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Posted on 03/04/2011 5:04:58 AM PST by Red_Devil 232
I have Pill Bugs all through my compost pile. They are supposed to eat dead and decaying plant material. But I also think they do damage to my young plants.
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WOW!!!!!!!
That is SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO cool!!!!
Thanks for sharing.
Send seeds? Befriend seeds? Just want 10 seeds?
Remember that old seeds may have reduced germination. (Although I’ve had great luck with them. And for free, you can't lose...) If possible, list year and variety.
Mrs. Don-o
I CAN OFFER
Acorn Squash (2009)
Borage (2009)
Basil (“Genovese” 2010)
Rainbow Chard (“Bright Lights” 2010)
Kale (’10)
INTERESTED IN
Kefir grain (live culture)
I HAVE HEIRLOOM TOMATO SEEDS (FREEPER TDSCPA) from about 75 popular, open-pollinated heirloom varieties. Tell me via PM what varieties you’re interested in, and if I have them I could send you a few seeds (10?) if you will send me a SASE.
Don’t know what variety to grow? I can make suggestions, if you want to grow plants from seed. Tdscpa
If the amount of rain is reflected in the number of low flying birds, I'm in for some REALLY wet weather :(
Between the ability to burn, my propensity for reusing stuff, and composting, it's really amazing how little trash we generally have to haul to the greenbox.
Good morning, its about 40 degrees 3 blocks from the Atlantic Ocean in Virginia Beach. I took a chance and planted 100 beet seeds a week ago. We have had frost at night so I hope the soil protected them. I also planted turnips and carrots and the turnips have sprouted. For fun I germinated celery seeds indoors; they are about 1 inch high. I had good luck with celery in the past.
THANKS for starting this great thread!! Nice to take a break from politics and current events. FR is the best source of info on the web!!
Another name for “river soil” is “river loam.”
If that is what you have (and I lived on the banks of a river for 20+ years) you are lucky indeed.
The occasional flooding of the yard is a small price to pay for that kind of soil.
I often told my customers, here in St. George UT, that had I known the kind of soil that existed here, instead of taking a JOB, I would have trucked in the soil from back home.
And sold it to them at ridiculously high prices.
:)
Yes it can be expensive...however the growing material can be re-used for 10 seasons or more...so it is more up-front for sure but over time I think the costs come more in line.
Additionally if you are already container gardening (i.e. earthboxes, etc) this is in the same price range however the capacity and yield is much higher.
Currently I am evaluating and testing a new set of LED grow lights along with this system in a “tool shed” type of structure to see if you can actually build a secure but small footprint “greenhouse” for a family of four. At least that is my goal to see if it can be done.
BTW if you call Chester directly at HydroStacker he will cut you a really decent price. What is listed on the website I have never paid and he will talk you through whatever you need.
He is 3rd or 4th generation farmer and has been doing hydroponics for over 20 years. There are people knocking off his technology but he has the patents and one thing I noticed when I visited his farm - it is one of the cleanest farms I have ever seen.
Other than radishes, I’ve never had any luck with root crops, but we are going to give beets and carrots another try this year.
The temp has actually climbed 10 degrees since my first post, and thankfully the wind is much better behaved than it has been most of the week :)
You’re a whole lot closer to the water than we are. I’m about equi-distant between the Chesapeake and the barrier bays on the Atlantic side in northern Accomac Cty.
My bottle of sluggo says it handles pill bugs too.
I got my tomato seed in the seed trays last weekend and dug up one garden. My little tiller died a couple of years ago, so I have been renting the one at our local hardware store. Unfortunately, theirs did not run, so I dug up the soil with a fork. I have two 8’ X 20’ gardens, and will dig the other one this weekend. I have a 5 gallon bucket full of shallots that were fully grown. I also have one row of onions in the un dug garden that are about half grown.
My compost piles have been dumped into the gardens, along with some cow manure. I have several bags of leaves and lawn clippings that will be turned into compost. The garden has great soil now that all the organic matter has been added.
We dug up some elephant garlic at the farm, so I have those growing as well. I have never grown that, so will see how it does. My sister has been growing and using it for years, so it must be a great addition to gardens.
Great minds, eh? I’ve been wondering
if I could make a little profit! :)
I adore Lavender...I plant it everywhere we live (hubby is Active Duty Army). It’s kind of...picky. It’s supposed to be a perennial. When we lived in TX, I had to buy a new plant every year, it was just too humid, and the first year, I didn’t pick a well-enough drained area, the 2nd year year...I was very pregnant, and neglected most of my garden, being unable to cope with the heat...it got root rot. :(
This is our 3rd growing season in Northern VA...the first one, we arrived too late to really do much, and so all I did was pull out the crud that the previous owners had planted (more monkey grass than anyone should ever see in one place), last year I planted a Lavender plant...and it was lovely...and it lived...and then...one of my dogs dug it up last fall. LOL And so...this year, I’m starting from seed. And planting in the front of the house, where the dogs cannot get near it.
So, long story short...I’m not the one to ask about Lavender. I have tons of experience with dead Lavender...not so much with the living variety. :P Teehee...in my defense...my daughter and I have a collection of county fair ribbons to remind us that we are not complete and utter garden failures. HAHA
OH, I love chickens! Alas...the Army has us stationed in NoVA...and where we are, it’s illegal to own chickens on less than an acre of land (it seems that there is a problem with illegal aliens tearing out the doors to the kitchen cupboards, and installing chicken wire doors...and keeping chickens in their apartments...so...”naturally” rather than kick out the illegals, it’s better to make the hens illegal too, right?). Alas, while we own our house/land...it’s not an acre, and so...no hens...or ducks. My parents had egg laying ducks. So adorable watching them waddle through the garden.
I love your sunny yellow coop!
I started my seeds 10 days ago. I was thinking that I was running late, but maybe not. All the garden centers have seedlings out, so I picked up several to cover all my bases. If I can get my garden finished up today and tomorrow, I will get the store bought ones in the ground over the weekend.
Here in eastern North Carolina I put in spring greens last week. We’ve got a sandy loam garden of about 25 by 25 feet. I put in three rows each of buttercrunch lettuce, Romaine, Swiss chard, and collards.
I know collards are usually planted in the summer for a fall crop, but I’ve planted them in early spring and used them for spring greens in the past with good results. I will be yanking out half of these rows by June to make room for the tomatoes and peppers.
Mmmmm... collards! We love collards around our house. We had a neighbor give us many bags of them over the last season. We may plant them this year if things go well in the garden.
Thank you so much for your reply-interesting lavender stories. I really don’t understand how my lavender has survived. Nature is funny sometimes.
Started cauliflower, broccoli,and peas in little peat pots last weekend. Have tried growing peas before by direct sowing with absolutely no luck. Not sure if it is just our climate here or what. Was advised to start them earlier so we shall see. It has been 6 days since planting and things are sprouting pretty good. Homegrown peas would be a wonderful thing. Happy gardening!!
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