Man, this stuff is difficult.

Soil alkalinity, tilling, interplanting, composting, positioning east/west exposure, setting up water run-off, composting, soil amending, scheduling, weed control, pollination.

I feel like Tim Crimson at a Phi Beta Kappa meeting.

Beans: Snap, bush, and pole.
******************************

isn't this craigslist code for "I'm looking for another gay male who is well-groomed?"

I thought you had a garden, bro.

*this is regular English, not Pidgin gay talk*

You live in the Garden state. Craigslist translation: epicenter of sphincter loving sodomites.
******************************

I enjoy gardening, but I'm not nearly that technical. I just till the soil, plant the seeds, feed and water and pull the weeds. I seem to be pretty successful with it.

**************************************

The heat came 'round and busted me for smiling on a cloudy day!

I look forward to gardening the crap out of some peppers and tomatos one day.

i took horticulture at the local community college. and when i say "took" i mean "sat in the class and waiting for the instructor to say that not enough people registered the course and that it was canceled"

however i do grow tomatoes, peppers and onions and others with varying degrees of success each year.



"We're a knowledge sharing community"
- Ely Plains

I've got a small area/plot set aside for veggies. I'm getting the soil tested. I just started weeding it and aerating it. It's got great sun exposure. They say you can grow things year-round in GA. I'd love to grow peppers. I'll probably go with spinach, broccoli, and onions. Maybe throw in some fresh herbs. Keep it simple.
******************************

keeping deer out if the biggest problem 'round these parts



"We're a knowledge sharing community"
- Ely Plains

That sounds like a superb garden, Ely.

Tapilon is a professional
---------------------




-------------------

Dave - I'm somewhat excited, but I'm just planning it. I think it'll be a lot of work/preparation. Some of the guys around here talk about their crops the way you, llr, S-I, and the Bear talk about sports. It's a BIG deal when there's a new tomato variety.

Kev- Yeah, I don't know what pests are like around here. I've seen a few neighbors with gardens in their front lawns and they don't have chicken wire or anything, so I imagine they're not that bad 'round these parts. Virginia's full of deer. I almost slaughtered a few driving down to Blacksburg. I actually thought of taking up deer hunting since it's part of the culture down here. I don't think I'm down for it.
******************************

no homo....

**********************************
"keef i remember you wear the first person i got in a fight with on the internet" - tim crimson

Your Friend,
Keef Riffhard - intolerant hypocrite



-Bea Arthur Whirlwind-

Funny you say that Keef. I hear that George Michael cassettes speed up the composting process.
******************************

I am sure Tapilon would love to give you free advice on gardening :-p
---------------------




-------------------

I'm sure Tapilon would like to be the host of a reality show like "Hell's Kitchen" - but set in a garden - where he yells at people for loading a wheel barrow incorrectly and spilling mulch.
******************************

I'm no gardener, but kjoy's a vegetable.

(I know... slow week)

[deleted]

"Why in the hell can I remember that?"

You didn't do enough drugs to forget it

---------------------




-------------------

Wow. Gringo has a master's degree in plant pathology? Interesting.

Why'd you go into IT? Paid more?

Do you think you can tell us what's wrong with Kjoy? (because she's a vegetable)
******************************

i know that stuff as well as anyone, i suppose. my crews install over a million i came up with every year.

two things: get the soil and exposure/water requirements right and everything else is a piece of cake.
other is if you have deer, dont bother with number 1.

ask away, if you like. i do mostly tour and show gardens now, but ive taught most of the hort stuff.

peace,
wolf

where do you live, ely? growing a veggie, flower garden? or trees and shrubs?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
with a gun to my head

[deleted]

Wow, Wolf. So I'm doing a small let's say 7 foot by 10 foot garden. Quite small.

It's in my backyard which has a bit of a slope. Nothing dramatic but a gradual slope that leads down toward my plot, which is near the house. Do I need to worry about too much water coming down on my plot? It's not going to be an elevated garden. It's going to be low. Is there an easy way to make sure it doesn't get flooded?

I'm in SW Georgia. Zone 8, I believe. I want to grow veggies.
******************************

[deleted]

my friends (a married couple) let us use part of their garden (it's pretty big), so we grow some stuff there. deer ate a lot of it, but they stay the hell away from hot peppers. and rosemary.

and I grew some herbs (herbs,not herb) in a hanging basket outside my apartment.

great question. only concern was getting good drainage. if you have slope you should be fine.
heres my ONLY absolute rule: visit it everyday.
i promise, if you do, you will automatically see wilting, pick off bugs, trim here and there. gonna be great!
piles of snow, here. you make me long for bare feet, a salt shaker and warm tomatoes on the vine.

i do add a couple inches of compost (loosens, brings air, worms, etc)and a bit of super phosphate (grow like crazy).
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
with a gun to my head

where is tap? i dont remember what state hes from and i wondered how the hell hes fairing this winter between the economy and the snow?
only things i know deer WILL NOT eat are fragrants like herbs, silver folige and a dwarf spirea called limemound.

yes, ive had to do entire yards with that limited palette.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
with a gun to my head

i thought it was just all about pouring water on mud where theres green

I knew before i opened this thread that it was ely who started it.

could be your new best friend?

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=152996&id=555135671&l=70e2d01595

you must have e.s.p.

or the ability to read.

either way, you surpassed my expectations.

Why, because his name was under the subject line?

-----------------------------
"Are you got for me?" - Gringo

"I am so proud to be American. Thank you. Gosh. Thank you. Happy birthday, Ronald Reagan." - Sarah Palin

I've worked on a farm for years and have a substantial garden at home, too. It's one of the most refreshing/relaxing ways to spend your time whether you're really working or just messing around. One of my favorite routines in life is driving out to the pumpkin patch at dawn on Fall mornings to pick and having a smoke as the whole world seems to be waking up. Well, I'm no poet...

And it isn't hard. People don't always realize how much of the work the soil does on its own after you give the plant its initial start. I tried growing Arugula last year for the first time and it worked out well. Also made pickles out of some pickle cucumbers (which I like better than standard cucumbers anyway). All in all, it's pretty easy to get creative when you start. It's an addicting thing.

-----------------------------
"Are you got for me?" - Gringo

"I am so proud to be American. Thank you. Gosh. Thank you. Happy birthday, Ronald Reagan." - Sarah Palin

deer hunting is a necessity down here. you thought it was bad driving now? you wouldn't be able to go 10 feet if it weren't for the jethros cappin bambis



"We're a knowledge sharing community"
- Ely Plains

Mmmm venison.....

"I'm sure Tapilon would like to be the host of a reality show like "Hell's Kitchen" - but set in a garden - where he yells at people for loading a wheel barrow incorrectly and spilling mulch."

I actually have done that before. You spill a wheelbarrow of anything, you owe the crew a case of beer.

no, just by reading the title, i knew it was ely, i dont want to know him that well

could be your new best friend?

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=152996&id=555135671&l=70e2d01595

[deleted]

Hey LauraJ! We're thinking about tomatoes. We've got like 5 rows. The first row we'll plant ASAP and then skip the next. In the second cycle we'll probably plant tomatoes in the empty rows.

I've read a little bit about using oils of herbs as pesticides and I'd much prefer to do that than use chemical insecticides.
******************************
Is this a memorable thread?

[deleted]

In Louisville, at my former job where we have 120 acres of perfect farmland, we put in about 3o tomato plants. Spaced about 6-8 ft apart, each in large wire cage with a center stake. We plant starter plants (we don't grow from straight seed) and mulch the bases heavily with pinestraw...great for keeping down weeds. We'd weed the areas in between the plants but as far as pesticides or chemicals, we didn't use any.

The key is soil, drainage, and good exposure. Gotta keep the deer off them too. Pinch out the suckers and take off a good percentage of the leaves (might wanna look that up).... BUT- we do use a liquid root-stimulator/anti-stress product called 'SUPER-THRIVE' ....If you can get this stuff, USE IT!! It is not a fertilizer, but instead a 'hormone/vitamin' mix. I use it on landscape jobs to water-in new trees and plant material. It works wonders! And it'll make your tomato plants take off!!!

Ely- if you want some, I can mail you off a container. The stuff is totally not toxic but it's potent! The mix is 3 oz per 100 GALLONS of water!

Super-Thrive sounds frightening, Tapilon. My garden is 81 square feet, so I'd have to use like an eyedropper of that stuff. I didn't see that at Lowe's.

I worked on tilling for about 2 hours today. Thick ass tree roots were about 6 inches deep. Had to bust out a handsaw.

Wolf or Tap or anyone - I bought some "fast acting lime" because my soil's PH was 5.3 (Ideal PH is 6 for veggies). I'm wondering how fast-acting this lime is.
******************************
Is this a memorable thread?

Successfully transplanted the broccoli from pots to the garden. I've planted mesclun, spinach, carrots. I can see little sproutlings for each one. In a few weeks I'll plant tomatoes.

Anyone got tips for tomatoes? Should I use a stake or a teepee type deal?

JJ - You want to kick Mojo off the computer and rap about horticulture?

This message board is like a pile of compost that needs to be turned and aerated.
*************************************

memorable threads of 2010

We're starting our tomatoes and peppers indoors until it gets warmer. All of our perennials are well along the way. They must have put Miracle Gro in the snow this year. I've never seen it come up this strong. Sorry, Ely, JJ isn't ready to come near this place. Even for you.

herbs are a snap--thyme will take over and mint will run wild...rosemary, chives, tarragon, italian parsley and basil are more cooperative-Have never had luck with cilantro but maybe your climate is better

we are planting cabbage
-----------------------------
Did ennui put together a rational, relevant, well-thought-out post that didn't mention blowing Ely? -willie

Corn, Tomatoes, and cannabis this year out back
==================================
"Life is an intricate mixture of composition and improvisation..."

I'm growing tomacco

is that a baccer/mater hybrid willie?
-----------------------------
Did ennui put together a rational, relevant, well-thought-out post that didn't mention blowing Ely? -willie

Yes, I am growing that and canned spinach.

right now in my e-garden, all i grow is coffee.
-----------------------------
Did ennui put together a rational, relevant, well-thought-out post that didn't mention blowing Ely? -willie

Just put down some wheat hay as mulch.

When the guy sold it to me I'm pretty sure he said it was hay. So now I'm paranoid about whether it's hay or straw. Both are OK as mulch.

Hay has some seeds, but I've read that you can stamp out weeds from the hay by laying on more hay.

Tapilon - What are your thoughts on mulching in a vegetable garden?

and mulch the bases heavily with pinestraw..

Never mind.
************************************

memorable threads of 2010
Fat people cannot save you/us.-Threeeight

i have heard that mushroom compost is amazing for a veggie garden. expensive but worth it
**

(the stuff we post is loved by all, but 80% will lie and say they hate it and 20% will say nothing.)

[deleted]

Ely, you don't HAVE to use baled pine straw...it's just decently effective on weeds.

I would use that, or a very simple shreded, aged, bark hardwood mulch that has NO dyes or anything unnatural...such as lumber, pallets. Hell, aged wood chips (like out of a tree truck) will work fine. You could mulch them with leaf compost too.

Be careful not to pile mulch directly around the base of your plants. leave a tiny bit of breathing room.

And SUPERTHRIVE them! find that stuff, and soil drench the base of your plants.

Superthrive!

oh wow....yea, just reread your wheat hay post thing.... uuuuuuhhhhh, yea you might have some hay seed germination issues... I hate hay.

here's a question...


how do you stop chipmunks for eating all your stuff without killing them?

they even eat the hot pepper plants that the deer wouldn't touch.

Kill them.

I like to bury things.

all they want is their two front teeth



"some of those people at alt-country.org are kinda stuck up i think"
-dinopasta1

can't do it, bs. I don't like to kill anything, but chipmunks were high up on my list of favorite animals when I was a kid. I'd feel like I was betraying my childhood.

Sean,my grandmother (I think she is in hell now) used to wrap mothballs in cheesecloth and hang that from shortened dowels in the garden. It was a good deterrent.

I think that when you penned "Butter", you betrayed the childhood of us all.

thanks, shadow. I'll give that a shot.

bs, I apologize if butter hits too close to home. hey, have you been working on your song? I have the chord structure worked out for mine. just need to figure out how I want to play it.

I am in the same boat. I could do it a few different ways and I don't know which one to choose. I really don't want it to suck.

Sean - I took care of my grasshopper situation by attracting large birds to eat the hoppers.

I think you need to attract even larger birds. Think Falcons or Hawks.

Summon him so he can summon the birds of prey.


************************************

memorable threads of 2010
.Why the fuck did I go so long without going to the library?.-Shadow Monkey

hey goldfalcon, you up for a little scarecrowing?

I blew at gardening. Some jalapenos, puny tomatoes, lots of leaves, but no vegetables.

I'm going the square foot gardening route. You use less space, less water, and you should have less or no weeds. Plus, you buy all the soil you need (80% less soil than row gardening) so you don't have to worry about soil quality.

New sig is inventor of SFG.
***********************************

What you need is some advice from this guy:
http://www.ciscoe.com/


Ciscoe Morris is my other man.

Don't sweat it Ely. Last year was a shit one for tomatoes up and down the East Coast.
You'll do better this year.
*************************************
"we learned highlife is a massive dickhead. Good job, buddy. You're the worst!-- simms2673"
I ain't got nothing but love for you now.

And it ain't difficult. Plants want to grow. Its what they do. Just let them.

*************************************
"we learned highlife is a massive dickhead. Good job, buddy. You're the worst!-- simms2673"
I ain't got nothing but love for you now.

I made a rain barrel last week. They said it's better for the veggies than tap water.

NICE. It is better. Tap water has chlorine, fluoride, and all kinds of nasty chemicals. My rain barrel has been full for about a month. It keeps raining.
***********************************

You're lucky you don't have to winterize your barrel down there. I have to figure out how to decorate mine before I put it out.

I had to empty ours out so they didn't explode from icing over.

*************************************
"we learned highlife is a massive dickhead. Good job, buddy. You're the worst!-- simms2673"
I ain't got nothing but love for you now.

Ha!

Did you store it, highlife? Or just turn it over?

I have two. I basically drained them and pulled them out of the weather, but they're still outdoors.

*************************************
"we learned highlife is a massive dickhead. Good job, buddy. You're the worst!-- simms2673"
I ain't got nothing but love for you now.

I would love to have two rain barrels but I seriously do not have enough room on the sides of my house for them. I'm kinda squeezed in- and don't really feel like rerouting a bunch of gutters.

It's that time again, suckas.

LauraJ, Tap, MST, HL, Gie-Lo, Kevbo, and others, what are you planting?

There's a large vacant lot next to our house and I've got a 12x12 bed set out. It was hard Georgia clay so I had to work in compost, etc, to make it arable. Got tomatoes, watermelons, lettuce, cucumbers, potatoes, and a few mammoth sunflowers. Hoping to put in more starts for yellow and cherry tomatoes, and then have some separate mounds for more watermelon and cantaloupes.

There was a dead tree in the lot that's been rotting for about 5 years. I dug into the base of it and got the darkest, most nitrogen rich humus and began amending the bed with it.

Noonan - How is your orchid project coming along?
***********************************

Have any of you tried container gardening?

I haven't Lacey. But this is the year I put up solar powered electric fencing. Barely a day goes by when I don't see deer in my yard. And rabbits and groundhogs. I can't shoot them all.

I will be heavy on tomatoes, and hopefully with the fencing up, be able to get some sugar snaps and dragon's tongue beans. Little f'in rodents got ALL of my beans last time. Also cilantro, basil, thai basil, bibb lettuce, squash/zucc, cukes, onions, lufa, variety of peppers, eggplant, and whatever else. Gonna be a long hot growing season, I'm guessing.

*************************************

I ain't got nothing but love for you now.

"Have any of you tried container gardening?"

I prefer barrel gardening.

Hey, could you hemp me up with how that works?

I could see myself doing that in a joint like mine.

If not, could you reefer me to someone that knows what they are doing?

High Shadow,

This site isn't working for me but maybe it works for you:

http://www.barrelofgreen.com/

That makes a lot of sensimilla to me.

Didn't work for me either.

What do you mean? It's bong on the money.

"Didn't work for me either."

That's a shame, I was looking forward to tasting your bud.

I can get you some LSD man.

Barrel LSD?

Lacey - I've seen some container gardens around, they seem fairly low maintenance. You could grow tomatoes in a five gallon bucket with a cage and a stick of bamboo.

HL - Nice. I love your section of the country, but I saw more deer in Virginia than any other state. Friend of mine has a similar fence. Have you considered urinating around your garden? I've also heard about hanging bars of Irish Spring soap in socks and putting those on your fence posts. Sounds weird, I know.

Luffas? Like the exfoliating sponge. Is that like purely ornamental?
***********************************

I'm probably just going to have tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers plus the self-pollinating blueberry bush I was just given. Oh, and herbs for my rabbits. I'm hoping we do our community garden here at work because I got a lot of good veggies from that.

Ely--I'd somehow have to drink more than I already do to pee around the perimeter of the garden--it's like 15' by 30'. But I haven't heard of the soap trick. To add to my critter woes, we have barn cats who like to use it as a litterbox and dig up seedlings for kicks.

The luffa is a climbing gourd plant that once left to die on the vine, then dry for a while, can be stripped of its skin. Then you shake out the seeds of the fibrous material left inside, and take it to the shower. I don't know that it's really cost effective (since luffa is basically cheap) but it's fun to grow your own.

*************************************

I ain't got nothing but love for you now.

Here's a dried luffa pod.







Cut off the ends, and shake out the seeds.








Peel off the outer skin.









Ready to rinse off and shower.






*************************************

I ain't got nothing but love for you now.

You managed to combine two feminine habits in one post; gardening and skin care. Real men wear their dead skin. They don't exfoliate.

I keed. Cool, mang. I like ornamental gourds and the like. Curcubits are greedy bastards and climb over everything, but it sounds like you have lots of space.

I've got cucumubers and watermelons caged in a 12 x12 with chicken wire. I hope the chicken wire doubles as a trellis for the cukes.
***********************************

Ever check out this seed place?

Lots of great heirloom seeds from plants around the globe. Some common, some oddball.


Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds



*************************************

I ain't got nothing but love for you now.

MST what kind of herbs? I wanted to be sire that I grow rabbit friendly stuff. My new place has a giant screened in porch so I want the current bunny, future bunny, and dog be able to sun themselves. And munch if they want a snack.

Parsley and cilantro. People usually give me basil.

My buns would probably eat it all if I left them unattended. They never think about saving for the future!

That I believe! Cilantro is dottie girls favorite . I gave her some this morning and she always gets protective of it. She'll give you a few grunts if you go near her while she's eating it.

I don't have a place to actually break ground. But I do have a small container garden most summers (which often extends pretty late into the fall here in GA).

I'm hopefull that some day I'll be able to have a grown-up garden, though. To me, there's something very satisfying about growing my own food. Even out of just the containers, I often end up with enough to do some canning and/or freezing.



Favorites of 2011 - Part 1
Favorites of 2011 - Part 2

I was sampling some good herbs tonight. Made me want to listen to Cold Roses. A true gardener's album.

can't believe I have to come clean with this after all these years-- YES. I have a garden and I tend it a lot. what specifically are you looking for?

Ok, I'll let you all in on the little secret. You wouldn't think it makes sense, but trust me-

EPSOM SALTS for your garden, lawn, trees, shrubs.

Google it fools. It's the real deal. You're welcome.

Epsom Salts

Googled it. Just say no thank you to Epson Salts.

http://www.puyallup.wsu.edu/~Linda%20Chalker-Scott/Horticultural%20Myths_files/Myths/Epsom%20salts.pdf

HL, I really like the "how to" loofah pics :)
Peengina

Up next: pics of how to use it while showering.

*************************************

I ain't got nothing but love for you now.

RAD, gardening brings out lurkers! Welcome 1/2 and 1/2.

It seems like Epsom salt is fine if your soil is magnesium deficient. Yeah, some of those pro-Epsom salt claims seem bogus

I would get a soil test before using it. I've read that too much magnesium can block calcium absorption.

I've been using those Mosser kits to test my soil. They're basic N-P-K and PH tests so I have no idea about my micronutrient levels.

I've also been going to the local coffee shop and picking up free used coffee grounds for my compost. I'm a little wary of putting them directly into the garden bed. Any opinions on this, orgers?
***********************************

I forgot to mention I'm doing a variation on the hugelkulture method. At the bottom of my garden bed there are a bunch of decomposing logs. The idea is the logs will act like sponges, holding on to water and decomposing, slowly releasing nutrients and adding life to the soil.

It's early in the season but I only have to water every 5 days. We've had temps in the mid 80s.

I'm a big fan of the hugel. It's said that watering often will wash away the nutrients and make poor soil, whereas hugeling creates a moist sponge the plant can draw from as it sets down deeper roots.

I'm certain I'm the only one interested in this...



"Hugelkultur (pronounced “hoogul-culture”) is a way of using woody material such as tree logs, branches, brush, or even wood chips as compost. There are several ways to do it, but the classic technique is to bury a fallen log in a mixture of soil and other compostables such as leaf litter, clippings, scraps…etc. As the wood decomposes it provides food for good soil microbes and fungus which, by their presence, replenish soil nutrients and improve soil structure. The result is a nice patch of fertile ground, great for growing edible or ornamental plants.

Hugelkultur is recommended as a way to generally improve soil wherever soil needs a boost. But one of the best advantages (especially for Texas) is that rotting wood is naturally absorbent. A buried log will soak up water quickly and release it slowly over time, which is great for providing sustained hydration to plants when rainfall is infrequent. Using this method may help reduce the watering requirements for your garden!"
***********************************

"I'm certain I'm the only one interested in this... "

Naw, I am. That sounds very cool. Makes perfect sense, but I had never thought or heard of doing that before.

I have a simple approach, which seems to work well enough for me. I buy compost at a local farm, and till it in. I start seeds indoors, then transplant. Others I plant directly. My yield is always good, and everything I plant grows. I think I'm lucky geographically in that 25% of all farm product in my state (animal or vegetable) comes from my county and the one to the north of me.

We have a clay sort of soil here, but with good tilling and aeration, and the compost, we do fine. It just has to be deep enough to allow the roots to flourish without being bound up in clay. I also guess that the clay can hold water in a way that hugelkultur also does. We use two 65 gallon rain barrels, but can also water with a hose if needed.

I guess I'm going organic plus, in that I don't add any nutrients other than the compost.

But I have a simple idea, which is that plants just want to grow (this is not sarcasm). I weed, shoot varmints, and use simple pest control. I boil jalapenos and then spray that water on the garden to deter pests. Any specific insect infestation I will spray with a vegetable based oil. Since they 'breathe' through their skin, they suffocate in the oil and die.

I use hearty heirloom seeds (many from rareseeds.com, which I mentioned above).

I let the sun do the rest. Now don't anyone take offense--but I don't over think it. I plant them, give them a good environment, then take what they produce. I might improve my yield through soil science, but I am happy with my current approach.

*************************************

I ain't got nothing but love for you now.

Glad you found it interesting, Tap. I find it fascinating. If you want your mind blown, do a few searches on Sepp Holzer. He lives in the Alps and grows citrus fruit, by using a system of ponds, stones, and hugeling to raise the temperature of the soil.

Cool, HL. It sounds like we’re on the same page of garden philosophy. I don’t add synthetic fertilizer or chemicals. I’ve added cottonseed meal and bone meal. A friend in town who’s a master gardener (he sells his greens to three local restaurants) uses an organic fertilizer comprised of cotton seed meal, bone meal, and kelp.

I’m a total n00b at growing stuff, so much that I was over the moon last Sunday when I harvested enough lettuce for a whole week. Sounds like you’ve got more experience. Re clay soil, I agree. I’ve read it holds water well and that combined with my logs might account for not needing to water my garden much. I’ve also heard clay soil is fairly rich in nutrients. Not sure if the soil science comment was directed at me. I used a soil test recently because I put in two months of hard, manuel labor getting that clay bed ready, and I wasn’t going to be in the dark about whether the soil was good. Also, I was concerned about the clay being too dense and seeds not being able to germinate/penetrate the surface.

I’m interested in your pest control methods. Do you just spray cooking oil on the leaves. Also, what kind of concentration for the jalapeno boil? I’ve had whiteflies in my kale.

So, you do your own compost? I do, but I’m not creating as much as I’d like. I’m going to rake as many leaves as possible and add those with used coffee grounds.

Yeah, I’m clearly obsessed with gardening.

Does anyone here do cover cropping/green manure?

**********************************

Here's a good simple breakdown of home-remedies for pest control here.

The section on non-toxic control has a good primer. Whiteflies are a drag, had them on my plantains when I lived in LA. It was suck a large infestation that I never got it fully under control.

I've shied away from manure after infecting my garden with a particularly virulent and thorny weed (spiny amaranth) that horses love to eat--and whatever they eat eat can end up, via poop, in your garden. Its taken years to get it almost gone, but it's still there...

I should compost but don't. Maybe this year I finally get that going.

*************************************

I ain't got nothing but love for you now.

Thanks for the link. I have a problem with Eastern Lubber Grasshoppers. I put out some nosema locustae (turns them into zombies and they start eating each other) and the populations seem smaller.

Fairly shocked you don’t compost. An organic gardener who doesn’t compost is the equivalent of picking American Heart for a foreign film club. ;)

I think of my garden as a closed loop. Some of the nutrients the garden produces are recycled through compost, back into the garden. Otherwise all of your kitchen scraps are going to a landfill and not supporting your gardening habit. I’m sure you have truckloads of leaves where you live. There’s a decent amount of minerals in leaves. Mix dried leaves with your kitchen scraps and you’ve got free soil. Everyone wins.

***********************************

I'm going with no-till gardening. It might fit with highlife's statement "But I have a simple idea, which is that plants just want to grow."

So many reasons to not till.
1. Better soil structure
2. Better community of micro & macro flora/fauna...helps break down organic matter and boost growth
3. No soil erosion
4. Less work and less weeds
5. Better water retention (save water and $$)



Inb4 someone says RIP Org.


***********************************

Tap - You growing anything?

My mammoth sunflowers could dunk on Shaq.




Tomatoes should be ready soon.
***********************************