Do you have a vegetable garden?

[LedFTed 1,127]

On 10/21/2022 at 5:46 PM, riverc said:

Got lucky some burnt leaves on lettuce  & zucchini looks like they will survive that cold snap we had. They need rain water tap water is keeping them alive but not what they need not much rain in the forecast.

 

 

 

 

what tap water does to plant, it also does to people. ya dont want to see whats inside a water pipe, after a while. its a wonder they carry water. tap water has lost its appeal, and that where most bottled comes from. people pay more for water, wrapped in plastic, while they can fill a plastic jug at home. aint it strange?

[SailRedemption 133]

We have city water unfortunately, but we drink purified water from a Alexapure gravity filter. I put a 5micron charcoal filter on the pipe outside for watering plants. Takes the chlorine and chemicals out while also other heavy metals. They seem to like it more, but rain water is king. I'll be extending my gutters to the backside of the house to drop into a few food grade barrels for watering plants. 

 

At some point I'll put in a shallow well with hand pump for when water isn't free from the sky and I get low on rainwater.

[SailRedemption 133]

I had my soil tested some months ago because nothing grew well. Everything good was high or normal. But I was like 640ppm in sodium which is super high. I treated the soil twice with some gypsum/calcium to fix that plus put in some amendments. Everything seems to be doing good so far with my fall/winter crops. Hoping the gypsum did its job. I'll test again in spring to see for sure.

 

We planted some beans, peas, cabbage, kale, garlic, onion, cucumber, dill, and carrots. I need to get some wood shavings to put over the soil since it's been really dry lately in SE Louisiana. Everything was still seedlings when I left for work so I'm excited to see it all when I get back home. It will be 6 weeks since I planted.

[_Wilson_™ 6,563]

If you can't get wood chips newn paper will work too..... Glad you got the soil tested.... That's one of the main things to do 1st. 

[SailRedemption 133]

7 hours ago, _Wilson_™ said:

If you can't get wood chips newn paper will work too..... Glad you got the soil tested.... That's one of the main things to do 1st. 

Don't get newspaper, although every now an then we get a free one tossed on the driveway. Use that for seafood boils though.

 

I'm going to call a local tree cutter and see if they giveaway or sell wood chips. I only have a few boxes so I don't need but maybe a truck bed load to get good depth. My potted plants we have Agatha(or something) fern that covers the soil and others we use mint for soil coverage. Mint smells awesome after a rain.

 

When I get home I'll have to snap a picture and share it with everyone.

[_Wilson_™ 6,563]

Hm..... Mint ? That's a new on one me....... Cool! It's a home ready for controlling rodents.... I've also used it in a red pepper dawn soap, viniger solution ...... Around the edge of the bucket tomatoe plants  i raised a few years back.... Worked great.... Even stunted (burned) the grass growing around the bucket stand ..... But it did nothing to aid in controlling catalpa worms. 

 

You might also try and contact the county for wood Chips...... Here they clean up blow downs along the roads etc..... Unless they sub the job out to an independent contractor..... Or someone comes along and claims the tree as firewood that was me a few years back lol! (Firewood hoarder) 

[SailRedemption 133]

I have heard that most herbs and spices are pest deterrents so it's a good idea to plant those around. I'll have to try that solution you made.

 

I'll have to look into our parish utilities and see if they have a wood chipper yard. 

[Fishfiles 20,145]

Just now, SailRedemption said:

I have heard that most herbs and spices are pest deterrents so it's a good idea to plant those around. I'll have to try that solution you made.

 

I'll have to look into our parish utilities and see if they have a wood chipper yard. 

 

 

My good buddy has a farm in Mississippi that was his Dad's , his brother in law  still grows garlic there , he tells me they don't need any pesticides , as the insects won't mess with garlic , and he said the amount of money made per acre is a lot more than anything else except maybe weed , LOL 

[SailRedemption 133]

1 minute ago, Fishfiles said:

 

 

My good buddy has a farm in Mississippi that was his Dad's , his brother in law  still grows garlic there , he tells me they don't need any pesticides , as the insects won't mess with garlic , and he said the amount of money made per acre is a lot more than anything else except maybe weed , LOL 

Haha! Well that's cool! Yea I bet nothing goes to the garlic! I mean I would, garlic is a super plant. We have about a dozen garlics growing this winter. Should be ready by summer. 

 

I wonder if one could use garlic as a hedge or border to keep pests from crossing into the inside. That would be interesting to test. Maybe I'll try that when spring comes around.

[Fishfiles 20,145]

2 minutes ago, SailRedemption said:

Haha! Well that's cool! Yea I bet nothing goes to the garlic! I mean I would, garlic is a super plant. We have about a dozen garlics growing this winter. Should be ready by summer. 

 

I wonder if one could use garlic as a hedge or border to keep pests from crossing into the inside. That would be interesting to test. Maybe I'll try that when spring comes around.

My buddy knows a lot about garlic , he was telling me  all about it , but  CRS got me , LOL >>>>>   I know he  brings around some garlic onions , he says garlic is an onion before it is a garlic , those are really good , but kind of scarce  and then he brings some garlic flowers pickled in olive oil , those are tasty , my favorite are the purple garlic on the hard stem , looks like a tootsie pop , those will put tears in your eyes like horseradish , then he has elephant garlic that LSU AG helped his DAD produce the seeds for , these are huge , one toe is bigger than a whole clover ---- I love me some garlic , like to eat it in the seafood boils 

[_Wilson_™ 6,563]

Now that sounds good, fish, i use garlic all the time.....they even say it will keep skeeters tics, and other bothersome insects at bay....a favor ?? Next time you talk to your friend ...... Maybe toss him a couple questions .... About that above ..... Even better yet invite him to joine our group.... Just thinking about what a pickled garlic flowers and purple garlic on a hard stem would taste like..... Is the elephant garlic a hybrid they devolved ?

[Fishfiles 20,145]

1 hour ago, _Wilson_™ said:

Now that sounds good, fish, i use garlic all the time.....they even say it will keep skeeters tics, and other bothersome insects at bay....a favor ?? Next time you talk to your friend ...... Maybe toss him a couple questions .... About that above ..... Even better yet invite him to joine our group.... Just thinking about what a pickled garlic flowers and purple garlic on a hard stem would taste like..... Is the elephant garlic a hybrid they devolved ?

 

 

Yep , the elephant garlic is genetically manipulated by LSU Agriculture ---- doubt he would come to our Honda site , my buddy and his son have 3 Can-Am between them , one of them has 215 horsepower and 32 inch tires 

[SailRedemption 133]

That's cool! I'm trying to build up to that. I just planted some organic hard stem garlic from whole foods. I figured it would have a better chance of growing being organic. We'll see. I saw the elephant garlic! I'm not ready for that yet haha! I love garlic too, and look forward to it in boils! 

 

Wilson, garlic also is a great anti-lots of things. Anti viral, inflammation, bacterial. It's in a lot of home remedies of old. Not to mention vampires of course.

[RubiDan 596]

There's a guy that's going to bring me a big load of leaves today so I can put them on my garden spot by the house.  I raised my garden at my son's house (right down the road) this year because the one by my house has way too much clay and wasn't producing very well.  According to what I've read the leaves will break down and help the clay soil.  I don't know how many leaves it will take to do this but I'd sure like to have my garden right by my house again.  

[SailRedemption 133]

10 hours ago, RubiDan said:

There's a guy that's going to bring me a big load of leaves today so I can put them on my garden spot by the house.  I raised my garden at my son's house (right down the road) this year because the one by my house has way too much clay and wasn't producing very well.  According to what I've read the leaves will break down and help the clay soil.  I don't know how many leaves it will take to do this but I'd sure like to have my garden right by my house again.  

You can rent a aerator or lawn plug cutter to help with that compact clay. Also, spread out some gypsum(calcium) it will help loosen up the soil over time. But I would definitely do the aeration before you put the leaves down if you can.

[Fishfiles 20,145]

I talked with my garlic buddy today , he was refreshing  my brain on garlic , if you plant a toe off a clover you get garlic the next year , but if you plant seeds it take 5 years for a garlic to be produced , the first 4 years you have to pull the flowers off , and the garlic is actually a onion as it is one piece and not divided into toes  

[SailRedemption 133]

1 minute ago, Fishfiles said:

I talked with my garlic buddy today , he was refreshing  my brain on garlic , if you plant a toe off a clover you get garlic the next year , but if you plant seeds it take 5 years for a garlic to be produced , the first 4 years you have to pull the flowers off , and the garlic is actually a onion as it is one piece and not divided into toes  

That's interesting, didn't know about the seeds part. Yea I planted from cloves. I stored them in the fridge for a month to activate whatever process they go through during the cold. Then planted them. I planted some in August and some Oct. Can't wait to pull them out next summer.

[Fishfiles 20,145]

He did say when they plant form seeds , the plants  stay in the same field for 5 years , but when they plant from toes they rotate fields every year with peas of something   ---- nothing eats the garlic in the fields , no bugs , no animals ---- when the planes flower from starting as seeds , pulling the flowers off at the right time is important and it is olive oil that they pickle the flowers in and it infuses the oil with garlic flower taste and I have ate the flowers and they are pretty tasty , but I have never used the infused olive oil on salad or such , and now I want some 

[RubiDan 596]

26 minutes ago, SailRedemption said:

You can rent a aerator or lawn plug cutter to help with that compact clay. Also, spread out some gypsum(calcium) it will help loosen up the soil over time. But I would definitely do the aeration before you put the leaves down if you can.

 

I used a sub-soiler on it a few years ago and made lots of passes in every direction.  It didn't seem to make much, if any difference when I went to till before planting season.  It stayed damp and still didn't want to break up very good when I tilled it.  I will definitely check into the gypsum.

 

I got the leaves today and will put them down, then blend them in with my tiller.  I'll probably still put my garden at my son's house next year and try to get some more leaves to build the one by my house some more.  I may plant a little something in it next year just to see if it does any better.

 

 

Edited November 9, 2022 by RubiDan

[SailRedemption 133]

25 minutes ago, RubiDan said:

 

I used a sub-soiler on it a few years ago and made lots of passes in every direction.  It didn't seem to make much, if any difference when I went to till before planting season.  It stayed damp and still didn't want to break up very good when I tilled it.  I will definitely check into the gypsum.

 

I got the leaves today and will put them down, then blend them in with my tiller.  I'll probably still put my garden at my son's house next year and try to get some more leaves to build the one by my house some more.  I may plant a little something in it next year just to see if it does any better.

 

 

I gotcha, you could also try to blend in some sand and manure in with those leaves when you till it. Or even wood chips if you can find some for free or cheap. Sometimes tree cutters give it away. Worth calling around if you can get a pickup truck load of it to till in. You could also plant plants that are deep rooting like comfrey to help break it up too.

[_Wilson_™ 6,563]

17 hours ago, RubiDan said:

There's a guy that's going to bring me a big load of leaves today so I can put them on my garden spot by the house.  I raised my garden at my son's house (right down the road) this year because the one by my house has way too much clay and wasn't producing very well.  According to what I've read the leaves will break down and help the clay soil.  I don't know how many leaves it will take to do this but I'd sure like to have my garden right by my house again.  

 

Giving back to the soil is plus plus .. We always left the soybean, corn, and wheet residue behind after harvesting..... It aids as a soil protector against erosion.... .but if it's not chopped up ... It does take longer to break down to where eventually becomes part of the soil....many farmers don't alow the residue to break down.... And year after year doing this it takes nutrition away from the soil...... That's one thing that contributed to the great dust storms back in the day.....  With my tomatoe plants i made a sorta soup from cow manure.... Plus gathered soil where Dennis had previously stacked his round bales..... Now that type of nutrient is very very rich..... Doesn't take much to go over kill..... But if the ratio is right it really does pay out.... That's the best tomatoes i ever raised, but i did go a hair too rich....but in my case it's free... And beats any other kind bulk sold nutrients hands down.... But..... Never had any luck trying to grow certain crops in a clay type soil.... At least not the type we have here.... This land is been used, and used hard as many farms that deal in row crops have.... Crop rotation is also a good idea, because if one particalure plant is raised in the same soil over and over again, that species of plant can take more of a certain nutrient ... Which depletes the soil over time.... No till crop raising has become a standard in much of the country.... Which has pluses and minuses..... The main plus side is plants grow better in soil that broken up (no hard pan) but the minus side of this is erosion does so much more damage on tilled land .. I miss having a productive garden.... And the produce you raise ..... Well..... You know the history of the plant and what treatments you did .. As opposed to grocery store produce that comes from who knows where..... And has been treeted with no telling what.....

[SailRedemption 133]

Got a quick night picture of our garden the night before I came to work. I think my soil isn't right still. I figured the beans and peas would have been a little more crazy but the sun is less this time of year for that spot so who knows. I have enjoy some peas so noy complaining there. My garlic is doing good. The cabbage and kale are slow growers and they are my first time growing them so not sure what to expect. The little cocktail cherry tomato plant is still rocking fruit which is cool.

 

Not in the picture is the 3 fig trees I planted and the 3 blueberry bushes I put in the ground too. I also cut back our pear tree and snipped the rootstock that was left unchecked for years by the PO.  Put dead leaf mulch on the garden boxes and around each fruit tree.

[SailRedemption 133]

Got some garden pictures sent to me before last week's freeze and everything was covered up. I am told post freeze that the garlic, kale, cabbage was good but too early to tell on the peas and beans. Hoping the leaf mulch helped keep the roots warm. It got in the low twenties at our house.

[riverc 1,317]

 

I picked what I had left of cabbage  turnip, rutabaga & carrot gave some away will eat what's left. After deer season will clean

Up and start getting ready for spring.planting.

[Fishfiles 20,145]

That time of year ----Bump the thread up >>>