CLOSED: Free Seed For Newbies! 7/27/09. Come Join Us!

Wow - someone is still up^_^

I'm up but thought everyone else was gone. I'm gonna start trying mine tomorrow.

OK - I've been digging Bermuda Grass - arrrrrggggggghhhhhhh! Now I need to take a shower and go to bed.

Nitey nite!

Good night. We'll compare tomorrow.

Morning everyone!

Robin - we miss you, so hurry back!!

Loca, Seray - what is the purpose of adding lime?

Im starting mine this weekend. I have taken a three day weekend starting Friday cuz of my birthday, so I'll have 3 whole days to get things moving on this garden! don't think it will be finished by then, because I want to add things as I go, instead of buying them, so am hoping by Sept. 1, it will be ready to plant with my fall veggies!

seray, mekos - I have Black hollyhock finally sprouting and those 'Dragon's heart' hibiscus that mekos sent have now sprouted 4 out of 5! pulled out a few sunflower seed from my birdseed mix last night, will try those this weekend and keep an eye on them.

anyway. am excited about this lasagna project we all have going now! cant wait to compare notes with everyone. i think Robin needs to jump on the lasagna bandwagon as well...LOL.

ok, just so I know I have the basics down...

you layer in brown, then green, then brown , then green again and so on, right? and compost is considered a brown... and coffee grounds are considered a green... right? what are pine needles then.. and peat moss?

what about green leaves? are they still considered brown? I constantly trim back the edge of the wild from encroaching on my backyard... and I plan to use those clippings... but dunno of green leaves are still considered a brown.



This message was edited Jul 29, 2009 6:05 AM

HI Everyone
Cue I think if the leaves are still green they are considered green layer if already dead stuff it's brown. I might join you all in this after I dig up more iris and weeds from a bed I already have bordered with cedar logs.
HI Robin glad you are headed back. Missed you.

Hi Everyone,
I am back unpacking ,chasing off the slugs, I got plants in the mail while I was gone...yippee...weeds where did they all come from??? I have a lasagna garden I started it in May...Brown,then put my plants on it to keep the slugs and the floods off. I have red wiggglers composting away...green soon to be brown....Hay, pine needles, grass clippings...etc...I dont buy anything to put on it though. Compost, compost and more compost....Back to sugs and such for me talk to you all soon...

What seed are you all looking for? We can do a round robin swap.....

hi arejay welcome back
are you going to be around long enough for me to ship your ground orchid or would you rather wait till it cools down, up to you, i will get it out to you next week.
de blond

HI Robin Glad you are back. Right now I'm hoping for new tomato and pepper seeds for next year's garden. Traded with Al for some tomato and sunflower seeds already but want more as I like to try new ones out on DH who loves the things. Also, sunflower seeds for DH and the chickens. And I would like to find some navy bean seeds if anyone knows where to buy them. Flowers I'm still deciding on those so don't have a list yet.
Raining here today so will be in the house most of the time which means the afghan I'm working on might be finished today.

Mindy, you are looking for navy bean seed that you eat? Not a flower-navy sweet peas ? The navy bean you eat-you can get a whole pound of those in the grocery store in dried bean section. Those are what you plant. Years ago, when I made huge gardens and planted lots of different beans, that is where I got my seeds. You use what you need and cook the left over. Just an option.

Morning everyone!

Welcome back, Robin!

Cue - leaves that are green are considered "greens" (nitrogen). If they are dry, then they become "browns" (carbon). Coffee grounds are considered a nitrogen source and thus "greens". They can also be used on plants that like acid soils. Pine needles are acidic and again will lower the pH in your soil. Peat moss is acidic and lowers the pH of your soil slightly. It is used in soil mixes to help hold nutrients and retain water. It has to be mixed in well, though. Never put peat on top of your soil as it will form a hard crust and keep water from penetrating - mix mix mix it in. Lime serves to raise the pH of soil. Most veggies and such like a soil with a neutral or slightly alkaline soil (higher pH). Things like blueberries, banana trees and some flowers like the soil acidic (lower pH).

Unless you know you have very acidic soil, I would stay away from the lime. If you get too much in the soil and it raises the pH too much, your plants won't be happy and you will have to water water water to help wash it out.

Just layer what you have. No need to get too technical about it. Just make sure if you use any amendments that are "hot" (high in Nitrogen) that you either let the bed sit a while or finish it with a layer of good finished compost. You can plant right in the compost but don't want to plant in the "hot" material.

Now that I wrote a book, hope that helps . . .

Did you see this, cue??????

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1020654/

Morning everyone!

Glad you're back Robin.

Cue here's a video for the Lasagna. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tL3I5kMPpxc
Here's another. Both are informative and cute :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8RaavbmT1A

Coffee grounds are brown, grass is green even if dead, Carbon and Nitrogen. Pine needles brown, garden clippings food scraps green. Green leaves green. Peat moss brown.
You can have more brown than green. Green fuels the compost and goes a long way. Usually 1 part green 4 parts brown.

Our snap dragons are still looking good. Never have enough color!!

Do we know anyone by the name of Ella from Seale?

NOT me. I don't know anyone by that name.
Maybe it's a newbie that hasn't found where to sign up yet.

This message was edited Jul 29, 2009 11:35 AM

Not me either. How's your seed stash Arejay!

HI Everyone
Yes Mekos I'm looking for the eatiing navy beans. I knew you can plant what's in the store the problem is the stores around here seem to stick with pinto, northern or mixed. So I'm having a hard time finding any to plant. I want to grow all the beans DH likes to eat cooked from dry beans so that means I need to find the navy and kidney which I know where to get the kidneys and I'm trying black turtle soup beans on him this year. I'm also open to new beans besides the regular ones.
Don't know that one Robin maybe Flower will know.

OK, girlfriend. I'm going to the store later TODAY and I know just where they are, so I'll send you some in tomorrows mail. Just you hold on for them.

arejay,
Ella , isn't that starlight? I rhink so but wouldn't swear to it. Glad to see you back. missed you on here.

You have mail.

Hey you guys, we've had over 700 views on the seed auction , already. I think we're getting noticed. (couse they seem to be watching this one too) Over 400, here.

well they just want to get with the cool people lol
hi all you peeps, i am going to the garden and work just came in to say hello
de blond
oh cue, you made me hungry for lasagna so i am fixing it for dinner lol

hi everyone. Thanks fr all the links and advice! got my cardboard layer laid down today when I got home, but couldnt do much else as it is getting ready to storm again. so will do a little every day and by monday, it should be well on its way!

are you looking for a particular seed Sherri? I don't have navy beans and none in the newbie seeds either:( but I have lots of others. Im low on veggie seeds maybe I should try jans auction and action off some of the flower seed for veggie seed...where is the auction?Hi Flower thank you so much for the gift...Deep red purple it says...whoo hoo Cue I bet it will shine like black....

Robin you have d-mail.

woot.. Im gonna make a Goth Gardeners outta some of you yet!!!!

Robin? Goth Gardener? Can't picture it - ROTFL.

Hey, cue - any more strange encounters with the neighbor? What's he gonna think with you out there putting cardboard and stuff all over - lol.

ROTFL.. believe it or not, he is in Sturgess (sp) right now for the biker rally... so alot will have changed when he gets back! for one.. he liked my round bed with the birdbath.. wait till he returns to see a pile of rotting vegetaion in its place.. then he will think Im strange!!!

Hey cue, are you talking about the one in Sturgess KY. If so some friends of mine went to that.

no the one in South Dakota... starts officially on monday

It is funny how you and the neighbor are investigating each others lives...that is much better than what is was isn't it? Is he the one that was giving you the hard time about the black? Wanna see strange ...lol ever been to a bike gathering? I saw one in Wv last week 50 thousand bikes...they pile it on...one of them was riding an orange Harley wearing an orange helmet with a Mohawk glued to the helmet....another one...had a moped of sorts...large man...with a plastic blow up doll strapped to the back...so...Goth Garden ...Bike show...hmmm

LOL.. he's a nice guy.. just likes to give me a hard time about my choice in flowers...LOL. Im sorta house/garden sitting for him while he is away. he's taken me to lunch a few times for helpng him out and for giving him plants (gave him some painted daisy seedlings that i sprouted from my newbie pack) but otherwise, we ge along really well, tho I think he might wanna little more...LOL.. no thanks.

Not into bikers... he's an ex cop and frequently has bikers over at his house. like 'outlaw' bikers.. who all call me 'little girl' cuz tho I may have Goth tendencies.. Im a bit on the naive, good side.. and they seem to think thast cute?

How cute - cue is worshipped by the biker gang - ROTFL!

Well arejay at least when you saw them they had clothes on. The friends that go to those have told me about some of the stuff that goes on. They said a lot of them run around naked !

LOL.. I live 15 minutes frm Daytone.. land of Bike Week and Biketoberfest.. I also an a photo technician.. so imagine what I get to see when those rally's are over... uh.. yeah.

look what i found in my garden it is soo cute it is a baby "BLACK" racer, would fit right in in the goth garden would you like it cue, mine had babies i have them all over they are mean little bugars

no thanks. came toe to toe with one the day before yesterday. was coming around the corner with a garden hose at the same time we was coming around the corner from the opposite directin.. we both darted the other way!

lol, that is funny i am chasing them down and so do my boys, gotta love the wildlife. lol

i may be goth.. i dont like snakes..>LOL. so hard for me to tell which ones are venomous and which arent.. so i avoid them all

yeah, and that one looks a little creepy. cool eyes, though...