2020 gardens

[Sawyer Rob]

I always cover all of my gardens with mulch, every year, sweet corn and all,

SR

 

[DJ54]

I have been mulching around my set plants for 5-6 years now, since my neighbor who runs a lawn service, for upscale neighborhoods in Columbus started bringing me leaves. It saved him driving an extra 30 miles a day to dispose of them at a compost facility, on the SW corner of the city. Last year was the first time I had enough to do the whole garden. It took 24 loads like on my little dump truck pictured to do that. I added mulch as the planting progressed, and grew over a period of 2-3 weeks, so it wasn't too bad of a chore.

The 3rd year, he was so impressed with how well it worked, he brought his wife up to have a look, as she grows a garden for selling like a CSA to his customers. She prints up a list of what will be ready the following week, customers check off what they would like, and he delivers the produce the following week. So what she was using, cut down on theamount I ended up getting. If Momma' is happy, Everyone is happy, at least at his house.

Last Fall,between what he took home, and weather conditions (high winds blew many away) I didn't get nearly as many for this year. I did get enough between him, and what I vacuumed off the neighbors lawns to mulch around set plants, but not enough to cover between the rows. I also use grass I've mowed of my lawn to mulch with. But, with the dry spell we had in latter June, and up through now, lawn growth has been minimal. So, the next option was to use the corn gluten again. I tried it 6-8 years ago, after reading a story about how Organic Preen came to be. If you read the active ingriedients on a container of Organic Preen, it states, "100% Corn Gluten". I knew corn gluten pellets is used in cattle feed as a protein source, so found that a local feed mill stocks it, for making cattle feed. I have them run it through the hammer mill, and grind into meal, then spread it with a small yard drop spreader,and work it in. There is an additional plus to using it, as it has a content of 10% N, that gives plantsa little kick, when young.

Cost of the Organic Preen is $16.99 for 5 lbs., making it $3.40 per lb. Cost of buying the pellets, and having it ground is around 12 cents per lb. It will keep weeds down for about 6-8 weeks. A win-win in my book. I'd much rather use the leaves, as it adds organic matter to the garden. It will break down later in thesummer, and over the winter, end up as a fine compost by Spring. Some I turn over with the plow, and one spot, I just added more, after setting plants. After doing that for 3 years, I tilled it in, and planted potatoes. I must say, they are doing very well. We'll see how well thay've done, when I dig them next month.

 

[herm0016]

we are mulching with alphlpa this year. seems to be working well. 4 bales used so far.

 

[oldballs]

Sawyer Rob,
Is that mulch "wood chips" ? What do you do with it at the end of the season.

I use wheat straw in my small garden. It is either raked up and hauled off or burned on site at the end of the season....along with the tomato vines. Today, I just burned (burn pile) last years half rotten vines/straw.

Will be getting that potato plow out pretty soon.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

It's all grass hay, although I do put some chips from the dust collector in my wood shop, in one of the gardens. Anyway, I cut my own mulch with this,

and move it to the gardens,

It's much easier to spread if it's NOT baled, and once on the gardens, there's NO WEEDING!

When the gardens are done, I till it all under to feed next years plants.

BTW, you have to add some N if you want wood chips and/or leaves to break down with any speed as they are carbon...

SR

 

[oldballs]

Yeah, I have a Cyclone Rake Leaf collector and spread the leaves over the 50 x 100 garden........then plow it under in early winter. Then till the garden in the spring.....probably should put down some 12-12-12 before plowing....but I'm still learning...see uns that I grew up in the inner city before moving out here.
Cheers,
Mike

 

[ovrszd]

Mike's mental awareness always amazes me. He's a young 88.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

Once I learned to properly use my Howard Rotovator (tiller) I no longer had use for a plow, and haven't used one in many years.. It does a great job on it's own,

I always saved the leaves to put/mulch between the rows of my plants for weed suppression, then tilled them down in the fall...

SR

 

[Sonny580]

a few garden pix.

yellow summer squash harvest about to start.


2 long rows of summer squash, 3 kinds, green, white, and yellow.


first sweetcorn getting there.


tomato acre --- over 400 plants this year.


cabbage head starting to form.

 

[DJ54]

I picked around 20 lbs of green beans Sat. morning, along with 4 zukes & numerous cukes. Ended up with 19 pints, and 1 quart of beans canned up. 5 Zukes were cut about 3" long, then ran through a fry cutter with a 1/4" cutter. Put them in the dehydrator, and ended up with 2 cups dried down. Vacuum sealed them, and added an oxygen absorber pkt. We'll see how they do. I'll have to prepare some this week, and see what amount they re-hydrate to.

We got 3/10's of an inch of rain last evening. Could use more, but happy to get that. More predicted later in the week. Both garden and hay/pasture will appreciate it..!!

 

[oldballs]

Thanks for the pix guys..........things looking good after all.

Cheers,
Mike

 

[jjp8182]

Processed turnips for freezing this last Saturday, ended up just shy of 7 gallons to put in the freezer from this batch. Given this was less than a fifth of the crop, I'm most likely going to need to figure out what to do with the rest at some point as I'm pretty sure they won't all fit in my freezer at this rate.

Though I'm not going to complain as a surplus is always a good problem to have. :thumbsup:

 

[herm0016]

turns out we mislabeled some of our squash. . . we now have 4 fairytail pumpkin plants and they are doing great! we are going to have to sell some, you can make 6 to 8 pies with each one. we have a few mellons coming in and we harvested carrots, peppers, beets, and some hybrid squashs so far.

 

[Sonny580]

2" downpour in 10 mins. just now! --kinda knocked things over again! ---most of the rain just ran off again so ground still dry down a few inches.

 

[Sonny580]

just finished the onion harvest. --- most were small to medium sized---had a few 5 to 6 inchers. Now to freeze dry some.


freeze dryer running now in yellow summer squash

 

[cqaigy2]

Never seen a freeze dryer before.

 

[RalphVa]

Anyone have any ideas what I should do about this POS plot that I created and then skinnied up. Still doing awful. Only ever grew volunteer cherry toms well, and an Italian butternut squash filled it in entirely once.

I've put photos of another new are using same new soil I put in the skinnied up plot.

Here's some more text. Have written an article for our next newsletter.

This could be entitled: how to create a new climate zone area, because I think I did this. No, it痴 about 2 garden sites with identical new Panorama Paydirt soil. One site has a long history. I created it in May of 2006 when I moved asparagus out of the rhubarb patch.
Here痴 the new asparagus patch where I had failures of 3 different asparagus that I tried in it. It would grow volunteer cherry tomatoes like gang busters. It also had an Italian butternut squash fill it completely. So, it was good for these, but NEVER succeeded in producing ANY asparagus and was limited in producing much of anything else. (My best asparagus is one I missed in the current rhubarb patch, and asparagus is growing nicely in 5 of my 6 raised beds.)

You can see the new green asparagus heads, one of 3 batches that disappeared later.
One problem with this patch, I determined, is its width. I had to step into it to get to all of it. So, last year I made it less wide. I then removed 3 or 4 inches of soil from it and refilled with Panorama Paydirt.
I stacked the excess concrete blocks behind the skinnier patch. That may have been a mistake. Those blocks may be overheating the plot. I知 still not sure what to do about the blocks or the plot. It bore a bit of snow peas growing up the fence at the back in front of the concrete blocks, but it was not a winner among 3 other sites where I had snow peas. That greenery up the fence in back is wild Burr Cucumber that insects love; the back fence should be loaded with 2 kinds of pole beans, incl. asparagus beans, that I planted at its base: not happening. Okra seeds planted in it just never germinated. It is getting plenty of water from a multi-looped soaker hose that appears wet all the time as I switch from one set of rain tanks/barrels to others. I知 getting almost no production from it.
By comparison, an old Knockout rose site near my outside shower was converted to veggies with new Panorama Paydirt is doing GREAT.

Even the bush beans on both sides of the stepping stones are bearing in the July heat. Whereas, bush beans everywhere else, just stopped in the heat. There are even 3 or more okra plants growing taller than I致e ever gotten okra to grow since stopping my big garden in Ivy Creek overflow area. I致e hopes of maybe getting more than a few pods of okra this year. The okra on the other side of the stepping stones has come up as well. I致e hopes that it値l also grow big enough before the high summer sun goes away with lower fall sun. This site is easy to water from the users of the outside shower. There痴 also a drain from the shower that dumps water in the upper part of it (near those okra plants). The 3 summer squash here are my healthiest and biggest but no female blossoms yet.


Ralph

 

[Sonny580]

started freeze-drying some onions---first batch made 5 quart bags.---- have many more to go.

 

[Sonny580]

squash plants

 

[DJ54]

The Marvel Melting snow peas made quite a recovery after the dry spell we had. I kept them watered every other evening to keep them sustained, and hopefully grow out roots for any future rain we may have gotten. It worked..!! A few substantial rains got them going, and they are still hanging on, and producing well. A 60' row is producing approx. 6 qts daily. Got 24, 2 cup, vacuum sealed bags in the freezer for this winter.

Nothing like fresh out of the garden though. Whipped up some Teriyaki Chicken & Snow Peas for supper last night. Hit the spot after a long day.