Posted on 07/12/2013 1:19:48 PM PDT by greeneyes
The Weekly Gardening Thread is a weekly gathering of folks that love soil, seeds and plants of all kinds. From complete newbies that are looking to start that first potted plant, to gardeners with some acreage, to Master Gardener level and beyond, we would love to hear from you.
This thread is non-political, although you will find that most here are conservative folks. No matter what, you won’t be flamed and the only dumb question is the one that isn’t asked.
It is impossible to hijack the Weekly Gardening Thread ... there is no telling where it will go and that is part of the fun and interest. Jump in and join us!
NOTE: This is a once a week ping list. We do post to the thread during the week. Links to related articles and discussions which might be of interest are welcomed, so feel free to post them at any time.
At this point I will sing to them. In 5 months I have gotten a total of 5 string beans.
Lots of research is ongoing into what makes it so darn good. Some main points seem to be adding real charcoal and small pieces of terra cotta to the soil along with kitchen wastes, etc...
I'm already composting, I'll be adding the charcoal and terra cotta as I go along.
Apparently it give more nooks and cranies for micro-organisms.
/johnny
/johnny
Well, I think it’s too early to turn it over and just give up. If you are getting lots of green growth, just not veggies, then I think you need to consider just side dressing the existing plants. You probably have enough nitrogen, or you wouldn’t be getting nice green plants.
In fact, you may simply have an overabundance of nitrogen and simply need to add some phosphorus and/or potassium. Also the ph might be a tad acidic. Walmart has little gizmo that can check your ph. Blueberries like it acidic, but most veggies are more neutral.
You could get one of those little home kits that let you check the ph and the main nutrient levels. In order to have flowers and fruit, in addition to nitrogen, you need phosporus, and of course potassium and the trace stuff.
The easiest thing is to get a package of miracle gro or some other brand of water soluable nutrients for veggies. This is a powder that comes with a scoop and you just mix it by the raito to the gallon according to the instructions, and water it in. It will have a 15 30 15 ratio or something similar. Note the phosphorus is twice the level of the other stuff.
You can also get some slow release pellets that you can side dress the plants with that will help in between the fertile watering.
When I want to use organic side dress for my plants, I use bone meal, and banana peel/eggshells(powdered in the blender after drying). If I think I need a little more nitrogen, I might use blood meal. These are for a quick fix.
Side dress with compost is for longer term. Just pick out a patch and try one of these ideas. Pick another patch and try one of the other choices to see which works best.
It might not work, but then again, it might be just what is needed. Did you plant any lettuce or greens? Those are the best plants for soil with high nitrogen content.
Forgot to add - yes you need as many different kinds of compost as you can get. That’s my problem here, cause we seldom have more than one type of compost.
Therefore, I have to use additional methods of amendments. Which plant do you think is doing the best?
Atta way to go.
I just bought a cheapo at Walmart at an end of the summer sale.LOl. Works good enough for me. Also dry a lot of stuff above the refrigerator spices and such.
If you don’t have a dehydrator, you can turn your oven way way down, and use it.
Well, I know it’s discouraging from just the little taste we had last year. Still I was able to grow some stuff indoors, and outside under a tree and on the north west side of the house.
Even managed to grow a little lettuce outdoors in a pot just to see if I could. It was shaded all morning by the house, by a tree during the noon/hottest part of the day. Then it got some direct sun around 3pm until time for the sun to start setting. Mulching was good to help conserve water too with the self watering containers, and such.
You are facing greater challenges.
Build a sunroom attached to the house. Grow a bunch of plants along a south or western wall?LOL.
Well, I can tell you some of what I use these for.
Paprika-Combine with brown sugar, onion, garlic, a dash of chili powder or cayenne pepper. Makes a good pork rub to cook in the crock pot I sometimes add a few Tablespoons of apple juice and sometimes a little grape jelly.
Paprika is a big ingredient when I make chili base in the oven. Hamburger 10 lbs,3/4cup paprika, onion, garlic to taste and a qt of tomato juice a little lard or veggie oil if the hamburger is very lean. Combine all and bake uncovered in large roasting pan at about 300 degrees for about 3 hours. Check on it and stir if needed as you go. Then add 3/4 cup chili powder and cook another 20 to 30 minutes. Take the pan out, cover and let cool Stick in frig overnight. Cut the chile into bricks and wrap in freezer paper. This brick can be used as is to put on hot dogs or on pasta topped with parmesan cheese for chili mac. Combined with beans to make a spicey bean soup or several variations of chili-I just experiment, so it’s never the same way twice.LOL. Granny liked to take a slotted spoon and put a spoonful of pintos in a bowl topped by the chili and ate it with crumbled crackers. I like to throw on a handful of onions and shredded cheese and crumble some fritos or tortillas or crackers whatever.
Tumeric is the ingredient in mustard that makes it yellow. It’s great in all kinds of soups and rice dishes.
Oregano and basil are the two that make pizza sauce. Both are great flavors in other things as well. I am not a lover of Oregano though, so I usually substitue half of the oregano for basil.LOL
A dash of cayenne in most any soup or sauce gives it that extra little BAM! Cayenne is great to use for mixing up a pest control spray that I have talked about before.
Ginger is a great spice to add a little heat especially for dishes with an Asian flair. You can also add it to carbonated soda with a little stevia for a nice gingerale type drink. I alway have ginger in any stir fry or rice dish whether the recipe calls for it or not.
Parsley is more than garnish. Again it’s great in soups of all kinds, roasts etc. A favorite garnish with me is to make potato soup and put in in a bowl, put a pat of butter in the center the sprinkle a little parsley and chives around it. Fresh or dryed, they look great and tasty too.
That should get you started.
What about the ashes left after charcoaling steaks. Are they ok to use - the ashes only?
Your using those odds and ends, junk, to make what you need is why you will survive better than 99.9% of the rest of the people.
It is called having skills. And yes, that is what it is going to take to survive, and survive nicely.
I use hardwoods (oak, pecan, mesquite) for grilling, and everything in the grill goes onto the garden in a thin layer.
Hardwood charcoal is what I'm putting in the compost and using in the garden.
/johnny
Really? Our cukes and tomato plants are coming close to replacement time. We’ve harvested 2 bushels of each, and the Mrs is getting tired of canning. We only planted 4 bean plants this year, but harvested enough for several side dishes.
Well, ok, that makes sense, but what about those charcoal briquettes that hubby uses in the bbq grill. Is there any reason not to use what’s left of that in the compost?
Focusing on the soil has really helped this year.
/johnny
Lots of folks would scream about that, but ashes spread out over an area should be dilute enough for the soil to eat up. Your mileage may vary.
/johnny
Well, yes, that’s the intelligent thing to do. Healthy soil with microbes is the first necessity for great plants.
That still leaves me wondering if there is any reason not to just dump the bbq grill into the compost heap the next day or so ashes and leftover lumps all together.
What do you think? I can’t think of any reason not to.
Hubby has always just dumped them on the burn pile where we burn trash and yard waste.
/johnny
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.