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Post by mundacormeum on Jul 2, 2016 16:26:54 GMT -5
Well, I inspected the garden today, and it looks like we didn't get as much rain as I'd hoped :/ my partial shade plants did fine, and have grown a ton (cucumbers, cantaloupes, watermelon), but my full sun plants look rough ((tomatoes and jalapenos). Kids and I found 7 nice cucumbers that ripened while we were gone. Not sure if my tomatoes and peppers will make it, but I will try to revive them with fertilizer and a good soaking tomorrow. Do you have any suggestions for peppers? Mine always look sickly. I wish I did! I'm really not a very talented or expert gardener. I just plant stuff, water it, weed it, and hope it grows Although, I have heard that sprinkling Epsom salt around the base of peppers is supposed to help. Never tried it, though. I think to a very large degree, a successful garden is highly dependent on what kind of soil/climate combination you have, and then figuring out which plants do well with it. You can condition it some, but at the end of the day, there are certain plants that I will just never have luck with and others that I can grow like weeds, due to my geographics.
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Post by Marya Dabrowski on Jul 2, 2016 20:45:49 GMT -5
Do you have any suggestions for peppers? Mine always look sickly. I wish I did! I'm really not a very talented or expert gardener. I just plant stuff, water it, weed it, and hope it grows Although, I have heard that sprinkling Epsom salt around the base of peppers is supposed to help. Never tried it, though. I think to a very large degree, a successful garden is highly dependent on what kind of soil/climate combination you have, and then figuring out which plants do well with it. You can condition it some, but at the end of the day, there are certain plants that I will just never have luck with and others that I can grow like weeds, due to my geographics. You're like me; I don't know much but I try to make up for that in effort. I am going to try that with the Epsom salt.
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Post by jen51 on Jul 3, 2016 8:22:56 GMT -5
Epsom salt is a good fertilizer for peppers. I've brought them back from the brink of death with it before.
The soil is so important for the health of your plants! We have had a large garden on this plot for 3 years now, and the soil is starting to show it. Fruiting plants take a lot out of the soil. We're currently investigating the benefits on no-till and have been very pleased with the results. I think it greatly helps to maintain a soil teaming with life, which is what soil needs in order to be healthy and put out food. This year we plan to cover our ground with rabbit poo, compost, and mulch and leave it all winter. We don't plan on tilling it in the spring. Supposedly, after a few years of this method, you should be able to brush aside the mulch in the spring and dig out your planting holes quite easily with your hand- as easy as if the soil was tilled. Not only will you have a soil that is easily workable, but an ecosystem in your soil that is left undisturbed, allowing the balance of earth worms, insects, beneficial bacterias, and symbiotic relationships to maintain intact. As an added benefit with this method, weeds are basically non-existent. This method should produce great soil and greatly dimish our workload/time spent in the garden. We're on year one of this, but we're going for it!
We are also studying compost tea, and have been amazed at how much sense it makes to brew it and apply it to your plants. Giving your plants compost tea is basically the equivalent of giving yourself probiotics. In encourages the growth of beneficial bacteria in soil and foliage of the plant. It's main purpose is not to act as a fertilizer, but as a balancing treatment for your plants. When a plant and the soil around it has the right balance of beneficial bacteria and other life, the plant is better able to ward off disease and bounce back from injuries from pests, weather, etc. Just as the human digestive system, with a healthy balance of flora is able to ward of sickness and disease in our bodies. I was always under the assumption that compost tea made big productive plants because it fed the plant. In actuality it makes big productive plants because it allows the plant to put all of it's energy into growing and producing fruit instead of fighting off disease and injuries. We brew manure tea as well, which does act as food/fertilizer for the plant.
With good soil it is possible to produce a hefty, steady supply of food amidst many adverse conditions like drought, pestilence, and unagreeable weather. Take care of your soil and it will take care of you!
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Post by RitaMarita on Jul 5, 2016 19:51:49 GMT -5
Fun quiz, Marya! Everyone seems to have blueberries but me. I should try harder to keep my plants alive next year! It IS tough to get the blueberry plants started, but once the first few years are over, they sort of take care of themselves for the most part. :-)
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Post by Marya Dabrowski on Jul 6, 2016 15:11:17 GMT -5
Mixed some Epsom salt in warm water and poured it on my peppers. Also going to add it to the tomatoes. Ate some peas. Saw a brown snake sunning itself on the leaves on top of the potato plants growing in the compost. Not sure what kind it was.
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Post by jen51 on Jul 7, 2016 7:20:53 GMT -5
Saw a brown snake sunning itself on the leaves on top of the potato plants growing in the compost. Not sure what kind it was. Maybe it literally was a "brown snake". Was it little?
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Post by jen51 on Jul 7, 2016 7:25:35 GMT -5
We've been picking a lot of tomatoes and cucumbers, and some zucchini. We almost have enough tomatoes to make a batch of ketchup (24 pounds after being quartered).
My main task (more like an obsession) this past few days has been saving our squash plants. The squash bugs have moved in. They are NOT taking all of my squash this year! Squash from the garden is a staple in our diet throughout the winter. Where there is one there are sure to be many- so I don't plan on stopping until I've annihilated every last one, lol.
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Post by Marya Dabrowski on Jul 7, 2016 11:35:17 GMT -5
Saw a brown snake sunning itself on the leaves on top of the potato plants growing in the compost. Not sure what kind it was. Maybe it literally was a "brown snake". Was it little? After reading up on Brown snakes I think that was what it was. It was little and was in the compost.
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Post by Voxxkowalski on Jul 9, 2016 13:35:46 GMT -5
Rule is Round or oval head non venomous Pointy or arrowshape head venomous.
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Post by Marya Dabrowski on Jul 9, 2016 22:56:49 GMT -5
Rule is Round or oval head non venomous Pointy or arrowshape head venomous. I couldn't see the head but it's been fairly wet here and the rattlers usually stay up in the rocks unless it's really dry and they come down for a drink. Otherwise I'd always wear shoes or boots outside. It's impossible for me to implement that with the kids though.
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Post by jen51 on Jul 10, 2016 8:37:48 GMT -5
I've been doing lots of picking. I pulled carrots and beets recently, and have done lots of weeding.
Green beans are done so next week I plan on pulling them out and planting beets.
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Post by Marya Dabrowski on Jul 17, 2016 17:38:31 GMT -5
We've been weeding and tilling. I picked a few beans. Ate some chard and zucchini. Pulled all the pea plants. I'm going to replant lettuce. I have a busy week coming up away from home so hopefully nothing in the garden gets too big while I'm gone.
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Post by Voxxkowalski on Jul 18, 2016 5:31:52 GMT -5
Beginning to rebuild and refortify my chicken coop before I get my new chickens.
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Post by jen51 on Jul 18, 2016 13:27:28 GMT -5
Beginning to rebuild and refortify my chicken coop before I get my new chickens. Did you catch the coon?
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Post by jen51 on Jul 18, 2016 13:29:39 GMT -5
Lots of harvesting going on here. I can't believe it's already time to tear down some of the garden. It's almost August already!
I've been making roasted spaghetti sauce from our tomatoes, onions, garlic and herbs. Today I'm canning pickles, and making some zucchini chips, and tomorrow I'll make some ketchup and can it.
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