Garden 2020.

[WVDragonlady]

Got most of my seedlings into their pots.
Still have to do my oregano yet. Such tiny seeds geesh
Might just cut the paper towel into small pieces and place that along with the seedlings in the potting mix. Worry about thinning them out later

 

[Weedygarden]

I placed an order for seeds and a few other things on Tuesday. I did a curbside pickup yesterday afternoon. I thought they told me they didn't have zucchini seeds. So I called two other hardware stores in my area. Turns out, after I got home, that I did have zucchini seeds, but the package says Squash, Summer Black Beauty. I wonder how informed the people in the stores are? And then, how many people are calling or asking, because some of these stores are not letting anyone in? You walk up to a Dutch door, with the top open, and place your order there. If you ask for zucchini seeds and all the packages are labeled Black Beauty, will they know that is zucchini? So many times I have asked about things and people have no idea what I am talking about.

Daughter told me a couple days ago that she wanted some green onions, and I am very aware how difficult it can be to find those any year. If you are not there on the day or week they get them in, you are out of luck. So far, no luck. The thing is, when I call and ask if they have onion sets, I often hear, "What is an onion set?" If I ask if they have onion starts, I get the same response. If I have if they have onion bulbs to plant, same question. What the heck should I be asking for? I guess I am educating everyone I talk to on the phone.

 

[viking]

Our dear friends from down the road have been weeding out our fenced garden area, probably the first things that will be planted are the four blueberry plants we bought from Costco. We've been looking through our seed supplies to see if we can find our Belgian Giant tomato seeds, these are amazing tomatoes that get up to and larger than 1 pound and are delicious and sweet. We'll probably plant some Bluelake bush beans and a variety of squash. I'm so grateful to have friends that have amazing green thumbs and we'll let them plant some of their starts in the garden as well, it all works out for the best because we are always sharing foods we grow and good things we get at the market.

 

[Peanut]

What is it about my seedlings? They bolt instead of growing slow and strong. Yes, this is indoor seed starting, tomatoes.

Inside as in a house or enclosed porch? Spring is early this year. How much direct sun are they getting? Whats the soil temp? Plants bolt when they are stressed. It usually comes down to sun, heat, moisture... something is off.

I got some more seed today. 3lbs of purplehull peas, okra, mosby white corn and moon and stars watermelon seed (red). I was hoping to get moon and stars yellow meat watermelon seed.

In case someone hasn't heard of them... stock photos... moon and stars... dark green rind with one large yellow dot and lots of little yellow dots...

 

[Tank-Girl]

Harvested over 30 kgs of sweet potatoes from the entire sweet potato bed.
I'm still not happy with the production level from what is a very large plot in a prime position in the best soil on the place.
This has pretty much sealed the deal on adding superphosphate to the soil in this exact plot this winter for my (Irish) potato crop. I'll be adding sulphate of potash as well because using both together is very good for root crops. I'll be adding it to my onion/ garlic beds as well.

 

[Patchouli]

@Peanut in my kitchen window, probably not enough sun or warmth for long enough. Keep it damp enough, never let it get dry. I don't take soil temp. At least I know the seeds are still good enough to sprout. I was aiming for better bush, red Siberian and brandywine.

 

[WVDragonlady]

Made it to the other hardware store today. Found some sweet peppers, rosemary,spearmint,swiss chard, and kale. Busy place since the other store had a fire. Lots of people wanting plants and chicks. They just started getting their supply of chicks in this morning while we were there

Weather is nuts. Was warm(er) and rainy, now the winds are 50mph,cold ( freeze warning tonight) snow showers and then tomorrow its windy(again!!) cool, then rainy in the next couple of days

Cabbages should be okay. I have to bring in the strawberry plants to the greenhouse I think tonight. They held up against 50 mph winds and a thunderstorm already so they must be pretty hardy lol
Also have to bring in my lettuces to the sunroom for overnight

Bay window is crowded right now. Once Mother Nature decides on the temps I can take things out to the greenhouse


Can't believe some governors are keeping people from getting seeds and garden supplies. Thank goodness WV is thinking right.

 

[Bacpacker]

I found some more plants today. Picked up some tomatos (German Queen, Black Prince, Rutgers), bell peppers, and strawberries. We're having a cold spell right now, DogWood Winter. Once that's over wife will plant her strawberries. I'm gonna transplant the maters and peppers tomorrow. I'm moving my transplants into the basement at night, back out in the mornings.

 

[Patchouli]

Hey, @Bacpacker ! I bought some more plants today too. I now have two tomato plants, a better bush and an early girl; one "red" bell pepper; in one little pot 5 strong looking black beauty zucchinis; and some flowers cuz they make me feel happy! I also threw together some potting mix and planted some more seeds in little yogurt containers. Can't find any seed starter pots. The dog and I thought we heard a rat under the deck at dusk. Great. Hopefully it's a possum instead. Dog looked at me and said did you hear that? lol

 

[Bacpacker]

Glad you found some plants Patch. Around here things are hit and miss.

 

[Peanut]

I did a little work in the garden today. The odds of getting rain during the predicted super cell storms tomorrow are pretty good. So… The lower 4 rows (potatoes, onions & corn) needed a jump on growth. I took a hoe to those rows but just on the downhill side. I killed a few weeds and grass that was starting to come up but it also did something more important.

Doing it this way created a little burm. I then hand dropped about 30lbs of crushed volcanic rock (azomite) on the veggies just uphill of the burm. If I get rain tomorrow the little burm will allow most of the azomite to soak into the soil at the plant roots instead of washing off.

Next week when the soil gets dry, I’ll hoe the upper side of the rows and hand drop triple 13 (13-13-13) fertilizer there. Again… this will allow most of the fertilizer to soak into the disturbed soil an inch or so from the plant roots.

That’s all the work the potatoes and onions will get this year except plowing to destroy weeds and grass. In June I’ll hand drop ammonium nitrate (34-0-0) onto the corn only. Corn loves nitrogen and needs a lot of it.

I set out my tomatoes and pepper plants with this same thought in mind. I created this same little burn with my hands as I set out the plants so I didn’t need to hoe them today. The dark spots to the left of those plants is moisture from the rain earlier this week. They got plenty of azomite also.

I’ve learned that with garden veggies or crops in a field everything comes down to percentages. I always try to concentrate any fertilizers I put down on the plants. What I did today didn’t cause more or less work. I just changed the order in which I did the work and used gravity to help me.

I took the time to write this out given the current situation in our nation. There may be folks new to gardening stopping by looking for little tips that could help them out. If your garden is on a slope, even a slight one, gravity can always be used to help you.

Thinking about this I realized those of us who have gardened for years or planted and grew crops have dozens of little things (tricks) we really don't think about anymore. I know I do, some things are just so ingrained its second nature. I do them without thinking. Taking time to explain some of these tiny details might help others.

 

[Tank-Girl]

So this morning I was feeling a little stronger so I got my flat of bean seedlings and gently eased myself down at the start of the row and planted beans.
They've been crying out to be put in the ground for over a week and the leaves are starting to yellow.
Time to get er done regardless of my discomfort.
I watered them in well and built a low tunnel over them to keep out the demon garden destroying chickens out.
I'm trying to wrap my head around the fact I shifted so many 20kg bags ( over a metric ton) of grain over the course of 3 days and I was a little sore and yet digging sweet potatoes has wrecked my back.

 

[backlash]

I have no idea how old you are tank-girl but the leading cause of injuries in old people is from them thinking they are young people. I am guilty of thinking like that but I am reminded the next morning.
I am finally getting it through my head that I don't have to do everything in one day.

 

[Bacpacker]

I did a little work in the garden today. The odds of getting rain during the predicted super cell storms tomorrow are pretty good. So… The lower 4 rows (potatoes, onions & corn) needed a jump on growth. I took a hoe to those rows but just on the downhill side. I killed a few weeds and grass that was starting to come up but it also did something more important.

Doing it this way created a little burm. I then hand dropped about 30lbs of crushed volcanic rock (azomite) on the veggies just uphill of the burm. If I get rain tomorrow the little burm will allow most of the azomite to soak into the soil at the plant roots instead of washing off.

Next week when the soil gets dry, I’ll hoe the upper side of the rows and hand drop triple 13 (13-13-13) fertilizer there. Again… this will allow most of the fertilizer to soak into the disturbed soil an inch or so from the plant roots.

That’s all the work the potatoes and onions will get this year except plowing to destroy weeds and grass. In June I’ll hand drop ammonium nitrate (34-0-0) onto the corn only. Corn loves nitrogen and needs a lot of it.

I set out my tomatoes and pepper plants with this same thought in mind. I created this same little burn with my hands as I set out the plants so I didn’t need to hoe them today. The dark spots to the left of those plants is moisture from the rain earlier this week. They got plenty of azomite also.

I’ve learned that with garden veggies or crops in a field everything comes down to percentages. I always try to concentrate any fertilizers I put down on the plants. What I did today didn’t cause more of less work. I just changed the order in which I did the work and used gravity to help me.

I took the time to write this out given the current situation in our nation. There may be folks new to gardening stopping by looking for little tips that could help them out. If your garden is on a slope, even a slight one, gravity can always be used to help you.

Thinking about this I realized those of us who have gardened for years or planted and grew crops have dozens of little things (tricks) we really don't think about anymore. I know I do, some things are just so ingrained its second nature. I do them without thinking. Taking time to explain some of these tiny details might help others.

View attachment 39480View attachment 39481

Peanut, How long are your rows? Did you use all 30 lbs on just the 4 rows? I've never used the Azomite before, so this is something new to me. Gonna try it out since I may well be lacking in trace minerals. I know those can greatly affect production of produce.

2 of my garden spots are on a slope and I use the row left from running the disk thru the garden to plan in at time. I always cover whatever I'm planting from the upper side to leave the berm on the lower side. Also when planting squash, melons, mater, peppers, ect I'll try and crate a dam around the plant to try and catch what summer rains we have to direct water the plants more. Makes it easy to fetilize as well. I tend to dig holes a shovels length deep to plant my maters and peppers in. The gives good root growth up the stems to strengthen the plants and will allow them to access moisture in the ground. I've tried to mostly plant and grow organic. But with things as they are this year I plan to use fertilizer and minerals. No weed killers, but gonna do what I can to boost harvest.

I'm tracking this thread with each post just trying to learn more even though I have gardened since the late 60's. Always something to learn.

TG, Backlash has a great point, one I've had to learn myself. Don't kill yourself today, somethings can be put off till tomorrow. And you'll feel more like doing more tomorrow as well. But I sure know how it is wanting to accomplish something RIGHT NOW. It's hard to learn to pace yourself. But it is important.

 

[Tank-Girl]

Sometimes I forget I'm disabled and I have a degenerative incurable condition esp. after a long hot summer of sitting on my bum doing nothing in the garden.

I get a lot done considering but, yep, sometimes the body reminds me that I just don't have the endurance or strength of normal people.

 

[Peanut]

Peanut, How long are your rows? Did you use all 30 lbs on just the 4 rows? I've never used the Azomite before, so this is something new to me. Gonna try it out since I may well be lacking in trace minerals. I know those can greatly affect production of produce.

First time out they recommend 200lb per acre for azomite. This part of my old garden (1/4 acre) hasn't gotten azomite in a couple of years. I'm going to put about 50lbs on it. 7 rows 90ft long got about 30lbs today.

For several years I was a sales rep for azomite. I’d order several tons a year and sell bags to individuals here at the farm. Obummer managed to drive them overseas also. I had about a ton left when I quit dealing with the company. I stopped selling produce at the farmers market about the same time., still have a few bags left just for the garden even now.

The concept is simple… the richest soil in the world is by volcano’s, man has lived near them for millennia for his health and that of his livestock and crops. Azomite has about 80 minerals and elements in it. I’ve used it for about 12 years and it is remarkable what it’ll do for crops and livestock. I even put it in my chicken feed a couple of times a year.

But… it’s very expensive to ship, doubles the price in fact. There is another company on the west coast with a product that is comparable. They extract minerals from sea water. Organic Certified | Sea-Crop

When I run out of azomite I’m going to give them a try. I know people personally who have used both products and have nothing but good things to say. Sea-crop is a liquid concentrate and far cheaper to ship than azomite. If you don’t have an azomite dealer close to you I would recommend giving them a call.

@Tank-Girl I have a debilitating illness also... I understand the real effort required to have some semblance of a normal life... sometimes we have to do, what we have to do...

 

[Bacpacker]

Thanks Peanut. Amazon sells Azomite for about $1/lb. Gonna look for a better price. I'll also look into the Sea Crop. Got their page marked as well.

My back is trashed so I understand fighting thru whatever to get things done. And yeah sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do and deal with the aftermath. You are both in my prayers that you can deal with the things you have to deal with.

 

[Tank-Girl]

First time out they recommend 200lb per acre for azomite. This part of my old garden (1/4 acre) hasn't gotten azomite in a couple of years. I'm going to put about 50lbs on it. 7 rows 90ft long got about 30lbs today.

For several years I was a sales rep for azomite. I’d order several tons a year and sell bags to individuals here at the farm. Obummer managed to drive them overseas also. I had about a ton left when I quit dealing with the company. I stopped selling produce at the farmers market about the same time., still have a few bags left just for the garden even now.

The concept is simple… the richest soil in the world is by volcano’s, man has lived near them for millennia for his health and that of his livestock and crops. Azomite has about 80 minerals and elements in it. I’ve used it for about 12 years and it is remarkable what it’ll do for crops and livestock. I even put it in my chicken feed a couple of times a year.

But… it’s very expensive to ship, doubles the price in fact. There is another company on the west coast with a product that is comparable. They extract minerals from sea water. Organic Certified | Sea-Crop

When I run out of azomite I’m going to give them a try. I know people who have used both and have nothing but good things to say. Sea-crop is a liquid concentrate and far cheaper to ship than azomite. If you don’t have an azomite dealer close to you I would recommend giving them a call.

@Tank-Girl I have a debilitating illness also... I understand the real effort required to have some semblance of a normal life... sometimes we have to do, what we have to do...

I appreciate that. I really do.
I refuse to starve or go hungry again so there's going to have to be some pain and sweat equity.
I can deal with the sweating, pain not so much.

 

[Peanut]

@Bacpacker

AZOMITE Natural Trace Mineral Products

Where to buy AZOMITE

They are based in Utah. It a family business and they have a whole mountain of volcanic rock that is chelated… mineral ready for plants and animals… It’s certified for the organic production of both plants and animals.

I could get it for about $18 per 44lb bag when buying a one ton pallet with shipping. Depending on fuel prices it was between $900 and $1000. You can order directly from them..

I used to deal with a lady named Anna... Their phone number is on the website.

 

[Bacpacker]

Thanks Peanut. I'll call them up Monday and see what I can do.

 

[WVDragonlady]

Just been babying the seedlings along waiting for warmer weather lol

 

[ClemKadiddlehopper]

Inside as in a house or enclosed porch? Spring is early this year. How much direct sun are they getting? Whats the soil temp? Plants bolt when they are stressed. It usually comes down to sun, heat, moisture... something is off.

I got some more seed today. 3lbs of purplehull peas, okra, mosby white corn and moon and stars watermelon seed (red). I was hoping to get moon and stars yellow meat watermelon seed.

View attachment 39318


In case someone hasn't heard of them... stock photos... moon and stars... dark green rind with one large yellow dot and lots of little yellow dots...

View attachment 39319View attachment 39320

I was finally getting to my seed starting today, a little on the late side when I came across a packet of these. It doesn't however, say if they are red or yellow. I guess if I am lucky I will eventually find out.

A lot of my seed is 4-5 years old so I am pre sprouting all of it. Either I end up with
many hundreds of plants or nothing at all. I will save seed from every thing that makes it.

 

[Support Gunner]

Our seedlings are slowly chugging along. I dont think we have the soil warm enough but the tomatoes have sure taken off.

Whatever dosen't start off in the trays we will just direct sow. That way it will give us a little time delay to have fruit all summer.

So far we have a few of everything going.

I dont think we have enough light to grow lettuce inside. They are really stretching out. We do have 4 lettuce plants started outside that have come up. Also about 24, 30 carrots comeing up. Might start another container of the carrots.

I want to get a metal shelving unit and better light for next year to start seeds indoor.

 

[Peanut]

Looks good Sgunner! Clem... I had seed for yellow meat moon and stars I got from another farmer at the farmers market... I believe in 2002. We had several years of severe drough between 2008 and 2012 and I lost the seed stock. I lost several seed stocks in those years.

I still know people who sell at the market. I guess I need to put the word out that I'm looking for seed for a few plants. Maybe someone could save me some this summer and fall.

Let us know what you ended up with! I remember the moon and stars melons from when I was a kid, yellow of course. They were prized locally.

 

[Bacpacker]

Looks good Sgunner! Clem... I had seed for yellow meat moon and stars I got from another farmer at the farmers market... I believe in 2002. We had several years of severe drough between 2008 and 2012 and I lost the seed stock. I lost several seed stocks in those years.

I still know people who sell at the market. I guess I need to put the word out that I'm looking for seed for a few plants. Maybe someone could save me some this summer and fall.

Let us know what you ended up with! I remember the moon and stars melons from when I was a kid, yellow of course. They were prized locally.

Peanut, I may have a stock of Moon and Stars watermelons. I know I did for a while. I'll take a look at my first chance and see. You are welcome to some of them if I do.

 

[lilmissy]

Sweet potatoes, slap me around if this was already asked. I didnt read all the posts in this thread.
how many stat their own slips from organic sweet potatoes or am I better just buying the slips and doing my own next year?

 

[snappy1]

I have always bought the slips and had great success. Haven't really tried it seriously at home. But regular potatoes I cut up a bag that starts sprouting. Easier and cheaper than seed potatoes if available.

 

[Peanut]

An old man who lived near me (deceased) always started his slips in winter. He kept them in a #3 washtub. He put some water in the bottom and sat the tub beside the wood heater in his livingroom. He had the best sweet potatoes around... and the earliest. I'm not sure "modern folks" would take it to that extreme.

He was proud of his sweet potatoes. I'd usually take him pecans near christmas and he always insisted I look at his potato slips.

 

[Tank-Girl]

Because of my climate I have sweet potatoes sprout on my bench and I just gently snip off the sprouts when they get a foot long and put them in a jar of water until they sprout roots and then just plant. Out in the garden I just do it on a larger scale. Take the vines and cut them into foot lengths, strip the leaves off and put them in a bucket that's got a few inches of water in the bottom. I stop when the bucket is full and then I leave the bucket in a sunny spot and within a week the cuttings have roots and can be planted.

 

[lilmissy]

Thanks Peanut and Tankgirl. I guess I will start them next winter for next yr, hopefully. I have only planted sweet potatoes twice. First yr they were perfect and I got alot. Last yr, not sure what happened, hardly got any.