2022 Garden Thread

[Dan Freeman]

Just saw this on the NGA forum. Looks like a gem of a movie. It's late now, but we are going to watch it tomorrow.

The Gardener


The entire movie is currently offered for free viewing on Peacock, but can also be rented on:
Amazon: DVD, Digital and Blu-ray https://bit.ly/2D64thC
Amazon Prime Video: https://amzn.to/2pi8q8Y
Google Play: http://bit.ly/2Nm6L0E
iTunes: https://apple.co/2ORVMbr
Vimeo: http://bit.ly/2OwQXVh
Vudu: http://bit.ly/2QJf58X
Microsoft Movies & TV: http://bit.ly/2OA6Bza
YouTube Movies: http://bit.ly/2MJuZNl

 

[EatenByLimestone]

Got the kid to plant a packet of okra into a prepared bed. Going to try to get another bed planted with it tomorrow.

 

[Woodsplitter67]

The whole forest garden thing is permaculture-based, so this chemical farming technique caught me by surprise. It seems like a contradiction because it is not feeding the soil. Is it really necessary?

This is exactly why there are fertilizer laws in NJ. Phosphorus can be stored in the soil unlike nitrogen. All the runoff from fertilizers like this get into our water system like streams lakes and ocean's. This is causing algi blooms ect.. in the water. a simple soil test can determine what is needed. maybe once a year at best. products like that should be off the market... uour better off using ash fron the stove.. thats what we do.. it also adds alot of calcium for the tomatoes also

 

[EatenByLimestone]

Figured I’d post a favorite gardening tool. It has about a 3 1/2’ handle. It’s small enough to reach around plants, but not tear them up. It’ll pull weeds all day lol ng if I was inclined to do so, lol.

Actually put the pic in this time.

 

[Dan Freeman]

This is exactly why there are fertilizer laws in NJ. Phosphorus can be stored in the soil unlike nitrogen. All the runoff from fertilizers like this get into our water system like streams lakes and ocean's. This is causing algi blooms ect.. in the water. a simple soil test can determine what is needed. maybe once a year at best. products like that should be off the market... uour better off using ash fron the stove.. thats what we do.. it also adds alot of calcium for the tomatoes also

Not sure what your quote of @bgreen is referring to without the context. Can you specify what he was referring to?

If it is about the Super Bloom, since you are talking about phosphorus, I do NOT use Supper Bloom in the Food Forest. I use no fertilizers in the Food Forest. I use fresh compost to provide nutrients. The Supper Bloom is reserved for the peppers and egg plants I plant and grow all season in 9" pots in my greenhouse.

What are the laws in NJ, because you can easily purchase high phosphorus fertilizers in NJ.

I prefer pulverized eggshells for my tomatoes for calcium over wood ash, and God knows I have a lot of wood ash. I guess it's just what one prefers.

 

[begreen]

The reference was for the Super-Bloom. It wasn't clear where it was being used. Thanks for the clarification.

 

[begreen]

After 2 weeks of bliss, the same deer and 2 fawns broke in again this morning. They ate most of two of our healthiest tomatoes, two broccoli plants, some corn. Once again we are having to explore many hundreds of feet of fencing to find this new breach. I am considering a high-powered trebuchet to launch them into Puget Sound. Any recommendations?

 

[Dan Freeman]

Figured I’d post a favorite gardening tool. It has about a 3 1/2’ handle. It’s small enough to reach around plants, but not tear them up. It’ll pull weeds all day lol ng if I was inclined to do so, lol.

Actually put the pic in this time.

View attachment 296111

I do it the old fashioned way...get down on my hands and knees and pull the weeds, and then I give them to my chickens. LOL

 

[Dan Freeman]

After 2 weeks of bliss, the same deer and 2 fawns broke in again this morning. They ate most of two of our healthiest tomatoes, two broccoli plants, some corn. Once again we are having to explore many hundreds of feet of fencing to find this new breach. I am considering a high-powered trebuchet to launch them into Puget Sound. Any recommendations?

A high-powered trebuchet to launch them into Puget Sound would work!

Nothing more annoying when animals get to your garden even though you have put precautions in place. I was reading about the advantages of a 3D fence for deer. Two fences, 3 feet apart. The inner fence is a minimum of two horizontal wires, the outer is a minimum of one horizontal wire. It can be electrified, but not necessary. Deer have horrible depth perception, so it is almost impossible for them to tell how far apart the fences are. Supposedly, makes them very apprehensive to jump. I have read about folks using this simple 3D fence system as more effective than a high deer fence. Have you ever heard of it? You can punch in "3d deer fence" on YouTube and find a lot of videos.

 

[clancey]

Freeman--your inside plants have really "taken off" and they look wonderful...Eaton I use that type of tool myself--a smaller variety and its wonderful...Texas has been through such "high heat" and more on the way--ugh--keep cool if you can...Sorry about the plants being eaten by the deer too. Clancey

 

[DuaeGuttae]

Got the kid to plant a packet of okra into a prepared bed. Going to try to get another bed planted with it tomorrow.

What kind of okra do you plant? How is your production up there?

I’m still working on growing enough okra to freeze. My kids all like it well enough that in the past we’ve eaten it all fresh and never preserved any. This year with more garden space, I’m growing more plants (aiming for 20–I have nineteen in various stages so far after my last reseeding). I’m using seeds for Heavy Hitter Okra that I saved last year from a plant I grew that branched very nicely.

I have been very pleased with the shade cloth over the main garden area. It has kept me from having to water every day in this heat wave (100 or over for four days so far). I am trying to water every other day, though, so I need to get outside and get to it. My newer garden area is covered with bits and pieces of shade cloth and has beach umbrellas in it at the moment. The umbrellas were something of desperation, but there’s no rain in sight, so it won’t keep any moisture off the plants.

Last night we discovered that one of our air conditioners had stopped cooling. Thankfully we have more than one unit for different zones, so we moved mattresses into our family room and my husband’s office so that kids could sleep more comfortably.

 

[DuaeGuttae]

After 2 weeks of bliss, the same deer and 2 fawns broke in again this morning. They ate most of two of our healthiest tomatoes, two broccoli plants, some corn. Once again we are having to explore many hundreds of feet of fencing to find this new breach. I am considering a high-powered trebuchet to launch them into Puget Sound. Any recommendations?

Ugh. I am so sorry to hear that. I hope you’re able to find and repair that breach soon. (That sounds easier to me than catching the deer and putting them in a trebuchet.)

 

[EatenByLimestone]

I’m not sure what variety it is. I planted, actually I had the little one do it, 2 packages of it. I don’t think I get enough to freeze. Maybe I will this year.

 

[Woodsplitter67]

Not sure what your quote of @bgreen is referring to without the context. Can you specify what he was referring to?

If it is about the Super Bloom, since you are talking about phosphorus, I do NOT use Supper Bloom in the Food Forest. I use no fertilizers in the Food Forest. I use fresh compost to provide nutrients. The Supper Bloom is reserved for the peppers and egg plants I plant and grow all season in 9" pots in my greenhouse.

What are the laws in NJ, because you can easily purchase high phosphorus fertilizers in NJ.

I prefer pulverized eggshells for my tomatoes for calcium over wood ash, and God knows I have a lot of wood ash. I guess it's just what one prefers.

As a licensed applicator there are regulations that need to be followed. Companies like tru green and others years ago apped with non slow release fertilizers . Yes a homeowner can purchase material like this and put it down.. thats part of the issue also.. The actual issue.. over application and run off.. some people use products like that super bloom , not all of the nutrients can be used and alot washes away..

 

[Dan Freeman]

Well, I use it only in my 30- 9" greenhouse pots, so it is not washing anywhere. What other folks do, they will do. I doubt the amount of Super Bloom homeowners use contributes much to fertilizer runoff problems. A small canister (I believe it is less than a pound) lasts a whole season. Just look at all the homeowners who buy Miracle Grow soils at Home Depot and Lowes, the largest selling brand in big box stores in America, and all chemicals. Even so, I imagine homeowners contribute just a small fraction of fertilizer runoff into the steams/rivers, etc. than the farms that are using tons, literally tons, of synthetic fertilizers to grow Jersey corn, a main summer crop for NJ.

 

[Dan Freeman]

We have been thinking for some time about getting a chipper/shredder, but so far haven't pulled the trigger. Now with us "reclaiming" property along our two property lines and taking out all the barberry bushes that have sprung up over the years, we are going to have a ton of debris. I could burn it, but instead decided to go ahead and get a chipper/shredder and use the chips/mulch in the Food Forest.

I don't like what I read (reviews) about most I see online, but I did find a Made-in-USA (right here in PA) brand called MacKissic. I would like to get a large one, but we don't have anything to pull it around the property, so I am going to get there largest "portable" one. Spoke with the company today. Shipping is $184 to a local terminal and another $158 if I want it delivered with a lift gate. Glad I called because they gave me a local dealer (about 50 miles) where I can pick it up that charges the same online price and assembles it, so I don't have to, so I went ahead and ordered one.

MIGHTY MAC HAMMERMILL SHREDDER CHIPPER SC800

Mighty Mac Hammermill Shredder Chipper SC800 - MacKissic

Our 60 plus years of commitment to excellence have rewarded us with a legion of longtime customers, some with machines in use well over a decade or two.

www.mackissic.com

 

[EatenByLimestone]

I have a large chipper/shredder. It’s ment to be towed, but I just wheel it around by hand. It burns oil like mad though. I started only using used oil. Recycling per say. There’s never smoke out the exhaust, but the oil disappears.

 

[begreen]

Supposedly, makes them very apprehensive to jump.

All of our break-ins have been from the deer either enlarging a hole by biting the deer fencing and then pushing through or more often, by crawling under the fence, commando style. Until you see a deer doing this it is hard to imagine, but they do. None have been from jumping over the fencing. This last one appears to have been from a low spot that used to have an anchor, but it had rotted away. Now it has two metal anchors in that low spot. I also repaired a hole in another location that they were enlarging and put temporary fencing around the tomato bed. The corn bed will get its normal fencing to keep out raccoons soon. This is portable fencing due to annual crop rotation.

The long-term solution is to switch to metal fencing, but with over 1000' of fenceline, that will be very co$tly.

 

[begreen]

We have been thinking for some time about getting a chipper/shredder, but so far haven't pulled the trigger. Now with us "reclaiming" property along our two property lines and taking out all the barberry bushes that have sprung up over the years, we are going to have a ton of debris. I could burn it, but instead decided to go ahead and get a chipper/shredder and use the chips/mulch in the Food Forest.

I don't like what I read (reviews) about most I see online, but I did find a Made-in-USA (right here in PA) brand called MacKissic. I would like to get a large one, but we don't have anything to pull it around the property, so I am going to get there largest "portable" one. Spoke with the company today. Shipping is $184 to a local terminal and another $158 if I want it delivered with a lift gate. Glad I called because they gave me a local dealer (about 50 miles) where I can pick it up that charges the same online price and assembles it, so I don't have to, so I went ahead and ordered one.

MIGHTY MAC HAMMERMILL SHREDDER CHIPPER SC800

Mighty Mac Hammermill Shredder Chipper SC800 - MacKissic

Our 60 plus years of commitment to excellence have rewarded us with a legion of longtime customers, some with machines in use well over a decade or two.

www.mackissic.com

It's worth doing the research on chippers. Many are not up to the job and either break down or stall when put to task. Some are worthless even if expensive. If you have a lot of yard debris annually that you want to chip, get a serious tool for the job. Check in the Gear forum here to chat with other owners about their chippers. Ask about maintenance, durability, and ease of servicing in addition to the size stock it will reliably consume. For this reason, I am a little dubious about the low hp of the Mighty Mac. 3" stock may be pushing it. That said I see them often locally on craigslist and they keep running. I think you will find the more serious units start around 10hp. The PowerKing PK0903 is a stouter unit, but also more expensive. The Woodmax 1260 and the Crary (Echo) Bearcat FC400 are worth checking out. Typically these will be in the $2500 range.
Side note: A friend has a 20 yr old DR chipper which he politely called a POS. However, it was cheap used. He eventually switched out the anemic B&S motor with a Honda 13hp and says it made a world of difference. 2" is the largest he chips with it now.

 

[DuaeGuttae]

All of our break-ins have been from the deer either enlarging a hole by biting the deer fencing and then pushing through or more often, by crawling under the fence, commando style. Until you see a deer doing this it is hard to imagine, but they do. None have been from jumping over the fencing. This last one appears to have been from a low spot that used to have an anchor, but it had rotted away. Now it has two metal anchors in that low spot. I also repaired a hole in another location that they were enlarging and put temporary fencing around the tomato bed. The corn bed will get its normal fencing to keep out raccoons soon. This is portable fencing due to annual crop rotation.

The long-term solution is to switch to metal fencing, but with over 1000' of fenceline, that will be very co$tly.

Begreen, your description of deer biting fencing had me really confused for a bit. We have high deer pressure here, but I’ve not seen that. When I got to the very last line and you mentioned switching to metal fencing, I had an “aha!” moment. I hadn’t realized that your fencing was not metal.

How do you fence your corn to keep raccoons out? Our garden is fenced like Fort Knox, but raccoons have definitely gotten in. One that had made a habit of digging had to get trapped just recently, and we haven’t had the digging since. I just assumed they climbed over the fence. Do you use an electric fence around your corn?

 

[begreen]

I went out in the rain to get the mail and spotted the mom and fawns casing the joint. A walk up the driveway showed the depressed wet grass where they were checking out the fenceline.
I pound in some 1" pvc pipe segments around the corners and middle of our raised bed and then slip in some posts of 1/2" pipe or rebar and wrap around them with 4 ft deer fence. That has kept the raccoons out. Earlier I had to use a portable electric fence.

 

[DuaeGuttae]

I took some pictures of my efforts to shade the garden. We actually have a new roll of shade cloth coming since I didn’t have enough for both gardens, but I had to get creative during this week.



Here are some sweet potato cuttings that I planted on Monday morning. I have enough that I can replace them if they don’t make it, but with shade and water, they’ve done well despite the high heat and no roots. Sweet potatoes kind of amaze me sometimes. I’m waiting to plant the rest of the bed until the onions mature. The sweet potato slips are going crazy in a planter on my deck and are drinking water like crazy in this heat (which is in part why I trimmed them and planted the cuttings in the soil).


I’m also amazed that my rhubarb has toughed it out this long through record-setting May heat. I put one of the umbrellas over it to help protect it when we’re in the triple digits. It only hit 98 today, though, and tomorrow may be like that, too. Unfortunately the hottest weather is yet to come for the weekend.


My basil is doing well. I gave all of it a pretty good trimming today so that we could have pesto for lunch.


This is one of my four beds of okra. This one has a volunteer watermelon in it, I think. I decided to see if I can let it go for a living mulch.


And amazingly, there’s a cucumber developing this week.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

Ok. I think I have the garden in. There are still 2 infilled beds, but I don’t think I’ll fill them this year.

I started a new crop of Thai basil in the aerogarden since the current crop is getting stringy and trying to flower. It’s days are numbered.

I’ve got lots of flowers coming up in the other aerogardens. They’ll be transplanted out soon.

 

[begreen]

Speaking of potatoes, I learned something today. Did you know that there are determinate and indeterminate potatoes, just like tomatoes? It’s important to know which variety, especially if growing in mounds or layering in boxes or bags to increase yield. I have been growing potatoes for years without knowing this.

https://www.gardeningdream.com/the-ultimate-list-of-determinate-and-indeterminate-potatoes/

 

[begreen]

Ok. I think I have the garden in. There are still 2 infilled beds, but I don’t think I’ll fill them this year.

I started a new crop of Thai basil in the aerogarden since the current crop is getting stringy and trying to flower. It’s days are numbered.

I’ve got lots of flowers coming up in the other aerogardens. They’ll be transplanted out soon.

What do you think of the Idoo system. It seems a better value, but maybe not as good?
Amazon product ASIN B08418TRV1