How does your garden grow?

[robbyr]

 

[dragoneggs]

View attachment 641739

:drink:

 

[herm0016]

eh. i like some nice dark greens. chard, kale, whatever. broke out a jar of pickled chard stems over the weekend, so tasty. made some fresh pasta with our canned whole tomatoes in the sauce. acorn and spaghetti squash are doing well in the cellar. our weird yellow hybrids are great in soups and storing better than expected.

My wife ordered our seeds and we planned out the garden. Still 6 inches of snow on the beds for now. start seeds in a few weeks. the kitchen window turns into a green house. Cant put most things in the ground until the weekend after mothers day. that is usually, but not always after last frost.

 

[goeduck]

Dang, it is that time of year. I need to get some peas in the ground at least.

 

[CADplans]

Does anyone use micronutrients?
One article said the minimum to grow a plant is 14 things, including oxygen, carbon, NPK that leaves about 9,,
does anyone add them, (eg, sulfur, boron, Mg, iron,,, and on,, and on,,)

What do you add?? and HOW??

 

[coxhaus]

I still have collard greens, radishes, and turnips growing. They over wintered since we did not have a hard freeze. The mustard greens have gone to seed and the bees are on them.

 

[goeduck]

View attachment 641739

A few years back I had a garden on one of my prpoeties I rent out for cattle. I told the renter that he could have anything in the garden that looked to be going to waste. My kale grew really well but was loaded with aphid so I let it go. I mean loaded with aphid. One day I was in the garden and he came up to me and said he had been picking my kale and putting it his morning vegetable smoothies. :shocked:

I asked if he had been to an eye doctor lately and did he need new glasses. He asked why and I told him it was loaded with aphid. He just laughed and said he was getting protein in his smoothies. I did notice that he stopped picking the kale.

 

[Jstpssng]

Does anyone use micronutrients?
One article said the minimum to grow a plant is 14 things, including oxygen, carbon, NPK that leaves about 9,,
does anyone add them, (eg, sulfur, boron, Mg, iron,,, and on,, and on,,)

What do you add?? and HOW??

The first thing that you need is a soil test. Virginia Tech Soil Testing Lab | Virginia Tech Soil Testing Lab | Virginia Tech, which will tell you what if anything you need to add to your soil.

Why test? Plants can produce their own energy, but require a fertile soil or growth media to supply needed nutrients. Healthy, well-fed plants are better able to withstand diseases and insects and to compete with weeds. For a few dollars a chemical soil analysis can check your soil's fertility and determine if any corrective action is needed. A soil test is the best tool available for determining the lime and fertilizer needed for the best economic and environmental production of crops, gardens, and more healthy, beautiful lawns. Testing the soil takes out the guesswork and prevents you from under or over liming and fertilizing, either of which will cost you both in dollars and plant growth.

Don't Guess, Soil Test!

The routine soil test is all one normally needs for a fertility evaluation. Soil samples are analyzed and computer recommendations generated usually within 3 working days of receipt

Having said that, I add some type of manure with every plant, 10-10-10 to my corn potatoes and a few other things every 2 weeks; and need to add triple phosphate around my tomatoes when they bloom, to help prevent blossom end rot.

 

[Jstpssng]

Maybe I could plant some snow peas.

 

[CADplans]

The first thing that you need is a soil test. Virginia Tech Soil Testing Lab | Virginia Tech Soil Testing Lab | Virginia Tech, which will tell you what if anything you need to add to your soil.

I am sure the service changes over time,, but,, twice I used the VT service for soil tests,,
The samples were from 1) sandy soil (no organic matter) 2) heavily compost added garden soil,, and 3) typical lawn soil

The two times were 5 years apart,,

BOTH TIMES the results came back the same for EACH of the three sampled areas,,

something like " add XX pounds of 10-10-10 and consider adding yy amount of lime"

There is NO WAY those three locations should have the same recommendations,,
I am convinced they trash the samples, and mail back a standard form response.

Maybe they are different this year,, but, who knows,,

(NOTE, I am not negative on VT, I graduated from the school)

If anything, I may try a commercial testing service,,,

I was just asking to see if anyone has added micronutrients,,

There is really not much to read on the internet about them,, especially as far as results,,,
The stuff I have found mostly conflicts with another article that I find 5 minutes later... :laughing:

 

[breadtrk]

Started on mine last week, 216 cells, 2 or 3 seeds per cell..... back is still hurting.

 

[dragoneggs]

View attachment 643565View attachment 643566

Started on mine last week, 216 cells, 2 or 3 seeds per cell..... back is still hurting.

Looks like a self sufficient man cave.

 

[breadtrk]

The Boss stays in her end of the doublewide.

 

[RalphVa]

Distributed most of my Panorama Paydirt. Ready to start my peas and potatoes in some areas.

Couldn't go to sleep the other night thinking about gardening stuff. Woke up just after 4 this morning and couldn't get back to sleep in thinking about gardening stuff.

Got just about enough Paydirt to put in the 3 new Gardeners Supply containers I bought to add to the 3 I have already that go atop the rails around the back deck. Easy to keep watered there. Add fish emulsion for fert.

Ralph

 

[flyerdan]

Did my seed starts a week ago Sunday and have some tomato, cantaloupe and cauliflower coming up already, if we get some more sunny days that should help the rest to get going.

 

[Molalla1]

Did my seed starts a week ago Sunday and have some tomato, cantaloupe and cauliflower coming up already, if we get some more sunny days that should help the rest to get going.

Dan . . . in your greenhouse or a window? You're not that far from me.

 

[flyerdan]

Mine are po'-boy greenhouses, made from 5 doz egg crate cut to fit into Costco clear muffin boxes. I move them from an east to a south window during the day. When they get big enough to put in pots they go outside on nice days.

 

[Molalla1]

Mine are po'-boy greenhouses, made from 5 doz egg crate cut to fit into Costco clear muffin boxes. I move them from an east to a south window during the day. When they get big enough to put in pots they go outside on nice days.

View attachment 643662

:thumbsup: . . .

 

[goeduck]

Every year I grow tomatoes in black 15 gallon pots on my deck. If I used fresh cow manure in the bottom 1/3 or so of the pot and cover it with composted soil, anyone see a problem with that? Otherwise I will stick with year old manuer as much as I can. My renter kept a couple heifers in the small area where we had a year old manure pile so I now have a mix.

 

[dragoneggs]

Every year I grow tomatoes in black 15 gallon pots on my deck. If I used fresh cow manure in the bottom 1/3 or so of the pot and cover it with composted soil, anyone see a problem with that? Otherwise I will stick with year old manuer as much as I can. My renter kept a couple heifers in the small area where we had a year old manure pile so I now have a mix.

Fresh can be a bit 'hot'. I would stick with year old and leave the fresh for next year. Definitely don't try it with fresh chicken manure! We mix aged cow or chicken manure with sand and peat moss as an additive.