2024 Garden Thread!

[EbS-P]

I use woodchips as mulch in my (non-food) garden - on the sand here (ice age ridges of sand and boulders) it helps a lot in decreasing water evaporation from the soil, keeping the soil warmer, and bringing carbon in the soil. Worked similarly well on the clay in TN.

I wonder whether the plants would grow better (more nitrogen) with something else. The wife does not like grass clippings in the non-food yard though...

Regarding the grass clippings in a (food) garden. I'd add the caveat to only do that if your grass is clean - no herbicides or pesticides (and if all natural, no artificial fertilizer). Otherwise you'll be bringing ***cides to the stuff you want to eat.

I got a big load of wood chips free from a tree service. Now I have smelly stinkhorns all over. They stink!

Stinkhorn Mushrooms

The caller explained that they had these alien-looking, pink things that resembled the pi sign. I said, “The what sign, the peace sign?” They said you know, the pi sign, like math. Then it clicked for me, “Oh…pi, like 3.14”! I have to say, I was intrigued and quite puzzled at the same time. What...

beaufort.ces.ncsu.edu

 

[begreen]

The wood chip video guy had greens and compost mixed into his chips. The grinder was mixing in the leaves and branches in addition to the trunk. I think he also had a bunch of compost he’d mix in from his chickens.

There have been a bunch of people that have used wood chips only and had luck. I think they plant below the chips, with the roots into the soil.

The chips should only pull nitrogen from the soil they are in contact with while they are decomposing via bacteria. If you have fungal forces at work, the bacteria might not be an issue.

Yes, if the soil is well amended in advance of mulching with some supplemental nitrogen added, the nitrogen depletion effect can be mitigated, especially if the garden is drip irrigated. The main benefit of a wood chip mulch is weed reduction and moisture retention. If available, a heavy straw or spoiled hay mulch can be much more effective and benficial. Ruth Stout championed this No Work Garden method many decades ago.

”No-Work” Technique for Starting an Organic Garden: The Ruth Stout Method

Are you thinking of starting an organic vegetable garden that requires no fertilizers, no watering, and best of all, no digging and soil amendments? In that case, the Ruth Stout method is one of the

thenatureofhome.com

2024 Garden Thread!

My rhubarb is just starting to come up. Interesting thought of harvesting it early. It’s been putting energy into the roots. I should be able to take some and not hurt anything. I usually wait until June.

www.hearth.com

Regarding the grass clippings in a (food) garden. I'd add the caveat to only do that if your grass is clean - no herbicides or pesticides (and if all natural, no artificial fertilizer). Otherwise you'll be bringing ***cides to the stuff you want to eat.

Definitely, this is true for any mulch. We only use our own lawn clippings so that we know they are ok. Out here, hay from eastern WA can have the herbicide clopyralid or aminopyralid in it which is toxic for 3-5 yrs. and devastating to young plants, especially legumes.

Also, be careful not to use grass later in the season when it is going to seed or you will have a lawn in your garden.

 

[EbS-P]

Taxi tomatoes, pickle bush, and the whole 10x20 garden under the sun shade.

 

[begreen]

Looking good. You are a month ahead of us in growing. We are still having cool nights to contend with. We grew taxi for a couple years. It's a nice tomato and a good performer. Is this a different cucumber? It doesn't look like a bush plant.

Our outdoor cuke is barely 8" tall. The same plant in the greenhouse is pushing 3' tall and is already setting cucumbers.

 

[EbS-P]

Looking good. You are a month ahead of us in growing. We are still having cool nights to contend with. We grew taxi for a couple years. It's a nice tomato and a good performer. Is this a different cucumber? It doesn't look like a bush plant.

Our outdoor cuke is barely 8" tall. The same plant in the greenhouse is pushing 3' tall and is already setting cucumbers.

Yes that’s the bush pickle. You a looking at the side of a bale. I think I only had one plant in that pot.

It’s becoming apparent that the cool short season tomatoes don’t like the heat and it really hasn’t been that hot. 86 yesterday 85 now. I’m going to try a take a clipping of the taxi just to see if the determinate can be an all summer long tomato 🍅 plant.

 

[Prometeo]

starting to see some tomatoes !

 

[begreen]

Nice. That was an early set. What variety?

Our plants are just starting to set tomatoes after building upsome strong foliage. The greenhouse Early Girl has a few tomatoes on it. That plant is over 3 ft tall now and thriving. This week the nighttime temps will finally be over 50º which will help jumpstart a lot of plants.

 

[Prometeo]

they are smooth round tomatoes, same thing here too, we are starting to have the first nights above 10 C (50 F) and this makes me wonder if it would be better to start in June, but I don't know if it would be late, however only some vegetables suffered in May, fortunately

 

[begreen]

Early June and we are picking snap peas, broccoli, spinach, and lots of lettuce. The greenhouse Poiniente Cucumber is now 7' tall and has a few cukes on it. The largest is 5" and growing quickly. The Early Girl in the greenhouse has around 5 tomatoes so far, the largest is about golf ball sized. I took the temporary greenhouse off of the eggplants Tuesday during this warm and sunny spell.
Here's how the outside looks today.

 

[EbS-P]

About to hit full swing tomato production! I’m picking a bit early to avoid splitting and vermin.

 

[Prometeo]

this is my favorite recipe, to enjoy the ripe, raw tomato, simply split it in half and rub it on the bread, juice and pulp, then add salt and olive oil without anything else, then can add tuna, mozzarella, basil but the base is a spectacle to savor the tomatoes

 

[EbS-P]

Chocolate stripe (hh), Fred’s tie-dye (d), Sunset red Horizon (c)
Radiator Charlie(hh), Buckbees New(c), taxi (hhc)

hh= hot and humid
d= dwarf tomato project
hhc= hot humid container
c= cool/cold early season.

Will report a taste test soon in the rest soon. Buckbees is good. Taxi a bit bland.

 

[begreen]

I've grown Pink Berkley Tie-dyed tomatoes in the past. They bear a generous quantity of full-sized and more rounded tomatoes, with very good flavor. Taxi is a milder, lower acid fruit.

 

[begreen]

The first cucumber was picked today. It's from the greenhouse cuke which has several on it now. The same outdoor plant is only 12" tall. It will be a month before it starts producing.

 

[EbS-P]

The Tye dye is really well balanced and flavorful. The chocolate stripe has less acidity. Both excellent. The radiator Charlie is more sweet. I like a little acid and it has enough for my taste. A slice of fried bologna may or may not have been added;

Fred’s probably the best setting of large fruits. My chocolate stripe doesn’t have much but my dads does.