid 70's and up. We normally plant around 45 tomato plants with a mix of Heirloom varieties that we start from seed and hybrid Bonnie plants that we buy. These were started from seed on the 18th of March. With our warm days and nights they have spent more time outside in comparison to previous years where 2/3 or more days under grow lights was common. I pruned the seed leaves after the second set of true leaves grew out. A week ago I pruned the lower branches to provide a lot of space for new root nodes. Attached File I am also trying something new this year. 12 of the plants will be put in these buckets. I cut the bottom three inches off the bucket and then drilled a line of holes three inches up from the bottom edge. After burning a circle through the fabric, I worked the soil enough to get the bucket three or four inches in the ground. This puts the bottom of the root ball in contact with garden soil, the bucket is then filled with a mixture of garden soil and potting mix. I have tried earth buckets in the past. They always took off fast and had a nice looking plant, but little fruit. It seems that the increased soil temp of the bucket helped in the early season, but then hurt when it was hot and the plant became root bound. I hope that this method will allow the main root structure to remain cooler and moist when the weather gets summertime hot. Attached File For the plants that are direct to the garden, I burn a five inch hole and then use a 4" auger. Once the hole is made, I remove the loose soil, spray some AR8 on the edges then put the plant deep, down to the first branches. Attached File Attached File The plastic pipe has a five or so inch slant cut to the bottom. Later next month I will set up drip line irrigation with a 1/4" line put into each pipe. This will deliver water and liquid fertilizer as needed. |
|
Originally Posted By Bulldog8: Normally we do not put them in the ground until the first week in May. This year we have been getting 80+ degree days since March and the long range forecast shows mid 70's and up. Same here, I’m going to start planting this afternoon |
|
Originally Posted By TN-MadDog: Same here, I’m going to start planting this afternoon Originally Posted By TN-MadDog: Originally Posted By Bulldog8: Normally we do not put them in the ground until the first week in May. This year we have been getting 80+ degree days since March and the long range forecast shows mid 70's and up. Same here, I’m going to start planting this afternoon I started to plant some tomatoes last week, glad I didn't because we had a light frost Monday morning. I'm sticking to first week of May to be safe. One of my friends always grows the best tomatoes, one year I asked him when he was going to plant. He said he waits until everyone else is re-planting the second time, usually works out to be first of May. |
Life's battles don't always go to the stronger or faster man. In the end, the one who wins is the one who thinks he can! - SCI, NRA
Team Ranstad
Team Ranstad
|
We have no frost in the forecast so we have gotten quite a bit planted so far. Tomato plants,lettuce,Peas,Broccoli,Herbs,Potatoes (planted earlier), Lunchbox peppers and Jalapenos growing well. Yellow Squash,Pickling Cukes, Zucchini, Cantaloupe, melons, more tomatoes seeded. Asparagus beans, Blue Lake green beans and Yellow wax beans planted yesterday afternoon. Still have a lot to get done before the brutally hot temps arrive. |
No more geriatric politicians.
Born with a low tolerance for bullshit
Joined:
Feb 2007
Posts:
53487
EE: 0% (0)
KY, USA
|
Got some bagged garden soil and have some beans in it to test it. I'm at the point I trust no bagged soil and no bulk compost without testing for broadleaf chem residue. Tomatoes will be going in late because of this. |
Nobody ever wakes me at 2 in the morning telling me that my grass is out on the highway.~~Radiopat
Wine is sunlight held together by water~~Galileo Galilei
Well-behaved women rarely make history~~Marilyn Monroe
Wine is sunlight held together by water~~Galileo Galilei
Well-behaved women rarely make history~~Marilyn Monroe
|
Originally Posted By Kitties-with-Sigs: Got some bagged garden soil and have some beans in it to test it. I'm at the point I trust no bagged soil and no bulk compost without testing for broadleaf chem residue. Tomatoes will be going in late because of this. Seedlings in other soil did fine and have since made it into the garden. Too much of the bagged and bulk stuff is absolute garbage now. |
No more geriatric politicians.
|
Originally Posted By SmokeEater2: I feel your pain. My wife got a bag of Miracle Grow potting soil (Blue bag) and transplanted about 15 healthy seedlings with it and within a week all of them were dead. Seedlings in other soil did fine and have since made it into the garden. Too much of the bagged and bulk stuff is absolute garbage now. Originally Posted By SmokeEater2: Originally Posted By Kitties-with-Sigs: Got some bagged garden soil and have some beans in it to test it. I'm at the point I trust no bagged soil and no bulk compost without testing for broadleaf chem residue. Tomatoes will be going in late because of this. Seedlings in other soil did fine and have since made it into the garden. Too much of the bagged and bulk stuff is absolute garbage now. I haven't thought of the Miracle Grow soil being toxic. I thought I was just a neglectful gardener after I lost all the plants I had in pots on the deck, every one was planted in Miracle-Grow potting soil. The bag I used was also blue with pictures of flowers and veggies on it, funny to watch bees and hummingbirds trying to feed off the pictures on the bags. |
Life's battles don't always go to the stronger or faster man. In the end, the one who wins is the one who thinks he can! - SCI, NRA
Team Ranstad
Team Ranstad
|
Started a small in ground garden this year. Only about 22'x16' as that's about the space we have. It was a bit of a late idea this year. Only have sweet corn, beets, carrots, and tomatoes. Doing two blocks of 10'x4' corn. We eat a lot of sweet corn over the summer...so if that grows well it will be nice. Rented a big Honda tiller and it made real short work of it. I'm looking for a tiller I can fix up so I don't have to pay $70 to rent one for a day again. This year is a if it grows, great, if not, whatever. Planning on getting some more organic material into the garden for next year, a fence, a rain water system set up to reduce recurring watering costs for it. The beets are for pickling and we will eat the greens. We will eat some of the corn and then freeze or can the rest. Same with the tomatoes. Will do cucumbers in the future...maybe some sunflowers for the wife...just whatever we feel like. |
Born with a low tolerance for bullshit
Joined:
Feb 2007
Posts:
53493
EE: 0% (0)
KY, USA
|
Originally Posted By TinSpinner: I haven't thought of the Miracle Grow soil being toxic. I thought I was just a neglectful gardener after I lost all the plants I had in pots on the deck, every one was planted in Miracle-Grow potting soil. The bag I used was also blue with pictures of flowers and veggies on it, funny to watch bees and hummingbirds trying to feed off the pictures on the bags. I now recommend that everyone using ANY purchased compost or bagged soil product, do a test with beans before you plant anything of value. For gosh sakes don't dump a truckload of stuff on your garden without testing first. Getting that fixed is a difficult process. |
Nobody ever wakes me at 2 in the morning telling me that my grass is out on the highway.~~Radiopat
Wine is sunlight held together by water~~Galileo Galilei
Well-behaved women rarely make history~~Marilyn Monroe
Wine is sunlight held together by water~~Galileo Galilei
Well-behaved women rarely make history~~Marilyn Monroe
Born with a low tolerance for bullshit
Joined:
Feb 2007
Posts:
53494
EE: 0% (0)
KY, USA
My greens have all bolted from the heat.  We sure did enjoy the lettuce,spinach and radishes this spring though. |
Nobody ever wakes me at 2 in the morning telling me that my grass is out on the highway.~~Radiopat
Wine is sunlight held together by water~~Galileo Galilei
Well-behaved women rarely make history~~Marilyn Monroe
Wine is sunlight held together by water~~Galileo Galilei
Well-behaved women rarely make history~~Marilyn Monroe
West Virginia born and bred
Joined:
Dec 2022
Posts:
10719
EE: 100% (2)
WV, USA
|
Our garden isn’t huge, 20X40, but plenty for two people and a little to share with neighbors. We’ve had some cold nights but it seems everything has been going good over the last few days. Also have 5 tomato plants here beside the back porch and these always come in later and have some of the best and largest tomatoes. We cut back on two rows of potatoes and two rows of beans and gave ourselves a little more room between rows this year. Decided on quality in lieu of quantity this time. |
Montani Semper Liberi
Deuteronomy 31:6 ~ Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.”
Deuteronomy 31:6 ~ Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.”
|
I got my first cucumber two days ago, but didn't have my phone with me. This one will be ready tomorrow. The variety is called Sweeter Yet and they are the only variety that we grow. The plants that are producing were started in the house in April. The other plants were direct seeded around the 15th of May. They are starting to reach, time to get the twine string on the trellis to support them. Attached File Attached File |
| This thread is timely. I shrunk my garden this year and am trying a raised bed garden for the first time. So far I am happy I hope it performs well. |
RIP Jeff Reed. Tennessee Squire, Ga. Carry member, NRA,Non-puking 72 ounce drinker 2 of 6 Norcal call sign, Forgotten.
Born with a low tolerance for bullshit
Joined:
Feb 2007
Posts:
53502
EE: 0% (0)
KY, USA
|
Originally Posted By whiskerz: This thread is timely. I shrunk my garden this year and am trying a raised bed garden for the first time. So far I am happy I hope it performs well. I'm on my third year of raised bed gardening. I love it but it's really expensive the way I'm doing it. The in-ground beds I have don't do nearly as well as the raised beds. I'm working on ways to cut the costs of building beds and especially filling the beds. |
Nobody ever wakes me at 2 in the morning telling me that my grass is out on the highway.~~Radiopat
Wine is sunlight held together by water~~Galileo Galilei
Well-behaved women rarely make history~~Marilyn Monroe
Wine is sunlight held together by water~~Galileo Galilei
Well-behaved women rarely make history~~Marilyn Monroe
|
Originally Posted By Kitties-with-Sigs: I'm on my third year of raised bed gardening. I love it but it's really expensive the way I'm doing it. The in-ground beds I have don't do nearly as well as the raised beds. I'm working on ways to cut the costs of building beds and especially filling the beds. @Kitties-with-Sigs How did you construct your beds? Actually am interested in any good method of raised bed construction. |
Born with a low tolerance for bullshit
Joined:
Feb 2007
Posts:
53510
EE: 0% (0)
KY, USA
|
Originally Posted By Deuskid: @Kitties-with-Sigs How did you construct your beds? Actually am interested in any good method of raised bed construction. My first beds were done on the fly. I found these "collapsible garden beds" on facebook marketplace for ten bucks each. They're some kind of industrial packaging I learned later. About 3.5 x 4' and the boards were joined by these piano-hinge thingies. You can take the pins out and make them different sizes but I just stacked two to make one bed. I'll try to get a photo. They won't last long. I'm starting to see signs of deterioration after three years but I set them far enough apart that I could build around them with either 6" concrete blocks or just build around them with treated wood and I'll still have plenty of space. If you zoom in you can see the fasteners on the side of the boxes. Sorry it was evening when I took this photo. I think it's from 2023.  Now I'm using 2 X 6 treated wood. I line it with plastic. None of that is desirable but where I live, if it's untreated wood, it rots no matter how thick it is. I can't afford cedar or another rot-proof wood and I'm at an age now that I'm not building for 50 more years. I set the beds maybe 4' apart and made cattle panel trellis hoops over them. It makes a really pretty, functional garden. Pretty is important to me. If I can't make it pretty I won't garden so I tread that line. Yeah I'll grow food (which is what I'm after) if there are flowers there too.  I bought fencing supplies. They're lying in the overgrown grass. I've still got tomatoes to plant. The whole garden looks awful because I'm letting the wild lettuce go to seed (I want the seeds) before I harvest it to make medicine. Now I'm adding some long beds for stuff like garlic, cabbages, onions, etc. I'm using regular 2 X lumber for that. I use expensive deck screws. I drive rebar in the ground and use irrigation tubing to make hoops over the top of that for any kind of netting I need to use to keep critters out. Here you can see the difference between my first year marketplace box beds and the type I'm building now.  Here was last year before I started expanding to the big long beds. built the same with 2 x stock but 3 X 8 or 3 X 10. Here it was still cute. NOW the whole thing has started to get ugly and I'm ignoring the garden. I've gotta find a way around that.  |
Nobody ever wakes me at 2 in the morning telling me that my grass is out on the highway.~~Radiopat
Wine is sunlight held together by water~~Galileo Galilei
Well-behaved women rarely make history~~Marilyn Monroe
Wine is sunlight held together by water~~Galileo Galilei
Well-behaved women rarely make history~~Marilyn Monroe
|
We have had cherry and some Early Girl tomatoes since early June. The larger tomatoes are starting to come in now. For lunch on the 4th of July we will have Applewood Wright brand bacon, Dukes mayo, some multi grain toast and these guys. (Cherokee Purple and a Beefsteak) Attached File |
Born with a low tolerance for bullshit
Joined:
Feb 2007
Posts:
53536
EE: 0% (0)
KY, USA
|
Originally Posted By Bulldog8: We have had cherry and some Early Girl tomatoes since early June. The larger tomatoes are starting to come in now. For lunch on the 4th of July we will have Applewood Wright brand bacon, Dukes mayo, some multi grain toast and these guys. (Cherokee Purple and a Beefsteak) https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/316330/1000005303_jpg-3789757.JPG Yum! 
|
Nobody ever wakes me at 2 in the morning telling me that my grass is out on the highway.~~Radiopat
Wine is sunlight held together by water~~Galileo Galilei
Well-behaved women rarely make history~~Marilyn Monroe
Wine is sunlight held together by water~~Galileo Galilei
Well-behaved women rarely make history~~Marilyn Monroe
|
Some photos from a few days ago Attached File Attached File Attached File |
|
Wood chips use up all the available nitrogen in the soil during decomposition. They make a good mulch but are really detrimental to garden soil because of all the nitrogen they sequester. Even if you supplement with fertilizer, it's still a long-term problem because most nitrogen is long gone before the wood chips break down. I have experimented with Hugelkulture and used Milorganite which is a slow release longer acting non burning nitrogen fertilizer. It was in raised beds that I had logs in the bottom, then sticks, and finally wood chips before topping with soil and compost. Yield was amazing in year two but not as good as my older beds in year one. Woodchips make a great mulch but I wouldn't advise mixing them into your soil on purpose. If you can't help it just be liberal with Milogranite. -Grove |
|
Originally Posted By Grove: Wood chips use up all the available nitrogen in the soil during decomposition. They make a good mulch but are really detrimental to garden soil because of all the nitrogen they sequester. Even if you supplement with fertilizer, it's still a long-term problem because most nitrogen is long gone before the wood chips break down. I have experimented with Hugelkulture and used Milorganite which is a slow release longer acting non burning nitrogen fertilizer. It was in raised beds that I had logs in the bottom, then sticks, and finally wood chips before topping with soil and compost. Yield was amazing in year two but not as good as my older beds in year one. Woodchips make a great mulch but I wouldn't advise mixing them into your soil on purpose. If you can't help it just be liberal with Milogranite. -Grove I've read and heard reports against the use of Milorganite for food crops. The reasoning is that since it is made from sewage there will be residuals of drugs and chemicals that could leach into the fruits or vegetables. I use it on ornamentals to discourage deer predation, it used to work better for that but I think the deer in my area have grown accustomed to the smell. |
Life's battles don't always go to the stronger or faster man. In the end, the one who wins is the one who thinks he can! - SCI, NRA
Team Ranstad
Team Ranstad
|
I made pepper jelly this morning using peppers from my garden It came out pretty good but it's not very hot That will be the mild version I guess. Now I'll have to make another batch to have some that is hot enough. Attached File Attached File |
West Virginia born and bred
Joined:
Dec 2022
Posts:
10827
EE: 100% (2)
WV, USA
|
Picked some of my Hungarian Wax peppers today but we diced them. Attached File Attached File |
Montani Semper Liberi
Deuteronomy 31:6 ~ Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.”
Deuteronomy 31:6 ~ Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.”
Born with a low tolerance for bullshit
Joined:
Feb 2007
Posts:
53548
EE: 0% (0)
KY, USA
|
Originally Posted By Grove: Wood chips use up all the available nitrogen in the soil during decomposition. They make a good mulch but are really detrimental to garden soil because of all the nitrogen they sequester. Even if you supplement with fertilizer, it's still a long-term problem because most nitrogen is long gone before the wood chips break down. I have experimented with Hugelkulture and used Milorganite which is a slow release longer acting non burning nitrogen fertilizer. It was in raised beds that I had logs in the bottom, then sticks, and finally wood chips before topping with soil and compost. Yield was amazing in year two but not as good as my older beds in year one. Woodchips make a great mulch but I wouldn't advise mixing them into your soil on purpose. If you can't help it just be liberal with Milogranite. -Grove I'm not too keen on Milorganite for food gardens, however ymmv and all that. :0) I'm mulching with wood chips this year because I can't find anything else that's not got forever chemicals in it. So I went into the year knowing I would be fertilizing my butt off. N doesn't seem to be lacking. I'm actually lacking P and K based on what my plants are doing, and that's with me using a 16-21-2 liquid fert. We shall see. 
|
Nobody ever wakes me at 2 in the morning telling me that my grass is out on the highway.~~Radiopat
Wine is sunlight held together by water~~Galileo Galilei
Well-behaved women rarely make history~~Marilyn Monroe
Wine is sunlight held together by water~~Galileo Galilei
Well-behaved women rarely make history~~Marilyn Monroe